Stanislaus County’s June 3 ballot will hold a primary contest for District 12’s state senator with two candidates: Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and Shawn K. Bagley (D-Salinas).

Both Bagley and Cannella will proceed to the November election because they are each the only candidates representing their respective parties.

Cannella has shown focus in ensuring clean and reliable water by authoring Senate Bill 927 to build two new water storage facilities in California, and ensure reliable water supplies for farms and families.

Cannella’s work on law and order issues has earned the support of the California Highway Patrolmen’s Association, Peace Officers Research Association, Madera County Sheriff John Anderson, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, San Benito County Sheriff Darren Thompson, and Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin (Ret.).

Listed on his website are some of Cannella’s main areas of focus in “keeping communities safe” including: increased penalties for meth producers, getting guns out of the hands of criminals, stopping the cycle of violence, and fighting prescription drug abuse.

Cannella also helped negotiate a bi-partisan compromise that led to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the district by attracting a new Amazon distribution facility here.

According to his website, AnthonyCannella.com, Cannella backed education reforms that ensured education dollars – up to $2,700 per student would be spent in the district’s schools.
According to Cannella, the reform also removes the bureaucratic red tape that slows down efforts to improve schools and wastes tax dollars.

According to his website, BagleyForSenate.com, Bagley understands that with the current drought and the slow economic recovery in California, families are going through a challenging time.

Bagley considers himself a life-long public servant and has been a produce broker for over 30 years. As a produce broker at Fisher Procurement, Bagley organized California’s agricultural community to provide fresh fruit and vegetables in support of the victims of Hurricane Andrew. The initiative organized truckers, farmers and shippers to donate fruits and vegetables from all over California to distributors in Florida who would deliver them direct to the victims. Over 2,000,000 pounds of product was transported, according to his website.

For this, Bagley was voted “Humanitarian of the Year” from the Salinas Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) in 1992.

Other positions Bagley served include: Board Member appointee of Governor Brown to the 7th District Agricultural Association (Monterey Fair Board); Executive Board member of the California Democratic Party; Elected Member of the Democratic National Committee; Former Treasurer of the Salvation Army, Salinas Valley; Former President of the Salinas Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce); Former District Director of the California Junior Chamber of Commerce; Former President of the Salinas Valley Democratic Club; and Former Community Outreach Leadership Committee Member of the Cherry Jubilee.