In the city of Tracy, current and former council embers are competing in the mayoral race, and 11 candidates are competing for three potential City Council seats.
That is an unusually high rate of civic engagement in a time when many nonpartisan positions are going uncontested this November, part of a growing trend. In 2022, the nonprofit research organization BallotReady found that 62% of the nonpartisan positions up for election in the Bay Area were uncontested.
In a rapidly growing city that has seen an influx of new residents from Silicon Valley and of large-scale distribution centers, some of the top issues the city faces concern development, housing and public safety.
As Mayor Nancy Young is terming out of office, mayor pro tempore Eleassia Davis and Councilmember Dan Arriola are competing against former councilmember Mary Mitracos for the role of mayor.
Eleassia Davis
Davis is a U.S. Army veteran whose priorities include crime reduction, infrastructure improvement and fiscally conservative business policies. She has the endorsement of San Joaquin County Supervisor and former Tracy mayor Robert Rickman, councilmember Dan Evans and the Central Valley Taxpayers Association.
Dan Arriola
Arriola, a Tracy native, is currently serving as a deputy district attorney in San Joaquin County. His priority is public safety, with a promise to develop comprehensive solutions to homelessness and retail theft. He advocates for ValleyLink, a proposed 26-mile commuter rail service that would connect to BART. He is endorsed by Service Employees International Union Local 1021, as well as former mayor Brent Ives, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the current mayor Young.
Mary Mitracos
Mitracos is also a Tracy native and current real estate broker who served over a decade on the San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Commission and two years on Tracy’s City Council, making the motion to build Legacy Fields, a 166-acre multi-sport recreation complex.
She has seen the city’s economy change from an agricultural processing center to a crossroads for Amazon and FedEx distribution centers, with thousands of employees.
“Tracy has become ringed with warehouses,” said Mitracos. “For the most part, we have the northeastern industrial area. We have them in on the west. We have the International Park of Commerce, and we have them in the south. There are also a few on the east. And there is now a proposal to develop more farmland south of Tracy and turn it into warehouses.”
Mitracos said the city has been rapidly building single-family homes and is scheduled to build thousands of houses in Tracy over the next few decades, many of them market rate rather than affordable.
“If you are an IT engineer in Silicon Valley, they’re very affordable,” she said, referring to a new subdivision called Ellis where homes are selling for around $1 million. She said the next phase of the development, called The Avenues, includes homes that are even bigger and grander than the ones that were built in Ellis, with a third 5,500-house development in the works.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 35.5% of Tracy’s residents commute more than an hour. The city’s median household income is $95,611, and 39% of its residents are Hispanic.
Tracy’s City Council is overshadowed by political turmoil. A San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report published in June, which echoed similar findings in a 2018-2019 report, said Tracy has been plagued with a council that cannot form a civil, cohesive governing body willing to set aside differences and personal agendas for the benefit of city residents. The result has been low morale, staff resignations, work backlogs and the appearance of conflict of interest.
The reports noted the source of many disagreements revolved around philosophical differences in Tracy’s growth, leading to a lack of consistent vision of Tracy’s future and distrust between council members and developers.
Mateo Bedolla
Thirty-one-year-old public school teacher Mateo Bedolla is defending his seat as incumbent councilmember. A 2022 mayoral candidate, his campaign ad said that nearly $750,000 has been spent by anonymous interest groups in the past year. His statement said he helped open Tracy’s first homeless shelter to provide support services for encampment residents at El Pescadero Park. He said he worked to renovate the park with recreational facilities that improved neighborhood safety. He is also advocating to build a new aquatic center.
Cliff Hudson
Former football coach and U.S. Army captain Cliff Hudson is running for council by emphasizing his experience in management and conflict resolution as a business owner. He was chair of the Tracy Chamber of Commerce and Planning Commission, as well as past treasurer of the Grand Theater Foundation. His priority is for the City Council to regain the trust of the electorate and city staff.
“The current majority is hostile towards anyone with differing views, resulting in two separate investigations by our Civil Grand Jury. I am an independent leader who will not engage in mudslinging, and I will stay focused on the issues at hand, starting with common-sense reforms like transparency policies and a code of ethics.,” Hudson said in an email.
Alice English
Council candidate Alice English is an active community advocate. She served on the San Joaquin County Redistricting Committee and the Tracy Transportation Advisory Commission. In her statement, she prioritizes the expansion of police and fire stations, improved response times, mental health services and improved infrastructure and road repairs. She is also endorsed by the county supervisor Rickman and state Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua.
Dotty Nygard
Dotty Nygard is a former emergency room nurse who now heads the Tracy Earth Project, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable business practices, mentors underserved youth and promotes science education. She was instrumental in the Sustainability Commission that addresses citywide efforts to cut air pollution and address traffic congestion, which has been a concern with an increase in trucking.
“Warehouses and other developments bring many exciting economic opportunities,” Nygard said in her online statement. “We should work together to set sustainable standards for land-use, road, safety, and air quality.”
Guy McIntyre
Georgia native and former Super Bowl champion Guy McIntyre is the director of alumni relations for the San Francisco 49ers. He serves as the board president for Tracy Community Connections Center, a nonprofit that provides resources for homeless and at-risk individuals. He emphasizes his experience in football as providing the skills needed to bring teamwork to the City Council, as well as solve the homeless problem, build an aquatic park, fix roads and improve public safety.
Wes Huffman
Public accountant and former city councilman Wes Huffman prioritizes community over individual rights in his campaign, where he encourages collective action.
“There is a large group of citizens who complain about the state of society or government, yet do nothing to improve it,” Huffman said in his online statement. “If they joined the proactive citizens already working toward solutions — just as people literally picking up trash — much progress could be made. Over time, social pressure would encourage those contributing to the problem to stop. As an example, consider Disneyland: It remains clean and orderly because no one tolerates litter.”
Tai’Rance Kelly
Tai’Rance Kelly is a small business owner with a master’s degree in public administration and is currently seeking a doctorate degree in psychology. His online statement emphasizes a commitment to marginalized communities. He advocates for a society that celebrates diversity, ensures access to health care, education, housing and emotional well-being.
Steve Abercrombie
Retired Hayward police officer Steve Abercrombie is the president of the Tracy Unified School District board, an office he has held since 2018. He started teaching Drug Abuse Resistance Education, DARE, in Tracy schools in 2001. As the Tracy Police Department’s DARE officer, he was named Tracy’s Employee of the Month in 2022. He also served on the Tracy City Council from 2006 to 2012 and considers his return to office an effort to return confidence to local government.
Jospeh Colmenares
Joseph Colmenares is a high voltage electrician with the U.S. Department of Energy who served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy. In an online statement, he said his first priority is preventing kids from becoming the next unhoused population. He emphasizes bringing trade skills back into the classroom. He has work experience at local businesses like Leprino Foods, Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc., as well as the state Department of Water Resources.
Dominic Biles
Dominic Biles, a manager in an automotive body shop, is making his first run for office. He has government experience as a member of the San Joaquin County Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee. He lists his priority as instilling public confidence in the City Council.
“I would also strive for transparency within all decisions by answering any and all questions brought to the council in an honest and respectful nature,” Biles said in an online statement. “I would work with my colleagues openly and without personal bias in resolution of differences of opinions.”
Mike Schober
Mike Schober is a council candidate who works as a concession supervisor, but he has not established a campaign.
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