Merced City Council appoints new member to District 2 seat. How it happened
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Thao pledges to address illegal dumping, alley cleanup and street lighting issues.
- Council selected Thao from 13 applicants after interviewing five and holding a vote.
- Merced City Council appointed Planning Commissioner Yang Pao Thao to District 2.
The Merced City Council has a new member.
In a special meeting Tuesday night, the council voted to appoint Yang Pao Thao, who currently serves on the City’s Planning Commission, as District 2’s new member.
He replaces Ronnie DeAnda, who resigned in October over health issues.
“It’s an honor for me to serve my district,” Thao said.
Thao said the issues he’s most looking forward to tackling as District 2’s representative are cleaning up alleys, improving street lighting and stopping illegal dumping.
“Those are important to my district because they improve the quality of life (for) the people who live there,” he said.
The council decided to appoint a representative to serve the remainder of DeAnda’s term, which will end in November 2026, rather than wait to hold a special election for the seat.
Thao was one of 13 people who applied for the open position. Each applicant had a chance to answer questions from the council at Tuesday’s meeting.
The meeting was much shorter than expected because only five of the 13 applicants were present to be interviewed.
Thao emerged as the leading candidate during the council’s discussion of the applicants. Councilmembers cited both his experience on the Planning Commission and his detailed knowledge of the challenges facing District 2.
“In Mr. Thao’s application,” said Mayor Matthew Serratto, “he’s able to give details about where the illegal dumping is, off MLK, or where there’s … trees (that) need trimming.”
“He’s been a stalwart member of our Planning Commission ...,” said Councilmember Shane Smith. “There’s been a number of issues, primarily from my district of late, where neighborhoods have come out in force. He’s been able to stand his ground and make a decision based upon planning policies and the zoning code and our charter.”
Merced mayor calls process ‘credit to our city’
Serratto thanked all participants “for a really good night,” calling it “a great credit to our city” that the process went so smoothly.
The meeting began with public comment, and the message of those who spoke to the council was clear: Prioritize candidates who live in the district.
Felipe Rojas-Flores, who sits on the Tax Transparency Commission, spoke first and reminded the council that, previously, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund threatened legal action in 2014 if the city did not move to a district system.
Merced voters passed Measure T later that year to create a districting committee. Rojas-Flores urged the council to take this into consideration, saying, “While it’s not required that you guys appoint someone living in District 2 today, I really suggest you do.”
Rojas-Flores was correct. Selecting an applicant who lives in the district was not required for this appointment, though during a normal election cycle, candidates must live within the district for which they are running.
“I have lived in Merced for over eight decades,” said Isabel Sanchez. She said she wanted the council to appoint someone who lives in District 2 and will prioritize South Merced.
Only five applicants attend Merced meeting
The five applicants who came to the meeting were: Jody George, retired; Dina Gonzalez, who serves on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission; Gloria Keene, who is a former county supervisor; Tommy Tran, who serves on the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission; and Thao.
The candidates were asked about their favorite parts of District 2, where they see the need for improvement and why they would be the best person for the job. The candidates spoke about their love of McNamara Park and South Merced’s vibrant murals, as well as the need for better sidewalk maintenance, stopping illegal dumping, and more street lighting.
The council took a short recess before returning to discuss the interviews and decide upon an appointment. The councilmembers seemed to take the urging to select someone who lives within the district seriously.
“I can kind of see the argument both ways from a political theory perspective,” said Smith, “but I’ve heard consistently from residents of District 2 that they want to see this appointment made from somebody who lives in the district.”
“I think it is more important to have somebody who lives in the district,” agreed Councilmember Mike Harris.
“I think it’s important to have someone that lives, breathes and understands District 2,” said Councilmember Darin DuPont, noting that when he voted for an appointment rather than an election to fill the vacancy it was because he did not want the district to go without representation until an election could be held.
“I would echo what Councilmenan Harris and DuPont (have) mentioned as well, in terms of … having D2 representation. I think that’s really important,” said Councilmember Fue Xiong. He added that he opposed the decision to appoint rather than elect a new member to the council.
Xiong added that he saw “two amazing applicants” in Thao and Gonzalez, but ultimately expressed his support for Gonzalez because he felt she had a better understanding of the importance of advocating for the community.
‘Issues that I’ve never heard before’
The discussion continued, and several councilmembers expressed their support for Thao.
Harris moved to vote on appointing Thao to the council and the motion was seconded by DuPont. All of the councilmembers voted in support of the measure except Xiong.
Just ahead of the vote, Councilmember Sarah Boyle highlighted the value of the night’s discussion.
“You guys also brought up issues that I’ve never heard before,” she said. “I want you guys to come to our council meetings, even if you aren’t appointed, come and speak up and let us know of what is going on.”
Now that Thao has been selected to serve as District 2 representative, he will have to step down from the Planning Commission.
