Merced candidates call public safety top priority

Four of the five county supervisor candidates invited to a forum this week in Merced said public safety is a top priority during a debate that also touched on tax sharing and a new transportation measure.

Incumbent Hub Walsh sparred with candidates Lee Lor and Casey Steed during the forum. District 1 incumbent John Pedrozo also took questions, but his only opponent, Livingston Mayor Rodrigo Espinoza, did not attend the debate Tuesday.

While the candidates agreed public safety was of the utmost importance in Merced County, they disagreed on how to bring crime down. Each candidate supported pay raises for county sheriff’s deputies.

In recent years, Merced County has tallied record numbers for homicides.

Lor, 34, the executive director of the Merced County Education Fund, said she would support a greater emphasis on collaboration between the county and area nonprofits who work with children before they enter gangs.

“We already have nonprofit organizations that are working in our neighborhoods to prevent crime,” she said. “I think we need to bridge that with the Sheriff’s Department, and approach it that way.”

Having safe neighborhoods is important for allowing the county to grow and attract newcomers, she said. She’s competing for the District 2 seat, which covers much of central and north Merced.

Steed, another District 2 candidate, said public safety is the primary function of government. He pointed to the Sheriff’s Office’s difficulty in recruiting and keeping deputies, who leave for better-paying jobs in other counties, an argument often made by the deputies union.

“What we’re losing are not just deputies, we’re losing experience,” Steed said. “When we put these folks through the academy, we have an investment.”

There’s a monetary investment lost every time a deputy leaves, he said, so paying the deputies more would be a smart financial decision.

The 53-year-old electrical contractor, is also co-host of the weekly talk radio show on KYOS called “Citizens Watch.” He ran against Walsh before, in 2008 and 2012.

Walsh, 65, who was first elected to District 2 in 2008, said the deputies “absolutely” should get raises. “We’re at the table now negotiating and have, frankly, made an economic offer to them,” he said. “I am confident that we are, frankly, going to get to a deal.”

He said much of the violence in the county is related to drugs and gangs, so he’s supported an investment in the Merced Multi-Agency Gang Task Force.

He said improvements in public safety also will come from the $40 million grant Merced County got from the California Board of State and Community Corrections to renovate John Latorraca Correctional Center. The board formally accepted the money in February.

District 1 incumbent Pedrozo, 58, who was first elected in 2004, said he, too, believes the county is close to a deal with the deputies union. That district stretches from Le Grand and Planada to Livingston, while encompassing parts of south Merced.

“I have the community of Planada and there’s issues out there; we do have some issues out there,” he said. “Would I like to have a deputy sitting out there everyday? Yes, I would. But, we’re short.”

He also noted a state ballot measure that could potentially allow the county to use corrections officers for other positions that would free up deputies to be on patrol.

County officials also have begun floating the idea for a ballot measure for a half-cent sales tax, which would be used for a variety of transportation fixes.

Pedrozo, Lor and Walsh said they’d support the effort, saying it would give voters the final say in November. Steed said he would not support a new tax, saying transportation dollars are too easily taken out of the area.

The Merced County Association of Realtors and Merced Sun-Star co-sponsored the forum.

The next forum, which includes District 4, is at 9 a.m. next Tuesday at the association office, 635 W. Main St. in Merced. This week’s entire debate can be seen at www.mercedsunstar.com.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Merced candidates call public safety top priority."