‘Why bring up that kind of nonsense?’ Merced County politics gets personal

An old rivalry between veteran Merced County politicians flared up this week sparking an argument over the appointment of a local representative to a state commission that could help the county’s crumbling roads.

The position in question is for a seat on the California Transportation Commission, an 11-member board that allocates funding for transportation projects, among other duties.

The board of directors of Merced County Association of Governments was asked on Thursday to recommend John Pedrozo, who served as a Merced County supervisor from 2004 to last year when he lost a bid for re-election. The man who defeated the veteran politician, Rodrigo Espinoza, is chairman of the MCAG board of directors.

Espinoza said the board needed more time to allow others to apply for the state commission, and the board of directors ultimately agreed with him but not before a debate over Pedrozo and the process to choose him.

Espinoza said he has no ill will toward Pedrozo, but that it may be difficult to work with the former supervisor. “This gentleman doesn’t talk to me,” Espinoza said. “I’m being asked to recognize someone who doesn’t talk to me.”

“My constituents are complaining he wasn’t available a lot of time to listen to their comments,” he said, before being interrupted by multiple directors.

After the meeting, Pedrozo denied avoiding the calls. “Mr. Espinoza’s never called me. Never,” he told the Sun-Star. “I want to take care of Merced County and the San Joaquin Valley. Why bring up that kind of nonsense?”

Pedrozo said he was asked about three weeks ago to apply for the position. “I was asked to do this, and I took it upon myself because of my dedication to the citizens of Merced County and the San Joaquin Valley,” he said.

The former supervisor has experience in transportation planning in Merced County and the central San Joaquin Valley, serving on boards for each, as well as a board that plans for rural communities. He’s also been a supporter of bringing the ACE train and state High-Speed Rail through Merced County.

The transportation commission has no representatives from the Valley and is instead entirely made up of people from Sacramento, the Bay Area and Southern California.

Espinoza said holding the decision off for another month gives other Merced County residents a chance to apply to be on the commission. Earlier in the week, he Pedrozo’s appointment would amount to “good-ol’-boy” politics.

“If this board is going to make a recommendation, there’s a duty to make it public,” he said. “Let the public know we want somebody from Merced County, not the first name that pops up.”

“And it makes it look like we’re just going to give it to somebody (board members) know. ... That doesn’t look good in the public’s point of view,” he said.

Other members of the board, including Atwater Mayor Jim Price and Los Banos Mayor Mike Villalta, said the method for getting applicants is flawed.

The appointment to the board is ultimately made by Gov. Jerry Brown. The seat on the state commission has been open for about a year, and there is no deadline for filling it, according to Staci Dabbs, deputy executive director for MCAG.

The commission members are not paid, but do get a reimbursement for expenses, she said.

The directors moved the decision to its next board meeting, which will be in September.

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 5:51 PM with the headline "‘Why bring up that kind of nonsense?’ Merced County politics gets personal."