Safety, jobs debated at forum for Merced supervisor candidates

Four of the five Merced County District 4 supervisor candidates fielded questions Tuesday during a League of Women Voters forum in Merced.

The candidates, who do not face an incumbent, discussed the greatest challenges for the county and for District 4 specifically, which includes more unincorporated land than space inside city limits. Supervisor Deidre Kelsey is not running for re-election.

Lloyd Pareira, 53, who has lived on his family’s farm off Highway 59 near the Merced River nearly his whole life, said public safety is on everyone’s mind.

“We’re running five or six deputies on a shift at any given time, and the sheriff said it requires nine to 11 deputies to cover the county efficiently and effectively,” he said. “That’s our greatest struggle right now.”

He went on to say that deputies leave Merced County because pay is better in many surrounding counties, an argument often made by the Merced County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

Pareira said rural residents in District 4 tell him they feel underrepresented by the Board of Supervisors. “I believe that’s the No. 1 issue is representing the citizens and making sure their voices are heard,” he said.

Ramon Prado, who works with special-needs students, said a lack of opportunity harms the county’s residents. “With the lack of opportunities, it creates an umbrella and then you get a bunch of issues under it,” the 30-year-old said. “Because of a lack of opportunity, you create a pocket of poverty, you create crime and you create residents with far worse health.”

The remedy for those issues are “investments in people,” he said, saying the county needs job training and safe spaces for children. The lack of opportunity leads to a cycle of crime and poverty, he said.

“Without opportunity, the residents here are left without hope,” he said.

Providing job training and educational opportunities are ways to improve the lives of people in District 4, he said. “Especially in District 4, I want to see investments in our community,” he said “I want to see the county team up with local utilities and invest in infrastructure to get places ready so businesses can come.”

Generating jobs and job training is especially important for the District 4 supervisor, he said, because so many of its residents don’t have local city representatives.

Fidel Cervantes, 24, said the most visible issue in Merced County is public safety. He stressed that increased compensation for deputies is effective only if the officers are taking more home.

“The take-home pay is not where it should be,” he said. “Addressing that is important, but also addressing a lot of the underlying issues.”

Cervantes, who works for a charity, went on to say people that turn to crime don’t do so overnight, pointing to poverty as one underlying issue.

He said District 4 suffers from gang problems, as well as unemployment, underemployment and people who have stopped looking for work altogether. “Cartel violence is a very real issue in that region,” he said. “Aside from that we also have to address one of the root causes, which is poverty.”

The unincorporated parts of the county struggle more than cities in attracting economic development, he said.

Economic development is the highest priority of Jack Mobley, the owner of janitorial service Valley Commercial Services. The 58-year-old went on to say the economy is linked to public safety.

“We’re lagging behind the other counties,” he said. “A specific functional way to do that is the deputies. We have to make sure that we protect the citizens.”

Citizens must feel safe to go out and conduct or patronize business, he said, adding infrastructure also improves economic outlooks. He went on to say the county’s location between Modesto and Fresno leaves Merced at the end of distribution runs from either end of the state.

Beyond infrastructure, he said, improvements could come from generating industry connected to agriculture. “We need to take advantage of those kids coming out of the UC (Merced),” he said. “We need to diversify the economy in Merced County. It’s always going to be ag-based, but there’s so many thing we can do in relation to ag.”

Rich Ford, a candidate and former Gustine mayor, did not attend the forum. Election Day is June 7.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Safety, jobs debated at forum for Merced supervisor candidates."