Merced mayor faces a former council member in reelection bid. Here’s who we endorsed | Opinion
Incumbent Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto is facing a familiar opponent in his bid for another four-year term in former Councilmember Anthony Levi Martínez. The veteran prosecutor finished first in 2020 in a four-candidate field that included Martínez, who placed third.
This year’s ballot is limited to Serratto, 44, and Martínez, 38.
Serratto, who was first elected to the council in 2016, is chief deputy district attorney in Stanislaus County. It is a position he previously held in Merced County.
Martínez, who served on the Merced City Council from 2016-20, is an English teacher at El Capitan High School.
Merced has seen its population increase 10.4% since the 2020 Census. More than 56% of its 95,985 residents are Latino.
Serrato said serving as mayor has “really been the privilege of a lifetime. I love the work, I love the people, I love the town. I’m excited to be involved for four more years.”
Martínez said he got on the right track in his childhood to be able to become an educator and later become a councilmember. “I believe I’ve figured out how we can move Merced in a new direction, a better direction,” he said.
The mayor is paid $6,000 a year. The city has a $442.5 million budget for 2024-25.
The Merced Sun-Star Editorial Board met with the mayoral candidates and discussed various issues to come up with its endorsement.
Homelessness
The Editorial Board: How would you address homelessness?
Serratto: The city has seen a 12% decline in its homeless population the last three years, he said. “The model is a ‘tough love’ approach. We’re building rapport, interacting with people on the street,” he said. The state, he said, is starting to shift resources toward enhanced care management. Health care is a component of housing, he added.
Martínez: A multitiered approach involving many city departments is needed, he said. Getting the homeless shelter won’t solve the problem because some homeless may have other needs, like health care or mental services. The city should monitor the homeless, and make sure some aren’t taking advantage of the help.
Economic development
The Editorial Board: What is one way you want to diversify and strengthen Merced’s economy and provide better jobs for residents?
Serratto: The city, he said, has had record sales tax receipts over the last four years. “We’ve actually seen pretty significantly increased activity around town,” said Serratto, who added there are many vacant buildings and legacy properties that shut down. He wants the city to attract tech companies and finalize an industrial park. “There’s a lot we could do for our community,” he said.
Martínez: The city’s chamber of commerce “just basically dissolved,” he said. The city should build a downtown visitors center to promote what Merced has to offer, he said. Little progress has been made on an industrial park since his time on the council, said Martínez. An industrial park will benefit other businesses and retain workers in the city.
Growth
The Editorial Board: What is the overall plan for Merced when high speed rail comes in, and what can be done so that residents in the southern part of the city don’t get left behind?
Serratto: “Merced down the road is going to continue to grow and we’re never going to be as big as Fresno but I think, bigger than Davis for sure. So there’s kind of a sweet spot there. I think Merced hits that middle ground between a city that’s still small enough for people and then a city that’s big enough where there’s activity and there’s a lot going on.
“We still need to get a little bigger to start having our own gravity, to bringing in more businesses. We’re certainly getting there with respect to south Merced. We’ve seen a lot of revitalization, too with south Merced infrastructure, the last four years. It’s been a priority for us. We’ve done a lot of infrastructure investment, probably $5 million-plus just sidewalks on the south end of town, plus $10 million into the sports complex.”
Martínez: “I have a vision for south Merced and how we can connect it to central and north Merced. And I believe that we can once High-Speed Rail comes in a few years from now. Basically, you’re going need some things in south Merced that we don’t have, for example, a hospital, maybe even grocery stores.
“There’s a lot of industrial zoning there. I think we need to change that to office/commercial. There’s a lot of government jobs around here that we can sort of guide out there, maybe encourage them to move out there. Our airport shows a lot of potential but one thing that I don’t think we’ve capitalized on is our routes to Las Vegas.”
Public safety
The Editorial Board: There has been a recent increase in pedestrian deaths. What can be done to assure the safety of pedestrians and motorists?
Serratto: The police has a solid track record, and the city is seeing a record number of applicants for the department, he said. “We’ve seen crime decline in 2023 and 2024 somewhat significantly in some categories.” Streets will be safer thanks to a $2.8 million project for more street lights and red light cameras, he said. There is also a traffic signal synchronization project that has been approved.
Martínez: Merced’s streets are “very brittle and they’re broken, and many of our streets have yet to be developed,” he said. People using alternate routes when major streets are not fully developed leads to speeding and traffic congestion, said Martínez “I would like to make my town more efficient (with synchronized lights), and make it more walk friendly.”
The Editorial Board believes Serratto has done a solid job as mayor. That can be seen in increased sales taxes, a drop in the homeless population, and a focus on south Merced improvements.
The Sun-Star Editorial Board endorses Serrratto for another four years.