Arriola and Evans Secure Leads in Tracy Municipal Races as Early Election Ballots Are Counted

Tracy Mayor Dan Arriola and City Councilman Dan Evans hold decisive advantages in their re-election campaigns, according to initial election results reported Wednesday morning by the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. The early count reflects 29.2% of the registered voters in the county, accounting for 121,252 ballots cast out of 415,611 registered individuals.

In the race for Tracy mayor, Arriola leads the field with 51.91% of the vote, securing 6,905 ballots. Councilman Mateo Bedolla follows with 40.43% of the vote, representing 5,378 ballots, while newcomer Uyiosa Felix Oviawe received 7.65%, or 1,081 votes.

Arriola watched the vote tallies come in Tuesday evening while celebrating his 37th birthday alongside supporters at Purgatory Whiskey Bar on 10th Street. Arriola, who previously won seats on the Tracy Unified School District Board of Education in 2016, the Tracy City Council in 2018 and 2022, and the mayor’s seat in 2024, told a local news report that election days still bring anxiety. He noted that the early results reflect his performance over the past two years in office, emphasizing his focus on restoring functionality to City Hall after previous council instability. He told a local news report that he intends to use another term to build momentum around economic development, public safety, a second local hospital, and an aquatic center.

In the race for City Council District 3 in central Tracy, incumbent Dan Evans retains his seat with 54.10% of the vote, gathering 1,525 ballots. He runs ahead of newcomers Ametrius Sidney, who received 25.81% with 825 votes, and Ameni Alexander, who brought in 20.02% with 642 votes.

Evans credited his tenure as an incumbent and voter support for the outcome. He told a local news report that his administration delivered on promises of accountability, pointing directly to opposing campaign efforts by special interest groups. Campaign spending disclosures filed with the Tracy City Clerk’s office showed that the Building Industry Association of the Greater Valley spent $19,845.88 as of Oct. 26 on mailers opposing Evans. Evans told a local news report that the city has advanced several local projects during his term, including progress on an aquatic center in the Ellis development, a new recreation center at El Pescadero Park, and incoming commercial retailers such as Trader Joe’s and Sprouts.

In District 1, located in western Tracy, the city council race remains extremely tight. Initial tallies on Tuesday night showed Robin Cole holding a five-vote edge over Jass Sangha. By Wednesday morning, updated totals put Sangha ahead with 50.79% of the vote, totaling 1,574 ballots, giving Sangha a 49-vote advantage over Cole’s 49.21%, or 1,525 votes.

Neighboring Mountain House saw both incumbent council members leading four challengers. By Wednesday morning, Bernice King Tingle moved into first place with 29.33% of the vote, totaling 1,384 ballots, putting her 23 votes ahead of incumbent Ronna Green, who held 28.84% with 1,361 votes. Challenger Happy Grewal followed with 20.45%, representing 965 votes.

Local school board contests also yielded early leads across multiple districts. In the Tracy Unified School District Area 6 race, incumbent R.G. Fagin leads with 51.57% of the vote, or 1,048 ballots, over challenger Devaughn Jones, who holds 48.43% with 984 votes. In Area 4, challenger Alicia Corrales is positioned to win with 63.98% of the vote, representing 943 ballots, over incumbent Olinga Yarber-Alexander, who received 36.02% with 531 votes. County officials noted that write-in votes for Area 4 candidate Amy Thompson must be hand-counted after polling results are compiled. In Area 7, Barbara “Bobbie” Etcheverry holds 53.39% with 1,356 votes, ahead of Vijay Pasaupla, who received 46.61% with 1,184 votes.

In the Jefferson Elementary School District Area 4 election, incumbent Todd Wetherell leads challenger Larkin Fleckner by just two votes, holding 50.2% with 254 ballots to Fleckner’s 49.8% with 252 ballots. In the Lammersville Joint Unified School District Area 4 contest, Stephanie Olson leads Vanitha Daniel with 69.92% of the vote, or 451 ballots, to Daniel's 30.08%, or 194 ballots.

In regional legislative races, Democratic incumbent Rhodesia Ransom leads Republican challenger Tom Patti with 67.1% of the vote, representing 31,483 ballots, to Patti's 32.9%, representing 15,465 ballots, with 100% of precincts partially reporting in the 13th State Assembly District. In the Ninth Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Josh Harder holds 68% of the vote with 62,725 ballots over Republican challenger John McBride's 32% with 29,487 ballots, with 62.4% of precincts partially reporting. In the 13th Congressional District, which covers the northern San Joaquin Valley into southeastern Tracy, Democratic incumbent Adam Gray holds 61.2% with 47,169 votes against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln's 38.8% with 29,935 votes, with 99.2% of precincts partially reporting.