This election season, Woodland’s city council benefits from knowledge of the region | Opinion

Fifteen miles northwest of Sacramento, Woodland is a thriving community that is steadily growing in population and yet has managed to retain its small-town charms, such as its historic downtown business district. It is also home to the Yolo County seat. Many residents in Woodland are proud alumni of UC Davis, which is a short 15-minute drive away.

Yet the main issues facing the city are the same as many others in the Sacramento Valley, which is to say affordable housing and homelessness.

Three city council seats are up for reelection this year, in districts 2, 4 and 5. In District 5, the incumbent remains the best and most knowledgeable option for residents, and in District 4, a newcomer with experience at both the city and county levels should win an open seat on the dais. Happily, longtime city councilman and stalwart public servant Tom Stallard in District 2 is running unopposed.

District 2

Stallard is one of those true addicts of public service who is in it for all the right reasons.

During his eight years on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, he was a political heavyweight on the regional stage at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments as it was trying to advance a smarter approach to regional planning and housing development, a struggle that continues.

Stallard returned to public service in 2012 on Woodland’s city council, after his stint as a county supervisor. The intensity once spent on improving six counties is now entirely focused on Woodland, to the great benefit of the city. His plans are to continue to encourage affordable housing and greater economic development in the city’s downtown corridor.

Woodland is fortunate to have a leader of such stature, and of such an approachable demeanor, as Councilman Stallard.

District 4

In District 4, incumbent city councilwoman Victoria Fernandez will not be seeking reelection, leaving the seat open to two candidates: City employee David Moreno and small business owner Fred Lopez. The district encompasses the northwest corner of the city and includes City Hall as well as Woodland High School, in addition to many of the city’s residential properties and several parks.

The Bee’s endorsement goes to Moreno, whose wealth of knowledge about the city and county clearly outshines Lopez’s experience, though both men’s passion for public service is evident.

Moreno was a first-generation college student at UC Davis, where he earned degrees in Political Science and Sociological Organizational Studies. He has since used his schooling to serve the city and county in numerous roles, on the city’s Economic Development Team and with the county as an Assistant Deputy to the District 3 supervisor, Dr. Mary Vixie Sandy. Moreno also serves on local committees focused on women’s history, child literacy and youth development.

Lopez, in addition to running an auto painting and bodywork business for three decades, also serves as a city planning commissioner.

While Lopez is passionate about city issues, we found his hardline stance on the region’s homelessness and public safety issues to be overly severe. Woodland should focus its administrative efforts on building housing and providing services, not on rousting and sweeping the homeless, who Lopez said were nearly all either drug addicts or mentally incapacitated, with very few deserving help.

In contrast, Moreno will serve the community well with his knowledge and connections at both the city and county. He has already earned the endorsements of State Senator Bill Dodd, all members of the Woodland City Council, including Mayor Tania Cadena Garcia; Yolo County supervisors Dr. Sandy and Angel Barajas; Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Garth Lewis; and Yuba Community College District Trustee Jesse Ortiz.

We hope that Moreno’s moderate approach will strike the right balance between keeping the city safe while providing services and help to its most vulnerable residents.

District 5

In District 5, incumbent city councilwoman Mayra Vega is the best choice for the seat, against challengers Chuck Amajioyi and James Vorhees. Vega is running for her second term on the council, having been first elected to her seat in 2020. In her full-time job, she works as a deputy director of communications and strategic planning for the California Department of Health Care Access and Information.

Councilwoman Vega currently serves as a director on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the Yolo County Transportation District, the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, the Yolo County Natural Communities Conservation Plan, Yolo Animal Services Planning Agency and the Valley Clean Energy Alliance.

While we appreciate the efforts of Amajioyi and Vorhees, neither could articulate why Woodland would be better served by them than Vega.

Vega spoke authoritatively about everything from downtown businesses and public safety to Woodland’s only measure on the ballot this November, Measure P, which seeks $160 million to remodel and create “STEAM” — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics — classrooms; and to replace aging roofs, wiring and heating/cooling systems on Woodland Unified School District campuses.

We believe Vega, Stallard and Moreno are the best choices for Woodland voters this November.