Sonny's Priorities
Over the past twenty years, I have led Lathrop to new heights as a Planning Commissioner, as a City Councilmember, and now as Mayor. Now, I'm running to bring communities across San Joaquin County to their fullest potential.
Keeping Our Communities Safe and Healthy
As a proud father and husband, I have always believed in putting our families' safety and well-being first. Instead of contracting out my community's safety, I led the charge for Lathrop to build its own police department and hire 14 more officers. I will work hard to boost trust in our first responders and equip them with the resources they need. We also need to invest in programs to treat mental illness, improve youth wellbeing, and support our homeless and housing-insecure community members. Together, we can and will make San Joaquin County a better home for everyone.
Promoting Economic Opportunities
For 23 years, I crossed the Altamont to get to work, driving as many as 7 hours every day just to support my family. As a public servant, I know that too many people go through the same struggles or worse.
The Central Valley deserves leaders who recognize our economic potential. That's why I worked closely with City employees to help Tesla, UPS, Heinz, WayFair, and many other small, medium, and large businesses open as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Through our efforts, we became the fastest-growing city in the County and created thousands of well-paying local jobs, with more to come. As County Supervisor, I will work hard to bring jobs to our region. I am also proud to be backed by the Building Trades, because they trust me to invest in vocational programs across our communities.
Modernizing Our Infrastructure
I will build partnerships around our entire region to keep our infrastructure safe, strong, and sustainable. I spent 32 years working at the San Jose Transportation Authority, so I have firsthand experience ensuring that roads, transit connections, bridges, and other important public projects finish on time and within budget. We also need to address our long-term water needs and flood risks, so I will continue fighting for infrastructure that improves the collection, storage, and usage of our region's water.
Balancing Our Budgets
Our State and County's budgets are looking uncertain, but I am no stranger to tough fiscal times. When I first became Lathrop's Mayor, I was met with a $15 million deficit. Immediately, I reached across the aisle and made tough decisions to fix our budget. Lathrop is now ranked as the most financially stable city in Northern California. I will work hard to balance our County budget, because we don’t just need to protect our public services – we need to improve them.