Channce Condit has campaign signs all over Ceres but it appears they’re not necessary. He’s running unopposed as the candidate nomination period for the Ceres City Council District #1 closes today at 5 p.m.
The candidate nomination period for the District #2 seat closed Friday. A candidacy did not material for Avery Jackson who had pulled papers but did not return them. Linda Ryno is opposed by Gene Yeakly for the District #2 seat on the Ceres City Council this November.
Because incumbent Ken Lane did not file for re-election, the District #1 nomination deadline is today at 5 p.m. No one had pulled papers to run against Condit as of Tuesday when this paper went to press. It’s unlikely any other candidate will materialize since nomination papers must be signed by at least 20 registered voters in the district and returned by the end of the business day.
Condit is a staff member for state Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) who is married to Condit’s aunt, Cadee Condit Gray. He is the son of Chad and Helen Condit. Chad Condit ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2012 and has served as a Senior Legislative Assistant for the state Assembly since 2011. Helen Condit is state Senator Anthony Cannella’s district director.
Channce is the grandson of former Congressman Gary A. Condit. His grandfather is Pastor Adrian Condit of Village Chapel Free-Will Baptist Church and brother Couper Condit was appointed to the Ceres Planning Commission. His youngest brother Gary attends Ceres High School.
Ryno is a former administrative secretary for the Ceres Planning Department for 29 years who was elected to the Ceres City Council in 2013. Her four-year term originally scheduled to end in 2017 became a five-year term when the council lengthened terms by a year to meet a state law that sought to align municipal elections with gubernatorial or presidential elections. During her service Ryno has voted to strengthen police services, while taking a hard line against a proliferation of marijuana dispensaries, debt spending and blight conditions in Ceres.
Linda and husband Sam Ryno moved to Ceres in 1983.
This is the first year in the history of Ceres that voters will be electing councilmembers on the basis of districts rather than the city limits. That means only voters living in Council Districts 1 and 2 may run for City Council on Nov. 6 this year; the remainder must wait for their district seat to come open for a run.
Politics in Hughson will be a sleeper this November since all three incumbents with open seats have no challengers. Unopposed for re-election are Mayor Jeramy Young and Councilmembers George Carr and Harold Hill.
The Hughson City Council terms of Mark D. Fontana and Ramon Bawanan expire in November 2020.
In the Hughson Unified School District board race, incumbents Cindy Cunningham-Gipp and Randall Heckman are both unopposed for re-election. In the Area 2 race, teacher Randee Harcrow may be the only candidate. Incumbent Trustee John Luis withdrew from the race on August 9, extending the candidate deadline to 5 p.m. today.
Mostly incumbents have filed to run again to serve on the Keyes Union School District board. Incumbent School Board member Jimmy Emmons, who represents Area 2, is seeking re-election. He also serves as clerk to the board. He is being opposed by caregiver Ivy Benavides.
Jeff Reed, a trustee who represents Area 3, is unopposed for another four year-term. He is currently assigned as the board president.
Also unopposed is Wesley Greene, a School Board trustee representing Area 5. He is now serving as the board vice president.
State Assemblyman Adam C. Gray, a Merced Democrat who represents Ceres in the legislature, is being opposed by Libertarian Justin Ryan Quigley of Ceres.
Voters in the Board of Equalization District 1 will be deciding who will be represent them. Tom Hallinan, a Ceres Democrat who is also the city attorney for the city of Ceres, is running against Ted Gaines of El Dorado Hills, a Republican California state senator.
Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager will face off in November against Deputy District Attorney John R. Mayne in the fall.
County voters will also be deciding if Scott Kuykendall or Shannon Sanford should be the next superintendent of Stanislaus County Schools. Kuykendall, currently a Stanislaus County Office of Education Assistant Superintendent, received 33,829 votes, or 42.76 percent. Sanford received 24,407 votes, or 30.85 percent. In June both Kuykendall and Sanford edged out Waterford Unified School District Superintendent Don Davis.
Kuykendall was hired seven years ago by Stanislaus County Superintendent Tom Changnon, who did not seek reelection, and also earned the veteran educator’s endorsement.
Heading to the November election to replace state Senator Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, are Salinas Democrat Anna Caballero. Cannella is being termed out of his District 12 seat. In June Caballero picked up 46,251 votes (or 43.1 percent) and Madera County Supervisor and Republican Rob Poythress, collected 28,355 votes (or 26.4 percent).
Incumbent District 12 satte Assemblyman Heath Flora, R-Ripon, will face off against challenger Robert D. Chase, a Modesto Democrat. In June Flora receiving 55,541 votes (63.8 percent) to Chase’s 31,455 votes (or 36.2 percent).
Ceres voters will also be faced with two ballot measures.
Measure W is on the ballot to ask voters for approval to impose a business license tax of up to 15 percent of gross receipts on cannabis businesses and dispensaries should any court action strike down three developer agreements the city has in place with three cannabis businesses in Ceres.
Measure X will seek approval to appoint a city treasurer or if it should remain elected. The city believes appointment is better since the current city treasurer, Harry Herbert, won’t be running again and given how the position hasn’t been challenged in decades, it’s possible nobody will want the job when it comes again in 2019.
