Incumbent Pareira faces challengers in Merced County District 4. What are the priorities?
Incumbent Lloyd Pareira faces two challengers for the Merced County District 4 Supervisor seat in the upcoming March primary election.
Pareira faces opponents Jim Soria and Dennis Brazil in the district, which includes the town of Winton and the City of Gustine.
Soria, 55, was born in Merced and currently lives in Hilmar. He is a safety officer who previously served on the Livingston City Council as well as mayor of the City of Livingston.
A graduate of the Modesto Law Enforcement Police Academy, Soria holds 27 certificates/accolades in training, certification and appreciation pertaining to law enforcement and public safety.
Incumbent Lloyd Pareira was born in Merced and currently resides in the Merced and Snelling area. Pareirea, 61 graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and has also served on the Merced River School District Board.
According to Pareira, staffing at Merced County Sheriff’s Office and correction facilities, along with road conditions and a rapid influx of homeless people are some of the top issues facing Merced County’s District 4.
Soria pointed to the county’s budget, including a lack of recreation department, public safety and improving public roads as some of the important issues the district faces.
Brazil, 65, is a retired Ag Operations Manager and former City of Gustine Mayor who studied Agriculture/Food Business at the University of California, Davis. Brazil identified multiple issues District 4 is currently facing including public safety, county budget and water use.
The Sun-Star submitted questions to each of the candidates. Their responses are offered below.
Lloyd Pareira
Age: 61
Birthplace: Merced
Current town of residence: Merced/Snelling
Current Occupation: Merced County Supervisor District 4
Education: Bachelor of Science in Diary Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Offices held: Merced River School District Board Member
Campaign website: https://m.facebook.com/SupervisorLloydPareira
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
a. Staffing at our Sheriff’s dept. and correction facilities
b. The rapid influx of homeless people
c. Roads and their condition.
Q. What can you do if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
a. I will continue to work with the local colleges and support their programs to enhance skills that prepare people for upward mobility in their careers.
b. I will continue to support our Work Force Development board and their mission of job training.
c. I serve on the Castle Ad hoc committee with Supervisor McDaniel, we work hard to make connections to bring business’ to Merced County. There is over $70 million dollars of investment commitment over the next 5 years. With more investment commitments coming over that same time period. These investment will create at least 200 great paying jobs.
d. I will work with the Community and Economic Development dept. to continue stream lining the permitting process to facilitate our current local business’ to expand.
e. I will continue my fight to protect our ground water so our wells don’t go dry and our farmers can produce the wonderful food we eat.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
This question goes back to all of the above. Education, economics, and opportunity all go hand in hand. As those opportunities continue to arrive, people need to seize them. Everyone is responsible for their own outcomes. It is ok to have empathy and support for those that can’t take care of themselves, however those that can, need to be nudged in to the direction of supporting themselves. Far to often we put in support systems that disincentives people from stepping up and taking care of themselves and those they are responsible for.
Jim Soria
Age: 55
Birthplace: Merced
Current town of residence: Hilmar
Current Occupation: Safety Officer
Education: Modesto Law Enforcement Police Academy: Twenty seven certificates/accolades in training, certification and appreciation pertaining to law enforcement and public safety.
Offices held: Councilmember City of Livingston and City of Livingston Mayor
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
Public Safety: Provide adequate law enforcement, personnel, tools, and resources to combat crime. This also includes code enforcement to take on Nuisances, Blight, Graffiti
Public Roads: Many of our road’s need repairing. Poor maintenance of roads is a safety hazard and danger to the public. Example: Lander at August heavily flooded during rain season, busy traffic conditions and volume of traffic with a large company nearby.
Budget: Think responsibly and budget wisely with taxpayers’ money
Merced County does not have a recreation department. I would like to implement youth programs and resources to areas that are unincorporated.
Q. What can you do if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
Promote vocational and technical training programs to help equip people with practical skills, catering to the demands of the local job market.
Develop and fund programs that focus on early childhood education to ensure a durable foundation for learning.
Implement programs that teach essential life skill such as critical thinking, problem solving and finances.
Invest in infrastructure projects to attract businesses and create job opportunities. This includes utilities, transportation, and technology infrastructure.
Develop policies that promote inclusivity and diversity, ensuring that economic opportunities are accessible to all members of the community.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
Focus on streamlined permitting process. By simplifying and expediting our county permitting process we can reduce bureaucratic hurdles making it easier for businesses to set up operations start generating returns.
Support incentive programs. Implementing targeted incentive programs such as grants, tax breaks or subsidies could help encourage businesses to invest in specific regions or sectors.
Dennis Brazil
Age: 65
Birthplace: Los Banos
Current town of residence: Gustine
Current Occupation: Retired Ag Operations Manager
Education: University of California, Davis Ag/Food Business. Los Banos High school.
Offices held: Former Gustine Mayor, Current Board President, Westside Ambulance, Current EJAG member-San Joaquin Air District, Former Board Member- San Joaquin Air District, Founding Board Member-Merced Crime Stoppers, Former Board Member CASA.
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
Public Safety-Sheriff’s Department, County Employees Salary & Benefits, Ag Water & Urban Water, Measure V Funds. Budget.
After years of multiple county supervisors being elected, our Sherriff, is still in the same predicament, short staff and short budget, how can this be? Is protecting the citizens of our county not the number one priority?
County employee wages and benefits, are below the average in the area, unless we fix this, we will continue to loss our employees to surrounding aeras.
Ag water still one of the most important issues for our farmers, what has the county done to protect there water? And water for Urban use.
Measure V was passed by the voters in 2016, campaign sing read as follows ( Yes on V, Fix Our Roads) are your roads fixed? Measure V money has been moved to other projects, but voters were told it was to fix our roads!
The county budget needs to be pro-active for the real needs of the county, not what the CEO wants, It’s Want The People Want and Need!
Q. What can you do, if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
Having a pro-active approach and not re-active to solving the education needs of young and old. Our education system, should always be available for EVERYONE in our county. Looking for grant funding with State and Federal programs, to accomplish our needs county wide.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
Having a pro-active approach to businesses that fit our county profile and make sense for doing business in our county, while creating jobs for our citizens. Looking at what works in other counties in or State and our area. Businesses are looking to come to the central valley, we need to have a business friendly county to attract there business.
