Here’s who’s running for California state Assembly, 13th District in the primary election

Three candidates are running for the California State Assembly, 13th District in the upcoming statewide direct primary election.

On June 7, voters will see Carlos Villapudua, who is currently serving in the role; Veronica Vargas, mayor pro tem of the city of Tracy; and Mateo Bedolla, councilmember for the city of Tracy, on the ballot.

Villapudua, a Democrat, received 83,746 votes in the 2020 election. He beat out fellow Democrat Kathy Miller, who received 78,609 votes.

Villapudua is a Stockton native and graduated with a bachelor of arts in social services from California State University, Sacramento in 1997.

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Prior to being elected to the California State Assembly, Villapudua served on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors from 2008 to 2016.

In his roles as county supervisor and assemblymember, Villapudua said he has focused on improving health care in San Joaquin County and creating high-paying jobs for local working families.

Vargas has served on the Tracy City Council since 2014. Before taking her elected seat with the City Council, Vargas was the chairperson for the Tracy Planning Commission.

One of Vargas’ main goals is to advance the San Joaquin to BART Valley Link Light Rail to reduce commute times and give local families more time to spend with each other.

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Vargas said she also wants to help local businesses bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic, create better educational opportunities for the youth, and supply more mental health services to aid in solving the homelessness crisis.

Bedolla was elected to the Tracy City Council in 2020. He became the youngest councilmember in Tracy’s history after a three-month campaign and an eight person race.

Bedolla, who is a Tracy native, graduated from Tracy High in 2011. He went on to attend California State University, East Bay, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 2015.

As councilmember, Bedolla has supported various policy initiatives including legalizing Tracy’s first cannabis retailers, green renewable energy and updating Tracy’s Sustainability Action Plan, and the inaugural annual display of the Pan-African, Gold Star, Juneteenth and LGBT Pride flags.

To find your nearest polling place ahead of the election, visit sjgov.org.

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Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: California Assembly 13 primary: 2 Tracy lawmakers challenge incumbent