Photo: Elbert Holman Jr., left, and Paul Canepa are competing for the District 2 seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. (Photos courtesy of the candidates)
Two lifelong San Joaquin County residents in the Stockton area are vying to represent District 2 on the County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 8 election.
Both candidates have held positions on the City Council during their careers.
Elbert Holman Jr., who previously served on the Stockton City Council, and Paul Canepa, who is currently on council, are running against each other to take over for Kathy Miller, who is being termed out from the board.
During the June 7 primary election this year, the two received the highest vote totals with no one receiving a majority. Canepa held the lead with 40.53 percent of the votes, according to San Joaquin County election data; Holman came in second with 27.47 percent of the votes.
While both contenders have said they would like to address the homeless crisis in the county, each have their own plans on how to make change for unhoused people.
On his campaign page, Canepa said he has a strategic plan to address homelessness that includes camping sites for unhoused people, providing outreach alongside nonprofits and faith-based organizations, a navigation center, and projects to create shelters in the city.
Holman said on his campaign site that the homeless crisis is not a simple one but he believes the problem can be addressed by working cooperatively with agencies, municipalities and nonprofits to find housing solutions for those facing housing insecurities.
Holman began his career in law enforcement in 1971 as a deputy sheriff and, after 20 years of service, was appointed investigator for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.
He has served as the first African American chief investigator for the office, filled the District 1 seat on the Stockton City Council and served as the city’s vice mayor.
Canepa has been elected twice for city council, the first time in 2011 and then again in 2019.
Before serving as a council member, Canepa served as a trustee for Lincoln Unified School District.
Miller, the departing supervisor, has served on the board since 2015 and advocated for LGBTQ rights in the community, helped raise the first Pride Flag in the county, fought for proclamation guidelines and worked on regional water issues.
Proclamations are high recognitions given by the board at the start of each meeting to recognize causes or events.
A list of polling locations can be found on the county registrar of voters’ website.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
