Supervisor race for District 1 pits firefighter against a political pro

Two first-time candidates from vastly different professional backgrounds are vying to become the new supervisor for San Joaquin County District 1.

Stockton firefighter Mario Santiago Gardea and Lilliana Udang, the district director for state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, emerged from the primaries to meet in the general election on Nov. 5.

Udang began her career in public service as an intern for then-Assemblymember Eggman, rising to the rank of district director of the Fifth Senate District.

Homelessness, economy, environment and government accountability are the most pressing issues for Udang who is pushing the county to pursue long-term solutions to resolve systematic issues.

Udang told Stocktonia in a phone call that she wants to provide District One with a candidate that is representative of the people of the district while focusing on the issues that matter to them.

“Our campaign message is that our board should reflect the priorities of District One,” Udang said. “For a very long time it hasn’t. We are moving away from passing of the torch that has happens here commonly.”

Udang says her strategy coming out of the primaries hasn’t changed much and is focusing on providing prospective voters with a candidate that can view issues on a much larger scale while planning for the future.

“We all talk about housing and mental health. It’s a county perspective. We do not do a great job at forward thinking,” Udang said.” I’m thinking about how we are going to adapt into the future.”

Stockton Firefighter Mario Gardea, who led the primary, is running on a platform of public safety, youth and homelessness.

Gardea said in an interview with Stocktonia that he is not planning on going anywhere, noting that his experience working as a first responder in Stockton has given him a unique perspective into the issues Stocktonians face.

“I think it comes down to this,” Gardea said. “People are tired of their cookie-cutter politicians. I’ve been a blue-collar worker in construction, and I started my career here. I know the challenges of District One after living and working here.”

Gardea says the county should do a better job of talking about their legislative achievements and charitable work in the community, noting that sometimes the media can become fixated on the negative.

“I think the county could do a better job on telling people what the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors can do for our community,” Gardea said. “I wish our news outlets can focus on what we do good and not so much on the negatives.”

Gardea led the primary with 42% of the vote. Udang held onto second place, edging out Chris Rouppet, chief of staff of for term-limited District One Supervisor Miguel Villapudua, by 87 votes.

More than half of the San Joaquin County supervisor districts were up for election this year. Supervisor districts one, three, and five were contested in the March primaries, which saw a voter turnout of about 35%.