Two candidates with years of government experience are vying for the third San Joaquin County District seat in the Nov. 5 election.
Sonny Dhaliwal, who is in his sixth term as mayor of Lathrop and has served the city for 25 years, is running against Steve DeBrum. DeBrum is a former dairy farmer and businessman who served on the Manteca City Council and served as mayor for 15 years.
In this year’s primaries, Dhaliwal led the race with 44.41% of the vote, while DeBrum followed closely with 40.09%.
The candidate who comes out on top in the November election will serve District 3, which includes Lathrop, Manteca and Stockton. The district is currently represented by Supervisor Tom Patti, who is running for mayor of Stockton.
During the primary, DeBrum said his top issues were homelessness, keeping neighborhoods safe and building the economy to create better-paying jobs.
Dhaliwal said his campaign focused on keeping the community healthy and safe, promoting economic opportunity, modernizing infrastructure and balancing budgets. He has been vocal in forums about the changes and positive impact he has brought to Lathrop during his long career.
However, DeBrum believes he is the candidate best suited to fill the seat because of his extensive work in the community.
Cultural competence
At a recent forum, both candidates were asked how they planned to ensure county services and programs were culturally competent and responsive to the needs of African Americans and marginalized residents.
Dhaliwal said he would sit down with community leaders and educate themselves on the issues they face in order to better serve them and address the issues.
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DeBrum’s solution was to ensure the county has the right tools and is working with every department to serve the community.
“It’s about people working together to find ways to make things happen,” Debrum explains. “The services we provide must be monumental enough to protect every citizen in the province.”
Candidates talk about Measure R
Earlier this year, Supervisor Patti proposed including a measure on the November ballot that would require anyone suspected of illegal drug use to complete treatment or risk having their benefits taken away.
Now voters will decide whether residents receiving government assistance should be screened and tested for drugs to determine if they can continue to receive assistance.
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Both candidates were asked to state their positions on Measure R.
DeBrum told the audience he was unfamiliar with the item but had a major problem with taking programs away from anyone until he could fully understand the ballot measure.
Dhaliwal, however, was firm in his stance, saying he was not in favor of taking away benefits from anyone, especially those who are most vulnerable.
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The need for affordable housing in San Joaquin County
A major problem facing San Joaquin County is the lack of affordable housing. The two candidates were asked for their suggestions on how to address the problem, particularly in District 3.
Dhaliwal suggested focusing on high-density housing when building infrastructure to house more individuals in a smaller area. He believes this type of housing model would help people stay in the area instead of leaving the state.
DeBrum, on the other hand, stated that the county needed to determine where the land would come from to build affordable housing, the costs associated with it, and revise the permitting process.
“What is affordable to me may not be affordable to you,” DeBrum said.
Providing local contracts
During a recent forum, the NAACP Stockton Branch said the county has consistently failed to award contracts to black-owned businesses unless funds were federally obligated.
DeBrum and Dhaliwal were asked about what they would do to ensure that local county tax dollars are taken into account when awarding contracts, in addition to federally mandated funds.
DeBrum said he didn’t want to seem redundant in his answers, but wanted to emphasize that working together is the way to bring dollars and cents to those less fortunate. He recalled once seeing a Board of Supervisors meeting where a contract was awarded to someone in Baltimore.
“Why can’t we do that here? Why can’t we put those contracts in the hands of people, the people of San Joaquin County…,” DeBrum said.
Dhaliwal’s position on this question was that regardless of the type of funding given, everyone should have equal opportunities.
He said he would be a voice on the board addressing inequality.
Voters will have the opportunity to select who they believe will best represent District 3 in the Nov. 5 general election.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Dhaliwal vs. DeBrum for San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors District 3
