Turlock City Council representatives from Districts two and four, Gil Esquer and Amy Bublak, paid a visit to California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), on Feb. 15 to discuss their win in the local City Council race along with new policies that they are trying to implement.

The whole discussion is to be an upcoming feature added to the  KCSS & the Signal Newspaper’s collaborative project: Central Valley Politics Podcast.

Esquer won the Turlock City Council race with 66% of the votes against his opponent Jaime Franco. 

Bublak took the win with a 47.65% majority vote, which was the equivalent of 33 votes, against her opponents Steven Nascimento and Donald Babadalir.

The safety of Turlock’s residents has always been something that the candidates were campaigning for. Therefore making safety a priority for not only their districts, but also for the city of Turlock as a whole.

“Safety will always be an issue,” Bublak said, “That will always be my first and foremost,” which is appropriate acknowledging her past in the police force.

Esquer also explained how the passage of Measure L, which is a sales tax that maintains and improves our transportation systems, helps with his list of top priorities, which include building sidewalks for the safety of the Turlock District two residents.

An additional improvement that he wants to see implemented in that district would be to replace the current street lights with “revamped” LED lights. “I’d like to see that (LED lights) keep going over to the West Side,” Esquer added.

Both candidates expressed concerns about some instances that have occurred in Turlock involving aggressive panhandlers. They made it clear that no matter the instance, if you feel unsafe you should report it to your local authorities.

Water was another topic that was discussed during the podcast. Mainly the focus was on a $25 fine that is going to be implemented once a single family household surpasses the limit of 40,000 gallons of water a month.

The goal behind this fine is to reduce large amount of water usage by those families who may be unaware of how much water is actually being used. Esquer and Bublak stressed that constituents should be aware of this policy before it is in place.

Throughout the interviews there were some feelings of uncertainty when the current state of our nation was mentioned, both of the candidates expressed their own words of hope and assurance for the minorities and groups who are being affected.

“Just do the best you can,” Esquer stated “stay confident, keep working. We are still in America as far as we are concerned. We are still a Democracy as far as I’m concerned.”

Bublak eased the concern for those locals who may have concerns as well, not only about hate crimes, but just about feeling comfortable in the community.

“I think most people in Turlock are really good about just being fair and looking at as people as people…and I think that is why we are a far more comfortable community,” explained Bublak.

The importance and value of a tight knit community and teamwork was established by both of the City Council members as well.

Bublak expressed how the staff and employees for her term are the ones that are able to accomplish what the representative requests. She claimed that they are the ones who should be getting recognition as well.

She also said that she wants to make sure that “the employees are happy, feel that they are a part of the team, and make sure that their constituents feel that their voices are being heard,” making that one of her goals for her term.

Both expressed their gratitude to those in the community who voted for them.

Bublak sent a message to those who did not vote for her as well, “…If you need something and I can help you, I still want to help you,” said Bublak “I am not just going to turn someone away because I think you didn’t support me.”

In addition, both have a goal of bringing Stan State and the town closer without leaving out the alumni. In hopes of doing that the City of Turlock has paired with Associated Student Inc. (ASI), to offer free bus transportation for Stan State Students. All they have to do is present their student Identification cards.

Another possibility that was presented that could benefit Turlock is a bike sharing proposition which was presented to Mrs. Bublak. Although nothing is set in stone, that is something to keep a look out for.