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    • Lee takes the lead over the starter
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    Lee takes the lead over the starter

    Sakege Posted on

    Six candidates in the Nov. 5 election are vying for three seats on the Stockton City Council: District 2, where Councilman Dan Wright will finish his term this year; District 4, where Councilwoman Susan Lenz is finishing her term; and District 6, where Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley is running for re-election.

    As of Wednesday morning, District 2 candidate Mariela Ponce was leading with 60.27% of the vote for a total of 3,666 votes. Waqar Rizvi trailed with 39.73% of the votes for a total of 2,417 votes.

    The San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters had already counted 153,496 of 378,657 ballots issued to voters.

    “We did a lot of polling, knocked on a lot of doors and ran a big campaign,” Rizvi said Tuesday night after the first round of results were released. “Unfortunately, elections take more than one night to count all the votes, so we expect the campaign to lean towards Rizvi’s side.”

    At an election night party at Valley Brew, Rizvi thanked the voters who believed in him and supported him, as well as the nonprofits and unions that supported him.

    “I am a community advocate and I will continue to do so, win or lose. I believe in Stockton and our neighborhoods,” Rizvi said. “I just want to tell the community, whoever is elected, that you need to hold them accountable, because that’s how government should work. Those elected must be held accountable.”

    Rizvi added that he is “blessed to be in a community like Stockton” and is proud to raise his children in the city.

    Ponce did not respond to a request for comment on the early election results.

    In the race for District 4, Mario Enríquez came out on top with 51.52% of the votes for a total of 4,703 votes. Gina Valadez-Bracamonte came in second place with 48.48% of the votes for a total of 4,425 votes.

    Enriquez also spent election night at Valley Brew, watching the results with California’s 9th Congressional District candidate Josh Harder, California’s 13th State Assembly District candidate Rhodesia Ransom, and their supporters.

    “I feel very good. We are in first place and I couldn’t be more proud because during the last 23 months of the campaign, not only have we been the hardest working campaign, but we have had a strong running game,” Enriquez said. “We have the broadest coalition of any candidate in the county, endorsements from local, state and federal officials and organizations, and we truly are grassroots. It’s people-driven.”

    During the campaign season, Enriquez said he enjoyed knocking on doors and talking to people in his district.

    “I literally talked to 89-year-olds and they said, ‘Mario, you’re the first candidate or elected official to come to my door and ask me what I care about,'” Enríquez said. “When I hear those stories, it reminds me that government must be transparent and accessible. As someone who is the son of immigrants and who grew up here, I want to be able to show that the next generation is ready to serve the people of Stockton.”

    Next door to Valley Brew, his opponent mingled with his supporters and invited his friends for ice cream at Baskin-Robbins on Miracle Mile.

    As a lifelong District 4 resident, Valadez-Bracamonte said the ice cream shop is her “happy place” and she frequently goes there with her friends during the summer.

    “I didn’t want to go to a bar or anything like that,” Valadez-Bracamonte said. “This is the place I really enjoy.”

    Even though early election results favored his opponent, he was optimistic about his campaign efforts.

    “I will say that I feel like I ran a really clean and honest race and at the end of the day, I feel really good about it,” Valadez-Bracamonte said. “I feel at peace.”

    For the past 12 months, Valadez-Bracamonte said she has been “working very hard,” going door-to-door in her district and talking to residents about their most pressing issues.

    “I wrote personal thank yous to the people who opened their doors, talked to me and took the time, and I really connected. I really feel like life is about relationships and I’ve enjoyed building relationships over this last year with people I know. I didn’t know that before,” Valadez-Bracamonte said. “In the end, when it’s all over, what should be will be.”

    He congratulated the other candidates on the ballot in Stockton this year.

    “It takes a lot of courage to run for political office because you put yourself out there, you make yourself vulnerable, you’re scrutinized and you’re held to higher standards,” Valadez-Bracamonte said. “It takes a lot of courage for that. Not everyone steps up, but I’m very lucky to have this opportunity.”

    The District 6 favorite was Jason Lee with 3,505 votes and 56.24%. Warmsley came in second with 2,727 votes and 43.76%.

    “I want to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to lead our beautiful district. “Your support has been invaluable and I am truly honored to serve you,” Warmsley said in a statement after the first round of results were released. “As we wait for the final vote count, let us embrace patience and trust in the power of democracy. Together, we will continue to build a vibrant and prosperous community. Thank you once again for your trust in me.”

    Lee could not be reached for comment before publication. However, he thanked his followers on Facebook shortly after the early election results were reported.

    “I am deeply honored to have earned the support and trust of my neighbors, the voters of my hometown and you,” Lee said. “I now begin the work of creating safer, stronger communities, improving our quality of life and charting our next chapter.”

    Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @angelaydetrocha.

    Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @by hannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

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