Local Politics · Modesto, CA
Early unofficial results from the Nov. 3 Modesto City Council election show incumbent Eric Alvarez leading District 2 with 55.2% (1,101 votes) over Juan Telles (35.3%) and Jon Rodriguez (9.5%), while incumbent Jeremiah Williams leads District 5 with 69.7% (3,477 votes) over Jared Sylvia (30.3%). The results, released by the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters, remain unofficial pending further ballot tallies and certification. Both races centered on housing affordability, economic development along the Highway 99 corridor, public safety surveillance policies including automated license-plate readers, and opposition to large AI data centers in Modesto. District 4 incumbent Nick Bavaro ran unopposed; winners serve four-year terms.
Local Politics · Modesto, CA
Two Modesto-area school bond measures requiring a 55% supermajority showed early unofficial results Tuesday night, Nov. 3, 2026. Modesto City Schools' Measure K, authorizing up to $250 million in bonds at approximately $24 per $100,000 of assessed value, led with 56.9% support (16,062 votes) over 43.1% opposition (12,144 votes). Sylvan Union's Measure N, seeking up to $70 million in bonds at $25 per $100,000 assessed value, trailed at 53.7% (5,053 votes) against 46.3% opposed (4,360 votes), falling about 1.3 percentage points short. Superintendent Vanessa Buitrago called the early Measure K results "encouraging" while noting all votes must still be counted.
Public Safety · Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County public health officials reported four recent cases of Clade I mpox, with two confirmed by the California Department of Public Health and confirmatory testing underway for the remaining two. Three of the individuals reported no recent international travel, suggesting possible community spread within the United States. County Health Services Agency officials emphasized that risk to the general public remains low but urged residents to watch for symptoms including rash, sores, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The JYNNEOS vaccine is recommended for those at increased risk of exposure, administered in two doses approximately four weeks apart.
Crime · Modesto, CA
A 911 call reporting an active shooter led Modesto police to arrest Collin Ford, 32, at a residence in the 3300 block of Ocotillo Way, southeast of Lakewood and Briggsmore avenues, on Monday night. Officers determined Ford had fired gunshots inside and outside the home; no one was injured. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges including attempted murder, three counts of child endangerment, domestic-violence-related assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a gun and ammunition, and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. Bail was set at $1.74 million, and Ford remained in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.
Want tomorrow's Modesto edition in your inbox? It's free.
Subscribe free
Transportation · Stanislaus County
As the processing-tomato harvest wraps up in California's Central Valley, trucks hauling tomatoes from fields to processors have left scattered fruit on area roads, creating slick pavement and occasional traffic disruptions. Two notable incidents occurred this season: a July 16 spill of thousands of tomatoes across Highway 165 near Bradbury Road in Merced County, and a September 6 collision between two tomato-hauling trucks on Henry Miller Road near Badger Flat Road that required road closures. The California Highway Patrol and Caltrans responded to both incidents, and officials urge motorists near agricultural trucks to maintain safe following distances and watch for fallen debris. Tomatoes ranked as the No. 10 crop in Stanislaus County's 2025 agricultural report, valued at $46 million.
Local Politics · Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County voters are deciding races for mayor, city council, school boards, and other local offices in the Nov. 3, 2026, California general election. Contests include mayoral races in Turlock, Hughson, Newman, and Patterson, plus city council seats in Modesto, Ceres, Oakdale, and Riverbank. In the 13th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Adam Gray faces Republican Kevin Lincoln, a former Stockton mayor; Gray won the seat in 2024 by 187 votes. Voters are also deciding six local ballot measures and races for Congress, the California Legislature, and statewide offices. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day may be counted if received by Nov. 10; counties must certify results by Dec. 3, and the secretary of state must certify the final statement of vote by Dec. 11.
Local Politics · Modesto, CA
In the Nov. 3 Modesto Irrigation District board election, Chairman Robert Frobose led Dominic Giorgi 63.1% to 36.9% in Division 3, while Mike Moradian held a 44.6% lead over incumbent Janice Keating (29.2%) and John Van Oostende (26.2%) in Division 2. Incumbent John Boer IV appeared headed for re-election in Division 4 with 67.3% against Brad Johnson's 32.7%. The races drew attention amid internal district tensions, including Frobose's push to investigate allegations that Director Larry Byrd used district water on his ranch near La Grange, which Byrd denied. Keating was censured by the board in August 2025 for allegedly berating and throwing a clipboard at a staff member.
Community brief · Modesto, CA
British mind reader Peter Antoniou brings his interactive "Pretty Psychic Tour" to the Gallo Center for the Arts in downtown Modesto on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. The show combines comedy, audience interaction and mind reading, drawing on Antoniou's background in London's West End. Tickets are $48 to $68, available at www.galloarts.org, with limited availability remaining.
