Monez’s strategy
“ As Turlock begins redistricting, concerns over council member’s residency continue ,” (modbee.com, Oct. 28, 2021)
In 2014, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure A, district voting for the city council. In part, voters recognized the unfairness of historically having five white council members represent a city where more than four in ten citizens (43.1%) are Hispanic. The idea was to level the playing field; council members have typically lived in the city’s northern and southern regions, and district elections would assure residents from South and West Turlock a seat at the table.
In 2016, the first district elections put a Westside Hispanic on the city council — a Turlock first. But in 2020, Councilperson Rebecka Monez found another way to get on the council.
From the get-go, Monez’s residency has been questioned by citizens and both local newspapers. Her family lives in another district, in a home they own and presumably occupy full-time. But in 2020, Monez told The Modesto Bee that, due to a “difficult period” in her marriage, she had rented a room in District 2, just in time to run for council there.