Two candidates are running to be the next District 4 representative on the Stockton City Council: Gina Valadez-Bracamonte, a businesswoman and founder of nonprofit organization Bread of Life, and Mario Enríquez, director of the Center for Identity and Inclusion at University of the Pacific.
Valadez-Bracamonte and Enríquez are vying to replace current District 4 representative Susan Lenz, who is terming out after seven years of representing the district, which is located in central Stockton .
In the March 5 primary election, Valadez-Bracamonte emerged as the top vote-getter with 33% of the vote. Enríquez was a close second at roughly 31%, beating out attorney Jerome Clay, Drugless Society director Henry Rodriguez, and Stockton Unified School District trustee Ray Zulueta.
At a recent political forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County, Enríquez said he is running for city council because he has felt an obligation to give back to his community since he was a child. He described himself as a first-generation college graduate and a son of Mexican immigrants.