Politics

At 32, Felipe Rojas-Flores is a relatively young attorney, local political candidate, and homeowner in south Merced. He's currently running for the District 2 seat on the City Council. However, this isn't his first attempt to represent local residents at City Hall. Two years ago, he was a challenger in the District 5 race that included incumbent…

When Mike Nelson was first elected as mayor of Atwater four years ago, he vowed to bring public safety, economic development, transparency, and…

At the age of 23, it's no surprise that Roberto Montes is a newcomer to the scene of Atwater politics. It wasn't that long ago when he received a…

Yang Pao Thao is the incumbent candidate in the race for the District 2 seat on the Merced City Council to be decided this November. However, it was not long ago when Councilman Thao was relatively unknown on the local political scene. In fact, last year at this time, Thao was serving on the city's Planning Commission — a panel made up…

Long before there was news about the elections for Merced City Council in 2026, John Bliss was starting plans to run for the District 6 seat that…

Shane Smith, who represents District 4 on the Merced City Council, launched his reelection campaign for a second term on Tuesday night in front of a…

UPDATE: Yang Pao Thao was added to the candidate list for District 2 since this story was written. Thao is the current District 2 representative who was appointed after the resignation of Ronnie DeAnda. Felipe Rojas-Flores is also listed as a candidate in the District 2 race. Meanwhile, Lee Robert Boese, Jr. was added to the candidates list…

Yader Zeledon — a Merced barber who started his own business on Main Street and then extended his talents to the local real estate market — kicked off…