Yang Pao Thao seeks growth, investment for South Merced

 

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 of local residents appointed by Council members.

He entered the town’s limelight after District 2 Councilman Ronnie DeAnda resigned last October due to health issues. Thao, along with four others, applied to fill the District 2 seat for what would have been DeAnda’s final year in office. After an interview process during a public meeting, Thao was nominated to the District 2 seat. It didn’t hurt that Thao had been previously selected for the Planning Commission by Councilman DeAnda, and some Council members took that action into consideration before the vote.

The vote was 5-1, and the lone NO vote was from Councilman Fue Xiong, who said he wanted DeAnda’s position to be filled by a special election. At the time, Fue Xiong was the only Hmong American on the Council. Yang Pao Thao is also Hmong American.

Fast forward to last Saturday when Councilman Thao took the stage inside the Pavilion Building at the Merced County Fairgrounds to announce his first-ever campaign kickoff. While most local candidates launch campaigns in the setting of a restaurant banquet room or the backyard of a private home, Thao held his event in a venue with a maximum capacity of 1,000 guests.

Impressive campaign banners surrounded the candidate as many Hmong Americans in attendance enjoyed fine food and drink. A variety of local leaders and other political candidates took up two tables near the stage. When Thao began to speak, everyone sat quietly, focused on what he had to say.

“Tonight is not just the kickoff of my campaign,” he said. “It is the beginning of a journey that we will take together. … I am running for District 2 because this community helped shape who I am, and I want to make sure our neighborhoods are not left behind as Merced continues to grow.”

The District 2 seat represents an area in south-southwest Merced, south of 13th Street, between G and V streets, and including the Wardrobe Avenue industrial area, the Merced Yosemite Regional Airport, and McNamara Park. In the race to fill the seat, Councilman Thao is facing a lone challenger, Felipe Rojas-Flores, an attorney who also ran for the District 5 Council seat in 2024. Rojas-Flores came in last among three candidates in the race that was won by Councilwoman Sarah Boyle who secured reelection to a second term.

 

Born In Laos

Councilman Thao was born in Laos and came to the United States in 1991 when he was 7 years old. His family made Merced their home.

The candidate points out that he has lived in District 2 for nearly his entire life.

Thao attended Merced schools and succeeded. He eventually earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Fresno State. The candidate says he returned home “because this is the community that raised me and where I wanted to build my life.”

Over the past 20 years, Thao has been involved in public service, non profit leadership and financial services. Most recently, he trained people to become entrepreneurs, and educated families about financial literacy as a marketing director for Vantage Financial Alliance.

He served three years on the city’s Planning Commission where he says he gained valuable experience in “development, neighborhood planning and how decisions at City Hall affect our community.”

Today, Thao and his wife, Lee Vang, are raising a 3-year-old son named Troy Thao.

“Like every parent, we want our son to grow up in a safe neighborhood, receive a good education, have opportunities to succeed, and be proud of the community he calls home,” Thao told the audience last Saturday night. “And I want the same thing for every child and every family in District 2. I want our children to grow up with safe places to play, opportunities to learn and succeed, and a community where they can see a future for themselves.”

The incumbent continued: “District 2 includes some of Merced’s oldest neighborhoods, and many need greater attention and reinvestment. My priorities are improving streets, sidewalks, lighting, drainage and alleys; addressing illegal dumping and speeding; maintaining our parks; affordable housing, responsible growth, local jobs and creating more opportunities and safe spaces for our youth.

“These priorities matter because they affect our everyday quality of life.”

Thao told guests that South Merced is already seeing new opportunities. He pointed to new programs coming to the Stephen Leonard Youth Center that were made possible through a partnership with city leaders and Merced College administrators. He also highlighted the new Connect South Merced Safety and Mobility Planning project. Through a nearly $500,000 grant, the city is partnering with Valley Onward and the Merced Lao Family organization to engage residents and help identify future transportation, safety, and neighborhood improvements for South Merced.

“I want to build on that momentum,” Thao said. “I want us to think bigger about the future of South Merced.

“My vision is to bring even more investment and opportunity. I want to explore an indoor recreation and community center, new sports opportunities — including kato courts (used in a sport that’s like a hybrid of volleyball and soccer that is popular among the Hmong people), more youth programs, community events, stronger business corridors, and safer connections between our neighborhoods, schools, parks, and the rest of Merced.

“I want our children to grow up seeing opportunities and investment happening right here in their own neighborhood.”

Councilman Thao said he recently spent time talking to soccer coaches at McNamara Park and listened to their concerns about needed repairs to the turf fields and other issues. He also revealed that possibly a million dollars in new funding is heading to projects such as the McNamara fields with the help of recent efforts supported by State Senator Anna Caballero.

Thao added that, “It is important to have the right leader in place who can work along with other Council members as well as city staff. It’s important to have leaders who understand that, so that we can work together for the betterment of the people here in Merced.”

Currently, the Merced County Times

has an unprecedented two Hmong Americans serving on its City Council. The only other Hmong American to serve on the Council was Noah Lor, who made local history when he was first elected in 2007. Lor went on to serve two terms and was honored with the designation of mayor pro tem.

Lor was in attendance at Thao’s campaign kickoff last Saturday night, and applauded during his speech.