There might be thousands of dollars rolling in to fund the mayoral race between incumbent Sonny Dhaliwal and challenger Steve Macias, but the same can’t be said for those that are seeking seats on the Lathrop City Council.
According to the first campaign finance forms filed with the Lathrop City Clerk, none of those seeking a council seat have raised or spent any money on behalf of their respective campaign.
Each of the five candidates that are vying for the two available four-year council terms filed an FPPC 470 Form – which are designed for candidates that do not plan on having a personal committee or plan on raising or spending more than $2,000 in a calendar year. In comparison, both Dhaliwal and Macias filed FPPC 460 Forms – which detail every donation they’ve received up to $1,000, and a supplemental 497 Form for those that exceeded that threshold.
Councilman Steve Dresser, who is the lone applicant to run for the two-year term remaining after the resignation of Councilman Omar Ornleas at the end of the last year, will be appointed to the position.
That leaves incumbent Martha Salcedo and challengers Brent Maynor, Ruben Sandoval and Minnie Lee Jordan-Diallo – as well as Councilman Mark Elliott, who was appointed by the council to serve out the remaining first-half of Ornelas’ term – to compete for the two seats that will be up for election again in November of 2020.
Elliott, who was appointed at the beginning of this year, could have ran for the two-year term to keep his appointed seat but instead opted to run for a full-term. It will be his first election as a council candidate.
Sandoval was an instructor at ITT Technical Institute – which closed the doors to all of its campuses nationwide after pressure from the Federal government, leaving many Lathrop and San Joaquin County students out in the cold – while Maynor currently serves as a Parks and Recreation Director. Jordan-Diallo is listed as a resident, while Dresser is an incumbent. Elliott, who served as a planning commissioner prior to being appointed to the council, is a supervisor with the San Joaquin County Probation Department.
Both Dhaliwal and Macias have received single donations that required the formation of a committee – Dhaliwal receiving several donations in excess of $2,500 to fund his campaign, and Macias receiving a $5,000 from local businessman Dalwinder Dhoot who also kicked in another $2,000 donation after the initial filing period had passed. All of those contributions need to be disclosed, per FPPC regulations, as soon as they’re received.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.