Voters in Manteca’s two fastest growing districts — located south of the 120 Bypass and west of Union Road south of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks — will directly elect their council representatives for the first-time ever in 2024.

As such, it could set the stage for growth to become a major campaign issue.

Manteca switched to district elections in the November 2022 balloting.

That means candidates need to reside in a specific district and only those voters residing within that district can cast votes.

Voters in District 3 and District 4 elected Dave Breitenbucher and Mike Morowit, respectively, to four-year terms in 2022. It was the same election that elevated Gary Singh to his current four-year term as mayor.

Previously, all positions on the council were elected citywide. The mayor continues to be a citywide vote.

The current incumbents assigned to the two districts — Charlie Halford and Jose Nuno — were elected in the last citywide election in 2020.

Nuno, who was appointed to fill the council vacancy created in 2020 with Singh’s election to mayor, will not be running.

Nuno had originally decided not to run for a second term in 2020. But between that decision and Singh’s election, his job situation changed.

Nuno is not running because in the conversion to council districts he was designated as the District 2 councilman although he does not reside there. He is ineligible to run as he lives in District 4 north of Louise Avenue and west of Cottage Avenue that Morowit was elected to represent in 2022.

District 2 consists of the areas in Manteca that are east of Union Road and south of the 120 Bypass as well as east of Highway 99. It is home to Woodward Park.

The district is also home to the largest number of former council members — Steve DeBrum, Richard Silverman, Debby Moorhead, and Vince Hernandez.

DeBrum, a former Manteca mayor, is running to represent Manteca-Lathrop on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in the March primary.

District 1 was assigned to Halford who lives within its boundaries.

There are three former council members — two of who were mayors — that reside in the district that is home to Costco, Big League Dreams, East Union High, Sierra High,  and the golf course. They include former mayors Willie Weatherford and Ben Cantu plus former council member John Harris.

The deadline to file for the November ballot is not until mid-August.

Realistically, though, those intending to make a run for either of the two seats need to start organizing in the coming months to have the best chance at succeeding.

Details about state requirements for forming campaign committees and collecting donations and such are available through the Manteca City Clerk’s office.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com