Jacob Naven is a registered Republican.

Gary Singh is a registered Democrat.

Both are running for mayor of Manteca on Nov. 3.

It is a non-partisan office.

And both through their actions and their words embrace the fact it is 100 percent non-partisan.

It’s too bad the party animals on both sides of the fence disagree.

There are those on both sides that are demanding complete allegiance to party in local races even though it is a city council election.

Manteca started down the political rabbit hole some 15 election cycles ago when those running for the council tried to make a hot button national political issue at the time — abortion — a litmus test in the local election.

Select churches one Sunday morning had flyers placed on the windshields of vehicles in their parking lots and on nearby streets claiming an incumbent was pro-abortion and supported Planned Parenthood.

The stunt bombed spectacularly when the targeted candidate noted — and provided proof — that he was adopted at birth.

Not exactly the personal history that makes one a hardcore supporter of abortion as an adult.

California’s constitution makes it clear local elections are non-partisan. It was done to minimize party politics at what is the most functional day-to-day level of governance that impacts people’s day to day lives.

It doesn’t mean one can’t be registered with a particular party. And it certainly doesn’t make it unconstitutional to inject party politics into the local political arena.

But it is great way to keep the eye on the proverbial ball such as the basic needs of day-to-day municipal services and public safety that only can be provided on a community basis and keep animosity at a minimum.

City councils are about making sure police can answer 9-1-1 calls, firefighters are able to suppress fires and save lives, toilets flush, streets are passable, water flows from the tap, street lights come on, and garbage is collected. There are other functions but those are the essential ones.

Huntington Beach in Southern California thanks to those leaning right in the council majority basically proclaiming the city a MAGA outpost and have pursued resolutions and such reinforcing that decree.

The local race this year has now turned into a fight between the forced of the Democratic and Republican party apparatuses — granted on a more local city/county level — for control of the Huntington Beach council.

Closer to home, there are plenty of examples where national politics as well as international policy is eating into the bandwidth of city government and consuming oxygen in council chambers. One such high profile example is Berkeley.

Does Berkeley or Manteca need to take foreign policy positions?

Does Huntington Beach or Manteca need to jump into national politics?

That doesn’t mean any city should ignore what state or federal agencies do in their communities, but it does no one a service if it goes beyond that.

Elected city leaders have enough pressing issues to deal with that are far from abstract.

The same goes for city management.

Planting the seeds of national politics in council/mayor election campaigns is dangerous.

Should they germinate and grow, rest assured they won’t create a local political landscape channeling the Garden of Eden.

Instead — based on abundant examples across the land — the local political landscape will become choked with Russian thistle.

And that will lead to animosity that is difficult to eradicate and will provide endless thorns to deal with that will overrun the proverbial town square.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being passionate about national politics.

But national politics can ignite raging debate.’

What matters at the local level are basic services.

Regardless of how you view national issues, those basic services should not by subject to decision making colored by national politics.

Water, as an example, must flow from faucets.

It also must be safe to drink.

And it must be reliable.

What needs to drive the policy makers for Manteca — the City Council — are making sure actions are taken to deliver water day in and day out.

That means securing workers with the skills to make the system work, covering all needed costs from electricity to chemicals to payroll and more, making sure required maintenance is funded, and addressing aging and problematic pipelines and associated water infrastructure such as wells.

It requires decision making rooted in the reality that things, believe it or not, cost money and that operating a municipal water system is no different than a household or business when it comes to the reality that costs are almost always increasing.

Starve a basic service of adequate funding long enough and you pay an even bigger price that also includes jeopardizing public safety and health.

Decisions needed to strike a balance of doing what needs to be done must not be tainted by reptilian politics. Instead, they need a level-headed approach that doesn’t gloss over reality or play to biases.

And that requires serving your neighbors and not national political agendas.

That said, Manteca is home to a lot of people who value their neighbors and their community who keep them in mind when they look for the best possible candidate when it comes to working toward the best possible outcome for The Family City.