Two Tracy city councilmembers are vying for an incumbent’s seat in the state Assembly in the primary election June 7, with the top two finishers moving on to the general election in November.

Tracy natives and city councilmembers Mateo Bedolla and Veronica Vargas will run against state Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua for the position representing the 13th Assembly District.

The 13th District covers a number of cities such as Tracy, Modesto, Stanislaus, Turlock, Merced, Los Banos, Madera, Coalinga and Huron.

Bedolla’s campaign website states that, if elected, he will push for progress in health care, housing, schools, jobs, infrastructure and sustainable water policies.

According to Vargas’ campaign page, she was elected to the Tracy City Council in 2014 and hopes to address the increasing cost of living, create local jobs as well as get more mental health services to solve the county’s homeless crisis.

Villapudua, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2020, served on San Joaquin County’s Board of Supervisors for eight years and has also been CEO of the county’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.