City of Yakima

Danny Herrera is a public school teacher who is running to utilize his experience in education and racial justice on the city council. He has served in the community in several roles, including as a member of NAACP Yakima Branch, as a youth room tutor at YMCA Downtown, and as co-founder of the College Success Foundation Yakima Alumni Board. Herrera was lauded by our endorsing partners as a committed educator who has clear knowledge about the importance of reforming the state tax code so that everyone benefits, not just the wealthy. He is ready to join the council as an advocate for community investment in safer infrastructure, youth programming, and equitable economic growth.

Herrera is running against Edgar Hernandez, who does not currently have a website as of mid-October. Some of the goals listed in his candidate literature include addressing the drug crisis and homelessness, though he does not expand on what policies he might put in place. However, Hernandez is endorsed by a right-wing organization whose priorities include removing historical discussions about race and history from schools and perpetuating fraudulent claims about rigged 2020 elections.

For his dedication to improving the lives of youths and his support from our Progressive Voters Guide partners, we recommend Danny Herrera in this race.

Janice Deccio is a communications coordinator who is running for the Yakima City Council's District 4 seat vacated by incumbent Kay Funk, who is not running for re-election. Deccio has served on several boards in the community, including Wellness House, an organization that supports cancer patients and their families, and the Yakima Symphony. Her platform includes supporting affordable housing and maintaining city infrastructure. However, Deccio's highlighting of "suppressing crime" with law enforcement does not speak to progressive values, and we hope that the candidate's position will evolve to address the many factors that contribute to and can decelerate gun violence, including expanding mental health support, providing outreach workers, and improving school dropout prevention.

Deccio is running against Mark Shervey, the owner of a local coffee roaster. Shervey's priorities include addressing infrastructure, gang violence, homelessness, the economy, and the city's image, but he lacks detailed proposals for what he would do about these issues. He is endorsed by at least one conservative group whose key issues include some of the worst and most divisive hallmarks of the right-wing agenda.

We appreciate Deccio's attention on social media to health inequalities and standing against racism, and hope that if elected she will follow the lead of more progressive council members. While Deccio is a fairly moderate candidate, she is the best choice in this race.

Lisa Wallace is a former victim-witness advocate with the Yakima County Prosecutor’s office and probation officer with the Yakima County Juvenile Court. She also serves as the vice chair of the Yakima Planning Commission and is a founding board member of Voices for Children.

If elected, she pledges to help find solutions for attainable housing, safety, and homelessness. Recognizing the shortage of affordable housing, Wallace wants to form more partnerships with housing nonprofits, and has supported the Housing Action Plan as a member of the planning commission. She also supports pairing crisis responders with police officers when situations involve mental health issues.

Her opponent, Matt Brown, describes himself as a Christian and small business owner who helps churches utilize technology to spread the gospel. Much of his campaign is focused on a conservative agenda of promoting businesses and reducing spending, though he does not describe what city services will be cut. Brown is also endorsed by a right-wing group that wants to remove historically accurate lessons from schools and promote Trump-style politics and anti-vaccine fear mongering.

Wallace is the better choice for Yakima City Council in District 6.

Incumbent director Graciela Villanueva is running for re-election to Yakima School Board, Position 1. Villanueva works in human resources for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and has been in her current school board position since 2014.

Villanueva has an actionable vision for the school district that includes improving learning goals and equitable outcomes. She is running to continue building upon past successes in her board tenure such as lowering the district’s dropout rate and adding more supportive student services. If re-elected, she will continue bringing experienced, community-driven leadership to the school district. Villanueva wants to continue fostering student success, invest in early childhood education, utilize data to make Yakima schools more equitable, and strengthen accountability between the school board and the district it serves.

Challenging Villanueva is Kenton Gartrell, a small business owner, Republican precinct committee officer, and anti-mask protester. Gartrell is a member of Citizen Courage, a right-wing, Christian political group in the area made up of “dual citizens, with one foot planted firmly in heaven and the other here on earth” that wants to stack the school board and other local government with very conservative candidates. He and his fellow candidates in the Trump-style “Save Yakima” slate do not represent the values or needs of the community.

Graciela Villanueva is the obvious choice in this race for Yakima School Board, Director Position 1.