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, Raúl Martínez, and Christina Martinez. Hernandez has no statement listed in the official voter's guide as of mid-July. 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, he is endorsed by a right-wing organization whose priorities include removing historical discussions on race from schools and perpetuating fraudulent claims about rigged 2020 elections. Similarly, Raúl Martínez does not have a detailed campaign available as of mid-July. He states that he will prioritize safety and the economy if elected, but gives no details about how this would be achieved. Realtor Christina Martinez's candidate statement states that she has managed subsidized low-income housing in California, and her primary priority is securing affordable housing. She does not have a more detailed platform available as of mid-July.

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 in Yakima's District 4 for the council seat vacated by incumbent Kay Funk. 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 focus on "suppressing crime" with law enforcement does not speak to progressive values. We hope that the candidate's position will evolve to include the many alternatives to law enforcement that can reduce gun violence, including expanding mental health services, providing outreach workers, and improving school dropout prevention.

Deccio is running against Tony Sandoval, Mark Shervey, and Eduardo Luis Gutierrez. Sandoval is the former owner of a bouncy house business. He has unsuccessfully run for several offices over the years, including for Yakima City Council in 2015 and 2017, and for U.S. House in 2014. He does not yet have a detailed campaign platform available as of mid-July, but says he will work to foster living wage jobs and provide accountability to voters. Shervey is the owner of a local coffee roaster. Shervey's priorities and policy proposals are not currently detailed as of mid-July, but they include addressing infrastructure, gang violence, homelessness, the economy, and the city's image. He is endorsed by at least one very conservative group whose key issues include some of the worst hallmarks of the right-wing agenda. Eduardo Luis Gutierrez Jr.'s official voter's guide statement says that he will focus on listening to the needs of the community and transparency, but his candidate site is not active as of mid-July.

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. Deccio is the best choice in this race.

Sam Johnson is a financial examiner with the Washington Department of Financial Institutions. He serves on the board for the Central Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and New Leaders Yakima County, as well as on several community organizations. Johnson's site states three main campaign priorities, the first being a promise to introduce a charter amendment that would declare a city council position vacant if the council member misses 3 consecutive regular business meetings or 8 meetings total a year. The second proposes that Yakima use zero-based budgeting, which usually means that the city's budget would be built entirely from zero every cycle. Lastly, he wants to empower the community to lead on a collaborative plan to address gun and gang violence, which would help it be culturally appropriate and to reach the core issues of the problem. He would invite the public, law enforcement, the Yakima School District, nonprofits, and others to forge a plan similar to the Gang Free Initiative, but modernized for 2021.

Sam Johnson's platform and strong support from our Progressive Voters Guide partners make him the clear choice in this race for Yakima City Council, District 6.