The race for mayor took a testy tone on Facebook in recent weeks with two candidates sparring over issues of crime and gang graffiti.
A series of photos of graffiti along a park wall posted on the Ceres Community/Incident Feed page on Facebook prompted mayoral candidate Gary Condit to take a decidedly political tone. Condit posted: “Gang activity throughout our city has increased. Our Street Crimes Unit that investigates Gang and Drug crimes was dismantled in 2014 and remains inactive to this day.
“Unfortunately, our Police Department is facing the lowest staffing levels on patrol in recent years and under the Mayor’s leadership the police department’s budget was cut 27% and ALL public safety hiring positions were frozen, which makes it impossible to bring back our Street Crimes Unit. As a candidate for Mayor, I am committed to getting our police department back to full staffing levels in order to reinstate the Street Crimes Unit and also increase our traffic unit.
“The Ceres Police Officers Association endorsed my campaign for Mayor because they know I am committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and increasing patrols throughout our city.”
That prompted Mayor Javier Lopez to issue a post titled, “Condit’s Claims Are False and Misleading” in which he accused Condit of “spinning stories and peddling lies.”
Lopez’s post read as follows:
“Here Are the Facts: Claims made by Gary Condit about the police department and my leadership are false and misleading, Our police budget was not cut by 27%. In fact, for the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the police budget increased by $216,000! This wasn’t just a minor adjustment — it was a calculated move to strengthen our law enforcement and ensure they have the resources they need to protect our community. Yes, 10 already unfilled positions were temporarily frozen, but not for the reasons Condit is spinning.
“This decision allowed us to provide our police officers with a 1 year contract and much-deserved 13%!
“Now, regarding the Street Crimes Unit, the then gang task unit was dismantled in 2014, well before I took office. The fact that Condit is trying to blame my leadership for something that happened, under a previous administration, shows his lack of understanding. We’ve been proactively working to bring back the Street Crimes Unit. Unlike Condit, I don’t just talk about supporting public safety — I deliver.
“Yesterday and today the walls that are tagged have been and are going to be cleaned up by Troy, who has been relentless in keeping our city clean.
“Condit can tout his endorsement all he wants, endorsements alone won’t protect this city. Under my leadership, we’ve not only increased the budget for our police every year, but also fought to get them the pay they deserve.
“The fact that Condit can’t grasp these basic facts only highlights his lack of understanding and inability to lead, putting Ceres families at risk!
“This city doesn’t need someone stuck in the past, spinning stories and peddling lies.
“Ceres deserves real leadership and that’s what I’ve brought to this city every single day. Together, we’ve achieved great things and together, we will continue to keep our city safe and thriving. Thank you for your support, and let’s continue to stand strong as a community.”
The engagement prompted Condit to reply to Lopez: “For you to use a community page, designed for Ceres residents to communicate positive news and updates about our city, as a political hit piece to attack my character is not leadership. I look forward to discussing public safety and the many challenges we face as a city with you face to face at future debates. There is a reason I am supported by the men and women with the Ceres Police Officers Association and it’s because I will support efforts to keep our community safe. I encourage the community to join us on September 17th at 5:30 at the Ceres Community Center for the first Mayoral debate.”
Condit reminded the administrators of the page, Nick Maynard and Renee Linares that the rules for posts were to “Be kind and courteous, No hate speech or bullying, etc., Keep Posts On Topic, NO POLITICS This is non-negotiable.”
Maynard said he has enjoyed community discussions but said there has been “an increase in combative and aggressive language in some recent comments.” Some of those comments and Facebook users were banned from the page, he said.
