September 9, 2020 at 6:15 pm

The Tracy Firefighters' Association endorsed Eleassia Davis and Jaime Medina Tuesday.

davis4tracy.com/Tracy Press/Tracy Firefighters' Association

On Tuesday, the Tracy Firefighters’ Association endorsed Eleassia Davis and Jaime Medina for Tracy City Council. The organization followed this up with a $5,000 donation to each candidate, also contributing $2,000 to Tracy mayor Robert Rickman’s campaign for San Joaquin County Supervisor.

Most of the candidates for city council have issued standard statements of support for public safety. According to the firefighters’ association, Davis and Medina stood out because of their previous work with the department and related groups.

“Jaime Medina is a combat veteran who has received awards for his bravery fighting for our country. Also his contributions to Tracy and local veterans through his non profit organization is admirable.”, the union told 209 Politics.

For Davis, her support of and involvement with the fire department on local issues was the key factor. In 2017, as part of Tracy Community Advocates, Davis helped successfully advocate for a change to San Joaquin County’s emergency medical services policy. The change allowed the Tracy Fire Department to respond to all emergency calls within the city.

“From her involvement with us previously we were very comfortable endorsing her now that she is running for office.”, said the union.

On Tuesday, the firefighters’ association also contributed $5,000 to the campaigns of Medina and Davis, one of the largest single donations given to a city council candidate in San Joaquin County. The only larger contribution was by the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 to Kimberley Warmsley, who is running for Stockton City Council District 6. The donation, given on September 4, totaled $15,000.

$5,000 is no small amount for a local city council race, and was the first donation over $1,000 that Davis or Medina have received this election cycle. In fact, only one other Tracy city council candidate, Amrik Wander, has raised any large contributions. Wander received two on August 31 totaling $3,500.

The firefighters’ union also donated $2,000 to Tracy Mayor Robert Rickman’s campaign for San Joaquin County Supervisor District 5. The organization has already endorsed him as well. On September 4, Rickman also received $1,000 from Tom Mayo Construction, which is based in Stockton.

Despite his recent influx, Rickman’s opponent Rhodesia Ransom leapfrogged him in large fundraising on Tuesday. Ransom received $2,500 from Assemblymember Susan Eggman’s campaign for State Senate as well as a massive $50,000 from the Service Employees International Union Local 1021.