San Joaquin County has key elected officials who play a prominent role in shaping the politics of its residents. There are four elected official positions, making up eight people total: Supervisor (one for each of the five districts), District Attorney, County Sheriff, and County Assessor.

The Board of Supervisors (BOS) oversees County departments and conducts legislative, executive, and semi-judicial operations of the County. They hold office for four-year terms. The BOS also manages the annual County budget, which for fiscal years 2020-2021 is $1.9 billion. The budget is divided between health services, law and justice, general government, environmental protection, parks and recreation, education, capital maintenance, roads and facilities, human services, and contingencies.

Funding for County government comes from various sources such as federal and state funding, property taxes, sales tax, fines, forfeitures, etc. 

Who are the current Board of Supervisors?

This is the board of 5 members that serve as the governing body to SJ County. Each Supervisor is eligible to serve a max of three terms, and each term is four years in length.

As of January 2023, the supervisors are: 

• Miguel Villapudua (District 1, Vice Chair), representing: Stockton

• Paul Canepa (District 2), Stockton

• Tom Patti (District 3), Lathrop, Manteca, Stockton

• Steven Ding (District 4), Lodi, Morada, Linden

• Robert Rickman (District 5, Chair), Ripon, Escalon, Tracy, Mountain House CSD

What does the District Attorney do?

The San Joaquin District Attorney’s office is in charge of prosecuting felony crimes in every area of San Joaquin County. This includes decisions on whether to prosecute police officers for unlawful violence and other misconduct. The DA’s office is large and has many sub-departments, which employs over 280 workers. 

The DA is elected every four years, up to three consecutive terms.

Who is San Joaquin County’s District Attorney?

The current District Attorney is Ron Freitas, a former Prosecutor for over 30 years. 

What Does the Sheriff Do?

The San Joaquin County Sheriff Department is the chief law enforcement agency for the County. In SJC, like many counties across the U.S., the position of County Sheriff is elected to a four-year term and they may serve additional terms if re-elected. The Sheriff’s Department runs two jails. In California, the highest rates of prison admissions are in rural counties such as San Joaquin County.

Who is San Joaquin County’s Sheriff?

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department is the chief law enforcement agency for the County. Pat Withrow who became the County’s Sheriff in 2018, previously worked as a San Joaquin County deputy sheriff for 28 years. He calls his method of crime prevention “proactive”, which involves using police officer presence to deter or prevent unsafe situations, rather than “reactive” policing which would mean waiting until there is a situation before arriving at the crime scene.

What does the County Assessor do?

The County Assessor is entrusted with locating all taxable property in the County and establishing it’s value. The primary responsibilities of the County Assessor are to locate all taxable property in the County and identify ownership, establish a taxable value for all property, complete an assessment roll with the assessed values of all property, and apply all legal exemptions.

Who is the SJ County Assessor?

Steve Bestolarides is the current County Assessor. Voters elect the Assessor every four years. He assumed office in 2015 and is currently serving his second term, which is due to end in 2022. In 1993, he was appointed to the Stockton Planning Commission in which he served for seven years, and was twice elected as Chairman. During his tenure, Steve acted as a strong advocate for the needs of children and working families.

The County has thirty departments that specialize in operating and maintaining various services to assist residents throughout the County. Types of department services include but are not limited to: community development, employment, family and children support services, and education. In this guide, we’ll highlight just a few of them. All of their leaders are selected by the Board of Supervisors.

Key Departments:

• The Agricultural Commissioner enforces the provisions of the California Food and Agricultural Code for the protection of the public's health, safety and welfare, and to promote and protect the agricultural industry.

• Assessor - Recorder - County Clerk maintains vital and public records and assesses all taxable property according to state laws and regulations.

• Auditor Controller safeguards and conserves taxpayers dollars.

• The Department of Child Support Services works with parents - custodial and noncustodial - and legally acknowledged guardians to ensure children and families receive court ordered financial and medical support.

• Community Development Department building inspection, planning/development services, neighborhood preservation, GIS mapping.

• Employment and Economic Development Department (SJC WorkNet) provides employment and training opportunities to job seekers in San Joaquin County by assisting them with accessing employment, education, training and support services required to succeed in the labor market. San Joaquin County WorkNet also supports our local Business community by assisting businesses in accessing the available resources and services that promote business growth and increase employment opportunities.

• The Environmental Health Department deals with solid and hazardous waste, public health, food and restaurant inspections, housing abatement, sanitation, environmental impact reports, recreational health, etc.

• The General Services Department has divisions that include facilities maintenance, property management, capital projects, and parks and recreation.

• Health Care Services has departments that include Behavioral Health Services, Mental Health, Public Guardian/Conservator, Substance Abuse, Emergency Medical Services, Public Health Services, Veterans’ Services, and Neighborhood Preservation.

• Human Services Agency programs include: California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), Foster Care, CalFresh, General Assistance, Medi-Cal, Adoptions, Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Refugee Assistance, and the Mary Graham Children’s Shelter.

• The Office of Emergency Services is the key disaster preparedness office of the County, and has direct responsibility to support and coordinate the efforts of County departments carrying out their functions in the field. To ensure a coordinated response to their disaster needs, OES also provides disaster information, logistical support, facilitates mutual aid requests, and facilitates inter-jurisdictional coordination with agencies from 7 cities, 120 special districts, and locally-based State and Federal agencies.

• The Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for the development and maintenance of all regional, community and neighborhood parks and facilities in San Joaquin County.

• The Probation Department identifies candidates for probation, recommends sanctions to be imposed, designs supervision plans for probationers, operates juvenile hall, provides a Probation Camp for juveniles, etc.

• The Department of Public Works services the county’s underground facilities, roadways, bridges, minor structures, solid waste facilities, project levees, channels, and special districts which provide water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, and street lighting services.

There are seven elected members who comprise the Stockton East Water District Division and San Joaquin Delta Community College District Trustee Area respectively.

PAGE LAST UPDATED: 11/13/2023

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