During the public comment period at the Merced County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 22, vendor Rudy Ibarra said Supervisor Darren McDaniels went to his food truck at Garton Tractor in late June, handed out a county business card and attempted to intimidate his employee, which Ibarra said led to him having to close that location.

“My name is Rudy Ibarra, Rudy's Tacos. You ask yourself why vendors set up illegally. Why don't they come in and get a permit? Could it be because you have county supervisors like Darren McDaniels trying to intimidate or slander their name?” Ibarra asked the board.

Ibarra also told the board he believed his application for a county contract to park on M Street in 2023 had been denied and suggested the denial was connected to his public critics of an Atwater city council member; he urged Supervisor McDaniels to hand out his business card “with pride and respect instead of intimidation and fear.”

The comments were part of the public comment period; no formal investigation, staff response on the record, or board action was recorded in the meeting minutes. The board did not take action related to Ibarra’s allegations at the July 22 session.

Provenance: Public comments by Rudy Ibarra appear at timestamps beginning 00:13:24 (804.33) through 00:14:28 (821.455) and continuing through about 00:15:36 (843.21497) where he describes the incident and related contract concerns.