Residents press county on spending, farmland loss and illegal vendors; Visit Modesto touts tourism gains

Public commenters at the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 12 pressed the board on a range of local concerns, from perceived cost overruns on county projects and the county’s approach to homelessness to farmland protection and street food enforcement.

Visit Modesto representative Todd Aaronson presented tourism data showing county travel spending growth since 2019 (about $17 million), tourism business earnings up 31% to roughly $244 million, and local tourism employment over 6,700. Aaronson said tourism taxes in the county rose 26.7% to about $20.4 million, money that supports general fund services including first responders and parks.

At public comment, resident Brian Evatt criticized county spending on what he described as high-cost projects — citing a remodel cost of $1,500 per square foot for an El Capitan project — and called for tighter oversight and a limit on cost growth. His remarks also included complaints about county responses to crime and alleged unfair legal outcomes; those claims were offered as public comment and not adjudicated during the meeting.

Milt Triewiler urged the board to prioritize farmland protection over single‑family suburban growth, advocating for infill and multi‑story housing instead of converting prime orchards and nut lands to houses. He said the county should resist development that he said primarily benefits a few and places costs on existing residents.

Juan Islas, a licensed food‑truck operator, told supervisors that illegal residential and street vending in Modesto neighborhoods (Crossland, Hatch, Imperial, Sierra) has persisted for months and undercuts licensed businesses. Board members indicated there is a concerted enforcement effort and connected the speaker with staff who will follow up.

Separately, Clerk‑Recorder Donalyn provided voters with election reminders (ballots mailed May 4; last mail registration May 18; vote centers opening May 23 and May 30; ballots accepted if postmarked by election day and received up to seven days after). Probation Chief Mark Ferreira announced a public open house on Saturday, May 16 with juvenile‑hall tours and hiring resources.

The meeting record shows a mix of data‑driven presentations (tourism, elections, probation outreach) and public appeals for policy changes or enforcement. Many of the assertions made by public speakers were framed as opinions or requests; where speakers cited numerical figures (project costs, tourism revenue) the article reports those as claims or as data attributed to the speaker or to Visit California/Visit Modesto as stated.