The Stanislaus County Republicans hosted Turlock City Council and Turlock Unified School Board candidates during a meeting held Wednesday at Grizzly Rock Café in Turlock.

District 1 City Council candidate Kevin Bixel, District 3 City Council candidate Kelly Higgins, Turlock Unified School Board Area 6 candidate Jeff Cortinas and TUSD Area 4 candidate Jeff Nichols answered questions posed by Stanislaus GOP District 2 Caucus Chair Kelly Thompson.

All the candidates talked about why they were motivated to run for office, what they would bring to office (in which they all said “common sense”), what their goals would be if elected and their experience working with budgets.

Council candidates Bixel and Higgins gave their positions on what they consider effective measures to help remedy the city’s homelessness problem.

Bixel said that “we have the statutes; the police department has the budget to get people on the street to move them on.”

Higgins said “the best thing you can do is share the Gospel.” She said that the City doesn’t need to offer more services that would have to be supported.

School board candidates Nichols and Cortinas were asked if they would have voted to close schools “once the CDC started giving misinformation on what should and shouldn’t be done” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both candidates stated they would vote to keep schools open, but on the specific question it would depend on the timeline.