The race for Turlock mayor this fall got a bit more crowded with the addition of Jeremy Rocha to the fray.

Rocha, who ran for a city council seat in 2010, is eyeing a bigger prize this time. His entry into the race brings the total number of declared candidates to four: incumbent Mayor Amy Bublak, planning commissioner Jim Reape, private investigator Kelley Coelho and Rocha.

The official filing date with the city clerk’s office begins July 13.

Efforts to reach Rocha for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Rocha, it seems will have little trouble distinguishing himself from the pack. He has a released a comprehensive five-pillar plan dubbed “Turlock Horizon,” in which he outlines his vision for remaking Turlock into a charter city – one that is ruled by its own charter (governing document) rather than by the state or county. By way of comparison, Modesto has been a charter city for more than 60 years.

“The Turlock Horizon is built on one simple idea: growth should benefit the people who live here,” Rocha said on his campaign website. “Every major project is structured to expand the tax base, attract private investment, strengthen public services, and put money back into the community … The goal is a city that works better, costs less to run, and delivers real results for residents.”

Rocha has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration from Stanislaus State. He has served on the city’s Parks, Arts, and Recreation Commission, as well as Stanislaus Council of Governments citizen advisory committee.

Bublak first won a seat on the city council in 2008, then was elected mayor in 2018 and 2022.

Reape, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is a nurse practitioner and physician assistant. He has served on various city committees since 2014, and as a planning commissioner since 2017.

Coelho, a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves who recently served on the county’s veterans commission, initially announced that she was running for the District 1 council seat before shifting her focus to the mayoral race. She has sparred publicly with Bublak and Police Chief Jason Hedden and in March filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city, Turlock Police Department and Turlock Unified School District. The case is centered upon allegations that a substitute teacher assaulted her teenage daughter during school hours.

City councilmembers Kevin Bixel (District 1) and Cassandra Abram (District 3) are also up for reelection.