The Stanislaus County Democratic Party has portrayed state Sen. Marie Alvarado Gil (R-Jackson), who last week left the Democrats to join the Republicans, as an aloof and apathetic legislator with no core political values.
In a press release the SCDP said that local Democrats were mostly unsurprised by Alvarado-Gil’s defection.
“We’ve been anticipating news of her party-switch since the 2022 election and are surprised only that it took her so long,” the press release stated. “(Poet) Maya Angelou famously said, ‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them.’”
Alvarado-Gil’s office announced late Aug. 13 that the freshman legislator has been stripped of her committee assignments by Democratic leadership and expelled from the Latino Caucus.
“How far will the Democrats go because they’re angry?” the senator posited in a statement. “I can take whatever heat is coming my way and fully recognize it comes with the territory of leaving a supermajority that operates like a mob. They can attack me all they want, but the people of California do not deserve to suffer because of political vendettas.”
The SCDP went on to allege that Alvarado-Gil, who held a fundraiser in Modesto on May 17 to raise money for local Democratic candidates, failed to respond to calls and emails from the SCDP or other local Democratic Party clubs for more than a year into her term.
“About 18 months into her current term she did reach out to me and other Democrats that have some amount of influence in the county,” said Lise Talbott, who is the SCDP chair, president of the Central Valley Democratic Club, and a city councilmember in Waterford. “And those talks were very productive and very much rah-rah for the Democrats.”
But the fundraising event was not without problems.
“It was difficult to get local Democrats to attend this event because local voters’ trust in her was so low,” the press release stated. “To date, she has not issued any of the promised ‘max out' campaign contributions to our endorsed local candidates. She has also not returned any of the funds received from local Democrats who attended this event under what are now known to be false pretenses.”
An email seeking comment as to Alvarado-Gil’s plans regarding the money went unanswered.
Alvarado-Gil was elected in 2020 after a crowded primary fight that included eight Republicans and just to Democrats. The GOP candidates, led by former U.S. Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) carved up 130,000 votes, while Alvarado-Gil and Tim Robertson divvied up 90,000 votes. Robertson emerged as the leading overall vote-getter (22.1 percent), with Alvarado-Gil close behind (18.7 percent). No Republican received more than 17.1 percent.
As the top two vote recipients, Robertson and Alvarado-Gil advanced to the general election, denying the conservative-leaning district a Republican choice in November.
“She ran to the center in the general election,” said Talbott. “She needed to figure out a strategy, and that’s really where she stayed.”
It didn't seem likely the Republicans would repeat the blunder of running so many candidates in 2026, and Alvarado-Gil may have seen the writing on the wall. District 4 — the largest in the state in terms of total area — has just over 608,000 registered voters, with 39 percent registered as Republicans and 34 percent Democrats. Another 18 percent list no party preference.
Alvarado-Gil will have at least one Republican challenger when she’s up for reelection in two years. Former Hughson Mayor and current Livermore Police Chief Jeramy Young officially entered the race last week.
Alvarado-Gil addressed the switch last week in a press release.
“I will continue to aggressively advocate for fiscal responsibility, policies that protect and restore community safety, that support our veterans, tackle the homelessness crisis with accountability, and lower living costs,” Alvarado-Gil said. “I look forward to collaborating with my Republican colleagues on their plan to fix California and continuing to lead with a pragmatic approach on issues affecting my district and this great state.”
Alvarado-Gil has backed numerous anti-crime measures, including efforts to address the state’s fentanyl crisis, combat human trafficking, make the rape of an unconscious person a violent felony, and to crack down on the dumping of sexually violent predators in rural communities. She worked with local law enforcement agencies to in an effort to have the conditional release of sexually violent predators Kevin Gray and Timothy Weathers overturned.
“It takes courage to stand up to the supermajority in California and Marie has what it takes,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her constituents speaks for itself. Senate Republicans are committed to addressing the real issues facing communities across the state and look forward to adding an eager spitfire like Marie to the cause.”
