Last updated
Before he was Turlock’s mayor, Gary Soiseth was advising farmers in Afghanistan about orchards, irrigation and markets. Back home, he brought that agricultural and policy background to City Hall. His 2014–2018 term involved regional water projects, a new connection with Stanislaus State students and a four-candidate reelection race.
An almond-farm childhood, then work overseas
Soiseth grew up on the family almond farm in Turlock and graduated from Turlock High in 2002. He earned a political-science degree at UC Berkeley and a master’s in public policy at Georgetown, concentrating on water resources and agricultural policy. A 2010 Journal interview traces the family farm to an orchard his grandfather purchased after World War II using his GI Bill.
That interview caught him in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, serving as an agricultural adviser with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His work included helping farmers with pruning, beekeeping, pest management, water supplies and access to markets. Visiting villages required armed escorts and planning—a striking contrast with walking out into the orchards at home.
His overseas service continued in southern Afghanistan. The Army’s August 2013 report identifies him as the Regional Command-South stability division’s agriculture and economic-development chief. It records a 15-month tour and the presentation of a Superior Civilian Service Award, recognizing his coordination between USDA and USAID programs. This was civilian service alongside the military.
Winning City Hall in 2014
Soiseth won the November 4, 2014 election against Mike Brem. The Secretary of State’s official results list 8,374 votes for Soiseth and 5,317 for Brem. He succeeded John Lazar as Turlock’s 22nd mayor.
The Journal’s early-2015 profile connected his interest in the job to his high-school Teen Advisory Council days, when Mayor Curt Andre visited the group. The new mayor was 30 and described infrastructure as a focus. His water-policy work at Modesto Irrigation District and farming experience helped explain that choice of priorities.
Two water projects with different purposes
During his term, Soiseth represented Turlock in regional discussions about both drinking water and recycled water. These are related water-supply questions, but they describe different projects.
At a 2017 U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, he presented the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. Its partners included Turlock, Modesto and Del Puerto Water District. The plan was to deliver treated wastewater through a pipeline to the Delta-Mendota Canal for agricultural users, rather than discharge it to the San Joaquin River. The conference account records his argument for a regional response to limited water supplies.
Separately, the council pursued Tuolumne River surface water for drinking. The September 26, 2017 minutes record a unanimous vote accepting a rate study that included development of a surface-water supply. Costs and rate increases became an important public debate. The project spanned administrations; the eventual plant opening came after Soiseth left office.
Putting the mayor’s stipend toward student research
Soiseth had taught political science at Stanislaus State before becoming mayor. In 2015, he proposed using his mayoral stipend to support students researching local public-policy problems. The Journal’s report on the Mayor’s Award explains the competitive research program and his stated plan to contribute roughly $8,000 annually before taxes, supplemented by donations.
The program connected university research with everyday city questions. A contemporary participant biography records projects addressing bus-route efficiency and the relationship between the campus and the wider community.
The 2018 election
The 2018 mayoral contest drew four candidates. The city’s certified canvass records 8,300 votes for Amy Bublak, 6,607 for Soiseth, 6,342 for Brad Bates and 930 for Jaime Franco. Soiseth finished second; Bublak won and became Turlock’s first woman mayor. Early election-night reports had a different ordering, so the final tally matters.
After the mayor’s office
Agriculture remained part of Soiseth’s public work. In July 2024, the California state treasurer’s office announced the establishment of the San Francisco Farm Bureau, identifying him as its president and a participant in securing the new bureau’s recognition.
The organization’s current executive-board directory continues to list him as president.
Related reading: John Lazar’s profile · Amy Bublak’s public record · Turlock mayors timeline.
