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John Lazar worked as a congressional page in 1976 and later for legislators in Washington and Sacramento. He spent 22 years on Turlock’s council and in the mayor’s chair, serving as mayor from 2006–2014. His administration worked on budgets, industrial development and drinking water.
From a House page to hometown office
The Congressional Record’s December 9, 2014 tribute offers an unusually useful outline of Lazar’s early career. Representative Jeff Denham recorded his House page service, work as a district representative for Congressman Tony Coelho, and legislative-assistant positions with Assemblymembers Gary Condit and Jack O’Connell.
Lazar was born and raised in Turlock and graduated from Stanislaus State. He obtained his real-estate license in 1988. When he first won election to the council in 1992, he brought experience working for other elected officials rather than arriving at public service through the mayor’s job itself.
The same tribute included a detail that makes the résumé more personal: Lazar collected political buttons and enjoyed history and biographies. The former congressional page remained a student of politics after becoming a practitioner.
Fourteen council years, then two terms as mayor
Lazar served on the council from 1992 to 2006, including as vice mayor in 2004, 2005 and 2006. His election as mayor in 2006 followed Curt Andre’s 16-year administration; Gary Soiseth succeeded Lazar in 2014.
His work also took him into regional agencies. He represented Turlock on the Stanislaus County Local Agency Formation Commission from 2000 to 2006 and chaired it in 2003. Governor Gray Davis appointed him to the California State Mandates Commission. These assignments appear in the Journal’s account of his later park nomination.
What recovery looked like in 2014
At his eighth State of the City address, Lazar described a city attracting investment after the recession. The Journal’s contemporary report records his emphasis on streamlined permitting, the Blue Diamond facility and Hilmar Cheese Company’s announced milk-powder plant in Turlock.
He also discussed the new public-safety facility, developed through a six-year process involving police, fire and city staff. He credited employees and partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce and the regional economic-development organization. These were shared projects, rather than work completed by a mayor alone.
The address was not simply a list of ribbon cuttings. Lazar identified the drought, water rates and deteriorating roads as unfinished problems. He supported a countywide transportation tax as a way to fund road improvements. Reading the speech now shows how familiar some of the city’s big infrastructure questions already were in 2014.
A water hearing with a Kaepernick interruption
At a March 21, 2013 State Water Board hearing, Lazar introduced Turlock as the home of Stanislaus State, Blue Diamond and Colin Kaepernick. The chair’s response was a small joke: “And he’s using excessive amounts of water?”
The hearing transcript then returns to the serious argument. Lazar explained that Turlock depended on groundwater for drinking water and was pursuing a regional surface-water supply. He argued that proposed river-flow requirements could affect that future supply and the food-processing jobs tied to it. His testimony records the city’s position; it was not a finding by the board that settled the competing water demands.
The public ceremonies—and a family photograph
Lazar presented Kaepernick with a key to the city at the 2014 Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. The Pitman High graduate’s appearance brought a national sports story back into a familiar Turlock gathering.
A quieter connection survives at the Carnegie Arts Center. For its 2016 centennial time capsule, Lazar donated photographs showing his children at the new center’s groundbreaking. Former mayor Brad Bates contributed a penny collection. The capsule was intended to remain sealed until 2116.
John Lazar Park: an honor still taking shape
Mayor Amy Bublak nominated Lazar for a park honor, with Vice Mayor Pam Franco presenting the proposal to the parks commission. The council approved the name in February 2022. This followed Turlock’s practice of recognizing former mayors through neighborhood parks.
In October 2025, the council awarded a $1.47 million construction contract. The report put the overall project at just over $1.9 million, funded through the Park Development Tax Fund. The site lies between Haverford Drive, Merion Drive, Bethpage Street and Tate Street in northeast Turlock.
As of October 2026, the city still lists John Lazar Park under construction, with an estimated completion around October 20. That is a construction estimate, rather than an announced opening. The city’s project page describes playground equipment, landscaping, an arbor, drinking fountain and related work.
Related: Gary Soiseth · Turlock mayors timeline.
