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Juan Alanis had already ordered shirts and flags for another run for Stanislaus County sheriff when a newly drawn Assembly district changed his plans. He took his law-enforcement background to Sacramento instead. Since 2022, Turlock’s Republican assemblymember has worked on youth-sports safety, financial-literacy lessons, agricultural concerns and the rules governing state agencies.
Alanis represents Assembly District 22, including Turlock and communities in Stanislaus and Merced counties. He is the only candidate listed for this seat on the certified November 3, 2026 ballot. That is a reelection contest for the state Assembly, separate from the congressional races.
From Riverbank to the sheriff’s office
In his 2023 interview with the Turlock Journal, Alanis said he was born in Modesto and grew up in Riverbank. His father was a general contractor, and working at job sites initially pointed him toward a trade. Riverbank High’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps introduced him to another path.
A school resource officer encouraged him to apply to the Sheriff’s Explorers Program. He described attending Modesto Junior College, entering the police academy at 19 and working in patrol, adult detention and school assignments. Those experiences put both the enforcement and service sides of county government into his working life.
His official biography describes nearly three decades in law enforcement, three lifesaving awards and a family raised in the district with his wife, Barbara. His approach to public safety comes from that career; when he talks about criminal statutes, he is often talking about rules he once had to enforce.
A different office after an unsuccessful sheriff campaign
Alanis lost the 2018 sheriff’s race to Jeff Dirkse. He prepared for a rematch in 2022, then switched to the Assembly race after redistricting created a district centered on communities where he had worked. The Journal’s February 2022 report follows that decision and the priorities he brought into the new campaign.
He defeated Democrat Jessica Self in 2022 and again in 2024. The official 2024 results record 86,858 votes for Alanis and 67,743 for Self, or 56.2% to 43.8%. In 2026 he has no opponent listed in the general election. The Journal’s account of his unopposed campaign says he planned to continue campaigning and hearing residents’ concerns.
The Assembly’s current member roster identifies him as a Republican from District 22 and lists the official district office. His office biography also describes caucus leadership and committee work in public safety, labor, agriculture and water. Committee membership matters because bills are examined and amended before reaching a final floor vote.
A Waterford family’s loss and three youth-sports laws
One of his most specific legislative efforts began with Nevaeh Johnson, a 10-year-old girl from Waterford who collapsed at sports practice in August 2022 and died several days later. Her family approached his office about emergency preparedness. That led to the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act, AB 1467, signed in 2023.
The office’s September 2026 account of the laws explains the progression: access to automated external defibrillators, followed by AB 310’s CPR/AED coach certification and written cardiac-response plans in 2025, then AB 387’s coordination between youth-sports organizations and facility operators in 2026. Newsom’s September 27 legislative update confirms the last bill was signed.
The 2026 measure does not require every park or private facility to buy an AED. It keeps responsibility with the youth-sports organization when one is not otherwise available. For families using Turlock’s parks and local teams, the practical issues are where the equipment is, who knows how to use it and what the emergency plan says.
Financial literacy and conditional-release rules
Alanis also authored AB 1871 in the 2023–24 session, adding personal financial literacy to the adopted social-sciences course of study for grades 7–12. His 2024 legislation list records it as chaptered. Budgeting, borrowing and understanding financial obligations are the kinds of everyday skills the bill addressed; it should not be confused with a separate stand-alone graduation-course requirement.
In September 2026, Newsom signed AB 767 on conditional placement of people legally designated sexually violent predators. The office’s explanation describes added daycare buffer protections and criteria for qualifying home-based private schools. It specifies that the home-based school must be operating at the time of placement; later changes cannot automatically undo an established placement.
The Patterson emergency-care bill Newsom vetoed
Not every Alanis bill became law. AB 2282 sought a rural emergency stabilization unit in Patterson, intended as a bridge while a permanent hospital is developed. Alanis argued that West Side residents needed emergency screening and treatment closer to home. His September 29 response says he intends to reintroduce the proposal.
Newsom’s veto message (PDF) agreed with the goal of rural access but objected to a freestanding emergency department without a general acute-care hospital’s required infrastructure. He said evaluating and transferring seriously ill patients could add risks and delays. The disagreement was about the proposed delivery model, as well as the urgent need for care.
Another West Side project received funding: Alanis’s October 5 funding report identifies $1.8 million in AB 113 for two emergency-radio repeater sites in Del Puerto Canyon. His office says the project responds to communications weaknesses exposed during the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex fires. That local allocation is distinct from the statewide education and service funding listed in the same announcement.
What the district office can do for a resident
The Modesto office is at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 5800, Modesto, with the number 209-521-2201. The Capitol phone is 916-319-2022. Use the official Assembly website to send a legislative message or request assistance with a state agency.
His office reported in September 2026 that casework had helped recover more than $1.5 million in delayed benefits, back pay and unresolved claims during the first seven months of the year.
For a benefits or licensing problem, begin with the agency name, relevant case number, dates of your contacts and the action you are asking staff to help obtain. The office is a liaison to state government. For federal-agency problems or City Hall matters, use the appropriate contacts in Local Turlock’s representatives directory.
