Less than a year after he termed out of the California State Senate, former State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) is getting back into politics.
Cannella announced Friday he would seek a seat on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.
Current County Supervisor Jim DeMartini will serve out his fourth term on the Board before leaving the Golden State for Reno, Nev.
Late last year, DeMartini sold more than 1,000 acres of farmland and other commercial property ahead of his move to the Silver State.
Before his tenure in the State Capitol, Cannella served as the Mayor of Ceres. In Sacramento, he was succeeded by Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) following a hotly-contested campaign against Madera Supervisor Rob Poythress.
“I understand that most the [County] money comes from Sacramento,” the former legislator said in his campaign announcement video. “I know how that machine works, and I’ll be able to work with those folks to drive more resources.”
Cannella drew the ire of some colleagues in the Senate Republican Caucus when he cut a deal in 2017 with then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
Cannella became the lone Republican to greenlight California’s gas tax hike.
In exchange for the vote, Cannella secured $500 million in funding for local in the north Valley priorities, with $400 million to extend the Altamont Commuter Express train – which runs from Stockton to San Jose – further south to Merced.
