Watch – Ward 2 Candidate Forum: Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres, Mike Vahl
Four candidates, one stage, more than 100 Ward 2 voters in the room at UC Riverside. Watch the full forum on demand.
Politics
Watch – Ward 2 Candidate Forum: Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres, Mike Vahl
Four candidates, one stage, more than 100 Ward 2 voters in the room at UC Riverside. Watch the full forum on demand.
1 min read
On Thursday, April 23, the Raincross Gazette hosted the first of three candidate forums for the 2026 City Council races. More than 100 Ward 2 voters joined us at UC Riverside's Alumni and Visitors Center to hear from the four candidates running to succeed Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes — Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres, and Mike Vahl.
The forum, moderated by longtime Press-Enterprise columnist Dan Bernstein, covered homelessness, public safety, the city manager, neighborhood priorities, and Ward 2-specific concerns including warehouses, wildfire, and the future of UCR's relationship with the city.
The forum was hosted by UCR's School of Public Policy at UCR Alumni and Visitors Center.
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