Juan Alanis (politician)

Juan Alanis (born June 17, 1978) is an American politician who is currently serving in the California State Assembly for the 22nd district since 2022. Previously, he was the Sergeant for the Stanislaus County Sheriff from 1995 to 2022.

Early life and education
Alanis was born on June 17, 1978, in Modesto, California, growing up in the neighboring city of Riverbank. As a sophomore at Riverbank High School, he joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. With the help of a resource officer, he was hired as a part-time employee for the Sheriff's office as part of the Sheriff's Explorers Program. He later attended Modesto Junior College and California State University, Stanislaus, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2017.

Political career
In 2017, he announced his campaign for Stanislaus County Sheriff to succeed Adam Christianson, going against Patterson Police Chief Jeff Dirkse and Deputy Sheriff Tom Letras. Alanis lost against Dirkse in the election with 48.13%.

In 2021, Alanis again announced his campaign for sheriff against Jeff Dirkse, but after the newly redrawn 22nd district of the California State Assembly placed Modesto into the district, Alanis withdrew from the sheriff election and announced his campaign for State Assembly. In the general election, he went against Democrat Jessica Self, with Alanis defeating Self to become a member of the Assembly. He was sworn in on December 5, 2022, and was placed on the Public Safety, Agriculture, and Water committees.