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A True Warrior
Turlock Mayor Credits Stan State for Shaping Her Adult Life
By Lori Gilbert
Amy Bublak arrived at Stanislaus State in 1983 with two goals: to play sports and distance herself from her hometown of Latrobe in El Dorado County.
The 1989 graduate did so much more, emerging as the epitome of a Warrior.
The Mayor of Turlock, serving her second four-year term after re-election in 2022, is hard-pressed to explain her improbable journey, from unhappy childhood to athletics success, bachelor’s degree in sociology, Associated Student Body president, police officer and the leader of a city of 73,000.
“I’m very blessed. I can only thank the many people who took a chance on me,” Bublak said. “Between the Turlock community and the Stan State community, I am where I am today.”
Her track coach, the late Mark Erickson, who saw her compete in the shot put at a high school meet, recruited her to attend Stan State. She was an NCAA Division III All-American for the javelin and in 2001 was inducted into Stan State’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Walter Doraz, the professor who taught her first class on campus, Sociology 101, became a mentor. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1989 and with Doraz’s encouragement, a master’s degree in urban government and public administration.
Ray and Romeo Piro — whom she met while serving as vice president of Stan State’s student government, Associated Students — introduced her to their family and she became an honorary member, welcomed home for every holiday celebration.
Her career began as an emergency medical technician for seven years, before Richmond police encouraged her to join the force. She did, serving that city for 13 years before becoming a member of the Modesto Police Department. She returned to the Valley after she married former Stan State Athletics Director Milt Richards.
She successfully ran for the Turlock City Council in 2008 and in 2018, became the first woman to run for, and be elected, Mayor of Turlock.
“When I first ran for council, I felt I had to do it for Turlock,” Bublak said. “I have to give back for everything I’ve gotten. I’ll probably never be able to repay what I feel I got out of this community, Stanislaus State and Turlock.”
