Two more candidates joined the race for Fresno mayor on Friday, the filing deadline for most elections in the June 3 primary. Eleven candidates will face off to replace Mayor Alan Autry.
Former Fresno County Supervisor and businessman Doug Vagim made a surprise entry in the race. Barbara Ann Hunt, who has run for a number of local offices, qualified for the race, too.
Madera County District Attorney Ernest LiCalsi made a last-minute entry in another race, deciding to run for a Superior Court judgeship that will open Jan. 1. Judge John DeGroot is retiring.
So far, LiCalsi is facing attorney Brian Thomas Austin for the six-year term on the bench. The filing deadline is Wednesday for this race and others without an incumbent.
The contest for Fresno mayor attracted far more candidates than any other race in the central Valley. Following eight years in office, Autry will depart next year due to term limits.
The mayoral contest features one former and three current Fresno City Council members, the Fresno deputy mayor, a police detective, the head of a job-creation program and three businessmen. Hunt didn't list an occupation on her election form.
With so many candidates, the race will likely go to a November runoff.
The filing deadline for another closely watched race was extended until Wednesday when Fresno County Supervisor Bob Waterston didn't file for re-election. Clovis City Council Member Nathan Magsig is on the ballot and will likely be joined by political activist Debbie Poochigian.
The deadline was also extended for candidates wanting to replace outgoing Fresno County Superior Court Judge W. Kent "Buck" Levis. Four candidates have qualified for the race so far. Few challengers stepped up to face incumbents in the primary for federal and state elections.
In a race without an incumbent, four Republicans will square off in the South Valley primary race to replace termed-out Bill Maze in the 34th Assembly District. But with Maze not running, the filing deadline is extended until Wednesday.
Contenders include Connie Conway of Tulare, who eschewed a re-election bid to her seat on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, and Maze's wife, Rebecca. Two other Republicans in the running are Bob Smith of Yermo, in San Bernardino County, and Jon Zellhoefer of the Inyo County community of Tecopa. The sprawling district includes most of Tulare and San Bernardino counties, all of Inyo County and part of Kern County.
Would-be candidates also have until Wednesday afternoon to file papers to run for the 30th Assembly District seat now held by term-limited Democrat Nicole Parra.
So far, Fran Florez, a Shafter City Council member and mother of State Sen. Dean Florez, has filed for the Democratic primary, while Danny Gilmore, a retired California Highway Patrol officer from Hanford, is seeking the GOP nomination. Gilmore ran unsuccessfully against Parra two years ago.
Kings County election officials reported that another potential candidate in the 30th Assembly District, Joe Eustermann of Hanford, had taken out papers to run but did not return them as of Friday.
Public records show that Eustermann is a registered Democrat.
The district covers all of Kings County and parts of Tulare, Fresno and Kern counties.
Here's a list of candidates in contested primary races:
Assembly
34th District, Republicans: Connie Conway, no occupation listed; Rebecca (Becky) Maze, no occupation listed; Bob Smith, retired deputy sheriff, and Jon Zellhoefer, no occupation listed.
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