Supervisor won’t seek Fresno County seat again. Former sheriff says she will
Longtime Fresno County Supervisor Ernest “Buddy” Mendes will not a seek another term in office, he said Wednesday in a public news conference.
Mendes, 69, has served in District 4 since 2015. The son of a dairy farmer, he’s also grown cotton, wheat, corn, almonds and other crops.
He said he would serve through the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027.
He made his intentions clear during a news conference outside the Hall of Records in downtown Fresno where retired Sheriff Margaret Mims announced her intent to run for the seat he would vacate.
Mims, 71, retired from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 after 42 years in law enforcement, 16 as sheriff.
Mims was the first woman to be hired as an officer in Kerman, and later joined the sheriff’s office in 1983.
A Republican, Mims has been at the forefront of traditionally conservative issues, and received praise for her stance on the Second Amendment. She was also praised by conservatives for refusing to order deputies to enforce COVID-19 mandates in 2020.
The then-sheriff drew the ire of advocates for undocumented immigrants in 2018 after telling President Donald Trump at a roundtable meeting that California’s sanctuary state laws are a “disgrace.” She also met with Trump at the border with Mexico to discuss border security the following year.
Two other candidates have filed paperwork with the county to run for the District 4 seat. Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran declared her intention to run as did Danielle Parra, a trustee with the State Center Community College.
District 4 covers the sprawling territory that starts at Orange Cove in the Sierra foothills and runs 100 miles west to Coalinga, on the far west side of the Valley.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 1:13 PM.
