Clovis mayor launches campaign for supervisor vacancy — gets Jerry Dyer endorsement
Over one hundred community members and local politicians attended Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua’s campaign kickoff on Friday to show support for his bid to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.
The seat, which represents District 5—consisting of eastern Fresno, Clovis, and extending eastward to the border of Tulare and Inyo counties—becomes vacant when incumbent Nathan Magsig (R-Clovis) takes office in the California State Senate.
Magsig received nearly 60% of the vote in last week’s primary election for State Senate District 12, according to unofficial vote counts from the Secretary of State. Though Magsig still faces a runoff in November, the opportunity already drew plenty of interest. Besides Mouanoutoua, Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce and Trustee Allen Clyde from the Fresno County Board of Education also said they are running for the position.
A familiar face to many after serving for over two decades on the Clovis City Council and the Clovis Planning Commission, Mouanoutoua has secured numerous endorsements from local leaders, including Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, long-time Clovis councilmember Lynne Ashbeck, Fresno councilmembers Tyler Maxwell, Mike Karbassi, Brandon Vang, and five of the seven Clovis Unified School Board trustees.
“Vong places people above politics. He always does what he believes is good for the whole of the community,” Dyer said at Friday’s press conference. “Vong has a passion for serving and does so with absolute pure motives. Vong does the right thing for the right reason, not just some of the time, but all of the time. Again, not always the case with elected officials.”
Mouanoutoua said he stands by what he has accomplished in Clovis and issues he cares about in the county, such as public safety, education, economic development, support for small businesses, and beautiful parks and trails.
The city of Clovis, however, doesn’t have the resources and programs to help people who are in need, he said. Coming from a family of Laotian refugees who once relied on public assistance, Mouanoutoua said he has always been eager to help those in need.
“My fellow man was struggling because when someone says I need money for food, in Clovis, we don’t have anything. We’re good at planning. We’re good at making streets good. We are good at business,” he said. “But human services are in the county. I’m a human, and I’m going to serve my fellow human with heart, with love, with decency.”
Mouanoutoua’s council colleagues, Ashbeck and Drew Bessinger, showed up at the press conference. Matt Basgall is the only member of the five-member council who has not yet endorsed any candidate.
Ashbeck, who has been on the Clovis City Council since 2001, said Mouanoutoua works harder than any other council member she knows, and Mouanoutoua is serious, prepared, present, and authentic. These qualities distinguish him from a performative type of leader, she said.
“They simply follow partisan talking points, follow partisan leaders, follow press events, and social media opportunities. They are unserious, unprepared, and only show up when it is in their self-interest, or they are in need of votes,” Ashbeck said. “Fresno County needs that first kind of elected leader, experienced, ready to do the work, ready to learn, ready to serve District 5 and the entire county.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 5:11 PM.
