Latest update on Fresno-area school board races, bond measures
Several board seats in Fresno County’s largest school districts and community college district are on the ballot this election, along with million-dollar school bond measures.
Ballots are still being counted, but here are the results as of 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Fresno-area school bonds
With more than half of the ballots counted Friday afternoon, most Fresno, Clovis, and Sanger voters favored approving school bond measures.
Over the years, school districts across the central San Joaquin Valley have leveraged bonds to invest and renovate facilities in their districts. Bond measures need at least 55% voter approval to pass, and the three largest school districts in Fresno County with bonds on the ballot had surpassed that with about a quarter of votes counted.
Measure A, the Clovis Unified School District bond, had about 59.9% “yes” votes, with about 75% of the ballots counted. Measure A is a $335 million bond issue that would keep tax rates where they are for residential property owners but extend the amount of time people are taxed.
That works out to $155 per $100,000 of assessed property values. Clovis Unified had a $408 million bond on the ballot in March that failed to pass.
The Central Unified School District bond, Measure D, had about 59% approval, with nearly 66% of the ballots counted. Central Unified also had a bond measure on the March ballot, but it didn’t pass.
Measure D is worth $120 million, and the cost to taxpayers will be $60 per $100,000 in property value.
The Sanger Unified School District bond, Measure C, had about 57% approval, with about 67% of the ballots have been counted. Measure C is worth $150 million, which will cost $100 per 100,000 in assessed property value.
State Center Community College District
Four State Center Community College District trustees are fighting for their seats this year, and two incumbents were trailing in their races as of Tuesday night.
Area 2 Trustee Eric Payne, who has held his seat since 2012, is coming in third, behind Sevag Tateosian, who holds about 32% of the vote, and Nasreen Johnson, who nearly 38%. Payne is trailing with 30%. About 68% of the ballots have been counted.
Johnson is a communications professional, and Tateosian is a public health analyst. Johnson was endorsed by the State Center Federation of Teachers, which did not back any incumbents this election.
Area 3 trustee and board president John Leal trailed just slightly behind newcomer Danielle Parra, a bookkeeper, 38.8% and 37.6%.
Leal’s other challenger, Dary Rezvani, a business owner and accountant, had about 23% of the vote. About 64% of the ballots had been counted.
A small portion of Area 3 extends into Kings County, where Leal captured 66% of the 66 counted votes as of 3:00 p.m. Friday.
Area 6 Trustee Deborah Jean Ikeda and Area 7 Trustee Richard Caglia both still held comfortable leads in their races.
Ikeda held 42%, ahead of Sally Fowler, a retired school administrator, who had about 38% of the vote, and Chris Milton, a businessman, who held about 18%. About 77% of the votes have been counted.
Caglia was holding onto his seat with about 45% of the vote, while Jon Bath, a Fresno Unified teacher, held about 31%. Abena Cruise, a community health representative, had about 22%. About 61% of ballots have been counted.
Fresno Unified School District
Fresno Unified trustee areas 5 and 6 were on the ballot, with both incumbents running for re-election.
Three people are running against Trustee Carol Mills, area 5, who has been on the board since 2004. This will be the attorney’s fifth time running for another four-year term. About 58% of the ballots have been counted, and Mills is in the lead, with about 44%.
David Paredes, a community youth organizer, Alexandria Desiga, an education project manager, and Sharon A. Clinton, a retired job specialist, are running against Mills. Paredes has about 36% of the votes, Desiga has about 12%, and Clinton has about 5%.
Two people are running against Trustee Claudia Cazares, Area 6, who was elected to the board in 2016. Esteban Pacheco, a dispatcher, and Bill Gates, a business owner, are running against Cazares.
Cazares has about 51% of the votes, with about 64% of the ballots counted. Gates has about 23% of votes, and Pacheco has about 25%.
Clovis Unified School District
Four seats in Clovis Unified are up for election.
Area 2 Trustee Ginny L. Hovsepian is not running for re-election. Jacob Trumble, a ramp agent, and David Defrank, an attorney, are running against each other. Defrank has a lead with about 78% of the votes so far. About 75% of ballots have been counted.
Two people are running against Area 4 Trustee Hugh Awtrey, who was appointed to the board last year to fill a retired board member position. Noha Elbaz, an educator, and Jonathon Holt, a financial planner, are running against Awtrey.
With about 75% of the ballots counted, Awtrey has about 38% of the votes. Elbaz has about 35% of the votes, and Holt has about 26%.
Area 5 Trustee Christopher Casado is being challenged by Yolanda Moore, a physician assistant. With about 75% of the ballots counted, Moore is still in the lead, with about 53% of the vote.
Central Unified School District
There are three seats on the ballot for the Central Unified school board, the third-largest school district in the county.
Corbin Gunstream, a chief financial officer, is challenging Area 3 Trustee Phillip Cervantes, who so far has about 50.9% of the votes, and about 73% of the ballots have been counted. Gunstream is close behind with about 49.03%.
Long-time Area 6 Trustee Terry Cox is not running for re-election. There are four people on the ballot: Stacy Williams, a community organizer and department manager, Sandra R. Flores, a community outreach manager, Richard Martinez, a businessman, and Jeremy Alam Mehling, a farmer, and businessman.
With about 62% of the ballots counted so far, Mehling has about 33% of the votes. Flores has about 27% of the votes, Martinez has about 22%, and Williams has about 17%.
Former Area 4 Trustee Richard Atkins resigned from the board in June just days after making comments on social media that critics described as “racist,” “disgusting,” and “xenophobic.” The seat has been vacant since.
Shawn M. Brooks, an account clerk, and Bret Rush, an assistant for a county supervisor, are running against each other for the Area 4 seat. Brooks has about 61% of the votes. Almost 59% of the ballots have been counted so far.
Sanger Unified School District
There are two seats on the ballot for the Sanger Unified school board, the fourth-largest district in Fresno County.
Area 1 Trustee Tammy Wolfe is being challenged by businessman Juan- Antonio “Sebastian” Ardemagni. Wolfe has a lead with about 74% of the votes, and about 74% of the ballots have been counted.
Karate instructor Va Pao Her is running against Area 4 Trustee Rick Duran. Her is in the lead with about 51% of the vote, and about 65% of the ballots have been counted.
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 4:30 PM.