Fresno City Council District 4 candidate takes early lead. Still too close to call
Early election returns show a race that’s too close to call in the Fresno City Council district that has both the Fresno State campus and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
District 4 is the only council race to draw any competition, which came in opponents Nathan Alonzo and Tyler Maxwell. No matter who wins they’ll be the youngest person on the council dais.
The early returns at 10:40 p.m. show Maxwell leading with 52.2% of the vote compared to Alonzo’s 47.4%.
A candidate must get 50% plus one vote to be deemed the winner. Councilmember Paul Caprioglio has termed out and will leave office this year.
“Right now we’re cautiously optimistic. We’re about 7% (or) 8% ahead,” Maxwell said Tuesday at about 10 p.m. “It really hasn’t changed much since the first results came in.”
“We’re not celebrating just yet,” he said.
Alonzo was not immediately available for comment, but his election team issued a statement:
“As of right now, only 16% of the vote has been cast. We’re waiting to hear from every single voice in District 4.”
The district stretches from Bullard and Blackstone avenues to the eastern edge of the city near Locan and Shields avenues. There are 34,672 registered voters in that district, and the first few waves tallied 7,295 ballots returned, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.
Alonzo, 27, grew up in Firebaugh after his parents immigrated from Mexico. The Fresno State graduate is the community relations director for the Caglia Family of Companies.
Maxwell, 28, earned his degree from UC Berkeley and is a staffer for Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza. Maxwell grew up in District 4.
Super Tuesday was a rough day for Fresno County elections staffers, and many others around the state. Computer connection issues with the California Secretary of State’s voter file database caused delays that led to long lines and frustration from voters.
Maxwell said he stopped by the Betty Rodriguez Public Library, one of the larger voting centers in the district, on Cedar Avenue near Shields Avenue and was told some voters had left when the machines went down.
Fifteen counties saw delays, particularly in the morning, according to state officials.
Both Fresno City Council District 2 Councilmember Mike Karbassi and District 6 Councilmember Garry Bredefeld ran unopposed.
The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 8:23 PM.
