Bee endorsement: It is time for a new supervisor for south Fresno on county board | Opinion

In a discussion last year about extending the permit for a gravel-mining operation at the San Joaquin River, Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero mentioned how CEMEX provided necessary building materials for major projects that were done when he was on the Fresno City Council.

That was in the 1990s and early 2000s. The issues today are whether it is proper to keep letting CEMEX operate under a badly outdated permit. Quintero and the other four members of the Board of Supervisors said yes in a 5-0 vote.

Quintero is campaigning now to keep his District 3 seat. His two main challengers, Fresno City Councilmembers Luis Chavez and Miguel Arias, say they would have voted no on the CEMEX permit because the company has not done updated environmental-impact reviews.

The example is telling not only because of the difference in opinions, but how Quintero harkened back in time to explain his vote. It fits the narrative of his challengers, namely that Quintero is not up to speed on current problems. They also fault him for being absent from his constituents, such as holding few to no community meetings.

Quintero, who grew up in the Calwa area south of Fresno, says he works hard to help District 3 residents with a personal touch — like actually taking phone calls. He is running for a new four-year term because he believes he is making a difference. “We work hard to try to make the quality of life better for all county residents,” he told The Bee Editorial Board in an interview.

Also on the ballot is Edward “EJ” Hinojosa, a music teacher at Gaston Middle School. He does not have the name recognition or financial support of the incumbent and two challengers, and will likely not advance beyond the primary.

Experience and background

▪ Quintero’s official biography says he has lived in District 3 since he was 3 years old. He began political service in 1995 with election to the Fresno City Council, where he served from 1995 to 2003, then again from 2011 to 2016, when he won election to the county board.

▪ Arias began his elected career in 2006 as a trustee on the Mendota Unified School District. He was then elected to the State Center Community College Board of Trustees in 2014. He won election to the City Council in 2018, and was re-elected in 2022.

▪ When Quintero was on the City Council, Chavez was his aide. Then when Quintero won election to the board in 2016, Chavez ran in a special election to replace him and won. He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. Chavez also served on the Fresno Unified school board from 2012-16.

District 3 is the most urban of the county supervisorial districts. It ranges from American Avenue on the south and includes the Cherry Avenue Auction; runs northwest to Shields Avenue and includes Fresno City College; heads north to a part of Shaw Avenue and takes in Fresno Yosemite International Airport; and has Peach Avenue on the east and Fresno Pacific University.

Downtown Fresno — including city, county, state and federal government offices — and Community Regional Medical Center are also in the district.

Homelessness challenge

A major issue affecting District 3 is unhoused people. Both Arias and Chavez criticize the county for doing little to help homeless people who largely congregate downtown. Arias has the most experience of the candidates dealing with problems involving homeless people since most of the city-run shelters are in his council district.

He strongly denounces the county’s effort, pointing out it does not have one shelter for emergency housing. “It is easier to get mental health treatment if you are a county jail inmate than a person on the street in the county,” Arias said.

Arias joined forces with his political opposite, conservative council member Garry Bredefeld, to author an ordinance that restricts how close homeless people can get to schools, child care facilities and parks. The ordinance won approval.

“The fact the county does not have one homeless shelter speaks volumes,” said Chavez, noting his southeast Fresno council district includes two shelters for unhoused people.

Quintero said the county utilizes nonprofits and a “potpourri of things” to assist the unhoused. “We are doing as much as we can do.”

Street renaming

Arias and Chavez also differ with Quintero on renaming a 10-mile section of Kings Canyon Road, Ventura Street and California Avenue after civil rights leader César Chávez. Fresno does not have any major roadways named in his honor, despite the heavily Hispanic population of the city and how many residents work in agriculture.

They led efforts at the council to accomplish the renaming, but parts of the roads that cut through the city remain under the jurisdiction of the county, and the supervisors voted against any renaming.

Quintero, 75, explained his vote by saying he knew Chávez, and that the Latino civil-rights leader would have wanted funding for any renaming to instead be used to help the unhoused.

Bee Editorial Board’s recommendation

Quintero, Chavez and Arias are Democrats, so the leftward political orientation of the seat will remain much the same regardless of who wins. Should no one emerge from the March 5 primary election as the outright winner, a run-off election of the top two finishers will be held in November.

Quintero has amassed years of service, but it is time to let someone new into the job. The Bee Editorial Board recommends Arias for the seat.

In his years on the council, Arias has shown that he does the homework to understand issues and asks probing questions of staff and colleagues. He works hard to get answers and action for his constituents.

That said, Chavez is also a strong candidate, and impressed the Editorial Board with his knowledge of the issues facing the city and county. The Editorial Board expects Arias and Chavez could go to the fall contest.

This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 5:30 AM.