November election season opens in Fresno. Will transportation tax make it to ballot?
Monday marks the opening filing period for candidates and measures to appear on the Nov. 3 election. The biggest question is whether a transportation tax measure to succeed Measure C will make it to the ballot?
After a verification speed bump, Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus determined there are enough valid signatures to qualify the Better Roads, Safer Streets initiative for the ballot. The measure would retain the half-cent sales tax for countywide transportation projects. Measure C expires June 30, 2027.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors will consider the item on Tuesday whether to place it on the November ballot, or call for a study, which would delay when voters have a chance to decide. The state Election Code allows the supervisors to refer the item to staff for a study on fiscal impact and other effects.
If the supervisors opt for a study, it would be ready by Aug. 13, which would miss the Aug. 7 deadline to place an item on the November ballot. The tax measure would still go before voters at the next election on March 7, 2028, or earlier if the supervisors called for a special election.
The local ballot will also include city council, school board, county superintendent and two local judgeship elections.
One familiar name planning to run is Terance Frazier, a Fresno developer recently in the headlines for his battles with Fresno City Hall over the Granite Park Sports Complex. He said he is running for a community college school board.
The filing period runs through Aug. 7, or Aug. 12 if a qualified incumbent does not run.
Fresno County: One supervisor race, superintendent, two judges
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi faces Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco for the District 1 supervisor seat, covering the northwest portion of the county. Karbassi led the six-candidate field in June with 33% of the vote. Pacheco followed with 29%.
Pacheco — also a field representative for Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno — recently reported $11,000 in contributions from her boss’ state Senate campaign account.
Former Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims won her District 4 supervisor race outright, and will be sworn in Jan. 4.
Fresno County Superintendent Michele Cantwell-Copher faces former Clovis Unified Superintendent Eimear O’Brien, after a 43% to 30% showing in the three-person primary.
Two judicial races will appear on all county ballots. Ashley Paulson faces a one-time colleague in the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, Steve Ueltzen. Paulson, now with the Fresno City Attorney’s Office, led the primary, 47% to 30% in a three-person race. Ueltzen is a DUI prosecutor with the DA’s office.
In another judicial race, private practice attorney Jeff Hammerschmidt faces public defender Jose Salazar. Hammerschmidt led in the three-person primary, 49% to 36%.
City of Fresno: Three council races on the ballot
The Fresno City Council District 1 runoff between Central Unified Trustee Naindeep Singh and State Center Community College District Trustee Rob Fuentes heated up last week. They finished one-two in a four-person race, with Singh leading 39% to 37%. The district includes west-central Fresno.
Fuentes resigned his post as a federal prosecutor after his criticism of ICE, and public criticism for defending the government in immigration cases.
The downtown/southwest Fresno District 3 seat finds Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula against Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas. They finished in the top two of a seven-candidate field. Arambula led 30% to 28%.
Attorney Nav Gurm and community activist Arian Martinez Lott will meet for the District 7 seat, which includes east central Fresno. Only 20 votes separated Gurm on top from Martinez Lott in the four-person primary field.
Brandon Vang won District 5 — southeast Fresno — and will be sworn-in for his first full term on Jan. 5. He won a special election in 2025.
Clovis begins district era voting
Three Clovis City Council spots will be on the November ballot. For the first time, voters will select councilmembers by district instead of at-large. Candidates must live in the district.
District 1 covers the southwest portion of the city. Since no current councilmembers live there, a new member will join. Mason Magsig, son of former Clovis councilmember and current Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, filed to run. Joshua Engel, who considered an Assembly run this year but ultimately did not run, also filed.
Matt Basgall plans to run for re-election in District 4, the northwest portion of the city. He initially said he would forgo running for a second term, and avoid an incumbent-on-incumbent matchup with Diane Pearce.
Pearce said she will not run for re-election, planning to run for an anticipated vacancy for Fresno County supervisor, if Nathan Magsig wins his race for state Senate.
Incumbent Drew Bessinger filed to run for District 5, the northwest portion of the city. Des Haus, who ran unsuccessfully for city council in 2022, also filed.
Other cities in Fresno County with city council elections include Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron (mayor and council), Kerman (mayor and council), Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove (mayor and council), Parlier (mayor and council), Reedley, Sanger (mayor and council), San Joaquin and Selma (mayor and council).
Frazier running for SCCCD
Three seats on the State Center Community College District are on the ballot.
Terance Frazier says he will run for SCCCD District 5, the seat that will be open because Robert Fuentes is running for Fresno city council. In a statement to The Bee, Frazier said his “connection to State Center runs deep.”
He mentioned that he donated the land for the west Fresno campus, and served on the SCCCD Foundation board, saying he helped raise millions of dollars.
“Running for Trustee is the next chapter in my years of service to this district. I will bring the proven experience needed to keep SCCCD on strong financial footing, upgrade and expand facilities, and grow the programs that open doors for students across our region. State Center deserves board leadership that is accountable, deeply invested in student success, and ready to lead, and I am ready,” Frazier said.
Marcos Osorio, a community development professional, also filed to run.
“Marcos is focused on expanding access for first-generation and working students, strengthening transfer and career technical education pathways, partnering with local employers to prepare students for good-paying jobs, and ensuring responsible, transparent leadership that keeps resources focused on student success,” Osorio said on his website.
Destiny Rodriguez says she is running for re-election District 1. Magdalena Gomez did not respond as to her intentions to run for District 4.
Two positions are up for the Fresno County Board of Education — Kimberly Tapsott-Munson (District 1) and Marcia Masumoto (District 4). Both told The Bee they plan to file for re-election.
School boards: Four Fresno Unified seats on the ballot
There will be at least two new school board trustees among the three largest districts in Fresno — Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified and Central Unified.
Four Fresno Unified trustee seats are on the ballot. With Keshia Thomas running for city council, several candidates have emerged for the District 1 seat, including Rizpah Bellard, Ingram L. Tate, Daren Miller and Deshunna Ricks.
Incumbents Valerie Davis (District 3) and Susan Wittrup (District 7) said they plan to run for re-election. District 4 Trustee Veva Islas did not respond to questions about her intentions.
Riley Talford, chapter president SEIU Local 521, which represents Fresno County employees, said he is running for the District 3 seat.
Jamin Brazil, CEO of education tech company Parsec Education, filed paperwork to run against Wittrup.
In Clovis Unified, the three incumbents on the ballot — Clint Olivier (District 1), Tiffany Stoker Madsen (District 3) and Deena Combs-Flores (District 6) — all say they plan to run for re-election.
Five positions will be open in Central Unified, including a special election for District 3 currently held by Harman Singh, who was appointed to the seat in March. He filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Natalie Chavez. Singh told The Bee he is still deciding if he will run.
Nabil Kherfan (District 4) said he plans to run for re-election. District 2 Trustee Yesenia Carrillo said she is not prepared to comment at this time if she is running. District 1 Trustee Joshua Sellers said he has not decided, but leaning toward running again.
Because Naindeep Singh is running for Fresno City Council, the District 7 race is open. No candidates have filed to run.
Congress, state legislature, BOE race
The June 2 primary whittled down district contests for Congress, the state legislature and the Board of Equalization to two candidates. Here is what will appear on the ballot for Fresno County voters:
Congress:
All six incumbents are running. Because of Proposition 50 passed by the voters last year, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, now represents a portion of western Fresno County. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, is expected to have the tightest race against Visalia Unified Trustee Randy Villegas, D-Visalia.
District 5: Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove vs. Michael Masuda, D-Amador
District 13: Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced vs. Kevin Lincoln, R-Stockton
District 17: Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose vs. Shane Lewis, R-San Jose
District 20: Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield vs. Sandra Van Scotter, D-Ridgecrest
District 21: Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno vs. Kyle Kirkland, R-Clovis
District 22: Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford vs. Randy Villegas, D-Visalia
State Senate
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, R-Clovis, runs to replace termed-out Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield. Soria, a state Assemblymember, tries to change chambers in her run against Merced City Councilmember Darin DuPont. Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, is expected to have a tight race against businessman Guillermo Gonzalez, R-Bakersfield.
District 12: Nathan Magsig, R-Clovis vs. William Brown, Lib.-Visalia
District 14: Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno vs. Darin DuPont, R-Merced
District 16: Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield vs. Guillermo Gonzalez, R-Bakersfield
Assembly
Former Merced Mayor Mike Murphy, R-Merced and Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco, D-Kerman, face each other for the seat currently held by Soria. Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea, D-Fresno and retired city worker Jim Polsgrove, R-Fresno, meet for the seat held by Arambula — who is running for Fresno City Council.
District 8: Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Clovis (running unopposed)
District 27: Mike Murphy, R-Merced vs. Brian Pacheco, D-Kerman
District 31: Annalisa Perea, D-Fresno vs. Jim Polsgrove, R-Fresno
District 33: Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo, R-Tulare vs. Hipolito Angel Cerros, D-Lindsay
Board of Equalization
Two termed-out elected officials face each other for the tax board seat — state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield and Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza, D-Fresno.
District 1: Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield vs. Nelson Esparza, D-Fresno
The domino effect
The election results could create vacancies. If Karbassi wins, he would be leaving his District 2 Fresno City Council seat with two years remaining. A special election is required to fill the seat, likely to take place in the spring of 2027.
Names that could run for the District 2 seat include Matthew Gilian, who ran against Karbassi for city council in 2024 and is running Pacheco’s supervisor campaign, real estate agent David Borchardt, and Clint Olivier.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors would also call for a special election if Magsig wins his state Senate race.
Pearce, the Clovis city councilmember, and Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua publicly said they intend to run if there is a vacancy. Allen Clyde, an elected member of the Fresno County Board of Education, also plans to run.
If Mouanoutoua wins, the Clovis City Council can either appoint his replacement or call for a special election.
This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 6:30 AM with the headline "November election season opens in Fresno. Will transportation tax make it to ballot?."
