Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

2 days ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

2 days ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

2 days ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

2 days ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

3 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

3 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

4 days ago
De La Cerda Points to Progress. Islas Says She Knows Student Needs.
By Myles Barker
Published 7 years ago on
October 9, 2018

Share

The campaign for Fresno Unified’s trustee seat representing the McLane High School area appears to be a classic matchup.
Incumbent Christopher De La Cerda has served six years on the board: two as the appointed replacement for a trustee who resigned and four more after winning a full term without an opponent.
He comes into the Nov. 6 election with the backing of several Fresno City Council members and fellow board members Lindsay Cal Johnson and Valerie Davis.
Now he’s being challenged by Veva Islas, who as program director of Cultiva La Salud, a public health initiative in the Valley, has her ear to the ground on challenges facing impoverished families. She, too, has received an influential union endorsement — that of the Fresno Teachers Association.
Interviews with the candidates suggest that improving educational equity and college and career readiness are among the top issues.

Area 4 Profiles

Christopher De La Cerda

Christopher De La Cerda was born and raised in Fresno with his nine siblings.
He graduated from Bullard High School, Fresno City College, and Fresno State.
Before being appointed to the school board in 2012 as a replacement for Tony Vang, a Fresno State professor who was mired in a controversy about his residency, De La Cerda was a special education teacher in Fresno Unified. He resigned after 34 years to focus his attention on his role as a trustee.

“The equity factor in our district is really what drives me because once we address the equity issue and reach that equitability factor where it is distributed across the district, then kids will be able to learn across the board.” — Christopher De La Cerda, Area 4 incumbent
De La Cerda says he has accomplished a lot during his time on the board.
He has been involved in expanding the district’s dual immersion program to include Hmong, getting a student-run Union Bank branch on McLane’s campus as part of the school’s financial pathway curriculum, and increasing Career Technical Education programs. 
De La Cerda has received endorsements from many political figures and organizations, including the Service Employees International Union, and Fresno City Councilmembers Esmeralda Soria, Luis Chavez, and Paul Caprioglio.
The primary reason he says he is running for re-election is to continue to improve Fresno Unified and help students reach their educational and career goals.
“The equity factor in our district is really what drives me because once we address the equity issue and reach that equitability factor where it is distributed across the district, then kids will be able to learn across the board,” De La Cerda said.
In addition to emphasizing increased safety for students and teachers, better graduation and college-going rates, and reduced pupils-per-teacher ratios, De La Cerda said he wants to establish more health clinics on campuses.
In early 2017,  Fresno Unified announced plans to open six new school-based health centers. The first one was built at Gaston Middle School and a second is opening at Addams Elementary School. 
“Education for us in Fresno is changing,” De La Cerda said. “It is no longer just trying to get students in a classroom and out of the classroom. It is making sure that we are addressing health issues, physical needs, and their social-emotional needs.”

Veva Islas

Islas was born and raised primarily in Fresno to farmworker parents.
Among her three siblings, Islas is the first to graduate from college and holds degrees from Fresno State and Loma Linda University.

“I think there are many families similar to my immigrant family that live in the McLane Region, and they are depending on somebody in that position who understands their challenges.” — Veva Islas, candidate for Area 4 trustee
Even though she was defeated in her race for a seat on the Fresno City Council earlier this year, Islas said her motivation to serve residents didn’t end.
“I decided this could be a place where I could use my voice and my vote to help make a difference in my community,” Islas said of her decision to run for the school board.
She also has endorsements from the Central Labor Council, the National Women’s Political Caucus, and Carpenters Local 701.
Islas said she would make an exceptional trustee because of her ability to relate to families in the McLane area.
“I think there are many families similar to my immigrant family that live in the McLane Region, and they are depending on somebody in that position who understands their challenges,” said Islas, who learned English as a second language.
After talking with area parents, Islas said the main issues they are concerned about are better special education services, ensuring that all students who graduate high school are college and career ready, and school bullying.
Islas said that parents are especially upset with transportation for special-needs students. District buses are inconsistent and regularly late in the mornings, which causes parents to have to take their children to school.
“It affects parents because they aren’t able to get to work on time,” Islas said.
In regard to school bullying, Islas said she plans to better inform parents about resources that are available to their children. She wants to create a system where parents can submit complaints and see issues more quickly resolved.
Islas said she is also eager to improve the percentage of college- and career-ready graduates.
“All of our efforts should really be about making sure that by the time our students get to graduation that they are going to be able to make that transition to higher education with ease or pursue employment opportunities and be successful,” she said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

DON'T MISS

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

DON'T MISS

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

DON'T MISS

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

DON'T MISS

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

DON'T MISS

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

DON'T MISS

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

DON'T MISS

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

DON'T MISS

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

UP NEXT

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

UP NEXT

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

UP NEXT

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

UP NEXT

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

UP NEXT

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

UP NEXT

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

UP NEXT

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

1 day ago

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

1 day ago

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

1 day ago

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

1 day ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

1 day ago

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

2 days ago

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

2 days ago

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

2 days ago

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

2 days ago

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

2 days ago

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

A 20-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after leading officers on a pursuit into Tulare County, authorities said. Just after 1...

11 hours ago

Visalia police arrested a 20-year-old man with multiple felony warrants early Saturday after he fled a DUI traffic stop, leading officers on a pursuit into Tulare County that ended with spike strips and a CHP PIT maneuver. (Visalia PD)
11 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020. (Reuters File)
11 hours ago

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. (Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
11 hours ago

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

The entire board of Highlands Community Charter in Sacramento stepped down after a state audit found the school improperly received over $180 million and engaged in questionable spending. (Shutter
1 day ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. (Reuters File)
1 day ago

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a ward for Palestinian patients at El Arish Hospital, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, in Arish, Egypt April 8, 2025. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
1 day ago

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

U.S. President Donald Trump golfs at Trump Turnberry resort in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 26, 2025. (Reuters/Phil Noble)
1 day ago

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

Noah Robinson, 38, was arrested after allegedly robbing a Visalia Long John Silver’s at knifepoint and attempting to flee through nearby backyards with $110 in stolen cash on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Visalia PD)
1 day ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend