Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Latest Count Shows Challenger on Brink of Unseating Local College Trustee
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 2 years ago on
November 19, 2022

Share

A community college district trustee saw his race tighten after election officials in Fresno and Madera counties reported the latest updated totals on Friday, while a Fresno school board trustee gained a bit of breathing room in her race.

As of Friday’s vote update, State Center Community College District incumbent Bobby Kahn has a lead of just 34 votes, with several thousand ballots yet to be counted in Fresno County and several hundred in Madera County.

Challenger Destiny Rodriguez, a businessewoman and consultant to the California Air Resources Board, could overtake Kahn in the next vote updates that will come next week from Madera County and Dec. 2 from Fresno County. While Kahn has outpolled Rodriguez in Madera County, the challenger has been the top vote-getter in Fresno County, closing in on the incumbent with each new report.

The third candidate is Alfredo Miranda, a Fresno County eligibility worker, who is far behind the top two.

Kahn, the Area 1 trustee, has 41.6%, Rodriguez has 41.5%, and Miranda has 16.5% of the ballots cast in the two counties.

Before this year’s redistricting of State Center, Area 1 included all of the Madera County portion of the district and a large portion of northern Fresno County. It now contains portions of northwestern Fresno County and the western portion of Madera County. Area 7, represented by Trustee Richard Caglia, contains the remainder of Madera County in addition to northeastern Fresno County. Caglia will be up for reelection, should he choose to run, in 2024.

Rodriguez, who is making her first run for public office, said she is thrilled that she’s continuing to gain in the vote count. “I’m just hopeful at this point that it will continue to go in my favor,” she said Friday afternoon.

As to whether she would consider seeking a recount if Kahn maintains his lead, Rodriguez said she hadn’t considered it to this point but said it’s possible she would.

Asked whether he would seek a recount if Rodriguez overtakes him in the final count, Kahn said in a text to GV Wire that he doesn’t “anticipate asking for a recount.”

Lead Grows in Fresno Unified Race

Meanwhile, Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas continued to widen her lead over challengers Karen Steed, a retired teacher, and chemist Michelle Scire. Islas, who is seeking election to her second term on the School Board, was leading by only 25 votes on Election Night, but her lead has gradually expanded and on Friday it stood at 325 votes.

Islas has 44.9%, Steed has 39.7%, and Scire has 15.2% of the ballots cast in the McLane Area 4 race.

The Fresno County Elections Office said 2,000 ballots remain to be processed, which means the office cleared about 19,000 since Tuesday’s update. Fresno County has scheduled two more updates for Dec. 2 and Dec. 8.

Madera County will provide another update on Nov. 23. The county reported that 200 ballots remain to be processed.

Dec. 8 is the deadline to certify the Nov. 8 elections.

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

Fresno County Crew Rescues Man Who Fell Into Ponding Basin Near Coalinga

DON'T MISS

Where Valley Lawmakers Stand on Punishing Seekers of Teens for Sex

DON'T MISS

Arias Criticizes Smittcamp Over Lack of Drug, Homeless Arrests

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison

DON'T MISS

California Democrats Reject Push for Harsher Penalties for Soliciting Sex From Older Teens

DON'T MISS

Trump Turns to US Supreme Court in Bid to Strip Protected Status From Venezuelan Migrants

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s Audra McDonald Earns 11th Tony Nomination, Eyes Record Seventh Win for ‘Gypsy’

DON'T MISS

US Imposes Sanctions on Mexican Fuel Theft Network It Links to CJNG Cartel

DON'T MISS

Last Chevron-Chartered Vessel Starts to Return Oil Cargo in Venezuela, Data and Source Say

DON'T MISS

At Least 9 Dead in Drone Strikes After US and Ukraine Sign Minerals Deal

UP NEXT

Arias Criticizes Smittcamp Over Lack of Drug, Homeless Arrests

UP NEXT

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison

UP NEXT

Fresno Authorities Work Together to Safely Rescue Individual from Overpass

UP NEXT

Why Is Misty Her Getting a Big Pay Bump as Fresno Unified’s New Superintendent?

UP NEXT

Kings County Authorities Seek Help Identifying Woman Found Dead Near Corcoran

UP NEXT

Smoke Shop Owners Vow Lawsuit After Fresno Passes Regulations

UP NEXT

Fresno County to Honor Fallen Officers at Annual Memorial Ceremony

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day Sought for Lewd Acts with a Child

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Board May Vote to Hand More Control to Superintendent

UP NEXT

How are Fresno County, Valley Prosecutors Using Prop 36 in Drug and Theft Cases?

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison

2 hours ago

California Democrats Reject Push for Harsher Penalties for Soliciting Sex From Older Teens

3 hours ago

Trump Turns to US Supreme Court in Bid to Strip Protected Status From Venezuelan Migrants

3 hours ago

Fresno’s Audra McDonald Earns 11th Tony Nomination, Eyes Record Seventh Win for ‘Gypsy’

3 hours ago

US Imposes Sanctions on Mexican Fuel Theft Network It Links to CJNG Cartel

4 hours ago

Last Chevron-Chartered Vessel Starts to Return Oil Cargo in Venezuela, Data and Source Say

4 hours ago

At Least 9 Dead in Drone Strikes After US and Ukraine Sign Minerals Deal

4 hours ago

New CIA Videos Aim to Lure Chinese Officials

4 hours ago

Trump Taps Waltz for US Ambassador to the United Nations

5 hours ago

Fresno Authorities Work Together to Safely Rescue Individual from Overpass

5 hours ago

Fresno County Crew Rescues Man Who Fell Into Ponding Basin Near Coalinga

Emergency crews rescued a man early Thursday after he fell into a ponding basin near Highway 33 and Gale Avenue, just north of Coalinga, Cal...

12 minutes ago

A man was rescued early Thursday, May 1, 2025, after falling 60 feet into a ponding basin near Coalinga and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. (CAL FIRE)
12 minutes ago

Fresno County Crew Rescues Man Who Fell Into Ponding Basin Near Coalinga

13 minutes ago

Where Valley Lawmakers Stand on Punishing Seekers of Teens for Sex

54 minutes ago

Arias Criticizes Smittcamp Over Lack of Drug, Homeless Arrests

Justin Mills, 36, of Pixley, was convicted on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, of six felony counts of child molestation and faces up to 16 years in prison. (Tulare County DA)
2 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison

3 hours ago

California Democrats Reject Push for Harsher Penalties for Soliciting Sex From Older Teens

An aerial view shows Diover Millan of Venezuela, top left, and other detainees at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility, the facility where Venezuelans at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling are held, in Anson, Texas, U.S., April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo)
3 hours ago

Trump Turns to US Supreme Court in Bid to Strip Protected Status From Venezuelan Migrants

Fresno’s Audra McDonald, already the most decorated performer in Tony history, is nominated for a record-breaking seventh award for her role in the “Gypsy” revival. (Shutterstock)
3 hours ago

Fresno’s Audra McDonald Earns 11th Tony Nomination, Eyes Record Seventh Win for ‘Gypsy’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends a cabinet meeting held by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)
4 hours ago

US Imposes Sanctions on Mexican Fuel Theft Network It Links to CJNG Cartel

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

Search

Send this to a friend