- Clovis is moving its city council meeting day.
- Several city council races in Fresno County are too close to call.
- The next Fresno County election update comes Tuesday.
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After 112 years, Clovis is changing the way it does business. City business.
Last week, the Clovis City Council approved a staff recommendation to move city council meetings from Monday nights to Tuesday. The start time remains 6 p.m.
The council has met in Clovis on Mondays since 1912.
Staff said the extra day will help answer any questions a city councilmember may have on the agenda. A city-conducted poll with only 45 respondents — in a city of more than 125,000 — saw split support for Monday, Tuesday or no preference.
City Manager John Holt said viewership online of meetings is low, perhaps because of Monday Night Football.
“All of us have regular jobs as well. Mondays always tend to be a little split,” Councilmember Diane Pearce said in support of the change.
Lynne Ashbeck questioned if this was the most pressing issue. She wanted to wait until a new city manager takes over.
“Of all the priorities in the city, this is not one of them,” Ashbeck said.
The 3-2 vote means the change takes place next February. Drew Bessinger, Matt Basgall and Pearce voted in favor; Ashbeck and Vong Mouanoutoua voted against.
The council meets again tomorrow for a regular and special meeting. The special meeting will be another discussion about the future city manager. Holt intends to retire by the end of the year.
Less Than Handful of Votes Separate Council Elections
All 15 cities in Fresno County held some form of city council elections.
In Fresno, Nick Richardson leads Roger Bonakdar by 259 votes in District 6.
Some are so tight, only two votes separate the winner and second place.
For the Parlier city council, District 3 incumbent Kathy Solorio leads Claudia Vera by two votes (100 to 98), with a total turnout of 383 voters. In District 1, incumbent Sabrina Rodriguez leads Juan Montano by four votes (out of 446 cast).
In San Joaquin, incumbent Maria Covarrubia trails by three votes in a bid for re-election. Voters picked three in a five-person ballot. Rosa Ramirez would join the city council if her 56% lead holds. Incumbents Abel Lua (41%) and Julia Hernandez (33%) hold second and third. Hernandez holds the slight edge on Covarrubia.
City Council Election Roll Call
Clovis: Incumbents Lynne Ashbeck (60%) and Vong Mouanoutoua (49%) won re-election. They were the only two names on the at-large ballot.
Coalinga: Roger Schindler (District 1), James Horn (District 2) and Manny Ramirez (District 4) all won re-election. They all ran unopposed.
Firebaugh: Elsa Lopez (55%), Freddy Valdez (52%) and Brady Jenkins Jr. (35%) all won re-election. They were the only three names on the at-large ballot.
Fowler: Juan Mejia (40%), Ronald Karnig (35.3%) and Daniel Parra (34.6%) are the top-three vote getters in a seven-person at-large ballot. If the results hold, all three will win re-election. Parra leads fourth-place Patric Jones by 22 votes, out of 1,986 cast (a 47% turnout).
Huron: Rey Leon, the only name on the ballot, won re-election for mayor, which he was first elected to in 2016. Hilda Plasencia, the only name on the ballot, won re-election for city council.
Kerman: Maria Pacheco appears headed for re-election for mayor. She has 49% of the vote in a three-person race. There will be change on the city council. Berdie Hall won District 2 running unopposed. Jennifer Coleman did not run for re-election. Raj Dhaliwal won in District 4, running unopposed. Bill Nijjer did not run for re-election.
Kingsburg: Laura North (District 2) and Brandon Pursell (District 3) will serve another term on the city council. Since both ran unopposed, the races were not on the ballot.
Mendota: An incumbent is in trouble for city council. Jesse Mendoza (24%) and Jose Alonso (21%) lead in a six-person at-large election for the regular seats. If results hold, Mendoza would best incumbent Oscar Rosales (19%), currently in fourth place. Alonso is poised for re-election. In a separate special election, Joseph Rioforio (38%) has a 32-vote edge (out of 1,061 cast) in a three-person race. Rioforio was appointed to the vacant seat and looks to keep it.
Orange Cove: Two incumbents appear in trouble in Orange Cove. In the pick-two at-large city council election Cassy Ortiz (34%) and Jacob Del Bosque (29%) have steady leads in a five-person field. Incumbents Maria Vacio (12%) and Josie Cervantes (10%) are fourth and fifth.
Reedley: Incumbent Matthew Tuttle will continue to represent District 1. He was the only name on the ballot. In District 3, Mike Crutchfield will join the city council. Suzanne Byers did not run for re-election, and Crutchfield ran unopposed. Christopher Wilson is likely to join as a newcomer. He leads the race in District 5 with 57% over Christopher Arriaga. Anita Betancourt did not stand for re-election.
Sanger: Frank Gonzalez appears headed for mayoral re-lection. He leads Reyna Medrano with 63% of the vote. Esmeralda Hurtado ran unopposed in District 1. Daniel Martinez, with 79% of the vote, appears to secure re-election in District 3.
Selma: Scott Robertson holds a slight lead in his re-election bid for mayor, 46% to 43% over second-place Louis Franco in a three-person race. In District 1, Jim Avalos leads incumbent Blanca Mendoza-Navarro, 55% to 45%. In District 4, Santiago Oceguera leads Jovita Camacho, 66% to 34%. Beverly Cho opted not to run for re-election. Camacho faces two felony counts, accused of lying about her residence when she filed to run.
The next update will be by 5 p.m. Tuesday.