It was a party atmosphere Wednesday evening as three incumbent Fresno Unified trustees were sworn into office by relatives and friends.

But Roosevelt region Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas might be taking another oath of office just a few months from now. Jonasson Rosas, who handily won election to her third term in the November election, has declared her candidacy for the Fresno City Council special election in March.

The winner will replace Luis Chavez, who was elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in the November election and is vacating his council seat. Jonasson Rosas is hoping to replace her husband, a former Fresno Unified trustee, on the council.

If she wins the March election outright or is the winner of a runoff later, the district will have to hold a special election later for the Roosevelt region to select her successor.

Jonasson Rosas, a top administrator at Westlands Water District, had told GV Wire earlier she had no plans to run for the council if Chavez won. She was sworn in by her mother, Martha Rosas, as her foster son Pedro Pablo stood nearby.

Roses for Mom

Hoover region Trustee Claudia Cazares was celebrating after eking out victory by only 93 votes in the final days of the vote-counting. She was sworn in by her husband Jesus; their son presented her with a bouquet of red roses afterward.

Although he faced opposition from two challengers, Fresno High region Trustee Andy Levine had relatively cruised to victory in his run for his first full term.

The conference room at the district Nutrition Center on Brawley Avenue, where trustees have been meeting since the start of the school year while their downtown board room is under renovation, was filled with Levine’s supporters, including his mom Trudy Thom, who had sworn him into office two years. Also on hand were some notable members of the city’s Latino community, including Sandra Celedon of Building Healthy Communities and Veronica Garibay, co-director of the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability.

But it was a little Latina who stole the show during his swearing-in. First grader Panchita Espinosa, with a little bit of help from her mom, Felicia, read the oath of office as Levine echoed her.

Later Panchita and her younger sister enjoyed vanilla cake at a mini-reception that followed the swearing in. Had she practiced ahead of time? “Oh yes!” she said with a big frosting-tinged smile.