Six candidates for governor will appear in Fresno for a debate Wednesday at Fresno State. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is the fundraising leader among those half-dozen.

Mahan, D-San Jose, has raised $11.5 million according to the California Secretary of State Power Search campaign finance website. His run has been financed by several executives in the high-tech industry — the staple of San Jose and Silicon Valley.

A San Francisco Chronicle analysis found 30 billionaires have contributed to the gubernatorial race, with 25 giving to Mahan.

The two Republicans leading the polls — former TV news commentator Steve Hilton, R-Atherton, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, R-Woodcrest — rank second and fourth, respectively.

The overall fundraising leader is billionaire businessman Tom Steyer at $101 million. He is a constant presence in TV commercials throughout the state. Steyer, D-San Francisco, has funded almost all of his campaign — save for about $160,000. Steyer will not appear at the debate, opting for an event in the Tijuana River Valley instead.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Livermore, will also skip Fresno. Debate organizers cited a scheduling conflict.

Former Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, raised $5.9 million. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa raised $3.6 million, and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra raised $2.9 million.

Porter has a town hall scheduled in Hanford Tuesday evening. The event starts at 5 p.m. at the Kings County Democratic Party office at 621 N. Irwin Street in Hanford. Organizers are asking attendees to register here.

Debate Last Week Canceled

The candidates will meet for the first time since March 24, when a USC-hosted debate was canceled because of complaints that not enough racial minority candidates were invited. Based on polling and fundraising criteria established by the school, Villaraigosa, Becerra, Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee were left out. The latter two have not broken $1 million combined in fundraising.

The four candidates bitterly complained and were joined by other legislative leaders who threatened a boycott.

Even though Democrats have a 45%-25% voter registration advantage statewide, the crowded Democratic field could knock all of them out. The top two vote earners, regardless of party, advance to the Nov. 3 primary. A recent poll commissioned by the state Democratic Party found Hilton leading with 16%, followed by Bianco with 14%. No Democrat broke 10%.

Wednesday’s debate is hosted by the Western Growers Association and several other agricultural groups. Former Assemblymember Kristin Olsen-Cate and Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes will moderate the event, with a focus on affordability and agriculture.

The event starts at noon at the Resnick Student Union on the Fresno State campus. The public is invited but must register.

The debate will be streamed live on YouTube at this link and on GVWire.com.

Fresno Water Contamination Lawsuit Still in Play

A class-action lawsuit by several northeast Fresno homeowners over the city’s water quality is still in play.

Initially filed in 2016 in Fresno County Superior Court, several residents claimed the water corroded their pipes, causing contaminated and discolored water.

Judge Rosemary McGuire granted summary judgment in 2022 — preliminarily awarding the case in the city of Fresno’s favor based on the facts. The homeowners appealed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. On Feb. 13, a 65-page opinion written by Justice Thomas DeSantos and concurred by Rosendo Pena Jr. and Jennifer Detjen reversed the summary judgment and allowed the plaintiffs to file an amended lawsuit.

Now the city will appeal to the state Supreme Court. In a 7-0 vote in closed session on March 26, the city council instructed City Attorney Andrew Janz to file a petition for review.

Stuart Chandler, one of the attorneys for the homeowners, could not provide an estimate of damages because the case is ongoing.

The court case is Karen Miceli v. City of Fresno.

Candidate Denied Spot on 20th Congressional District Ballot

The Congressional District 20 race will feature four candidates: incumbent Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield; Stallion Springs CSD Board Member Ben Dewell, NPP-Stallion Springs; land surveyor Jeremy Fox, NPP-Visalia; and disability advocate Sandra Van Scotter, D-Ridgecrest.

Kristina Roper will not appear on the ballot. The Fresno State anthropology professor and Three Rivers Democrat failed to gather enough signatures. Roper sued several election officials in Sacramento County Superior Court. Judge Jennifer Rockwell denied her petition on March 26, the day that candidate names on the ballot were certified.

In her lawsuit filed March 16 against Secretary of State Shirley Weber and election clerks in Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties, Roper claimed election officials in Tulare County gave her incorrect information, leading to her mistake.

In her lawsuit, Roper said she visited the Tulare County registrar’s office on Feb. 2. The date was too early for the regular signature-gathering process but in time for the Feb. 4 deadline to collect signatures in lieu of paying a filing fee. She claimed election staffers told her she could collect signatures on the in-lieu form and that they would count toward the regular signature requirement of 40. Each signature in lieu would reduce the filing fee of $1,740.

When Roper returned 100 signatures at noon on March 6 — the last day to file — she claimed Tulare County officials refused to accept the document because it was for the signatures-in-lieu process with a Feb. 4 deadline. That gave Roper just enough time to try again. She returned with 49 signatures from voters in Tulare and Kings counties. Again, her document was rejected because some of the 41 Tulare County signatures were not valid, and the Kings County signatures were not accepted.