Fresno Unified trustee Valerie Davis’ lead narrowed to 77 votes Thursday, while incumbent Genoveva “Veva” Islas moved into second place behind challenger Karen Steed in updated school board election results.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias maintained a sizable advantage in the five-candidate race for the Edison High region seat. All three contests remained unsettled as ballot counting continued.

The latest returns kept the same three candidates in front as in GV Wire’s earlier election coverage, but tightened the Sunnyside High region contest and changed the order of Steed’s closest competitors.

Davis Holds Slim Advantage Over Talford

Davis led the Area 3 race with 2,888 votes, or 50.32%, to Talford’s 2,811 votes, or 48.98%. Write-in votes accounted for the remaining 40 votes.

Her advantage narrowed to 1.34 percentage points, down from the 1.99-point margin reported Wednesday morning, when she led 50.63% to 48.64%.

Davis, a 22-year trustee, faces a challenge from Talford, a supervising juvenile correctional officer for Fresno County Probation and president of SEIU 521 Fresno County. The Fresno Teachers Association and SEIU backed his campaign.

As GV Wire reported Wednesday, Talford campaigned on listening to teachers and cutting administrative positions before classroom funding, while Davis emphasized her experience.

Islas Moves Ahead of Garcia

In the Area 4 race representing the McLane High region, Steed remained first with 1,952 votes, or 38.74%.

Islas had 1,565 votes, or 31.06%, moving ahead of Mirna Garcia, who had 1,497 votes, or 29.71%. Another 25 votes went to write-in candidates.

Steed led Islas by 387 votes. Islas, who was third in Wednesday morning’s results, held a 68-vote advantage over Garcia.

Steed, a former teacher who finished second to Islas in 2022, campaigned on board transparency and improved campus security. Islas, first elected in 2018, highlighted career technical education and improvements at McLane High School.

Arias Maintains Wide Lead

Arias led the Area 1 race with 1,640 votes, or 40.26%, putting him 886 votes ahead of retired educator Daren Miller.

Miller had 754 votes, or 18.51%, followed by Michelle Escobar Longoria with 626 votes, or 15.37%; Rizpah Bellard with 592 votes, or 14.53%; and Deshunna Monay Ricks with 455 votes, or 11.17%. Write-in candidates received seven votes.

The candidates are seeking to succeed Keshia Thomas in the Edison High region. Arias, a former Fresno Unified chief information officer, campaigned on raising student achievement, reducing district leadership positions, and prioritizing classroom funding and student support.

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