Jose Leon Barraza and Brandon Vang have similar stories, emanating from opposite sides of the world.

Both immigrated to America, seeking a better life. Both came to the country speaking no English, but learned, believed in education and succeeded. Both want to be the next city councilmember representing southeast Fresno.

Leon Barraza, Vang, and Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas are the three top contenders in a special election to fill the vacant District 5 seat.

Luis Chavez — Jonasson Rosas’ husband — resigned last month when he was elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. The city will spend $200,000 on the March 18 special election.

If a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the election is over. If not, the top two will meet in a runoff set by the council.

GV Wire interviewed Leon Barraza and Vang separately. Jonasson Rosas declined a one-on-one interview.

Leon Barraza, Vang, and Jonasson Rosas have agreed to participate in a forum hosted by GV Wire on Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. The event will be carried live on CMAC, GV Wire’s social media pages, and archived afterward for viewing anytime.

Two of the candidates hold publicly elected positions with overlapping constituencies.

Jonasson Rosas is a three-term Fresno Unified School District trustee, having just won re-election in November. She is also deputy general manager for external affairs with the Westlands Water District, a public agency.

Vang is a three-term Sanger Unified School District trustee, winning an uncontested race last November.

The school district trustee areas overlap with parts of District 5.

From Mexico to Fresno Economic Expert

Born in Mexicali, Mexico in 1950, Leon Barraza came to Fresno when he was 16.

“One of my first jobs I did in the USA was picking chilies on the west side of Fresno County. And that was a pretty good experience because it showed me the very difficult and challenging work performed by farmworkers and farmers,” Leon Barraza said.

Leon Barraza attended a high school for foreign students, where he learned English. He moved on to Fresno City College and earned a business degree and later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Fresno State. He became a citizen along the way.

In the 1970s, he started a 34-year career with Fresno County, beginning in the personnel department. He retired in 2009 as director of economic development.

After his public work, Leon Barraza founded the Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association, where he remains today. The Fresno Economic Development Corp., Fresno City College, and fundraising support the association’s budget.

He has run for city council three times before — in 2010, 2016, and 2018. Each time, he did not advance past the primary.

Leon Barraza said his accomplishments, such as the soon-to-be constructed $9 million sports complex in southeast Fresno, should win over voters this time.

“Look at the story of our struggle, fighting to get the attention of City Hall to invest in a community,” Leon Barraza said.

Since 2021, Leon Barraza has served on the city’s parks board, which helps distribute Measure P parks and cultural arts sales tax funds to nonprofit groups.

He cites better parks and helping small businesses through the economic development association as accomplishments that voters appreciate.

Leon Barraza and his wife, Elsa, have three adult children and four grandchildren.

An Escape from War-Torn Laos

Vang, whose given first name is Ge, believes he was born on April 8, 1972, but does not know for sure.

“My real date of birth is unknown. My mom tells me that I was born in the spring during the planting season,” Vang, 52, said.

But he recently celebrated a second birthday of sorts. Leaving Laos in the aftermath of the Vietnam Secret War, Vang and his family set foot in America, landing at LAX on Jan. 28, 1979.

“My parents went to hide in the jungles to escape communist Laos. And I remember one of the so-called freedom fighters. After that, they carried him past me in our small village, and I remember the blood and the torn clothing on his body. I was no more than 4 or 5 years old,” Vang said.

Growing up in Southern California, Vang didn’t speak English but quickly learned. He moved with his family to Fresno as a teenager and graduated from McLane High School.

He became a citizen in 1990.

“This is my American dream. And I believe that a lot of people in District 5 can relate to my struggles, and they can also relate to my values and they can relate to the vision that I had,” Vang said.

Vang graduated from UCLA, got married, and started raising a family. They moved back to Fresno, where Vang worked for 10 years as a probation officer.

He left work to become a full-time dad. Four of his five children are now adults. In 2016, he won a seat on the Sanger Unified School Board. He won re-election in 2020 and 2024 without opposition.

Vang also ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for city council, losing to Chavez.

“The difference between now and three years ago is that we have opened the second high school here in southeast Fresno, Sanger West High School. And we will open another junior high here in southeast Fresno,” Vang said. “I have invested in that community for the last eight years.”

Opponents Critical of Jonasson Rosas

Leon Barraza said he is disappointed in Jonasson Rosas’s record as a school board trustee.

“Jonasson said when she ran six years ago that she was going to improve conditions. Well, guess what? I mean, I’m talking about the scores. And actually, I don’t see a real change in their results,” Leon Barraza said.

He also called her an opportunist, running for the council weeks after being sworn in for a third school board term.

“I don’t think Mrs. Jonasson has been honest with the public, with the voters,” Leon Barraza said. He accused her of seeking endorsements for city council while running for the school board.

Vang also criticized Jonasson Rosas, saying she “jumped ship” by campaigning for a new election so fast.

“It goes to character, not only as a trustee, but it goes to the character of how you are and who you are,” Vang said.

Leon Barraza’s Top Priority: Economic Development

Economic development and land use are Leon Barraza’s top priorities.

“It means the attraction, retention, and expansion of businesses in the area that would generate more jobs, more employment in the area,” he said.

The city is not investing enough in southeast Fresno, something Leon Barraza wants to change. He said there have been several studies and plans, but nothing implemented.

“I believe that that the councilmember for the area (Chavez) was too busy running for office and that was his priority, not necessarily to approve those documents that were very important, that were more urgent,” Leon Barraza said.

There are several abandoned buildings and lots, including the empty IRS building on Butler Avenue, in District 5.

“There’s a proposal to build houses there … there’s a lot of other vacant land, other places. And I think that we have to be mindful of the neighbors in terms of the value of their homes and all that. I would propose a vocational training center,” Leon Barraza said.

Leon Barraza also is concerned about break-ins at businesses along the Cesar Chavez Boulevard corridor. He wants faster police response times.

“Public safety, in my book, is a very essential component,” Leon Barraza said.

Leon Barraza said he would protect public safety from potential budget cuts. If necessary, cuts would come from a hiring freeze in other departments. He would also look at cutting nonessential services — “the bureaucracy, the departments that are not in the business of serving the public but are part of the machinery of city government.”

However, he says services for immigrants are essential.

Leon Barraza wants the city to provide increased incentives for homebuilders in southeast Fresno in the form of tax credits.

While supporting the recent name change of Ventura and California to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, Leon Barraza said the city needs to support those businesses more.

“They promised them a lot of money and now they’ve only given $250. They should have given a lot more for the expenses associated with (the name change),” Leon Barraza said. He said the businesses should receive at least $2,000.

Vang’s Vision: Public Safety and Growth

Vang said public safety and growth are the top priorities of his campaign.

He wants to streamline the application process for “small mom-and-pop businesses.”

“You try to help them as much as possible by frequenting their establishment. And again, being out there as a councilmember beyond just being in the office, on the weekend, be visible, and let them know that you support their American Dream,” Vang said.

He wants to offer incentives for businesses to come and stay but did not provide details. Southeast Fresno is growing, Vang said, with several transportation options to link businesses to customers.

“Developers will continue to build homes because the great school districts like Sanger Unified would attract young families like it did attract me,” Vang said.

He supports public safety — especially as a way to help commerce — and would like to see more police officers.

“I’m glad that we are at 900. But if the population continues to grow … then, the number (of officers) needs to be as well,” Vang said.

The only thing Vang said he would guarantee was protecting the public safety budget in the event of a recession.

School Success

As a trustee since 2016, Vang hangs his hat on the success of Sanger Unified. The district has a 96% graduation rate, compared to 86% for Fresno Unified, according to the California Department of Education Dashboard.

“That’s a huge number. And so for the last eight years, I have prioritized students first. I have prioritized making sure that every student in our school district has the necessary resources they need,” Vang said.

Sanger Unified also rates better than Fresno Unified in English and math test scores. Vang still wants more improvement.

“I will never be satisfied, but I will try to improve and to make sure that every child, every student in our school district has the best resources they can get to meet those criteria,” Vang said.

Finances

Based on her fundraising, Jonasson Rosas is the establishment favorite, with contributions from unions, business groups, and other special interests.

She has at least $63,00 raised so far — the largest from a single contributor is a political action committee for the police union ($10,900). She’s also received support from the construction industry, the Fresno Chamber PAC, and possible-future colleague Tyler Maxwell.

Mayor Jerry Dyer has endorsed Jonasson Rosas.

Vang reported raising $47,200 — all from individual contributors.

“The people who contribute to my campaign are the average person, the average people in this district, so I can be independent on the dais,” Vang said.

He doesn’t accept that Jonasson is the front-runner because of her fundraising and endorsements.

“I believe I am the leading candidate right now because my name recognition is still out there and I’m going to be focused on my strengths,” Vang said.

Leon Barraza filed paperwork, indicating his campaign will raise less than $2,000.

A fourth candidate in the race, Paul Condon, qualified and will be on the ballot. He filed paperwork stating he plans to raise less than $2,000.