Fresno County District 1 Candidates Debate Measure C, Growth

Six candidates for Fresno County Supervisor District 1 met at a GV Wire forum Monday night at the Community Media Access Collaborative headquarters in downtown Fresno.

The candidates included Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, nonprofit executive Eric Payne, Firebaugh City Councilmember Felipe Perez, Mendota Unified trustee Lupe Flores, Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco, and West Hills Community College District Trustee Omar Hernandez.

They are seeking to replace Supervisor Brian Pacheco, who is running for state Assembly.

Forum moderator Blake Zante of The Maddy Institute asked the candidates questions on topics such as Measure C — the county’s transportation tax — support for agriculture, the future of development, and whether data centers should be located in the county.

Ballots will be sent out the week of May 4, with the first voting center opening that day at the Fresno County Elections Office in downtown Fresno. The election concludes June 2.

(Disclosure: Granville Homes contributed $4,700 to Karbassi’s city council campaign account in 2019. That contribution was later transferred to his supervisor campaign account. Darius Assemi, CEO and president of Granville Homes, is the publisher of GV Wire.)

Forum Video Timestamps

Here are the timestamps for the forum video:

00:00 — Introduction

01:36 — Candidate Introductions

12:42 — Measure C transportation tax replacement

19:03 — Support for agriculture

25:54  — Auditing Fresno County Department of Social Services

31:47 — Budget shortfall and county services

38:11 — Healthcare for residents and rural communities

44:18 — Industrial development along Highway 99

50:13 — SEDA (Southeast Development Area)

56:36 — Datacenters in Fresno County

01:01:51 — Balancing community needs

01:08:39 — Closing statements

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