Rizpah Bellard Launches Fresno Unified Campaign Backed by Teachers Union

Rizpah Bellard the future of Fresno politics?

The Cornell-educated rancher and educator introduced her campaign for the Fresno Unified School Board on Thursday in front of Kirk Elementary School in southwest Fresno. She is backed by the teachers union, two councilmembers, and one of Fresno’s best orators.

Bellard spoke with passion and offered specific goals — improving early childhood reading. She said only 48% of students can read at a first-grade level.

“That means that more than half of the children in the district are starting their school career behind. I see families who feel unheard, parents who showed up, spoke up, and left those meetings feeling like their voices did not matter until they became so defeated that they disengaged entirely,” Bellard said.

Goal: Every Child Reads by Age 5

Her goal is to have every child read by the age of five.

Bellard grew up in Guinda in Yolo County in a ranching family. Her father and other family members grew up in Fresno. She moved to town in 2021, where she continued ranching and also worked as a substitute teacher. Bellard also operates an educational program introducing FUSD students to agriculture.

She subscribes to the “it takes a village” philosophy.

“A coach, a player, a pastor, a grandmother, a shop owner, all understand that we have a role. We all have a role in the success of every child on their street, not just their own,” Bellard said.

The election is Nov. 3.

Union Supports Bellard

The Fresno Teachers Association is backing Bellard.

“We have budgets that are prioritizing things that are outside the classroom, like our consultants. We need somebody like Rizpah who is going to be a coalition builder, a community builder, a leader who not just talks about it, but is actually about it,” FTA President Manuel Bonilla said at the news conference.

Bellard said FUSD faces a $77 million budget shortfall. She did not have an exact plan for what to cut and what to save.

“I haven’t been privy to a deep dive into the budget, but I have spoken with other board members from other areas. And the question is very hard,” Bellard said. “That is something that I myself have been trying to figure out — how to have the least impact on students but benefit, you know, the school district altogether.”

Bellard is running for the District 1 seat covering southwest Fresno. Keshia Thomas currently represents the seat and is running for Fresno City Council in the June 2 primary. Others who have filed fundraising paperwork include Deshunna Ricks, Daren Miller, and Ingram Tate.

She opposed board members giving themselves raises.

“They should’ve done a better job of looking at that and saying maybe not this year, maybe next year when we do better. But I think just because the money was available, I don’t think they should’ve taken it,” Bellard said.

Regarding Superintendent Misty Her, Bellard would rate her 8 out of 10.

Criner Praises Bellard’s Advocacy for Children

Pastor DJ Criner, who is also a Fresno planning commissioner, praised Bellard.

“Standing behind Rizpah is standing behind, in my opinion, the voice of the Lord. Because the voice of the Lord tells us to speak for those that don’t have a voice. And I need somebody that’s advocating for my kids,” Criner said.

Maybe it was Criner’s words, but Bellard had to dry her eyes.

Fresno City Councilmembers Tyler Maxwell and Nelson Esparza also spoke on Bellard’s behalf, as did city council candidate Nav Gurm.

Why is FTA Getting Involved in City Council Races?

On another front, FTA is getting involved in Fresno City Council races.

“What happens in the classroom impacts our city,” Bonilla told GV Wire.

The Fresno Teachers Association PAC for Education contributed $5,000 each to Rob Fuentes in District 1, Joaquin Arambula in District 3, and $2,500 to both Nav Gurm and Ariana Martinez Lott in District 7.

FTA’s support of Arambula is notable because FUSD Trustee Keshia Thomas is also running in District 3. Arambula is a state assemblymember.

“Joaquin has shown the type of leadership in his current position in the Assembly — to be a voice and to take action to meet the needs of the community. And frankly, Keshia has done the opposite regarding our community. She was invited to take part in our process, an endorsement process. She chose not to. She’s potentially cost our students millions of dollars from a potential lawsuit settlement or trial. That type of leadership is not what we need at the city council level,” Bonilla said.

Former Bullard High School football coach Don Arax sued Thomas and FUSD for defamation. In 2022, Thomas alleged that Arax called her son the “N-word” during a football camp. The case remains active in Fresno County Superior Court. FUSD is covering Thomas’ legal fees.

Thomas declined comment.

City Scores Another Victory Suing Trump

A federal judge denied the Trump administration’s attempt to toss a lawsuit filed by the city of Fresno and several other jurisdictions. Judge Richard Seeborg of the San Francisco-based Northern District of California denied the federal government’s attempt to dismiss or transfer the lawsuit.

Fresno sued last year, charging that President Donald Trump’s executive orders adding stipulations — such as not promoting DEI, gender ideology, and elective abortions — to receive federal grants were illegal. Several other local jurisdiction joined Fresno in the lawsuit.

“Having lost in attacking the merits of Plaintiffs’ claims in their opposition to the initial motion for preliminary injunction, Defendants largely focus their arguments now on other issues: claim-splitting, venue, and justiciability. As set forth below, these attacks fail,” Seeborg wrote in a 20-page ruling issued April 28.

In a court filing, the federal government said subsequent lawsuits filed by other local agencies overlap with the issues mentioned in Fresno’s lawsuit. That should allow a transfer where a similar suit was first filed — the Western District of Washington — the federal government argued. It also laid out several legal claims for dismissal, such as lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Seeborg previously granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds. He extended the injunction to allow the city to file an amended lawsuit. Several other governments, such as the city of Atlanta, have since joined the lawsuit.

Environmental Groups Try Again in Court

After a Fresno County Superior Court judge essentially tossed a lawsuit to prevent a Highway 99 project, environmental activists are trying again.

Friends of Calwa and Fresno Building Healthy Communities filed an amended federal lawsuit last week. Initially filed in 2023, the new version removes any claims under the state’s California Environmental Quality Act — known as CEQA and often used by environmental groups to halt projects or force project changes.

The groups are seeking to block Caltrans’ plans to expand the Highway 99 interchanges at American Avenue and North Avenue in south Fresno from half-interchanges to full interchanges. The $146 million project is scheduled to begin in September 2027 and to be completed by March 2031. The project would permanently close the Cedar Avenue/Highway 99 interchange.

Earlier this month, Judge Geoffrey Wilson ruled that the plaintiffs missed a deadline to make CEQA claims and also criticized the move to file parallel state and federal lawsuits. The status of the lawsuit filed in state court remains in limbo.

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