Andreas Borgeas is officially running for California State Senate.
The Fresno County Supervisor on Wednesday announced that he is pursuing the 8th Senate District seat currently held by Tom Berryhill.
“Right Values, Right Direction” is Borgeas’ campaign theme.
Berryhill, a Republican, is termed out in January 2019. Borgeas is a Republican. The 8th District has an 8% Republican registration advantage.
“Count on me to fight against tax hikes, protect Proposition 13 and work to repeal the unfair $52 billion gas tax,” Borgeas said. “I am ready to solve California’s chronic water problems and lead efforts to provide reliable water for our farms and families.”
Borgeas said he supports K-12 education reforms, increased vocational training and greater local academic control. He said he will fight to make California safer by reinstating the DNA collection of convicts to help law enforcement solve more crimes.
The 8th District stretches from Fresno to the Sacramento suburbs. More than half of the vote, however, comes from Fresno County. Borgeas has raised more than $575,000 in campaign funds.
Borgeas’ news release on Wednesday says Berryhill is among the candidate’s supporters.
Borgeas and his wife, Anna, have two sons. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law School, a Fulbright Scholar and a professor of international security law at the San Joaquin College of Law.
“As a Supervisor,” the announcement says, “Borgeas has balanced multi-billion dollar budgets, increased deputy patrols, fought bureaucratic waste, protected seniors and veterans from scammers, and helped employers create good jobs in our community.”
Borgeas also is a former Fresno City Council member. I remember him being an effective policy wonk. He relished digging into the details of complex issues, much like his colleague at the time on the council dais, Lee Brand (currently mayor of Fresno).
Borgeas is making official what was no secret among local observers of the political scene. We now move to the scramble for Borgeas’ District 2 supervisorial seat. Steve Brandau, Garry Bredefeld and Richard Caglia have cast an acquisitive eye in that direction.
All currently hold elective office – Brandau and Bredefeld on the Fresno City Council, Caglia on the State Center Community College District board.
That puts more political dominos in play.
