Fresno State students have elected Camalah Saleh as the next Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President on Thursday.
Conservative candidate Carlie Hall, who finished third in the race, could file a lawsuit against the university over an alleged conflict of interest, while recent events leading up to the election included a controversy around an endorsement from Asm David Tangipa (R–Clovis) and for distributing a non-PepsiCo beverage.
State of the race: Salah took first place with 46% of the vote and will be the ASI President for the 2025-2026 term.
- Guadalupe Zamudio Telles came in second at 31%, with Hall placing third at 22%.
Tangipa’s involvement: The campaign for president turned into a major controversy that spanned from Tangipa to university president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.
- Last month Hall posted a video of Tangipa endorsing her while at the state Capitol. But the ASI Election Handbook prohibits endorsements from people or groups who are not affiliated with Fresno State.
- Hall said ASI initially approved the video based on a description, only to order Hall to take it down after it was posted.
The second violation: Following the video controversy, Hall and the other two candidates that were part of the Next Step Slate – Vice President of Finance candidate Seth Borba and Vice President for External Affairs candidate Ava Tingey – were hit with another violation.
- The Next Step Slate distributed PRIME energy drinks at a tabling event on campus. But Fresno State has an exclusive beverage contract with PepsiCo, which does not distribute PRIME drinks.
- Hall asked for approval from University Catering to distribute the beverages but was denied. The slate distributed the drinks anyways and included a PRIME drinks inflatable display.
- Associate Dean of Student Involvement Amy Allen claimed she was struck by the inflatable display when it fell over while she was at the table talking to the candidates. Hall told The Collegian that Hall’s claims were “highly exaggerated.”
- Allen was later appointed to the ASI Election Commission by ASI President Faith Van Hoven to oversee election procedures and compliance.
Claims against Saleh: Controversy continued when a Fresno State student filed a complaint accusing Saleh of offering a student club $2,000 for an endorsement.
- ASI cleared Saleh of the complaint, saying the complaint included false and misleading information.
- Jiménez-Sandoval then jumped in and formed a committee to investigate the dispute.
What we’re watching: Los Angeles attorney Bradley Hertz wrote a letter to Jiménez-Sandoval on Thursday on behalf of Hall objecting to Allen’s appointment to the Election Commission and for the exclusion of Student Court Chief Justice Melanie Mora from the University President’s Election Committee.
- Hertz wrote that Allen’s appointment was “extremely inappropriate and highly prejudicial” to Hall, given their previous interactions.
- “In addition, Dr. Allen has expressed a clear dislike for Ms. Hall, including to students and staff, stemming from Ms. Hall’s remarks at a student fee transparency hearing where Ms. Hall respectfully criticized administrative spending,” Hertz wrote. “Ms. Hall was later informed that Dr. Allen felt that Ms. Hall should apologize for her comments – even though they were delivered respectfully and in the spirit of transparency and student advocacy.”
- Hertz also said that Mora’s exclusion calls into question the President’s Election Committee’s legitimacy and legal standing, saying the letter was written in contemplation of litigation.
