Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes will not run for reelection next year, capping a 12-year career at the county.
Mendes announced at a press conference in front of the Fresno County Hall of Records Wednesday morning that he is endorsing former Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims to succeed him in District 4.
The big picture: Mendes is foregoing a bid at his fourth term in office to spend more time with his family and get back to working on the family farm full time.
- After growing up on the family dairy farm in Riverdale, Mendes took over operations of it in 1991 and launched a parallel career in public service, serving on various boards and committees over the years.
- Some of Mendes’s public service before being elected to the board included as a Trustee on the Riverdale Unified School District Board, a member of the Southwest Transportation Agency and a member of the Riverdale Public Utility District. Mendes also served on the 2011 Redistricting Task Force for Fresno County.
- District 4 voters elected Mendes in 2014 with over 62% of the vote and went on to win reelection in 2018 and for the final time in 2022.
- Known as a straight-shooter who never shied away from sharing his thoughts, Mendes was arguably the foremost water expert in the region. During last week’s State of the County luncheon, County Administrative Officer Paul Nerland praised Mendes as the top water expert in California, sharing stories of how Mendes could explain vastly complicated water policy issues to others in simple terms.
Mims steps in: Mendes shared that one of the factors for his upcoming retirement from politics is because Mims told him she would run in his place if he decided to leave, giving him confidence in the future of District 4.
- Mims was Fresno County’s second-longest serving sheriff. She was first elected in 2006, becoming the first woman to hold the job in the history of the county.
- She retired ahead of the 2022 election and endorsed current Sheriff John Zanoni as her successor.
What they’re saying: Mendes said he thinks he has been a very effective supervisor during his time on the board.
- “I think in the long run I’ve got a life to live. I think everybody needs to realize there’s two things: you don’t stay in this job forever, and you don’t live forever,” Mendes said. “Sometimes you have to make personal decisions to make your life semi-sane and move on.”
- Mims thanked Mendes for his endorsement and went on to say that she has seen every inch of the district during her time in law enforcement.
- “The obvious question is why, why would I come out of retirement after almost three years and run for elected office again,” Mims said. “And I’ll tell you it’s the love of public service. Even though I’ve been asked to run for state and federal office, it’s not for me. It takes me away from the direct public contact that I get so much enjoyment out of and so much satisfaction out of that close public services, which you get when you run for local office.”
State of the race: Along with Mims, two other candidates have already launched campaigns to represent District 4: Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran and State Center Community College District Trustee Danielle Parra.
- District 4 covers nine cities and nine unincorporated communities spanning from Orange Cove to the east to the county line to the west. The district includes Reedley, Sanger, Fowler, Selma, Kingsburg, Caruthers, Huron and Coalinga.
What we’re watching: Mims, Beltran or Parra could win the District 4 seat outright in the primary election on June 2, 2026, if one of them receives over 50% of the vote.
- If no candidate takes a majority of the vote, the race will head to a runoff in November 2026.
