Magsig: Crises demand a strong voice for forgotten Fresno Co., Sierra residents

Nathan Magsig, who has long been a fixture of local politics, is running for re-election for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in District 5. 

Magsig spoke with The Sun for political podcast series, The Stump, airing on Sunrise FM. 

The big picture: After getting his start in politics as an aide in the California Legislature, Magsig was elected to the Clovis City Council in 2001, where he spent 16 years. 

• Magsig was elected to District 5 on the Board of Supervisors in 2016 and was sworn in the next year. 

• He has already been re-elected once, running unopposed in 2020. 

• Two years ago Magsig challenged Rep. Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove) in the newly drawn 5th Congressional District, but placed third in the primary and did not advance to the general election. 

What they’re saying: “I love what I get to do,” Magsig said. “I enjoy leadership, and being involved here at the county gives me an opportunity to lead on issues when it comes to zoning, when it comes to challenges that we face here in the county – whether it be the Creek Fire that we went through or the floods of last year. And I love the people. So I’m running for re-election because I thoroughly enjoy all that comes with the job of being on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.” 

• When the Creek Fire struck in 2020, Fresno County was plagued with much misinformation about what was going on in the mountains, causing Magsig to step in and take leadership on the issue. 

• “Within the first 48 hours of that fire I was up in the mountains with the sheriff’s department, with CAL FIRE, seeing with my own eyes what was going on and then reporting back to my constituents,” Magsig said. “And it became clear that providing that information, that real time information, was critical, because I was getting calls. There was misinformation. At one point people thought Shaver had burned to the ground. People had thought that their homes were lost. So I just spent time with CAL FIRE and the sheriff’s department’s permission, driving through areas where the fire was and showing the firefighters battling the flames and protecting homes and just doing incredible work.”