Recent events on the Fresno electoral scene clearly demonstrate that the goals of elected officials are not always 100% in alignment with the goals of their supporters or groups that have supported them in the past. Although it is unreasonable to expect any group to agree with an individual all the time, we are seeing an unusual falling out of those who had been historical allies this year.
The Fresno Teachers Association (FTA) is not supporting any of the incumbent Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) trustees.1 The reasons for this rift have not been publicly explained in detail by the union’s leadership except to say that certain elected officials were not as supportive or respectful of the union during the 2023 contract negotiations as the union wanted them to be. In two of the three FUSD races, the FTA is financially supporting challengers.
Unions also are not supporting the incumbent in the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Trustee Area 2 race where building and construction unions have run the head of the iron workers union against the incumbent.
FUSD Trustee Area 5
The incumbent for Trustee Area 5 is Andy Levine. He is being challenged by Fresno County Board of Education Trustee James Martinez (who has received contributions not only from the FTA but also Fresno City Council Members Nelson Esparza and Mike Karbassi).
Levine was elected to the position in 2022 after the death of longtime trustee Carol Mills. He won the FTA’s endorsement in that race. Shortly after his election, the FUSD and the FTA entered into contract negotiations, which became acrimonious as negotiations proceeded.
Negotiations were going so poorly that at one point the FTA threatened to go on strike with 93% of teachers voting to do so. The two sides eventually agreed to a contract. As a result of having to take a strike vote, the FTA says it was disappointed in the FUSD board’s performance and therefore unable to support the reelection of any incumbents.
Before election to the FUSD board, Levine was a community organizer with Faith in the Valley, an interfaith, multiracial, community-based organization with membership from churches, synagogues and mosques in Fresno County. Faith in the Valley addresses issues of immigration; healthcare; criminal justice reform; reducing gun violence; housing and homelessness; the need for clean energy, clean air and clean water; and jobs with livable wages and benefits. He brought those skills and knowledge to the FUSD board.
At Faith in the Valley, Levine worked to help diverse groups come to consensus. He helped address social injustice for the betterment of the less fortunate. He tried to use those skills during the FUSD-FTA negotiations. He says that he is proud of the work he did during the negotiations and throughout his tenure as a trustee.
The FTA was unhappy with Levine’s actions and his lack of public support for the FTA during the 2023 contract negotiations. In the hopes of getting someone more publicly supportive of the FTA’s positions, Martinez was approached to challenge Levine. Martinez is currently a county Board of Education trustee. Subsequently, Martinez opted not to seek reelection and run instead for the FUSD seat.
The FTA has given significant financial support to Martinez—about $25,000 as of Sept. 16. Martinez has also received financial contributions and support from City Council members Karbassi, Esparza and Luis Chavez, as well as Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
Long before becoming a board member, Levine had been, and still is, a strong supporter of union goals and a union member. He feels he has done a good job in advancing the goals of the teachers’ union, improving student performance and at the same time ensuring fiscal stability for the district.
Levine has said he is proud of the work he has done over the past two years, in particular, the board securing full funding from the state for community schools. Community schools help meet the needs of residents while encouraging “healthy, thriving children with choices for their futures.” FUSD went from five community schools in 2023 to 19 in 2024.
They have full-time coordinators to support the students, and encourage families to be actively involved on campus with their children’s education. He has worked to break down the barriers that prevent children from attending school and reduce chronic absenteeism. All middle schools are now equipped with washers and dryers to help eliminate the lack of clean clothes as a reason not to attend school.
He helped get 2,500 FUSD students living at the poverty level to be enrolled in the CalKIDS saving accounts program for a future college education. He wants to address the needs of the most vulnerable students living at the highest poverty level. One way he suggests would be to partner with the Food Bank.
Levine is also involved with the Guaranteed Basic Income program in an attempt to alleviate poverty, which is a barrier to students trying to obtain a better education.
He is aware of the difficulty of the contract negotiations but feels the school district and the FTA were able to avoid a strike and arrive at a contract that was ultimately good for students, good for teachers and staff, and good for the district without adverse financial consequences.
In reviewing Martinez’s ads and interviews, he has not clearly stated what he would or could do better than what Levine has done. He did not respond to a request to be interviewed for this article. A sampling of statements from his website are rather generic:
“James has dedicated himself to serving some of Fresno County’s most vulnerable schools and student populations.”
“With two-thirds of Fresno Unified students underperforming in every category, it is crucial that we return to the basics of educating our students in reading, writing and math, ensuring they are at grade level by first grade. As [a] trustee, I will work closely with the administration to implement and support Universal Transitional Kindergarten programs for children ages 3–4, along with targeted interventions that directly address student needs.”
“I pledge to actively listen to our teachers, ensuring they have the necessary tools and resources to engage students effectively, and that they have a seat at the decision-making table.”
“As a [Board of Education] trustee, I have been dedicated to ensuring fiscal responsibility across all of Fresno County’s schools.”
FUSD Trustee Area 6
The incumbent for Trustee Area 6, the Hoover High area, is Claudia Cazares. However, the FTA is endorsing retired FUSD teacher Daniel Bordona in this race.
The FTA is providing financing for Bordona’s run. In addition, Bordona has financial support from the Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Central Labor Council. SEIU 521, which represents the classified employees and substitute teachers at FUSD, also supports Bordona.
While Cazares might not have the personal dynamism of Bordona, she has been a thoughtful, if cautious, trustee who seems to understand the role of a trustee. She has advocated for several improvements during her tenure on the board.
This is Bordona’s first run for public office. His responses to a questionnaire and in-person questions from the Central Valley Progressive PAC were a bit surprising. He showed a poor understanding of and empathy for the need to protect students who might not have families that accept gender diversity.
His response regarding notifying parents about students’ request for use of gender pronouns while in school showed a lack of understanding of the state law. In addition, his response regarding selection of age-appropriate books for school libraries showed a lack of trust in the district’s librarians to make proper decisions for their schools.
Voting for the Imperfect Candidate
Few of the FTA’s concerns have been made public. The main issue is that FTA does not feel the trustees stood up for teachers’ values in a strong enough fashion to prevent a strike. There were also issues of respect between the negotiators. The FTA felt that the trustees identified more with management than with the teachers or the staff represented by SEIU 521. SEIU 521 was asked to stand with the FTA if the strike went forward.
Other unions have not taken the same approach as the FTA. The Fresno-Madera-Kings-Tulare Central Labor Council (CLC) is supporting Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas in Trustee Area 2, has taken a “Neutral/No Position” in the Levine-Martinez race and is financially supporting Borona’s challenge to Cazares.
In voting for FUSD trustees, or any other office, there will never be a perfect candidate who fits all one’s values regarding ethics, integrity and honesty. Nor will there be a candidate who has all the experience, judgment and knowledge one wants. Finally, there are no candidates that voters will agree with on every position they take.
When voting, a holistic approach is needed looking at the whole candidate and not necessarily at one issue.
References
- https://fresnoland.org/2024/08/09/labor-makes-moves-to-unseat-fresno-area-challengers/ Labor’s efforts to unseat incumbents in local Fresno races
- https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article292050815.html Fresno Bee interview with Andy Levine
- https://www.andy4fresno.com/ Andy Levine election website
- https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article291693970.html Fresno Bee interview with James Martinez
- https://www.martinez4fusd.com/ James Martinez election website
- https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article292379264.html Fresno Bee interview with Claudia Cazares
- https://www.cazaresfortrustee.com/board-accomplishments.html Cazares’s election website.
- https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article291602885.html Fresno Bee interview with Dan Borona
- https://gvwire.com/2024/08/06/big-money-in-some-school-board-races-no-money-in-others/ GV wire interview with Dillon Savory of the Central Labor Council
- https://www.cvppac.org/2024-cvppac-candidate-questionnaires/
- https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article280901858.html Fresno Bee Editorial Board comment on strike.
- https://fresnoland.org/2023/10/10/teacher-strike-fresno/ Fresnoland article on 1978 teachers’ strike
- https://fresnoland.org/2023/10/31/fresno-unified-and-the-districts-teachers-union-reach-eleventh-hour-deal-averting-a-strike/ Fresnoland article about strike being avoided and benefits won by the FTA for the teachers
- https://campaigndocs.co.fresno.ca.us/CampaignDocsWebRetrieval/Search/SearchByCandidateName.aspx Campaign contributions to different local candidates
- https://communityschools.fcoe.org/ Information regarding community schools
- https://fresnoalliance.com/fresnos-guaranteed-basic-income-program/ Fresno’s Guaranteed Basic Income Program
