Fresno Unified School District Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas had it all heading into the District 5 Fresno City Council special election: political connections, name recognition, strong financial backing and endorsements galore. From the Fresno Bee and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to firefighters and cops, she boasted of having won them all in the race to replace husband Luis Chavez, now a Fresno County supervisor.
As Melissa Montalvo reported in The Bee on Feb. 25, “Jonasson Rosas said she has secured most of the major endorsements from the Fresno Police Officers’ Association, Fresno Firefighters, Central Labor Council, Building and Construction Trades, Fresno Chamber of Commerce, National Women’s Political Caucus, Mayor Jerry Dyer and several council members. ‘I think that also speaks volumes,’” Jonasson Rosas said. “‘I don’t think in the history of Fresno, there’s been such a sweep.’”
But the establishment candidate lost badly on election day to the Hmong community–based campaign of Sanger Unified School District Trustee Brandon Vang, who is close to sweeping to an outright victory. As of March 20, he held a razor thin edge of six votes above the 50% share needed to avoid a runoff with 30 ballots still to be processed. Candidates have until April 2 to try and “cure” any rejected ballots, the last step in a competent voter canvassing effort.
The four candidates went to bed on election night with Vang well ahead of the pack and chasing an outright victory. Two days later his share had grown to 2,277 votes (50.14%). Jonasson Rosas was at 1,588 (34.97%), Jose León Barraza 559 (12.31%) and Paul Condon 106 (2.33%).
Overall voter turnout was 12.7% of the district’s 36,076 registered voters. This was always going to be a low turnout election won at the door through persuasion and simply getting people out to vote, sometimes called “knock-and-drag,” as in knock on the door and drag voters to the polls. Yet Jonasson Rosas spent nothing on canvassers.
It was a race marred on the surface by an ugly hit piece against Vang and allegations of Chavez’s use of public funds to promote his wife in a district newsletter mailed during the month voters had their ballots, and of trying to elicit support from Hmong community leaders in exchange for helping Misty Her become the next Fresno Unified superintendent.
The political mud was flying. The hit piece’s source, Fresno Future Forward PAC, is supposed to file its campaign contributions information by June 30. We’ll see, but its work bears a strong resemblance to the hit piece directed at Matthew Gillian by Fresno City Council Member Michael Karbassi a year ago (“Facing Fresno Fascism,” Community Alliance, April 2024).
But beneath the usual tawdry veneer of Fresno politics, the Jonasson Rosas campaign’s filings with the City of Fresno reveal an interesting if not unlawful coordination with independent efforts.
Fresno City Council races have a current campaign contribution limit of $5,500 per cycle; the amount is tied to inflation and increases regularly. If an individual, business or union wishes to provide more support, they can do so through an independent expenditure committee or political action committee. There are no spending or contribution limits for such groups, but they are not allowed to coordinate their activities with those of the candidate they’re supporting; if they do, their expenditures become in-kind contributions and must count toward the legal limit.
What’s suspicious about the Jonasson Rosas campaign is that she spent nothing on canvassers and nothing on digital advertising. She hired a local consultant, had signs printed and sent out a lot of mailers. Meanwhile, the labor-backed Valley Forward Action Fund spent $21,500 on a paid canvassing program, and the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors Fund reported $60,000 for mailers, online ads and text messages. It appears to have been a coordinated effort. Each piece played its part.
One final note: Outfront Media gave Jonasson Rosas more than $5,000 worth of free billboard ads while charging Vang $3,150 for his.
