Labor makes moves to unseat Fresno-area incumbents, and other 2024 campaign finance report highlights

As we’re deep into yet another campaign season, Fresnoland decided to follow the money to see how powerful interests are making moves to shape local city, county, and school board races on the ballot this November. We analyzed the campaign finance filings from January 1 to June 30 – and here’s what we found.

Labor goes hard to unseat incumbents

It’s the year of the challengers, apparently. Local labor groups have put in a hefty $68,645 in 2024 for Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez’ challenge to Supervisor Sal Quintero, who has received just $6,023 from mostly white collar labor groups. The cash spans across many trades’ unions, from iron workers to plumbers and pipefitters to carpenters, building trades, stationary engineers, and city (yes, city) employees.

Labor support for Chavez isn’t too surprising — in February he told Fresnoland that he’d support a project labor agreement policy for county public works contracts, similar to one he voted for on the Fresno City Council in 2021.

Labor groups also put in $26,300 into Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld’s bid to unseat Supervisor Steve Brandau, who has also received just $5,500, also from the prosecutors and district attorney investigators’ associations. 

Bredefeld is a more complicated choice for some labor groups. He was the lone ‘no’ vote on the city’s project labor agreement policy in 2021. His primary labor support comes from the Fresno City Firefighters’ Union and the Northern California Carpenters’ Union, both putting up $10,000 each in 2024.

In a surprise to many, the Fresno Teachers Association told Fresnoland this week they aren’t planning on endorsing any incumbents on the ballot for Fresno Unified board of trustees. 

Instead, they’ve chosen to endorse Fresno County Board of Education Trustee James Martinez in his attempt to unseat Fresno Unified Trustee Andy Levine, in the battle to represent the Fresno High area. Levine won the teachers’ endorsement in his 2022 race. They’re also endorsing retired teacher Daniel Bordona in his race against incumbent Claudia Cazares, who represents the Hoover High area.

FTA hadn’t thrown in any money as of June 30 – so at this point, Levine has the lead in labor spending, with just $750 from the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union.

And finally, labor groups have stepped in to back local labor organizer Pablo Villagrana in his attempt to unseat incumbent Nasreen Johnson, who serves as the State Center Community College District Trustee serving the River Park, Hoover, McLane, Mayfair, and Airport neighborhoods of Fresno. Villagrana has raised $5,000 from the local iron workers and another $5,000 from the state center federation of teachers.

Challengers in supervisors’ race outraise incumbents

Again, the year of the challengers. In 2024, Garry Bredefeld has nearly out-raised incumbent Steve Brandau two to one, with $180,314 raised by June 30 compared to Brandau’s $114,124. 

Bredefeld’s biggest donors include electrical contractor C3 Electric, Fresno City Firefighters, gas station and fuel operator Shiralian Enterprises, and Valley Beverage Services-related company Westside Harvesters, LLC at $10,000 each.

Brandau hails support from one of Fresno’s most prolific campaign donors, contractor Richard Spencer of Harris Construction, who has donated $35,000 in 2024, so far.

And for the race to represent Fresno County’s supervisor district 3, Luis Chavez has more than doubled opponent Sal Quintero’s fundraising efforts in 2024, with $113,445 raised, compared to $47,409 for Quintero.

Chavez’ largest donors come from the District Council of Iron Workers, Valley Forward Action Fund, a labor PAC, Iron Workers Local 155, and Local 246 Plumbers and Pipefitters.

Quintero’s bigger cash infusions come from Steven Spencer, son of contractor Richard Spencer and the Electric Motor Shop, part of the Caglia family of companies.

And labor has come up big for challenger Pablo Villagrana in his attempt to unseat Nasreen Johnson, who has raised $27,750 – the majority from labor groups – to Johnson’s $9,425, from a few dozen individual donors.

Even with labor’s rise – developers, business interests continue to outspend

Even as labor groups are making waves, developers and business interests have outspent labor in local races in 2024, although the groups’ spending is creeping near $154,000 to business’ $216,000 and developers’ $195,000, respectively.

Leading the way is contractor and developer Richard Spencer and his affiliate companies, who have put in $52,000 into local races in the first half of 2024. 

The donors who have contributed at least $10,000 in 2024 for local candidates on the November 2024 ballot include:

To go deeper on the 2024 contributions for local campaigns, click on the interactive chart below.

Julianna Morano and Gregory Weaver contributed to this story.