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Good morning! It’s Wednesday, June 3. This is Rob.
Repeat: Sunny skies and highs in the 90s again today. NOAA
Struggling hospitals: California lawmakers unanimously extended and expanded the Distressed Hospital Loan Program through 2035. The Business Journal
Want a pet? Fresno Animal Center offers fee-waived adoptions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at 5277 E. Airways Blvd. Fresno Animal Center
No raise: Clovis City Council members declined to give themselves a raise. ABC30
1. Mims wins
Former Sheriff Margaret Mims cruised to an easy win as the polls closed Tuesday, the only clear winner to emerge in key Fresno-area races.
Mims carried almost 65% of the vote in the five-candidate race to replace retiring Supervisors Buddy Mendes to represent south Fresno County residents.
Mendes endorsed Mims, who also had a clear fundraising advantage, hauling in big donations from developers like Richard Spencer and Lance-Kashian & Co.
Mims, 71, spent 16 years as the Fresno County sheriff before stepping down for a brief retirement in 2023. Learn more about the new supervisor-elect here.
2. Vang on the verge?
The only other candidate in a major local race that still has a shot at winning the primary outright remains Brandon Vang, the incumbent in the southeast Fresno City Council seat.
Vang, 54, came to office just last year after winning a special election outright. As the dust began to settle late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Vang held a huge lead in the race, but remained teetering on the edge of an outright victory at almost 52%.
Those margins will change in the coming days, with additional vote totals expected Thursday as more mail-in ballots are counted.
Should Vang fall below the 50% threshold, he would face challenger Danielle Parra, who finished a distant second place, but well ahead of the race’s remaining opponents.
Learn more about Brandon Vang here.
3. Who’s second?
In the race for County Superintendent of Schools, incumbent Michele Cantwell-Copher was the clear frontrunner, despite losing some key endorsements and political establishment support.
Cantwell-Copher, 58, carried about 42% of the vote, well ahead of her two challengers, but not enough to avoid a runoff against challengers Eimear O’Brien, a former Clovis Unified superintendent, and Johnny Alvarado, a retired school district administrator ended.
The fight over second place will be the race to watch in the coming days. O’Brien held a slim lead over Alvarado, 29% to 27% respectively, with the next updated from the Clerk’s Office expected Thursday afternoon.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
