County · Statewide General Election
Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 1
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Mike Karbassi
- Maria Pacheco
This person is one of five supervisors governing Fresno County: the budget, county health and social services, and unincorporated-area land use.
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi led the June 2 primary with 32.7% and Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco took 28.5%; four other candidates split the rest, so the top two meet again on November 3. This is the seat's first runoff since 2014.
The winner joins Fresno County's five-member Board of Supervisors for a four-year term, representing the county's mostly rural northwest — Kerman, Firebaugh, Mendota, San Joaquin and part of the city of Fresno. The board sets the county budget, oversees public health and social services, and controls land use in unincorporated areas outside the county's cities.
Neither candidate is the incumbent — Brian Pacheco (no relation to Maria Pacheco) is leaving the seat to run for the Assembly. Karbassi, a two-term city councilmember who just stepped down as council president, led fundraising and built a coalition spanning labor and business; Pacheco, a sitting city mayor, works as a field representative for the state legislator backing her campaign. The choice is between two already-elected local officials, not an outsider challenge.
Mike Karbassi
Nonpartisan, and a Fresno City Councilmember representing District 2. He served two terms as council president before stepping down in March 2026 to campaign full time, while keeping his council seat. He led the June primary with 32.7% and has the endorsement of SEIU 521.
Strengths
A broad fundraising coalition spanning labor (SEIU 521) and business (farmers, the Apartment Association, the Fresno Chamber PAC), plus two terms as city council president.
Trade-offs
His campaign has taken money from Granville Homes, whose CEO publishes GV Wire, the outlet supplying most of this contest's reporting — worth weighing against that reporting.
Keep in mind
He gave up the council presidency specifically to run for this seat. County government spans rural social services and agriculture his city council district does not touch.
Maria Pacheco
Nonpartisan, and the sitting Mayor of Kerman, a city inside District 1. She also works as senior field representative for Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria (D-Fresno). She advanced with 28.5% of the June vote, about four points behind Karbassi.
Strengths
An elected chief executive of a District 1 city, plus Sacramento-adjacent legislative experience from her day job for Assemblymember Soria.
Trade-offs
She finished the primary about four points behind Karbassi and ended the most recent fundraising period with far less cash on hand than he did.
Keep in mind
Her campaign received in-kind mailers and text messages from her own boss, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria — a direct employer-donor link worth weighing.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Strong (87/100) · 2 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with a narrow source base.
- fresnocountyca.gov (opens in a new tab)Fresno County elections office — certified June 2, 2026 primary results
- gvwire.com (opens in a new tab)GV Wire — Central Valley election coverage, Assembly District 27
Last updated August 10, 2026.