As the President and lead negotiator of College of the Sequoias Adjunct (part-time) Faculty Association (COSAFA), that statement is both demonstrably incorrect and deceptive. COSAFA submitted a proposal to COS (“the District”) for health insurance on 5/17/2024. COSAFA’s proposal followed the state program requirements to ensure the District would be eligible for full reimbursement from the state. The District rejected the proposal on 6/24/2024. “The District is hereby rejecting COSAFA’s 5/17/24 proposal to add a new article on “Health Insurance” for part-time faculty employees.”

After the District brought up concerns that state funding might not be sustained, COSAFA submitted a modified proposal for health insurance on 7/2/2024. Our modified proposal added a clause that if the District received less than 100% reimbursement from the state, the District could reopen negotiations on health insurance. The District rejected the modified proposal on 7/15/2024. “The District is hereby rejecting COSAFA’s 7/2/24 proposal to add a new article on “Health Insurance” for part-time faculty employees.”

To this day, COSAFA has yet to receive an offer or proposal from the District regarding health insurance for part-time faculty members at COS.

Earlier this year, an attempt by Trustee Diaz to discuss researching health insurance for part-time faculty at COS was ultimately voted down by the other trustees.

COSAFA members at COS have been puzzled and disheartened that the District decided not to seek available state funds that could have provided full reimbursement for the provision of much-needed health insurance for our part-time faculty. This is one of the reasons why COSAFA has endorsed Susie Nava for Ward 5.

Danielle Alberti

COSAFA President

The post COSAFA Fact Check on Part-time Faculty Health Insurance at College of the Sequoias appeared first on Valley Voice.

Voters can visit the office to cast a ballot in person, pick up a replacement ballot, or drop off a completed vote-by-mail ballot, ahead of Election Day.

Weekend Voting Opportunity

The office will also be open for in-person voting on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., giving voters who cannot make it during the work week another chance to vote.

Early Voting Details

• Early voting begins: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
• Location: Tulare County Registrar of Voters Office, 5300 West Tulare Ave, Suite 105, Visalia, CA
• Regular office hours: Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Saturday voting: October 31, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

“We encourage voters to take advantage of early voting to avoid lines on Election Day, “Our staff is ready to help every eligible voter in Tulare County make their voice heard.”

Voters with questions about registration status, ballot tracking, or voting options can contact the Registrar of Voters Office at (559) 839-2100 or visit www.tularecounty.ca.gov/elections

The post Early in-person voting to open October 20 at Tulare County Registrar of Voters office appeared first on Valley Voice.

COS has 3 unions representing employees, all of which have endorsed the three challengers: Louis Lyons, Kristina Roper and Susie Nava. The voters deserve to hear the perspective of the employees that currently work with our students every day.

A recent letter cites a 95% employee satisfaction rate in arguing for the re-election of the incumbents.  That statistic deserves context.

The figure comes from a COS survey. The total number of employees that year was reported to be 1,032, but only 297 completed the survey.  This is only a 28.7% response rate.  95% of employees did not respond.

The district rejected multiple proposals from the part-time faculty union to participate in the fully state-funded part-time faculty health insurance program.

None of this means COS is unsuccessful.  COS is financially strong, and there are many accomplishments worth celebrating.  Financial success should lead us to another question: Are we using those resources to ensure that students throughout our district have equitable access to an education?

For some students, paying for childcare and/or finding reliable, timely transportation can determine whether they can take classes at all. A financially healthy district should be asking how we can: expand course offerings at Hanford and Tulare, provide reliable transportation between campuses, and offer childcare.

These are the kinds of issues that don’t show up when the health of a college is measured primarily through reserves, buildings and select satisfaction statistics.

The question before our community is not whether COS has accomplished good things, it has. It is whether financial strength and institutional success are translating into opportunity for all of our students and whether the voices of the people currently teaching, supporting and serving those students are being heard.

When all three employee unions reach the conclusion that change is needed on the Board, their perspective deserves to be heard alongside that of long retired administrators.

Tracy Redden
President, College of the Sequoias Teachers Association

The post COS Teacher Association President: Unions have endorsed three challenger COS board candidates appeared first on Valley Voice.

Eligibility

To be considered for appointment, an applicant must meet all qualifications required by the City Charter and applicable law, including being a qualified elector of Council District 3. The City Clerk’s Office will verify eligibility before an applicant is presented to the City Council for consideration.

Term of Appointment

The individual appointed to fill the vacancy will serve until the November 2028 General Municipal Election results are certified and accepted by the City Council.

Application Process

Individuals interested in appointment must submit a completed City Council Vacancy Appointment Application to the City Clerk’s Office.

Applications are available:

• Online at https://www.tulare.ca.gov/government/city-council
• At the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, California

Completed applications must be received no later than October 29, 2026 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications may be submitted in person at the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, California or by email to cityclerk@tulare.ca.gov.

City Council Consideration

Qualified applicants are anticipated to be considered by the City Council on November 3, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at the Tulare Public Library, 491 North M Street, Tulare.

The City Council may interview qualified applicants as part of the appointment process. Additional information regarding the process will be provided to qualified applicants.

The appointment will be made during a public meeting of the Tulare City Council.

Public Records

Applications and materials submitted as part of the appointment process may be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act. Applicants should not submit sensitive personal information that is not requested by the City.

Additional Information

Questions regarding the application or appointment process may be directed to the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, (559) 684-4200, cityclerk@tulare.ca.gov.

The post Tulare posts City Council vacancy in District 3, call for applications appeared first on Valley Voice.

According to AAA, California’s average diesel price on Oct. 1 was more than $8 a gallon, up sharply from $5.16 a year ago. California’s average price represents the highest in the nation, about $2 more than the current national average of about $6.

Experts attribute the price spike in part to continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Ships transiting through the Middle Eastern waterway normally carry about one-fifth of the world’s petroleum, making disruptions there a significant risk to global energy supplies.

Diesel and gas prices have dramatically increased since the war began in February. Other global stressors, including Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, also play a part.

Ryan Cummings, an economist with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, said California’s taxes and fees are among the factors driving the state’s higher price. He also pointed to broader global market pressures that are pushing up diesel costs nationwide.

California has historically supplied most of its own gas and diesel, but refinery closures in recent years have led the state to import more from other countries. Even so, Cummings said gas and diesel prices are largely set by the global market, making the impact of in-state refinery closures on current diesel prices negligible.

“There’s some transportation costs, but those are pretty small,” he said. “Whether a refinery opens here or a refinery closes here, as long as you have free trade, it’s the global market that’s going to dictate the price rather than the local production.”

Cummings said this dynamic is why the Trump administration is considering a diesel export ban, even as some warn the policy could eventually push up prices at the pump.

“That cuts off the competition for those barrels from the rest of the world,” he said.

For farmers, the use of diesel is often unavoidable.

Yolo County farmer Bill Cruickshank, who serves as chairman of the California Wheat Commission, said he and other wheat growers already felt the sting of rising diesel prices when they harvested their crop earlier this year.

With the recent price surge, he said wheat farmers are seeing their fuel costs increase by about 6% overall.

Jeromy Geiger, a Glenn County farmer and co-owner of an agricultural trucking business, said diesel powers all his farm equipment—from tractors to pump engines. His trucking business is entirely dependent on diesel to keep its fleet running.

He said he raised the seasonal rate this year on his trucking customers to account for higher diesel costs but is trying to avoid changing them again in the middle of the season.

“We’d like to hope that we don’t adjust immediately and that we’ve factored enough to where we can weather the storm and not hammer our customers, who are all farmers,” he said. “Our trucking business is built entirely on agriculture, so we feel the pain of the farmer as well.”

Geiger said he considered adding electric vehicles to his fleet to reduce his reliance on diesel. He contacted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. three or four years ago about installing a charging station in his truck yard. But he said the company told him it wasn’t feasible because the necessary energy infrastructure wasn’t available in the rural area where he works and lives. As a result, he has continued to rely on diesel.

“For some people, it makes total sense, and it’s totally doable,” Geiger said. “But it can’t work for everybody.”

Colusa County farmer Chris Torres, who also owns an agricultural trucking business, said he faces similar challenges as diesel prices soar. He said fuel is a major expense across his 400 acres of rice, from powering harvesters and tractors to managing rice straw after harvest. Overall, he estimated his fuel costs have gone up by at least 50%.

“It’s all expensive,” Torres said.

With his trucking business, he said he has already had to increase the fuel surcharge for customers. In the past, he adjusted the surcharge seasonally, but rising prices may force him to update it weekly. He said he hopes to avoid daily adjustments but acknowledged the cost of fuel has increased considerably.

Cummings, the Stanford economist, said an end to the war in Iran and a resumption of regular oil shipments would likely bring prices down. But without knowing when those conditions will return, he said it’s hard to predict when diesel prices will fall.

He said global inventories of crude oil and refined products were well-stocked before the war but have steadily declined since it began. The longer the conflict continues, the greater the risk that fuel prices could reach levels that make the current increase seem mild in comparison, he added.

Even if the war ended tomorrow, Cummings said, it would take time for fuel prices to ease, as refineries would need time to process crude oil and replenish depleted inventories.

If all of the inventories are gone, then there’s an acute physical scarcity, which is going to take weeks to get sorted out,” he said.

For growers, Cruickshank said the price of wheat has climbed due to reduced exports from Russia and Ukraine amid their ongoing conflict. But he said farmers have few options for cutting costs in response to the higher diesel prices because many already operate on tight margins.

He said he hopes disruptions to oil shipments end soon, particularly because he doesn’t expect assistance from state officials.

Torres said he hopes profits from last year’s crop will be enough to cover the loans needed to plant this year’s crop. Beyond that, he said it’s hard to plan for what comes next.

“Volatility is extremely challenging,” he said. “There’s not much we can do.”

Manola Secaira is a staff writer for Ag Alert. She can be reached at msecaira@cfbf.com.

The post Diesel price spike increases financial stress for farmers appeared first on Valley Voice.

Lemoore College has won the category four consecutive times, reflecting the continued support of Kings County residents and the college’s commitment to providing accessible, affordable and high-quality educational opportunities.

“We are incredibly grateful to our community for recognizing Lemoore College year after year,” said James Preston, president of Lemoore College. “Winning this award four consecutive times is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff, the achievements of our students and the strong relationships we have built throughout Kings County. We are honored to be nominated again and proud to serve a community that continues to believe in the value of higher education.”

The annual Best of Kings County People’s Choice Awards recognizes local businesses, organizations and institutions that make a positive impact throughout the region. Winners are selected through community voting.

Lemoore College offers associate degrees, career and technical education programs, transfer pathways and workforce training designed to prepare students for success in higher education and the workforce. Through its academic programs, student support services and community partnerships, the college continues to expand opportunities for students of all backgrounds.

“Being recognized by the people we serve makes this nomination especially meaningful,” Preston said. “Our mission is centered on student success, and we remain committed to helping students achieve their educational and career goals while strengthening the communities we call home.”

Community members, students, alumni and supporters are encouraged to vote for Lemoore College in the 2026 Best of Kings County People’s Choice Awards.

To cast a vote, visit The Hanford Sentinel’s Best of Kings County voting page under the “Community College/Trade School” category.

The post Lemoore College nominated for Best Community College/Trade School in Kings County appeared first on Valley Voice.

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Four candidates have entered the race for the Ward 1 and Ward 2 seats on the College of the Sequoias’ Board of Trustees. Ward 1 candidates are incumbent Bob Aguilar and challenger Louis Lyons. Ward 2 candidates are incumbent Ken Nunes and challenger Kristina Roper.

On Nov. 3, Visalia, Tulare and Three Rivers voters will decide who represents them on the five-member College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees. The election arrives as College of the Sequoias marks its 100th year with a $50 million University Center under construction.

Meet COS Ward 1 Candidates

Incumbent, Bob Aguilar, was appointed to Ward 1 after Greg Sherman vacated his seat in March 2026. Although Aguilar has only been on the board for six months, he has nearly two decades of experience in education and more than 30 years of legal experience.

Aguilar is a COS and UCLA alumnus. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and has served as an elementary teacher, high school teacher, assistant principal and principal within the Visalia Unified School District. He has served on various boards, including the Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation, Ag Advisory Board, Redwood Law and Justice Academy Board and the COS Giant Foundation. Aguilar has also served as a basketball coach for Mt. Whitney High School. He emphasized the influence his late father, Robert Aguilar, has had on him and the resulting three generations of educators in his family.

“It was tied to what we learned as a family through my father and serving, particularly in the educational arena,” Aguilar said. “My daughter’s an educator… This is kind of what we say as Aguilars: this is what we do.”

Louis Lyons is the challenger for Ward 1. Like Aguilar, he is running for the board for the first time. He is a Redwood High School and Fresno State alumnus. He received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and then returned to Visalia, where he has spent the last 15 years at his family’s law practice with a focus on bankruptcy and family law. He is currently the president of his son’s elementary school Parent-Teacher Association, a chairperson for the school’s School Site Council and the board secretary for the Central California Bankruptcy Association.

“College of the Sequoias is the crown jewel of our community, where so many of my friends and neighbors have gone to receive their advanced degrees, vocational training and professional development, and I want to make sure it remains a quality institution of higher education that is affordable for our students,” Lyons wrote.

Ward 1: Why Are They Running?

As a COS alumnus, Aguilar credits COS with jump-starting his postsecondary education. He is a strong believer that education creates opportunities to build a stronger future. He is running to continue his family’s legacy of service and sees the election as an opportunity to “get back in the game” after retiring from education in June 2024.

“I am running for the Ward 1 seat because I believe furthering your education creates more opportunities to build a stronger future. I am a firm believer in public education as I am proof of what it can do for a successful career,” Aguilar wrote.

Lyons, although not a COS alumnus, considers himself a proud product of the Visalia education system. As an attorney, he acts in a fiduciary capacity, safeguarding his clients’ property. He said he would do the same for taxpayers at COS. Lyons is running to give back to his community and preserve the institution as Visalia’s “crown jewel” through three core beliefs.

“(1) the public and students need to know their voices are being heard by the Board; (2) making sure students’ needs are being met, from greater parking availability, to childcare availability to class availability; (3) making sure that all employees are respected and listened to,” Lyons wrote.

Ward 1: Undocumented Students and Flock Cameras

With ICE recently launching a California immigration crackdown, and the presence of ICE being reported in Fresno, including an ICE agent assaulting residents, questions and concerns have been raised about the safety of undocumented students. Some COS faculty have even taken the initiative of helping undocumented students make it to their classes every morning by facilitating a carpooling system. Ward 1 candidates were asked how they would support undocumented students if elected this November.

Aguilar prioritized student safety in his answer, but added the caveat that the institution must remain in compliance with the law. He referenced an incident that occurred at a courthouse while he was working as a defense attorney. According to Aguilar, an ICE agent detained one of his clients while Aguilar was in the middle of speaking with him about his case. Aguilar explained he could not get involved, because he could be arrested for interfering with an officer’s duties.

“So there’s a fine line that you have to be mindful of in how you approach this very delicate, very sensitive issue,” he said.

Lyons’ response on the topic of undocumented students leaned more into the issue of surveillance and affording all students what he called “equal dignity.”

“I just want all students to feel that they are welcome at COS and that they’re not about to be excised from society,” he explained.

While on the topic of surveillance, Lyons made it clear that he is not a fan of the automated license plate readers on the COS campus. His main concern is that COS campus officers are not the only ones with access to the data collected by private companies like Flock.

“This is information that is available to other parties unknown, which is a concern to me, because we don’t just have adult employees and students. We have minors on our campus who are being observed by these cameras, to whom third parties have incredible degrees of access,” Lyons explained.

It’s worth noting that Lyons is not anti-security. He acknowledges the utility of technology as a layer of security.

“I understand that these cameras are incredible tools in the hands of our good law enforcement officers at COS, but I see little reason why we could not simply depend on old-fashioned CCTV cameras instead, that are monitored by our bonded peace officers who are able to respond to criminal activity on the campus,” he said.

Asked about his stance on the Flock cameras on campus, Aguilar deferred to the law and questioned whether there is an expectation of privacy in a public space. For context, the current Flock cameras on campus are aimed at the college’s public parking lots.

“I don’t think there is an expectation of privacy in a public parking lot,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar added that privacy concerns on campus need to be listed and weighed against the law before a decision is made.

“And then it lands where it lands,” he continued. “Is everyone going to be in agreement? Probably not, right?”

Ward 1: Health Care for Part-Time Faculty

Ward 1 candidates differed on whether COS should participate in a state program that reimburses districts for the cost of part-time faculty health insurance.

Aguilar held some reservations when it came to part-time employees getting full-time benefits. He cited his own experience as a business owner and emphasized the cost of providing health care. However, Aguilar said he was open to learning more about the program before taking a stance on the issue.

“As a business owner it was difficult to offer it because of the cost and expense tied to it,” Aguilar said. “…For me I want to know more about the state program and the costs and benefits of that program. So for me to say no or yes, I don’t think it’s fair until I learn more.”

Lyons didn’t share Aguilar’s hesitancy and made his stance clear.

“I think as long as this program exists, I would seek to provide health insurance for our part-time faculty members,” he said.

Lyons believes providing health care to part-time faculty would ensure that COS remains competitive with other institutions that participate in the program. He explained that some part-time faculty may face the decision of staying at COS without health insurance or applying for a position at another institution that provides it. Ultimately, Lyons believes health care is a basic need that must be met by the college.

“Their basic needs, I believe, have to be met. The most basic needs, obviously, being their families’ health care,” he said.

Ward 1: COS Childcare Center and Other Facilities

The possibility of returning on-site childcare to COS has been a topic of discussion among students, faculty and leadership. Both candidates acknowledged that childcare is a legitimate concern for student parents.

Aguilar said he is aware that a childcare center existed at one point at COS, and that his understanding was that it was discontinued and replaced by other forms of childcare support because that was more of an “economic match” with student demand at the time. With that being said, Aguilar said he is open to the process and that it needs to be an informed decision that balances the college’s finances with student demand.

“If the college can meet that demand in some way, then you obviously want to do it,” Aguilar said. “But then you also have to look at it from the perspective of — there’s only so much financing a college has. And so you have to balance and reconcile the demand versus what you have in the funding source to reach the best outcome.”

Lyons’ response also referenced the college’s previous on-site childcare, but his understanding of why the center closed differed from Aguilar’s. According to Lyons, the childcare center was closed due to a mold issue.

The Voice confirmed Lyons’ claim that the COS childcare center was indeed closed because of a mold issue. In fact, a 2011 ABC7 article has Brent Calvin, now COS superintendent/president, on record stating the college did not have the money to get rid of the mold in the daycare. The same article reported that COS had a $2 million deficit at the time, suggesting Aguilar was partially correct about finances playing a role in the permanent closure.

Lyons said COS should look at bringing back the childcare center to help relieve both students and faculty of the cost of childcare, a cost he says has “exploded” over the past decade.

“A lot of young parents do not have access to childcare, and/or if they do, it’s particularly inconvenient. And one of the great things that COS used to provide was an on-campus child development facility where students could drop off their children, attend classes, and then just come and pick them up after they were done. And it was also utilized by faculty members as well,” he said.

A new childcare facility isn’t the only construction Lyons believes should be considered. He also said the college should consider adding a multilevel parking structure to address parking congestion at the Visalia campus. He added that once the new University Center is complete, parking congestion will only get worse.

Meet the COS Ward 2 Candidates

Ken Nunes is the incumbent for the Ward 2 race. He was first elected in 2010 and is seeking his fifth term on the COS Board of Trustees. He has served on the COS Giant Foundation and, with Gerald Benton, former superintendent of Tulare Joint Union High School District, co-chaired the Measure J campaign that funded the Tulare center. Nunes, a certified public accountant, has worked at the same accounting firm since 1974. He brings that financial expertise to a board that, since the recession, has rebuilt the college’s reserves, retired debt, broken ground on multiple construction projects and kept salaries competitive.

“I’ve been around COS for a long time, and I have a passion for it. I’m not just a one-issue person. I see the whole picture,” Nunes said.

Kristina Roper is the challenger for the Ward 2 race. She’s an archaeologist with an anthropology degree from UC Berkeley and a cultural resource management master’s from Sonoma State. She worked for the National Park Service at Yosemite and at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, then went into private practice. From 1995 she taught at Fresno State, Fresno City College, Cabrillo College and, for one semester, a COS class broadcast at Fresno State. She eventually taught full time at Fresno State, where she was an early online instructor, and ran a field school for her last 10 years before retiring in the spring of 2026.

“Stewardship means leaving something better than how you found it. And that’s how I live my life,” Roper said.

Ward 2: Why Are They Running?

For Nunes, running for the Ward 2 seat means finishing a project he helped start: the new $50 million University Center under construction at COS. Nunes was on the board when President Brent Calvin first proposed the plan to the trustees. He believes giving local students the chance to earn a four-year degree from Fresno State without leaving the area is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he wants to see come to fruition.

“This project is dear to my heart… I’d like to kind of see that come to fruition. That’s kind of my goal,” Nunes explained.

Roper is running on building up COS’s existing trade and certificate programs. From her own teaching experience, she has learned that students’ goals do not always align with a four-year degree. She wants to use her connections with the state and national parks to start a relationship where students can have an entry into employment after completing their programs. She also intends to bring her academic experience to the board. According to Roper, the COS Board of Trustees has never had an academic among its members, with the possible exception of Aguilar.

“They’ve never had an academic on their board,” Roper said. “And I find that perplexing.”

Ward 2: Childcare and Flock Cameras

The Ward 2 candidates were split on the possibility of bringing back an on-site childcare center at COS.

Roper was clear that she would bring back a childcare center. She rejected the idea of simply handing student parents funds and leaving them to figure out childcare on their own.

“I would bring back the childcare center,” Roper said. “We have to have a formal childcare center… for families, people who work, they need that service because it hinders their ability to take classes and to grow.”

Nunes, on the other hand, believes the options currently available to student parents may serve them better than a center on campus. He pointed to a presentation given by COS financial aid staff at the board’s Oct. 12 meeting on childcare options, including Pell grants, work-study and CalWORKs. According to Nunes, the college’s previous childcare center went away “for various reasons, one of which was facility-related.”

“What we found out was that some of these options may be much better than doing childcare on campus,” Nunes said.

Nunes used the example of a student commuting from Farmersville. He explained that a center’s hours may not line up with a student’s schedule, and that care closer to home can be more practical for families.

“It’s much more meaningful if funds are available for that student to have the child being cared for in their local community, where a parent or a grandparent can pick up the child,” he said. “It’s a hot button issue that some folks are raising, but… you have to know what is currently available.”

The candidates were further apart on the Flock cameras on campus. Roper wants them gone.

“I want to see that contract canceled and the Flock cameras removed,” Roper said. “Do we really need to be surveilled 24 hours a day, and that information is then sold?”

Roper also dismissed the argument that the cameras are a matter of campus safety.

“People who argue it’s a safety issue, I think that’s weak. It’s surveillance and it’s profit,” she said.

Unlike the Ward 1 candidates, Nunes did not take a position on the cameras. He said he was not familiar enough with the issue to speak on it, but that he values privacy.

“I’m not well informed on that and haven’t heard much consternation about it,” Nunes said. “I’m all in favor of privacy and not intruding on people’s rights, of course.”

Ward 2: COS Budget and Health Care for Part-Time Faculty

Nunes, a longtime CPA, believes COS’s budget is on the right track. He recalled the college’s financial struggles around 2010, when reserves were low.

“It was a struggle to meet payroll on a monthly basis because we just didn’t have the funds in place to kind of weather the storm,” Nunes said.

Since then, according to Nunes, COS has managed to run surpluses and set money aside for facilities. He gave the example of a new science building at the Hanford campus, a roughly $65 million project. The state approved the project, but COS had to provide 25% of the cost from its own funds to qualify.

“That’s what the budget has allowed us to do: to qualify for projects like that,” he said.

Roper said she still needs to learn more about the budget before proposing changes. She did, however, take issue with how the current board operates.

“I’m not a yes person, and it seems like the current board is very much an old boys club. They say yes to what Brent says,” Roper said. “Except for Connie.” Roper was referring to Ward 4 Trustee Connie Diaz

Like the Ward 1 candidates, the Ward 2 candidates differed on whether COS should participate in the state program that reimburses districts for part-time faculty health insurance.

For Roper, the answer was simple.

“Absolutely. The state is offering it,” she said.

Roper dismissed concerns about the state ending the program in the future. She believes the college should take advantage of the program while it exists.

“If that changes, then we address that then. But meanwhile, they’re paying for it and we’re denying our staff and faculty,” Roper said. “Health care is a human right. It really is.”

Nunes said he is open to the discussion, though he acknowledged that cost is a real factor. He noted that in the private sector, most companies do not offer health insurance to employees who work fewer than 20 hours a week. He also recognized that the public sector is different.

“It’s a dollar issue for sure,” Nunes said. “I’m certainly open to having those discussions… I certainly don’t rule it out.”

When asked about Roper’s argument that the benefit would simply end if the state funding ends, Nunes said the issue is not that black and white. According to Nunes, part-time faculty health insurance was discussed during the last round of contract negotiations. He said the parties could not agree on contract language about what would happen if the state stopped funding the program. He expects the issue to come up again during the next round of negotiations.

“The bridge that we couldn’t cross was that language in itself,” Nunes said, adding, “I could be totally wrong on that.”

Ward 2: Evaluating the COS President and Student Success

The board’s most direct power is over its only employee: the superintendent/president, Brent Calvin. Trustees hire, evaluate and can dismiss the president.

When asked how he would evaluate Calvin and measure his success, Nunes referred to his long history on the board and his experience with previous presidents like Stan Carrizosa. He credits Calvin with leading COS through the pandemic and reaching record enrollment at a time when most colleges were struggling to recover. He also highlighted Calvin’s push for a bond measure in the Visalia-area school facilities improvement district (SFID) to fund the University Center and a new student union, an idea Nunes admitted he thought was “crazy” when Calvin first proposed it.

“That’s, I think, how you measure the work that people do: the ability to lead and go out and get something done,” he said.

Roper’s response focused less on evaluating the president and more on gathering accurate student and faculty data on happiness and performance. She referenced Ward 5 incumbent John Lehn’s statements on the college’s student success rate and questioned how that data is gathered. She said the college never asks students who leave why they left, and that only the students who succeed get mentioned, which she says makes the success rate “not based in reality.”

“They’re not asking all the right people,” Roper explained. “And so we have to identify what’s wrong as well as what’s right, and build on what’s right and fix what’s wrong.”

Ward 2: Keeping Grads in the Valley

When asked how COS can encourage graduates and transfer students to stay in or return to the valley and give back to their community, the Ward 2 candidates had different approaches.

Nunes admitted that the share of COS students who transfer after earning an AA degree is not as high as at some other community colleges in the state, but he believes the University Center will have a positive impact on those numbers. According to Nunes, the opportunity to earn a four-year degree locally will help more students continue their education while staying in the valley.

“If they get their AA degree here, they walk across the street, get their bachelor’s degree,” he said.

Roper, on the other hand, believes COS should address the issue through diversification, by offering more training and programs that lead to well-paying local jobs. Drawing on her background as an anthropologist, she criticized the federal administration’s opposition to DEI and argued that just as species depend on genetic diversity to survive, COS needs to diversify beyond what it currently offers to not only survive a changing world, but thrive in it.

“This is a win-win. Keep people in the valley, keep the talent in the valley. They don’t have to go away to find a job, a career,” she said.

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“At Fresno Pacific, we want students to receive an education that prepares them for meaningful careers and lives of purpose and service,” said FPU President André Stephens, Ph.D. “These rankings reflect our continued commitment to providing students with a high-quality, Christ-centered education. We are grateful to see that commitment recognized.”

Washington Monthly

In 2026, Fresno Pacific ranked number 92 in the West and number 47 in California for the Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars category. This makes Fresno Pacific the number one university among the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in the West in this category.

Washington Monthly ranked 1,504 colleges, including public, private nonprofit and for-profit institutions. The rankings were based on four equally weighted categories: access, affordability, outcomes and community and national service.

U.S. News & World Report

This year, FPU ranked number 42 in the Regional Universities West category, up four spots from last year, when it ranked 46. FPU also ranked highly in the new Top Private Colleges—Regional Universities West category, coming in at number 20 in the region and number 9 in California. FPU also landed as a top 10 private school in California in three additional categories: Best Value School – Regional Universities (No. 8), Top Performers on Social Mobility – Regional Universities (No. 9) and Best Colleges for Veterans – Regional Universities (No. 5).

U.S. News & World Report compared more than 1,700 colleges and universities to formulate its rankings. Schools were evaluated on factors that included student outcomes, financial resources, faculty resources and student performance.

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We faced shrinking revenues, rising expenses, construction challenges at the Tulare campus and, most seriously, an accreditation sanction that threatened the institution’s future. When you work shoulder-to-shoulder through something that consequential—protecting an institution that thousands of students and families depend upon—you learn a great deal about a person.

I learned that Ken was steady under pressure. His accounting background showed in his attention to finances, willingness to ask difficult questions, and insistence on transparency and accountability. Through those difficult days, we developed a professional relationship built on trust and a shared commitment to COS.

We were also planning for COS’s future. Many priorities envisioned then have since become reality: modernized career and technical education center, a comprehensive student success center, a new athletics stadium, and expanded university partnerships. Especially meaningful is the partnership bringing a Fresno State Center to the COS campus, expanding access to four-year degrees for students who cannot easily relocate or commute to Fresno.

Since the COVID crisis, the Board, administration and staff have continued to grow enrollment, increase the number of degrees/certificates earned, increased the number of graduates each year, increased the number of successful transfers to four-year colleges/universities. While accomplishing all of this the Board, administration and employee organizations have also worked collaboratively to provide salary and benefits ranking among the highest in the state—helping COS attract and retain the people who serve its students.

None of these accomplishments belong to one person. They reflect years of collaborative work. But it is proven time and again in public governance that sustained progress also benefits from institutional knowledge and continuity in governance.

The Ken Nunes I came to know through good times and bad was attentive, transparent, fiscally responsible and deeply committed to the students and communities COS serves.

Stan A. Carrizosa Sr.

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