PARLIER – This November, contests for city council races, school board elections and local bond measures will be listed lower on the ballot, but they are not any lower in importance.
Local elections are often decided by just a handful of votes, highlighting the impact of each individual’s voice in the community. In Parlier, residents who want to see change in their cities, be that improved roads, increased public safety or more commercial and residential development, will have the chance to vote on city council candidates promising to bring something new to the area.
The Parlier City Council is made up of four residents who are elected by district and one mayor who is elected at-large. Council members and the mayor are elected to four-year staggered terms with no limits. Parlier residents also vote for their city treasurer and city clerk every four years.
In District 1, incumbent Sabrina Rodriguez is running against Juan Montano and Fernando Banuelos. District 1 covers the easternmost section of Parlier. Rodriguez was first elected to the council in 2020. She received 30.4% of the vote over Montano, who received 27% of the vote, and residents Roxanne Trujillo and Dubelsa “Duby” Trevino, who received 24.7% and 17.9% of the vote, respectively.
Also up for election to the city council are four candidates running in District 3, including Alfred Gonzales, Michelle Lopez, Claudia Vera and incumbent Kathy Solorio. The Mid Valley Times was unable to reach Montano, from District 1, and all candidates from District 3 by press time; updated Q&As will be posted online.
California voters can use the Secretary of State’s online voter registration tool at registertovote.ca.gov to register to vote or check their status. Voters in Fresno County can use an online district lookup tool through their respective county elections office to enter their address and find what Congressional, state, county and city districts they live in.
Rodriguez spoke with Mineral King Publishing about her background and her goals for the next four years if she is reelected Nov. 5. Interview responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What is your background?
RODRIGUEZ: I am a lifelong resident of Parlier. I have been on the council for the last four years. I am an employee of Parlier Unified (School District) for the last 26 years. I’m a school registrar, and have held different job titles throughout the 26 years, but my most recent is a registrar for the past 13 years. I’m also basketball coach for the Parlier High School girls basketball and I’ve been coaching for about 20 years. I’m actively involved in the community, I am Rotary Club president in Parlier.
Q: What do you hope to change or accomplish in the next term, if elected?
RODRIGUEZ: I plan to continue to try and move our city forward. There’s some things, of course, that still need to be changed, including our leadership at city hall. We’re currently looking for a city manager and finance director. Those were the things that happened throughout these four years.
We’re currently with an acting city manager who happens to be our police chief as well, and then our finance directors. We’ve had two within my four year term, and actually we’ve been out of one (for) a month. We just need to move forward and get some leadership in our city hall administration positions to keep us moving forward.
Q: Who is supporting/endorsing your campaign, and who are the major funders of your campaign?
RODRIGUEZ: I don’t accept funding for my campaign. It’s solely based on me, word of mouth, campaigning on my own and providing information out there to those who inquire from me.
Q: What do you see as the top three issues facing your local community right now? What would you do to address those issues?
RODRIGUEZ: Facing the community right now, of course, is our finance position. We have currently got a draft budget, we’re going to hopefully approve that at the next meeting. Again, it’s been hard because of the lack of a consistent finance director, and those are really priorities for us. For me right now is finding that finance director to get us where we need to be financially.
Of course, we got hit with (the) lawsuit payout amount, and that’s something that’s going to affect us. Again, those are things we need to work on as a city council. Of course, it’s going to fall into the next city council, but again, those are just things that we have to work together on.
Also, another thing is our homeless population. I know there’s some state laws that are coming in toward us in our county, and of course, it hasn’t really hit here yet, but I’m sure those are coming. We just need to get some more services out to our homeless community and help them get back on their feet and get them the support that’s needed for them.
Q: What does the role of a city councilperson look like to you? How would you engage with the community and respond to residents’ needs?
RODRIGUEZ: How I see the role of a city council member is (that) our job is to create policy and guidance with our city manager. Of course, we’re a city manager-run city and we haven’t had one in the last few months, a permanent one. Our job is not to run the city, again, it’s a city manager-run city. We’re just in that support part of the city where we ask questions, and we hire those who are qualified to run our city and make some decisions that we don’t make.
We don’t hire; we only hire our city manager and our police chief and our lawyer. So again, we’re just there as the support system to help our city move forward and keep moving forward. I think people in our community have seen differently as (though) we run the city. We don’t run the city. We have people who are hired, who get paid very good for their knowledge and experience in running cities.
I’m actively involved in the community, of course, through the school district, with my job with community events. I’m out there. I do have my own personal Facebook account. I do get messages on there. I do have a city email, city phone and I’ve always put out there that I’m more than happy to speak to anybody.
They may come up to me at events, out on the street, in public. I listen. I take their concerns to our city manager, again because that’s where we’re supposed to take our concerns as a city council member, and again, I’ve had community members come up to me that are not even in my district. I believe anybody on council can take anybody from our city, whether they’re in your district or not, and listen and provide support by informing our city manager, or acting city manager, on the issues that the public has questions on.
Q: Anything else to add?
RODRIGUEZ: No, I’m good.
