Longtime Republican politician bows out of Fresno County Board of Supervisors seat race

Longtime Fresno politician Jim Patterson said he will not seek to run for public office after his term in the state Assembly ends in 2024.

Patterson, a Republican, previously said he planned to run for the District 2 Fresno County Board of Supervisors seat following his final term in the Legislature.

But the 74-year-old has since changed his mind.

“I believe my skills, talents, and relationships can do the most good for the most people here in the private sector,” Patterson said in a news release Saturday evening. “Therefore, I have decided I will not be running for public office in 2024.”

Patterson’s announcement came the same day Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld posted on social media his intentions to run for the same District 2 Fresno County Board of Supervisors seat in 2024.

Bredefeld also is a Republican. District 2 covers part of Clovis to northwest Fresno.

Patterson said in November that he planned to run for the District 2 seat upon serving out the maximum 12 years as a member of the California State Assembly, which started in 2012.

Before his time as an assemblymember, Patterson most notably served as Fresno’s mayor for two terms from 1993-2001.

He’s also been a business and broadcast executive for 25 years, including owning and operating radio stations in California and Idaho.

“Combined with eight years as the Mayor of Fresno, including being Fresno’s first strong Mayor, and 30 years in broadcasting in the private sector, I look forward to using all that I have learned and achieved to improve our community,” Patterson said. “My staff and I are committed to finish my final term in the Assembly, providing timely and effective constituent service, and doing everything we can to put California back on the right track.

“While government can play a big role in achieving those goals, the brunt of the work and effort will come from the private sector in the form of businesses, non-profits and the community at large.”

Patterson currently represents the 8th Assembly District, which encompasses most of Fresno County, along with parts of Madera, Merced and Tuolumne counties and all of Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa and Mono counties.

Steve Brandau, a Republican, currently holds the Fresno County Board of Supervisors seat for District 2.

Brandau told The Bee in November he plans to run for another term on the county board in 2024.