FRESNO COUNTY – The Fresno County Board of Supervisors rang in its first meeting of the new year with a changing of the gavel and a moment of reflection for two supervisors who will leave their seats at the end of the year. 

As part of the board’s annual reorganization on Jan. 6, Vice Chair Garry Bredefeld moved into the position of board chair and Supervisor Luis Chavez filled the position of vice chair. Bredefeld took over from Board Chair Buddy Mendes, who will not seek reelection in November and plans to retire at the end of his term. 

“Supervisor Mendes, you are a tough act to follow,” Bredefeld said. “Tremendous things have been accomplished this year under your leadership, and I, for one, am very grateful. … I’ve learned a lot, and I will continue to learn a lot in the last year that you’re here.”

Mendes is entering his 12th year as a supervisor, having first been elected in 2014. In recognition of his time on the board and the three years he spent as chair, the rest of the board presented Mendes with a special gavel and plaque. 

Board members also gifted Mendes a poster of him depicted as Michael Corleone in a famous poster for the movie “The Godfather,” a nod to a nickname given to Mendes. Mendes’s Chief of Staff Vickie Day also referenced the nickname in a poem she read out during the meeting that she wrote as “an ode to Chairman Buddy Mendes.”

“A farmer, a supervisor, you wear those hats well, but there’s a secret I’m dying to tell,” Day said. “He is known as the Godfather, and we do believe that is a legacy he is destined to leave. To the Godfather as chairman, we must say adieu, but look forward to serving one more year with you.” 

Mendes announced his retirement in October 2025 and endorsed the campaign of former Fresno County Sheriff Maragret Mims to take his place representing south Fresno County. 

Pacheco forgoes vice chair

Supervisor Brian Pacheco is also not seeking reelection, as he will instead be running for State Assembly District 27 in November. Pacheco was next in line to serve as vice chair but ceded the position to Chavez. He said he felt it would be appropriate to give the position to Chavez, who has only been on the board for a year, and allow for a smoother transition next year.

Regarding his time on the board and specifically his time working with Mendes, Pacheco said they both came into the board together in 2014, and “as fate will have it” they’ll both be leaving together. Mendes added that it had been a pleasure working with Pacheco, both of them having come from farming backgrounds on the west side of the county. 

Pacheco also pointed out that, if Supervisor Nathan Magsig is successful in his campaign for State Senate, the board will be losing a lot of institutional knowledge come 2027. 

“And if you just look back a year ago, who would have ever thought the two city guys are going to be the senior members of the board in two years?” Pacheco said, referencing how both Bredefeld and Chavez live in Fresno and formerly served on the Fresno City Council. 

“Heaven help us all in the county,” he continued, “but hopefully, those of us in rural America, we’re going to have good people replace us and with their leadership and experience now, the county will be just fine.”