Two Fresno Superior Court Seats Up for Election: Who's Running and Who's Backing Them — Photo: Jim Evans — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two Fresno Superior Court Seats Up for Election: Who’s Running and Who’s Backing Them
Fresno County voters face two contested Superior Court races this November, with no incumbents running in either. The outcomes will determine who presides over local cases for the next six years — and the endorsement lists reveal stark partisan divides in races officially labeled “nonpartisan.”
In Office 7, Jeff Hammerschmidt, who has worked as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, faces Jose L. Salazar, a public defender. The Fresno Stonewall Democrats, Fresno County Democratic Party, and the Working Families Party’s Voting Group have all endorsed Salazar, according to The Fresno Bee. Labor leader Dolores Huerta, State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, and Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias also back him.
Hammerschmidt’s supporters include Mayor Jerry Dyer, Sheriff John Zanoni, and retired Sheriff Margaret Mims.
Office 6 pits Ashley S. Paulson against Steven R. Ueltzen, both former employees of the local district attorney’s office. Paulson has endorsements from Mayor Dyer, the Fresno Police Officers Association, the Fresno Deputy Sheriffs Association, and the Valley Young Republicans, The Fresno Bee reports. Ueltzen, known for prosecuting DUI cases, is backed by the Fresno County Prosecutors Association, the Clovis Police Officers Association, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brian Alvarez, and Debra Gerard Miller, a former chief deputy district attorney.
The material from which this article was drafted also describes retention votes for two California Supreme Court justices — Kelli M. Evans, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, and Joshua Groban, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 — as well as 62 appellate judges across six districts. State Supreme Court justices and appellate judges are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, but voters decide whether they continue in office.
Superior Court judges, by contrast, are elected by popular vote for six-year terms. This year, only seven contested Superior Court elections are on the ballot statewide, in three counties: Los Angeles, Fresno, and Riverside. No incumbents are running in any of them.
The Breakdown
- Office 7: Jeff Hammerschmidt (prosecutor and defense attorney background) vs. Jose L. Salazar (public defender). Democratic groups and progressive endorsers back Salazar; Mayor Dyer, Sheriff Zanoni, and retired Sheriff Mims back Hammerschmidt.
- Office 6: Ashley S. Paulson (former DA’s office, endorsed by Mayor Dyer, police/sheriff groups, Valley Young Republicans) vs. Steven R. Ueltzen (former DA’s office, known for DUI prosecutions, endorsed by prosecutors’ and Clovis police groups, Judge Alvarez, former chief deputy DA Debra Gerard Miller).
- Superior Court judges serve six-year terms and are elected by popular vote. The races are officially nonpartisan, but endorsements reveal which constituencies and party structures are backing each candidate.
What This Means for You
Fresno’s Democratic structures and labor/progressive groups are lining up behind Salazar in Office 7, while law enforcement and the mayor are behind Hammerschmidt. In Office 6, both candidates come from the DA’s office, but their backers split along law-enforcement (Paulson) and prosecutorial-professional (Ueltzen) lines. Your vote shapes who wears the robe for the next six years.
What You Can Do
Research each candidate’s background and endorsers before November 3. The Fresno Bee has reported on both races; check its coverage for additional detail. Vote.
What to Watch
A judge’s professional history — whether they spent years prosecuting, defending, or both — shapes how they see cases, even when the law itself is neutral. Hammerschmidt has worked as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. Salazar’s public-defender experience means he’s spent his career representing people the state is trying to convict or penalize. The question: does Fresno want a bench that reflects only the law-enforcement and prosecutorial view, or one where defense experience has a seat at the table?
In Office 6, both candidates come from the DA’s office — the difference is in who’s vouching for them. Paulson’s endorsements come from police and sheriff unions, plus the Valley Young Republicans; Ueltzen’s come from the prosecutors’ association and judicial/prosecutorial professionals. A voter should ask: does “tough on crime” mean the same thing when it’s backed by cops as when it’s backed by prosecutors? And does a candidate endorsed by partisan groups (even in a nonpartisan race) bring those politics onto the bench, or leave them at the door?
The material offers no indication of how either candidate has ruled, mediated, or handled contested questions in practice — no incumbents are running, and neither has a judicial record to review. That makes endorsements one of the few signals available. The strongest unanswered question: what kind of cases have these candidates actually handled, and how did they handle them? A prosecutor “known for DUI cases” and a public defender with no further detail are both under-described. Voters deserve more.
