Eric Payne
Eric Payne is running for election to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to represent District 1 in California. Payne is on the ballot in the primary on June 2, 2026.[source]
Payne was a member of the State Center Community College District Governing Board in California, representing Trustee Area 2. Payne left office on December 11, 2020.
Payne completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Eric Payne earned a high school diploma from Washington Union High School. Payne's career experience includes working as an executive director.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Fresno County, California (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 1
Eric Payne (Nonpartisan) is running in the primary for Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 1 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Eric Payne (Nonpartisan)  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Fresno County, California (2020)
General election
General election for State Center Community College District Governing Board Trustee Area 2
Nasreen Michelle Johnson defeated Sevag Tateosian and incumbent Eric Payne in the general election for State Center Community College District Governing Board Trustee Area 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nasreen Michelle Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 37.9 | 20,587 |
| Sevag Tateosian (Nonpartisan) | 32.5 | 17,636 | ||
| Eric Payne (Nonpartisan) | 29.6 | 16,051 | |
| Total votes: 54,274 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eric Payne completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Payne's responses.
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Eric Payne is a community development leader and nonprofit executive running for Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 1. His campaign focuses on expanding economic opportunity, increasing access to affordable housing, creating more jobs, improving public safety, and advancing equitable healthcare and transportation and infrastructure outcomes across Fresno County.
Professional Background
Eric Payne serves as the Executive Director of the Central Valley Urban Institute and Winemaker, where he leads initiatives focused on economic development, housing stability, and community health. Under his leadership, the organization has advanced partnerships and programs that support underserved communities, including rural and farmworker populations.
Payne has worked extensively at the intersection of public policy, community engagement, and economic mobility. His experience includes collaborating with state and local leaders to secure resources for affordable housing, supporting food access initiatives in rural communities, and advocating for expanded healthcare access for underserved and undocumented populations.- Economic Development and Job Creation: Expanding workforce opportunities, food access and rural Investment, supporting small businesses, and investing in local economic growth. Affordable Housing: Increasing the supply of affordable housing and addressing homelessness. Healthcare Access: Improving access to culturally competent and affordable healthcare, particularly for underserved and farmworker communities
- Public Safety: Reducing violent crime through prevention, community partnerships, and smart investments in public safety infrastructure Education and Youth Opportunity: Supporting student success through expanded access to educational resources and career pathways and job opportunity.
- Transportation and infrastructure are about opportunity and quality of life. I’m focused on building safer roads, reducing congestion, and ensuring every neighborhood, from rural communities to urban corridors, is connected and not left behind. We need smart investments in road repair, public transit, and critical infrastructure that supports economic growth and gets people to work faster and more safely. That includes fixing neglected streets, improving access to reliable transit, and modernizing systems that keep our communities running. When we invest in infrastructure, we create jobs, strengthen our economy, and make everyday life easier for working families.
We need to connect people to opportunity by strengthening workforce training, expanding access to apprenticeships, and partnering with local employers so our residents are first in line for the jobs we create. At the same time, we must make it easier for entrepreneurs to start and scale businesses by cutting red tape and increasing access to capital.
Honorable Kimberly Tapscott Munson, Fresno County Board of Education
Honorable Terry Ruiz, Washington Union Unified School District Board
Dr. Bob Nelson, Former Fresno Unified School District Superintendent
Mirna Garcia, Fresno County Latino Realtors Association
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Eric Payne did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 1 |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 27, 2026
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State of California Sacramento (capital) |
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