Meet Your Portuguese-American Elected Officials in California: Ernest "Buddy" Mendes
Ernest “Buddy” Mendes grew up on his parents’ dairy farm in Riverdale in Western Fresno County. Buddy has been farming in the Central Valley for 38 years. He was a working partner in the family farming and dairy business and has owned and operated his own family farming business since 1991. Buddy has been very active in the local community, serving 20+ years on a variety of Boards and Committees including the Riverdale Unified School District Board of Trustees, Southwest Transportation Agency which provides student transportation for 13 school districts and the Riverdale Public Utility District.
He is a member of the West Island Cotton Growers, the Riverdale Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club. Supervisor Mendes also served on the 2011 Redistricting Task Force for Fresno County.
Married to Leslie for 37 years, they have three children--Darryl, Adam and John - and five grandchildren. Buddy is honored to have been elected to serve as the Supervisor representing District 4, which encompasses 9 cities and 9 unincorporated communities from Orange Cove to the east and Coalinga to the west. He is excited and committed to working on behalf of the citizens of Fresno County. He is a proud American of Portuguese-Ancestry.