California's high school track and field state finals kick off in Clovis on Friday, with an expected protest presence for the second straight year.
The California Interscholastic Federation's (CIF) state finals will include a prominent transgender athlete competing in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Last year, the athlete's presence prompted competing protests, a plane with a flyover banner, ejections from the venue, and a person with a trans flag was even arrested after allegedly assaulting an opposing protester.
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Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Pearce placed the blame for the pending protests on the CIF and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
"Because the CIF, Governor Newsom, and the state legislature continue to fail and ignore our female athletes there is a distraction that hangs over this weekend’s events for a second year in a row. The abject failure of the adults in control of these policies is outrageous and ridiculous. A survey done in April 2025 by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that over 70% of California’s public school parents support only biological girls competing in girls’ sports divisions," Pearce told Fox News Digital.
Pearce reflected on the chaos that occurred at last year's event.
"We saw so many people come out to show their support for the female athletes last year and the only arrest was a trans-activist who assaulted someone who was leaving the area after standing in support of the girls competing. I call on everyone to be respectful of the athletes and their families who have worked so hard and sacrificed for years to reach this level of competition," Pearce added.
"I know our police department will ensure a safe environment and it is my hope that the female athletes feel the support from this community. But, again, it is unacceptable for CIF, the state legislature, and Governor Newsom to allow another State Championship to come around without having restored the integrity of the girls’ divisions and respecting and protecting our girls’ sports and spaces."
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The trans athlete, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School, has dominated the girls' high jump, triple jump and long jump throughout the postseason leading up to finals, taking first place, often by large margins, in each of the first three rounds this month.
The CIF has re-implemented a policy change that was used for last year's state finals, where any female athlete that finishes behind Hernandez is bumped up by one spot. The change resulted in images of Hernandez sharing podium spots with female competitors who finished behind the trans athlete at last year's finals and the last two postseason rounds this year, and prompted criticism from those on both sides of the argument.
The controversy around last year's finals was stoked when President Donald Trump sent a post on Truth Social in the days leading up to the event, calling out Newsom for allowing males to continue competing in girls' sports in the state.
This year, several politicians have weighed in as the controversy around the podiums has been renewed, including GOP congress members Nancy Mace, Tim Burchett and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Newsom's office addressed the protesters in a controversial statement prior to the start of the postseason with the phrase, "stand with all kids and stand up to bullies," and California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer recently backed trans athletes in an interview with Jennifer Welch.
"There are more important things than whether you start on your high school basketball team, and that is standing up for people who are under threat of death," Steyer said.
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