Take 5: Fresno City Council District 7 Candidate Brian Whelan

By David Taub, Senior Reporter

Published 7 years ago on

January 29, 2018

Attorney Brian Whelan sat down with Take 5 to talk about his run for the Fresno City Council. He hopes to replace Clint Olivier, who will term out of the District 7 seat in January 2019.
Whelan says he wants to empower his District 7 neighbors. He supports Mayor Lee Brand’s public safety plan of adding 1,000 officers by the end of Brand’s tenure at City Hall. Whelan also supports Brand’s Business Friendly Fresno 2.0! advisory board.

Challenged Costa in 2012

Both Brand and Olivier have endorsed Whelan, a Republican who ran against Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, for Congress in 2012 and lost, 57.4% to 42.6%.
Whelan says he wants to run a positive campaign, and leave it to others to talk negatively about his two known opponents thus far, Nelson Esparza and Veva Islas.

Whelan’s Views on Marijuana & Parks

One area where Whelan disagrees with Olivier is on allowing recreational marijuana shops. Olivier supports them; Whelan wants to wait until the marijuana question is answered at the federal level.
When it comes to funding a parks plan, Whelan says he is still learning about the issue, but understands the importance of parks to the community.
Watch the full Take 5 above.
Also watch Esparza Take 5.

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David Taub,

Senior Reporter

Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email