Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
How Many San Joaquin College Grads Passed Latest Bar Exam?
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 7 years ago on
June 29, 2018

Share

Passing the state bar is hard. It’s supposed to be. The California bar exam results from February prove it. Of the 5,000-plus hopeful attorneys, only 29% passed. It is the lowest passage rate since the state started keeping records in 1951.

Photo of GV Wire's David Taub
Politics 101
David Taub
On the surface, the 13% passage rate for San Joaquin College of Law alumni sounds low. And, it is. But consider this: In its category group (accredited schools/not American Bar Association approved), 4 of 31 repeat SJCL test-takers passed, for the 13% rate. That exceeded the category group average of 9%.
The February bar exam typically includes a high percentage of repeat test-takers. Meanwhile, the exam in July attracts a high number of graduates taking the exam for the first time.
The school’s academic dean, Justin Atkinson, said that while passage rates are important, they are not the end-all, be-all.
“SJCL takes very seriously its responsibility to train law students well and give them the skills they need both to pass the California Bar Exam and to practice law effectively. Data about bar pass rates is important in assessing a law school’s performance, but it cannot be a litmus test. The long-term performance of a school is more revealing than a snapshot of one particular sitting of the bar exam,” Atkinson said.
February’s results aside, SJCL-provided stats showing that 77% of alumni have passed the bar exam in the last five years.
“We are concerned that only 13% of repeat takers passed the February 2018 sitting of the bar exam, and will continue to seek improvement in student outcomes,” Atkinson said.

Fresno Budget Passes

The month-long budget process concluded with the Fresno City Council approving the $1.1 billion spending plan by a 5-2 vote on Thursday (June 28).
How to spend nearly $10 million in newly added funds thanks to a one-time accounting method change led to days of debate. The money came from revenues by adding in a 13th month of the usual 12-month budget period. The council decided to add the money to the city’s reserve.
That meant the original amount that Mayor Lee Brand planned for the reserves $3.4 million, was up for grabs.
Seniors may have been a big winner, with council approving $1 million for a new senior center. Councilman Clint Olivier won support from the council as well to spend $500,000 of the potential cannabis business license tax for an interim center.
Oliver Baines, Paul Caprioglio, Luis Chavez, Clint Olivier and Esmeralda Soria voted in favor of the final budget. Steve Brandau and Garry Bredefeld voted against.

Valadao Wants Water Hearing


Rep. David Valadao
Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) usually brings the Central Valley to Washington, DC. Now he wants to bring Washington to the Central Valley.
The Republican officially asked the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources to hold a field hearing in his district to talk about drought.
“I am hopeful that by witnessing the negative impacts of this water crisis, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will have a greater understanding of just how critical securing a reliable water supply for the region is to my constituents,” Valadao said in a news release.
Meanwhile, Valadao’s GROW Act legislation that passed in July 2017, which would help ease access to water, still languishes in the Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), has yet to schedule a hearing on the bill.

Bessinger Takes on Atwater Job


Drew Bessinger
It appears that Clovis City Councilman Drew Bessinger’s job away from the dais is as a full-time interim police chief.
The Merced Sun-Star reported that Bessinger accepted the interim role in Atwater, where the city government has been in turmoil. Police Chief Samuel Joseph was placed on paid leave at the start of the year by a since-departed city manager.
Bessinger, a Fresno State graduate and Army veteran, has held similar interim roles in Fowler, Parlier and Kingsburg following his two-decade career in the Clovis Police Department where he rose to the rank of captain.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

DON'T MISS

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

DON'T MISS

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

DON'T MISS

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

UP NEXT

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

UP NEXT

Survey: Californians Blame Utility Company Spending, Profits for High Electricity Rates

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

Newsom Seeks Help for Struggling Oil Refiners

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Directs Investigations Over Gender-Affirming Care

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Cancels Hundreds of Grants for Police, Crime Victims

UP NEXT

How Do High Schoolers Really Fare After Graduation? A New California Tool Lets You Know

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

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

12 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

13 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

13 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

13 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

14 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

14 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

15 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

15 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

16 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

16 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman homered as the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Thursday ...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

10 hours ago

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

11 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. (REUTERS File)
12 hours ago

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

13 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

Chickens sit at a poultry farm. March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)
13 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

13 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
14 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend