Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Who's Out, Who's In, Who's Raised $50K for NW Fresno Special Election?
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 6 years ago on
April 5, 2019

Share

Phil Arballo is out of the 2019 special election for Fresno City Council District 2. He says, however, he is still in it for the regular 2020 race.
Arballo says concerns over election fatigue are the reason for his curious strategy. There could be three elections in a seven-month period.

Photo of GV Wire's David Taub
Politics 101
David Taub
An Aug. 13 election date, with a potential Nov. 5 runoff, is slated to fill the seat vacated by Steve Brandau as he takes his spot on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. The regular election for the seat is March 2020.
“The timeline is not in my favor. I’m going to focus on 2020,” Arballo said.

Hunsaker In?

Meanwhile, Fresno businesswoman Debbie Hunsaker says she is “pondering” a run for the District 2 northwest Fresno seat.
Hunsaker is president of Alert-O-Lite and is active on a number of city committees. She also is vice chair of government affairs for the Chamber of Commerce.

Big Self Loan for Garcia

Lawrence Garcia has lent himself $50,000 for his District 2 run. Recent campaign documents show Garcia writing his campaign two checks for $45,000 and $5,000.
Garcia is president and CEO of Ameriguard Security Services and serves as a Fresno planning commissioner. He has veteran campaign manager Mark Scozarri on his team, as well as publicist Darren Rose.
None of the three other candidates who have filed to run —Mike Karbassi, Jared Gordon or the aforementioned Phil Arballo — have reported on their fundraising.

Candidate Deadlines

According to Fresno County elections clerk Brandi Orth, here is the timeline leading up to the Aug. 13 special election for the District 2 seat:
April 11:  Signatures in Lieu of Filing Fee period opens;
April 22:  Candidate filing period opens;
May 2:  Deadline for submitting Signatures in Lieu of Filing Fee;
May 17:  Deadline for candidate filing;
A candidate has to be a resident of the district for 30 days prior to filing, so a potential candidate living outside the boundaries would need to move in by April 17.

Make Your Voice Heard Without Leaving Home

This week, the city of Fresno enacted an online comment system to allow citizens to share their thoughts on council items via the web.
Comments are due the day before Thursday council meetings.
“Comments are exported into a report and distributed to the Mayor, City Council, City Attorney, City Manager and Department Directors,” the city said in a post to the online Nextdoor platform.
“eComment is also a valuable tool for staff. Significant staff time savings can be realized by encouraging constituents to post their comments using eComment as opposed to sending emails or leaving phone messages. Having a central repository for comments ensures that the City Council and City staff is in compliance with the Brown Act by having a transparent, predictable process for managing public comment,” the statement said.
To make an e-Comment on an agenda item, click here, then chose the link for the applicable meeting.

Grizzly Fest Returns

Grizzly Fest is back at Woodward Park May 4 and 5. Council approved, 5-1, the contract yesterday (April 4) without the drama the issue created last year.
But, that didn’t mean it was without objection.
Like last year, councilman Garry Bredefeld disagreed with the choice of venue, which sits in his northeast Fresno district.
“Grizzly Fest is a wonderful event, there is no question about that. For me, my objection to that is I don’t believe it belongs in Woodward Park. I believe it belongs downtown,” he said.
Miguel Arias, who one observer described “the Garry Bredefeld of the left,” said Grizzly Fest should be in north Fresno, in the name of equality.
There are two notable changes from last year’s inaugural edition. The license fee that promoter IAN Group pays to the city for the use of Woodward Park has been reduced from last year’s $100,000 to $60,000 this year. Also, the ending time for the festival has been set at 10 p.m. instead of 11pm.
Promoter Armen Hekimian said “logistically, I can’t produce this thing downtown.” He added that 16,000 fans paid for admission to the two-day event last year.
The festival’s Saturday (May 4) headliner is Portugal. The Man. The band hit Number 1 on the Billboard Alternative chart with “Live in the Moment” and “Feel It Still”

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

Republicans’ Trust in Media Increases Following Trump’s Return to White House

DON'T MISS

Jeanine Pirro to Be Interim US Attorney for DC, Trump Says

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Catch Fleeing Gang Member Who Tossed Gun Over Fence

DON'T MISS

Suit Challenges New Rules on Children in Federal Custody Who Crossed Into US

DON'T MISS

Fresno Mayor Dyer Bullish on Growth, Calls on Newsom for $200 Million

DON'T MISS

Rejoicing Peruvians See Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own After His Many Years in Peru

DON'T MISS

FEMA’s Acting Administrator Is Replaced a Day After Congressional Testimony

DON'T MISS

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Leads Missile Test, Stresses Nuclear Force Readiness, KCNA Says

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Could Have Landed 15-Year Deal, Agent Says, but He Didn’t Want to Risk Skills Decline

DON'T MISS

White House Overhaul of Troubled US Air Traffic Control System Will Cost ‘Lots of Billions’

UP NEXT

Rejoicing Peruvians See Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own After His Many Years in Peru

UP NEXT

Shohei Ohtani Could Have Landed 15-Year Deal, Agent Says, but He Didn’t Want to Risk Skills Decline

UP NEXT

Joe Biden Blames Kamala Harris’ Loss on Sexism and Racism and Rejects Concerns About His Age

UP NEXT

Before Tariff Price Increases, Mark Cuban Suggests Stocking Up on These Items

UP NEXT

He Was Killed in a Road Rage Shooting. AI Allowed Him to Deliver His Own Victim Impact Statement

UP NEXT

More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them

UP NEXT

Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials

UP NEXT

Special Report: At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead

UP NEXT

Video: Raccoon With Meth Pipe in Its Mouth Discovered During a Routine Traffic Stop in Ohio

UP NEXT

What Customers Can Expect as Rite Aid Closes or Sells All Its Drugstores

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

Suit Challenges New Rules on Children in Federal Custody Who Crossed Into US

1 hour ago

Fresno Mayor Dyer Bullish on Growth, Calls on Newsom for $200 Million

1 hour ago

Rejoicing Peruvians See Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own After His Many Years in Peru

1 hour ago

FEMA’s Acting Administrator Is Replaced a Day After Congressional Testimony

1 hour ago

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Leads Missile Test, Stresses Nuclear Force Readiness, KCNA Says

2 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Could Have Landed 15-Year Deal, Agent Says, but He Didn’t Want to Risk Skills Decline

2 hours ago

White House Overhaul of Troubled US Air Traffic Control System Will Cost ‘Lots of Billions’

2 hours ago

US Military to Start Kicking out Transgender Troops Next Month, Memo Says

2 hours ago

Los Angeles Coliseum and SoFi Stadium to Share Opening and Closing Ceremonies for 2028 Olympics

2 hours ago

Jennifer Aniston’s Alleged Stalker Appears in Court Shirtless and a Judge Orders a Mental Evaluation

2 hours ago

Republicans’ Trust in Media Increases Following Trump’s Return to White House

Americans’ trust in news organizations and social media has increased since last year, with Republicans driving this shift following T...

39 minutes ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
39 minutes ago

Republicans’ Trust in Media Increases Following Trump’s Return to White House

Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro and other members of the news media work outside the Manhattan Criminal Court building during the 2nd day of jury deliberations in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in New York City, U.S. May 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar
45 minutes ago

Jeanine Pirro to Be Interim US Attorney for DC, Trump Says

Fresno police arrested a known gang member who ran from officers and tossed a gun over a fence in southeast Fresno. (Fresno PD)
50 minutes ago

Fresno Police Catch Fleeing Gang Member Who Tossed Gun Over Fence

1 hour ago

Suit Challenges New Rules on Children in Federal Custody Who Crossed Into US

1 hour ago

Fresno Mayor Dyer Bullish on Growth, Calls on Newsom for $200 Million

1 hour ago

Rejoicing Peruvians See Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own After His Many Years in Peru

1 hour ago

FEMA’s Acting Administrator Is Replaced a Day After Congressional Testimony

A handout photo shows missiles being launched, in North Korea, May 8, 2025. KCNA via REUTERS
2 hours ago

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Leads Missile Test, Stresses Nuclear Force Readiness, KCNA Says

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

Search

Send this to a friend