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.

Politics 101
David Taub
“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”
US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned
1 hour ago
Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods
1 hour ago
Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran
1 hour ago
Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater
2 hours ago
Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows
2 hours ago
July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?
3 hours ago
Tulare County Seizes 300 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Over Fourth of July
3 hours ago
US Proposes Rules That Could Boost Oil, Gas Output in US West
4 hours ago
Trump Administration Acknowledges Lack of Evidence From Epstein Documents
4 hours ago
Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire
57 seconds ago
Categories

Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater
