Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Councilman Arias and Chief Hall Get Into Gun 'Battle'
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 5 years ago on
February 14, 2020

Share

The Fresno Police Department needs 900 new guns. And, the city council and the mayor’s office tentatively have agreed to pay for them.
But, the path to “yes” included a testy exchange between council president Miguel Arias and police chief Andy Hall at Thursday’s meeting.

Police Gun Request

Hall told the council last month about the department’s gun situation. He said the current stock, which is many years old, was a safety hazard. And, he wanted to replace the old .40 caliber handguns with 9 mm models. The new sidearms, he said, would use cheaper ammunition.
He again addressed those concerns Thursday, saying “a gun that may fire today, may not fire tomorrow. … It would be like driving a car that may not have brakes tomorrow.”
And that led to an uneasy conversation.
Arias asked Hall why he didn’t budget for new firearms last year — the same year the department converted temporary employees into permanent staff.
Arias also quizzed Hall about raises for police employees and replacing vehicles.
“It’s fair to say that you need more resources, and so does everyone else,” Arias said.
Arias went on to say that the police department gets the lion’s share of the city’s budget every year.
Hall asked to respond, but Arias denied the request. Hall continued, anyway, noting how outdated the department’s buildings and equipment were.

Photo of Mike Karbassi
Councilman Mike Karbassi proposed sharing the cost of funding new police weapons with the Mayor’s office. His motion was approved.
“We have to go to the community to beg for donations to purchase food to feed our dogs and horses,” Hall said. “The fact is, guns are not negotiable.”
Arias responded, “What’s also not negotiable, Chief, is that something as basic as service guns are not planned in your operational budget.”

Upset Over Leak

Hall threatened that officers may get laid off to afford the new guns if the council wasn’t willing to foot the bill. He also expressed disappointment that a letter he wrote asking council support for the new guns was leaked to the media.
“That’s shameful,” Hall said.

Karbassi Comes up With a Solution

Ultimately, councilman Mike Karbassi made sure the department’s gun needs were at least partially met.
The council allocated $113,500 for the guns, with Mayor Lee Brand’s administration responsible for the rest of the $273,600 request.
Brand has since said that his staff is working to find the remaining funding.
Karbassi made it work on the council’s side with a proposal to shift $50,000 of $100,000 designated for City Hall interns and $63,500 designated for building a police memorial.
Karbassi said it was better to spend money to prevent the names of more officers going on the memorial.
 

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

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

DON'T MISS

Trump Denies Posting Image of Himself as Pope, Laughs Off Critics

DON'T MISS

Old Merced Sun-Star Newspaper Building Reduced to Rubble

DON'T MISS

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

DON'T MISS

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

DON'T MISS

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Rejects Trump Bid to Revoke 400,000 Migrants’ Legal Status

DON'T MISS

Trump Orders the Reopening of Alcatraz Prison

UP NEXT

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

UP NEXT

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

UP NEXT

Robbie Ray’s Gem Leads the Giants Over the Rockies

UP NEXT

World’s Tallest and Smallest Dogs Meet Up for a Playdate

UP NEXT

University of Texas Chancellor Is Named President of the University of California

UP NEXT

Here’s Why May the 4th Is Celebrated as Star Wars Day Across the Galaxy

UP NEXT

Military Parade on Trump’s Birthday Could Include More Than 6,500 Troops

UP NEXT

New CIA Videos Aim to Lure Chinese Officials

UP NEXT

Trump Taps Waltz for US Ambassador to the United Nations

UP NEXT

Brazilian Nun Who Was the World’s Oldest Person Has Died at 116

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

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

9 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

10 hours ago

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

10 hours ago

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

10 hours ago

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

10 hours ago

US Appeals Court Rejects Trump Bid to Revoke 400,000 Migrants’ Legal Status

10 hours ago

Trump Orders the Reopening of Alcatraz Prison

11 hours ago

Will CA Law Change to Allow Councilmembers to Govern While on Military Duty?

12 hours ago

Former Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Says He Met With Trump in Florida

12 hours ago

Trump Is About to Steal My Friend’s Christmas … and Yours

12 hours ago

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Education informed Harvard University on Monday that it was freezing billions of dollars...

7 hours ago

Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024. The Trump administration said on Monday, March 31, 2025, that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

Trump Takes Questions about Pope Image
8 hours ago

Trump Denies Posting Image of Himself as Pope, Laughs Off Critics

Merced Sun-Star building before demolition
8 hours ago

Old Merced Sun-Star Newspaper Building Reduced to Rubble

A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President Donald Trump with the United Nations logo in the background is seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo)
9 hours ago

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
10 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken May 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
10 hours ago

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

The Rivian logo is shown on one of their new electric SUV vehicles in San Diego, U.S., December 16, 2022. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)
10 hours ago

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

President Donald Trump announces the NFL draft will be held in Washington, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 5, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)
10 hours ago

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

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

Search

Send this to a friend