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Politics 101: ACLU Sues Sheriff, Clovis Picks 'New' Mayor, Safety Tax Fails
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 4 years ago on
March 23, 2021

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The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is holding back on disciplinary records that should be made public, a new lawsuit alleges.

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David Taub

Politics 101

ACLU of Northern California filed the lawsuit in Fresno County Superior Court on Monday. They accuse the Sheriff’s Office of not complying with a 2018 law requiring law enforcement agencies to disclose records about use of force causing death or great bodily injury; discharging of firearms; sustained findings of sexual assault; and sustained findings of dishonesty while investigating a crime.

“The current lawsuit continues the ACLU’s work to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the abuse of power by law enforcement officers,” Allyssa Victory, criminal justice attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, said in a news release. “When officers abuse their power, victims, their families, and the public have the right to know.”


Also in Politics 101: 

  • ACLU seeking records in lawsuit.
  • Flores is new Clovis mayor.
  • Orange Cove public safety tax fails.

ACLU Wants Records

The civil rights group filed a Public Records Act request for the information in January 2019 when the law went into effect. The department responded 22 months later in October 2020, the lawsuit says, with documents for 23 incidents.  The department said there were more documents but have not disclosed them.

ACLU is also accusing the Sheriff’s Office of incorrect charges of more than $10,000 for copies of the records.

“We are aware of the following lawsuit and will be reviewing pleadings, etc. Due this being brand new litigation, we will refer you to our county counsel for any potential comment on the matter,” sheriff department spokesman Tony Botti said.

County counsel Daniel Cederborg justified the time it took to produce records.

“Although there have been delays, the process of locating the records on this extensive request is essentially manual and very cumbersome. There was a lot of litigation by different organizations on this topic throughout the state so the rules weren’t clear for several months about what had to be disclosed.  And the COVID-19 pandemic and the Creek Fire both seriously impacted Sheriff staff resources for all duties, not just responding to PRA requests,” Cederborg said via email.

“The County has been working actively with the ACLU over the past few months and has been producing records. The County has not refused to produce records that are reasonably locatable so the lawsuit coming at this time seems unnecessary,” Cederborg said.

No court date has been set. A copy of the suit can be found here.

[Update 3/23/21: this item has been updated to include a statement from Daniel Cederborg that came after the initial publication.]

Flores Selected Next Clovis Mayor

Jose Flores

Jose Flores will serve as mayor of Clovis for the next two years. The council selected the longest-serving member at its meeting on Monday night.

First elected to council in 1999, Flores starts his third term as mayor. His prior stints began in 2001 and 2011. The position is mostly ceremonial.

At the same meeting, Vong Mouanoutoua and Lynne Ashbeck were officially sworn in for their second and sixth terms respectively.

Tax Measure Fails in Orange Cove

Besides the competitive Clovis City Council elections on March 2, there was one other item the county ballot — a parcel tax in Orange Cove to fund public safety.

Needing two-thirds to pass, Measure S only received 61% and thus failed. Only 308 people voted. If 16 votes flipped, the measure would have passed.

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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

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