Two candidates for Fresno County Supervisor met at a forum Monday afternoon. While Steve Brandau and Garry Bredefeld talked about the issues, they also attacked each other.

Hosted by the Fresno Rotary, the candidates took questions from club members in a forum moderated by KMJ radio’s Christina Musson.

“I’m not going to accept the status quo, which is what my opponent does. I am a change agent,” said Bredefeld, a Fresno City Councilmember who is terming out.

Bredefeld said he’s not afraid to speak out against things he sees as wrong, something he said that Brandau — first elected in 2019 and running for his second full term — hasn’t done.

Reponded Brandau: “Almost every one of his answers, (he’s) told you what he’s going to do, ‘what I’m going to do, I’m going to be a change agent. I’m going to do this, that, or the other.’ And none of that has ever happened in the eight years that he’s been at city council because he can’t work with people.”

The two compared how each government body is run. Bredefeld brought up controversies during Brandau’s time on the board, including problems with the children’s welfare department and the illegal biolab in Reedley. He said the county has not been transparent.

Brandau asked the audience, Which agency is run better? He said the county’s name hasn’t been dragged through the mud, unlike the city’s.

The election is Nov. 5, with vote-by-mail ballots being sent to every registered voter next month.

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Some Substance, Some Attacks

Bredefeld said the city has done a better job at handling the homeless issue. He mentioned recent city legislation he co-authored that increases enforcement for trespassing on private property. He also criticized the county for engaging in a needle exchange program.

Brandau said he voted no on that program. And, he defended his colleagues’ vote to lease office space to a doctor who conducts the needle exchanges. He questioned why Bredefeld didn’t do anything to clean up areas like Roeding Park in his time on city council.

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“He says he’s going to clean it up now. Why didn’t he do it then?” Brandau said.

Bredefeld said that the “(needle exchange program) will come to an end” if he is elected.

On land use, Brandau said that while the county doesn’t involve itself much in urban development, he does support building more affordable housing units. Bredefeld countered that the county has engaged in “leapfrog development,” when it should focus on “smart growth” instead.

Regarding the county jail, Bredefeld called for more correctional officers and said he said he has a strong record of supporting law enforcement hiring.

Brandau told the audience that Bredefeld doesn’t know what he’s taking about. The county faces the problem of training correctional officers only to have the state or other agencies poach them. The county is offering jail guards raises to improve retention, Brandau said.

During the forum, Brandau said it took him a year to figure things out, relying on the knowledge of other supervisors. Bredefeld pounced on that statement.

“It will only take me a week to figure out what’s going on. I already know what’s going on there. And that’s a shame that it took them a year because it’s a waste of time,” Bredefeld said.

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Watch The Full Debate Here