Robert Costa returns to Fresno State on Monday to discuss politics.

The CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent has a high profile, regularly appearing on the “CBS Evening News,” and “Face the Nation.” He had a prominent role in CBS News’ 2024 election coverage.

“I fell in love with Fresno,” Costa said. “There’s something about Fresno that resonates strongly with me. Maybe it’s because I grew up in an area of Pennsylvania that has both suburbs and farms and agricultural history.”

His Central Valley trips helped Costa professionally, building relationships with Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican.

“Central Valley politics is a real prism into how California might be moving and how the rest of the country might be moving on different issues. It’s a battleground, and it’s a place I pay attention to as a reporter,” Costa said.

This is the fifth appearance in Fresno for Costa. He participated in the President’s Lecture Series, 2017 through 2020 (the last a pandemic-era virtual chat). This year’s lecture is sponsored by The Maddy Institute’s Speaker Series.

Maddy Institute Executive Director Blake Zante will moderate the event, at which Costa will talk about politics and public policy. Costa also plans to meet with students earlier in the day.

The event takes place at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but an RSVP is encouraged here.

Attorney: Arambula is Termed Out

Last week, Politics 101 reported that state Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula plans to run for the Fresno City Council in 2026 instead of a potential final term in the state Legislature.

Arambula said he was not sure he was even eligible to run again. An election expert says that Arambula is terming out.

First winning office in a 2016 special election, Arambula served eight months in office before winning his first full term later that year. He won election again in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

“Prop 28 from 2012 changed the standard from ‘term’ limits to a total amount of years capped. And it says explicitly that if service of the term of office sought puts the person over 12 years as a state legislator, they are ineligible to run for that term,” attorney Matthew Alvarez said.

The 2012 law allows for a legislator to serve 12 years total in the Senate, Assembly or a combination of the two bodies.

“Partial terms do count against him.  The old state law (and usually the rule on term limits in local jurisdictions) was that electeds were limited to a certain number of ‘terms’ and partial terms which lasted for less than half of a full term did not count as a ‘term’ for purposes of the limits,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez is a political and election law specialist at San Francisco-based Rutan & Tucker.

Newsom Appoints New River Board Member

A 2021 Arambula bill reshaped the San Joaquin River Conservancy board. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a pick reflecting those changes.

Newsom appointed Stephanie Ruiz to the board. The recent Fresno State graduate’s resume includes climate research-oriented positions with the California Climate Action Corps, a USDA program at Fresno State, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Arambula’s bill added a member to the now-16 member board, and created slots specific to represent Native American tribes, and a youth position — both to be selected by the governor.

Ruiz, a 23 year-old Democrat from Fresno, fulfils the 18-to-26 year old spot. She will earn $75 per diem.

The river board will soon see other changes. Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau, and Madera Mayor Santos Garcia were voted out of office and hence the river board as well. The respective supervisor boards of Madera and Fresno counties, and the Madera and Fresno city councils each select one member for the river board.

Karbassi Distributes Turkeys

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi distributed 400 turkeys and meals at his “Operation Gobble” event Tuesday morning at Pinedale Elementary School.

According to his District 2 office, “the meals included a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, canned corn, canned green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy packets, dinner rolls, a pie, a coke product, and milk.”

PG&E and Caglia Environmental helped sponsor the event.