Terance Frazier is not going down without a fight.

The city of Fresno is going to court to force the nonprofit Frazier operates to exit the Granite Park sports complex. The city filed an unlawful detainer lawsuit in January, and a judge next week will decide if the eviction case continues or ends.

Frazier, the president of the nonprofit Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, is combatting the city in court and with his words.

“I’m willing to walk away from the park if (City Manager) Georgeanne White or (Mayor) Jerry Dyer can stand by their statement and say that I owe rent. If I prove to them that I do not owe rent, are they willing to leave their job?” Frazier told GV Wire.

“If they’re not willing to walk away from their job, that should tell everybody in the city of Fresno that what they’re doing is wrong, defamatory, and all lies,” Frazier said.

Frazier said the city’s allegation in its lawsuit “are premised on a complete fiction lacking any basis in fact.”

A 2015 lease called for CVCSF to pay $62,500 in yearly rent, and share digital billboard revenue. The city says the nonprofit has failed to do so. The lease also gives CVCSF an annual $150,000 subsidy, something Frazier said the city has not paid.

Without the subsidy, Frazier said he will have to lay off 50 employees.

“God allows the enemy to tempt you. Same as he did with Job. So, yes, I’m getting persecuted,” Frazier said, referencing the Bible.

City’s Eviction Lawsuit

The Jan. 14 unlawful detainer filing said CVCSF owes $708,298 in unpaid rent. The litigation followed demands in May and November 2024 from the city that CVCSF quit the lease for failure to pay. The nonprofit refused to leave, remaining in operation.

In a legal declaration, White, the city manager, listed reasons for an expedited eviction hearing:

• The city continues to lose rental income;
• The city’s “inability to use the Premises for supervised sporting events with necessary safety measures”;
• Increased legal exposure from potential injuries, vandalism, or nuisance complaints at the park.

White also made several other accusations. They include CVCSF failing to clean up after events, using tents on the property in violation of fire codes, and holding the Feb. 19 celebration of Fresno native and Kansas City Chiefs star Xavier Worthy while not legally allowed on the premises.

“Defendant’s persistent noncompliance, dating back to at least 2023, reflects a clear disregard for the terms of the Lease,” White said.

White also accused CVCSF of letting its workers compensation insurance expire. Frazier denied those allegations, sharing an email with GV Wire from his insurer that coverage renewed on Feb. 11 without a lapse.

Frazier also alleged that the city “continued to coerce” baseball tournaments to leave Granite Park and use city facilities “falsely alleging that the lease has already been terminated.”

“This is an obvious effort on the part of the city leaders to financially strangle Granite Park,” Frazier said. “Those of us who are dedicated to the ongoing mission of Granite Park continue to provide services to those who are brave enough to defy the city’s falsehoods.”

CVCSF, represented by attorney Lance Armo, filed a demurrer, which is a defense arguing that the plaintiff’s motions are defective.

The city, through its law firm Whitney, Thompson and Jeffcoach, wanted to speed up the originally scheduled demurrer hearing of March 12. Judge Robert Whalen on Monday set the date for March 4.

Frazier said he’s paid “millions of dollars” from his own pocket in attorneys fees fighting the city.

“It’s cost me a lot of money. And it actually changed my entire lifestyle because I’m fighting for these kids. And I’m fighting for the citizens of Fresno,” Frazier said.

The city did not have an immediate figure on how much it has spent pursuing the case.

A Rocky Relationship

The litigation is the latest in a rocky relationship between CVCSF and the city that started in 2015 when the nonprofit agreed to take over the abandoned city-owned fields at Granite Park.

CVCSF runs the baseball and soccer fields on the property, hosting youth tournaments and games, as well as non-sports events.

Things turned sour in 2018 when CVCSF asked the city to double its subsidy. The city responded by conducting an audit, and released the results upon public request. The audit found several alleged financial irregularities.

Frazier sued, arguing the city botched the audit, and made its findings public prematurely. That case is pending in federal court. Filed in 2020, the oft-delayed next hearing in that case is scheduled for July 10.

An effort in 2021 to settle the case by the city council also failed, when Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp alleged possible violations of the Brown Act — the state’s open meeting laws. No charges were filed, but settlement discussions ended.

CVCSF also has a lawsuit against its neighbor, a company affiliated with Club One Casino, over parking spaces. The city is involved in that litigation as well. That case returns to the court for a case management conference on May 7.