Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz is investigating whether a campaign mailer for an upcoming city council election violated the law.

Last week, a group called Fresno Future Forward sent a mailer to residents in Fresno City Council District 5, which covers much of southeast Fresno. The mailer claimed candidate Brandon Vang — an elected member of the Sanger Unified school board — committed statutory rape of a 15-year old girl around 1993.

Vang told GV Wire the accusation is “completely false.” He filed a complaint with Janz’s office on Friday.

“My office and I intend to move quickly and expeditiously as we do with all matters. When I assumed this position as city attorney, I vowed to make our local government and its elections more transparent to the people of the city of Fresno. The voters have a right to know, under the law, who is behind these mailers,” Janz said at a Monday morning news conference.

Janz said the goal is to “achieve compliance” with election laws, and not necessarily impose fines or file criminal charges. He said the investigation is “not a criminal matter.”

He hopes to complete the investigation in “less than a week.”

Luis Chavez vacated the seat in January when he won election to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. A special election for District 5 takes place March 18. As of Monday, 2,859 voters out of approximately 36,076 returned early ballots, a return rate of 8%.

Related Story: Fresno Special Election Turns Dirty With ‘False’ Attack Mailer

Official Complaint Filed

Janz said he is officially looking into whether there was any violation of the state Political Reform Act or any city codes. He has the authority to investigate campaign finance issues.

Vang filed a formal complaint with Janz on Friday.

“Given the importance of transparency and accountability in the electoral process, we urge the City Attorney’s Office to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether any campaign finance laws have been violated. We remain committed to fair elections and ensuring that all candidates are held to the same legal and ethical standards,” Vang’s campaign said in a news release Monday.

Vang’s complaint questions the disclosures of the group behind the mailer, using city resources to campaign, and “improper contributions” supporting candidate Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who is running against Vang and three other candidates.

The complaint formally lists six potential violations, ranging from failure to disclose, to improper use of city resources.

The Investigation

Janz said he has assigned an attorney from his office to the case. A subpoena to the UPS Store will be issued later on Monday. Another subpoena could go out to the print shop that printed and mailed the campaign literature. He expects quick compliance.

“We will use all of our legal tools at our disposal to find out who sent them out,” Janz said.

Janz said he would only investigate violations of campaign finance law and not the merits of the allegations.

Vang also complained about a District 5 newsletter, saying it is a violation of rules regulating mass mailings at public expense. The complaint included a copy of the newsletter, dated January 2025, featuring pictures of Jonasson Rosas and Chavez — the couple are married to each other — on the front.

Janz said that is not part of his investigation.

Also running in the race in addition to Vang and Jonasson Rosas — an elected member to the Fresno Unified school board — are nonprofit leader Jose Leon Barraza, Paul Condon, and write-in candidate Nickolas Wildstar.

“I’m focused on talking with the residents of District 5 about the many challenges and opportunities facing southeast Fresno in the coming months and years. Working towards solutions to the needs of the district is my priority and I won’t get distracted,” Jonasson Rosas told GV Wire.

Mystery Behind Mailer’s Sponsor

Fresno Future Forward does not have an online presence, and has not filed any campaign documents with the city of Fresno. The mailer does say it is “not authorized by a candidate or candidate’s committee.” The address listed on the mailer is for a UPS Store in downtown Fresno.

While those elements comply with state campaign finance law, any independent expenditure over $1,000 in a year must file financial documents, in this case with the city of Fresno. The group has not done so.

At his news conference, Janz said for sure the mailers cost more than $1,000.

“We have good information based on our initial investigation already, that these mailers were sent out to hundreds of residents in the area,” Janz said.

The mailer makes its accusation based on a 1993 lawsuit from Fresno County against Vang, seeking to establish paternity and payment of child support. The child listed in the document would be 31 today, and voting records show a person that age currently lives in the Vang household.

“The child support case mentioned in the flyer involves my wife of 30 years and our son, who has lived with me his entire life. It’s disheartening to see false claims used as political attacks, but I remain committed to honesty and serving our community with transparency,” Vang told GV Wire last week.

Vang had no new comment today, as he is mourning the death of his mother.

A source sent GV Wire the front page of the document, but the full copy is not available through court records, because it is marked “confidential.”

Janz said “that’s not something that we’re looking at” regarding the use of a confidential record.

Related Story: Editorial: City Attorney Janz Must Investigate Malicious Election Mailer