Update: Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi said he would be willing to investigate the allegations if Juan Arambula and Luisa Medina were willing to reimburse the city for the cost of the investigation if no wrong-doing was found.

Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi says he doesn’t want an investigation into alleged misuse of taxpayer funds by former city councilmember and current county supervisor Luis Chavez.

Karbassi said allegations from former state Assemblymember Juan Arambula and long-time community activist Luisa Medina were made to advance their preferred candidate, Brandon Vang, in Tuesday’s council District 5 special election.

“I’m not going to waste taxpayer resources investigating rumors that have no credible source,” Karbassi told GV Wire on Thursday. “That’s what’s happening, these are all rumors.”

Karbassi has endorsed Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, who is Chavez’s wife, for the vacated District 5 seat. Jonasson Rosas is a Fresno Unified board trustee.

Arambula and Medina say in their complaint that “there is substantial reason to believe” Chavez used district funds to support his wife’s campaign to fill his former seat.

Chavez has rebutted the allegations in the letter, saying “no city funds were used for political purposes in the district.”

Arambula, Medina Respond to Karbassi’s Comments

Informed that Karbassi opposes an investigation, Arambula told GV Wire on Friday morning: “It’s not surprising that he doesn’t want to look into the situation all that closely because he may not want to find out what’s going on, if he doesn’t already know.”

Arambula, who is also a former Fresno County supervisor and Fresno Unified trustee, said the complaint letter wasn’t personal and Chavez and Jonasson Rosas are “good people.”

Said Arambula: “This seat could well affect a lot of issues coming before the city council for years to come, and it’s an important issue. I think Karbassi is looking at it from a political perspective and not from a good government perspective.”

Medina, a former Fresno Unified board trustee, said Karbassi’s remarks were off-base but understandable in light of his relationship with political consultant Alex Tavlian. She added that she isn’t backing anyone in the District 5 race and joined Arambula in requesting an investigation because she wanted to ensure public funds are used appropriately.

“It begs to have somebody take a look at this,” Medina said. “If Karbassi doesn’t want to have the city attorney or City Hall look into this, I could see why.”

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Chavez and Karbassi Have Ties to Same Political Consultant

Medina and Arambula allege that a district communications/outreach contract with Tavlian — also the editor of the San Joaquin Valley Sun digital news site — was geared to help the Jonasson Rosas campaign. Tavlian has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Chavez signed two $100,000 contracts with Tavlian in 2024. One of those contracts — inked in December 2024 — was made after Chavez secured his supervisor position and extends through December 2025. The contracts are paid for with taxpayer funds.

“Why would I sign a contract if I’m not going to be around to execute it?” Medina said of Chavez on the day the complaint was filed.

City documents also show a $45,000 contract for consulting services between Karbassi and Tavlian that expired near the end of 2023. Local taxpayers funded that contract as well.

In addition, documents show that Karbassi’s election campaign account paid Tavlian’s Park West Associates consulting/media firm more than $59,000 in the first half of 2024 for campaign literature, mailings, signs and other services.

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Chavez’s Last City Newsletter Highlights His Wife

The complaint specifically points to a District 5 newsletter printed in January prominently featuring Chavez and Jonasson Rosas. The letter additionally alleges that Chavez’s then-council aides helped distribute the campaign material, which is illegal.

Karbassi countered that many district aides will work on campaigns during their off-hours, which is allowed, and he’ll punish any staffers supporting a political campaign during work hours.

“If you get caught as a staffer using city resources for political purposes, you should expect to get fired,” Karbassi said. “This is nothing that’s played around with. It’s a very serious matter. That’s why it doesn’t happen anymore.”

Karbassi: Arambula, Medina Want to See Their Candidate Win

Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz has the authority to investigate campaign finance complaints for city races, he told GV Wire. But he said illegal election activity or misuse of public funds complaints should go to the Fresno County District Attorney.

Karbassi said the complaint was filed to help Vang, a Sanger Unified board trustee, get elected. Karbassi also said the complaint was filed to prime State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula — Juan Arambula’s son — for a potential mayoral run.

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Arambula told GV Wire in November 2024 he would run for Fresno City Council.

“Let’s call a spade a spade here,” Karbassi said. “They’re not doing it out of the goodness of the public good, they’re doing this because they want to have gotcha moments to help their candidate win. And that’s very unfortunate.”

Also running in the District 5 special election are nonprofit leader Jose Leon Barraza, Paul Condon, and write-in candidate Nickolas Wildstar.