The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office will no longer provide “courtesy appearances” on behalf of the city of Fresno in court.

DA Lisa Smittcamp notified her staff and sent an email to Mayor Jerry Dyer and other city officials on Aug. 1 documents obtained by GV Wire show.

“After careful consideration and numerous discussions with prosecutors and members of the bench, I have made the decision that the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office will no longer be making courtesy appearances on cases for the city attorneys from the Fresno City Attorney’s office,” Smittcamp wrote.

The DA’s office would appear in court on behalf of the city if a city attorney could not appear. That will no longer be the case. The city of Fresno is the only jurisdiction in the county that prosecutes its own cases for certain crimes.

The Fresno City Council has tasked City Attorney Andrew Janz with prosecuting wage and copper wire thieves, and enforcing anti-homelessness ordinances.

The DA’s new policy went into effect Aug. 4. It is unclear in how many cases the DA appeared for the city attorney as a courtesy.

Smittcamp’s Office Explains Reasons Behind Change

“Our office has a long history of providing courtesy appearances on behalf of the Fresno City Attorney’s Office when their staff was smaller,” Smittcamp spokesperson Taylor Long said in a statement to GV Wire. Now, with the growth of Janz’s office, “They are now fully equipped to handle their cases independently.”

 At a ceremony in May, Janz welcomed Ashley Paulson to his team. She came over from the DA’s office.

Janz forwarded the email to Paulson — the interim chief assistant city attorney — instructing her to continue assisting DA deputies when asked.

“Her office is short-staffed as they continue to lose attorneys to other agencies. We cannot lose sight of the fact that we are all one team when it comes to upholding the rule of law and seeking justice for victims,” Janz wrote.

“Encourage our deputies to continue to demonstrate their professionalism in their court appearances by setting a higher standard for other prosecutors. I will not allow the courtroom to become a place for politics.” 

Smittcamp’s office acknowledged that workloads were a factor.

“Given the already significant caseloads carried by our prosecutors, our district attorney has made the decision to prioritize those responsibilities to ensure we continue delivering justice effectively for the community,” Long said.

City Says It Made Change Before Smittcamp’s Decision

Janz’s office said Tuesday he had already set the expectations for the city to handle its own business in court.

“Prior to learning of the district attorney’s email to her staff, the city attorney had already directed his deputies to appear on all city-related matters given their sensitive nature, complexity, and the possibility of civil litigation associated with those cases,” Janz’s office told GV Wire.

(Edward Smith contributed to this report.)