Fresno City Council hopeful Mike Karbassi wants District 2 to know he is the law and order candidate. At a fundraiser Tuesday night at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, having police chief Jerry Dyer and district attorney Lisa Smittcamp in attendance was a good start. Dyer himself is running...
City Council Candidate Garcia Touts Business, Veteran Background
With six candidates in the Aug. 13 special election for the vacant northwest Fresno city council seat, the campaign season is on. Lawrence Garcia welcomed about 50 guests to his fundraiser Thursday at the Elbow Room. I heard more than one attendee, all veterans of such functions, mention they saw...
Six Will Battle for Brandau’s Vacated Seat. Hunsaker Doesn’t File.
Six candidates are officially running in the Aug. 13 special election for the vacant northwest Fresno City Council seat. The deadline passed Friday, and one notable name is not on the list. Debbie Hunsaker, the president of construction support company Alert-O-Lite, did not return the paperwork to run. Previously, she...
Brand Issues First Mayoral Veto in Fight Over Office Space
The City Hall power struggle between the executive and legislative branches continues. Fresno Mayor Lee Brand exercised his first veto since taking office in 2017, overruling a council vote on the reallocation of City Hall office space. The city council on April 25 voted 5-1 to take space used by...
Arias Explains Switcheroo on Anti-Panhandling Signs
On Wednesday, three city councilmembers — Miguel Arias, Garry Bredefeld, Paul Caprioglio — publicly supported the “Help Us, Help Fresno” proposal. Their idea? Place signs discouraging motorists from giving to panhandlers at busy intersections and instead ask for donations to charities helping the homeless. Arias strongly endorsed the signs at...
Questions Remain About Granite Park, Repayments to Cox
For the first time since a city audit questioned Granite Park's bookkeeping practices, a City Hall official says the nonprofit overseeing the sports park is in good standing. “Our legal opinion is that the nonprofit is in substantial compliance with its contract obligations,” city attorney Douglas Sloan said. The verdict...
Proposed Rules Mean Fresnans Can Water More, Be Fined Less
Update, 4/11/2019: Fresno city council approved, 6-0, changes in the city's water monitoring program. Additionally, water users can water until 10 a.m. (no watering is allowed on any day between 10 a.m.-6 p.m.). Also, fines won't start until May 2020, giving one year to implement the program. The city will...
Who's Out, Who's In, Who's Raised $50K for NW Fresno Special Election?
Phil Arballo is out of the 2019 special election for Fresno City Council District 2. He says, however, he is still in it for the regular 2020 race. Arballo says concerns over election fatigue are the reason for his curious strategy. There could be three elections in a seven-month period....
Black Community Blisters Brandau for 'Reparations' Remark
Leaders of Fresno's black community on Thursday publicly criticized city councilman Steve Brandau's comparison of extra gas tax road repair funding for the city's southern districts to slavery reparations. After they spoke out during the council meeting — and some of his own colleagues suggested that apologize — Brandau only...
Will Alonzo's Establishment Support Help Him in Council Run?
Nathan Alonzo officially announced his 2020 campaign for Fresno City Council District 4, covering the east-central part of town. The political establishment stood in support of Alonzo’s run — the mayor, the incumbent, the police chief, the sheriff, the chamber of commerce, and the police union, among others. Yet, the...