Two Fresno County Superior Court judges plan to retire and not run for reelection in the 2020 election. The move opens up two seats on the bench. Wednesday (Nov. 6) is the deadline for incumbent judicial candidates to file to run again. Of the 19 seats on the March 3, 2020...
Judge Presses Pause on Slatic Restraining Order Hearing
A Fresno Unified school board member will have to wait at least a month to learn the fate of a restraining order filed against him. In July, a Bullard High student/cheerleader filed a restraining order against Terry Slatic, saying she feared for her safety after Slatic held a meeting with...
Arambula’s Daughter Says She Was ‘Grasped,’ not Slapped
Defendant Joaquin Arambula’s 7-year old daughter spent most of Friday afternoon in Fresno County Superior Court. Holding a green purse with a cat’s face painted on the side and a stuffed toy bunny in a Wonder Woman costume, she took the stand as the prosecution's first witness. Arambula, who represents...
Clovis Sues to Keep Control of Cannabis Deliveries
A coalition of 25 local governments — including the city of Clovis — has filed a lawsuit against the California Bureau of Cannabis Control. They hope to strike down regulations allowing delivery of commercial cannabis statewide. Attorneys for the coalition say the lawsuit was filed late Thursday in Fresno County...
Arambula Pleads Not Guilty to Child Cruelty Charge
A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) during an arraignment hearing that lasted less than 90 seconds Wednesday. Arambula did not appear in Fresno Superior Court to face a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to a child. The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office charged Arambula,...
Change on Bench: Judge Petrucelli Retires, Jones Is Replacement
James Petrucelli is concluding 20 years on the bench a few months earlier than expected. The judge, who first won election to the Fresno County bench in 1998, is retiring. On Wednesday (Jan. 2), Gov. Jerry Brown announced Petrucelli's successor, current court commissioner Heather Mardel Jones. She officially takes the...
Gov. Brown Elevates Fresno Women to Judgeships
Gov. Jerry Brown appointed two new judges to the Fresno County Superior Court last week. Both are women from Fresno legal firms. Amy Guerra, an attorney with Richard Ciummo and Associates, and Ana de Alba, a shareholder at Lang, Richert, and Patch, will join the bench. They will replace Dale Ikeda, who...