A day before the Fresno City Council hears appeals to preliminary licenses awarded to five retail cannabis businesses, one councilman says the city needs to hit the reset button on the entire process. Councilman Garry Bredefeld is questioning the legality of a Jan. 30, 2020 vote in which the council...
4 on 1 Fresno Council Battle Erupts Over Bredefeld Staffer
Tensions among Fresno City Council members exploded Thursday with insults, accusations and finger pointing erupting over the issue of a now-former city council staffer. Daniel Gai, an aide to Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, pleaded no contest last week to five counts of domestic violence. Two other counts are pending in court...
Fresno Councilmen Continue to Butt Heads Over Reopening Schools
The battle of news releases continued last week between Fresno councilmen Garry Bredefeld and Nelson Esparza. It started Wednesday when Bredefeld floated the idea of the city suing Fresno Unified to reopen its schools. That was quickly met with rebuke from Esparza, who not only vowed that the City Council...
Bredefeld Says Fresno Council Should Sue FUSD to Open Schools. SF Council Already Did That.
Fresno City Council Member Garry Bredefeld says he wants to follow in the footsteps of the San Francisco City Council, which recently filed suit to force San Francisco Unified to open its schools. Bredefeld announced Wednesday that he will introduce an agenda item next week for a similar lawsuit against...
Fresno Tried to Ban Rocker Marilyn Manson, Now Accused of Abusing Actress
Singer Marilyn Manson has always been controversial, for his looks, for his music, and most recently, allegations of abuse. When Manson was booked to perform in Fresno 22 years ago, the city tried to ban him. The goth singer was initially one of the scapegoats for the Columbine High School...
‘Friendship’ at Risk as Council Votes to Repeal Money Back Guarantee
The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to repeal a program designed to make the planning department more efficient. But, councilmembers sparred again over accusations of impropriety and meeting procedure. The vote reverses an ill-fated city program that attempted to address charges that Fresno is unfriendly to businesses. After years of...
‘Corruption’ or ‘Pure Politics’? What’s Behind Heated Charges Over City Trash Contract.
Garry Bredefeld's colleagues didn't think much of his vociferous complaints about a no-bid contract. The Fresno City Council on Thursday approved a contract with Olympic Property Services to clean up the Chinatown section of the city, near downtown. Bredefeld objected on many fronts, namely the no-bid nature of the contract,...
‘You’re Part of the Swamp’: Heated Argument Erupts Over Council Contract Vote
A heated debate about a Chinatown cleanup contract led to yelling, arguments, and a need for a break to cool things down at Thursday's Fresno City Council meeting. The council approved an agreement with Olympic Property Services in a no-bid contract by a 6-1 vote. But not before Councilman Garry...
Is Fresno Renaming Ordinance ‘Cancel Culture’ or Historical Correction?
Fresno will investigate and possibly change any city asset named for historical figures with a racist or bigoted past. The 4-1 vote at Thursday's city council meeting will task the Historic Preservation Commission reviewing a list of names to determine if there is a problematic history. Based on their findings,...
Pismo’s Owner to City, State Officials: We’ll See You in Court
Maybe Mayor Lee Brand needs to find another seafood restaurant to dine at. Dave Fansler, the proprietor of Pismo's Coastal Grill and other restaurants, has filed a claim against the city claiming an unfair use of code enforcement. A lawsuit will follow, his lawyer said. Another suit is planned against...