Fresno city councilman Steve Brandau appears ready for an upgrade. With 100% of precincts reporting, Brandau leads in the special election for the vacant Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat with 57.5% of the votes. Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission publicist Nasreen Johnson is in second place with 31.8%;...
Is Clovis Economic Boom Headed for Slow Down?
At tonight’s Clovis council meeting (March 4), the board will hear a five-year economic forecast. The report indicates trouble looming: “The General Fund forecast continues to be much more constrained during the forecast period than it has been during recent years … sales tax is projected to grow at a...
Face-Off for Fresno Supervisor: Brandau, Hosey, Johnson
The election for a vacant Fresno County supervisorial seat is less than six weeks away. And, the three candidates vying to represent north and central Fresno and parts of Clovis are getting ready. Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau may have some built-in advantages. He has name recognition as an elected...
Cox Chairs First Capitol Hill Meeting. It Lasted Just 12 Minutes.
Rep. TJ Cox chaired his first meeting of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday (Feb. 26). The official portion didn’t last long. The topic was how industries manipulate science and climate change information, but much of Twitter’s reaction was about the brevity...
Absentee Returns Suggest Strong Interest in Supervisor Race
The election clerk’s office reports that voters have returned nearly 11,000 absentee ballots in the March 5 election for a vacant Fresno County supervisor seat. That is a 15% return rate of the approximately 71,600 sent out. In all, District 2 has 113,596 registered voters, meaning 63% received mail-in ballots. The...
Question About His River Access Vote Gets Under Brandau's Skin
For much of Monday’s (Feb. 11) Board of Supervisors District 2 forum, the three candidates discussed various topics in a genial manner. Then, the moderator asked Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau about the San Joaquin River access controversy. The question, presented by Daren Miller, asked why Brandau voted to “destroy...
Before Losing Quorum, ALRB Rules in Favor of Longtime Nemesis
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest pick for the California Public Utilities Commission will leave her former board shorthanded. Last week, Newsom appointed Genevieve Shiroma to the CPUC. She had served on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board since 1999. A Newsom spokesman says Shiroma will be unable to hold both positions. The...
Face-Off for Fresno Supervisor: Brandau, Hosey, Johnson
The election for a vacant Fresno County supervisorial seat is less than six weeks away. And, the three candidates vying to represent north and central Fresno and parts of Clovis are getting ready. Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau may have some built-in advantages. He has name recognition as an elected...
Former Westlands Lobbyist Now Seen as Likely for Interior Secretary
The number of contenders with Valley connections in the running to become President Trump's next Interior Secretary has risen to two. Earlier this month, the name of outgoing Valley Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) surfaced as a potential choice. Denham has expressed his interest in the job, which is being vacated by...
Party Registration in Vacant Supervisor District Favors Brandau
Voter registration numbers favor Steve Brandau in his quest to win a special election for Fresno County supervisor. The county’s latest figures show that the district, which covers mostly the city of Fresno north of Shaw Avenue, has an 8,700 (7 percentage points) Republican voter advantage. The numbers (as of...