Mayor Lee Brand vetoed the Fresno City Council's plan for recreational cannabis business regulations on Monday. The council long debated the plan, which included several social equity components, for stores to conduct business in Fresno. The final vote took place on Dec. 12, passing 4-3. A veto needs five council...
Mayor Says Newsom SB 531 Veto Is 'Huge Victory' for Fresno
Arguments made by Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and other local business leaders convinced Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto Senate Bill 531 on Saturday. SB 531, authored by state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) would have stopped cities from offering sales-tax incentives as an economic development tool. Listen to this article: ...
Soria Tired of Waiting Her Turn in Congressional Challenge to Costa
Just a day after she held her first congressional fundraiser, Esmeralda Soria sat next to the man she wants to knock out of office. Soria and incumbent 16th district Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) attended a Fresno State event announcing the expansion of the Maddy Institute (see item below). The interaction...
Soria Tired of Waiting Her Turn in Congressional Challenge to Costa
Just a day after she held her first congressional fundraiser, Esmeralda Soria sat next to the man she wants to knock out of office. Soria and incumbent 16th district Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) attended a Fresno State event announcing the expansion of the Maddy Institute (see item below). The interaction...
Balch Exits Mayoral Race, Citing Family Priorities
Elliott Balch, the chief operating officer of the Central Valley Community Foundation, pulled the plug on his Fresno mayoral campaign Tuesday night. Balch's exit, along with Mayor Lee Brand's earlier decision to not seek reelection, reduces the field to just two candidates, county prosecutor Andrew Janz and police chief Jerry...
Will Council Override Brand Veto? Would be First in 12 Years.
After five years of a mayor not executing a veto, Lee Brand in 2019 issued three. And, he may suffer his first veto override at Thursday's council meeting. If the council is successful, it would be the first veto override since 2007. The council reversed then-mayor Alan Autry's plan to save...
Mayor Brand Takes Heat for Vetoing Ban on Retroactive Raises
In the latest chapter of the bubbling fight over separation of power in Fresno City Hall, Mayor Lee Brand vetoed a resolution that attempted to restrict how staff pay raises are regulated. The city council voted 6-0 on July 25 to bar retroactive raises after an employee has given notice to...
Mayor Brand Cuts Advance Peace, $1.3M from Fresno Budget
A handful of community service officers for the Fresno Police Department and a controversial anti-gang initiative are among $1.3 million sliced from city's next budget by Mayor Lee Brand. Brand laid out seven line-item veto cuts as he announced approval Monday of the city's 2019-20 fiscal year budget. The vetoes...
Senate Votes to Block Saudi Arms Sales as Trump Vows Veto
WASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to block the Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia, launching a new challenge to President Donald Trump's alliance with the country amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Trump has promised to veto the measures. The White House said stopping the sales...
With Veto Looming, Deal Reached in Fresno Office Space Clash
The Fresno City Council will not override Mayor Lee Brand’s first veto. However, the council essentially won what it wanted in the office space fight. The council approved, 5-1 on April 25, a resolution to reallocate City Hall office space used by the city manager’s office and turn that space...