Down at Ballots+Brew Event at Full Circle Brewery! Former City Hall Staff Georgeanne White, Fresno Bee editor and KVPR reporter. Hosted by @fresnoland with @DaniBergstrom moderating.
@LauraTsutsui of KVPR says there is a always push to get minorities to vote in Central Valley but doesn’t always work. Bee Editor Joe says you would expect better turnout by Dems but doesn’t typically happen like with Valdoao v TJ Cox. Get out the vote doesn’t always materialize
Last day to register in CA but you can still vote by provisional vote. Measure A : cannabis business license won’t actually legalize MJ but how it will be taxed. Bee Editorial Board endorsed it for 10 million reasons. Black market provides no tax revenue but this will give $10 M
$1 million will go to Comminity Benefit Fund @LauraTsutsui says Ballot doesn’t specify who will be on CBO Commission. Will depend on who is on Council. Other 90% will go to General Fund. White says most will go to Police/Fire. Maybe into Council slush fund?? Measure O: Technical
Charter Clean up. Most cities are general law but charter cities have more independence. This ballot cleans up 1)City Manger doesn’t have to live in City. 2)Off year campaigning can occur 3) prohibiting water meters 4) balance budget. No opponents to this ballot. Wonky bill.
Fresno has Strong Mayor form of Government where Mayor has to live in City. This clean up is leftover from transition to this form. Measure P: P for Parks. 3/8 Percent sales tax to generate $37 M for 30 years. White says Parks gets short thrift next to other big 2 in General Fund
White says there will probably never be a chance to give money to Parks except for a ballot. Public Safety always gets priority. Bee: Board says Parks are in very poor shape. Bee says public safety needs to be better funded but @MayorLeeBrand had a chance to fund those with tax.
Bee: says City was shocked Measure P got the 35,000 signatures. 2/3 of Voters needed. He has never seen one of these pass with organized opposition and this. @LauraTsutsui says the “we support Parks but...” Mayor wanted 1/2 cent ballot with 1/4 to Parks and public Safety. Fresno
is very low on Park quality in the country. Bee: great cities have great parks. @DaniBergstrom helped write this ballot. Was surprised by the variety in the coalition. White:this aligns with Meaure Z process. Old Pelco CEO David McDonald was part of Z and part of Meausre P too
Bee:35,000 signatures was a loud message to mayor and council. @LauraTsutsui a diverse coalition. Building Healthy Community as well as former Republican mayors. @BriannaCalix has a good article on this. Measure Q: Balance Budget Amendment. White says there was always a balance
budget. @GarryBredefeld “helped bring this forward. He wanted it placed in Budget “. Moving on to City Council races. @Esmeralda_Soria already has 5 wrapped up. District 3&7 have low income areas. District 3 has TCC dollars though. Whoever wins will need to keep the momentum.
@LauraTsutsui says her recent article says district 3 residents want this but have been burned in past. Bee: Environmental Justice is big in 3. Redevelopment is big as well as blight for 5. District 7 has Whelan v Esparza which can swing council to democratic leaning with Olivier
terming Out. White says District 3!has a lot of divergent interests with Downtown, small business and Westside residents. She says it has been represented not past by not strong leaders. @LauraTsutsui says more clashing between Dems and Mayor if Esparza wins. Bee says depends on
issue by issue. Never had a Democratic Mayor. What if meaure P passes? A repudiation of Mayor. White says mayor needs to overcome and work with whoever is on Council. Absence of leadership will be an issue will cause council to do so and sparks fly. Bee: non partisan races but it
does make a difference. Council has to work for common good. White: conservatives may step out something like recent general plan or vis a versa. Bee: Mayor had a chance to have tax increase two years ago but declined due to his philosophy. State Races: Two Assemblymen/ State Sen
in Fresno area. @LauraTsutsui doesn’t think any change will occur. Aileen Rizzo had some publicity with lawsuit she won. Bee: Vidak Hurtado Race will be close. Borgeas should win race to take over Berryhill spot. CA -22: Janz v Nunes. bee endorsed Janz. 40 page article by Nunes
to blast Bee was amazing. Nunes has been endorsed by Bee in past and he had token opposition. Nunes changed with not answering Bee anymore and going to media who won’t ask hard question. Bee thinks he should be a check and balance of Presidenti but he has not. Bee won’t endorse
Candidate who wouldn’t come into be interviewed and he refused. Instead of attacking his opponent (Janz) he attacked Bee. Is this a new game plan for local campaigns??Congressional race 16 with Elizabeth Heng v Jim Costa @LauraTsutsui thinks Costa will win. Bee: thinks Valadao
will win. Heng is a different opponent for Costa. Bee reported on Heng’s residency issue much like TJ Cox did. White: says that is a sloppy mistake by Heng. Unforced error. @LauraTsutsui says lots of female candidates in Valley this year. She wrote article before Kavanaugh hear
-ings too. Valley has never sent a female candidate to Congress. Do people choose based on gender or party? State issues: prop 3 Water Bond. White says many thought Temperance Flat should’ve been passed. $750 M to repair Kern Friant Canal. Subsident has made it hard to transfer
water in low water times. LA times had misinformation says White. Bee: largest effect in Valley. Westland effected for sure. Also gas tax repeal. Effects poor people especially in Valley. Doesn’t think it will be appealed. @LauraTsutsui Prop 2 to help homelessness with a
millionaire tax. Q&A:! If we spend $750 million to fix canal will they just continue to be hurt due to overdrafting ? White: it will take years to over draft with sustainable groundwater act. Q: asks why Bee endorsed measure P and allowed Darius Assimi editorial against it ? Bee
wanted to allow both sides. Q:will prop 3 have any dam funding? White: no funding for Temperance Flat etc except Oroville. Sorry: my ride had to leave so I can’t finish event. Candidate Mellisa Hurtado showed up as I was leaving! Running v Vidak
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