Fresno wants its own veterans district. Will hiring this GOP strategist get it done?
The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to contract with a political consulting duo for help creating a special veterans district and for communications work for COVID-19 services.
The $145,000 contract is with Local Government Strategic Consulting, LLC, a consulting corporation created a year ago by Alex Tavlian and Jim Verros.
Tavlian recently found himself in the spotlight locally during the Fresno County redistricting process. Tavlian previously did political work for a number of the Republican county supervisors, and the board nearly chose a map he submitted. After some vocal opposition, the supervisors chose an alternative map.
Verros also found himself in the news about a year ago when Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld accused his colleagues of corruption for approving a no-bid contract with one of Verros’ companies to clean up Chinatown.
Nevertheless, Fresno City Council President Luis Chavez told The Bee on Wednesday the two men have a “good track record” and are a good fit for the work the council needs.
Tavlian declined to comment for this story. Verros did not return a phone call and message.
Veterans memorial district
Part of the contract entails work exploring the creation of a veterans memorial district in Fresno.
Currently, around 40% of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District’s revenue comes from Fresno taxpayers, Chavez said, yet the district doesn’t serve or represent Fresno residents.
“For me, it’s the fundamental tenet of— not to sound corny, but — ‘No taxation without representation,’” Chavez said.
Fresno must weigh whether it wants to create an independent or dependent special tax district to serve Fresno’s veterans. An independent district would have its own government structure and bylaws, while a dependent one would fall under the city’s umbrella.
A special district would reconcile the tax money going to Clovis, Chavez said.
“Here’s the fight that’s going to happen with the Clovis Memorial District,” Chavez said. “The work that they’re (Tavlian and Verros) going to do is going to be that conversation, and how do we actually facilitate that?”
Tavlian connections
Tavlian is a well-connected political operative in the San Joaquin Valley, particularly among GOP candidates.
Tavlian, an attorney, runs a digital media firm called Sultana Media that’s been hired by a number of local Republican candidates. He also worked for Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and runs a conservative media outlet called The San Joaquin Valley Sun. His nonprofit, Valley Future Foundation, also spearheaded fundraising and public relations for COVID-19 relief for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s campaign.
In a previous interview with Valley Public Radio, Tavlian said he can still cover the news fairly for The Sun, despite his political work.
Chavez said he isn’t worried Tavlian’s potential work for the council will clash with his work for The Sun.
“I personally do not consider him a journalist,” Chavez said.
He also noted that the contract includes provisions if a conflict of interest arises.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.