Fresno City Council changed the rules and denied its only Republican its presidency
The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted in the new council president and vice president, choosing to apply changes to the council’s rules and procedures and bypass the previous practice of rotating by order of council district.
District 7 Councilmember Nelson Esparza was voted in as council president, and District 4 Councilmember Tyler Maxwell was elected vice president.
Esparza served as council vice president in 2021, putting him on deck for the council presidency. Councilmember Luis Chavez, who represents District 5, served as council president in 2021.
“The rule change in 2020 effectively did away with the order as we know it,” Esparza said. “I’m honored to be elected by my colleagues to lead the legislative body of our great city this year.”
The amendment allowed a majority-Democrat council bloc which often votes together to bypass two frequent dissenters from leadership roles.
Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who was skipped over for the vice president position on Thursday, said it seemed predetermined but didn’t reflect the job he’s done as a councilmember.
“I am just one of those people who insists on not playing favorites,” Karbassi said. “…I cannot be intimidated by retribution. I told voters I would be above the politics and respect the nonpartisan nature of local office, and I am going to stick by that.”
Rule change
In a split vote in December 2020, the council amended the council rules and procedures on how to select the council president and vice president.
The rules call for the leadership positions to rotate annually and numerically by council district. The amendment allows the council to vary from the rotation by a majority vote. Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld, Luis Chavez, and Mike Karbassi voted against the amendment.
The council first used the amendment in January 2021 when the council majority voted for Esparza as vice president, bypassing the numerical order and skipping over Bredefeld for vice president — essentially ensuring he wouldn’t serve as council president.
If the numerical order were followed this year, it would be District 1 Councilmember Esmeralda Soria’s turn to be vice president. Instead, she nominated Maxwell, skipping both Karbassi and Arias.
Political retribution?
Soria said she nominated Esparza and Maxwell because they have proven themselves worthy of leadership, calling them thoughtful and proactive.
“They have worked hard to get things done in their short tenure,” she said. “Both have brought forward policy solutions supported by our council on some of the most critical issues impacting families in our city today during a pandemic.”
Soria said the young councilmembers’ age provide a fresh perspective to the council and “give a voice and sense of place in leadership to the city’s young population.”
Then-Council President Miguel Arias said he supported the rule change in 2020 because it allowed the council to vote in a leader who demonstrated respect and civility toward their peers and the public. Arias also nominated Esparza as vice president over Bredefeld, saying Bredefeld had a long history of violating decorum and causing disruption to council meetings.
Arias gave examples of Bredefeld attacking advocates and citizens during meetings and spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
“Finally, the recent publication of him harboring and protecting an employee with seven felonies further demonstrates his lack of good moral judgment to lead the fifth-largest city (in California) where domestic violence is at record levels,” Arias said in a comment to The Bee. “In short, leadership is a privilege, not a right, and it requires confidence from peers and a record of leadership.”
Bredefeld shot back with his own accusations, calling Arias the leader of the “corrupt gang of four” at Fresno City Hall, referring to Esparza, Maxwell, and Soria. Bredefeld repeated claims that the four councilmembers tried to give millions to Soria’s then-fiance and current husband, voting to give contracts to their friends, “shaking down” a card room operator, and violating the Brown Act.
“I’ve publicly called out their corruption for years. They don’t like it and decided to change rules to bypass me for president as retribution,” Bredefeld said. “I could care less. I don’t back down. As the lone conservative, I also expose all their reckless and wasteful spending. I work for my constituents and will continue to speak the truth and fight for them. Period.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 2:37 PM.