Fresno family is spending nearly $100K on Jerry Dyer attacks. One ad likens him to Trump
Juan and Amy Arambula poured nearly $100,000 into an independent expenditure for advertisements against mayoral candidate Jerry Dyer, one of which likens Dyer to President Donald Trump.
Combined, the Arambulas paid $97,900 to an independent expenditure by the same name as the political action committee “Rising Together, No on Dyer for Mayor 2020.” The independent expenditure so far has paid for a number of digital ads, filings from late last week show.
Dyer officially retired as police chief in October and is running for mayor against Fresno County prosecutor Andrew Janz.
The Arambulas listed numerous historical reasons for opposing Dyer, but the ultimate factor was his role in the case against their son, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who was arrested, charged and later found not guilty of misdemeanor child abuse.
In a statement, Dyer said he’s disappointed by the move, and he thinks it would be better to invest the money into the community.
Arambulas’ opposition
Juan Arambula said there’s a long list of reasons why he thinks Dyer is “bad for Fresno,” including: Dyer’s opposition to a municipal parks tax (Measure P) last year; management of the police department resulting in millions of dollars in legal payouts; prioritizing “aggressive” special police task forces over community policing and property crime response; and excessive force incidents by police officers that cast Fresno in a bad light nationally.
“What we would like to do is help make sure Fresno has a mayor who respects the law and acts with integrity,” Arambula said. “We don’t believe Jerry is the person for the job. We think we deserve better.”
Amy Arambula worked a short time in the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office and said it left an impression: “I’ve seen the inequities in Dyer’s policing practices, and in my view, those most impacted are low-income individuals and people of color,” she said.
Juan Arambula, also a former assemblyman and school trustee, acknowledged his son’s trial weighed on their decision. “We would not be human if it didn’t,” he said. “But it was not the only factor. It was one of the ultimate factors that pushed us over the edge.”
Joaquin Arambula was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor child abuse in December 2017. Earlier this year, he was found not guilty by a jury. His attorney early on in the case criticized Dyer’s public comments on the matter and alleged politics played a role in the case.
“A lot of people are afraid to speak up (about Dyer),” Amy Arambula said. “That’s a very unfortunate reality.”
Video ad
The PAC last week began posting a short video ad on Facebook and other social media platforms that likens Dyer to President Donald Trump.
The video’s narrator says “Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer has a close friend in Washington,” and highlights a moment from Trump’s 2016 visit to Fresno when Trump calls out the chief, noting “all those stars” on Dyer’s uniform.
“There are a lot of people in this community that see a lot of similarities between the two (Trump and Dyer) and do not believe either one of them are good for our community,” said Dee Barnes, the founder of the PAC and a Fresno Police Department civilian employee.
Barnes, who also contributed $500 to the independent expenditure, pointed out that a lot of Dyer’s top campaign donors are local wealthy Republicans – people who openly or are likely to support Trump.
“We want to educate people as far as why (Dyer) is bad for this community,” she said. “…We want somebody who is going to really represent the diversity in our city. He may use the phrase ‘One Fresno,’ but he didn’t even live in Fresno and he’s living way out north now. We don’t feel he is in touch and understands our community. We need new leadership.”
Dyer’s response
Dyer sent a statement to The Bee about the independent expenditure.
“I am disappointed to learn about this Political Action Committee established solely to inflict damage on my campaign for mayor. After 18 years of making tough decisions to keep Fresno safe as your police chief, I knew that some people would oppose me,” he said in the statement.
“But wouldn’t this money be better spent resolving our community’s challenges rather than waging petty personal vendettas? Instead of raising money to promote division in our community we should be coming together to house our homeless, improve our parks, or provide assistance to our city’s children as seniors. As your mayor, that’s where my focus will be.”
Janz chimed in on Twitter, saying Dyer should spend his “war chest” of nearly $300,000 in campaign donations on homelessness.
The Arambulas highlighted their 30 years of contributions to the community through public service, along with the ways their children are giving back.
They are spending the money on behalf of their own beliefs and “for the thousands of people who could not do what we’re doing,” Juan Arambula said.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:00 AM.