It’s about accountability and transparency. Has Fresno Mayor Dyer learned the lesson?
Rather than upbraid The Bee for its reporting over a complaint filed against him with a state agency, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer should have instead embraced the moment to show how he is all in for transparency and accountability in government.
That’s the key takeaway for me from how the mayor reacted over the last week to a story about a complaint filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
In case you missed this little dust-up, on Jan. 20 Bee staff writer Brianna Calix broke the news that an anonymous complaint had been lodged with the FPPC over whether Dyer and some staff violated the rules for reporting donations to the mayor’s One Fresno Foundation.
The complaint alleged that donations known as behested payments had been improperly reported. Those are payments sought by politicians that are not campaign donations or gifts. Under FPPC regulations, such payments must be reported within 30 days.
Calix reported that the FPPC notified Dyer and the others in a Jan. 6 letter. “The complaint alleges Dyer used the foundation to solicit donations from developers Darius Assemi, Cliff Tutelian and Leland Parnagian beyond the maximum $4,800 contributions allowed for campaigns,” Calix reported.
Further, the complaint accused Dyer of getting donations for the foundation from several other entities, such as Valley Children’s Hospital, Anthem Blue Cross and Caglia Environmental, but failed to report such.
Calix gave Dyer generous space in her story to say the allegations had “absolutely no merit” and were inaccurate. She outlined laudable work done by the foundation in how it has provided opportunities for young Fresnans from underserved neighborhoods, such as sending hundreds of youths to Camp Fresno in the Sierra — an experience that was a first for many of them.
In fact, the bulk of the story was Dyer’s denial of wrongdoing and explaining the foundation. The story could have rested there, at least until the FPPC made a decision whether to investigate or not.
But that was not good enough for the mayor, who was particularly incensed over the headline: “Did Jerry Dyer fail to disclose donations? Fresno mayor responds to political complaint.”
Shooting the messenger
It should be noted that, among local media, only The Bee reported on the complaint.
On Wednesday Dyer called a press conference to announce the FPPC decided it would not open an investigation, thus dismissing the matter.
At this juncture, Dyer could have said something like this: “I am glad to have had the opportunity to show once again that my administration and foundation value transparency. Our records are open for public scrutiny, and I stand for accountability.”
Instead, this is what he said:
“Less than a week ago, a local publication chose to publish a story on these flimsy allegations, with no one even having the guts to stand behind the complaint. If the publication that chose to write this story had bothered to do the legwork to research the allegations, they would have found that these allegations had no merit and were not worthy of a story.
“It’s a shame that people are able to make anonymous false allegations and then be enabled by a publication that sacrificed their journalistic integrity to get more clicks to spread these lies to the community.”
Whoa. There is a lot to unpack there.
First, it is the FPPC’s job to take up a complaint. Could allegations be flimsy? Absolutely. But it is not the responsibility of The Bee or any other local media to make that determination. Only the agency in charge of upholding the state Political Reform Act can make that finding.
Second, there was no sacrifice of “journalistic integrity.” The Bee would have actually been guilty of such had it not reported on the complaint. This story was basic journalism: The mayor of California’s fifth-largest city was accused of wrongdoing in a complaint to a key state agency, which then found it to be without merit. Simple as that.
In the last five years, The Bee has reported on various FPPC investigations of local politicians: Two involved Fresno Unified School District trustees, one a State Center Community College District trustee, another a Madera County supervisor and the fifth being a state Assembly member. The stories covered the complaints raised or fines levied.
Third, the phrase “to get more clicks” is the tech equivalent of the old complaint of politicians, “to sell more newspapers.” It is true news people want their stories to be well read. But that doesn’t mean those stories are inaccurate or ethically impure.
I understand that the mayor did not like the story. I get his strong defense of the foundation and the mission it has to improve the lives of our young people.
But his comment — “to have our integrity called into question is absolutely incredible and unbelievable” — shows a naivete the mayor should be above, given his nearly 20 years of service as Fresno’s former police chief. Politics is a rough game.
Dyer would do well to proclaim support for transparency and accountability and be thankful The Bee is doing its job to inform and keep everyone honest. And leave it at that.
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
