Bee endorsement: Five candidates seek to be Fresno County District 2 supervisor | Opinion

Five candidates are running for the District 2 seat on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, but the race really boils down to two top names.

Candidate Garry Bredefeld, currently in his final term on the Fresno City Council, has an aggressive approach in pushing for conservative values. His in-your-face manner can be offensive.

Incumbent Steve Brandau has a more moderate demeanor, but initiated a new policy on children’s library books that many found divisive and unnecessary.

Both have similar conservative philosophies, and both champion right-wing causes and positions.

Bredefeld was elected to the council in 2016 and then ran unopposed in 2020. He also served on the council in 1997 through 2001.

Brandau won election to the Fresno council in 2012 and served until 2019, when he won a special election to the county board. He then won re-election in 2020.

They are competing to represent a district that starts on Shields Avenue on the southern end, between First Street and West Avenue, and runs northwest to the San Joaquin River and north to areas along Friant Road. The district includes Fresno State and Clovis Community College as well as the Fashion Fair shopping center.

Candidate similarities

In interviews with The Bee Editorial Board, Brandau and Bredefeld shared many similar opinions:

▪ They are both pro-growth and want to support new housing if there is a market for it. One area of concern for development is at Friant near Millerton Lake, north of Fresno. Both recognize challenges with water supply and infrastructure, like adequate roads and sewer service.

▪ Both said inappropriate books were on display for children in public libraries, but differ on how they would have handled that issue.

▪ Both said the people living at Yokuts Valley (formerly Squaw Valley) should have the right to name their community, not the federal government.

▪ They would let a gravel-mining operation dynamite new pits near the San Joaquin River, but only if proper environmental requirements were met.

▪ Both oppose flying any flags at government buildings other than the U.S., state and city of Fresno flags.

They differ on whether the county is doing enough to address homelessness. Brandau said the county was meeting its main obligation, which is to provide services like mental health and drug addiction counseling. He said it is the job of cities to find shelter for those who are unhoused.

Bredefeld said the county’s support has been inadequate and he called on it to be a better partner, including a revised tax-sharing agreement that would free up more money for the city to aid the homeless.

Bredefeld ‘the fighter’

One of Bredefeld’s key pitches is that the time has come to do away with what he terms “the good ol’ boy” network at the Board of Supervisors. He promises to be a strong agent for change to shake up how things get done. Bredefeld’s campaign website makes frequent reference to him being “a fighter” for Fresno County. However, his combative nature alienates others who might see things differently.

In one City Council meeting, Bredefeld launched into a rant against a Fresno church holding a family friendly drag show. The six other council members stood up and walked out, bringing the public’s business to a halt. Nevermind that no one was forcing anybody to attend the drag show.

Bredefeld makes it a point to tell voters how he spoke out against Fresno Unified keeping students at home during the COVID pandemic. He tried to convince his council colleagues to sue the school district to force it to return to in-person classes.

Electioneering fails to provide the full context of that time, however. COVID was a new disease that the world had never faced before, and people were dying in large numbers. Now, in hindsight, the negative impact of keeping students home is clearer. But it was not an easy call for state or local educators at the moment or later, when the virus kept evolving — something Bredefeld “the fighter” ignores.

“We need leaders that speak the truth, that challenge and will fight all the woke, cancel culture, destructive, anti-American, radical, anti-police rhetoric and policies that are creating division and hurting our community.”

That reads like something straight from Donald Trump, but it is from Bredefeld’s essay on his campaign website. Much of that rhetoric is directed at “radical politicians” in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. “Radical” is his code word for Democrat. The MAGA-like influence cannot be missed.

The political fact of life is that for Bredefeld to have any success at the county level, he will have to work with the Democratic majorities in California’s statehouse as well as Fresno City Hall. Those officials were elected by voters, just as he seeks to be.

Brandau and library books

Brandau came to politics during the Tea Party movement, and his official biography on the county website says he remains committed to limited government with lower taxes and less regulation.

But he actually added a new layer of bureaucracy when he pushed for the “Parents Matter” act involving county libraries. Under the act, a review panel will look at children’s books for suitability for display. If a book has content deemed too offensive to put on the shelves accessible to kids, it will be kept back and loaned out on request.

“I heard from people across the political spectrum concerned with the sexualization of children,” Brandau said. He says he studied measures enacted across the nation regarding children’s sections in libraries and offered what he thought best.

The act generated an outpouring of letters to The Bee, with almost all writers saying parents, not a review panel, should be in charge of checking books for children. Big groups of speakers also attended board meetings to protest the act.

Bredefeld shares Brandau’s concern with sexualized material. But he would have involved county librarians in the decision making. Brandau did not do that, taking a top-down approach that runs counter to his limited-government view.

Three challengers

Challenger Paul Dictos brings a different perspective as the county’s assessor. Unlike Bredefeld and Brandau, he has not held elected office to a legislative body, such as the board or a city council. Dictos is well suited for his current job.

Also on the ballot are Bryce Herrera, a small business owner; and Dion Bourdase, a county social worker.

Bee recommendation

The Bee Editorial Board has been critical of both Brandau and Bredefeld over the years because their statements and social media pronouncements have often been divisive and narrow minded. This is particularly true of Bredefeld when it comes to the Pride flag and its importance to Fresno’s LGBTQ community.

In this March primary election, the Editorial Board recommends voters choose Brandau to take advantage of his experience in office at the county, which has involved learning about state programs and requirements, as the county is a pass-through extension of the state.

Bredefeld would have to work with state officials as a county supervisor, whether he wants to or not. He sees his unabashed antagonism toward Sacramento as courageous and being a leader. The Editorial Board considers it disqualifying.

If no candidate gets 50% plus one of the votes, the top two finishers will head to a run-off in November.

Correction: Dion Bourdase’s first name was misspelled in the initial posting of this editorial.

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 5:30 AM.