What this means:
The Fresno Council of Governments reinstated Brooke Ashjian to his spot on the Measure C steering committee on Tuesday.
News of Ashjian’s removal from the committee was met with fierce opposition by some Fresno city officials, who worked since last week to get him reinstated.
The countywide transportation board reinstated one of the City of Fresno’s three representatives to its sales tax advisory board following pressure from city leaders.
Brooke Ashjian was reinstated to the Measure C steering committee on Tuesday according to Fresno Council of Governments Chair Alma Beltran.
Robert Phipps, executive director of Fresno COG, told Ashjian over email on Tuesday evening that he had been reinstated.
“It is our fervent hope that we can collectively craft the best possible expenditure plan to serve City of Fresno residents and the region as a whole…Your continued participation and support would be greatly appreciated,” Phipps wrote in the email.
Ashjian shared with Fresnoland his response to the email, “It was pretty clear that this was a considerable mistake by COG and after much consideration I feel that we can pave a new road with all of us understanding our new roles. I will continue to fight for Fresno and not let down my mayor!
Now let’s go Kick some Asphalt!”
Beltran disagreed with questions that the City of Fresno pressured COG to reinstate Ashjian. Framing the process as a collaborative effort, she added that his reinstatement was contingent on him agreeing to follow the rules.
“He wanted an apology, and we are not apologizing for his removal,” Beltran told Fresnoland over text on Tuesday. “I worked with Dyer because he was going to ensure that Brooke would follow the rules.”
Ashjian did not immediately respond to confirm whether that agreement had taken place.
Last week, Fresno COG leadership announced that Ashjian, CEO of a local paving company, was removed from the committee. The decision to remove Ashjian, Beltran said, was due to what she said were misleading statements about the Measure C renewal process and for directing personal attacks toward other steering committee members.
The comments were made during an appearance by Ashjian on a KMJ radio show earlier this month when he voiced his disapproval of the Fresno COG’s decision to expand the steering committee by adding 12 members, Ashjian said, who are largely activist residents who do not have a background in transportation work.
Some Fresno city leaders have been vehemently opposed to the transportation board’s decision — with some saying they believe the move is a violation of the First Amendment.
On an appearance Tuesday on the “Unfiltered” podcast, hosted by local developer and owner of Granville Homes and GV Wire Darius Assemi, Ashjian said that Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer told him that if he wasn’t reinstated to the committee, the City of Fresno would pull out of the process. “‘If you’re out, we’re out,’” Ashjian described Dyer saying.
With Ashjian’s reinstatement seemingly finalized, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said he’s ready to move on and start the effort toward Measure C renewal.
“…I am not going to spend more time on inquiries regarding Brooke’s removal or subsequent reinstatement to the Committee, other than to say it is extremely important that the three people I selected remain on the Committee,” Dyer told Fresnoland in a statement shared Wednesday morning.
“To have any of my representatives removed weakens my ability as the Mayor to have a measure that is fair and equitable to the citizens of Fresno, ” Dyer added. “It is time for us to set aside past conflicts and find ways to work together on a measure that will give us the ability to fix our roads.”
Dyer did not respond to answer whether the city contemplated leaving the Measure C coalition over Ashjian’s removal from the steering committee.
Beltran, who is also the mayor of Parlier, told Fresnoland on Tuesday night that Dyer never told her that the city would leave the coalition if Ashjian was not reinstated to the Measure C committee.
Beltran said that she and Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez informed “most” of the mayors on the COG policy board of the decision to reinstate Ashjian.
According to Ashjian, other county leaders also reached out to show him support, including Fresno County Supervisors Buddy Mendes and Garry Bredefeld.
Ashjian ended his podcast appearance on Tuesday by thanking city leadership — specifically Dyer, White, and Fresno City Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Tyler Maxwell — for working on getting him reinstated to the committee.
“They showed absolute strength under fire,” Ashjian said.
The next hurdles to clear for Measure C
With Ashjian back in the fray, the new-look steering committee can work toward convincing Fresno voters to renew the county sales tax.
The next Fresno COG policy board meeting will be the first time county leaders will get to hear testimony from the steering committee based on community feedback they’ve received. Then, in August, the committee expects to have proposals on specific percentages and categories they feel Measure C should prioritize.
In spite of the Ashjian saga being seemingly over, the steering committee will likely continue to face scrutiny in the coming weeks as special interest groups continue to lobby for where they believe Measure C funding should be allocated.
Speaking during his Tuesday night podcast episode, Assemi said he wants to see a Measure C on the 2026 ballot that prioritizes traffic mitigation and pot hole repairs. He said a proposal without those categories prioritized is a nonstarter.
“I’m going to oppose it. I’m going to spend dollars opposing it,” Assemi said.
The threat of an opposing, competing transportation tax measure appearing on the ballot also still remains.
The next steering committee will be on July 30. The next Fresno COG policy board meeting will be on July 31.
