Good morning! It’s Friday, Jan. 16. This is Rob.
Déjà vu again: Another 60-degree day, another dense fog advisory. NOAA
Treatment questioned: An animal rights group is slamming the Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s treatment of elephants, but local officials dispute the group’s characterizations. The Fresno Bee
Donut worry, be happy: Randy’s is coming soon to Clovis. KSEE24
1. City attorney contradicts ex-councilmember’s contract claims
Former Fresno Councilmember Luis Chavez said the City Attorney’s Office endorsed all his contracts with political consultant Alex Tavlian’s LGSC company and was never advised to bring the contracts before the full City Council, despite crossing over the threshold required for council approval.
But the city attorney, Andrew Janz, says that’s not true.
Speaking from the council dais at City Hall on Thursday, Janz addressed — and directly contradicted — statements Chavez made in a recent interview in connection with Fresnoland’s ongoing investigation into a legal loophole that has allowed leaders to hand out under-the-radar contracts, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reports.
“The City Attorney’s Office properly advised former Councilmember Luis Chavez in January of 2023 that any future agreements with LGSC for the same services prior was required to go to the city council for authorization under Fresno Municipal Code,” Janz stated.
Chavez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Thursday’s bombshell announcement is only the latest fallout from Fresnoland’s public contracts investigation, with a majority of councilmembers now publicly committed to beefing up city transparency rules in the coming months.
2. Fresno Unified gives retirees another healthcare option
Some Fresno Unified retirees on Medicare will have one more option to choose from when they select healthcare plans later this year.
Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas was on hand Thursday following FUSD’s Joint Health Management Board vote to give the retirees the option of remaining on the Aetna’s Medicare Advantage PPO Plan or switching to a plan similar to the retiree’s old PPO, a request supported by several outspoken retirees.
The welcome change comes on the heels of a public pressure campaign Fresno Unified leaders launched at Community Health Systems this week in a successful effort to restore at least partial services to retirees amid deadlocked contract talks between the hospital system and Aetna.
Community Health officials have yet to explain why they chose to cut off access to FUSD retirees on Aetna’s Medicare Advantage PPO Plan. Beyond increasing public pressure from Fresno Unified leaders this week, it’s unclear how the situation changed for the hospital between Jan. 1 and Wednesday.
District officials say the dispute isn’t over yet.
FUSD spokesperson: “We need Aetna and Community to come to an immediate agreement. They can also extend the timeline for negotiations to allow members to continue receiving services.”
3. Council leadership takes shape with big changes ahead
Under a recent rule change, Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi unanimously received a second consecutive year with the council president’s gavel during the first council meeting of the year on Thursday.
Previously, council presidents served only non-consecutive, one-year terms on a rotating basis. But procedural changes adopted in recent years, including a new law adopted in 2024, now allows councilmembers to serve consecutive leadership terms, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported this week.
Karbassi is the first to benefit from the new rule and was the only official nominated for the post on Thursday before councilmembers unanimously re-elected him.
As many as five new faces could join the Fresno City Council next year, with a majority of councilmembers either seeking another political office or terming as councilmembers.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
