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Bill McEwen
Politics 101<\/p>\n
Voters are told to \u201cfollow the money\u201d before casting ballots if they want to know who is funding and potentially influencing candidates or benefiting from ballot measures.<\/p>\n
Bill McEwen
Politics 101<\/p>\n
But following the money often isn\u2019t easy. This is especially true with the rise of political action committees, some of which don\u2019t comply with the rules and refuse to reveal their true selves.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, something can be done about it locally. All it takes is the Fresno City Council empowering the City Attorney\u2019s Office to clean things up.<\/p>\n
Andrew Janz has tried to sort through the political campaign shenanigans since becoming city attorney in late 2022. However, his hands are mostly tied. While he might condemn malicious mailers sent by PACs whose funders remain anonymous, the powers of the office limit the weight of his hammer.<\/p>\n
Right now, he can levy a $1,000 fine for noncompliance<\/a>, which is a speck on the butt of an elephant for many political campaigns. For those determined to remain behind the curtain, it\u2019s the mere cost of doing business.<\/p>\n What if the fine was $1,000 a day\u00a0until the PAC or campaign came into compliance?<\/p>\n I bet that would make a difference. Those involved in promoting candidates would sign up for campaign rules seminars offered by Fresno County and the state. Campaign managers would frequently ask about deadlines and reporting requirements. Those who skirt the rules would pay a heavy price.<\/p>\n My $1,000-a-day figure is merely a conversation starter. It\u2019s intended to prod the council to discuss with Janz what he and future city attorneys need to force campaign cheaters the hell out of Dodge.<\/p>\n I do have one request, however. Add to the city\u2019s political finance reporting website a list of every campaign and PAC involved in Fresno races. Next to each name indicate if they are in or out of compliance with reporting requirements.<\/p>\n Every member of the city council has spoken about promoting transparency and weeding out corruption. It\u2019s time for them to back up that talk.<\/p>\n It Wasn\u2019t Illegal, but Shame on Brandon Vang<\/p>\n Fresno District 5 Councilmember Brandon Vang knows what it\u2019s like to be on the receiving end of a malicious campaign mailer. He overcame one to win a special election for the southeast seat in March 2025.<\/p>\n Thus I was surprised when his re-election campaign sent a mailer built around the lie that the council was pushing to defund the city\u2019s eviction protection program. As about half of all Fresno residents are renters<\/a>, you can imagine the fear \u2014 and the motivation to vote for Vang \u2014 that the mailer prompted.<\/p>\n Fellow councilmember Tyler Maxwell shot down the lie, saying no one on the council had said a word about defunding the program, \u201cNot even by a dollar!\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280x90-1-1.jpg\")
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\nHow About a $1,000-a-Day Fine for Noncompliance?<\/p>\n