"Over pints at a downtown brewery on Thursday night, a political science professor, a city council member and the county's top elections official described for a standing-room-only crowd how money from powerful interests flows into Fresno's local races to shape political outcomes - often without leaving a trace. The question that kept coming up for everyone was why the leaders of California's fifth-largest city have given themselves so few tools to do anything about it."
"The Fresnoland event, drawing former city council members, residents and even a handful of political lobbyists, centered on reporter Omar S. Rashad's recent investigation into more than $130,000 in city contracts that former City Councilmember Luis Chavez directed to political consultant Alex Tavlian's firm, Park West Associates - including roughly $31,000 for Facebook ads that ran on Chavez's official government page while he was simultaneously campaigning for Fresno County Supervisor in 2024. Chavez won that race."
Anonymous donors and opaque funding continue to influence Fresno local races, enabling powerful interests to shape outcomes without leaving a trace. More than $130,000 in city contracts were directed to Park West Associates by former City Councilmember Luis Chavez, including roughly $31,000 for Facebook ads that ran on his official government page while he campaigned for Fresno County Supervisor. Obtaining invoice records required an eight-month wait with the city attorney for invoices between Chavez's council office and Tavlian's company. City legal guidelines were modified to allow taxpayer funds to subsidize political messaging on Facebook. Local leaders lack effective tools for election transparency and timely public access to records.
Read at Fresnoland
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