In a series of shocking allegations, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is accused of pressuring school board trustees in central California to refrain from opposing his ambitious multi-million dollar development project.
According to documents obtained by Fresnoland, Dyer purportedly sent threatening messages to members of the Fresno Unified School Board, the third largest in the state. The messages suggested he would interfere with school policies if they resisted his latest venture.
The project in question, known as the Southeast Development Area (SEDA), covers 9,000 acres in southeast Fresno, extending south of Clovis.
SEDA aims to significantly boost housing supply by establishing complete, walkable communities that adhere to fiscal sustainability, environmental friendliness, climate considerations, and equity.
However, the district’s financial analysts estimate that SEDA could impose annual costs of $200 million, potentially leading to the closure of nearly a dozen schools and resulting in staff layoffs.
Text messages reveal that Dyer attempted to silence board members about the project’s financial burden just hours before they were scheduled to vote on a resolution concerning the development. The decision ultimately removed the matter from the purview of Fresno Superintendent Misty Her.
The same message was sent out to at least four trustees, the report noted. Those included Trustee Andy Levine, Claudia Cazare, Genoveva Islas and Valerie Davis.
“It is my hope that FUSD does not take a position and oppose SEDA development. That would open the door for the mayor to start engaging on educational issues which I have avoided in the past when media ask for my opinion,” the message from Dyer read. “I have always taken the high road and supported board positions.”
One text message from Levine showed that he thought it was important to “address the concerns” that he and others had about what impact SEDA would have on the community.
In response, Dyer wrote that “Let me be clear. If the FUSD takes a formal position against SEDA the relationship between the city and FUSD will be damaged no way around it.”
In a message between Islas and Dyer, she said she “respectfully” disagreed with his view about the board taking up a position and wrote that “SEDA, as written, would be detrimental to our district.”
Dyer responded, “Sad to see for sure.”
The outlet noted that it is unclear who else got the messages, as not all of the members keep their texts.
But hours after Dyer’s message went out, trustees Cazares, Susan Wittrup, Keshia Thomas, and Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas voted to table the resolution indefinitely. It was a 4-3 vote among the board of trustee members.
The result of that ended up blocking Her from being able to have a say on the project publicly or allow an assessment from her office from being used which warned of “redistributing families within a region instead of generating net population growth, resulting in declining enrollment in long-standing neighborhood schools.”
Dyer told the outlet that the messages were not “intended to be a threat.”
“I worded it in a way as a friendly reminder,” Dyer said. “When we start, as government entities, making comments about each other’s operations, all it does is create a divide. And the last thing we need in government today is a divide.”
Trustee Islas said those who voted to table the issue have political ambitions of their own and suggested they wanted to stay on the mayor’s good side.
“Unfortunately,” Islas said, “they’re selling out our kids and our district for that.”
The California Post reached out to Mayor Dyer’s office and Superintendent Her for further comment.
