Text conversations from the mayor of a Central California city indicate he was pressuring school officials regarding a substantial development initiative.
Fresno’s Mayor Jerry Dyer is accused of threatening various members of the Fresno Unified School Board, which is the state’s third-largest school board, suggesting that he would influence school policy if they opposed the new project.
The development, known as SEDA—an acronym for Southeast Development Area—covers a 9,000-acre region in southeast Fresno, extending into the city of Clovis.
SEDA is part of Dyer’s vision to increase housing availability in sustainable and walkable communities, while addressing environmental and equity concerns.
However, the district’s finance team projects that SEDA may cost around $200 million annually and could potentially lead to the closure of nearly a dozen schools, resulting in forced layoffs.
Dyer reportedly urged board members to keep quiet about SEDA’s costs just hours before a vote on the project. Ultimately, the matter was set aside, eluding the authority of Fresno Superintendent Misty Herr.
The same message was sent to several trustees, including Andy Levine, Claudia Casal, Genoveva Islas, and Valerie Davis.
In a message, Dyer expressed hope that the school board would not oppose the SEDA development, indicating that doing so could hinder his ability to address educational issues publicly. He claimed to have consistently supported the board’s decisions.
Levine replied, emphasizing the importance of discussing concerns around SEDA’s potential effects on the community. Dyer responded, clearly stating that a formal opposition from the board would severely damage the relationship between the City and the school district.
In another exchange, Levine conveyed his respectful disagreement with Dyer’s stance on the issue, asserting that SEDA, as proposed, could harm the district. Dyer’s response was notably disappointed.
It remains unclear who else received these messages since not all trustees had saved them.
After Dyer’s communication, trustees Cazares, Susan Whitlap, Keshia Thomas, and Elizabeth Jonathon Rosas voted to delay the resolution indefinitely, with the vote being 4-3.
Consequently, Herr is now restricted from publicly discussing the project and cannot utilize an assessment from her office that warns it “redistributes families within the community instead of creating net population growth, thereby reducing enrollment in long-established neighborhood schools.”
Dyer told the press that his earlier message wasn’t meant as a threat, describing it instead as a “friendly reminder.” He mentioned that commenting on each other’s duties can create unnecessary friction in government, which he believes is counterproductive.
Trustee Islas suggested that those who supported raising the issue had their own political aspirations in mind, implying they wanted to maintain a favorable relationship with the mayor.
“Unfortunately, they’re selling out our children and selling out our district for that,” Islas remarked.
The California Post has reached out to Mayor Dyer’s office and Superintendent Herr for more information.
