Garry Bredefeld of the Fresno City Council speaks at a news conference Thursday at City Hall. Photo by Frank Lopez

A Fresno City Council member is not happy with the spending habits of some of his colleagues on the council.

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld held a press conference at Fresno City Hall Thursday to call out four council members for allegedly using their district operating budgets as “slush funds.”

During the press conference, Bredefeld presented documentation of the credit card charges for each district over the last three years, and a single year for Councilmember Tyler Maxwell’s district.

Bredefeld accuses Councilmembers Miguel Arias, Esmeralda Soria, Nelson Esparza and Maxwell of misusing their annual $700,000 district operating budgets, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on meals at restaurants, consultants, political campaigning, gifting of public funds, and racking up tens of thousands of dollars in “unexplained” charges from major retail companies including Amazon, Walmart, and Costco.

Bredefeld said he is the only councilmember that denied a city credit card.

“As you go through those invoices and credit card charges, you will see the power of dishonest and unethical incumbents using taxpayer money as district slush funds for their own personal and political gains, and to promote themselves, often attempting to buy votes through festivals, and events they put together,” Bredefeld said.

Bredefeld cited expenditures from the credit cards of Soria, Arias, Esparza and Maxwell — a group he dubbed “The Gang of Four.”

Some examples he cited from Soria’s expenditures included $6,656 for restaurants and meals, $1,775 in flowers and $3,005 for pumpkin giveaways.

He also noted an invoice from Arias’ for $66,334  to Fresno graphic designer Dr Graphix for promotional items including magnets, T-shirts, tote bags, banners, stickers, lapel pins, newsletters and table cover.

Bredefeld noted Esparza’s invoices for $4,000 for brand development and $2,300 for a catered reception for the council president.

He also accused Maxwell of using taxpayer money for campaigning and violating mass mailing laws by having his staff personally deliver a newsletter magazine that was invoiced at nearly $9,000.

Bredefeld said that he did not present the invoices for Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Luis Chavez because their expenditures were “not as egregious” as the other members.

Bredefeld said he will be seeking an independent audit of all council budgets and expenditures over the last three years. He said he has been in talks with Mayor Jerry Dyer, and if the council refuses to approve an audit, Bredefeld said he will use money from his own district operating budget, as well as funds from the mayor, to pay for the audit should it exceed $50,000.

“The City Manager and I will be discussing the appropriate level of review to include an independent external audit,” Dyer said in a statement. 

Bredefeld is calling for the immediate rescindment of city credit cards, the end of meal reimbursements for council members, a limit of only two paid staff per district, reverting the district operating budget back to its original $250,000 and for all proposed future expenditures to be reviewed by the city manager, city attorney and then brought before the city council.

In a statement, Council President Esparza and Council Vice President Maxwell condemned Bredefeld’s attacks on the council’s expenditures, calling on him to stop wasting taxpayer money, city resources, facilities and staff time on “phony press conferences.”

It also states that the city attorney’s office routinely reviews council expenditures and has not found any misuse of council funds.

“I answer to my District 4 families, not to Councilmember Bredefeld. I will not stop purchasing items, like bicycles, for children living in District 4 to get to school. I urge the Councilmember to focus on bringing forward policies that help his neglected constituents and lift our community, instead of wasting taxpayer dollars, city resources, facilities, and staff time on phony press conferences every other week,” Maxwell said.

Esparza said that Bredefeld does not understand that the expenditures out of city hall are meant to serve the community.

“Residents throughout the city appreciate the resources that go into community outreach and the responsiveness from their Councilmembers. There’s nothing inappropriate about taxpayer dollars being reinvested directly back into the people and neighborhoods that we represent. This latest show of political theater by Councilmember Bredefeld is unfortunately all he has to offer to our City,” Esparza said.