FRESNO COUNTY – Following the Fresno County Superior Court’s ruling in the Measure A case, the county of Fresno has decided to appeal the decision.
During a closed session at the June 10 Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting, the county decided to appeal Superior Court Judge D. Tyler Tharpes’ decision to strike down Measure A. The statement issued by the county was simple, but to the point.
“The County respectfully disagrees with the Superior Court and intends to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal,” the county said in its statement.
The measure was initially voted in as a response to Assembly Bill (AB) 759, which stated that sheriff and district attorney elections are to be held during the presidential election cycle, with the exception of counties whose charter outlined election windows prior to Jan. 1, 2021. Measure A sought to counteract this and put elections back on a gubernatorial cycle.
Supporters of Measure A argued that having district attorney and sheriff elections during a presidential election makes the ordeal too partisan, and takes away from the importance of local elections. Supporters also argued that since Fresno County is a charter county, it has the right to set rules for its own elections.
Opponents of Measure A and supporters of AB 759 argued that since voter turnout is much higher during presidential elections, the votes for the local positions would be more representative of the county’s population. Measure A opponents also believed that if passed, it would immediately be challenged by the state anyway, due to the cutoff point stated in the bill.
As predicted, Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced a lawsuit against Fresno County on July 26, 2024. Tharpe ultimately ruled against the county in his decision on June 2, stating that state law preempted the county charter.
That decision has effectively added two years to District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Sheriff John Zanoni’s terms, a fact they both expressed disappointment in.
