New committee calls for Fresno Unified trustees, Hanson to resign

By Mackenzie Mays | Fresno Bee | August 10, 2015

A new political action committee is demanding answers from Fresno Unified School District officials about a controversial no-bid contract, and is calling for Superintendent Michael Hanson and the trustees who support him to resign.

Fresnans for Responsibility and Ethics in Education, a PAC that filed organizing paperwork in the Fresno County clerk’s office last week, aims to be a voice for citizens concerned about Fresno Unified’s multimillion-dollar contract with Harris Construction, according to Casey Lamonski, community relations director for the group.

A petition is being circulated to get rid of Hanson and Fresno Unified Trustees Cal Johnson, Janet Ryan, Valerie Davis and Christopher De La Cerda. FREE’s main website — fresnoisunified.org — calls the four board members Hanson’s “cronies” who have helped him “cover up and lie about the deal.”

A separate website sponsored by FREE — retiremike.org — takes issue with Hanson’s refusal to approve the call by Trustees Carol Mills, Brooke Ashjian and Luis Chavez for an outside investigation of the deal in question.