Interview with Jeremy "Elvis" Pearce
by Sylvia Sneedly, GBF Political Correspondent
(In response to the sixth question) The Poverello House, the Map Point trailer, and all of its MAP Point partners listed on their website are located outside of your district. What about the homeless individuals in your district?
(In response to the tenth question) You praised Patterson for making Chukchansi Park happen. This seems to be the exact kind of expenditure and "big spending" that you're talking about stopping. Would you support Chukchansi Park if it were to be built today?
(And finally, number 12) What Elvis song best represents your campaign, and why? We were thinking "In the Ghetto".
We reviewed these follow-ups. We're going to pass on answering them. It is clear that the premise of some of these questions is entirely divorced from reality. Feel free to run with the answers we've given.
This is the second part of a series we have been doing on District 6. For the first part, see Interview with Garry Bredefeld.
We here at The Good, The Bad, and The Fresno believe that a race for City Council in one district is important to all of Fresno. One bad Council member can wreck things for the rest of the city in some pretty alarming ways. Just look at Steve Brandau. The last thing we want is another Steve Brandau. So we think it's important to ask the questions we know our readers care about.
Now, before we jump in, I want to give you a look at our interview process.
I first reached out to the candidates of District 6 a few weeks ago. All of them agreed to be interviewed (even though I've only received two interviews back now *ahem*Holly Carter*ahem*). The interview process could not be more straightforward. As a team we come up with a list of questions and email them over. They can take as much time as they want to answer the questions and, once they're done, they send them back to us. We review them and then get one round of follow-up questions to get clarification on things, to delve a little deeper into the issues, or to ask a new question we maybe should have asked the first time.
This type of interview is totally in the favor of the interviewee. This is not "gotcha" journalism. There are no surprises. You can calculate your response. It's easy.
With that in mind, here are the first round of questions we sent over to Jeremy Pearce with his corresponding answers.
GBF: You are, most notably, an Elvis impersonator. Do you think this has helped or hindered your campaign? What aspects of this career would you use as a Councilmember?
JP: I graduated from Fresno State with a degree in political science and worked for a local Congressman. I gained a great understanding of the issues facing our community early on. Since I was very young, I was always a fan of Elvis and started impersonating him at age 8. My gigs began as a hobby. Now, it's a full-time business that books, organizes and manages my shows and events. I'm looking to bring my business experience and knowledge of local issues to the table to solve some of the tough problems confounding the City Council.
GBF: Your opponent, Garry Bredefeld, has just been endorsed by Ashley Swearengin. How will this affect your campaign?
JP: Our campaign is focused on the future of Fresno. We're just seven years removed from an historic recession that was worsened by Fresno's incredible amount of debt. Thanks to tough decisions by the City Council and the Mayor, we're back on solid footing. It's hard to fathom going backward, but with the wrong decisions we could very easily end up in the same position. That's why the City Council needs to make decisions that avoid the borrow-and-spend pitfalls of yesterday. It’s also why former Mayor and current Assemblyman Jim Patterson, former Mayor Alan Autry, and Council members Lee Brand and Steve Brandau have endorsed me. They know about making those tough decisions and know I have the leadership to move Fresno forward and keep us on the right track.
GBF: While you did not get Mayor Swearengin’s endorsement, your website boasts a large number of endorsements from both sides of the political spectrum. Which endorsement is the most important to you?
JP: I'm proud of every endorsement I've received – from the ones previously mentioned of Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Mayor Alan Autry, Council members Lee Brand and Steve Brandau – to some of my very own neighbors.
Each of them is a reminder of why I got into this race: to make my neighborhood better, safer, and stronger. Each of them has faced difficult challenges and uphill battles in the hopes of having a better city – whether battling against questionable projects, like Assemblyman Patterson did over Chukchansi Park, or having to make the toughest decisions in the depths of the Great Recession, like council members Brand and Brandau, or having to deal with growing crime and increased water rates, like my neighbors. I'm proud to have their vote of confidence.
GBF: Lee Brand has been quoted saying that you “sign both sides of the check, and that's the kind of knowledge and background we need at the city of Fresno.” Is this to be understood that you often write checks to yourself?
JP: Lee's quote is focused on the role small business owners play in our community. We have a unique understanding of what it takes not only to "keep the lights on," but how to responsibly grow our operations. When I started, this was merely a hobby. Today, King Productions is involved in booking, organizing, marketing and managing my shows and events. I'm a person who signs checks on the back from my customers and on the front to my employee and all of our vendors.
Without Elvis, I'm not putting food on the table. That's what every small business owner faces in his or her own way.
GBF: Both you and your opponent Holly Carter are running on platforms that place a great deal of emphasis on public safety. Are you more worried about crime now that your district’s crime rates are becoming more in line with the rest of Fresno?
JP: I'm concerned that Fresno's crime rates across the board have increased. Thanks to Proposition 47, many criminals who would receive treatment while incarcerated are no longer and are instead allowed to stay on the streets. The end result is a spike in crime unseen since the 1990s.
The best recourse we have to fight this crime wave is to increase Fresno's police force to ensure that all of Fresno is protected. Its success under Mayor Jim Patterson cannot be doubted and I wholeheartedly believe it will work again.
GBF: Your campaigns are very similar in that your both want to create a distinction between those who are classically “homeless” and those who are “vagrants”. How do you propose that the city of Fresno distinguish between the two?
JP: The first step in solving this problem is acknowledging there is one. The person who has found themselves on the street through unfortunate circumstance is a far cry from the professional panhandler recently arrested with $1,800 in his pocket or the criminal vagrants breaking into our homes and cars. The new MAP Point service offered through the Poverello House which connects folks with services specific to their need is one of the many great resources in this community helping the homeless.
I applaud Councilmember Clint Olivier's leadership on this issue even though he took a lot of heat for it. His Op-Ed in The Fresno Bee provides a great contrast between the homeless and criminal vagrants and provided some real solutions to solve Fresno's very real vagrancy problem. We must make sure that all of the folks who need help find it. But, we must also make sure that the people who have no want or need of help aren't making life miserable for the rest of us...don't forget, these people often prey on the truly homeless as well.
GBF: Holly Carter is promoting the use of an app called “Nextdoor App,” which she says is like, “an electronic Neighborhood Watch.” Have you used this app and would you recommend using something like that to promote public safety in your district?
JP: Absolutely. My household uses Nextdoor frequently. It is basically a quick and easy way to stay in touch with your neighbors and is a great resource in keeping our neighborhoods safe. An increased police force, a fresh emphasis on traditional Neighborhood Watch programs, and new technology like Nextdoor will go a long way in reducing our crime problem.
JP: I graduated from Fresno State with a degree in political science and worked for a local Congressman. I gained a great understanding of the issues facing our community early on. Since I was very young, I was always a fan of Elvis and started impersonating him at age 8. My gigs began as a hobby. Now, it's a full-time business that books, organizes and manages my shows and events. I'm looking to bring my business experience and knowledge of local issues to the table to solve some of the tough problems confounding the City Council.
GBF: Your opponent, Garry Bredefeld, has just been endorsed by Ashley Swearengin. How will this affect your campaign?
JP: Our campaign is focused on the future of Fresno. We're just seven years removed from an historic recession that was worsened by Fresno's incredible amount of debt. Thanks to tough decisions by the City Council and the Mayor, we're back on solid footing. It's hard to fathom going backward, but with the wrong decisions we could very easily end up in the same position. That's why the City Council needs to make decisions that avoid the borrow-and-spend pitfalls of yesterday. It’s also why former Mayor and current Assemblyman Jim Patterson, former Mayor Alan Autry, and Council members Lee Brand and Steve Brandau have endorsed me. They know about making those tough decisions and know I have the leadership to move Fresno forward and keep us on the right track.
GBF: While you did not get Mayor Swearengin’s endorsement, your website boasts a large number of endorsements from both sides of the political spectrum. Which endorsement is the most important to you?
JP: I'm proud of every endorsement I've received – from the ones previously mentioned of Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Mayor Alan Autry, Council members Lee Brand and Steve Brandau – to some of my very own neighbors.
Each of them is a reminder of why I got into this race: to make my neighborhood better, safer, and stronger. Each of them has faced difficult challenges and uphill battles in the hopes of having a better city – whether battling against questionable projects, like Assemblyman Patterson did over Chukchansi Park, or having to make the toughest decisions in the depths of the Great Recession, like council members Brand and Brandau, or having to deal with growing crime and increased water rates, like my neighbors. I'm proud to have their vote of confidence.
GBF: Lee Brand has been quoted saying that you “sign both sides of the check, and that's the kind of knowledge and background we need at the city of Fresno.” Is this to be understood that you often write checks to yourself?
JP: Lee's quote is focused on the role small business owners play in our community. We have a unique understanding of what it takes not only to "keep the lights on," but how to responsibly grow our operations. When I started, this was merely a hobby. Today, King Productions is involved in booking, organizing, marketing and managing my shows and events. I'm a person who signs checks on the back from my customers and on the front to my employee and all of our vendors.
Without Elvis, I'm not putting food on the table. That's what every small business owner faces in his or her own way.
GBF: Both you and your opponent Holly Carter are running on platforms that place a great deal of emphasis on public safety. Are you more worried about crime now that your district’s crime rates are becoming more in line with the rest of Fresno?
JP: I'm concerned that Fresno's crime rates across the board have increased. Thanks to Proposition 47, many criminals who would receive treatment while incarcerated are no longer and are instead allowed to stay on the streets. The end result is a spike in crime unseen since the 1990s.
The best recourse we have to fight this crime wave is to increase Fresno's police force to ensure that all of Fresno is protected. Its success under Mayor Jim Patterson cannot be doubted and I wholeheartedly believe it will work again.
GBF: Your campaigns are very similar in that your both want to create a distinction between those who are classically “homeless” and those who are “vagrants”. How do you propose that the city of Fresno distinguish between the two?
JP: The first step in solving this problem is acknowledging there is one. The person who has found themselves on the street through unfortunate circumstance is a far cry from the professional panhandler recently arrested with $1,800 in his pocket or the criminal vagrants breaking into our homes and cars. The new MAP Point service offered through the Poverello House which connects folks with services specific to their need is one of the many great resources in this community helping the homeless.
I applaud Councilmember Clint Olivier's leadership on this issue even though he took a lot of heat for it. His Op-Ed in The Fresno Bee provides a great contrast between the homeless and criminal vagrants and provided some real solutions to solve Fresno's very real vagrancy problem. We must make sure that all of the folks who need help find it. But, we must also make sure that the people who have no want or need of help aren't making life miserable for the rest of us...don't forget, these people often prey on the truly homeless as well.
GBF: Holly Carter is promoting the use of an app called “Nextdoor App,” which she says is like, “an electronic Neighborhood Watch.” Have you used this app and would you recommend using something like that to promote public safety in your district?
JP: Absolutely. My household uses Nextdoor frequently. It is basically a quick and easy way to stay in touch with your neighbors and is a great resource in keeping our neighborhoods safe. An increased police force, a fresh emphasis on traditional Neighborhood Watch programs, and new technology like Nextdoor will go a long way in reducing our crime problem.
GBF: Are there any other apps you enjoy using? (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Fruit Ninja, The Weather Channel, Grindr, Foursquare, Swarm, Uber, etc…)
JP: I'm a big fan of Uber and Lyft. Fresno has been mischaracterized as "the drunkest city in America" because our police have worked to keep drunk drivers off the street. Uber and Lyft are terrific tools to keep streets safe, an opportunity for people to generate income, and a way to create a stronger community bond one mile at a time.
GBF: You are calling for at least 1,000 police officers in the Fresno Police Department. The current number of police officers is around 700. If the median income of a Police Officer is $54,035 (according to salary.com), the additional 300 police officers would cost the City over $16 million a year. How do you propose to pay for that?
JP: Fresno's long-term goal must be to reach 1,000 officers. What we've seen is that prospective recruits have passed over Fresno P.D. because salaries are insufficient. The first step is to establish competitive pay for officers to return Fresno P.D. staffing to pre-Recession levels. The City's continuing economic growth and reduction of debt will allow us greater opportunities to increase police staffing to greater than pre-Recession levels.
Simply put: We're the fifth most populous city in California, we currently have the eighth largest police force in the state, and our crime rate is growing at a pace unseen since the 1990s. Altogether, this is a wake-up call to put the department in balance with our population and growing crime.
GBF: A key element to your platform is that you say you will vote against “ill-advised entanglements” like Granite Park and the Met Museum. How will you discern whether or not something is ill-advised? If the Met Museum had been successful would you still consider it to have been a bad investment?
JP: The nature of a bad investment isn't just that it didn't deliver its return on investment, it's that it put the investor in a worse position than before.
Discerning investments isn't difficult: the City Council needs to ask questions – a lot of them. The biggest failure of Fresno's big spending days of yesterday was a failure to ask questions about all-too-sunny projections. On the City Council, I'm going to ask as many questions as possible about where our money is going and on what information we're basing our decision.
GBF: To quote your website, “instead, we must invest our tax dollars and City resources to create a more business-friendly Fresno that delivers more jobs for our unemployed neighbors, grows a stronger local economy, and keeps our streets safer.” How will diverting millions from public works projects accomplish this?
JP: From infrastructure to public safety, we need to commit resources to things that the City does well, will aid businesses operating in Fresno, and help attract businesses to Fresno. It isn't one thing versus another. Instead, it is dividing the pie in a way where we do the most good for the greatest number of people...the ranking of these priorities and how we get there is the great debate!
JP: I'm a big fan of Uber and Lyft. Fresno has been mischaracterized as "the drunkest city in America" because our police have worked to keep drunk drivers off the street. Uber and Lyft are terrific tools to keep streets safe, an opportunity for people to generate income, and a way to create a stronger community bond one mile at a time.
GBF: You are calling for at least 1,000 police officers in the Fresno Police Department. The current number of police officers is around 700. If the median income of a Police Officer is $54,035 (according to salary.com), the additional 300 police officers would cost the City over $16 million a year. How do you propose to pay for that?
JP: Fresno's long-term goal must be to reach 1,000 officers. What we've seen is that prospective recruits have passed over Fresno P.D. because salaries are insufficient. The first step is to establish competitive pay for officers to return Fresno P.D. staffing to pre-Recession levels. The City's continuing economic growth and reduction of debt will allow us greater opportunities to increase police staffing to greater than pre-Recession levels.
Simply put: We're the fifth most populous city in California, we currently have the eighth largest police force in the state, and our crime rate is growing at a pace unseen since the 1990s. Altogether, this is a wake-up call to put the department in balance with our population and growing crime.
GBF: A key element to your platform is that you say you will vote against “ill-advised entanglements” like Granite Park and the Met Museum. How will you discern whether or not something is ill-advised? If the Met Museum had been successful would you still consider it to have been a bad investment?
JP: The nature of a bad investment isn't just that it didn't deliver its return on investment, it's that it put the investor in a worse position than before.
Discerning investments isn't difficult: the City Council needs to ask questions – a lot of them. The biggest failure of Fresno's big spending days of yesterday was a failure to ask questions about all-too-sunny projections. On the City Council, I'm going to ask as many questions as possible about where our money is going and on what information we're basing our decision.
GBF: To quote your website, “instead, we must invest our tax dollars and City resources to create a more business-friendly Fresno that delivers more jobs for our unemployed neighbors, grows a stronger local economy, and keeps our streets safer.” How will diverting millions from public works projects accomplish this?
JP: From infrastructure to public safety, we need to commit resources to things that the City does well, will aid businesses operating in Fresno, and help attract businesses to Fresno. It isn't one thing versus another. Instead, it is dividing the pie in a way where we do the most good for the greatest number of people...the ranking of these priorities and how we get there is the great debate!
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Now, reading this, I immediately had a ton of questions (mostly because his answers were neatly laid out piles of horse manure). In the interest of keeping this interview to a reasonable length, I narrowed it down to three follow-up questions. They were:
(In response to the sixth question) The Poverello House, the Map Point trailer, and all of its MAP Point partners listed on their website are located outside of your district. What about the homeless individuals in your district?
(In response to the tenth question) You praised Patterson for making Chukchansi Park happen. This seems to be the exact kind of expenditure and "big spending" that you're talking about stopping. Would you support Chukchansi Park if it were to be built today?
(And finally, number 12) What Elvis song best represents your campaign, and why? We were thinking "In the Ghetto".
To be completely transparent, I'll point out that I had been in such a rush to get these answers back that I had misread what was going on with question 10 and Pearce was actually saying that Patterson fought against Chukchansi Park. Forgive me for making this mistake. I didn't know people didn't like Chukchansi Park.
Pearce's people pointed this out to me, so I rephrased my question to: You praised Patterson for speaking out against Chukchansi Park, which is the exact kind of expenditure and "big spending" that you're talking about stopping. However, Chukchansi Park is obviously a success and one of the key projects that has helped revitalize Downtown Fresno. Would you support Chukchansi Park if it were to be built today?
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These are all fair and reasonable questions; questions that should and probably will show up on the campaign trail---except maybe number 12. But he knew what he was getting into by agreeing to an interview with us.
Which is why I was so surprised when I got this back from Jeremy's people.
We reviewed these follow-ups. We're going to pass on answering them. It is clear that the premise of some of these questions is entirely divorced from reality. Feel free to run with the answers we've given.
Wait. Were we just told that our questions were “divorced from reality” by a full-grown man who plays dress-up and pretends to be Elvis for a living?
This is a guy who wants to be a part of our City Council?
A guy who runs from answering a question instead of explaining himself?
If you live in District 6, you should vote. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I have no problem telling you who not to vote for. And if it's not clear to you yet, don't vote for Jeremy Pearce.
Consider it advise well served. Thanks.
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