Fresno city councilmember’s marriage isn’t legal — but she still won’t vote on some issues
After celebrating her wedding to developer Terance Frazier in November, Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria will continue to recuse herself from voting on city matters in which Frazier has a financial interest.
Soria sought direction from City Attorney Doug Sloan regarding potential conflicts of interest after her wedding ceremony in Mexico.
In a memo that was widely circulated in public, including to news outlets and on social media, Sloan advised Soria to recuse herself from voting and leave the room during Fresno City Council business in which items involving Frazier are heard.
Under the state’s Political Reform Act and the city council’s rules of conduct, a council member with a disqualifying interest in a decision is required to identify the nature of the conflict of interest, recuse themselves from discussing and voting on the matter, and leave the room until after the discussion and vote are completed.
That’s something Soria has already done since 2018 shortly after the two began dating.
In an interview with The Bee, Soria said she took “unprecedented” steps and publicly announced her relationship status during a city council meeting. She began recusing herself from votes regarding Frazier’s business interests then, even though it wasn’t legally required, she said.
“For me, to make sure that I had the public trust, I wanted to be ethical and make sure that I followed the law to the tee,” she said. “That’s why I’ve always taken the precautions by not voting and have just stuck with that.”
After the wedding ceremony, Soria sought further direction from the city attorney.
“I wanted to make sure that our city attorney reviewed the facts, and he put it out there what we were required to do,” she said.
Sloan noted in the memo the couples’ wedding didn’t result in a “legal” marriage because it wasn’t registered according to the laws of Mexico or in California.
“In other words, the legal relationship, duties, and obligations between you and Terance Frazier have not changed,” Sloan wrote.
Over the last three years, Soria recused herself on a handful of votes each year related to Granite Park and Fulton Street development.
Frazier and the nonprofit he leads operate Granite Park, and Frazier is working with the city to develop the South Stadium mixed-use project on Fulton Street.
Elected officials and public employees who make or influence government decisions are required to submit a Form 700 annually to disclose their economic interests.
Soria, in 2019, disclosed on a Form 700 amendment she received between $1,000-10,000 in interest from a loan to TFS Investments LLC, a development company owned by Frazier.
Soria isn’t the only councilmember to recuse herself.
Councilmember Luis Chavez has recused himself on votes related to the former University Medical Center project because of the proximity of his home to the project site.
In the past, former councilmembers recused themselves when their partner worked for a developer whose business came before the council or when proposals came through related to a councilmember’s business interests.
Soria last week launched her election campaign for state Assembly. If she wins, the questions around her marriage and any conflicts of interest at Fresno City Hall could become moot.
