Andrew Janz, Fresno’s likely incoming City Attorney, has resigned his position with the Voter Protection Project, the liberal political action committee he founded following .
Janz will officially step down from the VPP board on Dec. 1, as reported by McClatchy.
“As City Attorney, I must avoid any appearance, either real or perceived, that the Office of City Attorney is being used to further a political agenda,” Janz told McClatchy. “To that end, I will be stepping down from VPP’s board of directors and turning over all operational control to other stakeholders.”
The Fresno City Council voted in a closed session meeting on Nov. 16 to appoint Janz to the position.
Janz, a former mayoral and Congressional candidate, will head to City Hall after years working as a prosecutor for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
The council is scheduled to approve Janz’s contract Thursday, and his first day of work will be Monday.
Janz will earn a $240,000 salary and will also take home a $500 monthly vehicle allowance.
He leaves behind a PAC that served as a conduit for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D–San Francisco) in her attempt to oust Rep. David Valadao (R–Hanford) in the race for the 22nd Congressional District.
The Voter Protection Project funded mailers attacking Valadao for his vote to impeach President Donald Trump in January of last year.
Last month, though, Janz’s PAC received $125,000 from the House Majority PAC, Pelosi’s Super PAC that funneled money to races across the nation ahead of the election.
