Nonprofit advisor Molly Fagundes-Johnston is running for Fresno City Council in District 6, hoping to succeed Councilman Garry Bredefeld as he wraps up his final term at City Hall.
Fagundes-Johnston spoke with The Sun for political podcast series, The Stump, airing on Sunrise FM.
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The big picture: Raised on a small family almond ranch in Atwater, Fagundes-Johnston graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Agriculture Education and served as the student body president during her senior year.
- After college she went on to work for former Congressman Richard Pombo, who was the Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.
- She returned from Washington D.C. to Fresno and eventually started her own business consulting and advising local, state and national nonprofits.
What they’re saying: “I want to ensure that the quality of life we enjoy now is maintained and that we feel safe going to Woodward Park, Keith Tice Park, and that we are able to do the things that we enjoy in the City of Fresno because of the various great things that the city has to offer,” Fagundes-Johnston said.
- Along with discussing a variety of issues such as housing, business development and the city’s budget, Fagundes-Johnston said she would like to see the city work closer with nonprofits to help combat homelessness.
- “My background working with nonprofits – and you look at some of the awesome work that our local nonprofits are doing in Fresno to combat homelessness – I think that’s a piece of the puzzle,” Fagundes Johnston said.
- She added, “Mental health services and drug rehabilitation services, those are housed at the county level, and ensuring that we have those services available for the homeless is also going to be key. I would really focus on government-local nonprofit collaboration and just continue to explore innovative solutions such as Salt and Light in Tulare County, which has done a really awesome job in my opinion combatting homelessness for their specific area.”
