Fresno city council decides who can vote on Tower District plans by literally pulling cards

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It was a historically bizarre moment for the city of Fresno Thursday.

When it came time to vote on considering future plans for the Tower District, five of the seven Fresno City council members had to recuse themselves because they own property in the area.

This is because their votes could be considered a conflict of interest.

So, with the help of the city clerk, the council members literally drew cards from a box to decide who could vote.

"The minimum number of council members required for a quorum-- and that is four," Fresno city clerk Todd Stermer said. "We have two members who are not conflicted-- so they are in. And so I will put two green cards in the box and three red cards in the box."

Tyler Maxwell and Garry Bredefeld were the only two council members who did not have a conflict.

Nelson Esparza, Luis Chavez, Miguel Arias, Mike Karbassi and council president Annalisa Perea all took part in the special drawing.

In the end, Esparza and Arias picked the green cards, allowing them to remain at the dais and participate in the discussion.

The vote, however, was then moved to November 7.

At that time, the four council members will be able to consider initiating a Tower District Specific Plan update.