A. E. Sunderland

Alpheus "Al" Eugene Sunderland (1866-1940) was a banker, businessman, movie star manager, Woodman, Rotarian, city trustee, and mayor of Fresno.

[2] Sunderland would begin as a billing clerk for Armour Packing Company where he learned business and accounting that would prove beneficial in later years.

[3] Sunderland was fortunate to have land and began practicing viticulture which allowed him to become familiar with other local grape and raisin growers of the area.

[4][5] Sunderland would bring his previous accounting experience and understanding of viticulture farming to start work for a packing house as their secretary.

The most notable event came from the growing mistreatment of the southern part of Fresno in which multiple ice production plants had been set up and allowed to build.

Sunderland demanded that these plants must be held accountable for their actions and that the northern part of the city would never allow for this type of unsanitary conditions.

[8] Sunderland and Anderson balked at this plan and being asked to be put on the record whether they wanted a "wet" or "dry" city in regards to liquor establishments then decided to resign rather than vote on the motion.

[9] After resignation, Sunderland continued to remain active in civic affairs including working to reestablish a group of residents to push for new playgrounds and better equipment at the current city parks.

Earl Wooster was expelled and denied graduation and a diploma for speaking critically in public about the unsafe conditions of Fresno High School Auditorium including its susceptibility to fire.

[14] The school board would issue bonds and make the necessary repairs to reopen the Fresno High auditorium for public use in less than two years from Wooster's speech.

[21] Sunderland would find that as he worked to secure funding for schools through bonds and laws, that the member of the board of education in charge of buildings was embezzling over $6,000 ($154,000 in 2020 dollars).

The ex-officio mayor was the Commissioner of Public Safety and Welfare who was responsible for the selection, hiring, and termination of the police and fire chiefs as well as lead and manage the city health department.

[25] Sunderland would immediately become embroiled in scandal as a result of a criminal investigation of former interim chief of police Eugene Fornes.