CITY OF FRESNO
Office of Mayor Jerry P. Dyer
_____ _________________________________ ________________________________ LEE BR JERRY P. DYER, Honorable Mayor NELSON ESPARZA, Council President
____ _________________________________ ________________________________ ESMER TYLER MAXWELL, Council Vice President ANNALISA PEREA, Councilmember District 1
_____ _________________________________ ________________________________ PAUL C MIKE KARBASSI, Councilmember District 2 MIGUEL ARIAS, Councilmember District 3
_____ _________________________________ ________________________________ GARRY BRANDON VANG, Councilmember District 5 NICK RICHARDSON, Councilmember District 6
WHEREAS, after more than five decades connected to KMPH and more than three decades as the face of weather, news and humor in the Central Valley, Kopi Sotiropulos has decided to call it a career; and
WHEREAS, Kopi was there at KMPH’s very beginning, hired in October 1971 when the station began broadcasting.
He wrote, produced, edited, and starred in commercials and promotions while also hosting “Dialing for Dollars.” After six years, he and his wife Elaine headed to Hollywood, where he spent a decade acting alongside stars such as Eddie Murphy, Mary Tyler Moore, Goldie Hawn, and appeared in shows including “The Incredible Hulk” and “General Hospital”; and
WHEREAS, home eventually called Kopi back, where his weather forecasts, humor, school visits, and genuine connection with viewers and the community made him not just well known, but deeply beloved across the San Joaquin Valley; and
WHEREAS, Kopi is very close to being a Fresno native. Born in Greece’s Peloponnesian Peninsula, he came to Fresno as a young child. Without knowing a word of English, he went from Fremont Elementary to Hamilton Junior High, where he became Student Body Vice President on a platform of removing gum under desks and instituting a three-day school week.
Even then, Kopi’s charm was evident. At Fresno High, he traded politics for school spirit, serving as a Varsity Yell Leader, and later majored in broadcasting at San Francisco State University; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, Kopi entered the San Francisco, Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences “Gold Circle.” It is an honor reserved for a select few who have made significant contributions to the industry.
Kopi previously had been inducted into the group's “Silver Circle” in 2018; and
WHEREAS, the City of Fresno honors Kopi for his dedication to the community – entertaining viewers in front of the camera while contributing his talents away from the television studio. His work has made Fresno a better community.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, Mayor Jerry Dyer and Members of the Fresno City Council, do hereby proclaim Thursday, March 26, 2026, to be:
“Kopi Sotiropulos Day”
In the City of Fresno.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and
affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California, this 26th day of March 2026.
Honoring Kopi Sotiropulos on His Retirement