Documented by Rachel Youdelman
Summary: What You Need to Know
- The board agreed to send a letter in opposition to Governor Newsom’s proposal for a “Right to Safety” amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The proposal is in response to the national gun violence crisis and includes raising the age to legally purchase firearms from 18 to 21. Despite also proclaiming the month of September “National Suicide Prevention” month, the board made no acknowledgement of the high rate of young-adult suicide by firearm.
- The board voted 3-2 to approve a change of site for the county’s needle-exchange program, authorizing the San Joaquin Valley Free Medical Clinic and Needle Exchange to lease office and medical space at no cost in the county-owned Department of Public Health. Brandau and Magsig were the “no” votes, despite a doctor’s testimony that needle-exchange programs do not contribute to a rise in drug use.
- A number of public commenters, union members in purple SEIU2015 T-shirts, pleaded with the board to raise wages for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers, as they have done consistently for months at recent board meetings. Many more were present than were permitted to comment, because of the 15-minute-per-topic time limit.
Board
Brian Pacheco, 1st District
Steve Brandau, 2nd District
Sal Quintero, 3rd District, chair
Buddy Mendes, 4th District
Nathan Magsig, 5th District, vice-chair
Staff
Daniel C. Cederborg, County Counsel
Bernice E. Seidel, clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer (CAO)
The Scene
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting of the month at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 5. Chair Quintero opened the meeting promptly and asked clerk Seidel to call the roll. All were present. Quintero then asked Supervisor Pacheco to introduce the person giving the invocation, typically a man from an evangelical church. Today it was B.T. Lewis, pastor of the Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Fresno. “The [Labor Day] holiday got me in a situation where I did not know what day it was,” Lewis said, by way of apologizing for being casually dressed. “In the name of Jesus, we come before your throne,” he began. “Let righteousness run down like water; in Jesus’ name we pray,” he said. Why is the invocation almost never nonsectarian, and why is Jesus or “Father God” always invoked?
The meeting was about 1½ hours long. The room was about half full of attendees until about an hour into the meeting, when SEIU15 members in purple T-shirts began to file in.
Meetings are open to the public and are held at the Fresno County Hall of Records, 2281 Tulare St., Room 301. Public comments on matters on or off the agenda are welcomed. If you plan to make a comment in person on an item not on the agenda, note that this portion of the meeting is always last on the agenda. Each agenda item is otherwise accorded time for live public comment as they are introduced. Meetings are live streamed; agendas, live stream and meeting video may be accessed here. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 19 at 9:30 a.m.; budget hearings are scheduled for Sept. 11-12.
Each supervisor represents one of five districts. Who is your county supervisor? Find out here.
To contact your supervisor about any issues or agenda items for a particular meeting, call or email with your opinion or question:
Pacheco District 1 District1@fresnocountyca.gov (559) 600-1000
Brandau District 2 District2@fresnocountyca.gov (559) 600-2000
Quintero District 3 District3@fresnocountyca.gov (559) 600-3000
Mendes District 4 District4@fresnocountyca.gov (559) 600-4000
Magsig District 5 District5@fresnocountyca.gov, (559) 600-5000
Agenda Item 1 The board approved the day’s agenda with a 5-0 vote.
Agenda Item 2 The board approved the “consent agenda,” items 17-38, with the exception of item 28, with a 5-0 vote. These are items which are considered routine or administrative, grouped together and decided with a single vote. Supervisor Magsig pulled item 28 for discussion; it was discussed after item 4.
Agenda Item 3 The board unanimously proclaimed September “National Suicide Prevention” month, an item brought by Magsig, who said that suicide was something that has “touched all of us.” Director of Behavioral Health Susan Holt was present to speak briefly and introduce some of her staff to summarize some of the county programs designed to offer support, awareness and prevention. Ahmad Bahrami said that the county’s Central Valley Suicide Prevention Lifeline call volume was up, but that suicides were down. County residents in need can call the Lifeline at 988. Members of the LOSS team were also present. Everyone posed for a group photo.
Agenda Item 4 The board voted 4-0, with Quintero abstaining, to send a letter in opposition to Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a “Right to Safety” amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is now Senate Joint Resolution 7 (SJR7) in the state Senate. Magsig and Brandau brought the item. Magsig said his office had “received calls” from people about it but did not elaborate. He added that the amendment was an attempt to “reduce Second Amendment rights” and that the governor often takes positions that “don’t reflect the district.”
Brandau explained the three parts of the proposed gun safety resolution: raising the age requirement for gun ownership from 18 to 21, banning assault weapons and mandating background checks. He didn’t mention the provision for a waiting period for gun purchases. All these conditions were either “ludicrous” or “very ludicrous,” Brandau said. Laws would not stop crime, he reasoned. Then he said that the idea for the amendment was “probably a campaign thing,” and that “the governor needs to know” that “even in his own state,” there are people who “value the Second Amendment.”
Notably, despite having just proclaimed the month of September “National Suicide Prevention” month, the board did not acknowledge the high rate of young-adult firearm suicide. From 2010 to 2019, the rate of teenage firearm suicides increased 59%, and firearms account for over half of deaths from suicide in the U.S.
Quintero thanked his colleagues for bringing the item and said that he needed more detailed information about the resolution before he could decide to support it, speculating that it would be “a tough one” to pass nationally. He emphasized that his focus as a county supervisor was the local economy and job creation. Hence, he would abstain from voting.
Public comment was opened on the matter, and Kay Bertken, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Fresno, was present to say that she and the League “applaud your opposition,” though she suggested that they opposed the resolution for “reasons we don’t share.”
Agenda Item 28 This item, pulled from the consent agenda by Magsig, was approved 5-0. It concerned suspension of competitive bidding to service or repair “Caterpillar” brand construction and engineering equipment and to approve the Quinn Co. as the service and repair agent, as it is the only authorized Caterpillar dealer allowed to work
in the county’s service area. Bryan Burton of the Internal Services Department was present to make the case. Magsig said that other companies could supply parts for repair but couldn’t warranty them. Pacheco, who comes from a family of dairy farmers, talked about farming, equipment and equipment repair and said that “you get what you pay for.” Mendes, with a grin, asked Burton if “we have ever re-tracked a Caterpillar,” a question which would not mean anything to anyone unfamiliar with this type of equipment.
Agenda Item 5 The board agreed unanimously to send a letter of appreciation to local representatives in the state Legislature for recent legislative successes, such as Representative Jim Costa and Senator Alex Padilla for their help in securing federal funding for fiscal-year 2023 projects, including $1 million for street re-paving in Tranquility and $4 million for street construction in Calwa, as well as additional county funding from state assembly member Esmerelda Soria. CAO Nerland introduced Deputy CAO Samantha Buck, who made a brief presentation.
Agenda Item 6 The board approved unanimously the county’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan. Deputy CAO Samantha Buck made a summary presentation. The plan includes an inventory of sidewalks, curbs, ramps, pedestrian signals, parks and the like. The transition plan will accomplish the following: identify physical obstacles that limit accessibility, provide details of methods that will make the facilities accessible and schedule steps to compliance. The Public Works Department will be “heavily involved,” Nerland confirmed.
Agenda Item 7 The board received a report from the Behavioral Health Department about its progress for two years, 2021 and 2022. Chair of the Behavioral Health Board, Brooke Frost, made the presentation, apologizing for having skipped a year (saying it “somehow got missed”) and now making the report covering two years.
Highlights for both years included issues brought into focus during the pandemic, such as the decrease in stigmatization of behavioral health issues, lack of affordable housing, inequitable availability of broadband and the lack of MediCal doctors. In the future the department will concentrate on services such as CARECourt, CalAIM, ballot measures such as SB326 (the Behavioral Health Services Act) and the like. Budget allocations were discussed. Recommendations were made for ensuring availability of resources such as clinicians and supportive housing. There was no discussion.
Agenda Item 8 The board voted 3-2 to approve a change of site for the county’s needle-exchange program, authorizing the San Joaquin Valley Free Medical Clinic and Needle Exchange (SJVFMCNE), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to lease office and medical space at no cost in the county-owned Department of Public Health building at the Brix-Mercer Building Complex. Brandau and Magsig were the “no” votes; they were not persuaded that needle-exchanges would not increase or promote drug use. The departments of Behavioral Health, Public Health and Social Services will collaborate on a pilot program to provide health care and harm-reduction treatment services.
The clinic and needle-exchange currently operate from an RV parked in a cul-de-sac.
Director of Public Health David Luchini explained that clients and staff will have better access and people would be able to leverage services that are already happening. The improved access will encourage patronage and will relieve crowded hospitals, said Luchini. Magsig noted that he heard about Pacheco’s visit to the facility, impressive with its “wrap-around services.” But, said Magsig, choosing his words tactfully, “I have challenges with the needle-exchange part.” Was the clinic a “safe-use” site, where drug addicts could safely inject themselves with illegal drugs? Luchini said no, it was only a needle exchange. “Does it reduce drug use?” asked Magsig. Luchini said that one of the physicians would answer that question.
Dr. John Zweifler said that clean needles are made available, without which about 80% of drug users share needles, a practice which spreads serious disease, such as AIDS or hepatitis. In answer to the question, “Does needle exchange promote drug use?” Dr. Zweifler asked if auto insurance promotes accidents. “If someone we loved used drugs, would we want them to have clean needles?” he asked.
At this point, the room began filling up with attendees in purple SEIU2015 union T-shirts.
Zweifler said that moving the needle-exchange program and clinic into the Public Health Department building would show that clients will be treated with dignity and respect. He added that “community-level care” will lead to “community-level outcomes.”
Dr. Marc Lasher, president of the clinic, which he has operated on Saturdays for over 20 years, was present to speak about the program. He cited some studies and reports, including one that indicates that needle-exchange programs do not promote drug use and another that shows that the programs reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. The studies are posted to the clinic’s website. As Dr. Lasher was speaking during the public comment section of the agenda item, Quintero cut him off mid-sentence at the three-minute limit.
Dallas Blanchard was also present to speak during the public comment period for this matter. He talked about giving out, in the last year, over 3,000 doses of Narcan, the antidote to fentanyl overdoses. He said that lives were being saved and that the county was being saved millions of dollars. One more commenter pleaded with the board to approve the proposal, so dirty needles would not be found in parks or other public places.
Pacheco then asked Dr. Lasher to return to the lectern because he wanted to respond to what Lasher had said. Pacheco remarked that the clinical aspect of the proposal was a “no-brainer” but that the needle exchange was “a problem.” Lasher’s colleagues had assured Pacheco when he visited the facility that needle exchange does not promote drug use. But he raised the issue of “public perception,” which had long made him skeptical; however, he said, his perception changed when he visited the clinic, which he said gives care to the vulnerable and reduces the burden on emergency rooms. He observed clients “from all walks of life” in the clinic. “It’s making a difference. You’re saving lives,” Pacheco said, addressing Dr. Lasher, noting that a “brick and mortar” clinic was necessary. “You are the true public servant,” Pacheco said to Lasher, noting that Lasher’s Saturday service at the clinic is unpaid. “I applaud you,” Pacheco told him. Addressing his fellow board members, he said, “We may not vote unanimously today.”
Agenda Item 9 The board voted 5-0 to approve a first hearing of the amending of the Fresno County Ordinance Code to reflect updated development fees in the city of Clovis. There was no discussion.
Agenda Item 10 Supervisor reports.
Pacheco wished his predecessor, Phil Larson, a happy 90th birthday.
Brandau said that he attended a dedication of a portion of Friant Road in memory of Gavin Gladding, a Clovis resident killed by a hit-and-run driver and the focus of a so-far unsuccessful legislative movement to increase punishment for this type of crime.
Magsig talked about the third anniversary of the Creek Fire; he suggested that temporary housing in the area be approved for another year’s extension.
Mendes had no remarks.
Quintero said that the State of the County meeting would take place on Sept. 21 and that budget hearings will begin on Sept 11. He cited two deaths: Kenneth Hart, a local political consultant; and Pat Corrales, a baseball player who was from Fresno.
Agenda Item 11 Board appointments. Mendes, Pacheco, and Brandau each made 1 appointment to various boards or committees.
Agenda Item 12 Public comment regarding items not on the agenda. Quintero reminded everyone that each person was allotted three minutes to speak and that there was a limit of 15 minutes per topic. Seven people in purple SEIU2015 T-shirts pleaded with the board to raise wages for IHSS workers. Some spoke in Spanish, with a translator helping. One of them said that she took time off from her third job to attend this meeting. Another pointed out that the cost of living in Fresno County exceeds the annual income of IHSS workers, who earn $16.10 per hour. “You guys have six-figure salaries,” she said. One person was present to talk about a behavioral health residential facility.
Agenda Items 13-16 Closed session. Among the items in the closed session were three cases of litigation and one item regarding labor negotiations. Attorney Cederborg said that there would be no report from the closed session.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
