In a groundbreaking move, the Fresno City Council passed an ordinance on Thursday requiring restaurants and bars to have two doses of Narcan, the lifesaving drug for preventing opioid overdoses, by July 4. The ordinance, which passed with a 5-2 vote, aims to increase access to the drug and save lives in the city.
Councilmember Annalisa Perea, who introduced the ordinance, said, “an overdose can happen anywhere – a school, a house, a bar. We want to increase access to this drug to as many corners of the city as possible.”
Perea estimated that the ordinance will require 540 businesses to obtain Narcan in the coming months, with the Fresno County Public Health Department providing two free doses to each establishment.
The resolution comes as opioids, including a man-made version called fentanyl, killed over 71,000 Americans in 2021. The drug’s death march has even started to reach unthinkable corners of everyday society – classrooms, bathrooms and even elementary school parking lots. Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified started carrying Narcan in schools in recent years.
City Attorney Andrew Janz called the ordinance “essentially a good samaritan law,” similar to laws protecting those who give CPR, allowing people to administer Narcan with legal protection against lawsuits. “It’s common in many cities,” Janz added.
Not all council members were in favor of the ordinance. Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, a critic of the state’s decriminalization efforts for drug users, argued that Perea’s idea was an unfunded mandate and expressed doubts about businesses’ ability to determine the difference between a fentanyl overdose and a seizure. “I won’t be able to support this thing,” Bredefeld said.
Councilmember Luis Chavez defended the ordinance, saying, “We’re trying to do something innovative. We’re trying to save lives.” Councilmember Mike Karbassi called it a “no-brainer,” noting that the cost per business would be around $45, less than the cost of filling a fire extinguisher.
Chavez’s colleague, Councilmember Miguel Arias, who ended up voting against the resolution, suggested that the city’s initial focus should be on where overdoses are concentrated – publicly owned facilities, such as warming centers and homeless shelters, rather than dine-in restaurants and nightclubs. “If we’re trying to tackle the problem, I’d like for us to get at the root of the problem,” Arias said.
Despite the dissenting opinions, the ordinance passed, as Fresno joins many cities across the US to engage with restaurants and bars to combat the opioid crisis.
Largest Starbucks in Fresno approved for Southwest
The Fresno City Council also voted on Thursday to approve the largest Starbucks in Fresno, a 6,000-square-foot proposal located at the southwest corner of South Martin Luther King Boulevard and East Church Avenue in Southwest Fresno. The application, previously appealed by Councilmember Miguel Arias, was recommended for approval by city staff after changes were made to the project.
Bob Mitchell, a Southwest Fresno leader, spoke in support of the project at the meeting. “It’s something that we have long sought for our community – commercial businesses,” Mitchell said. “I am in support of the project as indicated.”
The Starbucks approval is a sign of the changing landscape on the west side. In January, the West Fresno Community College opened its doors, and the new Starbucks will be located at the convergence of Gaston Middle School, Computech, Edison High School, and the new college campus. Earlier this week, city leaders broke ground on a new park just south of the campus.
Mayor Jerry Dyer framed the arrival of the common coffee chain joint as a watershed moment for the west side. “If we could get a Starbucks in West Fresno, I think we will have made it,” Dyer said with a wry smile, recalling a tour he took with the Starbucks developers of the area as the Fresno City College, West Center Campus was being built a few years ago.
Initially, Mitchell was opposed to the Starbucks proposal due to safety concerns related to the double-barreled drive-thrus being located next to four schools with many children. However, after discussions with Public Works Director Scott Mozier in the lead-up to Thursday’s meeting, Mitchell’s concerns have been “somewhat alleviated,” he said.
The development team has committed to never building a second drive-through, according to Arias.
Copper River Ranch development traffic signals approved for delay
In another development-related decision, the Fresno City Council unanimously approved a delay for the installation of three traffic signals at the Copper River Ranch project in northeast Fresno.
The applicant, Gary McDonald, requested a change in his company’s agreement with the city, asking to install the traffic signals when people move in, rather than when the building permit is issued by the city.
McDonald, who has been working on the project since 1998, stated that the development will be completed in five more years and is entering its final stage on the east corner, near Clovis North High School.
City Manager Georgeanne White cited supply chain shortages for control boxes as the reason for the city’s support of the developer’s delay.
Councilmember Miguel Arias expressed his surprise at McDonald’s request, saying, “I’ve never seen this before, to grant permission for occupancy vs. building permit.” The city has set a deadline of September for the installation of the traffic lights, after which the city will have to take action.
City attorney approved for subpoena power
The council also approved an ordinance to give city attorney Andrew Janz subpoena power on the consent agenda Thursday, without discussion.
The proposal comes on the heels of two moves earlier this year to expand the city attorney’s prosecutorial powers related to misdemeanor graffiti crimes and wage theft.
It also comes about six weeks after the City Council gave Janz a 6% pay raise, bringing his annual salary to $255,000.
Urban Peace Institute funding discussion tabled
Finally, a proposal brought forward by Councilmember Mike Karbassi to suspend all city funding to the Urban Peace Institute has been tabled for future discussion.
Karbassi’s call comes after one of the program’s recent graduates was recently arrested by Fresno County Sheriffs’ Deputies on weapons charges.
In December, the City Council unanimously approved a $300,000 contract with the institute to provide violence intervention training to community intervention workers and law enforcement officials.
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