What's at stake:
City officials are proposing taking unhoused people to a correctional facility at least 15 miles south of Fresno, but they’d need buy-in from the county first.
Fresno city officials are bringing forward a proposal to acquire a county-owned correctional facility to increase the number of homeless shelter beds in the Fresno region.
The Elkhorn Correctional Facility near Caruthers, at least 15 miles south of Fresno, is currently owned by Fresno County, but Councilmember Miguel Arias said it could be a part of the city and county’s homelessness response, with both jurisdictions clamping down on homeless encampments.
About two weeks ago, Fresno County and the City of Fresno unveiled anti-camping bans following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass v. Johnson. The ruling reversed protections for unhoused people that prevented them from being arrested if they have nowhere else to go.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling on local jurisdictions to break up homeless encampments. Additionally, they could be stripped of state funding if they don’t heed the governor’s orders.
One looming detail that hasn’t yet been explained by elected officials is how inmate populations at the county jail will be impacted by arrests made of unhoused people following camping bans. Arias said that using the Elkhorn facility for unhoused people could be one way to alleviate the burden on the local jail population.
But will unhoused people be taken 15 miles south of Fresno against their will to a rural facility almost entirely surrounded by farmland?
“It’s too soon to understand how that would work out,” Arias told Fresnoland. He also said most of the logistics for the Elkhorn facility proposal still need to be hammered out.
Mayor Jerry Dyer declined to comment on Arias’ proposal. Spokesperson Sontaya Rose said Dyer would need to know more specifics about it before sharing comment.
Arias acknowledged he has not spoken to Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes, who represents the district in which the Elkhorn Correctional Facility is located. Arias also said the last time he visited the facility was 2019.
“It’s not a practical idea,” Mendes told Fresnoland, adding that Arias or another city official should’ve reached out to County Administrative Officer Paul Nerland first. “We’re not interested in it and we already have other uses for that facility.”
Fresno County Supervisor Chairman Nathan Magsig also told Fresnoland that Arias should’ve first reached out to Nerland and, also to Mendes, before discussing with the Fresno City Council. He also said the county already has plans for the Elkhorn facility.
“In years past, the County of Fresno has set aside funds for redevelopment of that facility, and we’ve worked with the Sheriff's Department,” Magsig told Fresnoland. “There is some discussions about creating a new training facility out there that sheriff's deputies and other sheriff personnel would have an opportunity to utilize.”
Arias’ proposal will be discussed in a private closed session on Thursday. The agenda item refers to negotiations with the county over the price and terms of acquiring the Elkhorn facility.
Magsig said he was surprised that the subject will not be discussed publicly because there are no active negotiations over the Elkhorn facility between the city and county.
“I’m actually kind of shocked that this is being allowed to be discussed in closed session, just because typically I know closed session is supposed to be for litigation or if there's negotiations taking place for a purchase of a property,” Magsig told Fresnoland.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz is listed as the sponsor for the closed session item about the Elkhorn facility. He did not respond to questions from Fresnoland, including whether acquiring the facility could be discussed in closed session if negotiations with the county have not begun.
Will unhoused people be jailed, and how would inmate population be affected?
Magsig said he does not think the county jail’s inmate population will be greatly impacted by bans on public camping and encampments. However, he noted it depends on how encampment bans are enforced by local jurisdictions and police agencies.
“Depending on how cities implement their new camping ban ordinances — if they push hard on those and make lots of arrests, then yes, it will have an impact on our jail,” Magsig said. He added that Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni’s approach would be to take unhoused people to county jail only as a last resort.
At a July 26 news conference city officials promised harsh law enforcement action upon unhoused people who refuse offered services. Dyer said it’s time to “hold our unsheltered population accountable,” regardless of bed space in Fresno.
Additionally, Janz said he is directing his prosecution team to not engage in any plea bargaining with unhoused people who are arrested under the city’s anti-camping ban and to seek maximum prison sentences for unhoused people.
Arias told Fresnoland that the Elkhorn facility being used for the homeless could free up Fresno County jail resources, so that there isn't a shortage of space meant for the most violent criminal offenders in Fresno.
“I'm realistic that the county might tell us to go take a hike, right?” Arias told Fresnoland. “OK, if the county tells us to take a hike, in November, we have an election. We might have two new supervisors, and those two new supervisors can probably have a different perspective.”
He added that his proposal would bring wraparound services to the Elkhorn facility — similar to what's offered at Fresno motels — but he said it was too early to answer most questions about the logistics of taking unhoused people there or provide specific details of what an operation at the facility would actually look like.
“Ultimately, the County of Fresno operates a $4 billion safety net system that only produces 120 beds,” Arias added, “while the city of Fresno, a $2 billion organization, has 900 beds.”
Fresno homeless advocate Dez Martinez told Fresnoland that a correctional facility is not the answer to homelessness, especially one that is a 20-minute drive from the city. She also took issue with Arias saying that wraparound services would be provided at the Elkhorn facility, just like at Fresno motels for unhoused people.
Martinez said that promises made to unhoused people for everything from transportation to counseling — examples of wraparound services — are not kept. Martinez doesn’t think those services would be provided outside the city when they aren’t provided inside the city, she said.
“How in the hell can you look me in the eyes and say that you’re about helping the poor?” Martinez said. “The poor includes low income families, the unhoused, the elders on fixed income, the young adults that gotta get these jobs at these fast food restaurants.”
Martinez said she is frustrated with how swiftly Fresno’s elected county and city officials have moved forward with homelessness policies that she says criminalize the unhoused. She does not see any clear plan to address the root, underlying causes for why people are homeless in the first place.
“How do they want us to be able to work with them?” Martinez told Fresnoland. “If they’ve broken every promise they made with us, it's to the point where every single one of them needs to be recalled.”
Following the publication of this story, Fresno County spokesperson Sonja Dosti released a statement explaining that Fresno County officials had not heard directly from city officials about a proposal for the Elkhorn facility.
The news release listed several reasons for why the Elkhorn facility would not be suitable for providing homeless shelter beds, largely referring to how the rural facility is far from a myriad of services.
However, the county “is willing to discuss with the City any viable city or county-owned sites that best meet the needs of the unhoused population,” according to the news release.
