What's at stake?
Luis Chavez and incumbent Sal Quintero, who will compete in November for the District 3 seat for Fresno County Board of Supervisors, shared their opinions and plans for county-wide issues at a candidate forum on Oct. 7.
The candidates for Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 3 seat, current city councilmember Luiz Chavez and incumbent Sal Quintero, talked about policies, plans and changes they seek to make during a candidate forum on Monday, Oct. 7.
The forum, which was presented by Fresnoland, Valley Public Radio, the League of Women Voters, the Maddy Institute at Fresno State and CMAC, gave both candidates a chance to share the concerns they have regarding ongoing county-wide issues, such as funding for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers and homelessness.
Though both candidates agreed on topics such as improving resources for mobile food vendors, they disagreed on issues like the county’s controversial general plan and pay increases for IHSS workers.
Quintero supported his stances and comments with examples of work he and the board have completed or are currently working on. In contrast, Chavez was more forward in detailing his areas of concerns and was not afraid to make criticisms on the board’s past actions, or lack thereof.
“It’s really embarrassing the way that those folks have been treated,” Chavez said regarding the stagnating pay of IHSS workers, adding “the fact that they haven’t had a raise in eight years, I think, is pretty telling.”
Currently, IHSS workers in Fresno County make $16.60 hourly, just 60 cents above the state’s minimum wage. IHSS workers have been in negotiations with the county and seek a raise to $20 hourly. The county offered a $1.20 raise earlier this year.
When asked how much they believed IHSS workers should be paid, Quintero said $20 or more while Chavez said he felt they should be paid $25-$30.
Similarly, when asked about what success would look like for the implementation of a CARE courts structure in Fresno and how they would increase the number of psychiatric beds, Quintero explained that the board has been working on it slowly. On the other hand, Chavez said he had already instructed the city attorney’s office to create a new treatment mode in Fresno that Chavez compared to CARE courts.
Moreover, Chavez also said his goal, if elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 3, would be to provide 1,000 beds for the homeless in his first 100 days in office. He explained that he wants to combine money the city and the county have to provide these beds along with services for mental health and substance abuse, as well as Section 8 housing vouchers.
Chavez also mentioned that the city received a letter from the ACLU reminding them to protect the civil liberties of citizens in their pursuit of a solution to the county’s unhoused problem.
Chavez wasn’t the only one proclaiming his stance on issues, though.
When asked about AB 98, a bill that requires warehouses to be built 300-500 feet away from sensitive sites like schools or healthcare facilities, Quintero said that while plans for a warehouse in southwest Fresno have already been approved, he believed they should be built further away from neighborhoods and facilities.
“I believe that working with our advocate organizations, we can reach a compromise,” Quintero said.
Quintero also said he believed industries causing degradation of county roads should bear the cost of repairing the roads. Currently, the county faces a $1.7 billion road maintenance shortfall, with logistics and industrial agricultural industries as the main contributors to road decline.
“I believe that that cost should be borne in part by those industrial companies and any new companies that are coming in,” Quintero said.
The candidate forum was sponsored by Fresnoland in collaboration with Valley Public Radio, the League of Women Voters, the Maddy Institute at Fresno State and CMAC. Watch the forum here.
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