Critics say Fresno mayor’s COVID-19 committee lacks diversity. He defends ‘strong’ record
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, April 28, additional members were added to the mayor’s committee: Dr. John Moua, assistant clinical professor at UC San Francisco and Dr. Ardavan Kheradpir and Dr. Shannon Barnhart of the Fresno Madera Medical Society.
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced a 22-member committee last week to plan the city’s recovery from the coronavirus shutdown and it was swiftly criticized for its lack of diversity.
The group, called the Fresno Recovery Advisory Committee, is a think tank geared toward ideas to jump start business and give a jolt to the city’s economy.
Like most cities, Fresno’s economy is taking a beating because many businesses remain shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee is made up largely of elected officials and business leaders. But some say the group needs to be more inclusive of youth, students, community organizations, people of color and others.
Brand’s critics like Sandra Celedon, the president of Fresno Building Healthy Communities, say people of color in many parts of the city were struggling even before the coronavirus affected the economy.
“The mayor’s team needs more diversity and more new leaders to invest in communities of color to create a brighter future for all Fresnans,” she said Friday. “We do not need the same leaders at the table offering the same ideas. The economy didn’t work before for people of color.”
After the initial committee was announced Wednesday, and following criticism from the community, three new names were added to the Recovery Committee.
Those names include Pao Yang, CEO of The Fresno Center; Raj Sodhi-Layne, senior vice president of Xander Mortgage and Real Estate and Tara Lynn Gray, CEO of the Metro Black Chamber of Commerce.
Ethnically, they represent the Hmong, Sikh and African-American communities, respectively.
Brand defended his committee Friday, saying he has a “strong record of diversity” on his advisory committees.
“In the case of the Fresno Recovery Committee, this will likely be the most important committee that most of us have ever served on, and the stakes are high for our local economy,” he said in a statement. “That’s why I chose bright people with proven track records as problem solvers representing a wide spectrum of communities to best help us restart and rebuild Fresno’s economy as quickly as possible.”
“Their leadership backgrounds are as diverse as they are impressive, and I am confident they will help me put a plan in place that will benefit everyone in Fresno.”
State economists have said the response to the coronavirus is likely to trigger a downturn in the economy that was worse then the Great Recession.
Fresno administrators said Thursday early estimates have the city’s budget facing a dip of about $39 million for the rest of this fiscal year and through the next year, compared to previous predictions. The city is working with a $1.1 billion budget this fiscal year.
Advocates for Fresno’s poorest and most vulnerable say the economic downturn is at its worst in communities that were already struggling before the pandemic. That’s why they need a place at the Recovery Committee’s table.
Yenifer Gallegos-Mejia called into the Fresno City Council meeting Thursday to voice her concerns over the committee. A member of the Fresno Sunrise Movement, she said in an interview with The Fresno Bee on Friday she thought the committee lacked diversity, transparency and democracy.
She said the committee was put together without input from the community and lacks any representation from people who are actually working on the frontlines during the pandemic, like retail staffers, farmworkers and community organizers.
“I think this should be a democratic process,” she said. “If people are going to make a major decision on our behalf, we should have a say (on who they are).”
The committee is made up of industry insiders and already established, if not old, industries, according to Pedro Hernandez, outreach and engagement manager for climate policies at California Audubon.
The committee felt thrown together overnight, according to Hernandez, who has been in community organizing in the Fresno area for about eight years. The committee does not address sustainable industry or renewable energy.
“I think it’s an opportunity missed,” he said. “We’re at a time where we’re thinking how will society exist and how it can re-open.”
Here’s the full list of the committee through Friday:
Lee Brand, mayor of Fresno
Jerry Dyer, mayor-elect of Fresno
Miguel Arias, Fresno City Council District 3
Mike Karbassi, Fresno City Council District 2
Luis Chavez, Fresno City Council District 5
Buddy Mendes, Fresno County supervisor District 4
Nathan Magsig, Fresno County supervisor district 5
Dave Pomaville, director, Fresno County Department of Public Health
Michelle Von Tersch, senior vice president, Community Medical Centers
Carole Goldsmith, president, Fresno City College
Nathan Ahle, president, Greater Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Lee Ann Eager, president, Fresno Economic Development Corp.
Henry Perea, California High-Speed Rail Authroity board member
Tony Canales, vice president, Central Labor Council
Mike Shirinian, state board member, California Restaurant Association
Sal Gonzales, co-president, Lance-Kashian & Company
Emilia Reyes, CEO, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Tim Rios, senior vice president, Wells Fargo
Cary Catalano, commissioner, Fresno Housing Authority
TJ Miller, Fresno PARCs director, emergency operations coordinator
Lupe Perez, director, Fresno’s Economic Development Department
Tim Orman, chief of staff, City Hall
Pao Yang, CEO, The Fresno Center
Raj Sodhi-Layne, senior vice president, Xander Mortgage and Real Estate
Tara Lynn Gray, CEO, Metro Black Chamber of Commerce
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 12:31 PM.
