Assemblyman calls for emergency meeting with Fresno County leaders over COVID-19 challenges
California Assemblyman Dr. Joaquin Arambula has requested an emergency meeting with the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to address the pandemic challenges affecting workers and how millions of dollars in aid should be spent.
Arambula, D-Fresno, said in a Wednesday letter to the supervisors that he believes county officials should treat the pandemic’s challenges with more urgency. He sent copies of the letter to a number of local resource organizations.
“COVID-19 has cast an ugly spotlight on the inequities faced by our most disadvantaged communities. As a doctor, it pains me that people are suffering at a time when leadership and clear direction can save lives and slow the spread of this vicious virus,” Arambula wrote.
The chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Buddy Mendes, on Thursday called Arambula’s letter “snarky” and said it represented “grandstanding” on behalf of Arambula. Mendes said the board is not planning any meetings before its next scheduled one on Aug. 4.
What’s happening with $81.5 million?
In his letter, Arambula requested that the county provide him with information how it plans to spend the balance of $81.5 million in federal CARES Act funding. The county also received $16.4 million from the state, also part of CARES Act.
The Board of Supervisors previously spent $5 million in small-business grants and Chief Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau provided supervisors with a preliminary breakdown of how at least $69 million of the remaining funds could be spent.
Listed in the possible expenses are items such as testing, contact tracing, expense reimbursements and personal protective equipment and expanded jail testing. Other items include county facility retrofitting, homeless assistance, additional spaces for public health staff and funds for advertising and public service announcements.
CARES Act funding cannot be used to replace lost revenue, but rather to cover costs associated with the pandemic.
Through May 31, the county has incurred about $14.1 million in expenses related to COVID-19. Rousseau told the supervisors that $11.7 million has already been spent. The largest expenses include payroll at $4.7 million and economic support provisions at $5 million.
Rousseau told the supervisors that the spending he laid out is all tentative and subject to change. Rousseau has said on different occasions that he’d like to spend prudently to avoid any problems during a federal audit of the funds.
‘We need to get going’
The board will eventually have to vote on a spending budget. Rousseau told the supervisors he hoped the county could proceed with contracts for several community-based organizations that could help reach ethnic communities in the the county for education and support during the pandemic.
“We need to get going on that as soon as possible,” Rousseau told the supervisors at their July 7 meeting. “We have the ability to go forward with that now and bring the contracts back retroactively.”
But since his presentation, the Board of Supervisors has not met.
City official’s concerns
In a previous instance, Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez also requested information from county officials on CARES Act spending, but he said he only got a partial list.
In his letter, Arambula said he is seeking an opportunity to meet with county leaders to discuss potential ways to spend the money that could address what he says are workers in “high-risk” indoor jobs and Latino residents and other minorities.
Coronavirus data has shown Latinos have been harder-hit by the virus across the state and the country due to many working in jobs that aren’t conducive to distancing.
“I think we all agree that when people have factual information, we can all make better personal and leadership decisions,” Arambula wrote.
Mendes, the board chairman, said Rousseau’s breakdown on July 7 serves as some direction of how the county plans to spend the CARES Act funds. Mendes said an assistant at the county’s administrative office was in contact with Arambula following receipt of the letter.
“He (Arambula) can easily pick up his phone,” Mendes said. “Any of his staff can call the CAO’s office and they will answer.”
Arambula said he’s visted the Hall of Records multiple days this week and has not been able to get a meeting scheduled.
“I am not the only one asking questions of the Fresno County supervisors,” he said in a statement Thursday. “We need an emergency public meeting that welcomes input from the community about how we move forward and do so quickly to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our county.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 1:11 PM.
