Fresno City Council candidates talk homelessness, housing issues at District 4 forum
Voters in central Fresno had their first chance Tuesday night to hear from candidates running for Fresno City Council on issues like homelessness, housing and economic development during a forum held at Fresno State.
Candidates Nathan Alonzo and Tyler Maxwell both introduced themselves and shared a bit about their upbringings before delving into issues affecting students at the university and the rest of Fresno. The forum was hosted in the Satellite Student Union by Fresno State’s Associated Students, Inc. and Dogs for Democracy.
The candidates are running for the District 4 seat currently held by Councilmember Paul Caprioglio, who is terming out. The district stretches from Bullard and Blackstone avenues, encompasses Fresno State and the Fresno International Airport, and stretches to the eastern edge of the city near Locan and Shields avenues.
Voters will get the first chance to vote for Alonzo or Maxwell during the March 2020 primary election.
When it came to the issues, both candidates said Fresno has a public safety and homeless crisis. They also agreed that divisive Twitter beefs and name calling by current council members don’t help move the city forward and committed to working collaboratively.
Backgrounds of the candidates
Alonzo, 27, grew up in Firebaugh after his parents immigrated with his older brothers from Mexico. He worked in the fields alongside his family. Alonzo attended Fresno City College and earned his bachelor’s degree from Fresno State. His first brush with politics was working for former state Sen. Andy Vidak as a district director and policy advisor. Alonzo also previously served as the vice president of government affairs for the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. He currently works for the Caglia Family of Companies.
Maxwell, 28, grew up in District 4, where his parents struggled with substance abuse and his family lived on the brink of homelessness. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. He currently works on the staff of Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza and previously worked as a victim advocate for Fresno County Probation and a crime scene investigator for Fresno Police Department.
Homelessness
The candidates differed slightly, in terms of how they would each address the homeless crisis.
Maxwell said homelessness should be addressed by providing developers with incentives to build affordable housing and preventing those in poverty from slipping into homelessness by providing workforce training and education opportunities.
Alonzo said the homeless issue should be tackled by increasing the number of shelter beds, which Fresno currently lacks, and by providing substance abuse and mental health treatment and job training programs.
Housing and growth
One question from the audience asked candidates what their plans are to make housing more affordable so more people could buy homes.
Alonzo said he supported a current proposal to reopen the city’s general plan to allow developers to build single family homes again, while also encouraging infill and revitalization to the city’s older neighborhoods.
“We need to be competitive again, reopen the general plan, and bring development, especially on the residential end, back to Fresno,” he said.
Maxwell said the issue boils down to supply and demand, and increasing the housing stock will help drive down rent prices. He argued the affordable housing issue also relates to wages, and city officials should work to attract businesses that pay higher wages.
“What kind of jobs are we building and attracting to the city of Fresno?” he said.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:32 AM.