Fresno gym owner allegedly had lookouts watch out for ‘dumb’ COVID-19 code enforcers
A north Fresno gym owner allegedly tried to recruit people to act as lookouts so that classes could resume before they were allowed amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to city records obtained by The Fresno Bee.
Warrior Fitness on Cedar Avenue just north of Nees Avenue got two citations — a $1,000 fine on May 29 and $5,000 on June 3 — for being open when the business was not authorized, records show.
A screenshot of a text message said the gym would be resuming before they were officially allowed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The text message was included with citations and other records obtained by The Fresno Bee through a public records request.
“The dumb city code enforcement is looking to issue pathetic last minute fines,” the text said.
“Saturday morning I will be conducting a very TONED DOWN class and am also looking for volunteers who would be willing to act as look outs (sic) for any possible city official approaching the building,” the text said.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, the owner declined to comment on the citations or text but admitted to sending the message.
Twenty-two businesses got $1,000 tickets between March 24 and July 22 for being open before they were officially allowed, according to records.
Five of those got a second ticket, which is a $5,000 fine. Those included The Spot Smoke Shop, Crazy Bernie’s Furniture, The Waffle Shop, Club Pilates and Warrior Fitness.
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand ordered many businesses to close that were not considered essential on March 18 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. He lifted the order on May 26 and began to allow some shops to open.
The terms “essential” and “non-essential,” what the stores were initially called, became controversial to some residents so city employees took to calling the closed businesses “non-authorized.” Many of the citations issued by code enforcement officers have the printed word “non-essential” crossed out and a handwritten note of “non-authorized” written on the ticket.
Here are the shops
- The Spot Smoke Shop, 5665 N. Blackstone Ave. ($6,000)
- Furniture For You, 5193 N. Blackstone Ave. ($1,000)
- High Society Smoke Shop, 1124 W. Shields Ave. ($1,000)
- 559 Cigarettes and More, 1219 Fresno St. ($1,000)
- Elbow Room, 731 W. San Jose Ave. ($1,000)
- A&W Surplus, 3330 N. Duke Ave. ($1,000)
- Tint Pros, 6155 N. Blackstone Ave. ($1,000)
- Smoke Zone, 3777 N. Hughes Ave. ($1,000)
- A Better Bed, 2686 N. Clovis Ave. ($1,000)
- Crazy Bernie’s Furniture, 4224 W. Shaw Ave. ($6,000)
- The Shanty, 375 E. Shaw Ave. ($1,000)
- Brothers Barbers, 2046 W. Bullard Ave. ($1,000)
- Halo Jiu Jitsu, 3980 N. Chestnut Ave. ($1,000)
- Dre36, 2940 E. Nees Ave. ($1,000)
- Wine Barrel, 1105 E. Champlain Ave. ($1,000)
- Satyr Vapor, 7016 N. Maple Ave. ($1,000)
- Milan Nails and Spa Too, 9525 N. Sommerville Drive ($1,000)
- The Waffle Shop, 4025 W. Figarden Drive ($6,000)
- Club Pilates, 7735 N. Blackstone Ave. ($6,000)
- Mr. Manicure & Co., 4974 E. Ashlan Ave. ($1,000)
- Fit Republic, 6735 N. First St. ($1,000)
- Warrior Fitness, 8039 N. Cedar Ave. ($6,000)
Code enforcement officers also wrote $250 citations to nine businesses for not social distancing between April 10 and July 20.
Those were Doghouse Grill, Clawson Motorsports, the WinCo on Shaw Avenue, Bobby Salazar’s Taqueria in the Tower District, am-pm on Nees Avenue, Fit Republic on First Street, Popeyes on Blackstone Avenue and two Walmarts — the locations on Shaw Avenue and Ingram Avenue.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
