Fresno leader has 4 resolutions to open shops amid coronavirus. He doubts they’ll pass
Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld pushed four resolutions on Wednesday related to re-opening many businesses in town, despite his admission they are unlikely to get support from his colleagues.
Accompanied by north Fresno business owners, Bredefeld said his resolutions are prudent. “It doesn’t matter if something is going to pass or not,” he said at City Hall. “This is the right thing.”
A similar effort by Bredefeld in May failed to get support.
Bredefeld’s four resolutions on Thursday’s City Council agenda include the “Open City Hall to the Public Act,” “End the Snitch Hotline Act,” “Anti-Oppressive Government Act” and “Business Freedom Act.”
The items cover a number of efforts Bredefeld has been pushing for months, arguing that government orders related to the coronavirus have been destructive to businesses and the economy. He also called Gov. Gavin Newsom an authoritarian leader.
Many businesses closed in March after local and state orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In June business closures were ordered again by Newsom.
COVID-19 and the economy
Four business owners backed up Bredefeld’s argument with their personal stories during the news conference.
Shelby Ramos said she has tried to operate Evolve Dance Company with outdoor classes, but has been stifled by COVID-19 orders and now poor air quality set off by wildfires.
Yosemite Falls Cafe owner Manny Perales said he was forced to shutdown High Sierra Grill at the beginning of the month because he’s taken a hit from coronavirus orders.
“I’ve acquired so much debt,” he said. “(High Sierra) can’t recover.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck California, the result was the hemorrhaging loss of jobs in the central San Joaquin Valley in March and April.
The number of people employed in July across the Valley is still about 67,300 lower than it was in February, according to the most recent numbers from the Employment Development Department.
Warrior Fitness owner Paul Watson argued many small businesses could remain open and keep up Center for Disease Control guidelines if big box stores and supermarkets can.
“The impact is so profound and is so unnecessary,” he said. “It’s something that we need to continue to push back against.”
Watson was one of about two dozen owners cited for opening a business between March 24 and July 22 before they were officially allowed, according to records.
Bredefeld has held more than a half-dozen news conferences while repeating his concerns for what sheltering-in-place policies will do to the economy. He has cited unintended consequences of the orders, including its affect on the mental health of residents.
He also repeated his concerns Wednesday that homeless people are taking shelter on embankments of freeways. Those encampments can only be removed by state officials, like California Highway Patrol.
City Hall and the ‘snitch hotline’
City Hall in Fresno has been closed to the public since March, but other officials have argued the use of Zoom meetings has only increased community engagement.
Bredefeld pointed to Clovis City Council and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, which both still allow people to attend meetings in person. Neither of those boards take live comments over Zoom, but Clovis does allow live comments over the phone.
People who want to report a potential COVID-19 order violation of a business have been encouraged to call Fresno code enforcement, which is the process for any kind of violation.
Councilmember Nelson Esparza floated the idea for a line designated only for COVID-19 complaints but the council ultimately decided to stick with the code enforcement line.
Dueling news conferences
Mayor Lee Brand, Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Luis Chavez, and others announced a news conference planned Wednesday at City Hall. The news conference was canceled just before lunch.
In the initial announcement, the officials said they will introduce a letter to Newsom urging the state to allow limited, indoor dining in Fresno County.
Bredefeld took a mocking tone when asked about the letter. “It’s not going to work,” he said. “I would suggest perhaps with the letter you might want to send a box of chocolates, maybe sprinkle some perfume on the letter.”
“Maybe that will change Newsom’s attitude, but he has had his foot on the throat of businesses.”
