How will Fresno County spend $194 million from Biden’s pandemic relief? What we know
Fresno County has received about half of its $194 million from the American Rescue Plan, with the rest scheduled to come next year, according to officials.
And, at least one advocacy group argues supervisors need to bring community residents and organizations into the decision-making.
This week, the county laid out some of its plans for the money from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which is called the American Rescue Plan.
A committee appointed by the county has identified $292 million in ideas for spending on public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to John Thompson, the assistant director of planning for Fresno County. Thompson said staffers still need to vet those proposals.
The committee has also identified $157 million in infrastructure, like water, broadband services, and emergency communications. Those, too, need further evaluations, staffers said.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig noted the money comes with restrictions and not part of a spending free-for-all. “We want to make it very clear what we can and can’t do with these dollars so we don’t set up any expectations we can’t meet,” he said.
An early draft, which will have more specific numbers, is expected to be ready by the end of August, county officials said.
The problem is the total amount for the ideas is $449 million, more than twice what the county has been allotted.
But, Thompson said, there are “hundreds of millions of dollars” in other funding not already allotted to Fresno County in the American Rescue Act that officials have told county department heads to seek.
Public input
Some of the hardest-hit communities during the pandemic should be brought into the decision-making, according to Mariana Alvarenga, a policy advocate at Leadership Counsel for Justice. The group has worked for years with disadvantaged communities like Cantua Creek, Lenair, and Tombstone, which have high Latino populations.
Latinos are more susceptible to facing a higher risk for complications from COVID-19 because they experience a higher rate of underlying health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Living in crowded households also contributes to the spread among family members and peers, according to experts.
Smaller communities could benefit from cooling and heating centers, green spaces like parks, infrastructure like streets, public transportation, affordable housing, and others, Alvarenga said.
“We urge (the county) to work with community groups and to identify priorities that the community has and make sure it is a participatory process,” she said.
American Rescue Plan
One Democrat and all House Republicans voted against the American Rescue Plan when it was adopted in March. No Senate Republicans supported the bill.
The GOP has railed against the aid, saying it was particularly unnecessary for the state of California, where revenue has exceeded estimates.
While the 2020 stimulus pushed by former President Donald Trump had to be spent in about six months, the money in Biden’s bill can cover costs through December of 2024.
Supervisor Steve Brandau said he expects project priorities will shake out through each supervisor’s individual meetings with county staffers. Some emphasis has already been placed on public health, economic impacts of the pandemic, and infrastructure.
“We wanted the most bang-for-buck things. The kinds of projects that will last for years,” Brandau said.
Officials said an America Recovery Plan website on Fresno County’s money is supposed to go live at the end of this week.
