Even councilmembers get parking tickets in downtown Fresno. Enforcement questioned
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias received a parking ticket and he wants to know why.
During his report Thursday, Arias said he and others received tickets after 5 p.m. Wednesday. Most meters are enforced until 6 p.m., the city says on its website. On event days — like Grizzlies baseball or concerts — meter enforcement is extended until 10 p.m.
He asked City Manager Georgeanne White what the parking enforcement schedule is for non-event days.
“There wasn’t a concert or a special event that I’m aware of, which is a whole other thing because I have a parking permit, but nonetheless it’s more about everybody else getting tickets,” Arias said.
Arias told The Bee he attended a World Cup watch party at Los Panchos to see Team Mexico win 3-0 over Czechia. As a councilmember, he pays for a monthly parking pass, which is good at City Hall and any other metered space.
“I got a lot of complaints from downtown folks on why they were being ticketed,” Arias said.
Cracked Pepper Café lease approved
The Cracked Pepper Café is coming to Fresno City Hall later this year, but not before a contentious line of questioning about its lease.
Arias grilled city officials over the costs to prepare City Hall space for the Cracked Pepper Café. The city will provide $615,000 in renovations, no rent for the first three years, and will cover utilities.
General Services Director Brian Barr said several city tenants receive $1 rent, including Greyhound and Amtrak. The city pays the PG&E bill for the restaurant space because City Hall has only one meter. White said the rent break is to give the eatery time to become profitable.
A City Hall employee survey showed a desire for an affordable food venue on site.
“We look at this as an investment in our employees,” said White, defending the spending.
Arias and White debated the costs to renovate. He also criticized the city for offering a “generous” lease proposal to a north Fresno operator, when several downtown restaurants recently closed.
Despite his line of questioning, Arias motioned to approve the lease contract. It passed, 7-0.
“I’m just excited to be in here and serve the community,” Chef Vatche Moukhtarian told The Bee after the vote. He attended but did not speak during the hearing.
Council approves Granite Park fees
On the verge of taking over the Granite Park Sports Complex, the city set usage fees for reserving fields and admissions.
A recent Fresno County Superior Court judge’s ruling means the city can evict the nonprofit operator Central Valley Community Sports Foundation. The city accused CVCSF of breaching its lease and is in the process of removing it from the park. White said the city will honor all reservations. The city will not provide a refund if the city charges a lower rate than what was already paid.
The city council approved a new set of fees in line with other city parks by a 6-1 vote Thursday. Without something on the books, the city could not legally charge. Arias voted no.
Arias balked at the idea of the city charging a fee to parents to watch kids play youth soccer or baseball/softball.
“What worries me is that Granite Park is looking like a publicly-owned facility, publicly financed and operated facility, catering to the people who are able to pay the most, and charging people to watch their kids play, which is a fine model, if it was privately funded, private, privately operated,” Arias said.
Regarding the eviction, CVCSF filed an appeal with the 5th District. The court has not set any dates or rulings — including a ruling to stay the eviction procedure.
Budget busters
To balance the city’s $2.6 billion budget, Mayor Jerry Dyer rejected 32 of 99 motions made by the city council. Those motions placed the budget $49 million out of alignment. City law requires a balanced budget.
Of the 32 rejections, District 5 Councilmember Brandon Vang had 13 of his proposals denied, the most of a single councilmember. He acknowledged as much on the dais: “I have some wins and I have some losses. That’s the hard part of this reconciliation.”
The rejected motions include those that Dyer said he will prioritize next year, or are already incorporated into another area of the budget.
Arias was next with seven motions rejected.
City owes county over court fees
A Fresno County Superior Court judge recently ruled the city owes Fresno County $35,490 in a lawsuit over the county’s general plan.
In 2024, the city sued the county, concerned about the allocation of water in its general plan. Last week, Judge Jonathan Skiles required the city to pay the administrative fee for preparing documents as part of the lawsuit, citing state law allowing the practice.
Among the city’s arguments for not paying was the county already prepared the same document in a separate lawsuit.
The case is City of Fresno vs. County of Fresno, No. 24CECG01199.
