Fresnans demand COVID relief money go to housing protections. Did City Council listen?
Nearly 150 people showed up and called in to the Fresno City Council meeting Thursday pleading for the council to address housing needs through American Rescue Plan Act dollars rather than spend a proposed $10 million on the police budget.
Public commenters, many of whom were college students and Faith in the Valley coalition members, for more than three hours shared their personal challenges to find safe, secure and affordable housing.
Nearly all asked that the council use ARPA funds to implement rent control, full right to counsel and just cause eviction policies — three of the 46 recommended policies from the Here to Stay report which was researched by the Thrivance Group to address displacement in Fresno.
Hours later, the council voted to allocate $1 million to housing vouchers and $950,000 to Advance Peace, the gun violence prevention program. The council also approved $5 million for police cars, $3 million for the fire department and $2 million in COVID-19 back pay for city workers.
In total, the city of Fresno received about $171 million in ARPA funding. The council on Thursday weighed how to spend about $38 million but only made decisions on a portion of that. The council will return in the new year to determine how to spend the remainder of the funding and provide time for more robust community input.
“It’s disappointing that no city councilmembers even acknowledged rent control, just cause eviction protections or right to counsel — the three policies residents were urging them to put on the agenda,” said Janine Nkosi, a regional adviser with Faith in the Valley and sociology professor at Fresno State.
Community organizations worked hard throughout the pandemic to connect with residents and identify their needs, she said.
“Across districts, party lines, gender, age and ethnic backgrounds, Fresno residents are calling on the council and mayor to support real community safety,” Nkosi said. “Not one person we’ve talked to has asked for investments in sniper rifles or undercover police cars or anything relating to policing.”
It’s clear residents want housing safety nets, including shelter for the unhoused population, and COVID-19 resources, Nkosi said.
Faith in the Valley housing policy advocate Alexandra Alvarado said Faith in the Valley met with several council members prior to the Dec. 9 meeting to request that the Here to Stay report be put on the agenda. However, it was not included.
City outreach
Alvarado and other commenters criticized the city’s proposed spending of ARPA dollars on police funding and the lack of community outreach.
“There has been a lot of talk about community and safety at these meetings, which is important, which is great. But whose idea of community and safety is being discussed?” Alvarado asked. “I want to see a council take action to support rent control, just-cause eviction protections and right to counsel because I believe that prioritizing safe, affordable housing for all residents will improve the quality of life for the city.”
After the last city council meeting, the city circulated an online survey to gauge residents’ preferences and priorities for ARPA funding. But many residents were surprised and upset to see housing and police lumped together as one option.
Denise Rogers-Heydt said it was an example of performative work because many of the people who face housing insecurities, particularly people of color, are negatively affected by policing practices. She questioned if the survey was designed in a way that would skew the results to favor giving the money to police.
“What is the outcome of voting for this stuff? It needs to be more comprehensible for the community,” she said. “What are you going to do after we rank these things? …There’s no transparency here.”
City Manager Thomas Esqueda said out of about 600 survey responses, the No. 1 item residents wanted ARPA money spent on was neighborhood infrastructure such as curbs, gutters, sidewalks and repairing pot holes. The No. 2 item was housing and homelessness, and the third top priority was public safety.
Councilmember Tyler Maxwell said he heard “loud and clear” from the public comment that residents view public safety as meaning many things, not just policing.
“I haven’t seen that commitment historically from this council when it comes to alternative forms of public safety,” he said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 10:50 AM.