Fresno Bee forum: Here’s where Fresno supervisor candidates stand on homelessness, Measure C
Candidates for two Fresno County supervisor seats sought to distinguish themselves at a Fresno Bee candidate forum Wednesday night that at times turned tense.
The two county supervisor seats on the ballot this election both feature pairs of candidates who share many ideological similarities.
The District 2 race pits incumbent Supervisor Steve Brandau and Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld — onetime allies who represented the council’s conservative wing. In the District 3 race, incumbent Sal Quintero faces his former staffer, Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez, who represents south Fresno’s fifth district.
Bredefeld and Brandau sparred over their track records as elected officials, as they have in past debates in what’s been a bruising campaign for the District 2 seat. The district encompasses a large portion of north Fresno as well as parts of central Fresno.
In response to questions about their plans to address homelessness, Brandau, an “unashamed conservative,” said he doesn’t think it’s the county’s role to provide a bed for every person and is skeptical of the “housing first” approach to homelessness.
Brandau also said he spearheaded the anti-camping ordinance when he was a member of the City Council in 2017 — efforts that the city voted to reinstate in August following a recent Supreme Court ruling that civil and criminal penalties for camping in public areas do not represent “cruel and unusual punishment.” The county voted on a similar ban on camping in public in August.
However, Brandau said he would be an advocate for bringing an inpatient and residential treatment facility funded by the state Prop 1 into the county “to directly address the needs of the mental health crisis that we have on the streets of Fresno.”
Bredefeld, who described himself as a “strong conservative,” said he supports the city’s recent ordinances on homeless camping bans as well as the city’s efforts to house “thousands” of people in shelters using state funds and remove homeless people from highways. Bredefeld said he was willing to help homeless people who want help, but those committing crimes “can find a jail cell.”
Bredefeld criticized Brandau and the county for passing a $5 billion dollar budget with little input from the public and for limiting public comment time during board meetings. The city of Fresno is also facing scrutiny over its budget practices and has been sued by the First Amendment Coalition following a Fresnoland investigation into its “secret budget committee.”
Brandau countered that Bredefeld didn’t understand how the county operates.
“You live in a glass house, you shouldn’t be throwing stones, bro,” Brandau told Bredefeld.
Candidates discuss neighborhood infrastructure, Measure C
Quintero and Chavez, meanwhile, sought to differentiate themselves on issues such as homelessness, the 30-year county transportation tax, Measure C, and working collaboratively with the city.
Quintero said he should be reelected because of his willingness to take residents’ calls, his love for Fresno and focus on fixing the small things impacting neighborhoods, such as streets, curbs and sidewalks.
“I’m pretty relentless in trying to get things done,” Quintero said, recalling a Fresno Bee article that once referred to him as the “king of code enforcement.”
Chavez said he would focus on collaboration between the city and county to address the region’s homelessness crisis through rehabilitation of old warehouses and hotels, services for mental health substance abuse, and affordable housing vouchers in partnership with the housing authority.
“Imagine what impact we would actually have if the city and the county actually pooled their money together,“ Chavez said.
Prompted by questions from the audience, all candidates addressed how they’d approach renewal of Measure C, a half-cent sales tax that funds Fresno County’s transportation infrastructure.
Efforts to renew the 30-year tax failed in November 2022 due to strong opposition from community groups that said the expenditure plan didn’t prioritize public transportation, climate-friendly solutions or rural communities.
Bredefeld said he’d support a Measure C that prioritized neighborhood-level road improvements, “not highways.”
Brandau said the county had conducted two surveys for public input on the tax following its failure in 2022. He said the county needs to understand what residents want, “not what activists want.”
“The surveys are telling us the people want roads fixed and repaired and built,” he said.
Quintero said the various parties needed to revisit the original intent of Measure C and prioritize the biggest infrastructure needs.
Chavez, meanwhile, said the Chamber of Commerce “dropped the ball” on seeking community input on the tax and that community organizations bring up important issues around pollution and health impacts of the transportation tax and its projects.
“I can tell you that this desire to re-focus on the the inner core of the city is going to be the number one topic for that Measure C conversation,” Chavez said.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 11:02 PM.
