A conservative mayor & a liberal governor walk into a bar, & Fresno gets $250M | Opinion

Historic. Transforming. Catalytic impact.

Those choice words are being used to describe Fresno being singled out for $250 million in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2023-24 budget revision, which he delivered to the Legislature last week.

Included in the $306.5 billion spending plan is the money for Fresno to improve its downtown by doing things like replacing water and sewer lines, some of which date back to the late 1800s.

Updating that infrastructure and adding two new parking structures is not exciting. But it is a means to an end, explained Mayor Jerry Dyer: Those improvements can lead to the creation of housing units for 10,000 new residents.

Currently, Fresno’s downtown is busy during daytime hours because of all the government employees working there. Come 5 p.m., there is a big exodus outward, and downtown in evening hours is largely empty. Dyer said the key to returning vitality is having people live there. To accomplish that, water and sewer lines need to be replaced.

When asked to put the award in context, Dyer did not hesitate: “I think it is the single most beneficial award that will have ever come to the city.”

Fresno City Council President Tyler Maxwell offered this: “As someone born and raised in Fresno, and hearing elected official after elected official say they are looking for a way to revitalize downtown Fresno, Gavin Newsom gave us 250 million ways to do it.”

Dyer is a conservative, and Newsom a liberal. So how did the political oil and water mix? “I don’t see the governor based on politics, nor does he see me based on political affiliation,” said Dyer. “We both have a desire to revitalize downtown Fresno.”

Newsom singles out Fresno

In his May revise budget announcement, Newsom singled out Fresno for “incredible planning that has been done that allows us to make a commitment to Fresno, in particular, to accelerate that effort because they are teed up and ready to do something transformational.”

That planning did not occur as a single meeting, but rather, a series of meetings held by different groups in recent years that had particular emphasis on the downtown and west Fresno, Dyer and Maxwell said. Among the efforts has been Transform Fresno, part of the statewide Transformative Climate Communities program, and the Fresno DRIVE initiative.

However, it was a fortuitous lunch that Dyer had with a key state official that helped bring about the award.

Dyer said he has been friends for years with Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles. Villaraigosa was appointed by Newsom in 2022 to be an “infrastructure czar” in charge of securing federal monies to rebuild public facilities in California.

Last August, Newsom said he would make federal monies available for infrastructure projects. Villaraigosa contacted Dyer, and they got together for lunch. Dyer outlined three possible Fresno projects; improving downtown was seen as having the best regional impact.

Besides new water and sewer lines, the $250 million allocation will be used for two new parking structures that will add 2,000 more parking stalls.

Also included are $20 million for an transit center to promote alternative transportation, including buses, bicycles and other ways to get around; $20 million for improvements to streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters downtown and the adjoining Chinatown district; and $15 million for the development of green space, such as pocket parks or linear parks.

The focued area of improvements is Fulton Street, the Chukchansi Parl neighborhood and Chinatown, and the cultural arts district.

Budget approval needed

Newsom’s approval is only half the battle. His budget must be adopted by the state Legislature.

To that end, Dyer is asking Fresno’s Assembly and state Senate members to back the allocation and twist arms to ensure it stays in the budget, despite the fact California is facing a $31.5 billion shortfall in revenues.

If the money comes through, it will have “a catalytic impact on downtown Fresno, and the entire city of Fresno as well as the Valley,” Dyer said as a news conference to announce the award.

“This is an investment that will transform Fresno forever,” Dyer said, and he would be right.

State legislators, don’t overlook the chance to help California’s fifth-largest city. Keep this allocation in the budget so downtown revitalization can occur.