Clovis prides itself on being more restrictive than Fresno. Just not during coronavirus
It took years of living here for me to fully appreciate the differences between Fresno and Clovis.
How the two cities aren’t just one megalopolis of roughly 630,000 people, separated by a few streets distinguishable by green or brown signs. Fresno and Clovis are not the same, and most of the time we should be grateful for those contrasts because they add to the overall flavor of our region.
This, however, is not one of those times. Normalities get tossed out the window during a pandemic, and the subtle discrepancies between Fresno and Clovis’ response to COVID-19 are either (in a best-case scenario) confusing for residents or (in a worst case) detrimental to public health.
Fresno preceded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide shelter-in-place order by a full day, which in retrospect looks pretty smart. City officials crafted their own list of essential and non-essential businesses, and police have enforced those closures with several fines and citations.
Clovis, by contrast, declined to act until Newsom declared a statewide order and is adhering to the state’s list of essential businesses and workers. Cops are enforcing closures of barber shops, nail salons, jewelry stores and the like, but have yet to dole out any punishments.
“Everyone’s been compliant and closed upon request so we haven’t had to issue any citations,” Clovis Police Lt. Jim Munro said Tuesday.
While Fresno’s list of essential and non-essential businesses have much in common with the state’s, the two are not identical.
For example, fabric stores. In Fresno, they are listed (alongside craft stores) under the heading of “Businesses That Shall Close.”
By contrast, the state classifies suppliers of “personal care/hygiene products” as “essential workforce,” a loophole that is being used to include employees of fabric stores since the cloth purchased at those stores can be used to make masks and gowns.
Which explains why JOANN Fabric and Craft at Fresno’s River Park is closed, except for curbside orders, while customers at the national chain’s Clovis location are still allowed inside.
“None of us wants to be here,” a Clovis store employee said. “We were OK with curbside pickup. But not with customers walking through the front door.”
The store employee, whose name I’m withholding to protect her job, described an environment that made social distancing difficult, if not impossible, despite steps to limit the number of customers inside the store and maintain 6 feet of space by taping separations on the floor.
“People will go in, they touch all the fabric, which the employees then have to put away,” she said. “After they pick their fabric, most people stand right at the counter when the employee is cutting it, which makes them not even 2 feet away from each other. They don’t stand on the tape. …
“I’ve actually had people cough in my face, and that is the truth.”
During a public health crisis, two stores from the same chain separated by six miles shouldn’t be operating under different rules. It’s not fair to the employees and exposes customers to potential risks. But that’s what happens when neighboring cities don’t adhere to the same set of guidelines.
Fresno County has also added to the confusion (and consternation) by not enforcing the closure of golf courses.
Certain differences are inevitable between jurisdictions that make their own decisions, Clovis Mayor Drew Bessinger said. And Clovis, for the most part, decided to follow statewide coronavirus directives.
“We can be more restrictive if we so choose,” Bessinger said. “We just can’t be more liberal when it comes to making wider exceptions than the state. We’d be operating outside the law.”
Fewer restrictions at Clovis parks
One area where Clovis has diverged from the state, as well as Fresno, is parks. In an effort to discourage large groups of visitors, Newsom closed vehicle access at all 280 of California’s state parks (including Millerton Lake) and fully closed dozens of others.
Fresno County has completely closed its parks. The city of Fresno, meanwhile, closed its parks to vehicle access, though the public is still allowed to access them. (Except on Easter weekend.) City employees barricaded parking lots, erected plastic mesh fencing around play structures and took down tennis nets and basketball hoops.
Clovis, known throughout the region for its parks and trails, took a different tact. Its parks were completely open until Tuesday evening when the city ordered all play structures, exercise equipment and covered picnic areas closed.
Parking lots as well as restrooms remain open, though visitors are encouraged to be self-sufficient and bring their own toiletries.
“We’ve had difficulty keeping soap and toilet paper in our bathrooms,” Bessinger said. “Strange but true.”
The Clovis City Council considered a full parks closure at its Monday meeting, according to Bessinger, before ultimately deciding such an order could not be enforced.
“At least this way we can make some restrictions and controls that can mitigate some of the potential issues,” he said.
Police ‘haven’t stopped us yet’
As a resident, it’s somewhat odd to see Clovis adopt COVID-19 measures a tick or two looser than Fresno’s.
After all, this is a city that seems to pride itself on being more restrictive. Clovis is one of 24 California cities seeking to outlaw home cannabis deliveries. Property owners can be fined for allowing the use of illegal fireworks. It’s even against the law to give food or water to a feral cat.
When was the last time you saw someone spinning or waving a sign in front of a Clovis business? You shouldn’t have, because they’re strictly prohibited.
Like Fresno, Clovis closed its skate parks early on during the current crisis. But that didn’t stop Michael Lane nor Devin Mullins from hopping the fence Saturday at Clovis Rotary Park.
The two typically skate at Melody Park in east central Fresno, but not since last week when Mullins “slipped under the gate and got kicked out.”
Aren’t they worried about the same thing happening in Clovis? Evidently not.
“The cops that drive by (on Villa Avenue), they haven’t stopped us yet,” Lane said. “They haven’t said anything. It’s been kind of nice.”
Hmm. Perhaps that explains why the smoke shop near my house still has its “Open” sign illuminated.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
