This supervisor is a bully — and his antics overshadowed Fresno’s COVID-19 meeting
Residents of Fresno, both the city and county, got a good look at many of their elected leaders Tuesday morning during what was termed a “joint workshop” regarding the collective response to COVID-19.
What we saw spanned the entire spectrum. Some of them asked insightful questions in pursuit of better city-county cooperation. Some would rather pontificate. Some continue to bury their heads. And one in particular acted like a bully who more than anything wanted the meeting to finish on schedule.
That would be Buddy Mendes, chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and keeper of both gavel and clock.
Mendes ran the proceedings with the grace of an ornery parking enforcement officer. Any time a speaker went over their allotted time, Mendes immediately broke in and cut them off.
Regardless if that person was a member of the public, a county health official, a city councilmember or even Rep. Jim Costa, phoning in from Washington, D.C.
Mendes told Costa he had five minutes, which even during normal times is barely enough for the eight-term congressman to clear his throat. But no sooner did Costa ask the electeds if they’d received a letter he’d sent them than Mendes interrupted.
“Are you done?” Mendes asked.
“I’m just opening — my gosh,” Costa replied.
At the instant Costa’s minutes were up, Mendes cut him off mid-sentence. Costa seemed a little taken aback and responded by thanking the supervisor for his time. The sarcasm was audible from 2,700 miles away.
Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria was another recipient of Mendes’ brusque behavior.
Following a presentation by County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau about where its $98 million in federal and state coronavirus relief funding is being spent, Soria asked a wordy question about whether some of that money could go toward housing subsidies for low-income residents.
Mendes did not let Rousseau answer, leaving Soria looking exasperated.
“Your question was so long you burned all your time,” Mendes snorted, before moving to the next item.
It would be wrong to suggest Mendes’ snipes were limited to Democratic politicians. He also cut off Fresno City Councilman Garry Bredefeld, a fellow Republican.
Of course, Bredefeld probably deserved it after asking Dr. Rais Vohra, the county’s interim health officer, a series of questions aimed at minimizing the dangers of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of masks.
Vohra’s disapproving expression while answering said more than his words ever could.
Mendes saved some of his most rude treatment for the public comment period that came at the end of the 2-hour, 44-minute, socially distanced gathering inside the Fresno County Plaza ballroom.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, local social justice groups have rightfully criticized the Fresno County Board of Supervisors for the lack of public input at meetings.
Unlike the cities of Fresno and Clovis, which allow the public to participate on the phone or via Zoom, Fresno County to this point has only accepted email or written comments., which are usually not read aloud. The county also fails to provide translations in Spanish.
Tuesday was the first time in months that Mendes and his fellow supervisors had to sit in the same room as the people they represent and hear their concerns.
Mendes could barely hide his disdain. He muted the microphone as soon as each speaker got their allotted 2 minutes, shuffling through 12 speakers in less than a half hour and disregarding others awaiting their turn at the podium.
“With that, the meeting’s done,” Mendes declared as soon as the 12th speaker concluded.
Mendes bears responsibility for surge
Facing the greatest crisis of his political career in a county with escalating COVID-19 cases and deaths and whose hospitals are barely hanging on, Mendes couldn’t bear to hear a minute more — illustrating quite vividly how little the Fresno County Board chairman values the public’s input.
Did Mendes have someplace more important to be? For his $125,000 annual salary (plus benefits), he can afford to listen a while longer.
Politicians such as Mendes bear much responsibility for our current predicament. The data shows the COVID-19 curve steepening in late June, weeks after they pressured state leaders to reopen businesses and churches before the county met state guidelines.
Vohra, during his presentation, called it a “variance attestation.”
Everyone else is free to use the more colloquial term: a royal screw up.
Calls for city-county cooperation
Despite the county’s dire predicament, it was encouraging to hear Fresno Mayor Lee Brand, Councilmember Luis Chavez, Supervisor Brian Pacheco and others request more meetings such as Tuesday’s and continued city-county cooperation.
Pacheco, whose district spans much of west Fresno as well as rural areas west of Highway 99, pointed out that even though these meetings can become “contentious” they also promote transparency and accountability. Amen to that.
Between Fresno County and the City of Fresno, the two jurisdictions have received $171 million in federal CARES Act funding to combat the spread of coronavirus. The politicians who oversee that money owe it to us to ensure it is utilized as efficiently and effectively as possible.
There will be differences of opinion on how to do that and where the spending priorities should be. It’s also important to recognize city and county governments have varying roles and responsibilities.
Which means there needs to be more workshops between city and county leaders and additional opportunities for public comment.
Whether Mendes likes it or not.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:58 AM.
