Down at the Fresno City Council meeting. Main topics for this afternoon’s Council Meeting: 1) Put Parks Initiative on Ballot 2) Historical Status for Herndon Substation Building 3) Honorary Plaque on Chamber Seat for the late West Fresno advocate and Council gadfly Barbara Hunt.
@PaulCaprioglio will be calling in from a gas station in Montana after the Closed Session Items are finished. All other Councilmembers are present. Just heading into Closed Session before tackling the rest of the agenda.
Council returning from Closed Session (35 Minutes long session). One of the items from Closed Session was a settlement on Darren Noble police shooting. Beginning Certificate of Recognition to Meghan Kelly - Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow. Focused on clean energy 
@Esmeralda_Soria
Certificate of Recognition to Richard McCoy - City of Fresno 2018 Summer Youth Intern
Certificate of Recognition to Eliza Guzman - City of Fresno 2018 Summer Youth Intern
Certificate of Recognition to Richard McCoy - City of Fresno 2018 Summer Youth Intern
Certificate of Recognition to Eliza Guzman - City of Fresno 2018 Summer Youth Intern
@Esmeralda_Soria @OliverBaines Special Presentation in Honor of late Barbara Hunt. She would tell Baines she was watching over District 3 before he was born. Baines said she ran against him twice. Also told Council they were being investigated by FBI! Former sheet metal worker.
@Esmeralda_Soria @OliverBaines Special Presentation in Honor of late Barbara Hunt. She would tell Baines she was watching over District 3 before he was born. Baines said she ran against him twice. Also told Council they were being investigated by FBI! Former sheet metal worker.
Longtime friend of Barbara Hunt George Finley speaks about how she not only cared for West Fresno but all Fresno. Larry Powell talks how Barbara attended lots of school meetings too. @tatehill said she kept citizens on their toes as well as Councilmembers.
Powell took Hunt out for lunch in West Side and as they walked into restaurant she joked with the owner “you can’t kick me out, I’m with him” 😝 Deputy City Manager Jane Sumpter says Hunt kept ex-City Manager Bruce Rudd on his toes too.
@District5Chavez said his first assignment when working for ex-Councilman Quintero was to give Barbara Hunt a framed photo of her in a white hat. She gave him a wet kiss on cheek and said to give that to Quintero when you get back 😘
@stevebrandau says PG&E would like item on Historical Substation to be pulled due to wildfires has kept their representative detained. Moving on to Parks Ballot Initiative. @PaulCaprioglio is now calling in from Montana. Council has three options to decide on placing on ballot.
Council Chamber is filling up regarding Parks Initiative. First public speaker has begun. @sarahparkes09 @DaniBergstrom League of Women Voters lending their support. Retired Surgeon Allan Pierrot says lack of parks makes it hard to recruit medical personnel from around nation.
Marj Kepler says Fresno ranks toward bottom for Parks. This is an economic development for Fresno. A linear park like along canals would be a signature item for Fresno. Lee Ayers of Tree Fresno in support. Elliott Balch speaks of Louis Guldenfinger who was passionate about Parks
18% of Initiative signatures came from district 6. Rest were spread across evenly to other districts. Pastor Simon says kids love to run. Few areas to do that in Fresno. This will give more Neighborhood Parks. Fresno Art Council Lilia Chavez speaks how Roeding Park was early
experience for her daughter When they would drive by her daughter would say “that is the Happy Birthday Park!” Kids need these experiences. Says Initiative will help provide grant matches for art in Fresno. Former school superintendent Larry Powell in support& we can do better!
Powell says our river parkway could rival San Antonio. Mas Masamoto says this will help entire Valley by letting Arts bloom here. Arts Give a sense of place and the fabric that unites. Healing Arts for military vets with PTSD. Economic revenue stream that arts can provide.
Judy Paraki a pediatric nurse says children who don’t have Parks to play in become unactive adults too. Juan Arambula says Central Valley Community Foundation voted unanimous in favor. Jose Barraza of SEFCEDA and their new soccer Park. This Initiative will help immensely.
San Joaquin River Conservatory says this initiative will provide more access to the river. Building Healthy Communities supporter all Parks need improvements.
Mother (lawyer and businesswoman) and daughter in support of extracurricular activities. This will pay off in 15 years as more professionals will move back to Fresno. @sarahparkes09 speaks of early memories at Carey Park, Woodward Park but the disconnect for many kids today
@IamEricPayne omits his comment but asks that those in support please stand. 95+% of those here stood up including those of those in balcony!
Tom Bohegian is happy today because of the community support that has showed up today as well as put this initiative together. This will change this town, economic development, kids , and pride in City.
Daniel O’Connel says the leadership of the citizens on this initiative represents this city in wanting to invest in itself. He also mentions he doesn’t see @District5Chavez waking down Huntington Blvd as much as he should 😜
Speaker thanks @District5Chavez for the clean up of Fancher Creek last weekend!Another speaker asks for more facilities on the Westside of Fresno. End of public comment portion.Baines says this will not be a talk on taxes because citizens’ Initiative deserve to be on the ballot.
Baines was touched and moved by the passion and vision the citizens have. He wishes the best on the campaign this November. Makes motion, Soria seconds. @stevebrandau has a high threshold for taxes. A dueling tax measure he was against he did have a good talk with Paul Gibson.
Cleaning up 99/41, the SJ River etc. Brandau thinks it is too much money for one Initiative. Gibson says it isn’t enough. Brandau says he has voted for all 3 Parks that have come in front of him. He knows we are way behind in Maintenance of parks. He will vote to put on ballot.
@ClintOlivier says citizens have moved a mountain to get it on ballot and will be in favor of putting it on ballot. However he knows there are syringes, bullet casings, homeless at parks. He agrees money is needed just not how to get there. He remembers depth of recession.
Olivier says his district has problems. Three of his zip codes median income is only $19,000 to $25,000. Any extra hit can set the family way behind. $30-50 extra a year for this initiative is too much & is a regressive tax punishing the poor. Most here in room won’t feel pain.
@GarryBredefeld congratulates the group by all the hard work to get to point. We do need parks but we need public safety too. He doesn’t think raising taxes is the way to do it. California is already a high taxed state. Prop 68 just passed for $4 billion Park Initiative. He
thinks Fresno will get some of that revenue. This local is regressive. Also a new bureaucracy needs to be formed consisting of a 9 unelected group. $1.1 billion will be raised over 30 years. Too much even though we need better parks. He won’t support this in November. Will put
this on the ballot. @District5Chavez while in School Board he knew about bonds. Bond dollars were not equally shared with entire town. He will support putting this on ballot today but worries about his district. @PaulCaprioglio speaks via phone Votes Yes (call a bit garbled).
@Esmeralda_Soria is proud of the group who got this to this point. She is supportive too! State parks ballot that just passed will need money to match that in order to get it. This initiative will be that matching fund as there is little in general fund. Approved 7-0!
Council resumes with rest of agenda. Award $491,286 per year for three years for Custodial Services at various City Facilities to Scrubscan. Passes 7-0. Next is action to allow emergency watering public median islands serving a community purpose. This will be for turf medians.
It was ended due to state rules during drought. Passes 6-0 with Baines absent. Resolution to amend clean up the charter to modify/remove following regarding 1)when a candidate can raise money. 2)Also City Manager must be a City resident 3) not have water meters 4) balance budget
These are all currently unenforceable due to either state/federal or court decisions and this just cleans up the charter. Doug Vagim reminds people today is anniversary of Nagasaki bombing. He also says some of the charter items are still valid despite what an appellate court
said in Texas. He doesn’t think these should be bundled together. May Violates “single subject law” City Attorney Sloan says by splitting these up on ballot will cost probably $10,000 due to extra printing space on ballot. @stevebrandau says he would like to see them split up.
@ClintOlivier asks if these charter items are unenforceable? Yes, says City Attorney Sloan. If voters vote No on these it remain in charter but still be unenforceable. Olivier jokes if they can decide what exact street City Manager has to live on. Passes 6-1.
@stevebrandau asks about balanced budget. He thinks all government groups need to have a balance budget and placed on Charter ballot question. It isn’t required. Olivier asks if any cities ever have unbalanced budgets. Jane Sumpter says adopting this won’t change anything.
However if it was unbalanced it will make council to fix it where Administration finds the way to balance it currently. Will this change council authority? Sloan: says council will need to fix it. More work and /or more power to council??
@MayorLeeBrand says voting against balance budget requirement may not look good on a resume. A future council could be out of balance. This will close the loophole. @District5Chavez says Mayor only recommends a budget it is up to Council only. Reserve is available if needed.
Approved 4-3 with Caprioglio, Soria and Baines voting No. Council adjourns for the evening.
It was ended due to state rules during drought. Passes 6-0 with Baines absent. Resolution to amend clean up the charter to modify/remove following regarding 1)when a candidate can raise money. 2)Also City Manager must be a City resident 3) not have water meters 4) balance budget
These are all currently unenforceable due to either state/federal or court decisions and this just cleans up the charter. Doug Vagim reminds people today is anniversary of Nagasaki bombing. He also says some of the charter items are still valid despite what an appellate court
said in Texas. He doesn’t think these should be bundled together. May Violates “single subject law” City Attorney Sloan says by splitting these up on ballot will cost probably $10,000 due to extra printing space on ballot. @stevebrandau says he would like to see them split up
@ClintOlivier asks if these charter items are unenforceable? Yes, says City Attorney Sloan. If voters vote No on these it remain in charter but still be unenforceable. Olivier jokes if they can decide what exact street City Manager has to live on. Passes 6-1.
stevebrandau asks about balanced budget. He thinks all government groups need to have a balance budget and placed on Charter ballot question. It isn’t required. Olivier asks if any cities ever have unbalanced budgets. Jane Sumpter says adopting this won’t change anything.
However if it was unbalanced it will make council to fix it where Administration finds the way to balance it currently. Will this change council authority? Sloan: says council will need to fix it. More work and /or more power to council??
MayorLeeBrand says voting against balance budget requirement may not look good on a resume. A future council could be out of balance. This will close the loophole. @District5Chavez says Mayor only recommends a budget it is up to Council only. Reserve is available if needed.
Approved 4-3 with Caprioglio, Soria and Baines voting No. Council adjourns for the evening.
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