Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

All here, and it's 10 a.m. Madam Clerk, roll call, please.

Sue Iser Chavez.

Here.

Sue Iser Magsig.

Here.

Sue Iser Mendez. Here. Sue Iser Pacheco. Here. Cameron Bredefield. Here. All present, thank you.

Okay, good morning and welcome to the September 8th, 2026 meeting in the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. We'll begin today with the invocation and a flag salute. The invocation will be led by District 2, my district. After the invocation, please remain standing for the flag salute. And with us today is Keaton Baker, the Youth Ministry Leader at Cross City Church in Northeast Fresno. Keaton, welcome to the Board of Supervisors and thank you for providing the invocation today.

Thank you for having me, supervisors. If everyone could stand and bow your heads with me. Dear Heavenly Father, I just want to pray for this meeting today. God, I pray not only for the supervisors and just their ability to listen, their ability to make decisions, their ability to hear, but also for those of us that are proposing things this morning. God, I just pray that you are with us in the words that we speak, that you give us wisdom, that you allow us to communicate with the best of our abilities. And God, I just pray that as somebody who works with the students and the youth in our county, God, I just pray for them. I pray for the people who work with them and serve them and love them. And I just pray for these students as they go to school. Be with them in their studies. Help minimize distractions. For those of the students that feel safer at school than home, God, I just pray that you keep providing adults that love them unconditionally. God, I pray for resources that help our students get the help that they need, to help them learn, to help them achieve, to help them turn around and bless this county with the things that they care for, with the community that they want to build and the future that they will bring as they are this next generation. God, I pray that you bless Fresno County, that you bless the next generation, and that you be with all of us, not just those of us who make decisions, but also for those of us who want to be heard. It's in your name I pray, amen.

Amen. Would you please salute?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to approve the agenda.

Item one, approve agenda.

Okay. Is there a motion and a second to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously.

We now move to item number two, approve consent agenda, item numbers 19 through 38. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Supervisor Pacheco wishes to pull 34.1 due to the Levine Act. I believe the chairman wishes to pull items 21, 22, and 23.

Yes. Okay. Consent. These matters are routine in nature and usually approved by a single vote. Any other board members want to approve an item for discussion? Nope. Okay. Would any members of the public like an item removed from consent for discussion? Seeing none, I'll bring it back.

Motion to approve.

Is there a second?

Second.

All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Passes unanimously.

Mr. Chairman, would you like to address those now or after number three?

We can address them now. Okay.

We'll move to item 21, pulled by Chairman Bredefield, approved certificate of recognition for Marjorie Mason Center's 2026 Top 10 Professional Women Award.

Okay. For item 21, we just wanted to take a moment, honor all the recipients of the Marjory Mason Center's 2026 Top Professional Women Award. However, I want to highlight that our Director of Behavioral Health is one of the award recipients and take a moment to recognize her. If she would come on up, Susan Holt. And the floor is yours, Susan.

Susan Holt, your behavioral health director and public guardian. Those of you who know me know I'm hyperverbal, rarely at a loss for words. But it is a bit overwhelming to receive such a lovely recognition. It is amongst the highest honors of my career to lead the Department of Behavioral Health. which is high remarks because I've also sat side by side as a therapist with people in their most difficult moments of their life. But to be able to lead the remarkable employees of the Department of Behavioral Health administrators, clinicians, peer support professionals, case managers, nurses, so many. It is absolutely an honor as well leading our network of community-based organizations to work on our behalf. I'm just so proud. And so really, the award is less about me and more about we. And I'm just really honored. And thank you for taking the time today to recognize the work of our department and this award. Of course.

Any comments from the board? Yes.

Yeah, thank you, Director Holt. I have the privilege of serving with you on the first five Commission and she's one of the most professional, just compassionate leaders that we have. And I just wanted to tell you that publicly. Oftentimes when we're in that role, and you're expected to make decisions quickly and oftentimes data driven. I see that you've never lost your compassion and you always see things from the human perspective. And I think we need more of that. And so I just wanted to thank you publicly. So well-earned and we'll definitely be there for the ceremony.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chairman. I just want to echo, Susan, we're so proud of you. Just the recognition and apart from this, I mean, you've already earned recognition in this county, in the state, you're sought out as authority for what you do, but you're also so humble about doing it. So, so proud of what you do. And I also failed to point out that another honoree that is amongst those that you're approving today is Chief Deputy District Attorney Midori Howell. And she is one that does very difficult work in the District Attorney's office. I've had the chance to meet with her and have a great amount of respect for the great work that she has done and just wanted to highlight her as well. But Susan, thank you again for all of your work.

And Susan, I also want to recognize all the great things you do. As somebody who's been in the clinical psychology field for many decades and looked at the work you do, it's literally blown me away. You provide mental health services throughout Fresno County. And what you have to do, the job you have, the responsibilities you have are immense. And you meet them all the time. And you do a phenomenal job. And I've been very, very impressed by what you do. So I think it's a well-deserved honor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any comments from the public? Seeing none, why don't you come on up and we would love to take a photo with you. Oh, we need a motion. Before you do, let's get a motion to pass this. Let's approve this. Is there a motion?

Make a motion. Second.

All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. Now you can come on up. Sorry.

Oh, no, no. I didn't mean to get nervous.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Congratulations. Thank you. I didn't have your weight. I'm sorry.

We now move to item number 22, pulled by Supervisor Redefield. Adopt resolution for continued support for phase two of the Fresno Sheriff Memorial, including the development of the Heritage Center, historical exhibits, and educational interactive kiosks.

Yeah, and we have some folks here representing the memorial. Would you come on up? We want to recognize all of the great work that's going on with the memorial. And please take the floor.

Mr. Chairman, members of the board, CAO Nerland, we again want to thank you for your support. This project's been going on four years. We finished phase one, which was the memorial. The board supported that with the initial resolution, and then you gave us an agreement to be able to build a memorial on county property. Last year, you did a resolution supporting the dedication on October 29th. And now we're ramping up for phase two, which we believe is going to start in 2027 We're working on the final design plans right now and our plan is to launch it to the public in early 27 and It'll be a lot shorter build. There's a lot more pre-construction work With the Heritage Center, but it fits into our three three prongs. We have the memorial and the Heritage Center, and our endowment. The Heritage Center is going to continue our mission of sharing the legacy of our 21 fallen members and the Sheriff's Office dating back to 1856. And then the third thing that we always like to talk about to stay centered as an organization is our endowment. We are prepared today, whenever the time comes, and hopefully never does, to be able to respond to a line of duty death. And we're going to continue building upon that and with the foundation and when we're done with our phase two, that'll be the primary cause of the organization. We'll be supporting the legacy of our fallen members in the past and family members and then be able to respond into the future. So on behalf of the Memorial Foundation, I want to say thank you for supporting us and thank you again for this resolution. I'd like to turn it over to Sheriff Zanoni.

I don't know what more I can say, but chairman of the board, board members, as you can see by the first phase of the memorial, the project, we really hit it out of the park. And with phase two, with the Heritage Center, and our plan, working with the Fresno County Office of Education, and getting our young folks, whether they're fifth or sixth graders over there, to learn about the history of the Sheriff's Office, the history of Fresno County, to see those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and obviously to see our substation to interact with our staff just fits into the whole plan of how we're trying to engage with our community and really get kids aware of what goes on like this friday you'll have the 9 11 ceremonies across the valley at different schools well to get them over to the sheriff's memorial and the heritage center so they learn and have that appreciation, that respect for those who serve our community. And again, I want to thank you for all of your support. And as we move forward in phase two, I know it's going to be something special, and it's going to be an exciting time talking about the memorial and our Area 2 substation.

Thank you, Sheriff. Future Supervisor Mims?

Good morning, Board, and thank you as a group and as individuals for your support for the memorial and our ongoing efforts to make something that Fresno County can be so very proud of. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the public that stepped forward to help fund the project. There was no hesitation, and we are so... much cooperation from the public to gather the funds to make that happen. Since the memorial opened, there are people that will just drive up and walk in and see that memorial. And I would encourage the public to do that, especially if you can go in the evening when the lights are on and you can hear the music. It's just stupendous the way it looks. So our ongoing efforts with the Heritage Center now We'll take additional community funds, so we'll make sure that we make those additional contacts so that we can make this heritage center another thing that the county can be proud of and to educate our youth and to make sure that, again, we have a project that all of you and the county can be proud of. Thank you again.

Thank you. Any words? No, okay. Any comments from the board? Yes.

It's been about 4 years, I think, since Preston, you and the sergeants association had this idea and every time I get to hear a presentation or attend. Now, the, the memorial itself, I am amazed at what this has become because the original vision, I think, limited this to trying to raise about a 1Million dollars, but. There's many millions that have been raised, and it's not just a memorial. It's an educational complex, and it's something to provide relief to families. So I would say, looking at this, thank you for your vision and for the vision that the Sergeants Association has had with this, the commitment of the Sheriff's Department and current and former sheriffs. But this is something, this is a legacy project. It's turned into that, and well done.

any other comments just yeah thank you for that presentation and uh i remember when i'm gonna call you sheriff emeritus uh mims gave me a tour of the of the project when they still were turning dirt and to see that go from that to now and to my colleagues for for supporting phase one um would love to be able to support phase two uh myself and so we'll we can chat later about that but that was probably one of the most just beautiful poetic uh memorials that i've ever seen from from the way that the sun hits it to to when you walk in and in the image you get and i think it's a reminder um as our our friends down the road until larry found out recently sadly that there's nothing routine about routine calls for our deputies for law enforcement um so thank you for for doing that for our fallen officers thank you

Yeah, and I just want to add the memorial's amazing. And I encourage people to go out, visit it. It reflects the sacrifice of our law enforcement heroes. And it's one of the most beautiful memorials I've ever seen. I mean, I don't know what else to say. It's incredible. And I really encourage schools to go out there, take your kids, teach them about law enforcement and what sacrifice really means. And they will learn a great deal. So phenomenal job. Anyone else? Any comments from the public? I'll bring it back. Is there a motion and a second?

Second.

All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Passage unanimously. Please come on up. We'll take a picture.

Which seat you're going to want? Thank God Margaret's standing in front of me. Great job. Margaret, Margaret.

We now move to item number 23. Under Chairman Bredefield, approve certificates recognizing the presidents of the Central Valley Nursing Organizations for their leadership and service to the community.

Yes, we do want to recognize the presidents of the different nursing organizations of the Central Valley. Reza Valerio, would you come on up and say a few words? Reza? Come on up. Please, come on up, say a few words.

Good morning, everyone. And thank you for recognizing all the diverse nurses that we have here that have created a wealth for our health care and for our organization. And we are very proud and honored that you are also honoring us especially the president of the black nurses, the Filipino nurses, the Hmong nurses, and the Indian nurses. We appreciate all of you, and the Spanish nurses too. Five nurses. So we are thankful for this acknowledgement, and we want everyone to know that we are here to support everyone that are here. Thank you very much.

Thank you. And we appreciate all that you do and wanted to recognize you. Is there any comments from the board? Any comments from the public? Okay. Would you mind come up? Oh, is there a motion to approve? All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Mr. Ginn-Adams, would you come on up and all of you, come on up.

We now move to 34.1 under General Services. Approve and authorize Chairman to execute a retroactive second amendment to lease agreement number A-08-302 with Edison Plaza Partners. This item was pulled by Sue Iser Pacheco to recuse himself due to the Levine Act.

Mr. Chairman, she said it all, so I'll step outside.

And I'm recusing myself as well for the same reason, Levine Act.

Okay.

I'll let you recuse yourselves.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, Ed Hiller, Chief Operating Officer. This item is to execute two leases, one at 142 East California and one at 188 East California Avenue, both with Edison Plaza Partners LP for our West Fresno offices. Myself and Berkeley are here to answer any questions.

Any comments from the Board? Any comments from the public? Okay, I'll bring it back. Is there a motion and a second?

Second.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. Thank you. Okay, we'll grab our colleagues again.

That concludes all our consent items pulled from this morning. We will now return to your regular agenda. Item number three, under Chairman Bredefield, Supervisor Magsik, District Attorney, and Sheriff Coroner Public Administrator. Conduct first hearing on an ordinance amending section 13.24.010 of chapter 13.4 of title 13, roads, parks, other public places.

Thank you. Um, this is an item sponsored by, um, all the people mentioned, um, as we witnessed, uh, an attack that took place on an assistant district attorney. Uh, we want to make sure that, um. all of our staff particularly those who are in critical positions where they have been threatened and in this instance attack are able to protect themselves with that i would like to ask district attorney smit camp and sheriffs in order to come on up and say a few words and defer to them at this point Welcome DA Smittcamp.

Thank you, Supervisor. Good morning, Board. Mr. Nerland, Mr. Sloan, thank you so much for making this such a priority. It's been a rough few weeks for us at the DA's office. This is not something that happens regularly, so we are doing our best to heal. I'm happy to report this morning that the prosecutor that was injured in Courthouse Park has returned to work this morning. He's been a warrior really through this whole thing. So I want to thank the board for bringing this matter to the forefront really and expediting it to get it rolling. We are still in the process of developing a policy within our office to ensure that we have Workplace safety at the number one priority. That's always the thing that we need to make sure we have. We want to have people, if they are going to carry weapons, to be prepared, to be well trained. We don't take this lightly. We understand the seriousness of it. There are people that are in positions in homicide and magic and really just the status of downtown sadly makes us all vulnerable. But those people who prosecute those cases are exceptionally vulnerable to some of the violent people and the mentally ill people that we have roaming around in our communities. Sadly, I've been a victim of this myself. My life has threatened probably on average two times a month. And it is not a fun place to be. It is frightening. It's unnerving. And even though we are a big part of the law enforcement community, the prosecutors are not trained as peace officers are. And so we're going to do everything we can to ensure that the people who carry weapons within our office get the benefit of that training, and we'll make sure that they are qualified a couple of times a year, that they're comfortable with their weapons, and that the weapons are secured inside the office while they are there. We do have about 65 to 70 armed DA investigators in the office at all times, so our building is definitely secure. But we do need to have some extra support for our employees as they go to and from the courthouse, as well as their cars. So thank you for making this a priority.

Chairman Zanoni?

Chairman of the board, members of the board. I'm in agreement with the ordinance that we're going to pass here today, hopefully. And as far as CCWs in Fresno County, we have about 15,000 active CCWs issued right now in Fresno County, and the demand actually just keeps growing. Typically, one weekend a month, we're putting on what we call sort of a mass training with a large group of anywhere from 150 to 200 people at different locations. it's extremely in demand out there when we talk about our community and as far as the ordinance just a couple things Lisa touched on them having a policy is critical to this and then obviously the training component that's an important part of this is maybe they qualify with their handgun if they're approved by the department head a couple times a year we can help facilitate this at the sheriff's range to get this done and The reason I say that we need to have a policy in training is important because, as we know, come January of 2027, permits are going to go for three years for CCWs instead of two. So that means a person will go to training once every three years and will show proficiency with their firearm once every three years. And that's fine for our standard CCW holders, but if you're going to be carrying at different county facilities and county parks and you really need to protect yourself, I'm going to emphasize training, training, proficiency, proficiency. And then security. This is something that we've talked about at the courthouse. when district attorneys or special investigators come to the courthouse, how they will secure their firearm, lock it up when entering into the courthouse. And we've been working with the presiding judge and the administrative office of the courts on this as well. the last thing would be a county risk management so just like if you're permitted to carry your gun while you're on duty as a district attorney or a da special investigator because obviously the da investigators the full-time ones are peace officers risk management component because if something does happen the county is going to be in the liability chain on that because they're carrying it while on duty, while being paid under this county ordinance. But I think these are all things that we can work toward, and we can make this a reality sooner than later. Because we do need to protect these individuals, as DA Smitkamp said, the DAs are out there prosecuting homicide cases, magic cases. I think we all know that any of us that are in the public eye, whether you're the sheriff, whether you're a member of the Board of Supervisors, whether you're the district attorney, We all have incidents that occur, whether it be online, social media, letters that come in the mail, or people that show up at our residences that threaten us, and we need to be able to protect ourselves. And number two, people need to know that we are exercising our rights and protecting ourselves, because I think that will deter some of these incidents that we see happen.

Thank you.

Supervisor Banks.

Yeah, I want to thank Supervisor Bredefeld as well as the sheriff and the DA as well as Paul Nerland, our CAO, all coming together quickly after just a horrific incident. And I think if there's one message we need to be communicating loud and clear is here in Fresno County, we will not tolerate crime and we support those who abide by the law. And we're very supportive of individuals carrying concealed weapons permits. and exercising their Second Amendment rights. But I really appreciate you, Sheriff, and our District Attorney. You work very closely with each other, which is great. Not all counties can say that, but here in Fresno County, we do. So, Chairman, well done. And Paul, thank you for all that you've done on this as well.

Any other comments? Just two. Go ahead.

Two. Thank you, Chair. This is just a question for our district attorney, Smith Camp. With the ordinance, you're comfortable that this will be enough? And I know you can't 100% prove the safety of folks all the time. But are you comfortable with just having this? Or is there anything else that you need in order to make sure that our folks are safe?

Supervisor Chavez, I really don't think that this is the answer. This is one step in the right direction, especially for a targeted number of prosecutors who handle these types of cases that will feel comfortable taking, you know, having weapons and bringing them to—carrying a weapon is a responsibility, and it's actually a burden, really. It's a privilege and it's a right, and those are all good things, but people a lot of times don't focus on the responsibility. and the extra time and energy that it takes to train and to be prepared and in your daily life to do that. So I don't anticipate that every prosecutor is going to be armed. We are going to have a policy inside of the office where people basically have to apply, and they have to be approved by the department head, which happens to be me at this time. And I will determine that based on what they do, how much they train, all of those things. And they will have to qualify. Because the worst thing in the world you can do in a workplace is have somebody that's not prepared to have a weapon carrying a weapon. because although the CCW process is one that tests people, it's not really hard to pass. It's not really hard to get a CCW. So the important part for me is not only that they obtain that license, but that they continue. It's like continuing education. You've got to keep going. And so I think that this is one small step in the right direction, but I think we really need to increase security in the courthouse. And I would love to see this board fund some extra deputies, Sheriff's Department deputies, because as Sheriff Zanoni said, I don't care what junk science people have been listening to for the last 20 years. Police presence and law enforcement presence deters crime, period, end of story. It's been proven over and over and over again. And this safety issue is not simply just about people that work at the DA's office. This is for every department. This is for everyone who walks through Courthouse Park. I know that I have sent you all a few emails detailing a few of the cases, and I actually asked my office to provide some information to me, which I will be sending to you this week, of actual summaries of more cases that we maybe don't make the headlines or don't make the news of people that have been assaulted in and around Courthouse Park area, as well as some more incidents of interactions with very unpleasant and disturbed people sometimes with our with our staff, things that don't rise to the level that obviously the injury that happened to our prosecutor a couple weeks ago. So so this is an issue for all county employees. And so I think this is one step one positive step in the right direction. But yes, we definitely need more security in courthouse park.

I appreciate that honesty, Mr. Attorney. And I think the other piece to this is in speaking with our sheriff and speaking with the prosecutor's union president, the conversation also needs to happen with the state, correct, with regards to how weapons will be stored for those that opt to do that. How has the conversation been with the state so far? Are they receptive? Are they open? Have we started that yet or not yet?

yes supervisor chavez i had a meeting week before last with a presiding judge jeff hamilton and the administrative office of the court they're very receptive to it obviously we're going to have to work out some of the details my staff that staffs the courthouse, our lieutenant over there. We're working on how logistically we would pull this off. Some areas, like I believe the CIS courthouse over on O Street, is a little better prepared for this. Where here at 1100 Van S, right over here, I don't know if we have enough lockers at this time. So we're looking at that. And then obviously, when individuals come in and they're downing their firearms and putting them into a locker, there needs to be somewhat of a space away from the public, like if you go into the new federal courthouse. So those are some things that we're working on. But I believe we can make this a reality in a short period of time. But the security in Courthouse Park, as DA Smitkamp said, I'm going to continue to work with Paul and have some funding to have those visible presence of uniformed deputies out there because that does help. In the past, we've had staff, civilian staff, spit on, assaulted, chased, almost bitten by an unhoused individual's dog on the way to their vehicles parking throughout both the city and county areas of downtown. Even myself, I had an individual at Divisadero and Blackstone run at my vehicle I was on duty, I was full uniform, running my vehicle like he was going to attack me. I jumped out and the individual took off running. I was unable to locate him. But I think about if that was my kid or my wife or somebody else there, there are problems. So that's why we need this uniform presence, especially in Courthouse Park. And my direction to staff is going to be if there's individuals in Courthouse Park who look like they shouldn't be there keeping everybody's rights in mind and everything else but we are going to be a good presence out there to ensure that people are there are there for the right reasons and those that aren't need to move on.

Thank you for that Sheriff and I appreciate that because I think when this incident happened the feedback I got from some of our residents was if they're doing this to law enforcement or you know law representative What would they do to just regular folks that are wanting to have a sandwich here or coffee or anything? So I appreciate the extra eyes and ears that will be on the Plaza Park. Thank you.

And just several months ago, we had a pretty bad stabbing at the picnic bench just right over here outside of the courthouse as well. So I think it's time that... we push back on some of these individuals that are there for the wrong reasons because they're impacting the safety of our staff and other individuals that come to Courthouse Park. I mean, years ago, you used to be able to come to Courthouse Park and have a picnic or go sit out there on your lunch hour. And I think as we've seen over the years that I've personally seen, that has become something that is less and less desirable for many of us.

Supervisor, if I may, I'm sorry, just if you can indulge me just for a couple of minutes. I think another factor that we have to think about when we're budgeting is the fact that we now have mental health diversion in the state of California, which is a law. And when you put people through mental health diversion court, there is really no supervision for them other than the judge saying, okay, you're eligible and suitable for mental health services because your mental health condition is connected to your crime. So go off, get some therapy, get help, go to counseling. And there's a lot of people that are very well suited for that. But what we're seeing here all over the state as well as in Fresno is there's eligibility and suitability. Because people who commit attempted murders are eligible for mental health diversion. Are they suitable? Probably not, because many of them have had repeated offenses, repeated incidents with family, with community. But we have judges now that are just granting them mental health diversion. The one person out of many who threatened my life had a JD, has a law degree. His spouse, his ex-spouse was a physician. He has threatened me numerous times. I mean, this is a state. This isn't a Fresno issue. This is a state issue. You can threaten the district attorney and threaten to kill her on live radio and numerous times and get mental health diversion, and he did. So I had a very small temporary restraining order for the time that he was going through his mental health diversion program. When that program ended and he quote-unquote successfully completed, the restraining order was dropped. He has approached me in public. He has approached friends of mine. He knows where I live. He knows where I shop. He knows my Starbucks. And he pops up on Sunday mornings when I'm having brunch with some people that used to, the moms of the people that used to play baseball with my kid. And I will tell you, as the district attorney, and this is my 12th year, I guess now, I am so happy that my children live out of state. If it's not just for this man, it's every other. And in fact, the latest threat to me was a young lady, beautiful young lady, who's a criminology major at City College, upset that this ordinance is getting passed and went on and on and on on TikTok about what a fill-in-the-blank name Lisa Smittcamp is. Now, how I have anything to do with that, I don't know. But I have DAs that teach at Fresno City College in the criminology program. So now we have a whole other level, right, where she's upset about prosecutors having guns and all these things and this poor man, you know, he might be mentally ill. And why am I saying that it was intentional when I don't know this and I don't know that? I mean, it just goes on and on and on. So what is that cause? That causes my bureau to have to go do a deep dive on her. Turns out we have a case on her that was in the media. It just goes on and on. And we have our prosecutors that are teaching in that program at City College, which is a great program, I might add. But they're everywhere. So this is another reason why we need more security for our county employees, because we cannot rely on the criminal justice system that we are a part of to protect us, to protect any of us.

T. Thank you for that. CAO, before we had this ordinance, there was already something in the books that we had passed, and you have the discretion on doing that. I know the conversation was under the umbrella of CCW, but are employees also allowed to have other options for those that don't opt, for example, pepper spray or tasers or anything of that sort?

Yeah, thank you, Supervisor. Paul Nerland, your CAO. So your board did grant the authorization, and we are also working on a policy and really probably mirroring a lot of similarities and working in concert with the sheriff when it comes to the CCW and the internal process. But when it comes to the alternative, there's also the policy relating to pepper spray and tasers. So there's you know, lesser alternatives that we're authorizing the way we process and training for that as well to ensure that it's used properly, but we're doing the same thing. So yes.

And that's available for other employees as well too? Correct. Okay. Thank you.

Okay. Any other comments? I first of all want to say thank you, DA Smetkamp, to you and to all your district attorneys for what you do. You work hard to make our community safe, and you work with some very nasty people who commit crimes all the time, violent crimes, and I'm sure have threatened the prosecutors and So I appreciate the work you do. I appreciate, of course, what the Sheriff's Department does. We live in a society in California where they've weakened all the criminal laws. The legislature has done that. We have two members who I believe are going to the legislature up there and I hope they can work in making changes. because Prop 5747 AB 109, we know all about it, how they weaken the laws. This guy who attacked the DA had a long criminal record. He should not have been out on the street. And if we had a real justice system and held criminals accountable, he would have been in prison somewhere rather than attacking a district attorney. The fact is police can't be everywhere, unfortunately. We wish they could. and people have to protect themselves. And I encourage and have encouraged citizens who are law-abiding citizens to get CCWs to protect themselves and protect their family. This board passed a resolution, I think sponsored by Supervisor Magsig, regarding the Second Amendment. And we believe in the Second Amendment, the right to protect yourself, And I also believe that an armed society of law-abiding citizens is a safe society. It's also usually a polite society. So I encourage people to get that training and protect themselves and their families because unfortunately police and sheriffs can't be everywhere. i i thank you both for your efforts here and there are other employees that can apply through the process that we have set up if their department heads agree and i appreciate the additional training that you're talking about because i do think that's very beneficial so with that i will open it to the public to see if there are any comments from the public Seeing none, I'll bring it back. Is there a motion and a second? For approval.

Second.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. Thank you.

We now move to item number four under administrative office. Consider and take action on request for determination of public convenience or necessity in regard to application for alcoholic beverage control license type 42 on sale beer and wine for public premises.

Good morning, supervisors. Ron Alexander with the administrative office. As the clerk mentioned, this is a type 42 license, which authorizes the sale of beer and wine for consumption on the premises where it is sold. Management Directive 2400 states that the issuance will not create a law enforcement problem, that it will provide a needed service to the community, and it will have a positive impact on the local economy. The applicant has provided a written response to those three criteria, and he is available for questions should that be requested. The Department of Public Works has been contacted. There are no zoning issues related to this issuance. And the Fresno County Sheriff's Department has been contacted and reviewed the application as well. The applicant is in census tract 18. Three on-sale licenses are allowed by ABC in this tract. There are currently four within this census tract. I would like to note that one of those four is the existing owner, a previous owner that closed down that facility. So that license is considered surrendered by ABC. She can't use it within that location. However, it's still part of the total count. So I just want to make sure that everybody is aware of that. So ABC, given the undue concentration of licenses in that census tract, ABC can approve this license should your board approve public convening for necessity. This is a census tract map. The census tract is located there with the tan. Those that are plotted are the existing licenses. This depicts the locations, the exact distances, which range from one, two, three miles. Nikki's is the existing license that's in that, which is surrenders, but I still have it listed there. And we have the aerial view of the applicant's location. We have the view of the applicant's storefront. He is currently working on updating it, painting it, and doing all that stuff to get ready for opening. We have the north view of the applicant's site, south view, east view, and the west view. And again, here are the three criteria to make public communication a necessity. This concludes my presentation, and I'm available for any questions.

Any comments from the board?

You had a question? Yes. You said, I know the use permit's not a problem because there used to be a bar. That's correct. It has been. Yes. It was a bar in the 60s, I think. But there's no buildings up to standard to occupy.

It will be before he moves in. And as you mentioned, there was previously a Type 42 license that was approved by this board back in 2017. Then two years later, she came in and upgraded to a Type 48 license, which also included the sale of liquor. Since then, she has closed the facility. That license is surrendered, and now the applicant is planning on reopening.

Any other comments from the board? Comments from the public? Okay, seeing none, entertain a motion and a second.

I'll make that motion, Mr. Chairman. I'll second.

Okay, all those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Passes unanimously, thank you.

We now move to item number five. under General Services received presentation by Arthur Gensler and Associates on the Completed County Facilities Master Plan.

Morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Ed Hill, your chief operating officer. Today, we are presenting for your consideration the facilities master plan. As you may recall, this plan was secondary to direction from your board given back in late 2024 after the county purchased the L Street property and decided that we need to increase our focus on our property portfolio. Based on that direction, the county conducted an RFP and awarded Gensler that contract in October of 2025. And since then, they've been working diligently, reviewing site plans, doing site visits, interviews, and validating data on all of our facilities. One thing they will share is we find ourselves in the same situation many counties find themselves in. We are playing catch up on a lot of issues that your board inherited, which is also why you directed us to take this step today. The plan before you today will require a lot of investment with many aspects. But in the long term, it'll help save the county a considerable amount. As they present, we want to make sure that it's clear that it's understood this is not a short-term fix, but a long-term plan. And it will actually change, so it will be a living document. and not a rigid construction schedule as implementation will evolve as economic conditions evolve, funding opportunities, service availability, and market opportunities are just some of the variables that will change. Before I turn it over to the folks from Gensler, I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of our county departments. This was not an easy lift. It was a lot of work, a lot of data, a lot of surveys, a lot of interviews, and a lot of validation. So I want to make sure and thank all the departments. This was a truly a countywide effort. With that I'm going to turn it over to the representatives from Gensler.

Thanks Ed. Good morning Chairman, members of the board. Paul Natsky with Gensler. With me is Kevin Rosenstein, my colleague at Gensler. We are indeed going to present a very abbreviated presentation on what has essentially been a year's worth of work putting this plan together. The plan As Ed said, is very robust and transformational in nature. It's going to require a lot of commitment and funding to implement as written. We're going to discuss some of the key directions this morning. The plan identifies. We're going to review the primary recommendations of the plan. The plan is very comprehensive, addresses a lot of different aspects. We're going to focus on a few key ones for the purposes of today's presentation. We're going to talk a bit about how it could be implemented, one way it could be implemented, as well as the project costs and a potential funding strategy. So as Ed mentioned, we're kind of, or you are all at sort of an inflection point here. Your portfolio reflects a decade's worth of growth and decision-making, but without a real kind of cohesive long-term strategy guiding how investments are made. The plan that we've put together gives you an opportunity to step back, assess building conditions, space utilization, service delivery needs, and establish a framework for decision-making going forward. We think the timing is critical. You've got this new courthouse who's going to be coming in requiring the sheriff's building to be vacated. At the same time, many of your cornerstone buildings, the plaza, hall of the records, courthouse, they face significant deferred maintenance issues and are in some cases beyond their functional prime. the county has also faced challenges acquiring replacement facilities the market here is relatively tight the office market limited availability to purchase new facilities you did successfully purchase the o and p street facility as well as the merced building but those alone don't really satisfy the the operational requirements that were presented to us So ultimately, the plan establishes a strategic foundation for managing your facilities, addressing aging infrastructure, modernizing workplaces, and ensuring investments support service delivery going forward. So, a few kind of key strategic directions. I think we can sort of summarize the plan in these six bullets. First, maintain downtown Fresno as a civic center core of county government. We feel the departments are all, they're all here, they're working well together, this is the place they need to be. It's really just the facilities that are letting them down. Second, prioritize purpose-built facilities that meet those operational needs. Third, reduce dependence on lease space through proactive ownership. Fourth, exit underperforming assets and reinvest in facilities that better support future needs. Fifth, prioritize modernizing and right-sizing existing workplaces over expansion. So we're not telling you you need to add more space. We're telling you to make better use of the space that you have and ultimately save you costs. And sixth and finally, improve service access in underserved and rural communities. through the co-location of flexible service delivery models. So together we think these directions are gonna create a framework for you to go forward. As Ed said, this is a plan. Plans will change over time as funding and priorities change. We think this gives you a good basis to get the ball rolling.

All right. So part one of the plan focuses on downtown Fresno. which will continue to serve as the county's civic and administrative hub. The analysis confirmed the departments, as Paul mentioned, are generally located in the right locations, but many of the buildings they occupy no longer support modern operations and require substantial investment. As the county prepares for the new courthouse and incorporates newly acquired properties into the portfolio, there's an opportunity to move beyond isolated building projects and adopt a coordinated campus and countywide strategy. A key principle of the plan, as outlined, is that future investment should focus on replacing and renovating facilities rather than expanding the overall portfolio. So we're not suggesting that you need more space. We feel like you need some replacement space and some renovated space. New projects should consolidate operations, improve efficiency, and address longstanding deficiencies rather than simply adding square footage. By viewing investments through a portfolio wide lens, the county can reduce deferred maintenance, improve employee and customer experience, lessen reliance on lease space, and maximize the value of every capital dollar invested. So what does the plan actually look like? Several different options were developed through the process to address the issues uncovered in the study. Through a consensus-led process working with the CAO and the departments, a preferred path was determined. This preferred options begins with a simple reality. The plaza building has reached its end of useful life and is too costly to renovate effectively. The first step in order to make this work would be some new construction. So we're recommending that you explore purpose built facilities that would be developed through the sheriff's department and the emergency services dispatch and place those at the juvenile justice center down 99, a new public works building would be proposed for the fairgrounds. Those are the first two actions. Second, the county would acquire one additional facility to house the department of child support services currently located at the Plaza. 3rd, the hall of records, the crocker building, and the recently acquired 650 and 705 P properties would undergo renovation as planned and modernization. Finally, after the renovations are complete, and the staff have been relocated out of the Plaza. We would recommend that it would be demolished and the site sold to a developer for future use. This approach in voids major deferred maintenance liabilities, reduces long term operating costs, lowers environmental impacts and maximizes the value of property acquisitions. As Paul mentioned, We know that the costs are high for this, the construction costs of the preferred option as estimated. Would be approximately 426Million dollars. We realize and recognize that we're proposing a significant investment. Um, but we want to add some context to that. The deferred maintenance alone for the plaza hall of records and crocker billing were estimated at nearly 100Million dollars. which would simply replace aging systems without creating new modern workplaces that would serve the county for the next 50 years. It's also important to note that renovation costs for 650O and 705P and the Merced property have already been incorporated into prior county acquisition planning studies and are not included in that estimate. And Paul's gonna come back out to talk about the rest of the county.

So that was what we're calling part one, which is focused on downtown. Obviously, you've got a large county, and there are other aspects to the plan that deal with other countywide strategies, so service delivery focused mostly. So as I said, this downtown remains the core, as it should, the core Civic Center location. Your responsibilities extend across urban, rural, and unincorporated communities. So the findings show that the county's network of facilities is generally well positioned in those areas. So again, not so much of a facilities play there, but more of an opportunity to improve and deliver how services are delivered or change how services are delivered. So part two of our plan focuses on, again, six different priorities. One, improving service access by locating services where residents can reach them conveniently. Second, supporting geographic equity so urban and rural community leave appropriate access to services. Third, promoting co-location of services to improve both customer experience and operational coordination. Fourth, ensuring accessibility and inclusion for residents of all backgrounds and abilities. Fifth, strengthening wireless and digital infrastructure to support modern communications and service delivery. And finally, sixth, expanding community partnerships to increase access without relying exclusively on new county buildings. So the plan also identifies several near-term opportunities, things I think that could come right out of the gate if this was a priority. In Coalinga, for example, underutilized space within the Department of Social Services facility can be reorganized to create room for satellite services from departments such as probation, behavioral health, and expanding access to residents without the need for a new facility. For public works, leadership has identified an opportunity to consolidate the area's seven yard into existing county properties. This would allow the current site to be vacated and potentially sold or redeveloped for county use. And finally, the fairgrounds area presents a major redevelopment opportunity. As agriculture relocates, the county can create a long-term master plan at the fairgrounds that consolidates operations, improves land utilization, and provides flexibility for future growth and operational changes. So in other words, before you start constructing new buildings at the fairgrounds because you have the land there, we recommend a master plan to help strategically figure out how you want that campus to operate. So implementation, so this is a straw man implementation timeline. This assumes that you're gonna do everything as written in this plan over a four to five year time frame, just to give you a sense of what it would take to get it done. The sequence is intentionally designed to minimize disruption. New facilities for the Sheriff's Department, emergency services dispatch, and public works would be constructed first. Once those facilities are complete, renovation of the Hall of Records and the Crocker Building would begin. During construction, the Plaza Building would serve as temporary swing space for displaced staff and departments. Following the completion of these, the final phase would be to demolish and dispose of the Plaza Building, as the market would allow. This phased approach enables the county to maintain operations while modernizing key facilities and maximizing the use of existing space through the transition. So we talked about the fairly high construction cost. There are some funding assumptions that went into we took those construction costs and we'll show you in a second an example of how we converted those construction costs into long term operating costs. and those require debt funding. So there are funding assumptions around that. We've identified a set of funding assumptions that are intended solely for comparing the alternatives. We're not recommending this financing model or recommending a bond proposal. We're just showing this to give you a sense of types of things that you would need to be thinking about. So the analysis assumes annual county capital contributions of approximately $10 million, totaling roughly $40 or $50 million over the four to five year implementation period. The remaining investment, which is approximately $380 million of that construction cost nugget, that would be financed through long-term borrowing. Debt service assumptions are based on a 20-year amortization period at 4.25% interest and standard bond issuance costs. Among all the alternatives evaluated, this option requires the lowest overall borrowing amount while still meeting the county's long-term facility needs. So putting this into kind of the big picture financial perspective, here's what you can kind of expect if you were to implement the plan as written here over a 20-year period in terms of total operating costs, which are a combination of the debt service as well as continuing to operate the facilities you own and occupy. The preferred option is projected to increase average annual occupancy costs by approximately 22.4 million compared to maintaining the status quo, doing what you're doing now. This is primarily due to the capital investment in the debt service mentioned. Over that 20 year period, total occupancy costs would increase by roughly $450 million. However, operating expenses are projected to decline by approximately $134 million over that same period due to reduced maintenance requirements and improved facility efficiency. So this option, in short, delivers the lowest long-term occupancy cost increase among all alternatives considered while addressing the county's major facility challenges. So to wrap up here, and we'll receive your discussion and questions, we'd just like to reiterate that this plan identifies an opportunity to transform the county's real estate portfolio into one that better serves residents, supports employees, and positions Fresno County for the next 50 years. Thanks very much, and we look forward to your discussion.

Thank you. Any comments, questions from the board? Supervisor Magid?

I know back in 2017 when I first got on the board, I was trying to wrap my arms around just how many different properties the county has. And at that time, they came back and presented literally hundreds of properties throughout the county, including small vacant parcels. So I know that our previous board was working to try to offload some of those properties, which we've been successful with some of that. looking at existing buildings the uh the dell web i know there's been an article in the paper the dell web is kind of an iconic building so i think it's the tallest building in fresno county if i'm not mistaken but looking at the costs that that building needs to just kind of dump money into it because i think that building was built in the 60s and originally was a hotel Yeah, and when the, when the county acquired it decades ago, you know, what's the term that I used to be told Fresno County functional, which to me, it's not that functional. And at some point you, you either have to demolish a building or, or dump a lot of money into it to. just keep it operational. So I appreciate this study. I think it's given members on this board really an opportunity to decide which projects they want to pursue. But I mean, you're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that's needed, which can't be done overnight. But it gives us kind of a direction that I think we need to move so we can continue to deliver excellent services to Fresno County residents. So thank you for the report.

There it comes. Good boy, Charlie.

Yeah, thank you, Chair. And thank you, Ed and your team for coming up with this very comprehensive plan. That's a big dollar amount that we have to work with. And I know it'll take a number of years to have that conversation. I've never been a fan of that bell web building. I've never forgotten that they gave me my first work rejection letter post-college graduate. So if we're going to blow it up, I'd love to... Push the button on there. But I know this is going to take a number of years. The one thing I do want to flag, and I think, Arcia, we spoke a little bit about that when we attended the NACO conference with AI. And everybody knows I'm not a big fan of AI, but I know it's here. It's changing the workforce. The, you know, square footage requirements as we're kind of going down this conversation and looking at our partners in our labor force within the county. Um, I know other counties are looking at making certain positions, whether their work at home or hybrid. I know that's the name to try to reduce some of the costs, the square footage, the utility that it costs to cool and heat a lot of these buildings. So I just want to kind of put that in the radar for our folks. And and I think we've had a little bit about this in the past. But as we're going to that conversation, that's that's a big that's a big dollar amount to spend here locally. And then appreciate one of the key concepts was making sure that our folks have access to the services for departments that deal on a daily basis with our constituents. I think that's always been very important. We see that here when we come into the building that folks still like to come in and pay things and talk to people. I would love to be able to keep that too. I think that's important too for our community and for downtown as well. And then last thing as we're going through the conversation for the plaza, this is the only green space that we have in downtown. And we've had a couple events that have been very successful as we go down this road, trying to incorporate. How do we do that to make that the place more inviting? I think we're having an event in next month here. We're going to have arts and music and. Cultural festivities so as we're kind of imagining the new You know portfolio incorporating some of those for our folks making sure that they they feel welcomed here in the county plaza.

Thank you Supervisor Mendez.

Yeah, thanks for the report. This is something that you know me and supervisor Pacheco we're looking at 12 years ago, you know, finally we see actually a comprehensive report. There's a lot of, you know, Nathan used the word county functional. That's kind of inside baseball. It's kind of a laughable term, you know, because we have things that, yeah, it's functional, but it's not good for the employees that have to work there. you know but still because the parking issue if if and when we well it's when we demo the old dell web building you know we still have that parking there you know and parking's a premium here it's it's so it's the ultimate big deal you know so yeah i know it's a lot of money and You know, I don't know. This isn't a deal where you, I think, I use the term save some money every year for it. I don't know if we're going to have that kind of money because it's gotten pretty tight. And we'll find out here how tight it is next week. But I think the key thing is a future board and future boards will decide on what's going to happen because you use the term living document. So that means it's not an exact deal. It varies as years go by and what's practical. But this is going to be a big lift when it comes. And obviously, the biggest lift is demo and the Dell web building. So thank you for kind of pushing and getting this started. I thought it was a great report.

Okay, I would like to also say it was an excellent report, very comprehensive, greatly appreciate it. Is there no way that the Delwa building can be sold to someone and they could be responsible for refurbishment and there's nobody out there that would meet their needs?

That's a great question. It's possible. As we've known, it requires a lot of tender care and feeding to bring it up to SMUF. So let's say you're able to, I'm just making these numbers up. Let's say you were able to sell that building for $50 million. You would have to deduct the cost of rehabilitating it from that sales price before a developer would take it off your hands or they would, or you would remediate it before you hand it over. So either way, you're still on the hook. One way or the other, you'd be on the hook for that dilapidated condition of the building.

Mm-hmm.

deferred maintenance yeah is there a market for it it's a good question you know housing is is a huge as you know huge issue in the state is it suitable for housing as is since it once was a hotel again it may be from a floor plan and a way that's laid out perspective but because of the deferred maintenance issues that's really the key is how are you going to solve those

Okay. Did you also review the coroner's needs, their office needs? Because they've said that their building doesn't work for them and they need more space. Did you review that as well?

I believe we did. I'd have to see exactly what, I'd have to check our specific recommendations on that. But we talked to just about everybody in the county extensively.

Okay, I appreciate it again. I appreciate all of them. Yeah, go ahead.

Chairman, I can just speak to that briefly. So that was one of the reasons that we wanted to make sure that we paused that whatever plans we have for the coroner's office were hand in hand with this report. And my favorite part of this report is there's a page that it's titled an inflection point. And the main point of it is for years, there's been what we might want to call an incremental decision making. And I think Your board and prior boards have stopped that to say we're going to invest in our facilities. We're going to invest in Moving forward, but now we've got a plan in doing that and so my understanding of the process as we look at the future sheriff facility It includes also a corner facility being being part of that as well So trying to work instead of moving and then moving again that it would have a facility that would take that into account ahead of time Okay, thank you Any other comments from the board?

I'm gonna go out to the public. Any comments from the public? Okay, seeing none, I'll bring it back. Is there a motion and a second?

Yes.

All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Passes unanimously. Thank you very much, gentlemen.

We now move to item number six under Public Works and Planning. Conduct first hearing and take action to approve proposed amendments to Fresno County Ordinance Code Title 15, including the statement of local findings regulating building and construction within Fresno County.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Chris Motta with the Department of Public Works and Planning. This item proposes changes to Title 15 of the Fresno County Ordinance Code, and for this cycle, amendments are minor and generally reflect changes to the year, new required chapters or modifications to support the community rating system for flood hazards. The second reading for this item is scheduled for September 22nd, and this concludes my presentation. I'm available for questions.

Okay. Any comments from the board?

This is perfunctory because this is state law that we have to actually adopt.

Yes, and we typically will bring it every three years on a cycle, and we can only be We can't be less stringent than what the state or the federal requirements are. We can be more stringent. Typically, we don't bring more stringent requirements. And this is a case we're not bringing.

And we can't be smarter. So this is a pure monkey rubber stamp and brigade job here.

These amendments this year are especially minor.

Any other comments? Any comments from the public? Seeing none, I'll bring it back. Is there a motion and a second? So moved. Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously.

We now move to item number seven, under social services, receive and discuss the Fresno County Mod C quarterly governing body report and updates for the period of March 14, 2026 to June 13, 2026.

Good morning, Chairman and members of the Board. Delvin Baker, Deputy Director, Department of Social Services, Child Welfare Branch. I'm here to provide you our Transitional Shelter Care Facility Quarterly Report for the time period of March 14, 2026 through June 13, 2026. In the last quarter, we have not developed any new policy or procedure guides requiring Board approval. We've had 66 incident reports submitted to Community Care Licensing. We've had 56 total entries into our shelter, with 40 of those being unduplicated youth. We've had three youth who have stayed for more than nine days within the shelter. We've had no changes to the shelter budget. We've had no administrative actions against our licensee or employees for this quarter. That concludes the report. I'm available for questions.

Any comments, questions from the board? No. Any comments from the public? Nope, okay, this is just to receive a presentation, so no motions. Madam Clerk, next item, please. Thank you.

We have item number eight, Board of Supervisor Community Reports and Comments.

Any, yes, sir.

Had a couple comments. So about 12 days ago, the county of Fresno had a meeting with residents of Waterworks District 40, which took place at Pine Ridge School. And the meeting was one where residents clearly were frustrated, and I think rightfully so. Since that meeting, I've had an opportunity to meet with Bakeman Water. They're a private water company. They manage systems in Madera, other counties, and even here in Fresno County. I think they might be involved a little bit throughout areas that touch the city of Fresno. And I've asked them to take a look at Water Works District 40 and to, if they have any ideas on how the system can operate more efficiently, to maybe provide some options for us. In addition to that, too, about 10 days ago or 11 days ago, Pastor Kevin Foster reached out and he offered up water for the community. And so I put Kevin Foster in touch with Paul Nerland. Paul Nerland reached out, I believe, to the CAC. and let them know what was available through Kevin Foster's church. Also, I saw that two individuals, actually there were more than that, but Vong Muinatua as well as Helder Domingos independently on their own went out and purchased water and provided it to the community, bottled water. I think there was 1,200 cases, which is significant. and really appreciate them stepping up and doing that and kevin foster also gave me the number of an individual who has a filtration company and i think just going from memory it's out of san luis obispo that does work all over the world and so i've provided well reports and information to this filtration company to see if they have options for us About 10 days ago, I went on a tour of Water Works District 40 just to look at all the systems and equipment out there. I've not been out there doing that since post-creek fire. But Mike Fine showed me the tanks, showed me the different sample taps that existed, and I got to look at the two wells. well six and well seven which right now are providing the water to the community and I asked Mike to perform just some very basic well tests where to look at flow rates of those wells and he just did a 20 minute test the wells that are there produce limited amounts of water I believe one well was producing about 12 gallons a minute The other one was producing around 3 or 4 gallons a minute. So the issues of quality of water as 1 issue, but also the quantity of water is is another issue. I've been researching just the history of waterworks district 40 and even this morning I received a message from someone who moved from the area about 18 months ago. Who provided maps other suggestions to me and just kind of a history of what. The county has been doing since 2009, so there there's a lot of information as it relates to Waterworks District 40. I appreciate our staff and and really Mike Fine, who he's the operator who's been operating that system since 2018. Uh, his knowledge and background and information that he provided to me was, um, was greatly appreciated. So that's what I've been doing the last 2 weeks in regards to waterworks district 40. Also, I wanted to share that this weekend marked the 6 year anniversary of the creek fire and I had the opportunity to speak at shaver lake church on Sunday. and just spend some time in the mountain communities. And even though we're six years removed from the Creek Fire, there still are many families who continue to try to rebuild from that incident. So appreciate this county's involvement with those residents who continue to work through the permitting process and to this board for making it a priority to never forget what happened in the past. So thank you.

Any other comments? Yeah, I have some comments. You know, 9-11 is upon us. 25 years ago, on that morning, on a clear, beautiful day in New York City, people were doing what they normally did, go to work, preparing their kids to go to school, getting ready for work. But horrifically, by the end of the day, 2,996 people would be dead and more than 6,000 injured. On that day, we lost 344 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, 55 military personnel killed at the Pentagon, more than 90 countries lost citizens in the attack. And as we know, first, the iconic World Trade Center North and South Towers were attacked with large civilian planes being flown into them. Then a plane was flown into the Pentagon, but there was one plane, Flight 93, that never made it to its believed target, which was believed to be the White House or the Capitol. That was due to the heroism of the people on that flight. What the horrors of 9-11 demonstrated for me is what many of us already know. Our country is comprised of exceptional, brave, heroic Americans who care about other people and in the most harrowing and dangerous times are willing to risk their own lives to save others. This was demonstrated on that day and, frankly, every day by the men and women of law enforcement, our police, the men and women who are firefighters, and all of the first responders. We witnessed them, as they always do, run towards danger, run into buildings that are on fire, and risk their own lives to save others in need. They, along with the men and women who serve in the military, are the best and brightest this nation has. They risk everything to make us safe and ensure the freedoms bestowed upon us by our founding fathers are preserved and never taken away. So we're grateful for their sacrifice and will always honor their service. We will never forget the lives lost on 9-11 and always honor the heroism and bravery of those that fight the ongoing war against evil and terrorism. And may God bless them and God bless the United States of America, the greatest nation on earth. And lastly, I also want to remember that September 10th, two days from today, will mark the one year that Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus. This brilliant 31-year-old man went to college campuses to have open dialogue and debate with students that had opposing views to his conservative beliefs. He courageously went into the lion's den of college academia to challenge the radical dogma being taught in universities and debated both students and professors. He openly spoke of his faith, his love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, traditional values, and encouraged people to get married, have children, and start families. He spoke of the need to protect the unborn and protect confused children from the evil of gender-affirming care and genital mutilation. He spoke of greatness and exceptionalism of America, of our Constitution, our God-given rights to live in freedom. and to have free expression of thought and speech. He spoke of the need for law and order, the need to secure borders, and opposed all the woke ideology that only serves to divide Americans and our nation. He was bold, he was unapologetic, and even more importantly, he was effective. He was changing hearts and minds across the country. He was speaking the truth, and he was murdered for it. A year ago, Charlie's voice was silenced, and now he's in the arms of Jesus in heaven. But millions and millions of similar voices have now risen that share Charlie's passion, his vision, values, and love of this nation. The horror we witnessed a year ago will never cower those of us that share his belief, but only serve to embolden us. We will continue to speak with great conviction, stand firm, and defend the truths Charlie dedicated his life to advancing. May God comfort Charlie Kirk's wife, his two small children, and his family. May he also strengthen all of us, our nation, and guide us to speak with the same courage and honesty that Charlie did. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk. That's all I have. Anyone else? No?

We move to item number nine, board appointments.

Okay. Any? No? No. I have a couple of board appointments. Appoint Chuck Susana Moreno to the provider position for the In-Home Supportive Services Advisory Committee. The position was previously held by Darla Nunez-Gonzalez. And I also want to appoint Molly Fagundes-Johnston to the Child Care and Development LPC. The position was previously held by Gloria De La Cruz-Polito. Any comments from the public? Okay, is there a motion and second?

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Your in-home supportive services, who did you appoint?

We appointed Chuck Susanna Moreno to the provider position.

Ah, okay, I see what happened. Okay, sorry about that. Thank you.

You got it.

Second.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously.

We now move to item number 10, public presentations. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons designed to address the board on any matter not on this agenda. We are also taking public comment on closed session items 12 through 18.2.

Okay, any comments from the public on any matter not on this agenda or any comments from the public on closed sessions item 12 through 18.2? Please, the floor is yours.

Good morning, board. My name is Magali Chonteko, and I am a union member of SEIU Local 521, which represents Fresno County Library workers. I am here today on my own free time as a Fresno resident who resides in District 1 to firmly express my personal opposition to any attempt to privatize the Fresno County Public Library system. Fresno County Public Library's vision statement is, a place for anyone, something for everyone. And there is truly something for everyone. In all 34 libraries, staff help people fill out job and housing applications, connect patrons with resources when they are struggling, and above all, they offer a third space where anyone is welcome, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, or political beliefs. This can all disappear if a privatized library system were to be adopted. Today, I am asking you to think of your constituents. Instead of enacting barriers that can potentially stop them from accessing vital and free library resources, I ask that you work to invest in the communities you represent by keeping our libraries public. Library users like me don't want a company across the country in Maryland to choose what resources they can access, what hours their local library branch has, and which rural branches this company may have the power to close under the guise of cost-saving measures. Library users want to keep Fresno Libraries staffed and managed by Fresno locals that have decades of experience and know the resources Fresno residents need because they witness it firsthand when assisting the public they serve. Your constituents deserve transparency. and that transparency cannot be guaranteed if the library system were to be privatized. I want to end this comment by asking you to visit the Fresno County Library branches that are in your supervising district. See how your constituents benefit from a public library system and think about what you would be depriving them of if these libraries were to be privatized. Thank you. Thank you.

Hello, I am a librarian employee here on my day off as a member of the SEIU chapter 521. I love the library, and I would like to take this time to promote it. It's September. It's library card sign up month. And did you know that with the Fresno County Public Library card, you have access to so many resources? You can check out books, audio books, movies, music, video games, and more. And these are fiction, nonfiction, new stuff, materials in many different languages, and also in many different genres. We also have the college and career section with textbooks, and the citizenship section, and also the veteran section. There really is something for everyone. And it's not just that. You can check out Tech2Go kits, which include a Chromebook, a hotspot, and accessories, all for free, a state parks pass, which lets you park for free at a lot of the state parks, for example, Millerton and FISMO. Let's see. We also have backpacking kits and stargazing kits. And you could also go to the Discover and Go website, where you can access free and discounted tickets to different attractions, such as the Charles Schultz Museum. To add to this extensive list, you can also check out or reserve spaces in the library, such as meeting rooms and study pods. And with the library card, you have access to all kinds of online resources. and not to mention all the free programs and services that the library provides. There's the literacy team and a lot of different ones, so much that I can't fit in two minutes. It really is one of the last free public spaces available to everyone. Please don't take that away by privatizing it. We're for the public and not for sale. Thank you. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Rebecca Denniston. I'm a member of SEIU Local 521. I am here as a private citizen and a constituent of Nathan Magsig. After moving back to the Central Valley in 2010, my family and I settled in the foothills near Aubury. As a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled all four of my children, the library was a lifeline for us. Not only did we find materials for our curriculum, but we also used their computers and Wi-Fi. In addition, the library became the center of our social life. We met with other homeschooled families in the community and took part of the programs that the library offered. All of these resources were free and abundant. Homeschooling families rely heavily on libraries, and most of them have a stay-at-home parent, which means money is often a struggle for these families. Many homeschooling families I know would not have been able to have the resources to drive to a metro branch for their needs. Privatizing libraries statistically hurts rural branches the most. From reduced hours, fewer available materials, canceled programs, and potential closures, rural libraries take the brunt of this action. And homeschooling families will be among the hardest hit if libraries are privatized. My family succeeded because of libraries, and it saddens me to think of the families who would not have these opportunities if privatization occurs. I can truthfully say that my children and myself would not be who we are today without the help of the Aubury Library. Thank you.

Good morning, supervisors. My name is Jay Butterfield. I'm a member of SEIU 521. Next year, I will have had the sincere honor of marking my 20th year and working for the County of Fresno in the best department of all, the library. I'd like to share some of the library programs that I've seen over those years. preschool story time, the summer reading program, the big read, junior librarians club, pinkalicious tea party, step program, a life skills class for teen mothers, book club discussions, African-American and Hispanic heritage months, Guitar class, Americans and the Holocaust Traveling Exhibition, DMV Practice Test Class, Citizenship Oath Swearing and Ceremonies, Career Online High School Diploma Program, the library at the Elkhorn Correctional Facility for Juvenile Offenders and Carothers, the library's own version of the Tiny Desk concert series. In addition, the library is a place where kids can go to feel safe, where you can go when your ink cartridge runs out, but you have to print out your resume for a job interview. where you apply for benefits or for a job, where you can get warm or cool off, where you can use the restroom, where you can charge your phone, where homeschoolers can meet and interact with their teachers, where veterans receive specific information to connect them with the services they've earned, where you can find Flag Day and 9-11 displays. This is obviously not an exhaustive list. We are Fresno County. We pull together. The library is in its current form. It's always been in place since 1910, and may it remain that way.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chairman. Good morning, Supervisors. My name is William Brown. I am a licensed clinical social worker. And in full transparency, I am not a resident of Fresno County. I am here on behalf of the Shaver Springs and Water Works District 40. What you have in front of you is I've compiled quite a bit of research to explore and to emphasize the important situation, critical situation, I should say, that is occurring in Water Works District 40. Manganese is a known neurotoxin, and we continue to almost label it as a secondary contaminant. While it is on the list, the challenging issue is that these levels surpass anything that would be considered as aesthetic. And so what I did was compile some of the research to show, along with the challenges that both adults and children would have. For myself, as a social worker and Well, seeing these children have to drink or even take a bath in that, it makes me reflect, is this truly doing what is best for my neighbors? This problem has been there for quite some time, yet, unfortunately, not much has been done to resolve the secondary issue. What I did do is... I appreciate Mr. Madsik for giving us a brief kind of an understanding of where we are today. I've also worked on it from a different angle. I've been exploring some of the funding options that will allow us to do so, and the USDA has responded in the same day saying they're willing to work with us, as well as the secondary, excuse me, the Emerging Contaminant Program, which has resolved this same type issue in terms of manganese challenges along with the iron, and it could also support the reduction in the uranium and the gross alpha. And so what I would just like to do is just provide this as, you know, my two minutes, because to tell you the truth, I could talk on this for all day. I'm not concerned about my Senate campaign run, as me and Mr. Massigan is the other candidate. I'm more concerned about getting this community effective water. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, members of the board and SuperMagSIG. Thank you for kind of explaining what you were doing the last, I don't know, the last section. My name is Kaylee Tabor. I am here today because the situation in Sherwood Springs has moved far beyond a routine of administration dispute. Residents of the Fresno County Water Works District 40 have documented serious concerns involving contamination, repeated water quality violations, aging infrastructures, questionable sampling practicals, and extremely high water bills. They have also reported serious health problems, including me, that they have feared may be connected to the water exposure. These reports deserve investigation, not dismissal. California law imposes legal duties on a public water system and California government code section 1222 makes a public officer's willful failure to perform a duty imposed by a law misdemeanor. California's public nuisances status also establish consequences when conditions affected an entire community endanger health or safety. I'm not standing here today to declare that the crime has been proven. I am telling you that the continue action in the face of documented warnings creates increasingly serious legal consequences. Flint should be a warning to every public official in this county. Federal courts addressing the Flint water crisis held the plantfuls alleged violations of their constitutional right. To bodily interrogate where officials were accused of participating in the creation of Sorry. Certain officials were denied qualified immunity at the pleading stage. The message is clear, government officials cannot simply assure that the public that everything is fine when evidence may show otherwise. Supervisor Magsig, residents have repeatedly brought these concerns directly to Fresno County. The results are documented, the violations are documented, infrastructure is concerned are documented, everything is documented. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Hi, my name is Jennifer Tabor. I'm here today to address what I believe has become a systematic failure of leadership surrounding Fresno County Water Works District 40 and Shaver Springs. Residents have repeatedly raised documented concerns involving water quality violations, contamination, aging infrastructure, sampling practices, storage tanks, and the condition of this system, yet residents have heard public assurance suggesting that the water was considered safe or acceptable. Those statements matter. When government officials possess information raising serious questions about drinking water safety, they have a responsibility to accurately communicate those risks, not minimize them. The Flint water litigation demonstrates how serious that responsibility became. In Guthrie v. Michigan, a federal appealant court allowed constitutional bodily integrity claims to proceed against certain officials where plaintiffs alleged officials knowingly exposed residents to contaminated water while providing misleading assurance about its safety. I'm not suggesting today that Shaver is Flint. I am saying Fresno County should understand the warning. California also requires public water systems to be operated by appropriately certified personnel in accordance with state drinking water regulations. These are not optional administrative details. They exist to protect public health. And this board governs WWD 40. Supervisor Magsig, the statement made to these residents are on record. The laboratory results are on record. The violations are on record. The state increases. are on record, continuing to collect dramatically increased water rates while unresolved questions remain about contamination, infrastructure, sampling, operations, and system finances exposes Fresno County to increasingly serious legal and financial risk. Do not wait for a courtroom to determine what should have been done here. Breeze the current rate increase. Authorize an independent engineering, operational, and financial investigation. Provide residents with a reliable energy emergency source of safe drinking water.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Board of Supervisors. I'm a resident of Shaver Springs Water District, WWD 40. I'm here to tell you only a few things out of thousands of things I could be flaming you for. But let's start with our pets.

When I was little, around October 2017, I had a dog named Gunner.

He was the best dog ever. He was still a puppy when it happened. Me, my mom, and my sister came home after I got picked up from school. And Gunner was having a seizure in front of me. And I think you could tell how traumatic that could be for a little kid. So we immediately took him to the hospital. They had said, or they thought he had a neurological thing, but they didn't really know why he kept on getting seizures. We ended up needing to put him down, which I was super sad about. Now, let's go back to now. Looking back, we always gave our dogs faucet water. So if you put two and two together, if you're smart enough, You can tell that it was the water doing it because now we have been looking at how the levels have been going up. Our dogs, our cats' hair have been falling off. My cat has warts growing on them after we stopped giving them the water. What? What happened? Oh, they stopped getting it because of the water. It feels so slimy getting into that shower, having it come down on you. I barely even want to take showers because of it. Or when I need to brush my teeth in it, I don't want to brush my teeth in that. And we don't have enough money to be giving our dogs the water. Luckily, someone made a donation, which you didn't want to do for some reason. But that really helped us. So I want you to look at that and actually do something for once. Thanks.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chairman Bredefeld, members of the board. My name is Riley Taufer and I'm president of SEIU Local 521. First of all, I came out in support of our members who wanted to make sure you heard from them directly in regards to the impacts of thoughts about privatizing library. My main thing I wanted to say is the public library is not an ideology. It is not woke. It is not radical. It is just the public library. The public encompasses all of the community. Community that you either agree with or you disagree with. Community members that either agree with things that you say or disagree with the things that you say. It's just the public. And I will just ask that this board remember that, that the public library is for the entire community. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Anyone else? I don't see anyone else. I will close the public portion.

We now move to item number 11, County Council reports from previous closed sessions.

There are no reports from previous closed sessions, and I would not expect any report out today, so you may vote to adjourn following closed sessions.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

Second.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. The board is, the meeting is now adjourned.