The Oct. 7 Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting centered on ruminations about roosters and ended with another Garry Bredefeld (District 2) crowing and squawking tirade—this time over Covid vaccines and surgical masks. And, though not raised at this meeting, a revealing update demonstrates the length already reached by the Board’s new speech restrictions imposed on County staff.
Roosters Revisited
The supervisors voted unanimously to delay a new ordinance limiting the number of roosters on a single property. At the ordinance’s Sept. 23 first hearing, the Board voted to restrict the number of roosters that residents can keep to five per property, with a permit required for up to 24 birds.
In some instances, as many as 500 roosters are now kept on a single property, causing noise and animal cruelty complaints. Many roosters, kept for illegal fighting, are tethered or chained and have their wattles cut off.
At the second hearing on Oct. 7, the item appeared on the consent agenda, scheduled for final approval, all with a single vote, along with 49 other routine matters. However, it was pulled for discussion and, based on the extensive ensuing public comment, is now delayed.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig (District 5) noted that the County has received complaints consistently for years about rooster noise, men engaged in forcing roosters to fight each other and other types of animal cruelty. In the weeks leading up to the hearing, calls and e-mails were received for and against the proposed new ordinance, Magsig said, noting that, as there were many members of the public present to speak, their concerns would be heard in the interest of “making the ordinance better.”
There were just two people who spoke in favor, including a woman whose elderly parents live in Yokuts Valley (she, Magsig, and others repeatedly referred to it as “Squaw” Valley, the recent name change having been opposed by Magsig), and she was adamant about the noise made by what she said was 400 roosters neighboring her parents’ property.
Another person spoke about the “corruption, cruelty and violence” of a rooster farm he had experienced in Haiti.
Eleven people spoke against the ordinance. Several were leaders of specialty-poultry breeding societies and serious hobbyists who competitively exhibit their birds; they complained that the proposed rules would “harm legitimate breeders.”
Supervisor Brian Pacheco (District 1), noting that the ordinance allowed for exemptions for 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America) members, asked one of the hobbyists how many roosters were needed for breeding; the reply was between five and 50—at least five roosters were needed per specific breed.
Another commenter brought a recording of his 200 roosters as evidence that they were quiet. His voice was heard shouting, “Make some noise, boys!” over a few half-hearted cock-a-doodle-doos.
Members of the Hmong community then spoke. They said that the rooster was traditionally a “spiritual” animal within the Hmong religious and social culture.
Roosters are “sacred” and feature in cultural and family celebrations and events. The ordinance would “criminalize” cultural practices, one of them noted.
While the traditions described were compelling, exactly how they use roosters was not clarified, and why, for these purposes, a family would need more than five roosters, if not a permit for up to 24 of them, was not addressed.
Others said that feedstores would go out of business, and some said that there were already laws which address rooster fighting and noise.
Back to the Board: Supervisor Luis Chavez (District 3) remarked that he had not known he’d learn so much about chickens today. He emphasized that it was not the intent of the ordinance to impinge on religious rights or deprive anyone of their livelihood.
Pacheco noted that he also learned a lot and reiterated that the intent was not to harm anyone; people want noise and cockfighting addressed, and today’s testimony meant reconfigured solutions were needed.
Bredefeld chimed in: “This city boy learned a lot,” he remarked, agreeing with everyone else.
Chair Buddy Mendes (District 4) said that he “loved the comments” and noted that it was “too bad we didn’t hear from everyone earlier.” He seemed to understand “the chicken deal” regarding breeding needs because it was “the same as cattle.” But noise was a problem, he said.
Magsig suggested delaying the matter as written and forming a committee to address changes, to include representatives from the Hmong community as well as feedstore operators and hobbyist breeders. Magsig would engage the CAO’s office to help refine the ordinance, he said.
Mendes asked Chavez to participate. When Chavez quipped, “I’ll never look at KFC the same,” Mendes, owner of a commercial dairy farm, took the opportunity to school Chavez that poultry production was no joking matter.
Who Was That Masked Man?
During the “supervisor reports and comments” portion of the meeting, Bredefeld said that he’d had a Zoom meeting with the CEO of Community Hospital, at the hospital’s request, to “share what they do with Covid vaccines.”
The hospital, per Bredefeld, said it was responding to the public health department’s “mandating” the Covid vaccine. But Bredefeld told them that “Fresno County is not mandating anything.”
Community Hospital staff “seemed surprised,” said Bredefeld, feigning equanimity for a moment, then launching into a tirade he’d been plotzing about. “The County of Fresno is not mandating any Covid vaccine, nor should we,” adding that “these vaccines” were not effective.
Now firmly on his soapbox, MAGA Republican Bredefeld, long hostile to vaccines and masks and still bitter about “2020” and state vaccine policy, complained that Community Hospital will “force” its staff to be vaccinated, and if they refuse, will “force” them to wear surgical masks temporarily.
Masks, bellowed Bredefeld, were “unhealthy,” asking people to wear them was “punitive,” and “per lots of literature,” vaccines were “harmful.”
Why were these matters seemingly left to Bredefeld, who has no medical expertise and no business interfering with the policies of a private hospital? Why does the CEO of a private hospital with questions about the County’s vaccine policy call Bredefeld and not Interim Director of Public Health Joe Prado?
No one made any objection or questioned Bredefeld. Calls to Bredefeld’s office, the Department of Public Health, Community Hospital and the CAO’s office were not returned at the time of submission of this article.
However, a staff person at the Fresno County Immunization Program said that the County follows state guidelines, which do require a course of vaccinations, excluding Covid (“recommended” but not “required,” as is the flu vaccine), at various life stages, beginning at kindergarten, and that private hospitals, such as Community, set their own policies.
Vaccine guidelines at the federal level—from the Trump Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for example, which is now led by a former heroin addict and conspiracy-theory-wielding anti-vaccine extremist—differ from the state’s.
CAO Paul Nerland, appearing to enthusiastically acquiesce to Bredefeld’s demands, agreed that he would make matters “crystal clear” with the hospital, indicating that his office would reiterate the County’s guidelines to hospital staff, who could then “make their own decisions” based on that information.
Why Community Hospital met with Bredefeld rather than the County’s health department remained a mystery, as did why the CAO and not the health department was tasked with sharing vaccine guidelines.
Library Update: Policy 81
Though not on the day’s agenda or otherwise raised at this meeting, County residents noticed that as of mid-September, all branches of the Fresno County Public Library suspended their social media accounts, following implementation of the Bredefeld brainchild, Policy 81, which effectively imposes speech restrictions on library staff.
The policy bans all County departments from publicly mentioning, recognizing or celebrating any holiday, theme or event unless it has been preapproved by a Board majority. The measure, approved by a 3-2 vote, followed Bredefeld’s homophobic attacks on Pride Month book displays in libraries and County participation in the Pride Parade.
In mid-September, identical posts appeared on every library branch Facebook account, announcing—without explanation—a “pause” in social media activity. County Communications Director Sonja Dosti later made an obfuscating claim that the move was merely an effort to “consolidate” accounts, but the timing—and silence about Policy 81—clearly suggest otherwise.
