I recently listened to a Fresno City Council meeting concerning the proposed budget.
It appears [Fresno Mayor] Jerry Dyer (and others presenting his proposals) is in total charge of what he wants (i.e., Beautify Fresno, Operation Off-Ramp). Miguel Arias and Esmeralda Soria were two Council members who questioned money being spent/proposals.
There was little time for public comment, and Brandi Nuse-Villegas brought up many things she had in the past, in her quick two minutes (all with technical difficulties), and the woman after her had a great comment about Dyer realizing his fiefdom!
Dyer is living his dream of totally running Fresno, with his developer backers (via Patterson/Autry). He started with the Fresno Police Department back in 1979 and now he is trying to run the entire show!
You have had many informative pieces in the Community Alliance the last few months (and over the years) concerning all of this.
When does Dyer have to answer any of the many questions people have concerning his takeover?
One crucial question is why won’t he, and ultimately the City Council, even try a secure safe camp?
Fresno has one of the biggest homeless crises per capita of most cities in the entire country. How can we possibly think this can only be fixed by scraping (literally) houseless people off the freeways and paying construction companies to renovate hotel rooms for $70,000 each?
Homeless people need basic sanitation and secure places to stay now, as the summer heat hits us!
I live in Sanger, but I taught for 40 years in Fresno’s SE/SW schools. I had students/families living in cars 30 years ago, and I know the conditions poverty creates. Homelessness is just a problem we have ignored, or tried to make go away on its own, with ridiculous rules like No Camping!
This budget vote is crucial for Fresno, as it is setting a precedent as to Dyer running the show, or having to work with the Council and the community in the future. The Covid pandemic has made this crisis even worse. What can our segregated communities do about all of this?
Susan Schmale
Sanger
