Tenant Relocation Benefits

Ensuring our residents have safe and healthy living conditions continues to be a top priority for me. California law requires landlords to provide relocation assistance for folks living in housing conditions deemed unsafe and unhealthy by our City. In July, I set aside $50,000 to provide relocation benefits to help keep displaced families housed while City mandated repairs are made. The best way to combat homelessness is to make sure our Fresno families never end up on the streets in the first place.

1,000 Tree, Every Year, Guaranteed Initiative

As a champion for increased green spaces, and in a continued effort to beautify our city, I found it imperative to introduce a policy that would create more vibrant neighborhoods and business corridors, clean our air, cool down Fresno, and restore pride back to our community. In April 2022, I passed the 1,000 Tree, Every Year, Guaranteed Initiative. This policy was approved unanimously by my council colleagues and called for Fresno to plant 1,000 new trees every year in high-need neighborhoods, as well as proactively replace dead or decaying trees. We also shortened the city’s tree maintenance cycle from 20 years to 10 years, created an incentive program to provide up to a $200 rebate per Fresno address for voluntary tree plantings, and dedicated $50,000 annually to city youth jobs to advance these efforts.

Zero Fare Clean Air Act

In July 2022, I passed a resolution to approve a program proving zero fare busing for seniors, Medicare card holders, and persons with disability placards. This program was launched thanks to a $500,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente. In July I secured funding to continue this program through the summer of 2024.

In November 2022, I had the honor of announcing the implementation of Zero Fare bus rides for our Fresno State, Fresno City College, and Clovis Community College students, faculty, and staff. Our local college students shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to afford reliable transportation to school or an internship.

I am proud to provide this resource for our local students. The program aims to encourage more residents to use public transit instead of driving which helps to decrease traffic, reduce congestion and harmful emissions.

Lawn-to-Garden Rebate Program

Interested in saving big money on your monthly City of Fresno water bill? We have just the program for you. A $1.00 per square foot rebate is available for the removal of existing lawns when replaced with water-efficient landscapes up to $1,500. Micro drip irrigation rebates are also available for up to $500. My staff is here to walk you through the entire process, beginning to end. Interested in learning more? Visit the link below or call our office using the number provided.

Call (559) 621-7846 for additional information or apply online

100 Days, 100 Trees Initiative

(Thursday, April 22nd, 2021) The 100 Days, 100 Trees initiative included planting 100 trees in District 4 throughout Councilmember Maxwell’s first 100 days in office. The 100th tree was planted on Earth Day at Robinson Park in District 4

Eviction Protection Program

Under Fresno’s eviction protection program, residents who are facing an unlawful eviction may be eligible to receive a City-sponsored attorney or legal services to assist them in the judicial process at no cost to them. This program was designed to help safeguard Fresno’s most vulnerable tenants from potentially unlawful evictions as we anticipate a wave of evictions across the nation.

My belief is that the best way to combat homelessness is to ensure folks never end up on the streets in the first place.

Parking Enforcement at
El Dorado Park

In June, I was proud to remove the parking restrictions put in place prior to my time in office, along with all related parking fines from the El Dorado Park neighborhood. It was time to correct the burden placed on the many families of El Dorado park while continuing to maintain the cleanliness and integrity of the neighborhood.

Exclusive Negotiation
Agreements (or ENA’s)

In May, I successfully created legislation that ended the city’s old practice of cutting deals with big developers that granted them exclusive property rights, also known as Exclusive Negotiation Agreements (or ENAs). ENAs were agreements that gave certain private developers an exclusive ability to negotiate for the purchase of city-owned property for development purposes. In the past, ENAs caused significant development delays and raised eyebrows about “sweetheart deals” with favorite developers. The removal of ENAs will ensure that the sale of city-owned properties goes through a fair and competitive process, as well as add accountability to ensure development projects are completed in a timely manner.

City Council Public Accessibility Act

In September, I was proud to unanimously pass the City Council Public Accessibility Act making the Fresno City Council the largest elected body in the state to commit to a permanent virtual participation option. The Public Accessibility Act will ensure that all future City Council meetings will have an in-person, internet, and call-in option allowing people across Fresno to have the right to participate in government, despite their primary language or ability to be physically at City Hall. The ‘Council Public Accessibility Act’ will ensure that more Fresnans than ever before are able to shape the future of our City.

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Policy

In October, I led a smoke-free multi-unit housing ordinance across the City of Fresno. This ordinance will take into effect January 1st of 2022 and will prioritize the health and well-being of our children and most vulnerable families by preventing smoking or vaping in apartment buildings and most condominiums with shared walls and ventilation systems. Too many children in our community are developing respiratory issues for reasons outside of their control. I am proud to have championed that common-sense policy that places our children’s and families’ health first.

Catalytic Converter Ordinance

As your council member, I am proud to have passed an ordinance that protects our residents from the rising problem of catalytic converter thefts. The victims of these thefts often face costly repairs, inconvenience, and insecurity.

The ordinance makes it illegal for anyone other than a licensed core recycler to possess a detached catalytic converter without valid proof of ownership. This proof can include a bill of sale, documentation from an auto-body shop, or verifiable electronic communication from the previous owner. Anyone who violates this ordinance can face a fine of up to $1,000, jail time of up to 12 months, or both. The ordinance also allows the city to revoke the permit of any core recycler who is found to be in violation of any applicable law.

This ordinance will help protect our residents from the costly and inconvenient consequences of catalytic converter thefts, as well as deter criminals from engaging in this activity. By requiring proof of ownership, we can help law enforcement identify and prosecute thieves, and prevent them from profiting from their crimes.

District 1 and District 4 Façade Improvement Grant

This grant provides small businesses with financial resources to improve the storefront of any business. Interested business owners with one single storefront were able to apply for a maximum grant of $40,000 and business owners with multiple storefronts were eligible for up to $75,000. Councilmember Tyler Maxwell who collaborated with the City of Fresno to secure funding for the Facade Improvement Grant, thinks this grant will go a long way in helping small businesses in his district