Fresno Mayor Lee Brand today announced that Emergency Order 2020-13 directing all individuals living in the City of Fresno to shelter at their place of residence, except to provide or receive essential services or engage in essential activities, has been modified extensively to create a process to allow businesses that are currently closed to re-open in a safe and responsible manner.  The new emergency order, 2020-16 extends the modified shelter-in-place order through midnight Sunday, May 31, 2020.  The new emergency order, 2020-16, was signed by City Manager Wilma Quan this morning and becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

In addition to the extension, Emergency Order 2020-16 requires residents to wear protective facial coverings when entering businesses and public places, and directs the closing of all City parks, including Woodward and Roeding Regional Parks, for the weekends of May 9-10 and May 23-25, 2020.  It also adds a third category of “Authorized Businesses” in addition to “Essential Businesses” and “Non-Essential Businesses.”   

Authorized Businesses are defined as those businesses and activities which are not considered essential but which are still important to the economic and social well-being of the community.  The first phases of the re-opening of Authorized Businesses will be those considered to be low and lower risk businesses with future phases focused on re-opening higher risk businesses.  Each particular phase of re-opening will be evaluated after two weeks of operation to measure the impacts on public health indicators and phases may be rolled back if public health indicators show worsening impacts on the community.

“I’m taking a strategic approach that protects the health and safety of our community while at the same time recognizes the overwhelming need to restart our economy by gradually allowing low and lower-risk businesses to re-open following public health guidelines,” said Mayor Brand.  “I appreciate the sacrifices that our residents and business owners have made during these challenging and uncertain times, and while we are still navigating uncharted waters, it’s time to lay out a sensible new course that starts the long process of rebuilding our economy and restoring our normal routines.”

The original emergency order was set to expire on March 31, 2020 and was previously extended to expire on April 12, 2020 and then again on May 6, 2020. Emergency Order 2020-16 is attached and can be found on the City’s COVID-19 page at www.fresno.gov/coronavirus/.

For the latest information on all City-issued emergency orders and other coronavirus-related decisions, call 3-1-1 or visit the City of Fresno website at www.fresno.gov.

We encourage you to visit www.cdc.gov to learn more about COVID-19 nationally, https://covid19.ca.gov/ for information on coronavirus in California and to follow the Fresno County Department of Public Health website for regular updates.

Emergency Order 2020-16 Shelter in Place Modified and Extended with Modified Appendix A

Trillium Flow Technologies, a global designer, manufacturer and aftermarket services provider of engineered valves and pumps used in energy and broader industrial applications, has announced the merger of their facility in Salt Lake City, Utah to Fresno.  The company currently employs 137 people in the City of Fresno and this merger is expected to generate over 50 additional jobs in the next five years.

“I am thrilled that Trillium has decided to merge its operations and bring these new jobs to Fresno, especially now during this time of great need for sustainable employment in our city,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.   “We look forward to a continued strong relationship with this valued company as they grow their operations and bring more jobs to our community.”

City of Fresno Economic Development Director Lupe Perez noted, “Along with our community partners, Fresno Economic Development Corporation and Fresno Workforce Development Board, the City of Fresno has been working closely with Trillium on this merger for quite some time now.  We look forward to continuing this successful partnership as Trillium moves forward with this endeavor.”

“Having considered a wide range of options, Trillium Flow Technologies is excited to announce that we are making Fresno, CA the headquarters, and center of excellence, of our North American Pump business. We already have excellent capabilities in Fresno. With this decision, we plan to make a significant investment that will further expand our technical capabilities and allow us to move additional product lines into our already extensive manufacturing complex in Fresno. We believe that we have the workforce and community support to allow us to grow our business in the immediate future and for years to come. Our partnership with the City of Fresno, the Fresno Economic Development Corporation, and the Fresno Workforce Development Board has made this decision feasible,” indicated Max Ulloa, General Manager US Pumps.

Headquartered in Texas and Scotland with over 20 locations across the globe, Trillium manufactures a variety of pumps, valves and actuators serving customers in the power, oil, gas, water, wastewater and general industry sectors.  Its Fresno plant is located at 2494 S Railroad Ave. and manufactures vertical turbine pumps for the water and wastewater, oil and gas, mining, energy and industrial markets, internationally.

Mayor Lee Brand today provided a report on hisFresno Recovery Committee (FRC), which held its first meeting yesterday afternoon and included future plans for the advisory group.

Two additional members were added to the FRC prior to yesterday’s initial meeting.  Dr. John Moua, Board-Certified in Pediatric Pulmonology and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) was added.  Also, added were Dr. Ardavan Kheradpir, DMD, MD and Dr. Shannon Barnhart, DDS of the Fresno Madera Medical Society.

The Director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH), Dave Pomaville, gave the committee a detailed report on the spread of COVID-19 in Fresno County and the FCDPH’s on-going efforts to increase testing and build its contact tracing capabilities, as well as its understanding of how Fresno County and the region can meet the Governor’s six criteria for increasing modifications to state and local shelter-in-place restrictions. 

The FRC also asked Mayor Brand to create subcommittees to investigate particular areas of concern and provide detailed input for the whole committee to evaluate.  The Mayor and his team are developing the subcommittees and will be communicating with the FRC as a whole later today with their recommendations and to plan future meetings.

In addition to reviewing the Governor’s re-opening criteria, the Fresno Recovery Committee also discussed what the City and County can do to expedite attainment of those goals and looked at several specific industry areas where restrictions could be loosened.

“I greatly appreciate the input of everyone at yesterday’s meeting.  It was a very productive and very encouraging.  We have our work cut out for us, but I am confident that the recommendations and advice of this committee will help us make better policy going forward,” said Mayor Lee Brand.  “Our goal is the well-being of everyone in the City and County of Fresno.  We believe that we will develop reasonable measures and protocols that will not only get people back to work, but will also protect the health and safety of employees and their customers.”

The Mayor will be issuing further updates and briefings as the Fresno Recovery Committee continues to meet and make progress.

Mayor Lee Brand today announced that pet grooming can be allowed as an essential business under the State of California’s Shelter in Place Order. This decision was made after discussion with the Mayor’s Fresno Recovery Committee yesterday.

The City reviewed Governor Newsom’s emergency order and after determining that it does not state a prohibition against it, acknowledged that pet grooming is a form of animal care and will inform pet groomers in Fresno that they have the ability to operate as an essential business, effective immediately.

“I’ve been considering this decision and it’s time to start the gradual process of economic recovery,” said Mayor Brand.  “I’m thankful for the exceptional advice provided by the committee and input from the public during this challenging time.  This announcement will be joined by others in the future, as we move forward in a deliberate and reasonable way to return to normal routines without jeopardizing the health of our residents.”

As part of  the announcement, the City of Fresno reminds pet groomers that all current health protocols, including employees wearing personal protective equipment and using existing social distancing and disinfecting protocols, are to be followed by any establishment choosing to reopen at this time.

The City’s shelter-in-place order remains in place until further notice.

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand, in collaboration with Council President Miguel Arias and Councilmembers Luis Chavez and Michael Karbassi, today announced the formation of the Mayor’s Fresno Recovery Committee (FRC), an advisory panel to discuss best practices to kick-start Fresno’s economy and get the people of Fresno back to work within the parameters of community health and safety in conformance with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s six critical indicators.

The FRC plan will involve three phases: Phase One will look at the State’s criteria to allow the phased re-opening of non-essential businesses and discuss relaxing local restrictions; Phase Two will review available local, state and federal resources to assist Fresno businesses in recovery from the impacts of closures and advocate for additional assistance for businesses and job training; and Phase Three will create plans to bring new business to Fresno to expand our recovery and provide additional good-paying jobs for our community.

“We need to start planning now so our residents and businesses can be fully prepared for the gradual process of economic recovery and a return to normal routine,” said Mayor Brand. “I am engaging community leaders from every facet of our economy to provide essential input so we can be ready to move forward in a deliberate and reasonable way without jeopardizing the health of our residents.”    

The Mayor’s Fresno Recovery Committee will meet using Zoom technology to follow social distancing protocols.  The advisory committee includes:

Lee Brand                   Mayor of Fresno (FRC Chair)

Jerry Dyer                   Mayor-elect of Fresno (FRC Vice-Chair)

Miguel Arias                Fresno City Council President – District 3

Mike Karbassi             Fresno City Councilmember – District 2

Luis Chavez                Fresno City Councilmember – District 5

Buddy Mendes            Chairman, Fresno County Board of Supervisors

Nathan Magsig            Fresno County Supervisor – District 5

Dave Pomaville           Director, Fresno County Dept. of Public Health

Michelle Von Tersh     Senior Vice-President, Community Medical Centers

Carole Goldsmith        President, Fresno City College

Nathan Ahle                President/CEO, Greater Fresno Chamber of Commerce

Lee Ann Eager            President/CEO, Fresno Economic Development Corp.

Henry Perea                CHRSA Board Member

Tony Canales              Vice-President, Central Labor Council

Mike Shirinian             State Board Member, California Restaurant Association

Sal Gonzales               Co-President/COO, Lance-Kashian & Company

Emilia Reyes               CEO, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission

Tim Rios                      Senior VP, Community Relations Sr. Manager, Wells Fargo
Cary Catalano             Commissioner, Fresno Housing Authority

TJ Miller                      City of Fresno PARCs Director, Emergency Operations Coordinator

Lupe Perez                  Economic Development Director, City of Fresno

Tim Orman                  Chief of Staff, City of Fresno

The Mayor added, “I have assembled a very bright group of people with proven track records as problem solvers to help shape our efforts going forward. This is a marathon, so we need to think long-term and create a dynamic plan for recovery for the next 12 months and beyond. I would like to also stress that ‘when’ we can start getting people back to work will depend on meeting specific health criteria that we will monitor and communicate to give businesses plenty of time to prepare.”

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand today announced that Emergency Orders 2020-02 and 2020-08 calling for all individuals living in the City of Fresno to shelter at their place of residence, except to provide or receive essential services or engage in essential activities, has been extended through midnight Wednesday, May 6, 2020.  The new emergency order, 2020-13, was signed by City Manager Wilma Quan this morning and becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2020.

In addition to the extension, Emergency Order 2020-13 changes the shelter in place order to a directive, and it prohibits all gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit, directs all essential businesses to use specific social distancing protocols and require employees to wear protective facial coverings, allows the City Manager to close any park that cannot operate within safe social distancing practices, and provides for the potential for penalties for egregious or persistent violations.

“By all indications, the people of Fresno are doing an excellent job of sheltering in place and social distancing, but we must continue these practices if we are to protect every man, woman and child in our city,” said Mayor Brand. “The next two weeks are critical to slowing and eventually stopping the spread of COVID-19. I know we asking our residents and businesses to make tremendous sacrifices, but I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t willing to make the same sacrifices and if I didn’t think it was the best way to protect everyone in our community.”

The original emergency order was set to expire on March 31, 2020 and was previously extended to expire on April 12, 2020. Emergency Order 2020-13 is attached and can be found on the City’s COVID-19 page at www.fresno.gov/coronavirus/.

For the latest information on all City-issued emergency orders and other coronavirus-related decisions, call 3-1-1 or visit the City of Fresno website at www.fresno.gov.

We encourage you to visit www.cdc.gov to learn more about COVID-19 and follow the Fresno County Department of Public Health website for regular updates.

Emergency Order 2020-13 Shelter in Place- Extended and Expanded with Appendix A

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand joined Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Esmeralda Soria, and Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) CEO Emilia Reyes to announce joint economic relief action to help small businesses in Fresno affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The partnership between the City of Fresno, Fresno EOC and Access Plus Capital, a local small business loan fund, aims to help local economic recovery with funding for those small business owners who need it most.

On March 25, 2020, Fresno City Council passed the “Save Our Small Businesses Act” that established a $750,000 small business relief loan-to-grant program, which will be administered by Access Plus Capital.  Businesses impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can apply for a zero-interest loan with no application, packaging, origination or service fees. The loans will be forgiven after one year if the business is still operating.

“Small businesses are the heart of our economy, and they’re experiencing unprecedented disruption due to COVID-19,” said Mayor Brand.  “I am proud of how our residents and businesses are looking out for each other during these challenging times and the willingness of our private partners to join the City in our effort to bring immediate relief to business owners who are struggling during this pandemic is not only encouraging, it’s inspiring.”

Under the terms of the ordinance, businesses impacted by COVID-19 with 1 to 5 employees can apply for a $5,000 loan-to-grant, while businesses impacted by COVID-19 with 6 to 25 employees are eligible for a $10,000 loan-to-grant.   The business must have a valid City of Fresno Business License Tax Certificate, have been in business no later than February 15, 2020, and not have any outstanding tax liens, judgments or conditional use permit (CUP) violations. 

The application portal for the Save Our Small Business Program will be available on Access Plus Capital’s website at www.accesspluscapital.com and will be open until 11:59 p.m., Sunday, April 12, 2020.  If there are more applications than available funding, there will be a random drawing to determine which businesses get the loan-to-grants.  Potential applicants can call (559) 263-1360 or email [email protected] for more information.

The City of Fresno today announced additional measures to protect the health of the community by reducing opportunities for close contact between people at City of Fresno parks.

The City of Fresno Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services (PARCS) Department staff will lock basketball and tennis courts where possible in an effort to discourage park-goers who are not following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing.  PARCS staff will remove basketball rims and/or backboards as well as tennis nets at City-owned parks, effective immediately.  PARCS will also close dog parks until further notice.

City parks remain open and residents can still visit parks for physical activity such as walking, jogging, and cycling as long as they practice social distancing; however, the City is taking these steps to prevent the possible spread of this virus in the community.

[REMINDER: All City-owned parks will be closed on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, 2020.  The closure includes the City’s two regional parks, Roeding and Woodward.  Parks will reopen on Monday, April 13, 2020.]

City Manager Wilma Quan announced today that, effective immediately, the City of Fresno will be providing protective face masks to as many police officers and firefighters as possible and requiring them to wear them while they are at work.  These will primarily be surgical and cloth masks. 

“Our community needs every police officer and firefighter healthy and ready to work,” City Manager Quan said.  “The nature of their jobs limits their ability to practice social distancing and protect themselves properly, so requiring that they wear masks is a necessary measure to keep them healthy.  All of these positions require very specialized training and it would take 3 to 12 months to find replacements for these brave men and women.  We need to keep our first responders safe and healthy so they can continue to protect and serve our community.”

The City has a limited supply of various kinds of protectives masks and has many more on order.  As the City receives additional masks, more employees will be required to wear masks while working.  The decisions as to which employees will be required to wear masks will be based on the how their job duties limit their ability to practice social distancing.  If enough masks become available, all City employees may be required to wear masks while at work.  Employees who have their own masks are encouraged to wear them to work.

Due to the nationwide shortage of protective masks, if any resident with access to sewing equipment is interested in making and donating cloth masks to help keep our City employees healthy, please deliver them to the security staff at the front door of Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, during normal business hours, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

For questions or more information on mask donations, please email [email protected] or call the City’s non-emergency hot line at 3-1-1.

Residents are encouraged to visit our City’s website at www.fresno.gov/coronavirus/ for all COVID-19-related updates and information or call 3-1-1. Visit www.cdc.gov to learn more about COVID-19 and follow the Fresno County Department of Public Health for regular updates.

Effective immediately, all City public meetings, including but not limited to Planning Commission and Council meetings, shall be conducted electronically through web services and telephone.

“In an effort to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and flatten the curve, City Council meetings will be held electronically while providing the public several options to participate,” said Fresno Council President Miguel Arias.  “This action allows us to ensure the health and safety of our essential employees and the public.”

As stated in an emergency order from the City Manager, council chambers are to be closed to the public until further notice.

Beginning April 9th, Councilmembers and the public will join council meetings via Zoom, a web conference tool. The public will be able to provide comments during the council meeting via Zoom’s web platform or phone number.  A designated phone line will offer Spanish and Hmong translation for a specific item on Thursday’s agenda.

Written comments will also be accepted and entered into the record throughout the meeting via the City Clerk’s existing E-Comments software and email.

Meetings will continue to be streamed on CMAC.tv via Channel 96 (Comcast) or 99 (AT&T) and from the City’s website at https://fresno.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

For additional information, please contact Council President Miguel Arias at 559-906-1443