FRESNO, CA – Mayor Ashley Swearengin today announced the selection of the next 10 Fresno neighborhoods of focus for Neighborhood Revitalization Teams as part of the City’s Restore Fresno initiative at a press conference held at Jane Addams Elementary School. Mayor Swearengin was joined by Fresno City Councilmembers Oliver Baines, Clint Olivier, and Esmeralda Soria, as well as Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Michael Hanson, representatives from the Fresno Housing Authority, and residents from El Dorado and Kirk neighborhoods.

In recent months the Mayor convened Fresno Unified School District’s Superintendent, Fresno Housing Authority’s CEO, the Police Chief, City Manager, and City staff for a collaborative discussion on Restore Fresno, and an effort to select the Neighborhood Revitalization Team’s next 10 neighborhoods of focus.  After garnering input from each participant’s unique perspective, and determining that each neighborhood meets low-moderate income metrics, the following 10 school neighborhoods have been identified to begin the revitalization process: Hidalgo/Leavenworth, Webster, Slater, Columbia, King, Winchell, Van Pao, Addams, Williams, and Fort Miller.

“Our Neighborhood Revitalization Teams are the lifeblood for our renewal efforts because they work daily in the neighborhood with the people of the neighborhood to restore the neighborhood,” said Mayor Swearengin. “These next ten neighborhoods of focus will get the same attention and see the same successful results as we continue working with residents to build capacity in these impacted areas.”

The neighborhoods were selected with input from various partners utilizing criteria such as student achievement, police issues/resources, blight, low-moderate income, various community health indicators, proximity to existing revitalization efforts, and neighborhood assets. The Neighborhood Revitalization Teams plan to begin engaging the first neighborhood, Hidalgo/Leavenworth, in November 2016, with revitalization efforts fully under way by January, 2017.

It is anticipated that the City will fill six positions by December 2016, which will equip Community Revitalization with four Inspector Teams to accomplish the planned work in these next 10 neighborhoods, while continuing to sustain the progress made in the original five.

Restore Fresno is a compilation of initiatives to improve property values, living conditions, public safety and the overall quality of life in our older neighborhoods. The five current neighborhoods of focus have focused on engaging residents and building capacity in El Dorado, Jefferson, Kirk, Lowell, and Yokomi neighborhoods. In each of these neighborhoods, resident leadership has been cultivated, blight has been dramatically reduced, housing issues have been improved, and neighborhood leaders are working together with City staff to resolve intractable problems.  Each neighborhood continues to receive the support of the Neighborhood Revitalization Teams, through regular code sweeps, and consistent resident contact each month.

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Council Approves Heavy Maintenance Facility Land Acquisition, Infrastructure Funding, Development Agreement with Betts

FRESNO, CA – The City of Fresno is celebrating the approval of three items during yesterday’s City Council meeting involving major economic development projects that will provide incentives and actions that may likely have a dramatic impact on Fresno’s economy.

The items include: accepting an Economic Development Facilities Grant award that will be used to fund infrastructure improvements in the South Van Ness Industrial Area; authorizing the City Manager to acquire properties for the proposed Fresno High Speed Rail Heavy Maintenance Facility; and extending the development agreement between the City of Fresno and Betts Spring to incentivize relocate their headquarters from the Bay Area to Fresno.

“Our Council not only recognized the incredible opportunities these projects will bring to Fresno, they showed the leadership necessary to make those opportunities happen,” said Mayor Swearengin. “Any time we can move the needle to increase job opportunities and improve the quality of life in our city, it’s a reason to celebrate.”

The Economic Development Facilities Grant award of $3,044,202 is a 70/30 split with $1,454,600 included in the City’s approved FY18 budget for a total of $4,498,800 to be used to fund infrastructure improvements in the South Van Ness Industrial Area. The deteriorating conditions in the area create major obstacles to existing businesses, as well as a hindrance in the attraction of new businesses.  Improvements will include curb and gutter replacement, street widening and or pavement as needed, pavement resurfacing (grind and overlay), storm drain infrastructure, traffic access and circulation and safety enhancements.

The vote on the land acquisition for a potential High Speed Rail Heavy Maintenance Facility authorized the City Manager to enter into conditional purchase and sales agreements to acquire properties bounded by American Avenue, Clayton Avenue and Cedar Avenue and the Burlington North Santa Fe mainline tracks. The agreements will allow the City to control the property for 12 months through nonrefundable deposits in a total amount not to exceed $250,000, thereby improving Fresno’s competitive advantage for the rail facility.

The development agreement between the City and Betts Springs, a custom spring manufacturer, included sharing property tax growth, sales tax growth, business tax abeyance, payment for related off-site improvements and plan-check rebates. However, the Great Recession affected Betts’ property tax and sales tax values and as a result, Betts asked the City to consider extending the agreement through December 31, 2026 in exchange for maintaining its headquarters in Fresno and retaining its work force for the next ten years.

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FRESNO, CA – Fresno City Manager Bruce Rudd, Councilmember Steve Brandau, and Police Captain Andrew Hall today updated the results of the Fresno Police Department’s freeway litter enforcement program in front of City Hall.

Over the past two weeks, the enforcement program sent six motorcycle officers out to patrol highways 41, 168, and 180 daily between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to enforce littering ordinances including throwing lighted substances and uncovered refuse vehicles. The program will continue until the start of the Big Fresno Fair on October 5th.

“This is a short-term solution to what is a fundamental flaw in the way that we fund and maintain our local freeways. Compounding the problem is that money from the State has not increased as additional miles of freeways around Fresno have been constructed,” said City Manager Bruce Rudd. “It’s imperative that our local and state agencies begin working immediately on developing a sustainable solution to our litter problem.”

Here are the litter enforcement statistics as of 9/19/16:

CVC 23111 – Throw litter substance from a vehicle – 11
CVC 23112 – Deposit refuse, garbage, rock or dirt on roadway – 25
CVC 23114 – Load must be covered to prevent spillage on roadway – 13
CVC23115a – Rubbish vehicle must have load covered to prevent spillage – 26
PC 374.4 – Littering – 14

89 total citations have been issued by Fresno Police since the start of the operation.

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Fresno – City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 5, 2016. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, September 6.

Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports: Administrative offices closed. Terminal, concessions and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Business License: Business Tax office closed. TOT (only) Web renewals and new Business Tax online application submittals may be made throughout the Labor Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office: Closed.

City Hall Offices: Closed.

Development and Resource Management: Closed.

Dog License Division: Closed.

Finance Offices: Offices closed. Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals may be made throughout the Labor Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments: Offices and public counters will be closed. Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express: Administrative offices closed; Weekend bus routes/schedules in effect. Call 621-7433 for details. FAX route maps and schedules.

Parking Division: No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Monday, September 5. Office closed for citation payments on Monday, September 5.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS): Offices closed. No senior hot meals. Regional and neighborhood parks open. Neighborhood and community centers will be open.

Personnel: Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities: Offices closed.

Public Works: Offices closed.

Purchasing: Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Residential Solid Waste: Business offices closed. No Operation Clean Up on Monday, September 5. Regular residential waste collection service resumes on Tuesday, September 6. For questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452 or visit the Division’s holiday web page on the City’s website.

Utility Payments Offices: Payment counters closed. Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Labor Day holiday, please call 621-CITY (2489).

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Bond Ratings for Lease Revenue, Convention Center, Pension Obligations Upgraded, Positive Outlooks Reaffirmed

FRESNO, CA – Mayor Ashley Swearengin today announced that for the second time in less than a year, Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded several bond ratings for the City of Fresno. The bond rating firm has upgraded the City’s Lease Revenue bond rating from Ba1 to Baa2, a two notch increase, the Convention Center bond rating from Ba2 to Baa3, also a two notch increase, and the City’s 2002 Pension Obligation Bonds and Judgment Obligation Bonds (POB/JOB) from Ba2 to Ba1.

The Lease Revenue and Convention Center bonds now have an “investment grade” rating from Moody’s, while the POB/JOB bonds are one notch below investment grade. They have also reaffirmed the City’s overall bond rating at A3 with a Stable outlook.

According to Moody’s, one of the world’s most widely respected bond rating firms, the upgrades reflect meaningful improvement in the city’s fundamental economic profile, with continued growth in taxable property values, sales tax collections and employment. The outlook on the other bond issues whose ratings were upgraded with this action remains positive.

“These ratings reflect our Administration’s hard work and commitment over the past seven years to build a reserve, pay off negative fund balances, and bring prudent, sustainable fiscal strategies to build a stronger and more fiscally secure Fresno,” said Mayor Swearengin. “The momentum we have created here through our revitalization efforts is gaining the attention of the business world, especially those investors who are now seeing Fresno in a new, positive light.”

Back in September of 2015, Moody’s upgraded the City of Fresno’s general obligation bond rating to A3 from Baa1, as well as upgrading Fresno’s lease-backed obligations, Convention Center bonds, pension obligation bonds, and judgment obligation bonds all by one notch.

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The Fresno Fire Department (FFD) will hold a press conference on Thursday, August 25, at 8:30 a.m., at Fire Headquarters (located at 911 H Street) to announce the receipt of a SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant awarded to the City of Fresno earlier this month. Fire Chief Kerri Donis and Congressman Jim Costa will be in attendance.

This SAFER grant, which was awarded to the City of Fresno on August 15, 2016, enables the Fire Department to fill 12 firefighter positions, growing its firefighting force of 73 to 77 on-duty firefighters each day. This growth in minimum daily staffing is a significant step in the rebuilding of the Fresno Fire Department.

“I’m pleased to see that our efforts to rebuild our fire department in an aggressive and sustainable manner are continuing to bear fruit,” said Mayor Swearengin. “While the numbers are still short of where we want to be, it’s a dramatic improvement over our lowest staffing levels during the recession and more good news as we continue to provide additional manpower and resources for our first responders.”

The SAFER Grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the abilities of local fire departments to comply with staffing and response, as well as fulfill the operational standards established by the NFPA (NFPA 1710 and/or NFPA 1720).

Rep. Costa added, “Fire Chief Kerri Donis and the firefighters with the Fresno Fire Department work diligently every single day to keep our city safe, and they must have adequate resources to prevent and respond to fires and emergencies. I proudly support federal funding for the SAFER Grant program and I am pleased that the Fresno Fire Department will continue to receive this critical grant funding to help ensure that Fresno has enough firefighters to respond to emergencies in our community.”

Mayor Ashley Swearengin and City Manager Bruce Rudd today announced that Brian Spindor has been named the City of Fresno’s new Assistant Director for the Department of Public Utilities. Spindor, who will start work effective September 12, 2016, will be responsible for asset management and oversight of the City’s water and wastewater facilities as well as ensuring compliance of legal mandates for all water operations.

Spindor is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in civil engineering, asset and performance management, public health and safety, and the operations and maintenance of water, wastewater and stormwater systems.

“Brian has proven management and leadership skills with plenty of experience leading diverse staffs under challenging conditions,” said City Manager Bruce Rudd. “He’s a great addition to our team and will bring a strong sense of accountability and communication to our water operations.”

Spindor has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington and is a Licensed Civil Engineer in the states of Washington and Hawaii with a Water Distribution Manager IV license from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. He is also a certified Maintenance Reliability Professional from the Society of Maintenance Reliability Professionals.

Effective January 16, 2017, at the conclusion of her term as Mayor of the City of Fresno, Ashley Swearengin will become the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF,) formerly known as the Fresno Regional Foundation.

“The Central Valley Community Foundation is an incredibly important organization in our region. For almost 50 years, the Foundation has been dedicated to improving the lives of the people in this area,” said Mayor Swearengin. “I’m honored to assume its leadership in January when I finish my term of office. It’s a natural fit for me and will allow me to continue doing what I love most—working to improve the Central San Joaquin Valley by attracting resources and economic opportunity to the part of California that needs it the most.”

The Central Valley Community Foundation was founded in 1966 and now has $65 million in assets. In 2015, CVCF awarded $8 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits.

“We could not be more pleased,” said Dr. Alan Pierrot, Chair of the CVCF Board of Directors. “Mayor Swearengin has all the attributes necessary to double or triple the asset size of the Foundation which, in turn, will allow us to do so much more for the Central Valley. She is a natural, savvy, energetic leader, a skilled fundraiser and a results oriented manager who, during her two terms as Mayor, has experienced the challenges and the opportunities of this region.”

The decision to hire Swearengin has been well received by philanthropic leaders. “We at The James Irvine Foundation view CVCF as an important partner in the effort to expand economic and political opportunity for young adults and families in the Central Valley. We look forward to the unique leadership that Mayor Swearengin will bring as the next CEO,” said Don Howard, President and CEO of the Irvine Foundation.

The National Weather Service in Hanford has forecasted that the high temperature in Fresno will be at or above 105 degrees tomorrow, Saturday, August 13th and Sunday 14th, which means the City of Fresno will open its cooling centers through the weekend. The centers will be open from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Cooling centers will be open at the following locations:

• Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo.
• Frank H. Ball Neighborhood Center, 760 Mayor.
• Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E. Butler.
• Pinedale Community Center, 7170 N. San Pablo.
• Romain Neighborhood Park, 745 N. First

In addition, the City’s FAX bus system will provide free transportation along normal routes to and from cooling center sites when the centers are open. To ride free, residents must indicate they are traveling to a cooling center.

Individuals should refer to the FAX schedule to determine the final evening departure time for buses providing service near cooling center locations. The FAX schedule is available on the City’s website here.

Please note that the following City of Fresno swimming pools are also free for recreational swim from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. tomorrow:

• Airways, 5440 E. Shields
• Frank H. Ball, 760 Mayor
• Mary Ella Brown, 1350 E. Annadale
• Mosqueda, 4870 E. Butler

FRESNO, CA – City of Fresno officials are working closely with the Fresno County Health Department, State Water Resources Control Board and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding a report of a test that shows a “slightly elevated” level of lead in a patient’s urine sample.

On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, representatives from the EPA in San Francisco received an email regarding a report of lead burdening for a resident in Northeast Fresno. Consistent with the collaboration and cooperation that has been exercised by city, county, state, and federal officials during the City’s discolored water investigation, the EPA forwarded the message immediately to local representatives of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB,) and the SWRCB immediately advised City and County officials of the report. Federal, state, city, and county officials were in communication about the report within 1 hour of the resident submitting the communication to the EPA.

In the resident’s report to the EPA, there is no information regarding the type of testing that was conducted, the level of lead defined as “slightly elevated,” or information about the person who was tested.

The County reported to the City that it has not yet received any information about the blood level data for this individual, and depending upon the level reported, the County Health Department will take the appropriate action to investigate the environmental conditions that may be contributing to the reported blood lead levels. As has been the case throughout this investigation, the City and State will support the County to conduct a thorough and complete investigation.

The primary authority having jurisdiction for investigating cases of elevated blood lead levels in Fresno County is the Fresno County Health Department. As required by law, testing labs must report all blood lead level results to the State, and those results are then reported to the County. In cases when a blood lead level report for an individual is above 4.5 microgram per deciliters (µg/dL,) the State will notify the County within two weeks of such results, and the County will initiate an outreach and education process with the individual about the blood test results. For blood lead level results below 4.5 µg/dL, the State reports these results to the County on a quarterly basis.

Residents of Fresno that are concerned about their blood lead levels should first consult with their primary care physicians about their concerns, and if additional information is required, residents can consult with representatives from the County’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (559) 600-3590.

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