š” BLM Mural Defaced + Fresno County on Coronavirus Naughty List
What happened in Fresno from June 29-July 4, 2020
āļøĀ Good morninā, Fresno! It is Sunday, July 5, 2020.
Let me start real quick that Kanye West announced that he will be running for President. And Iām here to announce that I will be voting for Kanye for President. Maybe we can finally get a national anthem that doesnāt suck. A national anthem with some 808s on them. Also did I mention Kanye West follows me on Twitter? If you donāt believe me just check his following list. My Twitter is @vibesradiator
Anyways, here is this weekās Fresno news in five minutes! -Ram <3
Fresno By Five
Photo of the Black Trans Lives Matter defaced.
š Black Trans Lives Matter mural defaced
The mural that was featured last week on the newsletter has been defaced. One of the main artist, Mitchell George Erron Lee, posted photos on their Twitter of the mural and other racist graffiti tagged on the Fresno Barrios Unidos building. No one knows who has done it and itās the second time the mural had been defaced. The first time, according to Lee, someone had smeared food on the wall and tried to burn the wall down.
š„ Coronavirus Updates: Fresno County on Newsomās Naughty List
As of July 4, the most recent data available at the time of writing, there have been a total of 6,110 (+1,376 from last week) total confirmed cases and 77 (+5) deaths in Fresno County. Another record-breaking week for most new cases since the start of the newsletter. A total of 1,369 (+234) people have recovered and 394 (+44)Ā have ever been hospitalized.
Approximately 3,600 of the people who tested positive were in the age range of 18-49 years old. Our recovery rate of those who tested positive is at 23.1%.
Community Regional Medical Center and Saint Agnes Medical Center are preparing for the incoming second surge. The volume of COVID-19 patients has increased in the past months. Those requiring the intensive-care unit have doubled from 10 to 15 a few weeks ago to 30 now.
On July 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom put 19 counties, including Fresno, under the County Monitoring List. All counties on the list had to immediately close down bars. Indoor operations for these facilities must close:
Restaurants
Wineries
Movie theaters & family entertainment
Zoos, Museums
Cardrooms
This will continue for at least three weeks.
These orders have made restaurants creative so their dining areas can be considered āpatioā or āoutside.ā Pismoās Grill and Westwoods, both owned by David Fansler, has opened up their garage-style windows that let air flow and apparently counts as patio dining but the county seemed to have disagreed, citing Fansler. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo remains open but indoor areas of the zoo have been closed.
š· Positively Not Good: Coronavirus Spread in Fresno
643 people tested positive for COVID-19 at the Fresno County Jail. 1,200 tests were administered and 532 tests came back negative and 27 tests are pending. Earlier, 507 inmates, 25 correctional officers and one deputy had tested positive for COVID-19.
The Fresno chapter of Democratic Socialist of America held a car rally yesterday in front of the Fresno County Jail to release low-level inmates to reduce the spread of the virus throughout the jail. They have started a petition with their demand for action on Sheriff Margeret Mimsā part. Link to their demands and petition here.The Dutch Bros location at 1003 N. Maple Ave. has temporarily closed down after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 on June 30. According to a Dutch Bros statement, the location was closed as soon as the employee got the positive result from a test done on June 25. The employee had previously worked two shifts on June 22 and June 23. No reopening date has been set for the location.
A Fresno Area Express (FAX) employee has tested positive while another has been experiencing symptoms and is awaiting test results. Fresno County contact tracers are determining who theyāve come in contact with. The FAX will continue operation and has limited capacity to 10 riders.
Fresno Council president Miguel Ariasā son has tested positive for Coronavirus. Arias has since been tested and his test came back negative. Arias is confident his son will recover and urged others to continue wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. Last weekās council meeting had to revert back to online. The meeting before was the first meeting the council had at City Hall since the pandemic began.
š āāļø Fresno DA filing no charges against Arias
In other Miguel Arias-related news, it was announced on July 2 that the Fresno County District Attorneyās office will not file misdemeanor battery charges against Arias after an incident in May. If yāall remember, in May, Ben Berquam of Frontline America, a right-wing āmediaā outlet and a bunch of other āprotestorsā went to his home to protest the shelter-in-place ordinance at the time and Arias became hostile, understandably so, because weirdos showed up at his house.
š Fresno now offering rent and mortgage assistance
The city of Fresno is now offering grants to help people financially hurt by the pandemic. The program is co-sponsored by Councilmembers Esmeralda Soria, Miguel Arias, and Luis Chavez. It offers grants of $1,500 to individuals and $3,000 for families. Income requirements determine if you are eligible. $5.5 million is set aside for grants from the CARES Act relief money. Itās set to arrive in waves with $1.5 million coming right now and $3.5 million set to arrive later. Six organizations that have had history assisting families in the community have been picked to give out funds. Aid is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To apply, contact these organizations:
Reading and Beyond, 4670 E Butler Ave. inside the Mosqueda Center,Ā 559-214-0317,Ā readingandbeyond.org
The Fresno Center, 4879 E. Kings Canyon Ave.,Ā 559-898-2565,Ā fresnocenter.org
Centro La Familia, 302 Fresno St,.Ā 559-237-2961,Ā centrolafamilia.org
Education and Leadership Foundation, 4290 E. Ashlan Ave.,Ā 559-291-5428,Ā education-leadership.org
Jakara Movement, 3470 W Spruce Ave.,Ā 559-549-4088,Ā jakara.org
West Fresno Family Resource Center, 1802 E California Ave.,Ā 559-621-2967,Ā wfresnofrc.org
š Mayor Brand announces a new search for police chief
During his last State of the City address, Mayor Brand announced that they are once again searching for a new police chief. The search began on July 1 and mayor-elect Jerry Dyer will be helping in the search (yikes). The current Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall became chief in August 2019 but the cityās retirement program is forcing him to retire in 2021.
š° Fresno City Council Approves Budget and COVID-19 Money
The Fresno City Council has made a decision to adopt the $1.2 billion budget with no layoffs with a continuing resolution. Mayor Brand had proposed the continuing resolution in May to get a better hold on how COVID-19 has impacted the cityās revenues. The continuing resolution means that the city will spend the same level it has this current fiscal year in the first quarter of the 2020-21 fiscal year, which began on July 1. They will be back in the fall to approve a true budget. The last time a continuing resolution was put into place was 23 years ago.
The council also approved a plan on how to spend the $92.8 million in federal COVID-19 relief money, most going to the poorestās neighborhoods in south Fresno. $20 million will go in southwest and $10 million in southeast to improve a number of things such as technology infrastructure, sidewalks and water quality.
In Memoriam of Marie Else, Rest in Power.
Marie Else, community activist, leader and educator died on June 25 at the age of 46 of natural medical complications. Read the Fresno Beeās article about her life and influence on Fresno here.