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Fresno Mayor Lee Brand Declares State of Emergency

Mayor Lee Brand announced a State of Emergency for the city of Fresno today in an effort to help the city receive state and federal funding.  

 

“I believe this is a sensible step to ensure the city of Fresno is in the best position to protect the people of Fresno,“ said Mayor Brand.

In compliance with Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement last week, the Mayor advised people 65 years or older to remain indoors. Hoping to lead by example, Brand said he will begin working from home as “much as possible.” 

The city will also prohibit events with 50 people or more. All bars that do not serve food are directed to close. Restaurants can remain open by modifying their services and reducing capacity by half.

Parks will remain open as the city works to disinfect public spaces on a daily basis. Community centers will be closed to prevent large gatherings.

Brand also declared a 30-day moratorium for utility bills and he said no evictions will be made during the state of emergency.

Additionally, there will be no special event permits accepted. But some city officials say that is not enough. 

“The city’s action today was needed but still comes up short,” Council Member Nelson Esparza said. “I’m calling on the mayor and my city council colleagues to convey a greater sense of urgency to our Fresno community by prohibiting any non-essential gatherings over 10 people.” 

Mayor Brand said the city will continue to monitor the virus and support the Governor’s office and Fresno County. In the meantime, he encourages residents to stay calm and informed.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madi Bolanos covered immigration and underserved communities for KVPR from 2020-2022. Before joining the station, she interned for POLITCO in Washington D.C. where she reported on US trade and agriculture as well as indigenous women’s issues during the Canadian election. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in anthropology from San Francisco State University. Madi spent a semester studying at the Danish Media and Journalism School where she covered EU policies in Brussels and alleged police brutality at the Croatian-Serbian border.