Fresno's proposed ordinance could fine other cities up to $1,000

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Officials with the City of Fresno introduced an ordinance connected Wednesday that would assistance Fresno "punish atrocious behavior," and good municipalities and different agencies for dropping disconnected unhoused radical without consent.

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi on with chap Councilmember Richardson introduced the Anti Human Transportation and Abandonment Ordinance.

"The metropolis of Fresno has taken a existent enactment relation crossed the state, addressing the contented of homelessness," Karbassi said. "When you bash that, you go much attractive, unfortunately, to different municipalities that conscionable privation to shoo the occupation away."

Karbassi says Fresno is blessed to enactment with these cities but metropolis officials are, "not going to carnivore the load of their failure."

"We person radical we are liable for," Karbassi said. "We privation to nonstop a precise almighty connection to communities, particularly those extracurricular the county, that we volition not tolerate immoderate signifier of quality fundamentally trafficking from municipalities into our metropolis due to the fact that they can't bash the hard enactment providing services."

Karbassi says the assemblage of Pinedale successful northbound Fresno is 1 illustration of communities that has seen an influx of unhoused people.

City of Fresno Attorney Andrew Janz says he's arrogant to sponsor the Anti Human Transportation ordinance on with Councilmembers Richardson and Karbassi.

"This gives instrumentality enforcement and my prosecutors yet different tool, to clasp atrocious actors accountable," Janz said. "The punishment for violating these laws is, up to six months successful region jailhouse and up to $1,000 successful fines."

Janz says the instrumentality volition use to everyone including, authorities agencies, region employees, metropolis employees, and/or different authorities entities.

"You volition beryllium held accountable," Janz said. "I volition besides punctual folks that we inactive person kidnaping laws connected our books, and kidnaping tin beryllium punished up to $10,000 successful fines and 8 years successful authorities prison."

The ordinance will beryllium introduced to the Fresno City Council on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.