Disability Advisory Commission

City of Fresno 2600 Fresno Street Fresno, CA 93721 www.fresno.gov Meeting Minutes - Final Tuesday, January 12, 2021 10:00 AM Regular Meeting Disability Advisory Commission Chairperson Frances Reyes Acosta Vice Chairperson Susan Coulter l Board Member Mary Beth Randall Board Member Ken Elvington Board Member Vacant Board Member Dr. Jenelle Pitt Board Member -Yonas Paulos DAC Secretary Shannon M. Mulhall Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission CITY HALL WILL NOT BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC While Emergency Order No. 2020-12 is in effect, City of Fresno public meetings will be conducted electronically and telephonically only. City Hall remains closed to the public. The Disability Advisory Commission meeting can be viewed live at 10:00 A.M. on Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T Channel 99. Members of the public are encouraged to participate electronically. PUBLIC COMMENT: The following options are available for members of the public who want to address the Disability Advisory Commission. 1. Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_92_emsrTQDKt2MxuMh9ftQ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 2. Email: Residents may also email comments to be read during the meeting to shannon.mulhall@fresno.gov. Please include the agenda date and item number you wish to speak on in the subject line of your email. Emails will be a maximum of 450 words. All comments received will be distributed to the commissioners prior and during the meeting and will be a part of the official record. The meeting will can be viewed on CMAC 3 Gov channel in the following ways: - Comcast Xfinity Ch 96 - AT&T U-verse Ch 99 - Streaming on the CMAC website: cmac.tv/gov/ - Roku and Apple TV devices on the "Cablecast Screenweave app" Present 4 - Vice Chair Susan Coulter, Board Member Jenelle Pitt, Board Member Ken Elvington, and Board Member Yonas Paulos Excused 2 - Chairperson Frances Reyes Acosta, and Board Member Mary Beth Randall 1. Call To Order Vice Chair Susan Coulter called the meeting to order at 10:05am; Board Member Ken Elvington arrived at 10:10am. presented City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 2 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission 2. Approval of Agenda Amend the agenda to include the approval of the minutes from the 10/13/20 meeting as well as from the 11/3/20 meeting. approved as amended Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Coulter, Board Member Pitt, Board Member Elvington and Board Member Paulos Excused: 2 - Chairperson Reyes Acosta and Board Member Randall 3. Approval of Minutes ID 21-269 Approval of the minutes of the October 13, 2020 DAC Meeting approved Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Coulter, Board Member Pitt, Board Member Elvington and Board Member Paulos Excused: 2 - Chairperson Reyes Acosta and Board Member Randall ID 21-127 Approval of the minutes of the November 3, 2020 DAC Meeting approved Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Coulter, Board Member Pitt, Board Member Elvington and Board Member Paulos Excused: 2 - Chairperson Reyes Acosta and Board Member Randall City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 3 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission 4. Member Reports and Comments Vice Chair Coulter shared that DHHSC has been given an emergency preparedness grant through an organization in Monterey. There was funding through 2020 but it has been extended for four more months. This helps fund education through Zoom as well as other resources. Vice Chair Coulter would like to make videos in sign language as well as continuing education with this grant. Board Member Paulos wishes to welcome Mayor Jerry Dyer to City Hall as well as the new Chief of Police. He looks forward to working in conjunction with him regarding homelessness. There were successful events hosted for Bringing Back Broken Neighborhoods during the past month. On P Street on December 17th there were 7,000 cars that came through for the food drive and 17,000 children that were given gifts. presented 5. Secretary's Report Secretary Mulhall reported that Commissioner Bill Hyatt has stepped down from the commission. They are currently looking at some prospects who have applied to the commission. The commission is currently at six (6) members, but they would really like to have someone on the commission who still represents the Central Valley Regional Center. She would also like to take a moment and acknowledge a silent hero. Paul Barnett who has worked at the deaf and hard of hearing center for many years and served as a beacon of hope and kindness for many within the community unfortunately passed away. He will surely be very missed. Susan echoed the condolence of his passing and the appreciation of all of his good works. Secretary Mulhall also shared that Fresno County has partnered with other local organizations to create the Disability Equity Project related to the COVID response. For more information, member can go through the Fresno County website at www.depfresno.com or call 888-468-9115. presented City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission 6. Unscheduled Communication / Public Comments Glenna Gammel wanted clarification on what was said by Vice Chair Coulter regarding Paul Barnett. Vice Chair Coulter clarified for Ms. Gammel. presented This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons desiring to address the DAC on any matter not on this agenda (presentation are limited to 3 minutes per person). The DAC is generally legally prohibited from taking any action on information presented in unscheduled communication until subsequent meetings. 7. Presentations City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission 7-A. ID 21-128 Public Works Complete Streets Report Jill Gormley, City Traffic Engineer and manager of the Traffic Operations and Planning Department at Public Works presented this item. She states that their role, specifically with Complete Streets, is to look for opportunities to improve infrastructure for all pedestrians. Every time a department has affected infrastructure within the city, they are looking at completing it in a way that accommodates everyone. The city is committed to taking a step back to look at these projects more closely. A yearly report will be provided to the public as well of the changes and upgrades that were made. October of 2020 was the first report that was presented. Jill described a table of some of the metrics that were most important regarding these infrastructure projects such as pedestrian collisions, bicyclist collisions, etc. Within the past fiscal year a little over 5 million dollars was spent on improvement. Regarding being a bicycle-friendly city, the City of Fresno was awarded the bronze level in the fall of 2019, but Jill is hoping that in 2023 Fresno will be a silver level of a bike-friendly community. Board Member Pitt shared that she is happy to hear the city has been awarded the bronze level of bicyclist-friendly city. She would like to know more statistics about the pedestrians’ fatalities and collisions. She believes that safety events would be helpful especially for the disabled community. Board Member Paulos wanted to thank Jill for the information. He is visually impaired and makes sure he wears very visible clothing to avoid any collisions. He is grateful for the work being done and the collaboration. The floor was opened for public comments. Glenna Gammel wanted to ask Jill when it is her turn to cross the street when there are still cars that are trying to turn right. She is concerned that cars believe they have the right of way. What can be done about this? City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission Jill stated they run into this issue a lot. It is important as a pedestrian to pause and not assume that the car is going to stop. This is where safety education comes in and more is needed. presented 8. Subcommittee Reports 8-A. Transportation Subcommittee Joe Vargas, Chenier Derrick, and Sarah Harris were present to share the Transportation Subcommittee Report. Joe Vargas wanted to give some update on how COVID has effected transportation. Ridership has been down. Passenger count is still limited to 10 for safety. All COVID protocols are still in place. All drivers and employees are continually screened. Service cuts are taking place due to positive COVID cases but they are doing all they can to minimize the impact. The City of Fresno did transfer to a new paratransit contractor. This has introduced some new routes that are being implemented as well as increased frequency of currently existing routes. They are grateful for receiving some CAREs funding and for not losing services. Chenier reemphasized that all of the COVID protocols are in place and they are handling new IDs and everything else through mail. Shannon Mulhall would also like to note that Transportation is coordinating community outreach for their bus stop transition plan and that will be coming hopefully in the spring. Board Member Paulos wanted to express his appreciation for the increased frequency of routes in Fresno and encouraged the Transportation Subcommittee to continue their work in improving the city. presented City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 7 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission 8-B. Housing Subcommittee Shannon Mulhall, Vidal Medina, Marla Williams, and Edward Chinevere were present to share the Housing Subcommittee Report. Shannon said she met with the Housing Committee staff and community members regarding objectives and goals for the annual action plan. It was stated that the city does receive funds from the federal government for low-income housing. They will be providing community workshops on this topic. The Housing Committee has been invited to these workshops for input and collaboration. Vidal Medina explained in a brief overview the changes that will be made through Tax Allocation Committee has committed to increasing the amount in monies being used in new constructions (California state treasury website CTAC page 62 and 63). Board Member Paulos stated he is really enjoying the discussions on equity relating to housing, and he is seeing the fruits of the subcommittee’s labor. There are a lot of people without housing and he knows this will improve it. Public Questions or Comments: Glenna Gammel was wondering on what Board Member Paulos was discussing regarding the location of the new housing since there is currently a park there. Board Member Paulos clarified that these new living facilities are called The Link at Blackstone and McKinley. The park is near Eaton Elementary, so everything is spaced well. Board Member Pitt is very interested in what is being discussed in this subcommittee and is very much looking forward to what 2021 will bring. Edward Chinevere wanted to talk about the annual action plan for HUD City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 8 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission entitlement funding. Twelve million dollars a year are given and they would really appreciate to get input regarding affordable housing, infrastructure improvement, fair housing initiatives, etc. Board Member Paulos stated he is grateful for Edward’s work and will invite community members to participate in the workshops because he is optimistic about the work to be done in 2021. presented Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11:27 am. approved Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Coulter, Board Member Pitt, Board Member Elvington and Board Member Paulos Excused: 2 - Chairperson Reyes Acosta and Board Member Randall The Disability Advisory Commission welcomes you to Meeting Room A (2165N), located in City Hall, 2nd Floor, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, California 93721. The City of Fresno’s goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. The meeting room is physically accessible. If, as an attendee or participant at the meeting, you need additional accommodations such as interpreters, signers, assistive listening devices, or the services of a translator, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (559) 621-7650 or clerk@fresno.gov. To ensure availability, you are advised to make your request at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. The agenda and related staff reports are available at www.fresno.gov, as well as in the Office of the City Clerk. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 9 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final January 12, 2021 Commission La Comision Consultiva de Discapacidudes le da la bienvenida al Cuarto de Junta A (2165N), ubicado en la Alcaldía (City Hall), do piso, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, California 93721. El objetivo de la Ciudad de Fresno es cumplir con la Ley de Americanos con Discapacidades (ADA) en todo aspecto. La sala para juntas es físicamente accesible. Si usted, como asistente o participante de la junta, necesita acomodaciones adicionales coma intérpretes, lenguaje de señas, aparatos auditivos, o los servicios de un traductor, por favor comuníquese con la Oficina del Secretario Municipal llamando al (559) 621-7650 o al clerk@fresno.gov. Para asegurarse de la disponibilidad. Se le recomienda llamar y hacer su petición por lo menos 48 horas antes de la junta. La agenda y los reportes de personal correspondientes están disponibles en el www.fresno.gov, o en la Oficina del Secretario Municipal. Tso Disability Advisory Commission tos txais koj rau Meeting Room A (2165N), nyob rau hauv City Hall, 2nd Floor, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, California 93721. Lub hom phiaj ntawm nroog Fresno yuav ua kom tau txhua yam raw li txoj cai American with Disabilities Act (ADA) kom fwm txhua tus. Lub rooj sab laj txhua tus yuav tsum muaj feem koom kom tau, txawm yog cov tuaj koom, cov muaj feem rau lub rooj sab laj, yuav tsum kom muaj kev pab rau sawv daws xws li txhais lus, piav tes, tej twj mloog pob ntseg los yog ib tug txhais lus, thov hu rau Office of the City Clerk ntawm (559) 621-7650 los sis clerk@fresno.gov. Yuav kom paub tseeb tias npaj tau rau koj, koj yuav tsum tau hais ua ntej 48 xuab moos ntawm lub rooj sab laj. Daim ntawv kom tswj thiab tej ntaub ntawv cov ua dej num yuav coj los ceeb tshaj muaj nyob rau ntawm www.fresno.gov, los sis ntawm Office of the City Clerk. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 10