Franchise Opportunities in Fresno, CA

The same measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 over the past two years — masking, social distancing, and more — also appear to have reduced the incidence of seasonal flu in Fresno County.

But as recommendations and mandates are eased or eliminated for people to wear face coverings indoors and avoid large social gatherings, Fresno County is seeing a marked rise in influenza cases. That’s prompting local health officials to issue a health alert to doctors in the region.

March, April, and May are times of the year when flu cases are falling. But Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer with the Fresno County Department of Public Health, told The Fresno Bee in an interview Thursday that cases have been climbing in recent weeks.

Last week, for example, Vohra said that hospitals, emergency rooms, medical practices, and urgent-care clinics reported 1,366 visits from patients with influenza-like illness – a spectrum of ailments mostly from the flu virus but may also include COVID-19 or other upper-respiratory diseases.

That compares to first-week-of-May totals of 800 in 2020 and 900 in 2021.

“It’s atypical because we’re really out of the flu season” that generally runs from December through March, Vohra said. “Although the flu can circulate anytime, it’s the type of virus that survives better in wintertime conditions” to take advantage of families or groups gathering indoors where it can spread more readily.

The county health department issued the health alert Thursday afternoon, effectively asking doctors to be on the lookout for flu cases among their patients and reminding them of vaccines to prevent the flu and available treatments when cases are caught in the earliest stages.

Like COVID-19, influenza is a respiratory disease spread by a virus. Some of the same preventive measures can protect against both viruses – including vaccines that are available to boost a person’s resistance to them.

“We got lucky for the last couple of years. We were able to protect a lot of people from influenza because of all the layers of protection we had for COVID,” Vohra said. Precautions such as wearing face masks, practicing social distancing, and getting vaccinated “all combined to protect us from a wave of influenza, both last winter and the winter before.”

But now, as more residents, businesses, and government agencies put masking and distancing restrictions in the rear-view mirror, “the flu seems to be catching back up,” Vohra added.

Additionally, he said, many people who would otherwise have been exposed to influenza without those precautions over the last two winters avoided exposure and now may be more susceptible to flu viruses.

The flu can potentially be much more severe than a cold, particularly among people with other health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, immunodeficiency, and other ailments, because it tends to be more of a systemic infection that causes body aches, fatigue, and other symptoms beyond a cold. “People who get it don’t feel good, and you can’t just shake it off and go back to work or go to school,” Vohra said.

Because many people who have mild or moderate flu-like symptoms may choose to ride it out at home or simply call their doctor rather than visit an emergency room, the number of known flu cases is likely much larger than what’s being reported. “We’re assuming this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Vohra told The Bee. “This uptick in influenza is a reminder that masking can help us protect our vulnerable populations and decrease the spread of these illnesses.”

The ready availability of coronavirus home testing kits may also give people a false sense of security if the results are negative. But those tests don’t detect the flu. Vohra said that if people have a negative COVID test but still feel sick, not only should they stay home to avoid spreading whatever they have, but “they should go to their doctor or to an urgent care and get a flu test.”

Early detection of the flu is something Vohra said he’s trying to impress upon the local medical community as well as residents because there are oral medications that can be prescribed to head the virus off at the pass if taken within the first couple of days.

This story was originally published May 13, 2022 8:30 AM.

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – In just 13 days, correctional officers at the Fresno County Jail could walk off the job. The Fresno County Public Safety Association has a strike planned for May 23.

“The working conditions in there are terrible they’ve gotten more dangerous, and it’s never going to be any better until the jail is adequately staffed and it’s never going to be adequately staffed until the county provides the pay and benefits that keep people wanting to work there,” lawyer for the Fresno County Public Safety Association Tony Silva said.

Silva said one of their main issues is how much more sheriff’s deputies are paid in comparison to correctional officers. He said a deputy could be making 40% more than a correctional officer, and that deputies’ pay has risen much faster in the past ten years.

“There’s no reason that the county shouldn’t want to treat their employees fairly and equally, and when they see that a bargaining unit has fallen that far behind, they should want to remedy that, they should want to look at long term solutions,” he added.

But officials with Fresno County said they are working on a solution. They said their most recent offering included 11% base salary increases, increases to health insurance contributions, and a one-time pandemic payment.

In a statement sent out Tuesday, county administrative officer Paul Nerland said it’s the county’s position that the strike is illegal.

“The sheriff’s office has a plan to effectively respond to this job action. In the event of a strike, jail facilities will continue to prioritize and ensure the safety of the public, staff, and inmates. The county’s plan is not to release inmates prematurely as a result of this temporary job action, and impact to jail operations will be minimal if any,” Nerland said.

When it comes to staffing, Nerland said the department added 19 new corrections officers that are starting soon and are going through medical clearance. He added that 277 people just applied and are going through testing soon.

Silva said he does not believe a strike is illegal.

He said correctional officers in Fresno County are not classified as peace officers and they have gone on strike before.

Nerland said that has not happened in decades, and the correctional officers were represented by a different union at the time.

“I think the public can expect to see people walk off the job, and there to be some picketing downtown,” he said.

The union said they will have representation at the next board of supervisors meeting on May 17 to try to work a final deal out before the strike.

Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld struck a defiant tone Monday afternoon in response to a defamation lawsuit filed against him earlier in the day by Council President Nelson Esparza, asserting that “I will never be intimidated.”

Esparza’s lawsuit, filed Monday in Fresno County Superior Court, alleges that Bredefeld, in a May 13 press conference, made accusations that “were knowingly false and were made with malice.”

Among Bredefeld’s statements Friday were that Esparza extorted City Attorney Douglas Sloan by threatening to fire Sloan if he did work for Bredefeld and some other members of the City Council. Bredefeld said that Sloan personally told him about a conversation with Esparza a day after an April 21 evaluation of Sloan’s performance in a closed City Council session.

Bredefeld said Sloan told him that Esparza admonished the city attorney that his office could only complete work for four councilmembers: Esparza, Esmeralda Soria, Tyler Maxwell or Miguel Arias. Bredefeld also said that Esparza allegedly told Sloan that Esparza was the only person preventing Sloan from losing his job.

Esparza pushed back against Bredefeld’s allegations in the complaint.

“At no time did plaintiff Esparza direct, order, imply or suggest to Mr. Sloan that he would only work for ‘the majority’ of the council or only for any certain councilmembers to the exclusion of any others,” the lawsuit says.

In his response, sent to The Fresno Bee by email shortly after 3 p.m. Monday, Bredefeld effectively doubled down on his remarks last week.

“Nelson Esparza in this bogus lawsuit is essentially calling the City Attorney, Doug Sloan a liar and that what Mr. Sloan stated publicly is not true,” Bredefeld said. “Mr. Sloan personally expressed to me and others at City Hall that he felt Esparza attempted to extort him, and I shared this information with the public and law enforcement agencies.”

Bredefeld also described Sloan as “a very credible and highly regarded attorney” in his role as city attorney for the past nine years.

Sloan subsequently notified the City Council that he was stepping down as city attorney, later confirming that he will begin working in the same position for the city of Santa Monica.

Over the weekend, Sloan shared an email with a reporter for ABC 30 in which he summarized the brief conversation he had in Esparza’s office, stating that Esparza told him, “I’m standing between you and you losing your job.” Sloan said Esparza also told him, “from now on you are to work only for the Council majority.”

Sloan said he relayed the conversation to a few people but did not intend for it to become public.

“First, I knew there was no proof, other than credibility, that the conversation occurred,” Sloan said in his message. “Second, I was already strongly considering the new position, and I knew in my mind one way or another, I was certainly not going to violate the Charter and professional responsibilities and not provide service to all City officials.”

Bredefeld did not respond to a query from The Fresno Bee on Monday about whether he has hired an attorney or when he expects to file a formal response in court to Esparza’s defamation lawsuit.

In his statement, however, Bredefeld said “the corruption at City Hall must end and Mr. Esparza must be held accountable.”

“I will never be intimidated and this will not stop me from speaking the truth,” he added. “Not now, not ever.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2022 4:22 PM.

It’s allergy season in the central San Joaquin Valley, and it may be hitting residents harder this year for multiple reasons, say doctors in Fresno.

Recent weather has been all over the board, with warm days followed by cold snaps, and dry weather followed by rain showers. Add in the region’s high level of air pollution, and sneezes and coughs are sure to follow. Then there is the wild card of COVID-19, and the possibility that the sufferer’s affliction is the virus, not a simple allergy.

Start with the normal spring pollens, including those from grass plus olive and other trees. They are the usual misery makers this time of year for allergy sufferers, said Dr. Malik Baz, of the Baz Allergy Asthmas & Sinus Center.

Dr. A.M. Aminian of the Fresno Allergy Institute said, “Olive pollen is very high right now.”

Temperature fluctuations, late-season showers and windy days also add to the irritations, according to Baz. He noted that Fresno’s polluted air, ranked among the worst in the U.S., plays a part, too.

“We have so many patients that we don’t have enough staff,” said Baz.

Aminian said the effect of pollens alone could increase collective misery.

“They are almost at their peak (now) and it could get worse.”

COVID-19 ratchets up the complexity for patients, both doctors agree.

Baz said some patients he treats are not suffering from allergies at all; instead they have contracted the coronavirus. It’s not uncommon for it to happen to those with vaccinations and boosters. Aminian noted that as people stop using face masks, it increases the likelihood of coming down with the flu or a common cold, as well.

So is there a way to tell whether symptoms are from a simple allergy or something else? There are some pretty good clues.

If it’s a normal allergy, the symptoms can be mitigated, noted Aminian. Pollens attach to skin. Showering and washing hair every evening will help remove them. In addition, using a nasal rinse once a day can prevent pollens from causing irritation in nasal passages.

This story was originally published May 1, 2022 5:00 AM.

Fresno has a long tradition of honoring its veterans.

Our city is not only home to the California Veterans Home, a senior care facility for those who bravely defended our nation, but also hosts the largest Veterans Day Parade west of the Mississippi River.

Yet, as we approach Memorial Day, a solemn holiday to remember the lives lost protecting our nation, its freedoms and way of life, I believe that the city of Fresno must do more to honor our commitments to its veterans.

The first step is by establishing and supporting the upcoming Fresno Veterans Memorial District and delivering badly needed investments into community assets that benefit all Fresno residents while honoring our veteran community.

First, a bit of history.

The men and women of Fresno who helped liberate Europe and the South Pacific during World War II returned home and established posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, using their common bonds of war to forge lifelong relationships.

These posts were not just a place to commemorate the sacrifices made in combat, but to foster a sense of community for our veterans, their families and the community.

Seventy-one years after the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entrance into World War II, our veterans posts are dilapidated, owing to heavy use by local veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, along with the residents who lived in and around the communities.

These residents rely on VFW posts for community meetings and events that bring neighborhoods together and keep them safe.

Similarly, Fresno’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium and Museum, a community jewel constructed during the depths of the Great Depression, has fallen into such disrepair that it almost serves as an insult to those who have served our country.

Meanwhile, as Fresno’s veterans sacrificed their lives in service to our country, many now find themselves in dire need of social services to ensure a long, healthy life in peace.

Our veterans deserve nothing short of the best, and it is my hope that we as Fresnans — and more importantly, as Americans — will give them the investment they deserve.

That is why I, along with my colleagues on the Fresno City Council, late last year began the work of forming the Fresno Veterans Memorial District.

The goal of this district, much like a similar district in Clovis, is to invest in veteran-centered facilities.

It will also go one step further, connecting veterans — from those who served in World War II to those who recently returned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — to critical veterans and social services to ensure their health and well-being is taken care of long after they exit the service.

The starting point is to authorize the formation of the Fresno Veterans Memorial District and launch Measure V for your approval this November.

From there, we will begin to assess the condition of our city’s various veterans community facilities in dire need of improvements and investment in the short- and long-term.

The time is now and our veterans deserve our support. I hope you’ll join me in charting the right direction for the Fresno Veterans Memorial District and support the upcoming Measure V.