Fresno leaders wrongly hide behind no comment over homeless shelter security | Opinion
When tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money are involved in any public project, the minimal standard government should meet is transparency and accountability.
But as a year-long investigation by Fresno Bee staff writer Melissa Montalvo shows, that is far from happening when it comes to contracts for private security at homeless shelters established by Mayor Jerry Dyer, the City Council and Fresno Housing Authority.
Dyer frequently touts his efforts to move homeless people off the sides of freeways in the Fresno metro area and into more secure housing, like motels on Parkway Drive converted into shelter residences. The Bee Editorial Board has praised that campaign for its success in taking vulnerable people out of harm’s way, namely cars and trucks speeding by tents and bedrolls.
But it is disheartening to learn now that some homeless people feel threatened by private security guards meant to keep the motels safe. Making it worse is the dramatic silence by city officials and nonprofit operators of the shelters over just who is keeping watch over the security patrol.
Montalvo reports that:
▪ A shelter resident said that a security guard knocked down her door in the middle of the night following her complaints about a neighbor’s noise;
▪ A shelter visitor said he was pepper-sprayed while waiting at an adjacent property for not leaving the shelter vicinity quickly enough;
▪ And in a particularly troubling finding, four former guards of the private security firm said they were told to “(pepper) spray first, ask questions later.”
That directive came from Cristiano Lopes, the CEO of Pacific Valley Patrol, the firm that has been hired under the city’s auspices to provide security at the motels.
The city contracts out operations at the motels to human services agencies. As such, the nonprofits are to be responsible.
Yet the city does not spell out the standards of conduct it expects for security forces, unlike Fresno County, which has listed its guidelines in similar contracts. That is ironic given how frequently some councilmembers take shots at the county for dropping the ball when it comes to the homeless crisis.
Information blackout
Montalvo made multiple requests of Lopes for an interview to learn his side of the issue. He declined to be on the record.
City officials ignored Montalvo’s specific questions about the security concerns. Instead, they deferred to the shelter operators.
One of the agencies that the city contracted with for shelter operations is Turning Point. Its regional director declined comment when called by Montalvo.
The executive director of two related agencies also operating shelters, RH Community Builders and Elevate Community Services, would only give Montalvo general answers and would not address specific questions about security concerns.
To be fair to the nonprofits, city contracts require confidentiality and won’t allow data to be shared without permission.
But when Montalvo asked to see the contracts for Pacific Valley’s services, both the city and the Housing Authority, another operator, said they don’t have copies.
The reporter tried to use the Public Records Act to get more information about the security patrol. The city, Fresno police, the Housing Authority and state officials said they either did not have relevant information, or refused to share what they did have.
No information. No transparency. No accountability.
And yet, dear taxpayers, Fresno has spent at least $53 million to buy and convert nine former motels and pay contractors to operate them as homeless shelters.
The city spent at least $2 million on security between January 2021 and November 2022, according to budget and contract information Montalvo was able to review. The exact amount cannot be tallied because the city won’t release detailed expenditures.
For city officials to push off answers to the operators is ridiculous. The nonprofits won’t answer because they fear violating the contract in some way.
And yet, consider this snippet from Montalvo’s story:
▪ Four former Pacific Valley Patrol security guards who worked at the city’s shelters said that they were encouraged by their boss, Lopes, to use force, namely pepper spray, against shelter residents and nearby unhoused individuals when they felt threatened. The guards said they were instructed to “spray first, ask questions later.” Again, Lopes declined to comment on this story. But one former guard, Warren Hicks, said, “he (Lopes) uses it like hairspray.”
That is beyond troubling. It requires immediate investigation by the city. If it is true, the contract with Lopes should be terminated and another, more professional firm, hired.
The mayor, the City Council, and city administration owe the taxpayers of Fresno some answers. Putting the whole of contracts and operations of the city’s homeless shelters behind an opaque wall of deferrals, refusals and silence is poor governance. It must get fixed.
