major weekly highlight s - City of Fresno

DATE: September 8, 2006
TO:
FROM:
FOR:
SUBJECT:
Andrew T. Souza
Rhonda Jorn, Public Affairs Officer
Mayor and Members of the City Council
CITYWIDE WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS REPORT
The Citywide Weekly Report highlights various activities throughout the City for the
week. Consistent with our mission to ensure equal access to opportunity, education,
and quality of life for every man, woman and child regardless of their race, religion, age
or socio-economic status, this report will work to organize our weekly achievements so
that we can measure and maximize our management and performance toward reaching
our goals. It is our intent that this report will help to improve communications about the
programs and services provided to both the City Council and the community.
Please feel free to contact the Public Affairs Department with any questions.
MAJOR WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
Public Utilities Wastewater Pretreatment is Best in Nation:
DPU's Wastewater Management Division has been selected for the "2006 U.S. EPA
Pretreatment Program Excellence Award - BEST in NATION for Large Wastewater
Treatment Facilities.”
City Launches New Website
The highly anticipated, new City of Fresno website was successfully launched 8/31/06.
The web address will continue to be http://www.fresno.gov.
UPCOMING EVENTS and PROJECTS
Personnel
Imagine 21 Refresher
• The Imagine 21 Refresher Series kicks off its inaugural sessions on September
13th and 14th. These no-cost, no-registration, voluntary workshops will offer
employees an opportunity to re-immerse themselves in The Pacific Institute's

Imagine 21: Fast Track to Change curriculum. The workshops will be between
60-90 minutes in length and will be offered at four sites around the City: MSC,
PD, City Hall and Airports.
Fire
9/11 Memorial
• Department members will be participating in the 5 th Anniversary 9/11
Memorial Ceremony, which is hosted by Pelco (Peach and Dakota).
Ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m. and the public is welcome. New York
Firefighter Billy Hayes is in Fresno visiting with department members and will
be attending the Pelco ceremony.
WEEKLY NEWS
KEY RESULT AREA: PUBLIC SAFETY
Fire
Fill the Helmet
• Department members participated in Fill the Helmet on Wednesday, September
6. Volunteers spent the morning at busy intersections around town taking
donations for the Community Regional Medical Center Burn Unit. $142,000 was
raised!
FFD Provides Fresno State Mascot, Timeout, with Honorary Fire Hydrant
Fire Chief Randy Bruegman presented “Timeout” and the Fresno State Red Zone with a
special F.F.D. fire hydrant at Fresno State's Free Speech Area. The fire hydrant, a
restored antique installed throughout the city from 1935-1965, has been painted red and
decked out with Timeout’s name. The “Fresno” style hydrant was designed by a Fresno
Firefighter, and manufactured locally by the Kearney-Perkins Foundry.
• Eleven firefighters continue to participate in the Fire Captain Promotional Exam.
Twelve firefighter trainee candidates were interviewed this week.
• From September 1 until September 7, fire crews responded to 577 incidents.
Police
Officer Brian Nieto
• Brian continues his remarkable recovery. This week Brian was finally able to
make a statement and thank his fellow officers, family and members of the public
for all of their well wishes, prayers and generous help. He has been moved to a
rehabilitation center where he continues to make progress and looks forward to
returning to full duty and once again serving the citizens of Fresno.
Traffic Safety
• Over the Labor Day weekend, the Fresno Police Department’s Traffic Bureau
held three consecutive DUI checkpoints which resulted in 45 arrests of drivers
under the influence. As of July 31, 2006, the Fresno Police Department has
arrested more than 1,661 impaired drivers; and held 46 DUI checkpoints.
Robbery with Shots Fired Results in Suspects Arrest

• On August 29 th suspects robbed the Citibank in Clovis and were fleeing from it
when a Clovis P.D. officer spotted them and tried to stop them. They fired
multiple rounds at him. The officer continued to pursue the suspects into Fresno.
The suspects lost control of their car near Fresno State and ran from it, again
firing at officers. The pursuing Clovis officer had been wounded on his hand as a
result of the gunfire. Skywatch located a handgun on a nearby garage rooftop. A
witness report led police to an apartment, where officers found one suspect
attempting to change his appearance by dramatically changing his hairstyle and
shaving his beard. The second suspect was found several hours later preparing
to leave Fresno. Several firearms were recovered. In all, this event included the
efforts of six local law enforcement agencies: Fresno Police, Clovis Police, FBI,
Fresno County Sheriffs, CSU Fresno Police, and the California Highway Patrol.
Central District Crime Suppression Team On the Job
• The members of the Central District Crime Suppression Team made 45 felony
arrests during the week, including 15 parolees and 13 gang members. They also
served several search warrants, recovering 58 grams of rock cocaine, 28 grams
of methamphetamine, 17 bindles of heroin and 9 bindles of rock cocaine.
• The Central District Crime Suppression Team was also involved in the city-wide
gang suppression, which was intended to aggressively locate, identify, and
contact gang members in an attempt to head off further violence between rival
gangs. Efforts were coordinated with other Districts’ Crime Suppression Teams.
They then targeted the locations that were known gang hang outs.
KEY RESULT AREA: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Personnel
Supervisor Training
• More than a dozen City employees attended the September Lunch and Learn
entitled "Supervisor Toolkit.” In this "train the trainer" session, supervisors were
shown a sampling of video clips on various aspects of supervision that they may
use with their employees to draw out specific lessons on supervision.
Labor Agreement Reached
• The City and the City of Fresno Professional Employees Association (CFPEA)
reached tentative agreement on a successor 3 year labor agreement. The
agreement was ratified by members of CFPEA on August 31, 2006. The tentative
agreement provides for an MOU effective for 3 years with wage increases in the
first 2 years and a wage increases in the 3rd year tied to revenue growth in the
City's General Fund. The City and CFPEA also developed Success Plans and a
revised Performance Appraisal that includes City Key Objectives and Values.
The agreement will be taken to the city Council for ratification.
KEY RESULT AREA: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Virginia Hotel
• The Economic Development Department staff has been working with internal and
eternal partners to develop a time line and process to acquire the Virginia Hotel.
Capital Fuels the Engine of Economic Growth

• The Economic Development Department staff met with a Los Angles-based firm
that is developing a double bottom line equity fund for the City. Besides this
important new source of equity investment to help Fresno-based businesses
grow and create jobs, the firm is also working with staff to identify new projects
where other capital, such as New Market Tax Credits, can be deployed.
Enterprise Zone Application
• Applications for the new State Enterprise Zone designations were submitted.
Scoring is expected to be complete by October 26th with Conditional
Designations to be announced on October 27th and finalized by November 1st.
Current Fresno business uses of this program have received several millions of
dollars of tax credit just over the past five years.
KEY RESULT AREA: ONE FRESNO
AIRPORTS
MORE SEATS TO GUADALAJARA
• On September 1, 2006, Mexicana Airlines once again increased seat capacity by
adding a 150-passenger Airbus A320 jet for its non-stop international service to
Guadalajara, Mexico. The transition to the larger aircraft is the result of the
significant demand for international service between Fresno and Mexico.
Mexicana has enjoyed an impressive average passenger load of 90% right from
the start of service. This high a level of passenger acceptance is most unusual
for any new route service.
FYI Goes Solar
• The Department of Airports has been accepted to participate in a Self-Generation
Incentive Program through PG & E for up to a 1 Megawatt solar system as part of
the new consolidated rental car project, which is currently under design. The
Airports acceptance is the first step in a number of the incentive program
processes.
KEY RESULT AREA: EDUCATION
Public Utilities
Containers in View Subject of TV Interview
• Joleen Wofford, Community Coordinator for Solid Waste was interviewed
September 5 th on Channel 47 about Containers in View and contamination.
KEY RESULT AREA: CUSTOMER SERVICE
General Services
Service and Solutions
• This week Central Printing teamed up with the Finance Department Business
Tax & Permits Section to redesign and produce taxi cab permits. Security
concerns at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport made it necessary that cab
permits to be easily visible from both inside and outside of the cabs. Central
Printing developed a few samples and a solution was found to address the
visibility needs for the permits.

E–Waste Away
• The Purchasing Division recently teamed with the Solid Waste and Community
Sanitation Divisions to put in place contracts for Battery Recycling and the
Disposal of E-Waste for all City Departments. Bids were awarded to Toxco, Inc.
for Batteries and Electronic Recyclers for E-Waste. These contracts will enable
the City to efficiently and safely dispose of these hazardous waste items.
Eaton Trail Improvements
• This week the Purchasing Division opened bids for Eaton Trail improvements in
Woodward Park for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.
Planning and Development
Building and Safety Services Division
Combination Inspectors
• As of this week, all 20 residential inspectors have now been converted to the
combination inspector format which covers all of the plumbing, electrical,
mechanical and building inspections for City residences.
Code Enforcement
Blight Fight!
• With the efforts of Code Enforcement's Tire Abatement Team working two days
per week removing signs, and the assistance and support from Codes Area
Teams with sign removal, approximately 75 illegal signs are removed daily from
the public right of way. This added effort from the Code Enforcement Team goes
a long way toward keeping Fresno clean and safe!
Public Utilities
Bulldogs Partner With Solid Waste Recycling
• A three-way partnership has developed between the City’s Recycling Division,
Local Conservation Corps (an organization providing job training for at risk
youths), and Fresno State Bulldogs! At the first game of the season there were
140 "Clear-Stream" recycling containers in the tailgate area as well as two huge
recycling receptacles in each food court area inside the stadium. The Local
Conservation Corps collected three truck loads of (CRV) beverage containers
from the event.
Battery Recycling Boxes Are In Place
• State law prohibits throwing batteries into the garbage. All City locations now
have battery recycling boxes labeled "The Big Green Box.” This program is costly
to each division, so to reduce battery recycling costs, buy and use only rechargeable
batteries, which can be turned in where purchased for free. Contact
Patti Toews at 621-1882 for information about Big Green Box locations or other
questions about the program.
Recycling works with Certified Oil Collection Centers
• Recycling staff is aggressively working with Certified Oil Collection Centers to
reduce the "orphan oil" issues (oil dropped off when the stores are closed). Three
difficult locations have been targeted and during meetings with district managers
issues were identified and plans discussed to decrease or eliminate the problem.

Public Works
Promotions
Effective Monday, September 11 th , Scott Mozier and Efren Banuelos were promoted as
Assistant Directors within the department. Scott will oversee the following divisions:
Engineering and General Services, Real Estate, Design, Special Districts, and
Transportation. Efren will oversee Streets, Capital Management and Construction
Management. Congratulations to Scott and Efren.
Quick response from Street Maintenance
• Public Works Street Maintenance crews responded to a call from Channel 47 On
Your Side about a sign on Milburn Avenue south of Herndon Avenue that
contradicted the striping that was recently installed by a private development
contractor. Within the hour crews replaced the sign. The contractor only
completed part of the approved striping and sign plans. City staff will seek
reimbursement from the developer/contractor for costs associated with the new
sign. Bryan Jones met with Channel 47 in the field for an interview. He
commended the responsiveness of street crews and thanked Channel 47 for
being staff's eyes and ears in the City.
• Public Works staff Jon Ruiz, Mike Kirn, Scott Mozier, and Bryan Jones met with
stakeholders from Commercial, Industrial, Residential, and Office building
industries to discuss the proposed Street Impact Fees and their concerns for the
economic impacts to the development community. This was the third of three
planned meetings that staff has had with the stakeholders. Two additional
meetings have been added to discuss the technical assumptions and the "real"
impacts of these fees from the development perspective.