Mayor Swearengin Presents State of the City

FRESNO, CA – Mayor Swearengin addressed almost nine hundred attendees, including elected officials as well as business and community leaders, during Wednesday’s State of the City held in downtown Fresno at the New Exhibit Hall. The annual event, sponsored by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, kicked off with musical selections performed by Tiffany Mangum and Company.

Wells Fargo was honored as this year’s CHAMPION (Companies Helping Achieve Meaningful Progress in our Neighborhoods) Award recipient for her excellence and community service with the Mary Ella Brown Community Center. Stacey Gonzales was awarded the Key to the City for her faith and compassion after losing her 9 year old daughter, Janessa Ramirez, to gang violence.

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin

Mayor Swearengin reflected on the City’s accomplishments over the past year and presented her vision for Fresno’s future. She noted that the nation is buzzing about what we’ve accomplished in Fresno after rumors of financial collapse and bankruptcy by 1) balancing our budget two years in a row, paying off our negative fund balances, re-establishing a reserve fund, and eliminating the “going concern” from the City’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report; 2) the adoption of the 2035 General Plan Update, the blueprint for the next 20 years; and 3) passing of new City policies needed to combat the steady progression of Fresno’s “blight line by revitalizing and renovating our older neighborhoods.

“All of the accomplishments the City of Fresno has achieved this past year are a direct result of a commitment to excellence by our employees and the citizens who have joined us to make progress possible,” said Mayor Swearengin. “I quoted Winston Churchill, who said, ‘Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.’ We must choose to recognize the accomplishments in our city – and let those successes whet our appetite for even greater breakthrough.”

Mayor Swearengin’s reflection on the City’s accomplishments over the past year included:
· The adoption of the 2035 General Plan;

· The future adoption of the Development Code;

· The launch of RESTORE Fresno;

· Fresno’s invitation from the White House to join the 25 Cities Initiative to end homelessness for veterans by 2015.

· Fresno experienced another 40% reduction in the number of chronically homeless in the City of Fresno. That’s a 52% reduction over the last two years alone;

· The launch of MAP Point at the Pov, which stands for “Multi Agency Access Program,” a new level of housing and case management service for the homeless;

· The Fresno Bridge Academy which got started back in 2009, has over 80% of its graduates finding new jobs, as well as producing a $5.50 return on every tax dollar invested

· The “Fab 5” is now fully funded and their water conservation app is already in production with an estimated launch in 120 days;

· The launch of “FresGO” mobile app is a free, simple, real-time platform to report concerns, track requests, provide comments, and learn about city services;

· The adoption of the new rate plan and the $429 million capital plan to build a safe, and reliable surface water treatment plant;

· Since the Governor’s 28% reduction in water consumption, Fresno has reduced water consumption by 18%;

· The Fulton Corridor project will go out to bid in the next 30 days, with construction slated to begin this fall.