From:
To: Clerk
Subject: ID Number 26-38, June 4th 2026
Date: Friday, May 29, 2026 9:57:41 PM
External Email: Use caution with links and attachments
To the Fresno City Council,
As a concerned local artist with autism, I urge you not to support entertainment zones in Fresno. I’ve shown in several regional and nationally recognized art exhibitions in the Central Valley. However in the recent years, the Fresno ArtHop environment has become less and less accessible.
Especially in Downtown, the focus on local artists has been lost due to monopolizing the proposed “entertainment zones” and enabling irresponsible consumption of alcohol. It is already a public health issue, because there were previous reported incidents of violence that were preventable. We cannot risk the livelihood of our community for the benefit of making profits.
Speaking from the perspective of a disabled brown woman, I don’t feel safe navigating ArtHop unless there is reliable public transportation, and it’s a controlled environment. Having these entertainment zones are proven as the exact opposite of safe and controlled environments.
Despite Fresno being the 5th largest city in California, reliable public transportation is far from accessible. Why have an entertainment zone in a car-centric city. Logistically, this doesn’t make sense.
Please oppose entertainment zones, for the safety of your constituents:
Erica Yesenia Rodriguez
District 4
From:
To: Clerk
Subject: Entertainment Zone 26-38
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026 5:24:53 PM
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Dear Fresno City Council Members,
I am writing as a Fresno taxpayer and resident to express my strong objection to the proposed downtown entertainment zones allowing open alcohol containers.
My concern is not theoretical — it is deeply personal. My husband’s 14-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver while walking to 7-11. No child, parent, sibling, or family should ever have to live through that kind of loss.
Because of that experience, I cannot support policies that normalize or expand public alcohol consumption in our city.
I understand the desire to bring activity and business to downtown Fresno. However, allowing open containers outdoors creates serious public safety concerns. The reality is that many people will not “take the bus home.” They will drive home — across Fresno and into surrounding communities. This proposal increases the risk not only for those drinking, but for innocent families, pedestrians, teenagers, workers, and everyone sharing the road.
I am also concerned by reports from local artists and vendors who feel they may lose opportunities and space while larger alcohol-centered businesses benefit from this change.
Downtown revitalization should support a diverse community of artists, small businesses, vendors, families, and cultural events — not primarily alcohol expansion.
As a taxpayer, I question whether the potential economic benefit outweighs the possible public safety costs, enforcement demands, and human consequences.
I respectfully ask the Fresno City Council to reconsider this proposal or, at minimum, implement far stronger safeguards, transportation requirements, and protections for local artists and small vendors before moving forward.
Please remember that behind every drunk driving statistic is a real family whose life changed forever.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lani Ellingsworth and Charles Zapata
Fresno Resident & Taxpayer
From:
To: Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Entertainment Zone 26-747
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026 5:38:09 PM
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Lani E >
Date: May 30, 2026 at 5:24:35 PM PDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: Entertainment Zone 26-38
Dear Fresno City Council Members,
I am writing as a Fresno taxpayer and resident to express my strong objection to the proposed downtown entertainment zones allowing open alcohol containers.
My concern is not theoretical — it is deeply personal. My husband’s 14-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver while walking to 7-11. No child, parent, sibling, or family should ever have to live through that kind of loss.
Because of that experience, I cannot support policies that normalize or expand public alcohol consumption in our city.
I understand the desire to bring activity and business to downtown Fresno.
However, allowing open containers outdoors creates serious public safety concerns. The reality is that many people will not “take the bus home.” They will drive home — across Fresno and into surrounding communities. This proposal increases the risk not only for those drinking, but for innocent families, pedestrians, teenagers, workers, and everyone sharing the road.
I am also concerned by reports from local artists and vendors who feel they may lose opportunities and space while larger alcohol-centered businesses benefit from this change. Downtown revitalization should support a diverse community of artists, small businesses, vendors, families, and cultural events — not primarily alcohol expansion.
As a taxpayer, I question whether the potential economic benefit outweighs the possible public safety costs, enforcement demands, and human consequences.
I respectfully ask the Fresno City Council to reconsider this proposal or, at minimum, implement far stronger safeguards, transportation requirements, and protections for local artists and small vendors before moving forward.
Please remember that behind every drunk driving statistic is a real family whose life changed forever.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lani Ellingsworth and Charles Zapata
Fresno Resident & Taxpayer
From:
To: Clerk
Cc:
Subject: No Entertainment Zones
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026 6:52:54 PM
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To whom it may concern-
As a longtime Tower resident, I am vehemently opposed to the City's proposal to add "entertainment zones" for certain downtown events.
The City of fresNo has a long and storied history of actively promoting Certain Business Interests above and beyond the interests and wellbeing of her residents, and this is just one more in a long string of bad ideas.
The City has repeatedly demonstrated that it is unable to provide sufficient supervision for the current levels of alcohol consumption, and inviting more drinking will only worsen the impact.
The violent events at Arthop and more recently in Tower should be a very fresh reminder. The business owners who will be the primary beneficiaries of this new policy may be struggling, but their survival should not come at the expense of actual residents and the other businesses in the area.
Even a best case scenario here will have an incredible negative impact on the people who are not involved and not profiting - traffic, noise, litter, and the regular prevention of the quiet enjoyment every person is legally entitled to have on their own property.
The City already ignores the negative impact that Tower street drinking has on Tower residents and property owners; local government should be protecting all taxpayers and residents instead of allowing a few people to profit at the expense of many, many others.
If the City has decided they are committed to this policy, perhaps they could start by providing proof of concept with a pilot program at a site in north fresNo, and after all the difficulties have been resolved, only then consider possible additional implementations in other parts of the city.
No entertainment zones when the city currently has a long documented historical inability to keep street drinking under control.
Thank you.
Diana Diehl
Dennett Avenue
District 3
(Sorry, I was unable to successfully use the eComment link at Legistar) From:
To: Clerk
Subject: Entertainment zone item number 26-747
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 3:25:05 AM
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Hello, My name is Brian Vasquez. I oppose item number 26-747 and all permits being issued by the city of Fresno. I have several reasons why I oppose this rushed entertainment zone.
1. The downtown area this Entertainment zone is going to be held has seen an increase in violence in and around close proximity to this exact proposed area. I don’t think more access to alcohol in and outside these brick and mortar businesses is a good idea. Strangers walking amongst other strangers outside the safety and perceived security while intoxicated invites a nonchalant mood to this area that destroys the family environment.
2. The fact that this EZ was planned with no input from the people in backrooms is a red flag.
I find this permit flying through unchallenged with zero transparency until the very end of
may, with one post by Downtown Fresno Partnerships instagram page, seriously and intentionally discretionary. And DFP only posted that Ez zone faq because they were getting justified heat from the public. The full intention of this radio silence was planned. The same tactics were used to rush other ez zones in other counties. I think DFP wanted no public input at all.
3. I don’t appreciate Property Owners that don’t live here, like Nora Monaco, having any input
on what permits are approved here. If violence happens, will the landlords take accountability for pushing DFP and the brewery businesses to rush to push this EZ through The council with Almost zero transparency from the public. It was the public that had to inform us. It wasn’t DFP nor the businesses. This was intentional discretion and it stinks. We don’t want more violence, more rushed permits without a thorough transparency campaign for this new ez.
4. I’ve heard from brewery
business owners that they might be one bad month from closing down. And a business owners admitted that there hasn’t even been an approved budget for all of this? Furthermore, the breweries can barely handle the crowd on a regular Arthop day. And these breweries will have their alcohol license at risk if they have a violent issue happen in their business. What business took that deal? This tells you they are desperate. They have to pay for increased insurance and now these businesses have to pony up backup funds for this event? If this EZ
does not hit for these businesses, it’s dead anyway.
Vote no on this poorly planned EZ, Fresno City Council. Show your constituents you listen to everyday people, and not just commerce nonprofits, landlords and businesses to the risk of Fresno people.
Thanks for lending an ear.
From:
To: Clerk
Subject: Item 26-747, 6/4/2026 City Council meeting
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 6:45:34 AM
External Email: Use caution with links and attachments
I am opposed to approving this proposal. Why?
(1) Fresno State recently reported that Fresno and Fresno County has a horrendous drinking driver problem. Our city has been repeatedly designated one of the drunkest in the nation and state.
(2) Alcohol related violence is a real problem locally, in downtown and in the Tower District.
I have little confidence in the ability of the police department to manage it. (3) The executive director of the Downtown Fresno Partnership lied to the public on social media. He claimed there were no significant incidents during ArtHop recently despite media
reports to the contrary.
Sincerely yours,
Dan Waterhouse
Fresno
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
From:
To: Clerk
Subject: Opposition to ID 26-747
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 9:04:41 AM
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Councilmembers,
My name is Delia Centeno. I am a resident of Fresno, living in District 2. I am writing to express my concern with item number ID 26-747.
This is just a horrible, horrible idea. Fresno does not need an “entertainment zone.” This is a request made from a special interest group. Nobody else wants this, not downtown residents, not downtown businesses. We all want to revitalize downtown Fresno, but allowing public drinking is not the way to do it. To think that alcohol is a good way to help the area is lazy and above all, dangerous. I’m sure you have all at least heard of the results of the Fresno State study that found that fatal DUI-related crashes in the Central Valley are about TWICE the state average. We need to move away from the overconsumption of alcohol, and away from the special interest groups that choose money over human life.
I was disappointed to learn that this item even made it to the agenda with absolutely no pushback from any of the councilmembers. You are all elected officials. You were elected by the citizens of Fresno. You should be keeping their best interests at the forefront of your work on the council. Instead, you are all pandering to a special interest group that put greed over community safety. That’s disgusting. I know quite a few of you having bigger aspirations and hope to continue your political careers at the state or county level. If you don’t even keep the best interests of voters in mind, how can you be trusted to do what’s best for all California or even Fresno County?
Please vote no on item number ID 26-747.
Thank you,
Delia Centeno