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Fresno County board adopts 2025 federal platform; adds brownfields language, debates harm-reduction line
Summary
The Board unanimously approved an updated federal legislative platform ahead of NACO meetings and lobbying trips. Supervisors added language supporting Brownfields Act grant funding for redevelopment; the board also debated language on 'harm reduction services' in opioid policy but left the platform language unchanged.
On Feb. 11 the Fresno County Board of Supervisors adopted an updated federal legislative platform that will guide the county's lobbying priorities in Washington, D.C., and inform letters of support or opposition by the chair. The platform was revised by county staff with input from departments and the county's new federal lobbyist, Townsend Public Affairs.
Deputy CAO Samantha Buck summarized changes the platform: removal of COVID-specific clawback language (now covering all federal funding), a revised farm bill position, language replacing the word “green” with “environmentally conscious,” creation of a housing-and-homelessness section with broader definitions of chronic homelessness, and items aimed at workforce and social‑service flexibility. The board approved the package as amended.
Supervisor Magsig proposed adding a new economic-development bullet supporting Brownfields Act grant funding and supplied draft language asking the county to “support legislation that maximizes Brownfield Act grant funding to protect human health by cleaning contaminated sites, boost the economy by revitalizing urban areas, creating jobs, and reduce urban sprawl by promoting the reuse of existing sites.” The board accepted a friendly amendment to broaden the language to include rural communities and then voted to adopt the platform with that addition.
The platform generated debate over a public-health line that supports “harm reduction services” and increased funding to address opioid use. Supervisor Breitfeld said he was not supportive of needle-exchange programs and called the practice “destructive” while noting he supported components of the public-health work the county performs. County staff clarified that the county does not fund the needle-exchange program; the county provides facility support and other services, and any specific funding or program adoption would return to the board for approval.
Townsend Public Affairs staff outlined federal calendar items for 2025 that the platform will inform: the March 14 appropriations deadline, a likely spring start to fiscal‑year 2026 appropriations, a large budget-reconciliation effort, farm bill reauthorization ahead of Sept. 30, 2025, and reauthorization windows for surface-transportation programs. The board approved the revised platform and authorized the chairman and county administrative office to act on behalf of the county within the platform’s priorities.
