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Fresno County supervisors confirm public health director, create housing office and set kratom ordinance hearing
Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting the Fresno County Board of Supervisors confirmed Joe Prado as public health director effective Nov. 24, approved creation of an Office of Housing and Homelessness, held a first hearing on a kratom sales ordinance and proclaimed a Toys for Tots marathon weekend.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 confirmed Joe Prado as the county’s new public health director, approved creation of a county Office of Housing and Homelessness to coordinate homelessness services, held a first hearing on a proposed ordinance to regulate and prohibit kratom sales in unincorporated areas and proclaimed December 2025 as the Toys for Tots marathon weekend.
The board’s action to confirm Joe Prado takes effect Nov. 24. An unidentified speaker said they "look forward to leading the department to ensure public safety, to improve access to health care, and really work towards data integration throughout the entire county system." The board did not state a roll-call vote tally in the record provided.
The board also approved establishing an Office of Housing and Homelessness within the county administrative office. According to the discussion, the office is intended to coordinate across county programs, cities, service providers and the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care "to align resources, advance effective solutions, and ensure accountability for measurable progress toward ending homelessness in our region," Speaker 2 said.
On public health regulation, the board held a first hearing on an ordinance aimed at regulating and prohibiting the sale of kratom in unincorporated Fresno County and set a second hearing for Dec. 9, 2025. Speaker 3 commented that "there's a lot of public education that needs to be done about exactly what this is, and ... more consistency in regulation would certainly be welcome."
In ceremonial and community items, the board presented a retirement plaque recognizing Brian Malikian’s 35 years of service in the county council’s office. The board also read a proclamation designating the Toys for Tots marathon weekend; a speaker noted the program helped about 58,000 children last year, up from about 53,000 in 2023.
Public Works and Planning provided updates on current and future road safety initiatives across the county. The board did not announce specific funding allocations or vote tallies for those updates during the remarks recorded. The kratom ordinance will return for a second hearing on Dec. 9, 2025; the new public health director’s appointment is effective Nov. 24.
