FRESNO, Calif. – Out of 15 cities within Fresno County, only five have signed on to an ordinance that seeks to regulate biolabs. Officials say they are encouraging the rest of the cities to join the regulation effort in light of news that an unauthorized biolab found in Reedley in 2022 was tied to one found earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas officials say they found unknown liquids that were “potential biological and hazardous materials,” and laboratory equipment inside the home.

Investigators say several people who had come in contact with the home containing the biolab became ill.

The home is allegedly connected to David He, who was arrested in 2023 after authorities discovered he was allegedly storing biological materials inside a Reedley warehouse.

In December 2022, the Fresno County Department of Public Health began to uncover the hidden biolab in an old warehouse in downtown Reedley. Officials said it contained unauthorized substances, inadequate chemical storage, and nearly 40 regular house refrigerators.

Long before the discovery, the county already had suspicions about the location.

Court records indicate that starting in March 2022, the Fresno County Department of Public Health sought warrants to enter the downtown Reedley warehouse housing the lab, but received no response from the property’s owners.

It wasn’t until April of the following year that an abatement warrant was issued, permitting entry into the facility and allowed the start of the examination.

Public health officials found COVID-19 samples, vials containing diseases like dengue, HIV, herpes, RSV, malaria and rubella; nearly 1,000 transgenic mice, and Chinese-made pregnancy and COVID test kits labeled “Made in the USA.”

Everything inside the biolab was destroyed, costing over $310,000 of Reedley taxpayer dollars.

Different cities, different timelines

The Las Vegas biolab was owned and operated by He, according to federal authorities. Officials say it is unclear whether this new investigation will affect his upcoming trial in April playing out in federal court in Fresno

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, SWAT officers executed a search warrant Saturday at a residence after a tip indicated a biolab was operating inside the home.

Las Vegas officials moved in within 24 hours of obtaining the warrant..

What took Fresno County officials several months to unfold in the Reedley case, it took Vegas officials a single day. In Reedley, inspecting and clearing the biolab took 76 days and 14 agencies between April and July 2023.

But Fresno County officials attributed much of the local delay to differences in the level of assistance they received from federal or state officials.

Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba said that the city and the county did everything with little guidance — and the lab case was highly unusual overall.

“We really had to go it alone,” Zieba said. “There was no situation to turn back to and say, ‘How did this particular city deal with it?’ Let’s follow their lead.”

Zieba said Reedley was a “test case” in a growing concern over biolabs in the country. Congressional leaders have introduced legislation seeking to better enforce rules around labs that contain infectious materials.

Private laboratories are not regulated at the state or federal level.

After the discovery in Reedley, county officials drafted an ordinance aimed at preventing future issues by requiring inspections of private biolabs annually.

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance in January 2024. It granted Fresno County Public Health officials expanded authority to enter and inspect private laboratories within the county.

County leaders say the enforcement is intended to strengthen oversight and address concerns about unregulated or unauthorized biolabs.

But the lack of participation in the ordinance means the efforts to add oversight to the labs continues to be a challenge. Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig is calling on other cities to join in on the ordinance.

“We’re hopeful that the other 10 will sign up as well. But again, in doing this, it creates almost a patchwork where we need federal regulation,” Magsig said.