FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno County is now one step closer to restricting the number of sex offenders who can live in one home.
The Board of Supervisors announced the measure on Monday and unanimously approved it during the first of two hearings today.
Before the vote, Old Fig Garden residents complained during public comment specifically about a local nonprofit, the Centers for Living, that houses registered sex offenders.
The nonprofit’s CEO, John Coyle, argued that they are making the community safer.
But one supervisor made it clear he disagrees, lashing out with profanity.
“I think it’s very important that, when people sling (expletive) to call (expletive). And I think, Mr. Coyle, you sling a lot of (expletive),” said District 2 Supervisor Garry Bredefeld in front of a packed meeting room on Tuesday.
Coyle was at the Board of Supervisors meeting to ask officials to reconsider a measure that would restrict the number of sex offenders living in one home to six.
“Stable and supervised housing reduces risk — homelessness increases it. This ordinance causes homelessness and eliminates the accountability that we provide,” Coyle argued during public comment.
Centers for Living operates multiple homes in Fresno County to reintroduce the homeless community into society.
Coyle’s wife, who is the Cofounder of the nonprofit, said of the 1,200 people they’ve served in Fresno County, 260 of them were registered sex offenders.
Of those 260 individuals, she said one turned out to be a reoffender. In that case, she said authorities were notified and the case was handled appropriately.
She went on to defend the Centers for Living properties facing scrutiny in Old Fig Garden, saying she and her husband are concerned about what she called “uneven enforcement and heightened parole activity” in that neighborhood compared to the other properties within the operation.
“My husband and I actually personally live on the property above the garage on one of the Gettysburg properties. This is not a distant oversight. This is a daily, hands-on responsibility in the same neighborhoods where we live,” Dawn Coyle said.
She added that at least two managers are on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
But their neighbors say it’s not nearly enough.
“I’ve witnessed their ‘supervision’ of these guys walking through the neighborhood, cat-calling at various women. I’ve personally seen that,” Old Fig Garden resident Peter Kapetan said during public comment.
Still, the Coyles argued that providing stability to everyone they serve helps limit the risk of re-offences. They also denied the county’s claims that they’ve regularly had more than six sex offenders living on their properties at one time.
But Bredefeld didn’t buy it.
“Law enforcement officers have come in there, and there have been many times more than six. So that’s a bunch of crap. And what you sling is a bunch of crap. As for housing, and these poor homeless pedophiles and sex offenders, I have a solution for the homeless crisis for them. They belong in prison. There’s a home for them there. They belong in jail,” the supervisor said.
John Coyle pushed back against Bredefeld’s comments, saying he’s witnessed reform firsthand.
“We did not cause this issue. Nor did our residents. Yet, some of the authors of this ordinance are responding to the opinions of a tiny number of emotionally charged neighbors instead of facts,” said Coyle to the board of supervisors during public comment.
Tuesday’s hearing was the first of two scheduled on the proposed ordinance. The second hearing is expected to happen on January 6. If the board passes the measure that day, it will go into effect 30 days later.
“If this ordinance passes, we will be forced to purchase six homes to house our current 34 registered offenders that we currently care for. The alternative would be for them to go homeless. Which is disingenuous as far as their proposed concern for keeping the community safe and accountable,” John Coyle told Action News in part in a text exchange after Tuesday’s meeting.
“But I will tell you that these efforts will not stop us from serving the disadvantaged and displaced people in Fresno County,” he added.
Officials with the City of Fresno also expressed on Tuesday that they look forward to partnering with the county on its efforts.
“Council President (Mike) Karbassi and my office are considering similar legislation. What we don’t want to see happen is for these operators to move from the County into City neighborhoods,” Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz told Action News Tuesday.
Kerry Mannix is a general assignment reporter for ABC30 Action News. For news updates, follow her on Instagram.
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