City Council Updates, Recognitions

The Clovis City Council rezoned 3.54 acres of land near the northeast corner of Shaw and Locan Avenues from a public facilities zone district to single-family residential at its Monday, Aug. 2 meeting.

Rezoning the area from public facilities to single-family residential pushes a projected 17-lot subdivision built on the land forward.

Clovis’ planning commission first considered the project at its June 24 meeting, where residents voiced neither comments for or against the project, and it was approved unanimously.

The City says the rezoning is consistent with the adopted general plan’s goals, policies, and actions, including the housing element.

Mayor Jose Flores had to recuse himself from this decision due to living within 1,000 feet of the project.

Olympian Honors

Flores also proposed a day celebrating U.S. Olympian and Clovis sprinter Jenna Prandini’s effort in the 2021 Summer Olympics.

“[She] never forgot Clovis, and I think she made us proud,” Flores said.

On Monday, Prandini’s goal of earning a medal in the 200 meters ended with a fifth-place finish in the semi-final heats, eventually finishing 13th overall in the event.

Prandini also participated in the 100 meters, finishing fourth in the semifinals.

“She [Prandini] was eliminated in the semi-finals, and she tried her best,” Flores said. “She left it all on the track.”

Flores also acknowledged Clovis’ other Olympian, Bryson Dechambeau, who saw his Olympic dream cut short after testing positive for COVID-19 before his departure to Tokyo.

“We should honor those young people who strive, achieve, and represent,” Flores said.

Retirees Honored

The Council recognized two long-term City employees, John McIsaac and Mike McLemore.

McLemore has worked for the City as a senior building inspector for 17 years, while McIsaac worked as a planning and development services plans examiner for 33 years.

During Monday’s presentation, McLemore was described as an asset to Clovis, helping people through challenging construction projects while performing his duties positively and professionally.

“Mike truly cared how he impacted not only his colleagues but the community, as evident in absolutely everything that he did,” the presenter said. “His shoes will be hard to fill.”

As for McIsaac, he was described as well respected, liked, and appreciated by the development community during his time as a plans examiner, given his work ethic and effectiveness in the role.

“His retirement is truly our loss, given his ability to positively traverse the world of building code enforcement in a manner that left customers satisfied,” the presenter said. “That is a skill some people never achieve.”

Councilmember Drew Bessinger thanked both retirees and talked about working closely with McIsaac while doing code enforcement for the Clovis Police Department.

Bessinger said working with McIsaac and his department on crime prevention through evictions was an effective tool, specifically with places that were selling and manufacturing drugs.

“You [McIsaac] made things much easier and helped reduce crime by being part of a larger team, and that was a really good thing,” Bessinger said.

Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck said both McLemore and McIsaac are examples of what makes Clovis what it is.

“It’s just the daily work that people will never see about our city that you all do with such grace and skill that is Clovis at heart, and really remarkable,” Ashbeck said.

Anthony De Leon is a journalist who started his career in 2017, covering sports for the Fresno City College Rampage, earning his Associate Degree in the process. He then moved on to Fresno State, working for The Collegian serving as Sports Editor, Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in print journalism. In August, he will begin attending Reynold’s School of Journalism Master’s program at the University of Nevada, Reno.