FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno city leaders are offering new powers to local business owners. Tuesday, council members Garry Bredefeld, Mike Karbassi and Tyler Maxwell introduced a new ordinance, giving owners the right to ask people to leave when they trespass on private property.
They say this legislation offers something to owners that is not currently an option. "You're at your favorite coffee shop, and there are several people sleeping inside across the span of multiple hours; the business owners cannot call the police for help if those individuals refuse to leave; I can't imagine that good for business," said councilmember Tyler Maxwell. Maxwell says his office constantly gets calls from businesses owners dealing with this problem.
"Having your patrons be afraid of visiting you is a death sentence for these businesses. This common-sense ordinance will change that; it will be a tool to help small businesses, local businesses," said Maxwell. If people refuse to leave after being notified, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and face a one thousand dollar fine or one year in jail.
For Kemi Fagbule, owner of the Fagbule Glass House, she knows firsthand the damage people invading a property can cause. "They come, they trespass, they trash the place, to the point they burn down my building, my precious building. Now you can imagine I'm still paying mortgage on an empty building," said business owner, Kemi Fagbule.
She says she still pays nearly $9,000 a month for a space .