Fresno honors California Apartment Association for decade of partnership

The Fresno City Council has recognized the California Apartment Association for more than a decade of collaboration on housing policy and rental housing initiatives. The proclamation highlighted the association's work to improve housing quality, expand supply, and support responsible rental housing operations across the community.

The honor was presented during a recent council meeting, where city leaders emphasized the importance of housing in local policymaking.

"It's probably the most prevalent issue we face every day," Council President Mike Karbassi said while introducing the proclamation. He noted the association's work with responsible housing providers, saying the city has been able "to pass good policy like the asset team, the Anti Slumlord Enforcement Team, to improve the quality of housing for residents and work with those majority responsible landlords that want to make sure they protect their investment and also protect their tenants because happy tenants leads to happier profits."

Karbassi thanked Greg Terzakis, the association's regional vice president, for helping the city "properly break through all the misconceptions and go to the heart of the issue and provide quality housing in the city of Fresno."

Mayor Jerry Dyer also recognized the association's role in shaping local policy. "Greg and I have a lot of conversations over the phone over the course of the year, but it's always about how can we make Fresno better," Dyer said. "They've been a great partner for us when we're developing policy." He added that the city and the association share a "common goal … to make sure that we have sufficient housing in Fresno … that housing is affordable for people … and that housing is housing that people will be proud of to live in."

Accepting the recognition, Terzakis underscored the association's long-standing partnership with the city. "It's been our privilege to work with the city of Fresno for the last decade that I've been with CAA," he said. "As Council President Karbassi mentioned, we have passed a lot of legislation to protect vulnerable renters. We will continue to fight that fight."

He also highlighted community service collaborations named in the proclamation, including work with Reading Heart, First 5, the fire and police chaplaincy, Operation Gobble, Toys for Tots, the Frontline Assistance Group, and the Central California Food Bank. He noted recent literacy efforts, saying, "Fifty-five thousand books have been given out to over 10,000 children, and over half of those have been bilingual in the county of Fresno in the last few years. We've been a part of that, and that is something we're very proud of."

Terzakis closed by thanking city staff for their partnership, noting the work of the Neighborhood Revitalization team, the School Area team, code enforcement, and the city attorney's office. Their efforts, he said, "have made solving the problems we need to solve here in Fresno much easier."

The proclamation concluded by formally recognizing the California Apartment Association for its lasting contributions and partnership with the city of Fresno.