Steven R. Lewis, the brand new chief executive officer of the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, says he’ll be prepared to ax programs that run deficits so the agency can regain its financial health.

Lewis’ first day of work on Monday included the commission’s monthly board meeting, where he made it clear that he will be taking a close look at programs where expenditures continue to exceed revenues.

And that may mean making some tough decisions, Lewis told the board.

“I’m under the belief that as we look at the findings, we have to eliminate bleeding programs,” he said. “… We have to look at the mission and really come to decisions on what is really important for this institution to keep moving forward.”

The Fresno EOC, an anti-poverty agency that’s responsible for a variety of programs including Women and Children (WIC) nutrition programs, Head Start early childhood education, the Local Conservation Corps, food distribution, energy services, and the School for Unlimited Learning, has been spending in the red since May 2022.

Fresno EOC’s Financial Crisis

In November 2024, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who appointed himself to a seat on the board formerly held by his mother, wrote a public letter accusing the agency of “hemorrhaging” money and of using up its reserves.

The next month the board did not renew the contract of CEO Emilia Reyes, and the following month the board brought back former CEO Brian Angus as the interim CEO.

Angus told the commissioners in May that the agency had spent down its $8 million reserve fund to cover the deficits and had to take out a $5 million loan in the spring just to keep the doors open.

This spring the agency hired Charter Impact, a nonprofit that provides financial services to nonprofits, on a one-year contract.

At Monday’s board meeting, Charter Impact officials reported to the board that while the deficit in the first six months of this year is smaller than last year’s, the agency continued to spend more than it received in revenues.

With new contracts starting in July, the agency expects to start collecting more revenues and end the calendar year with a deficit of nearly $433,000.

“Given the current financial position of the organization, it is critical that the Agency execute according to this reforecasted budget and begin to rebuild reserves,” a Charter Impact report said. “Certain programs are relying on CSBG (Community Service Block Grant federal funding) support to cover for structural deficits and are impacting the continued viability of the organization. These programs should be evaluated by management to determine if there is an ability to operate at a breakeven or if they should continue to be operated.”

Programs Will Be Eyed

Lewis said those evaluations will be conducted and agency officials will determine which programs are mission-essential and must continue, and which programs should be discontinued.

“I don’t have that answer now, but I will,” he said. “Once we get these findings in place, we discussed a lot of it today — I think it’s too premature for me to add any kind of solution around that. But I think we’ve really got to look hard on that, because we’ve got to get these reserves back to where they need to be. And our balance sheet has to get healthy.”

Community leaders and the commission have been invited to a private event Tuesday morning to meet Lewis, who comes to Fresno from the Community Partnership for Child Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

At 11:30 a.m. the Fresno EOC will hold a news event to introduce Lewis and also to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Fresno EOC, on Aug. 30, 1965, agency spokeswoman Amanda Venegas said.