Fresno County Supervisors Reject Home Kitchen Pilot Program in 3-2 Vote

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on July 14 to reject a pilot program that would have legalized Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations, or MEHKOs, after unanimously supporting the proposal at a first hearing on June 30.

Board Chair Garry Bredefeld and supervisors Buddy Mendes and Nathan Magsig cast the three votes against the program, citing concerns including increased traffic in residential areas and dissatisfaction with state law allowing only one annual inspection of MEHKOs.

The proposed two-year pilot would have allowed 66 MEHKO permits countywide. Those entrepreneurs would have been capped at serving 90 meals a week, no more than 30 in a single day, and roughly $100,000 in annual revenue, subject to yearly increases through the consumer price index.

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The program had support from organizations like Cultiva La Salud, whose Executive Director Veva Islas advocated for the opportunity it would give food entrepreneurs to expand beyond cottage food permits while testing menus before opening brick-and-mortar locations. The county had been awarded just under $155,000 in state grant money in 2024 to explore the feasibility of a local program.

Opposition came from the California Restaurant Association and the Sunnyside Property Owners Association. Matt Sutton, the restaurant association’s senior vice president of Government Affairs & Public Policy, wrote in a July 14 letter that “efforts should be made by the County to nurture the brick-and-mortar restaurant community, not efforts that would effectively compromise public food safety.”

Multiple members of the Sunnyside Property Owners Association voiced concerns at the meeting about increased traffic congestion in residential areas. The association said in a Friday statement that their “concerns were, and remain, focused on the neighborhood impacts of introducing commercial food operations into residential areas, including traffic, parking, noise, code enforcement, business licensing, and compatibility with existing neighborhoods.”

Bredefeld withdrew his support after county staff confirmed the county could not legally require an additional unannounced health inspection per year beyond the one annually required by state law. “You have one inspection here with no other inspection at all, unless there’s a complaint,” Bredefeld said. “To me, that poses a great risk to the public. I don’t think there are enough guardrails in place for this.”

Mendes also voiced concerns about dine-in options at MEHKOs, but declined when county counsel asked if he wanted to delay the item to explore restrictions on dine-in service. “I’m already getting tired of hearing this,” Mendes said before the board moved forward with a vote.

The board is expected to see at least two new faces in 2027. Former Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims has already clinched the District 4 seat after a victory in the June primary and will take over for the retiring Mendes. In November, Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi will face off against Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco for the District 1 seat. If Magsig wins a runoff in his bid for State Senate this fall, the District 5 seat will also open up next year.

Local food entrepreneur Paul Samarin, who spoke in favor of the pilot at the meeting, told Fresnoland he is considering shutting down his business, House of Paul, in the wake of the decision. Samarin, a veteran living with PTSD, launched his Texas-style barbecue business three years ago and had been exploring brick-and-mortar locations but fell short of most landlords’ income requirements. He said the MEHKO opportunity offered a “glimmer of hope” that was extinguished by the vote.

Fresno County Public Health Director Joe Prado said between $20,000 and $30,000 remain to be spent on the grant, money that will be expended “by the end of the contract term” in August. “So we do not plan on sending any funding back to the State,” he added.

The Breakdown

• MEHKOs are home-based food businesses allowed under state law that require counties to opt in locally
• The proposed pilot would have permitted 66 operations countywide for two years
• Each operation could serve up to 90 meals per week, no more than 30 per day, with approximately $100,000 annual revenue cap
• State law requires one annual inspection, with additional inspections only allowed based on complaints
• The board voted 5-0 to approve the pilot at the first hearing on June 30, then voted 3-2 to reject it on July 14
• Fresno County received just under $155,000 in state grant funding in 2024 to explore the program’s feasibility

What This Means for You

If you operate or were planning to operate a home-based food business in Fresno County, you remain limited to cottage food permits, which allow only a restricted list of food products and do not permit the broader menu options and meal service that MEHKOs would have enabled. The board’s composition is expected to change in 2027, which could affect whether a similar proposal is considered again.