Quote of the Week

“Fresno is a holy well under a mini mall on McKinley and First that becomes the magical pho sold at each of the five restaurants there. Fresno is the man digging at the bottom of that untapped well, filling another bucket with dirt wondering if the next swing of the pick will splash mud in his face. The mud is a dream. Fresno is that dream. 

Whispered from Saigon to Ayoquezco, from Punjab to Armenia, and it’s hidden under our feet, under several feet of hardpan. Fresno is the hardpan and Fresno is the water that softens it, a river that slowly carves the mountain. 

Fresno is the shovel, the pick, the hole, the well, the bucket, the rope, the darkness, and the light.” 

— An excerpt of a new poem, “Fresno is,” from Joseph Rios, Fresno’s newest poet laureate, as shared at the Fresno City Council meeting Thursday

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this newsletter omitted information about former CRMC board member Jerry Cook. It has since been updated.

This Week in Fresnoland

The owners of the former Trails’ End mobile home park in northeast Fresno are closing the park and selling it – for profit.

Residents of the embattled mobile home park all received notices on Friday, reported Dympna Ugwu-Oju for Fresnoland, giving them 12 months to leave. This comes after over a year of advocacy by residents fighting to stay in their homes after the new owner, Harmony Communities, began a series of evictions, under the stated intentions of making sure residents were following rules to maintain health and safety at the park after a fire killed one resident.

Harmony plans to list the property immediately – which they purchased for $1.7 million last year – and sell or partner with a developer to redevelop the site.

“While unfortunate, sometimes land uses become obsolete and must be repositioned for the betterment of the entire community,” said Sherrie Johnston, Harmony’s chief operating officer.

Many residents have told Fresnoland that living in the park is their final option outside of becoming homeless.

Residents have since filed a lawsuit against Harmony seeking a restraining order to prevent more evictions, according to Mariah Thompson, an attorney for some residents, at California Rural Legal Assistance.

Who is in charge, exactly? A lot of flooding in the south valley happened in places without flood control districts.

A problem so complicated that five journalists from Fresnoland and SJV Water jumped in to try to untangle: who, exactly, is in charge of flood control in the south valley? As it turns out, there’s a lot of water districts, but few that see their purpose as flood control, not just delivering irrigation water to farmers. 

“The patchwork is not uncommon in flood. But what is different about the Tulare basin is the lack of regional joint powers authorities that exist in other parts of the state,” said Karla Nemeth, head of the state’s Department of Water Resources.

Jack Mitchell, head of the Deer Creek Storm Water District, found that out first hand, when he couldn’t use his authority to stem floodwaters from the White River – which were crossing over BNSF property – and headed towards Allensworth, in his district.

“I’ve been jumpin’ through all these hoops,” Mitchell said.

The San Joaquin Valley’s only homeless shelter for unaccompanied youth closed last November. Officials say the numbers don’t justify funding a replacement.

As Jeremiah Rhodes reported for Fresnoland, despite a push to reopen the shelter, formerly operated by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, from community members, a newly formed advocacy group, and State Center Community College District Trustee Nasreen Johnson – many local officials say there wasn’t enough demand to justify the facility.

The former shelter received an average of 12 calls for services per month during 2020-2021, according to the EOC.

“Youth are always supposed to be under someone’s care,” said Laura Moreno, a program manager for the County of Fresno’s Department of Social Services and Chair of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care. “If they aren’t, child welfare gets involved.”

“The million dollar question is ‘why is no one using this,’” Moreno continued. “The shelter seemed to be a bit of a niche. I think it might be worth considering whether or not the community has outgrown that niche.”

Farid Assemi, famed Fresno developer, businessman, and private medical school founder – has stepped off the board of Community Health Systems.

As Yesenia Amaro reports for The Fresno Bee, Farid Assemi has stepped down from the board of Community Health Systems – the region’s largest healthcare provider, operating four medical facilities in the Fresno area.

Stepping in as the new chairman is Roger Sturdevant, a Michigan-based former banker. 

Assemi’s role on the board was called into question in a 2022 Bee investigation that found that CHS was using federal and state funding for MediCal and uninsured patients to help fund a massive expansion of the Clovis Community campus, in a more affluent community. Legal and ethics experts have raised questions about Assemi’s role on the board, given his ownership in the private, for-profit California Health Sciences University, located near Clovis Community Medical Center.

Since the Bee’s investigation, another board member, Fresno/Clovis developer Jerry Cook, has also stepped down. Cook says he stepped off the board after he termed out.

Two new members have since joined the board – Josh Peterson, a developer at Fresno-based Wathen Castanos Homes, and Leland Parnagian, the president of Fowler Packing Company and a prominent industrial land developer in the region. Susan Abundis, who was a co-founder of the California Health Sciences University along with Assemi, remains on both the Community Health Systems and CHSU boards.

Fresno’s air quality got an F, again. But we’re not as bad as Bakersfield.

Every year, the American Lung Association releases their “State of the Air” report. And every year, Fresno (and most of the valley, and LA), gets an F. They specifically look at the number of unhealthy ozone days, particle pollution days, and annual particle pollution levels.

This year is no different: the Fresno-Madera-Hanford metro, once again, was in the top five worst metropolitan areas in California on each of those metrics. 

But there’s a bright spot: the area’s ozone pollution days fell to their lowest ever, averaging 54 days annually. The report authors say the improvements on ozone – which is a trend observed across the US – can be attributed, in part, to the federal Clean Air Act. 

The Lung Association also included several recommendations to clean up the air, including only supporting transportation investments that support healthy air, zero-emission technology, and new measures to clean up power plants.

Meanwhile, Bakersfield gets to keep the title as the ‘most polluted city in America’, when it comes to particle pollution.

Block Beat

TOWER: A new farmers’ market is coming to Olive Avenue on Thursday evenings, starting on April 20. Interested in selling your goods? You can still apply. Your Central Valley

CENTRAL EAST: City councilmember Tyler Maxwell has launched a new initiative to place Little Free Libraries throughout the neighborhoods of District 4. Book donations are being accepted. Your Central Valley

TOWER: The city council is set to decide on a new management company to run the now city-owned Tower Theater. The chosen company includes the former manager, along with some names familiar to Fresno’s music industry. Fresno Bee 

HUNTINGTON/ROOSEVELT: The former University Medical Center building is back on the market. Fresno County is asking $6 million. Fresnoland/Fresno Bee

FIG GARDEN: The Fresno County Library reopened the Fig Garden Library, after a major renovation, which doubled its size. Your Central Valley

SUNNYSIDE: A vice principal at Sunnyside High School is on leave after comments about ‘ghetto girls’ and ‘Section 8 people’. Fresno Bee Education Lab

Department of New Construction

SOUTH CENTRAL: The Planning Commission approved a warehouse expansion for Meras Water Solutions, where they will store hazardous materials for water treatment. Documenters

NORTHEAST: The Planning Commission approved a rezone to allow a new 32 home apartment complex on North Chestnut Avenue. Documenters

DOWNTOWN: Truffle Tree 420, a cannabis microbusiness, has applied for a conditional use permit to cultivate, distribute and manufacture products. Its location will be on M Street, north of Los Angeles Street. 

NORTHWEST/EL PASEO: The Olive Garden located off of West Herndon Ave in Marketplace El Paseo has applied for a conditional use permit to renew its Type 47 ABC license. 

RIVERPARK: A conditional use permit was filed for a Fresno location of MasageLuXe, a nationwide chain. The location will be to the west of North Blackstone Ave, north of El Paso Ave.

Around Town

The Downtown Fresno Partnership will be hosting the annual State of Downtown this Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Warnors Theater. Get your tickets here.

Saturday is Earth Day, and Fresnans from all over are finding creative ways to celebrate. A few on our radar:

  • Tioga Sequoia is hosting a special Earth Day celebration on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with SAHAB, eco-friendly vendors, and a composting workshop.
  • Fresno City College is hosting an Earth Day celebration on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with electric vehicle test drives, kids activities, food, and more. Details here.
  • Night hikes are some of my absolute favorite things to do, and the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust is hosting one in honor of Earth Day on Saturday at 6:00 p.m., starting at the Sumner Peck Ranch. Tickets are $20.

Next Week in Public Meetings

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

I created Fresnoland so we can make policy public for everyone.