Quote of the Week
“We think the city has it 100% wrong. They’re barking up the wrong tree.”
–CEMEX attorney Patrick Mitchell, responding to a question about Fresno’s demands for a new environment review in connection with the century-old mining claim at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting.
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This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno city and Fresno County might come to legal blows over a controversial blast mine extension.
The Board of Supervisors voted last week to move forward with the CEMEX company’s mine extension, which has been criticized as irresponsible, Gregory Weaver writes for Fresnoland. The mine has been operating for a century, and the city argues it’s time to analyze its environmental impacts on Fresno. They say the county must conduct a new analysis on those impacts, which haven’t been reviewed since the 1980s.
The company’s lawyer said they were barking up the wrong tree.
Notably, CEMEX has doubled its truck trips along Friant Road, going from 100,000 in 1986 (around when it was last reviewed) to 250,000 in 2023. The county denied CEMEX’s request to expand its operations 10 years ago, but this board is singing a different tune.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig said the increased traffic on Friant has more to do with Fresno’s urban developments than the mine.
The city might back down if they can cut a deal with CEMEX to have the Mexico-based mining company invest in Fresno’s road infrastructure.
Another thing I learned from this article is that this same company wanted to blow up Jesse Morrow Mountain in 2012, a sacred site for the Choinumni tribe of Yokuts near Sanger – because the mountain wasn’t generating any economic activity. Very great, very cool.
Hate crimes on the rise in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley.
In 2022, the central San Joaquin Valley saw the highest number of reported hate crimes in nearly a decade, Tim Sheehan reports for The Fresno Bee.
Black residents were the most frequently reported victims of hate crimes, both in Fresno and across California. But it’s unclear if crime is actually on the rise or if victims are becoming more comfortable reporting it, Sheehan writes.
“It’s hard to know whether more crimes are happening or if people are feeling more empowered to report,” Peter E. Smith, a former professor at Fresno Pacific University, told The Bee. “It’s probably a little bit of both.”
Has Fresno made being homeless a crime?
The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care – the main agency coordinating homelessness funding in the region – says the Fresno City Council’s vote last month limiting camping essentially criminalizes homelessness, potentially jeopardizing nearly $12 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Fresno Documenters reported.
The city council voted in June to amend an ordinance limiting where individuals experiencing homelessness can camp and prohibits them from blocking city sidewalks within 500 feet of certain public facilities, such as schools, libraries, and city-permitted shelters.
Will Saint Agnes force the shuttered Madera Hospital to liquidate?
St. Agnes Medical Center seemed like the best hope for Madera Hospital to reopen. However, if the shuttered hospital cannot secure an extension through a bankruptcy court, it will be dismantled and liquidated, Melissa Montalvo reports for The Fresno Bee/KFF. Madera Hospital closed late last year, leaving a rift in the fabric of healthcare coverage for rural communities in the region. Unfortunately, the hospital made several costly miscalculations, including a failure to negotiate good deals with private insurers, little effort to secure COVID relief funds promptly, and no backup plan when Trinity Health and St. Agnes walked away from a sale.
Madera County officials on Wednesday told The Bee they were considering spending around $500,000 in local funds to keep the hospital skeleton operations afloat through August. That cash lifeline could give hospital officials some breathing room from creditors while a potential sale is negotiated.
‘I’m longing for death,’ Fresnoland newsletter writer opposes this summer.
No, really, I don’t think I’m going to make it.
Danielle Bergstrom has a story about the heat wave which has swept – sorry, let me check my notes, ah yes, – the entire planet.
Seventeen of the last 24 days this month have reached triple digits, with an average temperature of 101.5 degrees, compared to the normal 97.5 for this time of year. The sort of good news is that the 100-degree chain will break this Friday as temperatures drop to the high 90s. Notably, our annual heat wave was delayed, perhaps offset by a dramatic winter characterized by floods and unexpected rain. This story also has some interesting science-y information about heat domes and the last few years of excessive heat trends. As it turns out – the heat we’re experiencing is part of a decades-long warming trend.
Note Fresnoland’s resources about cooling centers, public pools, and ducking heat stroke.
Block Beat
EASTON – The internet has always been slower in rural parts of Fresno County, but that could change if local and state leaders can wrangle big investments in digital infrastructure. Reliable internet access is essential for students and workers alike, but funding is the biggest digital equity obstacle. Fresnoland
TOWER DISTRICT: Responding to neighborhood complaints, the Fresno City Council recently approved new regulations forcing street food vendors to close shop at 1:30 a.m., peak selling time as bars and clubs close. Fresno Bee
WOODVILLE: ARPA dollars helped to restore Woodville Community Park, which has become a valuable space for dance therapy and community building in this unincorporated area of Tulare. KVPR
DOWNTOWN FRESNO: Former Bitwise employees are opening up their own firm. Reclaim Technologies will specialize in mobile app and website design along with database management. Fresno Bee
CITY HALL: The Draft Housing Element, an action plan outlining the proposed programs that the City of Fresno will implement over the next eight years, is now publicly available for review and public comment. Central Valley Community Action
DOWNTOWN FRESNO: Tulare and Ventura streets have been shut down for two years due to the high-speed rail project. More disruptions are occurring on Barstow Avenue and Belmont Avenue, H Street, Mckinley, Shaw, Avenue 17, Avenue 120 and more. Fresno Bee
ROEDING PARK: Portions of Palm and Belmont Avenues will become single lane with a dual left turn lane in the center to accommodate a new class IV bikeway, per a news release.
SOUTHEAST FRESNO: Fresno was awarded $785,400 by the Biden Harris Administration for public transit improvements in Southeast Fresno, per a news release.
MANCHESTER: Construction on Midtown Trail closed the right lane of westbound Shields Avenue from Fresno Street to Blackstone through October. Effie Avenue, the entrance to Manchester Center, will remain open, per a news release.
Outside the Lines
Deputy Mayor Matthew Grundy is leaving Fresno City Hall effective Aug. 1. The deputy mayor announced his departure last week. During Grundy’s tenure, he led a team of liaisons to connect the Dyer Administration with communities of color as part of Grundy’s Office of Community Affairs.
A sobering study suggests that the North Atlantic current may collapse within our lifetimes, like as soon as 2025 – what’s being called a climate tipping point.
Department of New Construction
Melody Park – A tentative map parcel has been issued to split an existing parcel in connection with the Mountain View Church on Fowler Avenue.
Around Town
The City of Fresno has partnered with various community organizations to put together housing element workshops (see Blockbeat). There are workshops on July 28, Aug. 3, Aug. 8 and Aug. 9. Central Valley Community Action
The Saroyan Theater is hosting a production of Les Miserables tonight, one of my favorite musicals. I really recommend seeing it live too, or watching the 25 year anniversary recording. Anything but that 2012 movie, which should be cast into the outer darkness. Oh, yeah, tonight at 7:30 (and through the week) btw. Downtown Fresno
HOPE, a nonprofit organization “committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas” is holding a Latina Empowerment Day workshop on Friday at 8:30 am. Downtown Fresno
Next Week in Public Meetings
- Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023 at 9 a.m. | Tulare County Board of Supervisors
- Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023 at 9 a.m. | Kings County Board of Supervisors
- Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023 at 10 a.m. | Madera County Board of Supervisors
- Wednesday, Aug 2.at 6 p.m. | Madera City Council
