Quote of the Week
“They speak of local control, and here you have the results. The people have responded at the local level and it’s a landslide, it’s pretty resounding, it’s definitive. It’s time to give the new name a chance.”
— Roman Rain Tree, a member of the Dunlap Band of Mono Indians and the Choinumni tribe, speaking to Fresnoland on latest big win for supporters of Yokuts Valley
This Week in Fresnoland
‘I don’t know the minds of each voter’
While there were few surprises in last week’s presidential primary election, some Fresno politicians were softly scratching their heads over Measure B’s big defeat.
The measure would have put new language in the county charter clarifying the role of the Board of Supervisors in renaming places in Fresno County.
The issue emerged as part of the now years-long fight over renaming of rural Yokuts Valley. But the conservative-backed initiative went down in flames on an Election Day that conservatives otherwise dominated locally.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who led the Measure B effort, acknowledged confusion over the defeat, especially when those same voters delivered a victory to local Republicans in the openly partisan power struggle for law enforcement elections that was Measure A.
Also, it wasn’t even close.
More than 91,000 voters said ‘no’ to Measure B (about 64%) compared to the 51,355 who said ‘yes.’ A total of 77,311 voters said ‘yes’ to Measure A (nearly 55%).
“The voters said ‘no,’ and I respect that,” Magsig told Fresnoland this week. “Why voters voted ‘yes’ on (Measure) A and ‘no’ on (Measure) B, I don’t know that for sure. I don’t know the minds of each voter.”
But while countywide voters roundly rejected Magsig’s efforts on Measure B, voters in his district certainly didn’t punish him for it. Magsig scooped up just over 28,000 votes, more than 70% in his district.
Supporters of the renaming effort hope the measure’s sound defeat will finally settle the issue once and for all.
“They speak of local control, and here you have the results,” said Roman Rain Tree, a member of the Dunlap Band of Mono Indians and the Choinumni tribe. “The people have responded at the local level and it’s a landslide, it’s pretty resounding, it’s definitive. It’s time to give the new name a chance.” Fresnoland
A confusing runoff in the battle for Congressional District 20
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong will face off in November in the race to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
And they’ll also face off on Tuesday in a race to determine who will finish the final months of McCarthy’s term in 2024.
If Fong gets more than 50% of the vote on Tuesday, he’s expected to exit the state assembly and head to Washington, D.C., KVPR reported.
If no candidate reaches that threshold, the special election goes to a runoff in May. Fong, Boudreaux and Marisa Wood, a Bakersfield teacher, are all on the Tuesday ballot. If no clear winner emerges, 20th District voters could see up to four elections for one seat this year.
Fresno State political science professor Tom Holyoke told the local NPR affiliate he expects few district voters to turnout.
“Because it’s so confusing, I imagine turnout will be exceptionally low.” KVPR
‘Not a priority’
In case you missed it, the Daily Beast’s Brooke Leigh Howard examined why Fresno leaders have stalled renaming a city baseball park originally named after a white supremacist. The Fresno Bee’s Marek Warszawski first uncovered the issue in the fall of 2020.
While the city has removed John Euless name from many (but not all) signs, the actual renaming of the park hasn’t been a priority, Howard reported. The piece also explores Fresno’s historic ties to the KKK. Officials told Howard they expect to announce a new ballpark name this spring. The Daily Beast
Fresno’s unemployment is up – but there’s more jobs, too
Fresno’s unemployment rate crept again to nearly 9%, according to the most recent data, still well above the state rate, which rose to 5.2% in January. While the total number of jobs is up, there will likely be more bad news in the coming weeks when the thousands of layoffs from bankrupt Prima Wawona become official.
In February, the company announced at least 5,400 workers would lose their jobs and watchdog groups told Fresnoland they fear real job losses could be closer to 10,000 workers. Officials have pledged to help the laid off workers. Fresnoland
Conflict of interest questions at City Hall
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer hired a Fresno entrepreneur with numerous downtown business interests for a key staff position to oversee downtown Fresno revitalization efforts, The Fresno Bee reported this week.
Jordan Sanchez was tapped to oversee revitalizing efforts in the city’s downtown and Chinatown neighborhoods as the city gears up to receive $300 million in state grant funding to attract more residents and spur economic growth and business development.
But Sanchez’s personal business interests downtown raise questions about her role with the city. She owns businesses and real estate in the downtown area, including a photography studio and a recently opened gelato shop near Fulton Street, a major downtown corridor that will benefit from the state funding. The Fresno Bee
Outside the Lines
Travelers flying out from the Fresno Yosemite International Airport this upcoming spring break “might want to get to the airport extra early with expectations of high travel numbers this season.” THE BUSINESS JOURNAL
PG&E customers are about to get hit with another bill hike – the second of the year – and hits could just keep on coming if the California Public Utilities Commission approves another pending PG&E request to add another $15 per month on top of the most recent increases. THE FRESNO BEE
Block Beat
TOWER DISTRICT: The Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 at the Tower Theater Lounge, 815 E. Olive Ave. Residents can also participate via Zoom. CITY HALL
WEST CENTRAL FRESNO: Children 5 and up are invited to a free adaptive T-ball clinic from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 22 at Inspiration Park, 5770 W. Gettysburg Ave. The clinic is open to all skill levels. Register by March 18. FresnoPARCS
FRESNO HIGH: Council President Annalisa Perea is working on a project “to make the intersections of Van Ness at Shields Avenue and at Clinton Avenue safer for pedestrians and drivers.” The Fresno Bee
VENTURA AVE: After a battle in court, the Cesar Chavez street-renaming can start along the Ventura/Kings Canyon/California Ave corridor. The Fresno Bee
Department of New Construction
WEST CENTRAL: Development permit applications have been filed to build six duplexes for a total of 12 homes at 2627 W. Andrews Ave.
WEST CENTRAL: Ride & Shine Express Wash has requested a conditional use permit to allow for the demolition of an existing self-serve car wash at 2422 N. Weber Ave. and replace it with a new Ride & Shine Express Wash facility.
Around Town
FresYes fest, downtown’s biggest music festival, is around the corner, on Saturday, Mar. 23. This year’s headliners feature The Box, Banda Sinaloense, Pura Cajeta, and the John Clifton Blues Band. Instagram
Spring break is just days away and FresnoPARCS is offering half a dozen day camps for children ages 7 to 13. The camps offer a range of activities including arts and crafts, sports, games, and even candy making. FresnoPARCS
The Fresno State Library is hosting a lecture titled Book Banning and the Culture Wars this Monday, Mar. 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery on the library’s 2nd floor.
The Fresno DRIVE coalition is inviting the community to attend a free film screening of the documentary Poverty and Power at Maya Cinemas on Thursday, Mar. 28 at 6:00 p.m.
