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Dig deeper into the Williamson Act investigation with us. Join Fresnoland for a conversation with reporter Greg Weaver, and senior editor Rob Parsons, next Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sun Stereo Warehouse. Register to attend here.
☀️ Good morning! Happy Friday, Feb. 21. This is Rob, dispatching downtown Fresno where the weather is nice today! Too nice, really. Expect mostly sunny skies over the weekend, with daytime highs in the low and mid-70s.
🚈 News of a federal audit of California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project drew mixed reactions from Fresno-area leaders this week, with most expressing at least some level of support for the review, if not downright contempt for the rail project itself. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said while he shared concerns over the project’s never-ending timeline and “severe cost overruns,” he still supports the project “as long as it connects the Central Valley to the California economy.” Read Fresnoland’s full report below.
💸 And new this morning — As Fresno stares down a $20 million budget deficit that’s only expected to grow in the coming months, city leaders are coming to a crossroads in terms of public safety spending. The recent expansion of police and fire departments might have helped tame the city’s once-soaring homicide rate, but it also contributed to the current deficit. Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad spoke with Mayor Jerry Dyer, who insisted that it’s still too soon to get into specific plans to close the funding gap. Dyer, however, also acknowledged “preliminary” talks with other city leaders over the prospect of asking voters to support a new tax, possibly similar to the public safety tax recently passed in Clovis. Check out Omar’s full report below.
New taxes? Spending cuts? Fresno leaders face tough decisions to fill $20M budget hole
Following consecutive years with more than 70 homicides in the city, Fresno’s public officials expanded the police and fire departments and signed off on big labor contracts for officers and firefighters. So far under Mayor Jerry Dyer — the city’s longtime former police chief — Fresno’s police budget grew by $74 […]
‘A modern-day Stonehenge’: Fresno leaders split on federal decision to audit high-speed rail project
Fresno leaders are split about the future of California’s high-speed rail project as the federal government plans to audit the project for fraud and waste. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday at a noisy, protest-filled news conference in Los Angeles that he would direct the Federal Rail Administration to […]
