Join Fresnoland and CalMatters on Tuesday, April 22 for a series of free events where we’ll talk about the future of high-speed rail in Fresno. The evening panel features: Ian Choudri, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority; Jerry Dyer, Mayor, City of Fresno; Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Assemblymember, California State Assembly; and Yousef Baig, California Voices Editor, CalMatters. You can RSVP for the evening panel here. Earlier that day, join us for community conversations with local leaders and small business owners about how the high-speed rail project has transformed Fresno. You can RSVP for the afternoon discussions here.
Quote of the Week
“On the other hand, if the city is never going to actually seek to take these cases to trial, then that just begs the question: Why do we have this stupid ordinance in the first place?”
—-Fresno Attorney Kevin Little on the court throwing out the city’s first anti-camping ordinance trial
This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno’s first anti-camping trial implodes
Attorney Kevin Little appears to have a pretty straightforward blueprint for the crusade he’s waging against Fresno’s contentious anti-camping law.
Move fast. Insist on a speedy trial. Hammer prosecutors with pretrial objections. Refuse settlement offers. Force city attorneys to justify these prosecutions in public as much as possible.
And that smash-mouth playbook worked this week when Little walked 77-year-old Wickey Two Hands out of court with all charges dismissed.
It was the first case headed for trial under the city’s new anti-camping law and it died on the vine when a Fresno judge concluded city prosecutors violated Two Hands’ speedy trial rights.
But before their case burst into Sixth Amendment flames, city prosecutors had also been playing with First Amendment fire.
Fresno deputy city attorneys not only argued that 45 days wasn’t enough time to hang a sit-lie misdemeanor on a senior citizen, but they also wanted to force local journalists to testify in the case for reasons they don’t want to talk about now. One of those reporters was Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela.
Check out the full story from Pablo and Diego Vargas.
Southeast Fresno has a new councilmember
Newly-elected councilmember Brandon Vang took the oath of office at Thursday’s Fresno City Council meeting, marking the end of an at-times fraught special election cycle.
Vang was emotional as he expressed gratitude to his family and members of the Hmong community for paving the way for him, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
That included tearful odes to his late brother and father, both of whom fought in the Secret War in Laos, as well as his mother, who passed away last month before Vang became the first Hmong councilmember to serve District 5. The first Hmong councilmember was Blong Xiong.
Vang could help break tie votes that have stalled the council in recent months, including one over an ordinance that would crack down on smoke shops in Fresno, Omar writes.
Williamson Act faces scrutiny following Fresnoland probe
Fresno County is dealing with a $15 million deficit heading into this budget season, and Supervisor Garry Bredefeld is drawing inspiration from Fresnoland’s reporting as he looks for ways to claw back money.
The supervisor said he plans to evaluate the county’s Williamson Act program, Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reported. Gregory’s two-part Fresnoland investigation in February shed light on how the program, designed to preserve family farms, instead subsidized their demise and benefited major corporations and investment firms
Bredefeld credited Fresnoland’s reporting on issues with the program, saying “tremendous points were raised.”
He plans to request a report from County staff and the county’s tax chief, Paul Dictos, about how the tax shelter is administered and whether it’s living up to its goals to preserve farmland.
The city and county are going after copper thieves
If you have 10 pounds of stripped commercial copper wire, and no ties to a legitimate business, you could now face legal troubles in Fresno, Fresnoland’s Rob Parsons reported.
The new ordinance, which the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously through an initial read Tuesday, would make the illegal possession of copper wire a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig co-sponsored the new law, which aims to crack down on thieves that target commercial businesses and properties.
But some questions remain about the ordinance’s enforceability, as District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said it may conflict with state law.
The Fresno City Council passed a similar ordinance Thursday to penalize scrap metal thieves, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
Fresno’s second-newest councilmember joins us on Fresnolandia
Councilmember Nick Richardson joined Dani and Jordan on this week’s episode of Fresnolandia as part of the podcast’s new series interviewing incoming public officials.
The now second-newest member of the Fresno City Council talked about how to deal with “the most dangerous intersection” in the city (Friant and Shepherd, in his district), investing in more police cameras to save money from the public safety budget amid the city’s $20 million deficit, his thoughts on CEMEX and the “liberation” that comes with not getting establishment-backing in his election last November, among other topics.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
A note for listeners: Fresnolandia is taking a break over the next few weeks to gather feedback on the show. Please share your thoughts with us in this short online survey!
Outside the Lines
Aideed Medina was selected as the city’s seventh poet laureate, appointed by Mayor Jerry Dyer. Read some of their selected poems here.
Not everyone hates the tariffs – at least, according to an industry rep for Valley winemakers, who say overseas exports are just 10% of California’s wine grape production. ABC30
At least four international students at UC Merced have had their visas revoked, Your Central Valley reported. They’re among hundreds of students nationwide whose visas have been revoked under the Trump administration.
Farmland values throughout California are down significantly compared to this time last year and “the bottom may not yet be in view.” That includes the San Joaquin Valley, where the value per acre of almond acres has dropped by tens of thousands of dollars in recent years. Farm Progress
The City of Clovis recently changed its rental inspection policy after a young person suffered from mold poisoning. Your Central Valley
Block Beat
CITYWIDE: This weekend (April 12 and 13), Ampersand Ice Cream’s shops in Fresno will feature an “exclusive” and Valley-inspired ice cream flavor as a fundraiser for next month’s San Joaquin Valley Bookfest. Ampersand
RIVER PARK: Paris Baguette, a popular bakery and cafe chain, will celebrate the grand opening of its Fresno location at 7945 N Blackstone Ave. in the Villaggio Shopping Center on Saturday, April 12. The location had a soft opening on March 22. The Business Journal
FRESNO PACIFIC: Fresno Pacific University will host the 58th annual West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale through April 12. Proceeds from the various auctions will benefit the “relief, development and peace work” of the Mennonite Central Committee. West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale
TOWER DISTRICT: The Tower District’s annual Porchfest, an all-day pop-up music festival happening on volunteer porches throughout the Fresno neighborhood, will take place Saturday, April 26. You can now check out the map of participating porches online to plan out your day. Tower Porchfest
CHINATOWN: Fresno’s Moonlight Market returns from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 26 at Full Circle Brewing Co., 620 F St, “for an evening celebrating community and culture,” that includes local vendors, art performances and prizes. Southeast Collective
RIVER PARK: May the Fork Be with You: Tuesday, April 15, the River Park Farmers Market’s will host a Star Wars-themed food festival.
DOWNTOWN: The Downtown Fresno Partnership will host the annual State of Downtown event this year at The Grand 1401 on Fulton Thursday, April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will include remarks from Community Health System CEO Craig Wagoner and a keynote address from Mayor Jerry Dyer. Tickets can be purchased online. Downtown Fresno Partnership
FRESNO HIGH: CMAC is putting on its Swede Fest screening party this year, Friday, May 2 at Fresno High School’s Royce Hall. For the uninitiated, “sweding” means “recreating Hollywood hits in the most fun, low-budget, and creative way possible” (Editor’s Note: Julianna / the Gen Z author of this blurb was uninitiated until writing this). Film submissions – no longer than 4 minutes each – to be part of the screening are due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 27. CMAC
