Quote of the Week
“I don’t think that I’m stepping out of my lane when I say that I think that we could strengthen our local campaign finance laws.”
— City Attorney Andrew Janz, on the Fresnolandia podcast
This Week in Fresnoland
The street fair on ArtHop nights returns
The City of Fresno has greenlit the return of street vendors on ArtHop nights, starting in June.
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano broke the news this week regarding the future of the popular, decades-old event – roughly nine months after the city abruptly banned outdoor activity at ArtHop beginning last August.
For many vendors and artists, that decision still stings. But Councilmember Miguel Arias, who talked about the city’s plans in an interview, believes the past nine months were “a necessary step” to “grow ArtHop.”
Going forward, the Fresno Arts Council, the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Tioga Sequoia Brewing Co. in collaboration with Fresno Street Eats will each manage different aspects of ArtHop.
Tioga and Street Eats will handle a street closure and food vendors in the Brewery District (which they already soft-launched May 1).
Dyer says southeast Fresno mega-development is a must
Fresno needs a sprawling mega-development in the southeast — or at least a partial one, Mayor Jerry Dyer said during his 2025 State of the City address.
The Southeast Development Area (nicknamed SEDA) refers to a 45,000-home community the city wants to build. But at a cost of over $1.5 billion, the mayor said he’s for now just looking to develop just the southernmost portion of the project, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
“South SEDA” is worth it, despite opposition from the community, for the sake of “meeting the housing crisis head on,” Dyer added.
The mayor also made a renewed plea to Gov. Gavin Newsom to follow through on the delayed $200 million his administration promised for downtown and Chinatown Fresno revitalization.
On-campus student housing coming to Fresno City College – but not downtown
State Center leaders OK’d a new student housing project on the Fresno City College campus, simultaneously rejecting a bid to build the 360-unit proposal in downtown Fresno.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela was on hand Tuesday at the State Center Community College District board meeting where trustees awarded a contract to Servitas, a Texas-based company with workforce and student-housing construction experience.
“Although I can appreciate wanting to build downtown, that is not the role of the community college,” Trustee Deborah J. Ikeda said. “Our role is to provide the best service we can to our students.”
The rejection of the downtown proposal is a blow to the city’s housing goals for the neighborhood.
Fresno’s city attorney opens up
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz spoke candidly about the need for stronger local campaign finance laws and what his office was hoping to achieve with a botched anti-encampment ordinance case on this week’s episode of Fresnolandia.
Janz talked about his unique position in Fresno, where he answers to the city council, rather than the mayor or voters. That can put him in a “weird situation” of needing to investigate his bosses on the council when enforcing campaign finance laws.
As for the case his office prosecuted – and had dismissed – against 77-year-old unhoused man Wickey Two Hands, Janz said his goal was to “use the criminal justice system” to help the man. In this case, that looked like a plea deal in exchange for a bed and services that the Two Hands’ defense denied, Janz said.
Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresno Catholics mourning Francis as new pope is named
While people all over the U.S. (and globe) react to the selection of the first U.S.-born pope, Fresnans also continue to mourn the late Pope Francis, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reported.
Francis was the first pope from the Americas and took progressive stances on issues in the Catholic church and the world, approving blessings for same-sex couples and criticizing the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Those messages resonated with some Catholics locally.
“That presence in marginalized communities is meaningful, especially here in the Central Valley,” where parishes serve many immigrants, said Edgar Guzman, director of campus ministry at Fresno’s St. Paul Catholic Newman Center.
Some young people in Fresno even had the chance to see Francis in person on World Youth Day in the past, making his passing feel more personal.
Outside the Lines
Mayor Jerry Dyer’s recent U-turn on a massive housing development in southeast Fresno is a blow to local developers, columnist Marek Warszawski writes. The Fresno Bee
The Central Valley doesn’t have enough doctors to properly care for the large — and ever-growing — population of aging senior citizens. The Merced Focus
“With the second bankruptcy filing in two years from Rite Aid on Monday, the Pennsylvania-based retail pharmacy chain is looking to offload nearly 1,200 of its retail leases — including nearly two dozen in the Central Valley.” The Business Journal
“The Trump Administration announced last week that it will cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which is a private nonprofit that funds NPR and PBS.” The news organizations plan to fight back. KSEE
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians announced a new $725 million financing partner to build a casino and resort in Madera. The Business Journal
Block Beat
ROOSEVELT: The Fresno City Council approved a $5 million grant and a ground lease toward 54 affordable and mixed-income homes for farmworkers in April. Local farmworker advocates and leaders call the decision a win, citing the region’s growing housing crisis. A recent report shows Fresno County is in need of a little more than 35,000 affordable housing units. Fresnoland
TOWER DISTRICT: Meet Danielle Crouch. She’s a Fresno-area artist who rejected art school opportunities to avoid debt, and, instead, cultivated her own creative growth and redefined for herself what it means to be a successful artist. Some of her latest projects include organizing events like “Joints n Junk,” a small gathering of friendly creatives that blends scrapbooking, crafting and collage with marijuana, pop culture stickers and snacks. Fresnoland
KERMAN: Families in Kerman expressed frustration and heartbreak after learning the city’s only cemetery is closing down in June. KMPH
MCLANE: The 13th annual Armenian Festival will take place this Saturday, May 10, from 4 to 10 p.m. at St. Paul Armenian Church on First and Dakota. There will be live music, dine-in and takeout food and activities for children. ABC30
FRESNO STATE: Fresno State’s College of Science and Mathematics will host a free and family-friendly Maker Faire this Saturday, May 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event, located on campus in the Science 2 building’s courtyard, will feature “creative, hands-on STEM activities and demonstrations.” Fresno State
CHINATOWN: Author and skateboarder José Vadi plans to stop by Judging by the Cover in Chinatown at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 10, for the paperback release of his book “Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens.” Judging by the Cover
DOWNTOWN: Arte Américas will host its annual Mother’s Day brunch this Sunday, May 11, at 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online, the proceeds of which will go toward “accessible arts education, cultural preservation, and community well-being.” Arte Américas
DOWNTOWN: The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation invites food vendors to an informational workshop providing guidance and tips on permits and compliance requirements. The event runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13 at 1444 Fulton St., in downtown Fresno. Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation
KINGSBURG: The Kingsburg Swedish Festival is back next week starting Thursday, May 15 through Saturday, May 17. There’s a slew of events each day, including a “Swedish Smorgasbord” on Friday night and a parade Saturday. Kingsburg Chamber of Commerce
