It’s Friday, Aug 29. Omar here! Can’t believe next week will be a new month!
☀️ The sun will be out (again): And the clouds aren’t going to be in the way! In case you’re trying to get a good look at the shiny thing responsible for today’s high of 96 degrees.
🥙 George’s last dance: After today, you won’t be able to swing by George’s Shish Kebob. The longtime downtown Fresno Mediterranean restaurant inside The Galleria is closing its doors after more than 40 years.
📢 Quick programming note: Fresnoland’s weekday Toplines newsletter will be back next Tuesday, thanks to good ol’ Labor Day weekend! Don’t worry, you’ll still get the usual This Week in Fresnoland tomorrow!
1. Can Fresno become ‘Prohousing’ again?
The City of Fresno is trying to claw back its Prohousing designation from state officials who stripped it back in May, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports.
California cities with the Prohousing designation can apply to a number of state housing grants. Fresno lost the status because the city wasn’t compliant with housing-related state guidelines.
But city staff expect smooth sailing from here on out. Planning and Development Director Jennifer Clark said losing the status was actually a good thing, because city officials now know what they need to outmatch every other city in California.
Mayor Jerry Dyer: “This designation will reinforce our commitment to tackling the housing crisis and bring resources to help build more homes.”
In other news at Thursday’s Fresno City Council meeting, city leaders also approved the purchase and eventual demolition of the 115-year-old Peacock Hotel building in Chinatown, to make way for a new four-story housing project.
2. A moral dilemma for immigration lawyers
Immigration cases for people detained by ICE move so quickly that local immigration attorneys are saying they don’t have the ability to keep up, The Fresno Bee reports.
Detainees’ immigration cases move so fast that some local attorneys are questioning whether it’s moral to charge clients for representing them, especially if the odds are steeply not in their favor and the government’s legal resources are far greater.
Additionally, local advocates are reporting how people are being detained after leaving their court hearings in downtown Fresno.
Local immigration attorney Jesus Ibañez: “If you’re a lawyer taking on a case and charging for it, there’s a moral question there. Are you really going to charge someone $7,000, $10,000, even $15,000 when you know there’s little to no chance they’ll be released or receive any form of relief?”
3. Replica gun brought to school
After reports circulated about a student who brought a firearm to school, the Fresno Police Department clarified that it was actually a replica gun, KMPH reports.
Law enforcement did not report any physical injuries, and they were able to take possession of the replica gun within 30 minutes, according to police Chief Mindy Casto.
The incident took place at Wilson Elementary School, during the second week of the Fresno Unified school year.
Councilmember Annalisa Perea: “This incident is a sobering reminder that we must never take school safety for granted. I remain steadfast in my commitment to working with parents, schools, law enforcement, and community partners to ensure that every child in Fresno has the safe learning environment they deserve.”
This newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
