Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Oct. 28. This is Rob.
🌞Sunny skies again today in Fresno with daytime highs in the 70s. NOAA
💁♀️The California Interagency Council on Homelessness returns for a second day today of a resource fair for unhoused individuals as part of the state’s SAFE action plan. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hope Pointe emergency shelter, 4061 N. Blackstone. Action Plan
🛣️Fresno County is inviting residents to participate in a Virtual Community Workshop as part of the County’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Action Plan. The workshop will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 and will offer simultaneous Spanish translation. Instagram
💧The City of Fresno begins its One-Day Outdoor Water Use Schedule on Saturday, Nov. 1, and it will remain in effect through March. CBS47
🗑️The City of Fresno’s Recycling Program will host a free paper shredding event at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Department of Public Utilities Operations & Maintenance Building, 1665 G St., Fresno. This service is limited to Fresno residents who pay for City of Fresno solid waste collection services. City Hall
1. Where’s everyone going?
The latest projections from the California Department of Finance show Fresno County’s population will top out at about 1.08 million by 2045 before declining to roughly 1.01 million by 2070, an enormous revision of state forecasts from 2018, which estimated 1.5 million people living in the county by 2050, Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reports this morning.
Madera County faces the same massive population revision. Once projected to top over 300,000 people in less than 20 years, state officials now project Madera to reach roughly half that amount, peaking at about 172,000.
The shift could force local officials to reconsider assumptions about growth and economic development that have shaped urban planning across the San Joaquin Valley for years.
State demographer Walter Schwarm: “With a sustained period of lower immigration, some of those agricultural jobs that attracted individuals might well be automated. The demand for agricultural labor would be a little bit less in some Central Valley counties.”
2. ICE changes the rules
On this week’s Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and Danielle sit down with Gisselle Medina, religion, culture and immigration reporter at Fresnoland; Melissa Montalvo, accountability reporter at The Fresno Bee; and Armida Mendoza, a Fresno-based immigration attorney.
They discuss how ICE and Border Patrol’s immigration enforcement tactics in Fresno have changed over the past year under the Trump Administration and examine the latest data showing ICE captures are up nearly 60% in the Central Valley.
Today’s episode of Fresnolandia follows reporting by Gisselle, who spoke with immigrants who tried to follow all the rules only to have the government change the rules and arrest them in Fresno. Check out that story here.
3. Where to find free food and resources in Fresno County
Thousands of Fresno County residents and millions of Americans nationwide likely won’t receive critical food assistance as winter approaches and the government shutdown rumbles on with no end in sight.
The Trump Administration has confirmed plans that many had feared, saying his administration either would not or could not legally tap into a $5 billion reserve fund to keep the nation’s SNAP alive beyond Oct. 31 — Friday.
In Fresno County, some 248,000 people rely on Cal Fresh — the state’s version of SNAP — and won’t receive their benefits beginning Saturday, Nov. 1.
As thousands of Fresno and Central Valley residents face the possibility of running out of food, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano and Rob Parsons have compiled a free list of resources where locals can find help obtaining groceries and other supplies.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad
