Good morning! It’s Wednesday, March 11. Omar here!
A lil’ warmer today: Clear skies and a high of 76. NOAA
Racial Equity Townhall: California’s Racial Equity Commission with the Governor’s Office will host a town hall in Fresno on Wednesday, April 1 about “addressing racial equity and inequities affecting underserved and marginalized communities.” United Way
Fresnoland is hiring: That’s right, we’re hiring for our first-ever Senior Revenue Officer to help lead and execute our fundraising strategy with local donors and sponsors. Share with your fundraising friends! Fresnoland
1. ‘What we’ve been begging for.’
Fresno Iranians are hopeful that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran will lead to change in the Middle Eastern country, KVPR reports.
Three Iranian Americans told the NPR affiliate that they’re supportive of a U.S. military intervention — two of which said they specifically support America waging a regime-change war in Iran.
“For millions of Iranians, this is not just seen as a typical war. This is seen as a rescue mission,” said Shabnam Pooya, a nutrition professor at Fresno State. “For 47 years, the Iranian people have been held hostage by this regime that has suppressed every single voice and invested national wealth into the act of terrorism instead of its own citizens.”
Many Iranians view the country’s regime as repressive. It violently cracked down on its own citizens during January protests. Its judicial system issued the death penalty to more than 1,000 people in 2025 alone.
To one Fresno Iranian, a local ophthalmologist, the “potential for change in Iran has so far outweighed the costs of the conflict,” KVPR reports.
It’s been more than a week since the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran, and killed many of its top leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s now-former head of state.
The U.S. and Israel have also killed more than 1,300 Iranian civilians, according to Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saed Iravani. A Feb. 28 U.S. and Israeli airstrike on a school killed 175 people, mostly children, according to The Guardian and The New York Times, with reports of the latest evidence contradicting President Donald Trump, who has said it’s his “opinion” that Iran was responsible for the school tragedy.
Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israeli bombing of a massive oil storage depot in Tehran sent “black rain” into the air, making Iran’s largest city and capital “unbreathable.” Experts have warned the weekend bombing will lead to long-term environmental repercussions.
2. Officials project Fresno Unified reserve teetering on the edge
Fresno Unified’s tough budget conversations will continue today at its board meeting. California’s third largest school district is projecting a $55 million deficit next year.
One major detail in the district’s financial projections: reserves could get as low as 2.77% two years from now, as reported by Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas earlier this week.
That’s flirting with state-takeover territory.
If Fresno Unified’s reserve goes below a 2% threshold, the district could be taken over by the State of California under a state receivership process.
It’s just one figure that helps describe the precarity of Fresno Unified’s financial situation, as the teachers union says the district can find ways to cut costs without layoffs.
The district is planning to send out layoff notices by Sunday, after announcing cuts of at least 200 positions.
3. Kerman loses Grocery Outlet location
The City of Kerman will lose one of its few grocery store chains, The Business Journal reports.
The closure of the Kerman’s Grocery Outlet location leaves the city with only Walmart as the other grocery store chain in town. It’s one of 45 Grocery Outlet closures nationwide, nine of which are in California.
“A lot of people are disappointed,” said Kerman Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Denise Baronian. “It’s so sudden.”
Fresnoland’s Rob Parsons edited today’s newletter
