Good morning! It’s Monday, March 23. This is Rob.
Soft summer: Sunny skies and highs in the 80s this week. NOAA
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
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
Back soon: Starting today, the Kingsburg Library will be temporarily closed. ABC30
1. Fresno supervisors call for independent review
A pair of Fresno County supervisors want an independent audit to review the Department of Social Services in the wake of troubling allegations raised by a veteran whistleblower in the department.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela confirmed that Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Luis Chavez will ask for the full board’s support during the April 7 supervisor meeting at the county Hall of Records.
The comments led to a private conversation last week between county leaders and Lorraine Ramirez, the whistleblower, who said the county is allowing too many foster children to be reunited with abusive guardians.
Bredefeld: “They have a very difficult job, but the bottom line for all of us is to ensure the safety and security of the kids that the county is responsible for.”
2. Arts Council shakeup
On the heels of a $1.5 million embezzlement scandal, the Fresno Arts Council has parted ways with its longtime executive director, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez.
In a story first reported by Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano, Gonzáles Chávez didn’t have much to say and didn’t want to answer questions, but told Fresnoland that she “retired” earlier this month.
Gonzáles Chávez led the organization as executive director since 2011, including through public dustups over changes to ArtHop and the Arts Council’s handling of Measure P, even before the bombshell revelations of alleged embezzlement.
The Board of Directors is now seeking a permanent replacement for Gonzáles Chávez.
The Arts Council’s board shared in an email late Friday afternoon that Andrea Mele, the organization’s former program manager, has been appointed interim executive director.
No arrests have been in connection with the joint investigation between Fresno police and the FBI. Fresnoland has chosen not to identify any suspect or suspects in the case until formal criminal charges are filed.
3. Fresno County holds special meeting
Fresno County supervisors will hold a special meeting at 11:30 a.m. today at the Hall of Records to remove Cesar Chavez’s name from the county calendar.
The supervisors are expected to change the name of the March 31 holiday to “Fresno County Agriculture Appreciation Day.”
It’s the latest in a string of swift changes that has come with the reckoning for Chavez, the now disgraced labor icon who sexually abused and raped multiple survivors, including underage children and a coleader of the farmworker movement, Dolores Huerta.
Fresno has moved quickly, removing Chavez’s statue from Fresno State campus and stripping his name from one of the city’s major streets, among other changes.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
