Good morning! It’s Tuesday, May 19. This is Rob.
The usual: Sunny and clear with highs approaching 90. NOAA
Local ICE update: The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will present its annual Truth Act forum at 9:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, May 19, at the Hall of Records. Fresno County
Cheers? Street drinking in downtown Fresno? Yeah, maybe. GVWire
Lookout: With Memorial Day weekend approaching, a crowded Yosemite National Park braces for a long and crowded tourist season. LA Times
The good news bears: Why the bears might return one day. KVPR
1. Homestretch politics
As primary election candidates race toward the campaign’s homestretch, seven politicians gathered Monday at Fresno’s Big Red Church to make one of their last major public pitches before the polls close on June 2.
Julianna Morano breaks down the two races, District 1 and District 7, and where candidates said they stand on a range of issues, from transportation and taxes to SEDA and protecting our LGBTQ+ communities.
Candidates were also asked about the city’s business dealings with Flock Safety.
Election Day for the primary is June 2, but ballots have already been mailed out, and vote centers will start to open this weekend. Check out Fresnoland’s guides to all four Fresno City Council contests, as well as other key local elections, by visiting our Elections 2026 page.
2. Public Health wants to participate in Pride
A second Fresno County department is asking to participate in upcoming Pride festivities just one week after the Board of Supervisors denied a similar request from the county library.
But, YourCentralValley reports, today’s vote is expected to go much differently than last week’s contentious rejection.
Supervisor Garry Bredefeld tells the news station that the Fresno County Department of Public Health should participate in the festivities as an educational resource.
“This is common sense. Public health has a role in educating people about disease and illness,” Bredefeld said in an interview with the station. “That’s appropriate. That’s what tax dollars should be used for.”
3. ‘Democrats are concerned’
The Fresno Bee takes a look at a Democrat PAC that sparked controversy among Fresno’s left-leaning politicos who questioned the ethics of the group that recently gave a maximum donation to the political campaign of one of its cofounders.
“Youth Save Democracy, a PAC that aims to mobilize young Democratic voters across the nation’s college campuses, donated the maximum allowable limit of $5,500 to its cofounder, Nav Gurm, a 26-year-old attorney running in the competitive District 7 council race,” The Bee writes.
For his part, Gurm says he welcomes the scrutiny and said he stands by the group’s work. Other Fresno-area Democrats are skeptical.
Dee Barnes, a spokesperson for the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee says “many local Democrats are concerned.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
