Quote of the Week

“In the last 45 minutes, we didn’t make a road better; we didn’t make a street safer; we didn’t hire a police officer. To me, the distractions, in transgender kids and track meets, in ‘socialism is equity,’ those culture issues, haven’t done anything to make us a better community at all, and in fact, have driven deeper wedges in the community and have offended our staff who are really just trying to do their job.”

– Clovis Mayor Lynne Ashbeck lectured City Councilmember Diane Pearce at a July 10 Clovis City Council meeting over a Facebook post that was criticized as transphobic.

This Week in Fresnoland

Fresno County granted a three-year extension for CEMEX to continue mining the San Joaquin River. Source: Google Maps

Fresno County extends CEMEX blast mining, despite criticism.

The Board of Supervisors granted a three-year extension to the century-old CEMEX mining claim on Fresno’s northern outskirts, which was set to expire this July, Gregory Weaver reports for Fresnoland.

CEMEX plans to blast open a 600-foot crater to unlock gravel reserves, and the project’s environmental impacts haven’t been reviewed since 1986.

But supporters say this doesn’t matter because the project hasn’t changed even 36 years later. The mining claim comes with certain economic and employment benefits that supporters are unwilling to part with.

City Planning Director Jennifer Clark said that the Environmental Impact Report will require major revisions. Fresno city leaders have signaled that they are prepared to pursue legal action if the board moves forward with the extension.

Homes throughout Planada were soaked by the onslaught of winter storms this year. Now there’s black mold in the walls.

After a levee failed on Jan. 9, neighborhoods flooded in the largely Latino Planada community. Listen to Esther Quintanilla’s reporting for KRVR; she details how one disaster can mean years of ramifications.

After the floods, most people didn’t treat their homes with industrial humidifiers. Prolonged dampness created the ideal conditions for black mold behind drywall or underneath the floorboards.

When black mold blooms in a new development, construction grinds to a halt and the process must begin from scratch.

The CEO of Habitat for Humanity in the Merced and Stanislaus counties said that residents lacked this vital information, and that some have even built on top of moldy infrastructure, which can be very dangerous.

Dr. Michael Schmeltz, a public health professor at Cal State East Bay, said that black mold can exacerbate diabetes and asthma, conditions that already run rampant in the Central Valley. 

A former cop said she was fired after she complained about sexual harassment. 

Stacie Szatmari got her dream job with the K-9 and mounted patrol unit in September 2020 – two years later, she was fired.

Thaddeus Miller reports for The Fresno Bee that Szatmari’s male coworkers texted her inappropriate photos in a group chat and made sexual comments about Szatmari’s sister. When she confronted them about their conduct, the lawsuit says her colleagues began to spread rumors about her, even going so far as to file a fake complaint that she exposed herself to the men while serving them tea.

“I’m not part of the ‘good old boys club’ because I chose to keep my integrity,” Szatmari said. Prior to the incidents, Szatmari was told that the K-9 unit operated under Las Vegas rules: “What happens in the K-9 field, stays in and at the K-9 field.” 

The lawsuit comes on the heels of the latest disciplinary action report, which noted 27 incidents, including an employee who was arrested and fired for possession of child pornography.

Additionally, there were accusations of unreasonable force, on-the-job intoxication, public intoxication, an unauthorized pursuit and five fatal shootings.

Clovis City Council member Diane Pearce appears in a video posted to her Facebook account following a decision at the May 8 meeting to maintain the city’s current policy regarding flag-raising on city-owned properties.

The Clovis mayor admonished a city councilmember over her frankly repugnant comments about the library during Pride month.  

Mayor Lynne Ashbeck said that Clovis is good because, as a city, “We stay in our lane,” and encouraged a Clovis city councilmember to do the same, the Fresno Documenters report.

The point of contention is, of all things, books about LGBTQ families for children, which Councilmember Diane Pearce took issue with. In a June 28 Facebook post, she urged families to stay away from the library until Pride month was over. At the July 10 meeting, Pearce defended herself, likening these books to an attempt to sexualize children, because she is a very reasonable person that we should bother listening to. 

The one person who spoke up for Pearce said the LGBTQ books were like a box of rattlesnakes in the library.

Huh. Box of rattlesnakes. I should add that to my Grindr profile.

The cities have cooling centers. What does the countryside have?  

Did you know the AC in my car is broken? It’s true. When I leave my air conditioned office to go home, I walk through a curtain of triple digit air: 107 degrees as of this writing. By the time I get home, my little work polo is soaked and my mood is flattened. But if I wanted to, I could stop by one of Fresno’s many cooling centers.

But what about residents outside of Fresno? Well, Oscar Alexander wrote a thorough cooling center guide for Fresnoland. Their best bet is apparently to find the nearest city with the nearest cooling center, or try a Fresno County library, where some hours have been extended during the heatwave. Most Fresno County cities do have a senior center, a library, or some other public place (sometimes the police department) where residents can cool off. Joy.    

Block Beat

MILLERTON: If you’re on your way to Table Mountain Casino or the lake, you might catch the welcomed but unusual sight of water cascading over the Friant Dam and into the San Joaquin River. The pronounced rainy season made for an abundance of snow in the Sierra Nevada which, in melting, brings forth renewal. Fresno Bee

JASWANT SINGH KHALRA PARK: The playground will be remodeled with improved play areas for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, including climbing structures and spin cups. Construction begins in September. Instagram

DOWNTOWN FRESNO: Bitwise is gone, but the companies that operate in their facilities remain. They worked together to manage day-to-day maintenance and mail distribution while their new landlord, Summa Properties, got situated. Fresno Bee

FRESNO: Ultraviolet light has turned 100 street signs black. As new residential neighborhoods bloomed all over the city, public works transitioned the responsibility for signage to developers. Those developers cut corners and now the shelf life for these street signs is much shorter, and their iconic green color is but a memory. KMPH

MENDOTA: Middle school students made their own app to combat the Fentanyl crisis. The MESA (Math, Engineering, Science and Achievement) team’s FentaKNOW app connects users with resources and medical information: symptoms, treatment options and even a button to call 911. ABC30 

Department of New Construction

MAYFAIR: A development permit has been issued for property located near North Millbrook and East Shields avenues. The proposed development consists of a building area of 10,000 sq. ft. with 55 parking spaces.

CITY HALL: An application for a plan amendment rezone was filed by Andrew Benelli of the City of Fresno Public Works Department. The Building Industry Association has requested that the  Fresno Municipal Code be modified to allow the release of the bonds prior to the completion of certain sidewalk improvement, driveway approaches, and planting of trees.

Around Town

The Fresno Comedy Rumble, our city’s first ever comedy festival and competition, will debut at Full Circle Brewing Company this Friday at 7 p.m. Go on. Tell your little jokes. Downtown Fresno

The library is hosting Valley Stem, a Summer program for kids 8 – 11 interested in science, technology, engineering or math. Fresno Library

Did you know there’s an International Self-Care Day? The Haus of Satya is celebrating with a paid self-care workshop. Brew tea (in association with Bare Root Apothecary), enjoy a boozy brunch and get into journaling, this Sunday. Instagram

The Punjabi Cultural Center of Fresno, in partnership with Punjabi Radio USA, is hosting an art exhibition featuring the work of Parm Singh, a Calgary-based artist. The free exhibition is open through Saturday, July 22 and is located at 2125 North Barton Avenue in Fresno.

Next Week in Public Meetings

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Tommy is the author of Toplines, the Fresnoland newsletter curating the top stories in the Central Valley. He thinks he's very funny.