Quote of the Week

“This is not a garden variety storm. This is something, again, that will bring impacts to daily life, never experienced before.” 

— Kris Mattarochia, a science and operations manager at the National Weather Service in Hanford, about the incoming atmospheric river expected to bring several inches of rain and flooding to the region starting Thursday night. About 17,000 Fresno County foothill and mountain community residents are under an evacuation warning, ABC30 reports.

This Week in Fresnoland

Caltrans is moving forward on expanding some interchanges on Highway 99 in Fresno’s most polluted neighborhoods.

 In Gregory Weaver’s (Fresnoland) article, Caltrans claims that expanding Hwy 99 will “not result in a cumulatively considerable net increase” in any criteria pollutant. Which is funny, because their environmental review ignores nitrogen oxides (NOx), a dangerous byproduct of diesel exhaust fumes. Their analysis claims there are no residents nearby, no children that would be caught up in their carelessness.

Well, there are two elementary schools within a mile of the project, as well as a 1,400-bed juvenile detention center just 300 yards from one of the interchanges. Once emitted, NOx travels far. They also claimed that the project would not increase truck traffic. Fresnoland estimates that the new interchanges would add 4-16 million annual truck trips to local roads, if we go by the industry-standard formulas. 

Where is the EPA? They read a memo arguing the same conclusions I’ve summarized here and said, “Yeah, sure. That seems right.” I’m paraphrasing. Kevin Hamilton, executive director at the Central California Asthma Collaborative, said it was a failure of oversight. “Why wouldn’t you want to do that analysis? … To hide that information, or to not attempt to find out that information, is wrong.” 

Southeast Fresno is getting an economic makeover. So far, Taco Bell is benefitting the most.

Melissa Montalvo (Fresno Bee/Fresnoland) writes about the planned changes around Kings Canyon Road: we’re talking a new regional park, a new Fresno Unified alternative education facility (which will replace a juvenile hall), 120-units of affordable housing, a pedestrian trail, and a shopping plaza – all under construction.

The city has tried to take an active approach in seeding the southeastern Fresno economy; they waived $30,000 in fees for Taco Bell as part of an incentive program. In exchange, Taco Bell committed to build, hire, and maintain a store in the area. After five years, Taco Bell is the only success story so far. 

Some residents are asking if Taco Bells and 7/11s are really what the area needs. Some residents would rather have more parks. Plus, there are concerns that all of this economic activity could harm the mom and pop migrant businesses that already call the area home. For his part, Councilmember Chavez says the fears are overblown: the migrant businesses are niche and specific, while the chains are broad and commercial. He doesn’t see them as competing for business. I suppose we’ll see. 

Their water bill was set to increase by 154% – so they put their foot down.

El Porvenir, a debt burdened Fresno County community, successfully protested a proposed increase that might have made their monthly water rate the highest in the state, Melissa Montalvo writes for the Fresno Bee/Fresnoland. State Law says that public agencies have to hold a public hearing and provide property owners the opportunity to protest new rates. They protested alright, with a solid majority of residents writing protest letters to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Thirty-one letters is all it took to nullify the rate increase. Neighboring community Cantua Creek also saw their water rates slashed by the board. 

High water bills are nothing new to these high poverty, majority Latino farmworker communities. They have to pay the market rate prices for surface water from the Westlands Water District. Or rather, they struggle to pay. Many residents are burdened by debt from past bills. So far the county has refused to forgive their debts, but they’ve at least chosen to invest in groundwater supply and distribution infrastructure projects in the area. They’re expected to be complete two years from now. 

Ironically, the central San Joaquin Valley is set to thwart its drought designation by April thanks to the abundance of rain and snow. Plus, Newsom isn’t going to let a good thing go to waste: he signed an executive order to accelerate state efforts to capture storm runoff in recharge basins. 

The Tulare County Housing Authority is under investigation for wrongful evictions and intimidation.

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado (KVPR) writes that, according to advocacy groups, around 50 families or more could have been targeted and evicted by the housing authority since 2021. The Linnell Farm Labor Center in Farmersville and the Woodville Farm Labor Center, west of Porterville, contain 400 units for non-migratory farm working families. These “housing camps” are meant to act as stable, low-income housing. But advocates say that the housing authority threatened to report tenants to immigration, unless they vacated the premises in three days – not 30 and not 90. Some of the workers were evicted from homes they’d lived in for decades. Allegedly, DACA recipients were told that their social security numbers weren’t valid, and were denied housing contracts. 

The Tulare County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners is investigating the incident and has received special permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow evicted residents return to their homes for at least a year without having to prove immigration status. They hope they can earn back the community’s trust. 

I am frankly haunted by this article, and a particular image from it. A mother and her three children were forced out of one of the housing centers. Forced onto the streets. They took shelter in a van. 

The Clovis City Council denied a 12-home apartment building due to traffic and aesthetic concerns.

Raising concerns about whether the two-story, 12 home apartment complex would fit into a predominantly single-family neighborhood in central Clovis, a 3-1 majority of city council members voted to oppose the project, with only Councilmember Vong Mouanoutoua declining to oppose the project, according to the Fresno Documenters.

The council members asked staff to bring the project back for a future vote to address their concerns around density and traffic. A staff report prepared said the traffic increase would be minimal to the area.

This vote comes as the City of Clovis is still being litigated by unhoused advocate Dez Martinez and Central California Legal Services for not accommodating enough affordable housing. A 2021 Fresno County Superior Court ruling in favor of the plaintiffs ordered Clovis to rezone enough parcels to accommodate another 4,000 potential affordable homes. That decision is currently being heard in the court of appeals.

At Monday’s meeting, the council did approve an initiation to prezone several properties along Willow Avenue in northeast Clovis – a move that planners say will help Clovis meet the state’s housing goals.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The California Department of Justice has taken over an investigation into a killing of a man by a Fresno Police Department officer Saturday night. Fresno Bee

Most Fresno-area schools suspend students above the state average. Fresno Bee Education Lab

Block Beat

DOWNTOWN: Developer Cliff Tutelian has sent a letter of intent to purchase the vacant CVS in Downtown Fresno, hoping to revive the North Fulton Square project; it could bring 160 apartment units and bottom-floor retail to the block. Business Journal

MADERA: Madera Community Hospital delayed filing bankruptcy because of “renewed interest” from potential partners, a prospect that could have rendered the filing unnecessary. Didn’t pan out though. And they still haven’t filed. Fresno Bee

FIG GARDEN: Wells Fargo is closing its Fig Garden branch this spring. It’s the largest bank in the Central Valley. The Business Journal

PINEDALE: The Fresno Planning Commission approved a rezone for a medical clinic on the west side of North Sugar Pine Avenue. Documenters

MADERA: Her cancer was treated just five minutes away from her apartment – and then Madera Community Hospital closed. Now she has to drive to Merced. KVPR

FOOTHILL COMMUNITIES: Evacuation warnings have been issued for several eastern Fresno County communities in advance of Thursday’s storm. KMPH

Department of New Construction

JANE ADDAMS: An environmental assessment was filed for a CEQA review for the purchase and demo of what is currently the Palace Inn on North Parkway Dr. It would be replaced by affordable housing. 

BELTERRA EAST PARK: A conditional use permit was filed on behalf of Verizon Wireless to construct a monopine cell tower on North Burl Ave off of East Shields and North Armstrong Avenues. 

SOUTH CENTRAL: Tesla has filed a development permit to install Tesla chargers for Pepsi semi-trucks on South East Ave, north of East North Ave. 

PINEDALE: A conditional use permit for Embarc Fresno to update the existing space for cannabis retail was rejected. The proposed location was on Blackstone, south of Alluvial.

Around Town

Writer, actor, teacher, and renaissance woman Jasmine Vang @jazzieyo is partnering with @labyrinthartcollective to present Hmong 101, a course investigating dual identities of Hmong and American, as well as Hmong history and culture. Ticket Leap

Don’t miss Donald Munro’s top picks to experience Fresno’s Rogue Festival, now in its 20th year. Munro Review

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.