Quote of the Week
“We wanted so badly to see Bitwise succeed, to see Fresno succeed and to see our teammates succeed,” the former executives said. “That gave rise to the false belief that those things were only possible if Bitwise kept going. We are deeply sorry.”
— Former Bitwise Co-CEOs Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr., breaking their silence in an apology letter released Thursday after registering a guilty plea to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court this week.
This Week in Fresnoland
‘This is going to hurt a lot of small businesses’
The decision to force ArtHop vendors indoors next month drew angry criticism from some businesses who fear they’ll be hurt by the city’s efforts to curtail unpermitted vendors, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reported.
“Our vendors are all permitted, licensed and insured, so to say that we’re the same as the guy that’s setting up on the corner selling beers out of a cooler — it’s not the same,” said Mike “Oz” Osegueda, president of Fresno Street Eats.
“I don’t think we should be punished the same way.”
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, who represents downtown neighborhoods, made the announcement Friday morning at a joint news conference with the Downtown Fresno Partnership. Arias also said concern over Fresno’s brutal summer heatwaves motivated the city to move the event inside.
“We know that the heat is going to continue and we know that crowds are getting bigger and bigger and we have a responsibility to get ahead of any potential health and safety concerns,” Arias said.
After near reversal, Measure P arts grants get approval from commission
After a delay that sparked concerns from artists and organizations, Fresno’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission voted to release Measure P funds as initially planned, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano and Diego Vargas reported.
Recipients were told in May that grants would be awarded on July 1, but delays caused by a still murky “procedural issue” pushed back the approval from the commission and sparked calls from some to start the process all over again, despite the $8.6 million in promises from May.
“The way that it was presented to us didn’t tell the scope of the projects,” said Kimberly McCoy, chair of the commission.
The delay also raised concerns about inequity in the grant distribution process. District 5, which represents southeast Fresno, is receiving 3% of the total grant funds, or $260,242.20. In comparison, District 3, which encompasses southwest Fresno, Tower, and downtown, is receiving $3,815,673.49.
Concerns over district inequities led to fears that the grant application process would be restarted to more equally represent districts across the city.
Fresno County’s food inspection safety net flunks grand jury inquiry
A new grand jury report suggests Fresno County’s food inspection team is underpaid, understaffed, overworked and ill equipped to most consistently ensure restaurant food is safe, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reported.
“An inspector would have to inspect 6.2 restaurant facilities each work day of the year (including holidays and no time off or vacation), to do the required four inspections a year,” the grand jury concluded.
The Fresno County grand jury described problems with the software used by food inspectors that caused numerous issues and allowed restaurants to operate without proper certifications or permits.
County leaders responded with details for improvements that included beefed up salary and benefits for workers.
Fresno’s first guaranteed income pilot launches
The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission distributed the first $500 monthly stipends to 150 Fresno County families in the area’s first guaranteed basic income pilot – though the agency was forced to turn down roughly 9,000 applicants, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Fresno County’s first guaranteed basic income pilot came with the promise of one year of monthly stipends for 75 families between southwest Fresno and Huron.
Although Fresno was shut out of state funding for guaranteed basic income pilots in 2022 – much to the surprise of local advocates – the Fresno EOC announced in February it had rounded up enough funders to make a local program happen anyway.
Somehow guilty pleas weren’t the biggest developments in the Bitwise saga
As with most viral(ish) social media posts, many people appeared to see what they wanted— or maybe needed — to see when disgraced ex-Bitwise CEOs Irma Olguin and Jake Soberal posted a lengthy apology Thursday afternoon.
Was the confession a sincere and painful apology from flawed but altruistic leaders desperately grieving over the lives they crushed in the underdog communities they failed to save?
Or was it a cynical and clumsy ploy from ruthless but incompetent thieves desperately auditioning for prison leniency regardless of the lives they crushed in the underdog communities they failed to save?
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano heard from former Bitwise employees shortly after the former CEOs posted their joint statement.
And Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas was at the courthouse when the pair pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 6 in U.S. District Court in Fresno, where prosecutors have agreed to recommend a “low end” prison sentence.
Outside the Lines
Fresnoland reporters collected 13 honors during the 2024 California Journalism Awards ceremony earlier this month, a contest put on by the California News Publishers Association. Read more about the award-winning entries!
A Kern County judge halted efforts to unionize Wonderful Co. workers this week — at least temporarily — saying the agriculture giant owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick was “likely to prevail” in its challenge to California’s new system for organizing farmworkers. The Los Angeles Times
Fresno congressman Jim Costa joined the growing list of Democrats calling on President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign “the good of the country.” KMPH
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is expected to attend a $3,300 per person fundraiser in Fresno County later this month. POLITICO
Recent layoffs announced at the Olam Foods & Ingredients Firebaugh plant brings the number of mass layoffs or closures to nearly 60 in the region since the start of the year, according to a new analysis from The Fresno Bee’s Tim Sheehan, with nearly 1,000 workers across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare expected to lose their jobs by the end of the year. The Fresno Bee
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office recently gave away free life jackets as part of an effort to raise awareness about recent drowning tragedies. KVPR
Block Beat
SOUTHWEST: Educational Employees Credit Union celebrated the opening of the only full-service credit union ATM in southwest Fresno, located at 1245 C St. The Fresno Business Journal
COPPER RIVER: Willow Avenue, between Copper and Silaxo Avenues, will close through October for developer improvements, starting Monday, July 22, according to a city press release.
CLOVIS: The Clovis Chamber of Commerce invites you to the ribbon cutting ceremony for View West Charter School/Learn4Life on Friday, July 26 at 11 am. Come out to tour the new facilities, meet the staff, and learn more about the innovative educational programs offered! There will be appetizers and beverages following the ceremony.
TOWER DISTRICT: The city has released the latest version of the Tower District Specific Plan – an overhaul of the 30-year old blueprint for some of Fresno’s most historic and walkable neighborhoods. Public comments are due by August 12.
SOUTH CENTRAL: The public comment period for the public draft of the city’s South Central Specific Plan – guiding new industrial, commercial, and residential development in the neighborhoods south of downtown – is ending on July 30.
Department of New Construction
SUNNYSIDE: A proposed 105-lot single-family subdivision by Lennar Homes, on East Church Avenue between Fordham and Fowler Avenues, will be considered by the District 5 Implementation Committee at their meeting Wednesday evening.
LOWELL: The city council will consider approval of an agreement with the Lowell Community Development Corporation to provide up to 24 affordable tiny homes for people making less than 60% of the median household income at their meeting Thursday.
ROOSEVELT: The city council will be considering an appeal of an approval of a new cannabis shop on Kings Canyon Road and Jackson Avenue at their meeting Thursday.
TEMPERANCE-KUTNER: The city council will consider a tract map, plan amendment and rezone for a 326-lot single-family subdivision near Armstrong and McKinley Avenues for Wilson Homes at their meeting Thursday.
RADIO PARK: The city council will consider using its eminent domain powers for the acquisition of a small parcel with a ‘Quick Mart’ on the southwest corner of Clinton and First Avenues as part of the Radio Park Expansion Project at their meeting Thursday.
TATARIAN/BLUFFS: The city council will consider an appeal of a 82-home apartment complex on Herndon and Prospect Avenues at their meeting Thursday.
Around Town
Belmont Nursery will be hosting Pets and Plants: Dog Days of Summer on July 27, from 9 am to 2 pm. Bring your dog for some special discounts on purchases $100 or more, or adopt a new canine friend for a $25 gift certificate! Enjoy food, music, and canine company at this free event.
Tower Yoga will be presenting Mindful Art Sessions on Sunday, July 29, from 3 to 4:30 pm– advanced registration is required. This free community event will begin with a yoga warm-up followed by communal art making, and requires no past yoga or art experience. Reserve a space in the Tower Yoga app or website.
