Good morning! It’s Thursday, Dec. 18. This is Rob, Omar, and Danielle.
💭 Don’t see no sun: Another dense fog advisory hangs over Fresno until 11 a.m. with a high around 50 today. NOAA
☀️ The New York Times discovers Tule Fog: The sun might return to the Central Valley in the coming days as storms start rolling through the region into next week — ending the ‘twilight zone’ of clouds, as Del Rey farmer Mas Masumoto called it. Snark aside, if you’re new here, this is a good explainer of the gray weather. New York Times
📢 Last Fresno City Council meeting of the year: And in typical fashion, it’s a big meeting, with the controversial SEDA plan scheduled for a hearing at 4:30 p.m., after most of the council’s business. This hearing adds a new twist since the plan came before the Planning Commission: planners are asking the council to discuss and recommend a phased approach, emphasizing “South SEDA,” that would return to the Council at a later date for final approval, according to a presentation shared Tuesday evening.
✈️ FATter: The Fresno Yosemite International Airport unveiled its new international terminal, the largest expansion in the airport’s 77-year history. ABC30
🎄Xmas jobs: Amazon adds 800 new hires in Fresno as holiday season peaks. KMPH
1. ‘To escape communist persecution’
This month, the Hmong community will gather at the fairgrounds in Fresno and Merced to celebrate the New Year and mark the 50th anniversary since the first Hmong refugees landed in America, the Merced Focus reports.
(ICYMI: Don’t miss Gisselle Medina’s story on how leaders are planning to make the 50th anniversary celebrations different this year.)
The central San Joaquin Valley became one of their strongest homes. Fresno grew from one Hmong family in 1977 to more than 35,000 by the early 1990s. By the mid-80s, more than 46,000 Hmong people were settled in California — more than half the total of Hmong immigrants nationwide.
Fresno City Councilmember Brandon Vang came to Fresno at age 6 in 1979.
Vang: “We did not come to the United States for economic reasons. We came here to escape communist persecution.”
2. ‘When we don’t have water’
Low water supplies have hit Central California hard, according to the Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest irrigation district that includes parts of Fresno, ABC30 reports.
The study compares 2019 and 2022, when water allocation fell from 75% to zero.
Westlands says fallowed land creates dust and correlates with a rise in Valley Fever.
The study reported that water shortages resulted in nearly 7,500 job losses and a 28% drop in crop production.
The district says solutions could be found in more and better water storage options in the state.
Fresno Chamber of Commerce Chair Nick Rocca: “When we don’t have water, it goes further than loss of crop. The economic impact affects real families.”
3. State cracks down on local pesticide sprayer
A local company that flies over farmland to spray pesticide in Fresno County has been fined thousands of dollars by a state agency, The Fresno Bee reports.
Trinkle Ag Flying is accused of not providing protective equipment to their workers, causing damage to an almond orchard and refusing to comply with a state investigation into the company’s actions.
On top of the fines, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is also going after the company’s business license, as well as the pilot license of the company’s owner.
The state agency has taken enforcement actions against the company on five previous occasions.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
