Quote of the Week
“If you don’t know your history, people can manipulate you in one way or another.”
-Joginder Singh Matharu, president of the Sikh Institute
This Week in Fresnoland
Fearless for Justice March comes to Fresno
The Fearless for Justice March, a 350-mile march led by the Jakara Movement, arrived in Fresno County in its journey to advocate for recognition of the 1984 Sikh Genocide, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina and Diego Vargas reported.
Sikh organizers chose the same Highway 99 route — Delano to Sacramento — used in 1966 by marching farm workers led by Cesar Chavez.
More than 100 Sikh community members greeted the marchers in Fresno before entering the Sikh Institute. A group of youth marchers held a poster marking the 40 years since the genocide, with a single yellow Sikh flag held aloft as they walked.
Joginder Singh Matharu, president of the Sikh Institute, emphasized the importance of youth understanding their history and heritage, expressing hope that the march and evening events would help achieve that goal.
“My personal fear is that if we don’t pass on our traditions and history to the youth, they will be manipulated,” said Matharu. “If you don’t know your history, people can manipulate you in one way or another.”
A ‘very strong ruling against’ Clovis Unified
A decision handed down by the state’s top authority on public employees’ rights Monday appears to be the final nail in the coffin for the Faculty Senate at Clovis Unified, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported this week.
The Public Employment Relations Board’s ruling on Oct. 14 upheld a prior decision earlier this year, calling for the Faculty Senate – which critics equate to a company union – to disestablish.
The decision also ordered the Clovis Unified superintendent to record a video outlining the ways in which the district and Faculty Senate had broken the law and share the recording at staff meetings on every campus.
District spokesperson Kelly Avants confirmed the district has yet to record the video as they weigh appeal options. She called the recent PERB ruling disappointing and reiterated the district’s claims that the measures are “punitive” and an “overreach of their authority.”
However, pro-union educators in Clovis Unified — California’s largest school district without a teachers union — celebrated the PERB decision, calling it “a very strong ruling against the district.”
Why church voting booths are disappearing
Church participation in elections in general has been trending downward in recent years, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reported this week.
Previously, more faith-based locations functioned as polling places before Fresno County adopted the California Voter’s Choice Act, starting with the March 2020 primary election.
This statewide voting model modernized elections by expanding early voting options, increasing the number of secure ballot drop-off locations, and mailing every registered voter a ballot.
In the past, voters had to cast their ballots at assigned polling places, including faith-based sites such as University Vineyard Church, First Baptist Church of Clovis, and Temple Beth Israel. Now, voters can vote at any vote center in their county and have access to dozens of ballot drop boxes.
Fresno County’s voter turnout saw a significant increase after the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) was enacted, according to Fresno County Election Data. In the March 2018 primary, turnout was 31.08%, and in the November 2018 general election, it reached 56.40%. By the 2020 elections, turnout climbed to 42.25% in the March primary and 74.65% in the November general election.
Election Day is less than two weeks away
This week Fresno City Council hopefuls Nick Richardson and Roger Bonakdar faced off in their first debate of the fall campaign season, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reported. The event was hosted by GV Wire, whose owner, Darius Assemi, has donated to Bonakdar’s campaign.
Questions centered around key issues in the northeastern Fresno district, recently adopted including anti-encampment ordinances, public safety, education, and CMEX.
Election Day is less than two weeks away and early voting is already underway in many places. Fresnoland has you covered with everything you need to know about Fresno-area races and school bonds in our November 2024 Voter Guide.
Fresnoland’s guide includes analysis of the Bonakdar/Richardson race, as well as detailed looks at various school bonds on the ballot, special taxes, and races for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and school board races in Fresno Unified and Central Unified.
Unlikely allies join forces?
The powerful, and politically right-leaning Westlands Water District recently teamed up with left-leaning Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria on renewable energy, SJV Water’s Jesse Vad reported.
Her bill, AB 2661, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month and will allow Westlands in western Fresno County to oversee the generation, storage and transmission of solar energy.
Within Westlands, about 130,000 acres – a little more than one-third the footprint of the City of Los Angeles – has been taken out of agricultural production and is available for solar development under the renewable energy project, called the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP,) said Jose Gutierrez, assistant general manager of Westlands.
The law allows Westlands to generate power for its own facilities but it cannot get into retail distribution of power.
Outside the Lines
“When Valley Children’s Hospital publicly posted its latest federal nonprofit tax filing in mid-August, the document contained details about more than $52 million it spent on sophisticated life insurance arrangements with key executives.” The Fresno Bee
Embattled former Central Valley U.S. Rep. TJ Cox, who has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last week. The charges are tied to business dealings in 2018 before he was elected to the House of Representatives. In August 2022, the FBI arrested Cox on suspicion of 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count each of institutional fraud and campaign contribution fraud, as well as stealing $1.7 million in loans and diverted payments. The Fresno Business Journal
Block Beat
FRESNO CITY COLLEGE: FIL FIESTA 559 is a free event, open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at Fresno City College. The event features food, art, shopping and live music and is funded in part by the City of Fresno Measure P Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Fund, administered by the Fresno Arts Council. It is also made possible through a partnership with CMAC.
FRESNO HIGH: The public is invited to a town hall meeting with Fresno City Council President Annalisa Perea to discuss the potential location of a new dog park. Perea will be joined by other leaders from the city’s schools and parks programs. The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at the Hamilton Middle School cafeteria, 102 E. Clinton Ave. in Fresno.
FANCHER CREEK: Fresno city leaders held a news conference Tuesday morning to provide updates on the new Fancher Creek development, which will reportedly include Target, Sprouts Farmers Market, PetSmart, Michaels, and In-N-Out Burger, among others, The Fresno Business Journal
TOWER DISTRICT: An evening of Salsa music and dance is open to the public from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 at Let’s Roll Fresno, 403 W. Olive Ave. Dance lessons are available from 7 to 7:30 p.m.. The event is free and includes a live DJ and desserts! More info
Around Town
The public is invited to celebrate the 559 Night Market Halloween Edition from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 on G Street, between Mariposa and Inyo. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. More info
The public is invited to an evening birding walk from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, Sumner Peck Ranch. The free event is hosted by SJ River Parkway Trust.
The public is invited to attend an online workshop on the Fresno Active Transportation Plan, a “comprehensive update” to the area’s plans for walking, biking, wheelchair and other forms of transportation by “enhancing accessibility, safety, and connectivity.” The online meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22. Registration and other information is available online.
The Kings River Land Trust invites community members to its BBQ Bash from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Kings River Winery, 4276 S. Greenwood Ave., Sanger. The event features a barbecue dinner served by the renowned BBQ Queen, live music from NickmSlater and the Tulare Dust Band, and a silent auction to help raise vital funds for the protection of the Kings River Watershed, its agricultural lands, and the rich wildlife habitat it supports. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.kingsriverlandtrust.org, call 559-696-2710 or email cher.a@kingsriverlandtrust.org. Tickets are on sale until Oct. 22.
