Good morning! It’s Monday, Aug. 24. This is Rob.
More Tower police: “Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto in an interview said the department has beefed up its presence in the Tower District in the past two years.” The Fresno Bee
‘Heartbreaking loss’: Young giraffe passes away at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. YourCentralValley
Security concerns: Following two recent attacks against public officials, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz plans to hold a news conference to discuss stronger prosecutor safety measures. KMPH
Cheers! The Sequoia Brewing Co. plans to celebrate the return of the historic Fresno High pillar that was badly damaged last year by a drunken driver. Now, weeks after the beloved community touchstone was restored, Sequoia is planning a big community party set for Aug. 26. The event includes a special beer created for the occasion: Pillar of the Community Pilsner, which will also be available in a 32 oz. commemorative can. Sequoia Brewing Co
1. Should Fresno establish an Office of Cultural Affairs to oversee Measure P grants?
In the wake of the recent Fresno Arts Council embezzlement scandal, Fresno City Hall has taken over administration of the annual Measure P competitive grants.
But few in the city’s art community trust City Hall to have the expertise to properly oversee the program and Fresno remains the largest California city without a specific, dedicated staff qualified to oversee art grant funding.
“But can something that sounds good on paper actually make a difference?” Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano writes. “Or rebuild trust after the Fresno Arts Council’s $1.82 million embezzlement scandal shattered an already strained relationship between the local arts community and the bureaucratic systems determining who among them gets taxpayer funding?”
Amy Kitchener, executive director of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts: “The idea is that there’s personnel — senior personnel — at the city level who have a really deep understanding of the arts and cultural ecology of Fresno. That’s the missing piece here.”
Read the full Fresnoland story here.
2. Did Fresno really make big improvements?
Fresno appears to have led the way across the state in reducing homelessness — at least on paper, CalMatters reports, but are the numbers trustworthy?
“In Central California, Fresno and Madera counties, which combined reported a 34% drop in homelessness compared to last year, appeared to have the largest reduction in the state.”
But the region changed the way they counted this year, potentially skewing the numbers, a fact they acknowledged earlier this year.
“Instead of tallying everyone who was visible on the street as they did in 2025, this year, volunteers counted only people who confirmed they are homeless and agreed to participate in a survey. That change makes this year’s count difficult to compare to 2025 data, officials admitted.”
3. Water cooler chatter: seeking secular workouts?
On its face, I didn’t think the questions were unfair.
“Are there any non-religious gyms in Fresno? Or at least gyms that don’t blatantly promote it on their socials?”
But when a Fresno Reddit user raised the issue online last week, the chatter got kinda hot kinda fast.
Many commented that the trend of openly Christian-based gyms — like Trinity Gym — can be alienating for those with different cultural, political or religious backgrounds.
The conversation drew out the typical left and right talking points, with several coming with recommendations for “more secular” workout rooms.
Personally, it’s harder for me to relate. I’ve never been comfortable in commercial gyms. Every trainer I ever met with (both of them) totally overreacted during the early stretching/warmups phase by hissing at me until I put out my freshly-lit cigarette. And then they both said a lot of loud words that were not “Rob, you’re always welcome back.”
But what do you think? Does Fresno need more non-denominational workout spaces?
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
