Quote of the Week
“The more destructive route was chosen in Fresno.”
— UCLA researcher Jacob Wasserman, speaking on the historic impact of State Route 99 on West Fresno
This Week in Fresnoland
Freeway 99’s legacy in West Fresno
Four hundred homes destroyed. Roughly 1,000 residents displaced. Neighborhoods virtually wiped off the map.
That’s the legacy of State Route 99 for West Fresno, as a new report from the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies helps quantify.
But that’s not the full story, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reports.
Researchers found evidence that scores of West Fresno community leaders spoke out against the chosen route that carved up existing neighborhoods, advocating for less destructive routes that bypassed West Fresno altogether.
Julianna also spoke with former residents and advocates who shared their memories of the neighborhood as well as their hopes for it today, in spite of the freeway’s destructive legacy.
Jan Minami, project director for the Chinatown Fresno Foundation: “That freeway is there. How we address its impact today is what’s important.”
Attorney seeks federal class action lawsuit against Fresno
A Fresno attorney plans to fight the city’s controversial anti-camping law that critics have long said criminalizes homelessness, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports.
Attorney Kevin Little on Friday further elaborated on his plans to seek a federal class action lawsuit against Fresno, asking the federal court bench to declare the city’s law unconstitutional.
The case names two unhoused Fresno residents as plaintiffs — both of whom were charged with crimes under the anti-camping law but had their cases thrown out of court. One of those clients, Wickey TwoHands, made headlines earlier this year as he would have been the first person to challenge the new law in court — until a judge ultimately determined city prosecutors violated TwoHands’ speedy trial rights.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz told Fresnoland his office is prepared to fight the lawsuit in court.
ICE crackdown affecting Fresno schools
Latino parents in the Central Valley are grappling with sending young children to school while facing mounting ICE enforcement, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
A new report by the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) released this week highlights the struggles Latino parents face when trying to take their children to school.
Thirty-eight parents from the Central Valley, Los Angeles and Bay areas participated. One-fifth reported absences for their children in transitional kindergarten (TK) or kindergarten, citing fears of immigration enforcement or required immigration court hearings.
“In the Central Valley, caregivers frequently linked absences to ICE raids and immigration court dates, more so than in the other two regions,” said Monique Escobedo, PIQE’s director of research.
Central Valley respondents said there is a need for more accessible information about attendance policies and a more welcoming environment during a time where Latino communities are being targeted by ICE.
Fresno sues over ‘forever chemicals’
The City of Fresno has filed suit against more than three dozen companies it accuses of contaminating the city’s groundwater with PFAS, the synthetic compounds known as “forever chemicals,” Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reports.
Fresno’s water has been clocked with some of the worst contamination of PFAS across the U.S., and cleanup is expected to be prohibitively expensive. The city wants the companies to pay for the damage to Fresno residents’ water.
The city’s lawsuit, filed Nov. 3 in Fresno County Superior Court, names industry giants 3M and DuPont alongside local metal plating shops, E. & J. Gallo Winery, and chemical distributors.
A 2024 investigation from USA Today found that Fresno’s groundwater is over 600% EPA standards for forever chemicals — some of the most severe contamination in the state.
A tamale Christmas tradition
For many Fresno families, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without tamales — and for local vendors, this season carries deep cultural meaning alongside growing uncertainty.
Across the city, tamale makers say recipes learned from parents and grandparents have not only preserved tradition, but also created livelihoods rooted in community care and survival.
Those traditions have become a bridge between past and present. Vendors rely on long hours of labor-intensive cooking to support their families while sharing flavors tied to memory, migration and home, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reports.
This year, however, many say holiday sales are down. Heightened fears around immigration enforcement and financial instability have kept some customers away, even during what is usually the busiest season.
Still, Fresno’s tamale makers persist. For them, each tamale is an act of resilience — a way to nourish neighbors, honor heritage and keep generational traditions alive.
Outside the Lines
Two supportive housing projects will close next month in Fresno following federal funding cuts. That includes the Stasis Center at 4135 E. Olive Ave., and Falcon Court at 4415 N. Clark St. — housing projects managed by Turning Point of California. Fresnoland
Fresno Supervisors took their first look at a new law that, if passed, would allow the county to reduce the number of sexual offenders that can live in a single-family home. Fresnoland
On this week’s Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and Danielle jetted down the 99 with Fresno downtown developer Reza Assemi to talk with Bakersfield developers about the joys and challenges of revitalizing Central Valley downtowns. Fresnoland
Fresno’s Central Unified School District reported big improvements among their English learners, the highest marks in the district in five years. CVJC
Fresno Mission is expanding its warming centers. ABC30
Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center ranked among “high performing” hospitals for maternity care, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Fresno Bee
Organized by Fresno Building Healthy Communities, the Community Health Worker Certification program is a 10-week course that provides culturally-responsive training to farmworkers and others with ties to the fields. KVPR
Ed Madec, the ex-Fresno City College professor and basketball coach who earlier this year was cleared of accusations of making violent threats, is suing the community college system’s chancellor Carole Goldsmith, accusing her of orchestrating a retaliatory arrest. The Fresno Bee
A federal judge rejected a bid by the Trump administration’s justice department to throw out a lawsuit filed by a California agency challenging the cancellation of more than $4 billion in federal grants for the state’s beleaguered high-speed rail project. Reuters
A Fresno man is headed to the season finale of “The Voice.” CBS47
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi plans to run for county supervisor now and not the county clerk’s office after current Supervisor Brian Pacheco’s announcement of a bid for the state legislature shook up the Hall of Records. KMJ
The Fresno County Transit Authority tapped Moses Stites to lead the organization that distributes Measure C transportation tax funds. GV Wire
Federal prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison sentence in their TJ Cox corruption probe. CBS47
Fresno County’s Department of Public Works is asking residents to help shape a safer transportation future by using a new online mapping exercise designed to capture community-identified traffic safety problem areas. Find the online tool
Block Beat
DOWNTOWN: The City of Fresno reminds drivers that several downtown streets will be temporarily closed from 11 a.m. to about 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, to accommodate the Christmas Parade, which will take place in the evening for the first time.
CHINATOWN: The California High-Speed Rail Authority had planned to demolish the vacant building that burned down recently in Fresno’s Chinatown. The Fresno Bee
CENTRAL FRESNO: Radio Park is getting a $10 million makeover that will add a splash pad, more trees and walking paths, a stage for performances and other amenities. Fresnoland
DOWNTOWN: Work kicked off this week on plans to vacate and transfer two undeveloped rights of way on Fulton Street and Van Ness Avenue to make way for work associated with the future Fulton Forum development in downtown Fresno. Business Journal
VISALIA: The Wallflowers are coming to the Visalia Fox Theatre for the 30th anniversary tour of the band’s 1996 breakout hit record, “Bringing Down the Horse.” KSEE24
PORTERVILLE: Hundreds gathered Wednesday to honor the life of fallen Parlier Police officer Jesus Dario Corona as he was laid to rest in Porterville. ABC30
FRESNO STATE: A new Hyatt House is open for business at Campus Pointe near Fresno State. ABC30
DOWNTOWN: Downtown Fresno’s ice rink is now open for the holiday season. ABC30
QUAIL RUN: Clovis plans to submit its latest annexation request to the Fresno LAFCo by the end of the year. The application, which will be discussed at the Dec. 15 City Council meeting, proposes the annexation of Quail Run, a 40.62-acre parcel of county land located at the southwest corner of North Sunnyside Avenue and East Perrin Avenue. The Fresno Bee
