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Good morning! It’s Thursday, June 4. This is Rob.
Hot: Clear, sunny skies and highs in the 90s. NOAA
Listen up: Mayor Jerry Dyer talks SEDA with KVPR. Central Valley Daily
Measure E: Kingsburg voters renewed a local sales tax that city leaders say helps fund public safety. YourCentralValley
Grounded? A federal funding cut is creating uncertainty for students in Reedley College’s Flight Sciences Program. KMPH
Want a pet? Fresno Animal Center offers fee-waived adoptions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at 5277 E. Airways Blvd. Fresno Animal Center
Pomp and circumstance: The fourth annual Latinx High School Celebración honors high school graduates from across Fresno Unified at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 7 at the Save Mart Center. Instagram
1. Follow the money
As the November election begins to come into focus, Fresnoland’s Danielle Bergstrom breaks down the biggest donors in local races in the June 2 primary.
Finance records reveal many of the frequent-flyer campaign donors like Richard Spencer and many of the usual operatives like Alex Tavlian, but there were a few surprises.
One of the largest contributors to Fresno City Council races for the June 2 primary election was the Fresno Teachers Association, the teachers union for the Fresno Unified School District.
Union President Manuel Bonilla said that what happens at City Hall has major implications for the school district.
That’s a sharp philosophical departure from several of the district’s elected trustees, who, in recent months, have worked hard to avoid taking a position on the Southeast Development Area plan. District administrators have said the project, better known as SEDA, would exacerbate the district’s looming school closure, but several trustees have claimed that the issue is outside their “lane”.
Check out the full breakdown here.
2. County schools’ chief race still tight
Updated vote totals from Tuesday’s primary election are expected this afternoon in a report from the Fresno County Clerk’s Office, the first updated count since election night.
A few key races are still undecided, including the race for Fresno County superintendent of schools, where incumbent Michele Cantwell Copher waits to see who will challenge her in the upcoming mid-term election in November.
Candidates Johnny Alvarado and Eimear O’Brien are scrambling to finish second in the race to advance. With only about 1,500 votes separating the opponents, O’Brien comes into Thursday with the lead over Alvarado.
Another key race to watch is whether City Council incumbent Brandon Vang can remain above the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff with his closest challenger, Danielle Parra. She needs Vang to slip below the majority threshold to advance to the November mid-term election.
3. Downtown parking fees draw criticisms from businesses
Store owners are frustrated with construction delays and rising parking costs they say is making it even more difficult to make ends meet in downtown Fresno, the Business Journal reports.
Parking fees on special event nights, which includes Fresno Grizzlies games, have reached as high as $30.
In an interview with KMJ, City Manager Georgeanne White defended the parking fee strategy.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
