Quote of the Week
“Don’t fuck with Fresno.”
— Fresno City Councilmember Nick Richardson celebrating a federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from yanking millions in funding from Fresno and other local jurisdictions
This Week in Fresnoland
You heard that right
After a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to yank millions in funding from Fresno and other local governments, city leaders celebrated the decision — some by using some choice words, as Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
“I have a lot of bosses. None of them are in Sacramento. None of them are in DC,” said Fresno City Councilmember Nick Richardson at a Wednesday news conference. “Our messages to both of those higher forms of government who don’t understand how Fresno runs, and the duty that we have to the people who live here — the message is clear: Don’t fuck with Fresno.”
Others, including City Attorney Andrew Janz, called the lawsuit a last resort after failed negotiations with the feds put them in an “impossible position.” At risk were millions of dollars for airport expansion, transportation, roads, housing and environmental safety.
Fresno officials accuse bus drivers union of breaking ‘basic labor negotiation rules’
Fresnoland broke news Friday of why the Fresno City Council voted the day before to file an unfair labor practice against the city’s bus drivers union.
Two councilmembers told Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano the decision was over a move from union leaders they’d “never seen” before in their time on the council.
Specifically, they allege that leaders for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1027 reneged on a tentative agreement the two sides had already signed. ATU Local 1027 didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations Friday afternoon.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said his office plans to file a claim with California’s Public Employment Relations Board early next week.
Council President Mike Karbassi: “The evidence supporting this is something the City Council cannot turn a blind eye to.”
What Fresno can learn from LA’s public transit expansion
Los Angeles passed a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation in the county 17 years ago, even with the 2008 financial crisis well underway.
Former LA officials reflected on how they managed to win over two-thirds of voters at a Fresnoland event Thursday evening at Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. downtown.
Part of that involved pitching the expansion of LA’s metro as building a “subway to the sea” with benefits for every part of the county, said Denny Zane, the former mayor of Santa Monica.
Diego Vargas pulled out some of the biggest takeaways from the conversation between Zane, as well as former LA mayor (and current gubernatorial candidate) Antonio Villaraigosa and sitting Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias in a report for Fresnoland. Read the full story here.
Fresno’s most performative male dedicates his win to ‘the women’
Over the weekend, a crowd of over 100 young people crowned Fresno’s “most performative male.”
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano witnessed the lively coronation of Samuel Rooney in the event hosted by indie bookstore Judging by the Cover.
Rooney won the crowded competition that put a Fresno spin on the so-called performative male contests that have come to other large cities recently. Though the definition of the so-called performative males is somewhat fluid, the online trend centers around men virtue-signaling feminism in some key ways, including reading feminist literature in public and getting hip to how taxing menstruation is.
“I know it’s more of like a meme,” said Julian Angel, who came from Selma to compete in Fresno’s contest. “But, you know, having the sense of community, coming out, doing dumb stuff — it’s a really fun thing.”
Fresno County’s rooster crackdown
It’s about to become more expensive for Fresno County residents to keep more than five roosters on their property, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported.
A new ordinance approved unanimously by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors Tuesday put a new cap on the number of roosters allowed per property following years’ worth of rooster-related complaints, one supervisor said.
Before then, roosters were lumped in with birds — which the county caps at 500 per property.
Residents can apply for a permit to house up to 24 roosters, though that will cost them a one-time fee of $440 and an annual fee of $240.
Read about other actions the board took — including the adoption of a resolution to oppose Proposition 50 that Californians will vote on in November’s special election — in Pablo’s full report.
Outside the Lines
The Fresno Unified school board set baseline numbers and targets for literacy improvement among vulnerable students at a meeting this week. Fresnoland
Fresno joined in on national protests outside of ABC studios the same day that Disney announced Jimmy Kimmel’s show would return. Fresnoland
On this week’s Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and Danielle speak with Blake Zante, the executive director of the Maddy Institute at Fresno State, and Monse Sanchez, the regional field director for Communities for a New California, about what valley residents should expect if Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting proposal, Proposition 50, is approved by voters this November. Fresnolandia
Clovis Unified teachers are the closest they’ve been in decades to becoming unionized — with one of two rival groups only about 75 signatures shy of meeting the requirements to become the Clovis educators’ exclusive representative. Edsource
Block Beat
FRESNO STATE: The Fresno Writers Summit returns this Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Smittcamp Alumni House from 1 to 8 p.m. This year’s event features Suzanne Lummis, Sarah Fawn Montgomery, Samina Najmi, Janet Nichols Lynch, Carol Roh Spaulding, Kimberly Vargas Agnese and more. College of Arts and Humanities
EDISON: Fresno Housing is hosting a clean-up of the mural located at 601 E. Klette Ave. across from Edison High School from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 27. Fresno Housing
FRESNO CITY COLLEGE: Guelaguetza, a traditional Oaxacan festival, will return to Fresno City College this Sunday, Sept. 28, starting at 10 a.m. Organizers weighed carefully whether to move forward with the event that’s been cancelled in other communities due to increased fears of immigration raids — and hope Sunday is an opportunity for healing, celebration and resistance. The Fresno Bee
VISALIA: Mooney Grove Park will host the Witches Picnic market Sunday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., where dressing up in the spirit of Spooky Season is “encouraged but not mandatory.” Eventbrite
MURAL DISTRICT: Arte Américas will host an opening reception for this year’s Día de los Muertos ofrenda exhibition Thursday, Oct. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. The theme of the upcoming exhibition is “Monumental Figures” and will feature 20-foot sculptures honoring individuals who have had equally monumental impacts. Arte Américas
