Quote of the Week
“We just need to be able to do both. We need to be able to learn from our past and support victims, while also recognizing that the work needs to continue, and that farmworkers today are worth fighting for, now more than ever.”
-Antonio de Loera, spokesperson for the UFW, speaking with Fresnoland about continuing the fight for farmworker rights while re-evaluating Cesar Chavez as a predator.
This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno moves quickly to delete sexual-abuser Cesar Chavez
In many ways, Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval had a pretty relatable week.
On Sunday, the 55-year-old university leader stood out amongst a crowd of some of the region’s top educators and praised UFW cofounder Cesar Chavez, saying, in part, that without the efforts of the farmworker-rights advocate, Jiménez-Sandoval doubted that he would be in his current position as an “immigrant president.”
Just three days later, Jiménez-Sandoval reacted with shock and horror as devastatingly credible allegations of sexual abuse emerged publically involving Chavez and underage girls, as well as the co-leader of the movement that he fronted, Dolores Huerta.
Fresno State ripped Chavez’s statue from the campus Peace Garden after the monument spent two days concealed with literal bags over its head.
Throughout the nation, but especially in the central San Joaquin Valley, historians, academics, labor-rights activists, journalists, politicians, farmworkers and everyday citizens were appalled and angry.
And like the Fresno State statue, tributes to Chavez — whose name has been given to all manner of streets, parks, holidays and schools — started falling like contrite dominoes.
The Fresno City Council quickly began work on renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard, where street signs are not even three years old. The county board of supervisors plans to rename the holiday. The California Legislature is also working quickly to delete Chavez’s name from the calendar. Schools up and down California, including Fresno, scraped planned celebrations.
And for some, the speed with which institutions moved this week wasn’t just a rare reminder that motivated politicians and leaders can move quickly, it was also suspicious.
Several Fresno residents, and even one elected city councilmember, noted that the reckoning that has come for a Latino predator was remarkably swift, especially for anyone who has watched much more powerful and influential present day leaders essentially shrug off their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
And, as the reckoning unfolds, many worry that Chavez’s gruesome crimes will come to overshadow the critical and historic movement of which he was just one part.
Fresno State Assistant Professor Alina R. Méndez urged educators to lean into the difficult conversations and to better focus on the movement as a whole.
Méndez: “I hope that they can be renamed in ways that still celebrate the great achievements that farm workers were instrumental in making possible and achieving.”
UFW protests farmworker wages outside Fresno courthouse
As rape and sexual abuse allegations emerge about labor rights icon Cesar Chavez, the organization he helped found continued fighting on Wednesday for farm workers facing potentially massive pay cuts in the future.
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano was on hand at the federal courthouse Wednesday in downtown Fresno as dozens rallied outside on Tulare Street, seven stories below the critical court hearing that could have national implications.
In October 2025, the Department of Labor unveiled a temporary rule announcing a new methodology for calculating the minimum wage for guest agricultural workers hired through the H-2A visa program that could cost farmworkers up to $5.4 billion in wages across the nation.
A federal court judge is expected to issue a ruling in the case in the coming months.
Sued if they do, sued if they don’t
Out-of-town developers will slap Fresno City Hall with a brutal lawsuit if the City Council refuses to rezone 55 acres of southwest land for industrial use.
If the city gives the developers what they want, then California’s top cop will also come down on City Hall like a vengeful, multi-million-dollar sledgehammer.
So, the next three months probably won’t be a ton of fun for City Attorney Andrew Janz, who will try to map out the city’s least ruinous path.
The City Council on Thursday postponed the planned rezone hearing for at least 90 days while the City Attorney’s Office quietly scrambles to find a decent-enough off-ramp.
Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver spoke with Councilmember Miguel Arias, who, despite supporting an earlier neighboring rezone effort a few years ago, has adamantly opposed the latest attempt by out-of-town developers. Arias has even called the process “dirty” and accused others on the council of colluding with the developers attorneys behind the scenes.
Arias confirmed the city received word late Wednesday that the California DOJ planned to sue to the city if the rezone was approved.
AG Rob Bonta made a similar threat a few years ago when Fresno-area developers successfully petitioned the city to rezone neighboring land back to industrial uses. But, despite the sabre-rattling, Bonta’s office ultimately did nothing and the rezone sailed through the City Council over the objections of neighborhood residents.
Fresno judge to rule on City Hall’s controversial budget committee
A Fresno Superior Court expects to issue a written ruling in the coming months in connection with two-year-old lawsuit accusing the city of violating state transparency laws, Omar S. Rashad reports for Fresnoland.
The alleged violations, first revealed in a 2023 Fresnoland investigation, occurred over a five-year span that saw much of the work conducted on city budgets happened behind closed doors and in private meetings.
Judge Robert Whalen grilled both sides during arguments on Wednesday, questioning whether the court had an actual role to play, while also challenging the city’s claims that no law had been broken.
“It sounds as though the City of Fresno is saying, ‘Well, we probably ought to get this litigation handled first, and then once the litigation is completed, then we’ll have a better understanding as to whether we can do what it was we were doing before.’”
Does City Hall need facial recognition technology?
The City Council also kicked the can down the road on whether to add facial recognition technology to City Hall, an effort that’s been framed as protecting children at City Hall from sexual predators, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports.
However, concerns were raised by some councilmembers and residents that the technology could infringe on people’s rights to privacy, which could open the city to litigation.
The council eventually moved to retract the proposal and directed Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz to conduct the study. The council said they’d return to discuss the matter as a closed session item in future council meetings.
The council also voted to unanimously support state legislation brought forward by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced) to ban sexual offenders from running for public office.
Outside the Lines
Fresnoland is hiring: That’s right, we’re hiring for our first-ever Senior Revenue Officer to help lead and execute our fundraising strategy with local donors and sponsors. Share with your fundraising friends! Fresnoland
There’s been a leadership shakeup at the Fresno Arts Council, following embezzlement scandal. Fresnoland
Fresno’s parks and arts commission, which plays a key role in shaping grant guidelines and awards for Measure P arts funding — is now a “standing” committee, following a 7-0 vote at a PRAC meeting on Monday. Fresnoland
A new marketing effort seeks to highlight the seasonal produce and products from smaller San Joaquin Valley farmers. Fresnoland
Fresno County supervisors got a better look Tuesday at one of two plans that aims to replace the county’s critical, decades-old transportation tax that expires next year. Fresnoland
Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver sits down with KVPR’s daily news podcast to discuss his recent reporting on the behind-the-scenes chaos at Fresno EOC that included the recent quiet exodus of about one-third of the nonprofit’s board of directors. Central Valley Daily
Paychecks are bouncing at Fresno’s newly opened Horn Barbecue and some employees have already quit. The Fresno Bee
Wait, so can the Fresno City Attorney prosecute wage theft? The Fresno Bee
Clovis City Council adds an ‘In God we trust’ sign. KMPH
Raw Farm in Fresno County is under investigation for its raw cheddar cheese linked to an ongoing E. coli outbreak, but the local company is disputing the finding. The Business Journal
Block Beat
Southeast: Fresno County students are gearing up for the annual science fair. ABC30
Tower District: Sour Milk’s next group art show — a tribute to filmmaker and artist John Waters — is set for 5 to 9 p.m. May 7 at Sour Milk, 1474 N. Van Ness Ave., in the Tower District. More info
Sunnyside: California’s Racial Equity Commission with the Governor’s Office will host a town hall in Fresno on Wednesday, April 1 about “addressing racial equity and inequities affecting underserved and marginalized communities.” United Way
Granite Park: City Hall tries to evict Granite Park operator amid yearslong battle between the city and the operator. The Fresno Bee
River Park: Fresno’s Taqueria Yarelis, which achieved viral fame for its giant Anaconda burrito, announced plans to open a third location near River Park. The Business Journal
Downtown: Tacos El Cabezon has developed a devoted following for its LA-style take on Mexicali-style tacos, drawing big crowds and plenty of buzz on social media. Late last week, the popular shop opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Fresno. The Business Journal
