Quote of the Week
“I wonder if somebody couldn’t see the badges and said, ‘Hey, I just saw two guys get kidnapped.’”
— Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni on the recent arrests made by plainclothes federal immigration agents in downtown Fresno on Father’s Day
This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno officials weigh in on plainclothes immigration officers
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni this week acknowledged concerns over recent federal immigration tactics of concealing their identities and even the name of their agency when making arrests, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
“Unless you’re out there trying to get such a high-risk suspect that’s wanted for some serious crimes, that identifying yourself would not allow you to effect the arrest — which is very, very rare — you should always identify yourself,” Zanoni told Fresnoland.
Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto agrees.
“We also wouldn’t want some type of a confrontation between different law enforcement,” Casto told Fresnoland. “We count on not only us to identify ourselves to the public, but what if we had a patrol car rolling down the street and see something like that? Obviously not a situation that we would want to encounter.”
It’s a tactic ICE and Border Patrol agents have been using in recent months and civil rights attorneys and local law enforcement officials worry it’s causing more problems than it’s solving.
Measure C compromise struck for now
Houston, we have a compromise.
The Fresno Council of Governments Thursday approved a new path forward to save Measure C, Fresno County’s 40-year-old transportation sales tax that expires in 2027, bringing together the establishment-backed groups and community-led coalition that a short time ago “couldn’t be in the same room together,” one coalition member said.
The deal came with an agreement to add 12 members of the Transportation for All coalition to a Measure C steering committee, granting the coalition one-third representation on the advisory committee in charge of recommending spending priorities for the next iteration of Measure C, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Now, the expanded group has the large task of finding agreement on how to spend several billion dollars in future sales tax revenues on transportation projects, from road safety to transit, by October.
Clovis City Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck, who helped broker the compromise, said “I’m not promising perfect,” of the new path forward, “but I am promising our best chance.”
The plan passed in an 11-4 vote, with some officials objecting to the number of steering committee members the coalition got.
A big, beautiful land grab?
Huntington and Edison lakes appear safe for now, but the San Joaquin River Gorge could still land on a public auction block for developers as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reported.
The move, if it happens, would be part of a plan hatched by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to sell off public lands to help fund Trump’s tax cuts.
Lee announced an updated proposal earlier this week, targeting lands held by the Bureau of Land Management within five miles of a population center. The San Joaquin River Gorge, near Auberry, could, potentially, fit that criteria.
A map of the lands near Fresno that were proposed to be sold can be viewed here. Outdoor Alliance will be preparing a new map of lands still eligible for sale in the coming days.
The original June 14 proposal, coming from the Utah senator, sent shock waves throughout the American West.
Ag groups scramble after Trump’s flip-flopping on farm raids
After flip-flopping from the Trump administration over immigration raids on farms, industry groups in the central San Joaquin Valley are looking to Congress to solve the problem in the long term.
But they’re not all looking at the same solutions, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano and Gisselle Medina reported.
Several industry groups and the United Farm Workers have historically thrown their weight behind the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which has passed the House of Representatives twice but not yet the senate.
But some groups in the central San Joaquin Valley are looking to other bills that offer paths to legal status for more than just agricultural workers.
Still, some advocates are skeptical whether farmers — many of whom backed Trump in 2024 even while he campaigned on mass deportations — will support greater protections for the immigrant workers their industry depends on.
Fresno’s stray pet problem
Fresno County is tackling the stray pet problem with heavier fines and potential jail time for unlicensed breeders.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors held a hearing on Tuesday for a new ordinance revision that will require dog and cat breeders to obtain a permit from the county and impose a $1,000 fine for each illegally bred animal, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reported.
The revision would also allow the county to charge breeders who violate the ordinance with misdemeanor penalties, with the potential for up to six months in jail.
“We’re coming after you; you’re not going to be allowed to continue to illegally breed dogs,” warned Supervisor Garry Bredefeld.
Outside the Lines
On this week’s Fresnolandia, Jordan and Danielle talk with Paul Gilmore, a history professor at Fresno City College, about a little-known moment in Fresno labor history: the Fresno Free Speech Fight of 1910 to 1911, at present-day Mariposa Plaza downtown. Fresnoland
Fresno labor leaders and officials are advocating for federal heat safety standards in the middle of public hearings by OSHA over a proposed new rule. Fresnoland
Three Fresno-area hospitals got a “C” in a new report grading patient safety, completed by a nonprofit organization that studies standards in medical care. The Fresno Bee
Five women are suing Clovis Unified schools, accusing the district of failing to protect them from sexual abuse. The Los Angeles Times
While Madera Community Hospital continues to restore its services more than two years after its initial closure, the hospital now faces new challenges as Republicans in Congress push a funding bill that slashes Medicaid. KVPR
On the heels of a state championship track meet in Clovis, the Trump administration on Wednesday said California must change policies allowing transgender girls to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity, the Associated Press reported via KVPR.
Fresno County public health officials warned the public that West Nile virus has been detected recently in local mosquitoes. KSEE
Fresno residents reported surprise thousand-dollar bills from PG&E, a final accounting of energy usage and production for homes with solar. PG&E points towards solar companies as the problem, and solar companies are pointing at PG&E. KSEE24
Block Beat
WEST CENTRAL FRESNO: Educators celebrated the upcoming opening of the first American school named after a Punjabi Sikh leader, Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary School in Central Unified. Fresnoland
MADERA: ‘Boots N’ Booze, the popular regional country music concert series, returns to Madera this weekend at Evanelle Vineyards. The Business Journal
WEST FRESNO: Wellness to the West will host a “Community Walk and Roll Audit” this Saturday, June 28, from 8 to 11 a.m. The group will gather at 847 Fresno Street and walk, bike, skateboard “and even cruise” through the neighborhood while seeking feedback from participants. Wellness to the West
MANCHESTER: Fresno’s newly opened El Super store cut its ribbon this week. ABC30
CHINATOWN: Chinatown bookstore Judging by the Cover, along with the Books, Babes and Booze Book Club, are organizing a book drive for children of migrant families in the Central Valley. They’re collecting books, both in English and in bilingual formats, for kids ages 0-14 at their location on F Street through the end of July. Judging by the Cover
FRESNO FAIRGROUNDS: A bid to return horse racing to the Big Fresno Fair was shot down by a state board. The Business Journal
MADERA: Madera’s mayor quietly walked out while the city council honored a local high school group for Pride month, continuing her “apparent trend of avoiding recognition of LGBTQ+ community members.” The Fresno Bee
