Quote of the Week

“The deal on the table with AAM represents the best opportunity to open the hospital and restore acute care for the residents of Madera County.”

– Hospital Chief Executive Officer Karen Paolineli wrote in a court filing. The Madera Community Hospital may finally reopen after a long saga in the bankruptcy courts.

Fresnoland hosts candidate forums ahead of March primary

With the March primary election rapidly approaching, Fresnoland has partnered with KVPR, the League of Women Voters, and CMAC to host three candidate forums over two nights in February.

The first two forums will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Hyatt Place, El Capitan Room, 7333 N. Fresno St., beginning at 6:30 p.m. with candidates for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 2. RSVP for the event here. The second forum follows at 7:30 p.m. with candidates for the Fresno City Council, District 6. RSVP for the event here.

The third forum is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at the John L. Dodson Theater, 710 Van Ness Ave., featuring candidates for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 3. RSVP for the event here.

This Week in Fresnoland

Check out Fresnoland’s March primary voter guide!

But candidate debates aren’t the only way that Fresnoland is digging into the upcoming election. Our reporters and editors are also compiling a complete guide to the March 5 ballot with the first articles out this week detailing some of the higher-profile issues.

Whether you’re a rookie voter or a seasoned political animal, Fresnoland’s guide is packed with helpful information.

Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas compiled a list of frequently asked questions that can help you with everything from voter registration and absentee ballots to examining ballot measures and candidates seeking office.

Election coverage kicked off this week examining two ballot measures that both seek to change Fresno County’s charter in an effort to bolster local control over law enforcement elections and the controversial name of a small foothill community.

Fresnoland explains Measure A

Measure A would reattach the sheriff and district attorney elections to the gubernatorial election cycle rather than the presidential cycle. At the center of the debate is AB 759, a 2022 law that moved the “top cop” elections to the presidential cycle, a change criticized by conservative voices in Fresno County.

Support around the issue of California’s law enforcement elections generally has fallen along the typical partisan lines.

Read the full analysis of Measure A here.

Fresnoland explains Measure B

Measure B seeks to further formalize that the Fresno County Board of Supervisors have the “duty and power” to name or rename geographical features and places within unincorporated areas of Fresno County – authority the board already has.

At the center of the issue is a small community in Fresno County’s eastern foothills that was renamed “Yokuts Valley” in 2023 by the federal government, removing the old name that included a word widely viewed as a racist and sexist slur targeting Native American women.

But, led by Supervisor Nathan Magsig, Fresno County leaders have fought the name change.

Read the full analysis of Measure B here.

Stay tuned for more local election analysis in the coming days and weeks and don’t forget to vote!

Fresno considers giving city attorney new power to prosecute wage theft

On Thursday, the Fresno City Council will consider granting City Attorney Andrew Janz the power to prosecute employers through both civil and criminal action, a power that was previously exclusive to the state Labor Commissioner’s Office.

Assembly Bill 594 paved the way for Fresno’s potential new policy. The state law authorized public prosecutors like city attorneys to pursue civil or criminal actions against employers who commit wage theft in their jurisdictions in response to “widespread” wage theft in California, especially in “low-wage industries,” the law reads.

In an interview with Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano, Councilmember Tyler Maxwell said Fresno would be a “trailblazer in California” if the policy passes and hopes other cities follow suit.

Janz, a former county prosecutor and Democratic politician, said, if approved, his office would launch the effort formally in April, deploying current staff from the office’s litigation unit at no additional cost to the city.

Caltrans wants court to toss the highway interchange lawsuit

Caltrans argued that the community groups suing them over highway interchange plans in Fresno County missed a deadline. In this Fresnoland story from Gregory Weaver, the judge remained unmoved.

“Caltrans fails to provide any authority which provides that equitable tolling cannot apply to a CEQA claim,” Judge Geoffrey Wilson said. 

The California Environmental Quality Act requires Caltrans to conduct a public health analysis, basically a study on the environmental impacts of their controversial highway expansion on the nearby community. Caltrans declines to conduct that analysis. 

The agency has continued arguing that their proposed mitigations (a sidewalk, trees, and an electric vehicle charging station) counterbalance the health impacts. They are being sued because community members disagree with this assessment, and independent legal experts have called Caltrans’ conduct a flagrant violation of CEQA.

Efforts to lobby Washington for Fresno County’s benefit prove unambitious

The Fresno County Council of Governments (COG), Gregory Wever (Fresnoland) writes, typically schedules a One Voice trip to Washington D.C., where the council parades a list of Fresno County priorities and lobbies for funding. Now I say typically, but what I really mean is occasionally, because the annual trip hasn’t happened in four years. 

COG couldn’t agree on a lobbying list. The list we have is flaccid and lacking in support – to the point where the cities of Clovis and Fresno both dropped out of the trip altogether, leaving only the rural mayors. And yet those same mayors delivered very little rural representation to the list: beside a very-Fresno tilted list of priorities for things like suburban and industrial sprawl was a lone request for a pedestrian trail in Parlier.

The trip was nearly canceled entirely. 

Meanwhile, another judge is considering the Madera hospital reopening plan

In a story that will never end, Omar Shaikh Rashad (Fresnoland) writes about the proposal to reopen the Madera Community Hospital, a bankruptcy case that’s 10 months old at this point. The plan is to transfer management of the hospital to American Advanced Medical Inc. (AAMI), who plans to reopen the hospital in June. In addition to the judge, California Attorney General Rob Bonta must also approve the plan, given that the hospital is a nonprofit. 

The hospital can reopen in part thanks to $50 million in loans from California’s Distressed Hospital Loan Program. Additionally, AAMI will pony up $30 million to pay off most of the hospital’s prior debts. 

Block Beat

WEST FRESNO: The West Fresno State Center Community College Campus had a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new campus is located at 600 Chance Ave. Instagram

DEL MAR ELEMENTARY: The District 4 School Area Team team visited the area to connect low-income residents with housing resources and assist with blight removal as part of their revitalization efforts. Instagram

CLOVIS: In a bid to boost business during the post-holiday sales slump, the City of Clovis Administration Building will trade $100 worth of receipts from local restaurants, bars, or coffee houses for $25 gift cards to Clovis restaurants. KMPH

TOWER DISTRICT: The controversial farmer’s market has closed for the winter – and there’s a petition circulating that aims to make the closure permanent. Fresno Bee

Department of New Construction

LAS PALMAS: A development permit is under review for a proposal to build an 8,825-square-foot warehouse and office building at 1190 N. Cypress Ave. The application was filed by Brian Yengoyan of KAD Control.

Around Town

The Fresno City Council will honor Black History Month with a reception dinner on Feb. 1 from 8 to 9 a.m. Instagram

The Saroyan Theatre is hosting this year’s Shen Yun Performing Arts experience. The event promises stunning costumes, “high-tech backdrops” and a live orchestra. Downtown Fresno

Next Week in Public Meetings

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Tommy is the author of Toplines, the Fresnoland newsletter curating the top stories in the Central Valley. He thinks he's very funny.