Quote of the Week
“We can step up and show the kids that the world may be 75% water, but it’s 100% conquerable if you just keep swimming.”
— Fresno City Councilmember Nick Richardson, regarding his decision to dedicate $10,000 of his council salary to keeping the costs of swimming lessons down for kids in Fresno
This Week in Fresnoland
‘We are as much confused as you are’
Fresno’s Eviction Protection Program is out of money and needs a cash injection of at least $500,000 if the city council wants to keep the program’s lights on, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported this week.
News of the struggling anti-eviction program emerged Thursday during midyear budget discussions that also revealed a looming budget shortfall for at least — and likely more than — $20 million.
And unlike recent years, the city doesn’t have a pile of COVID cash to help make ends meet, further fueling concerns over the possibility of looming cuts.
It’s unclear if the city will be able to keep the Eviction Protection Program alive until June, but we could find out as soon as Feb. 27 when city staffers report back to the council.
‘The audacity to believe’
After nearly five years, the Crossroads Village — Fresno’s newest affordable housing complex — formally opened for business on Friday, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported.
The Crossroads Village is a renovation of the Smugglers Inn hotel property on 3737 N. Blackstone Ave. It served as emergency interim housing during the pandemic before being turned into permanent supportive housing.
The project took nearly five years to complete, requiring a laundry list of local and state grants to reach the finish line. That included $15.3 million from the very first round of Project Homekey funds — a pandemic-era program by the state to send millions of dollars to local jurisdictions to buy and retrofit old buildings (typically hotels and motels) and turn them into housing.
The project introduced 143 new units of affordable housing to the city. The units will be filled via referral from the Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care’s Coordinated Entry System and for residents making 30% or less of the area’s median income.
Bredefeld goes after diversity language in Fresno County job apps
Fresno County became the latest organization to follow President Donald Trump’s lead and go after “DEI language” – verbiage invoking diversity, equity and inclusion – in its hiring practices.
In a solo news conference Friday, Supervisor Garry Bredefeld told reporters that he directed the county’s Human Resources team to remove all such language from job applications, and some job descriptions have already been modified, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
“DEI programs unlawfully inject bias into hiring practices and government operations,” he said, “promoting preferences based on race, gender and identity, rather than merit and qualification.”
In an interview later Friday, Supervisor Luis Chavez voiced concerns over what message Bredefeld’s initiative might send. “We don’t want to for one second convey the message that we don’t value diversity.”
Casto takes over Fresno’s police force
Mindy Casto passed the audition.
Seven months after taking the reins of a Fresno Police Department hammered by scandal, the 49-year-old veteran police commander was named the city’s new permanent police chief on Thursday during a news conference at City Hall, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
Casto becomes the first female police chief in Fresno’s long history.
Chief Casto first joined the department as a cadet straight out of high school in 1996 and was hired as a full-time officer the following year, earning her way into larger and larger leadership positions on her way to the top.
Former police Chief Paco Balderrama resigned last summer after city officials investigated him for having an affair with the wife of Fresno police officer Jordan Wamhoff. Wamhoff was formerly a vice president of the police union and became an elected Madera County supervisor in 2023.
Is this even a real thing?
The Fresno City Council this week adopted a potential solution to a problem they won’t – or can’t – prove is real.
The council made it illegal for other jurisdictions to drop off unhoused people on the streets of Fresno, without providing any evidence that such things have occurred even once, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reported.
Additionally, local law enforcement confirmed to Fresnoland that they have no evidence cities outside Fresno are taking unhoused people to within city limits and dropping them off there.
Outside the Lines
“The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to apply for over $65 million in state money toward housing developments. The state funding was made available following the passing of a controversial proposition passed by voters last year.” Fresnoland
SEIU healthcare workers once again urged the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to support significant pay raises in a new contract. “We don’t just want this new contract; we need it. Prices are going up everywhere in Fresno. Caregivers need a contract that helps us to address the cost of living issues so many of us keep having,” said Olga Valle, a Fresno County IHSS provider and SEIU 2015 member. Fresnoland
“Dozens of demonstrators protested outside the World Ag Expo on its opening day Tuesday to urge farmers and employers to take a stand against potential mass deportations of farmworkers in the Central Valley.” The Fresno Bee
The Trump administration’s move to release water from Central California didn’t address the problem and likely won’t help farmers who rely on that water to irrigate their crops come spring. KVPR
“The formation of a city and county immigrant affairs working group in Fresno is meant to address heightened anxiety related to enforcement actions taken before and during the Trump administration.” The Fresno Business Journal
The Fresno Teachers Association decried Fresno Unified’s decision to cut funding for a program that aimed to improve student achievement by extending the school day for about 24,000 students. EdSource
Block Beat
TOWER DISTRICT: Fresno’s Rogue Festival returns with a teaser show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 at Gazebo Gardens, 3204 N Van Ness Ave. Fresno’s famously fringe festival celebrating creativity through theater is set for a six-day run from Feb. 28 to March 6 at various locations throughout the Tower District. The festival is looking for volunteers and mandatory training gets underway over the next few days. For more information, check out the Rogue Festival website.
TOWER DISTRICT: “Sequoia Brewing Company will close all three of its locations in the Central Valley on Sunday.” Fresno Business Journal
ROOSEVELT: A local nonprofit’s building is now reduced to rubble after a fire ignited in southeast Fresno on Wednesday morning. ABC30
FRESNO UNIFIED: The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students is asking the public to donate some appropriate business attire for their third annual suit drive. The collection event began Monday and continues to Feb. 21. The free shopping event for students is April 8. For more info, click here.
SOUTH FRESNO: The Fresno County Bicycle Coalition invites you to join them for a 20-mile bike ride “exploring the bird life of south Fresno.” Despite being one of the poorest and most polluted places in the nation, natural beauty still surrounds us. Bring your bike lights as we will be checking out some neat bird phenomena that occur around sunset. Bring binoculars if you have them, but they won’t be necessary. Riders meet at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at Fresno High School, 1839 N Echo Ave. Fresno County Bicycle Coalition
ROOSEVELT: “The Fresno teacher who questioned students about their immigration status and resident cards says his comments were taken out of context and were made while sharing stories of past undocumented students in an attempt “to make a connection with their courage.”’ The Fresno Bee
