Quote of the Week
“Shame on [Mayor] Jerry Dyer for using his [office] to pressure this board by texting members and telling them to stay out of it. That is not transparency, that is not collaboration.”
— Sarah Valentine, a Jackson Elementary parent and program manager at the Jackson Community Development Corporation
This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno Unified opposes SEDA sprawl
A divided Fresno Unified school board narrowly approved a resolution opposing City Hall’s signature urban-sprawl expansion plan.
And supporters of the Southeast Development Plan, better known as SEDA, along with at least one of the project’s most high-profile developers are unhappy.
Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver was on hand late Wednesday when Trustee Keshia Thomas, who is also running for a seat on the Fresno City Council, changed her vote, throwing her support behind the resolution criticizing the SEDA growth plan that will exacerbate FUSD’s already spiraling enrollment issues.
In February, Thomas was one of four trustees who declined to take a position on the opposition resolution, stalling the vote that came back around on Wednesday night.
Three other trustees — Claudia Carzares, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas and Susan Witrupp — refused to vote, abstaining from taking a position either way. They argued that sprawl developments that directly affect the future of FUSD schools remain outside their authority.
On Friday, Granville Homes’ Darius Assemi, who reports owning about 30 acres of SEDA land, took to his website, GV Wire, to scold SEDA opponents and wag a finger at the struggling school district.
Assemi praised his girlfriend, FUSD Trustee Susan Wittrup, for having the “guts” to vote the way he and Mayor Jerry Dyer wanted. Though he failed to mention that Wittrup is his girlfriend.
Mayor unveils Fresno next budget crunch
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer unveiled his new budget proposal this week as the City Council took its first deep dive into the next year’s cash crunch, and councilmembers had very few notes.
Dyer’s record-breaking $2.55 billion budget closes a roughly $35 million deficit, the mayor says, without layoffs or cuts to core services.
If approved, City Hall would lean on hiring attrition and another year of departmental spending cuts of 5% to close a multi–million-doillar gap.
The mayor’s proposal includes funding the Eviction Protection Program and Fresno Advance Peace, one of the city’s most effective violence-prevention efforts.
No Pride?
Featuring one sign saying “no indoctrination” and another saying “In God We Trust,” a narrowly divided Board of Supervisors rejected a request this week from the county library to participate in a Pride Month celebration.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela was on hand at the Hall of Records on Tuesday as the board’s conservative majority threw cold water on the library’s request.
The 3-2 vote fell along party lines.
Here’s a breakdown of what the board’s vote means and doesn’t mean.
Fresno’s future voters looking ahead
Fresno’s next generation of voters led a youth-oriented candidates forum Monday night, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reports.
Many of the questions came from young people not yet eligible to vote, who questioned the potential elected leaders on everything from housing and homelessness, to immigration and public safety.
Students involved with the Youth Leadership Institute and three other organizations spent months researching candidates’ backgrounds, political views, and ties to the district.
“We found so many interesting things about each of them,” said Margaret Yang. “We looked at their opinions on LGBTQ+ issues, how they view certain things, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, and even if they actually grew up here or moved to the district.”
FUSD interpreters call for safety improvements
Fresno Unified interpreters called for improved safety plans at a Sunnyside school this week, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
In a statement late Thursday, a Fresno Unified spokesperson confirmed the district is investigating multiple recent incidents at Phoenix Secondary Academy, but said no other details could be released, citing student confidentiality laws and the need to protect the fledgling probe.
“When we show up to work at this particular site,” said interpreter Chantel Cox, “we are threatened, we inform admin that we have been threatened and we need to remove ourselves because we feel unsafe and it’s documented as job abandonment.”
Outside the Lines
It’s crunch time for the candidates in the ongoing June primary and Fresnoland’s voter guides are packed with everything you need to know in several key local races. Fresnoland
Federal courts in the central San Joaquin Valley, already backed up with more cases than calendar days, have been further flooded with thousands of new petitions from immigrants detained by ICE. Fresnoland
A week after a conservative Fresno judge ruled against the City of Fresno, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad sat down with KVPR to discuss his groundbreaking reporting that has resulted in the formal legal finding that the Fresno City Council broke state law. Central Valley Daily
A string of political mailers in the ongoing June primary election has created some confusion locally. The Fresno Bee
Fresno pledged to join a legal battle against the state’s beleaguered high-speed rail project, where authorities recently pushed the idea of stripping local tax dollars from nearly a dozen California cities to fund the slow-moving bullet train, KMPH reports.
The Clovis City Council wants to add term limits amid district-election shakeup. The Fresno Bee
After more than five years at the helm, Fresno’s Tom Richards steps down as chair of the high-speed rail authority. GV Wire
California’s largest pension funds, serving thousands of retirees from all sectors of public service, are having something of an existential debate over which companies and industries make for appropriate investments. CalMatters
Last week’s online platform outage caused delays and problems for students at State Center Community College District and Fresno State. Business Journal
Is Fresno one of America’s “best summer travel destinations”? NY Post
Yosemite gears up for the summer tourist season. ABC30
Block Beat
Woodward Park: Fresno is very close to building a trail extension to connect Woodward Park to Palm Avenue. Fresnoland
Tower District: A new art collective opens in Fresno. YourCentralValley
Downtown: Napoleon Dynamite Live! is coming to Warnors Theatre with a live conversation featuring the actors behind Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico, plus a screening of the classic film. Instagram
Woodward Park: Boots in the Park Fresno has announced its lineup for the 10th annual country festival. YourCentralValley
Downtown: The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will present its annual Truth Act forum at 9:30 a.m. May 19 at the Hall of Records. Fresno County
Kingsburg: The 60th annual Swedish Festival is in full swing this weekend. YourCentralValley
River Park: Work is underway on a second location for Sam’s Deli. The Fresno Bee
Roeding Park: The Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s Tropical Rainforest Aviary will be closing down after nearly four decades. ABC30
