Quote of the Week
“We have a model that’s about sick care, where we’ve monetized it, and people make income off of people being sick. We don’t really have a model where people profit off of prevention and wellness.”
— Veva Islas, executive director of Fresno nonprofit Cultiva La Salud, on the loss of funding for community health workers and preventative care after Trump administration cuts to the CDC
Join Fresnoland and CalMatters on Tuesday, April 22 for a series of free events where we’ll talk about the future of high-speed rail in Fresno. The evening panel features: Ian Choudri, CEO, California High-Speed Rail Authority; Jerry Dyer, Mayor, City of Fresno; Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Assemblymember, California State Assembly; and Yousef Baig, California Voices Editor, CalMatters. You can RSVP for the evening panel here. Earlier that day, join us for community conversations with local leaders and small business owners about how the high-speed rail project has transformed Fresno. You can RSVP for the afternoon discussions here.
This Week in Fresnoland
Vang declares victory
There’s finally a winner in the race for the District 5 seat on the Fresno City Council, over three weeks after the March 18 special election.
Brandon Vang pulled out a victory in the race to replace Luis Chavez on the council, holding onto a large margin over his closest competitor, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas. He was ultimately a mere 9 votes over the 50% threshold needed to win the seat outright and avoid a runoff.
His campaign manager, Pedro Ramirez, celebrated the results as an indication that Fresno voters aren’t going for candidates with “establishment” backing – an observation Fresnoland discussed with a political science expert in-depth last month.
Vang is expected to be sworn in at the next Fresno City Council meeting April 10.
Read more about the final results in Julianna Morano’s report for Fresnoland.
Fresno museum left in limbo amid Trump administration cuts
An executive order from the Trump administration gutting the only federal agency dedicated to supporting and funding museums is leaving five students’ paid fellowships at Arte Américas in limbo, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reported.
That agency, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), was funding the fellowships with a three-year, $555,000 grant. But with the entire IMLS staff now on administrative leave, leaders at Arte Américas say they don’t know whether they’ll still receive the funding.
That could pull the rug out from under the fellows, who just started last month after competing with 67 applicants for just 5 slots.
“This is literally my dream – figuring out how to become the next generation of cultural arts professionals who cultivate art, healing, and community, especially in this region,” said one fellow, Brenda Angelica Gutiérrez Mora.
The demolition of a historic building in Chinatown
The sound of jackhammers in Fresno’s construction-addled Chinatown halted briefly this week – just long enough for city leaders to reveal plans for more construction down the road, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
City officials announced they’ll be demolishing Chinatown’s historic Bow On Tong building and replacing it with affordable housing.
Mayor Jerry Dyer also shared there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for Chinatown businesses that have been devastated by seemingly endless construction related to both the state’s High Speed Rail project and water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, saying several projects will be completed before the end of the year.
Interested in continuing the conversation about the future of Chinatown and High Speed Rail? Please join us at our next Fresnoland Futures event, co-hosted with our news partner CalMatters on Tuesday, April 22, where we’ll talk all things Fresno and High Speed Rail.
A Fresno nonprofit director talks impacts of Trump’s billion-dollar CDC cuts
On this week’s episode of Fresnolandia, co-hosts Danielle Bergstrom and Jordan Mattox were joined by Veva Islas, executive director of Cultiva La Salud (and Fresno Unified trustee), whose organization was impacted by the Trump administration’s $12 billion cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Fresno County, those cuts came for programs that try to help improve healthcare for rural communities.
Islas talked about promotoras and the community health worker model, which can boost preventative care among communities that face barriers to healthcare including technology, transportation and language. But the work of promotoras has historically gone unpaid, and likely will lose funding again with these cuts.
“We have a model that’s about sick care,” she said, “and people make income off of people being sick. We don’t really have a model where people profit off of prevention and wellness.”
Clovis school expansion plans get stuck in traffic
Valley Crescent School — the only Muslim school in the central San Joaquin Valley — hopes to expand its Clovis campus but has been stuck in limbo for more than two weeks for reasons that remain unclear.
The Clovis City Council on March 17 acknowledged the school had followed the planning application rules but ultimately voted 4-1 to table the discussion after neighborhood residents raised additional concerns about traffic impacts.
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck spoke favorably about the school and noted that the traffic issues in the neighborhood are well-known and long-standing, saying “It’s not the school’s fault; it’s how the area has been developed.”
School supporters who spoke with Fresnoland said they don’t believe the delay is tied to any anti-Muslim sentiment or discriminatory NIMBYism, despite growing incidents of Islamophobia nationally and Clovis’ own spotty history of inclusion in schools.
Check out the full story here from reporter Gisselle Medina.
Outside the Lines
Fresno Unified voted to provide rental subsidies to 10 families of district students experiencing homelessness, “becoming the first known school district in Central California to directly pay for students’ housing.” The Fresno Bee
“A GV Wire investigation reveals that the dark money group behind a controversial attack campaign mailer in the Fresno City Council special election is linked to well-known local political operative Alex Tavlian.” GV Wire
A new analysis of retail expansion in U.S. cities since 2020 showed the Central Valley outpacing the national average in terms of adding brick-and-mortar stores. The Business Journal
For decades, the central San Joaquin Valley faced a shortage of doctors, a problem that worsened during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when the region had the worst doctor/patient ratio in the state. The Business Journal
“A part-time Fresno State lecturer is facing backlash over social media posts that critics say contain strong words against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, along with allegations that she encouraged students to attend a protest.” KMPH
Starting this fall, Fresno State students will fork over an additional $495 per year to “fund academic and student support initiatives, as well as student life initiatives including the university’s athletics programs.” The Fresno Bee
“An employee at a Walgreens pharmacy was killed this week in Madera, and police believe the suspect in the shooting drove miles from his home in Tulare County before carrying out the attack.” KVPR
“Researchers will soon use what’s being flushed down the toilet to determine how many people are smoking and vaping in the San Joaquin Valley.” ABC30
Recent snowfall events draped much of the Kings River’s watershed in white, as last month’s storms boosted the snowpack’s frozen supply to 79% – normal for April 1, although that number does not include what is currently falling. The April snow survey is usually when Sierra Nevada snow conditions peak for the season. The Kings River Water Association
Fresno’s poet laureate Joseph Rios joined two fellow California poets laureate on KQED’s Forum to read poems and discuss “how poetry serves civic life.” KQED
Block Beat
DOWNTOWN: Today (Saturday, April 5) is opening day for the Fresno Grizzlies, and this season comes with a new $3 value menu. Ballpark classics like hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, chips and ice cream sandwiches will all cost only $3. The Business Journal
CHINATOWN: Fresno’s Moonlight Market returns from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 26 at Full Circle Brewing Co., 620 F St, “for an evening celebrating community and culture,” that includes local vendors, art performances and prizes. Southeast Collective
RIVER PARK: The River Park Farmers Market rescheduled its movie-and-TV-show-themed “Blockbuster Bites Food Festival” to Tuesday, April 8 after cancelling the original date due to rain. River Park Farmers Market
FIG GARDEN: “The future of a beloved Fresno tradition is now in jeopardy as residents of Fig Garden Village raise concerns about Christmas Tree Lane.” ABC30
TOWER DISTRICT: The Fresno Garden Collective is hosting a “Garden Work Party” to help a Tower District resident “turn her front yard from grass to a pollinator-friendly garden,” complete with plants, seeds and snacks to share. The planting will take place Sunday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1466 N. Thorne Ave. Fresno Garden Collective
SUNNYSIDE: The Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention is hosting a daylong event called “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child,” featuring experts in child welfare, law enforcement and advocates. The event will take place at The Sunnyside Country Club, Thursday, April 10. Eventbrite
CLOVIS: The City of Clovis is currently updating its General Plan – the overarching plan that guides the future of Clovis – and has just opened applications for the General Plan Advisory Committee. The City is looking for 15 committee members. City of Clovis
