Quote of the Week
“We don’t exist, as far as the city’s concerned.”
— Michelle Ethridge-Meyers, who runs Bambi’s Day Care Nursery, speaking with Fresnoland on the city’s historic indifference to West Fresno neighborhoods
This Week in Fresnoland
Inside Fresno’s newest housing problem
Housing market fluctuations are nothing new in Fresno, but while the city’s latest market slowdown was inevitable, Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver notes the typical buyer’s market expected after a yearslong seller’s paradise has yet to materialize.
Homeowners who landed 3% mortgages five or so years ago are reluctant to sell only to take on a higher interest rate on a new mortgage elsewhere, effectively making houses too expensive to buy and too valuable to sell.
“As far as a sale price goes,” said Fresno realtor Jeff Zimmerman, “they’re concerned about having enough to make their next move.”
Unsold houses are piling up in Fresno and Madera to the highest levels in years and the city is already projected to miss its housing production goals by thousands of homes.
And the pain isn’t spread equally across the city — while prices have climbed in places like Woodward Park, homes in Old Fig Garden and the Tower District have lost value.
The race for southwest Fresno’s newest city councilmember has begun
Four of the Fresno City Council’s seven seats will be on the ballot next year, with the potential to shake up the balance of power at City Hall.
Southwest Fresno voters got their first look at five candidates hoping to fill the seat that will be left open by termed-out Councilmember Miguel Arias, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported this week.
Presumptive frontrunners Keisha Thomas, a veteran Fresno Unified trustee, and Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula were joined by Anjanette Brown, the race’s only Republican; Jalen Swank, a case worker for the county’s Department of Public Health; and Fernando Alvarez, a former West Park Elementary School District board member.
The Southwest Fresno Specific Plan and housing and economic development quickly emerged as key issues at the forum hosted Monday night by the Black American Political Association of Fresno at the Westside Church of God.
Preserving the history of West Fresno
They call it a “ceramic quilt” and they want it to tell as many of West Fresno’s historical stories as possible.
But, as Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported, the artists and researchers behind the visual love letter to West Fresno have been plagued by the same problem they’re trying to solve — there aren’t enough old photos or stories of the city’s long overlooked westside in the public archives.
Now they’re turning to the community for help.
“We do have quite a list of places, and some people, that came up during the research phase of the project,” said Elena Harvey Collins, one of a four-person team spearheading the project. “I’m really hopeful that we’re going to get some of those images emailed.”
An online survey is available until sometime in mid-October, though an exact deadline has not been confirmed.
Arts funding committee makes change amid outcry
Drama over Measure P arts funding is nothing new in Fresno, but recent tensions triggered changes this week to the committee that doles out the cash, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
The Fresno Arts Council subcommittee in charge of making funding recommendations will voluntarily adhere to state requirements for open meetings. That comes after criticism of the committee’s decision-making transparency and complaints from frustrated south Fresno residents who say Measure P dollars still struggle to make it to their neighborhoods.
Passing out Measure P funding has been a difficult process, but the money has also fueled optimism when it has found its way to local artists and creators, as Julianna reported in late 2023.
This week, KMPH looked into recent criticism from residents who say city leaders need to do more to honor its commitment to invest Measure P dollars in the neighborhoods that need it the most.
‘Abuse of power’
At a peaceful rally outside a federal courthouse in Fresno this week, immigrants rights advocates protested the federal government’s anti-immigrant crackdown.
Speaking with Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad, groups said recent immigration arrests at courthouses in Fresno and Madera are just the latest examples of the federal government targeting far more than violent criminals and gang members.
Lourdes Medina, an organizer with Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network urged all residents to learn about their rights.
“Our human rights, our constitutional rights and our community rights are being violated by anti-immigrant sentiments,” she said, “fear-mongering and abuse of power at the hands of the federal government through the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.”
Outside the Lines
Backers say public banks keep tax dollars local, instead of sending them to corporate shareholders, an idea that some say Fresno should learn from. Fresnoland
Yosemite-area communities and residents are bracing for the financial pain that could come with another extended government shutdown, the first since 2019. The Bee reports that national park gateway communities could lose millions of dollars in tourism revenue to an extended shutdown. The Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified student test scores climbed two percentage points, which district officials described as a “positive sign,” but acknowledged more work remains to improve student performance in California’s third-largest school district. GV Wire
At least eight pedestrians have been killed over the past month, and city police in Fresno are urging drivers to be more cautious. KSEE
The Trump administration launched another crackdown recently, tightening the rules for commercial truck drivers. ABC30
Here’s the best time to visit Yosemite National Park for some of the best leaf peeping in the nation. The Fresno Bee
For the first time since 2022, a baby has been born at the newly-reopened Madera Community Hospital — despite not having a maternity ward. The Fresno Bee
Have you seen the Madera camels? KSEE/KGPE
You could soon see a discounted utility bill hit your mailbox as refunds from the state’s Climate Credit program begin to roll out. Credits will range from less than $40 to nearly $260. The Fresno Bee
Block Beat
SOUTHEAST: An empty lot could become the home of a new tech hub that project partners say would bring thousands of jobs and an influx of economic growth to the community. The Fresno Bee
SOUTHEAST: The Big Fresno Fair kicked off this week! Need a free ride? The FresnoHOP Trolley will offer free round-trip rides to fairgoers this weekend through Sunday, Oct. 5, and again Oct. 10 to Oct. 12. KSEE
FRESNO HIGH: Celebrate Fresno State professor Samina Najmi’s debut essay collection “Sing Me a Circle: Love, Loss, and a Home in Time,” in an official book launch Saturday at 4 p.m., organized by Judging by the Cover and hosted at Dulce Upfront (2026 N. Van Ness). Eventbrite
DOWNTOWN: Esquina Books, a new bookstand located inside Sacred Heart Coffee (2011 Tuolumne St.), will open for business at a celebration Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. Esquina Books
CITY COLLEGE: Fresno City College’s theater students performed “Switched Cabaret,” described as “a collection of broadway numbers taking an untraditional spin on well known pieces of media.” The Rampage
CLOVIS: What’s a “social eatery”? A new one opened on Friday. KSEE/KGPE
NORTHEAST: A new “members only” lounge and private club is set to make its debut in Fresno this fall. KSFN
WOODWARD PARK: Sequoia Brewing Company will reopen its north Fresno location on Friday, Oct. 10, with a Fresno Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1188 E. Champlain Dr. The Business Journal
HIGHWAY CITY: Fresno Fright Nights have landed at Island Waterpark. KSEE
