Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Nov. 4. This is Rob.
🌞Remember yesterday? And last week? It’s like that again today. NOAA
🌮Fresno’s annual Taco Truck Throwdown returns to Chukchansi Park. CBS47
🥯Einstein Bagels prepares for launch at Fresno-Yosemite airport. ABC30
🦍Hanford is losing its Quesadilla Gorilla. Business Journal
1. Fresno weighs in on gerrymandering
On a day when all politics feels national, Fresno County voters could play a key role in today’s drama as the California Democratic Party asks voters to help neutralize GOP gerrymandering and deck-stacking ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Haven’t voted yet? Not sure if you’re registered? Lost your ballot? No worries. Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad has you covered.
Under Prop. 50, Fresno County would move from four to six congressional districts and the GOP’s already anemic presence in the Golden State would be further eroded.
Fresno has drawn national attention as one of just a small handful of California counties that the Trump administration has decided to “monitor” today as the votes come in. State and local authorities have countered with monitors of their own.
Be sure to check out Fresnoland’s Official Voter Guide for Proposition 50 here.
2. Mendota voting center (finally) opens today
Voters in Mendota will finally have their own ballot drop off and in-person voting center open today as Fresno County weighs in on Prop. 50, CBS47 reports.
That center, open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mendota branch library, hasn’t been available in the days leading up to Tuesday’s special election, a point of contention for Mayor Victor Martinez.
Martinez noted that before Tuesday, the closest center was in Firebaugh, several miles away. And not everyone has a way to get across the county to vote, he said.
“Every community and every city in the county of Fresno should have a place to vote,” Martinez told the television station.
County Clerk James Kus acknowledged the issue, noting that elections officials only had about half the time they typically would to recruit and staff polling locations.
3. Fresno City Hall set to donate thousands to food bank
As chaos and uncertainty swirl around SNAP/CalFresh benefits this week, the Fresno City Council plans to donate $250,000 to the local food bank to help fill the gap left by the federal government’s shutdown and refusal to prioritize the program.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports that at least $50,000 will come from Councilmember Nelson Esparza’s office.
The Central California Food Bank and other local pantries have already been hit hard by growing lines and greater need, a situation that is only expected to grow more desperate as the federal government shutdown continues with no end in sight.
Be sure to check out and SHARE Fresnoland’s free food and resource guide here for locals in need.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad
