Quote of the Week

“It’s never good to have such an important resource (like Madera Community Hospital) in bankruptcy court, because then you lose the ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community.”


– Sen. Anna Caballero, Merced Democrat, remarking on Madera Community Hospital’s ongoing struggle to reopen, even with a new business partner. The court will want to see an investment from the Madera County Board of Supervisors before it will extend the hospital’s spending plan through Aug. 24.

This Week in Fresnoland

What’s driving Fresno’s rise in homelessness?

Homelessness in Fresno and Madera counties climbed last year to its highest levels in more than a decade.

The Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care released the 2023 point-in-time count, revealing about 4,493 people living on the streets, a 7% increase from a year ago.

The FMCoC recorded 3,814 year-round beds, a 25% decrease from last year.

“The average rent in Fresno County is $1500, which is much more than most people can afford,” said FMCoC Chair Laura Moreno.

Moreno said a lack of affordable housing remains the “ biggest contributing factor” to recent increases in homelessness.

“The data points to a tight rental market, which makes it difficult to find housing,” Moreno said. “And rent’s growing more than 27% since the start of the pandemic.”

Madera Community Hospital has a real chance of reopening. 

In a story that never ends, the defunct hospital may have found a new partner in Adventist Health, Melissa Montalvo reports for The Fresno Bee. The faith-based nonprofit said they plan to take over management of the Madera hospital and provide, “a sustainable future for healthcare.” 

According to Sen. Anna Caballero, bankruptcy court will complicate matters, as it will have greater authority in decision making about the hospital. The court is waiting to see if the Madera County Board of Supervisors will allocate $500,000 to fund the hospital’s operating expenses. Adventist Health is directing the hospital to secure state funding from California’s Distressed Hospital Loan Program and the California Health Facilities Financing Authority before they fully commit to a partnership. 

A financial advisory firm’s report to the board of supervisors estimated it would take anywhere from six to nine months for the hospital to reopen if an agreement is reached. 

Fresno police shot four people in 2023, including a teen with a replica gun.

In this story by Joshua Teehee (Fresno Bee), you can read about several officer-involved shootings. The latest was a 15-year-old boy wounded on Sunday near Blackstone and Magill avenues in north Fresno. Police said the masked teen pulled a replica firearm on officers, who opened fire. The teenager was in stable condition, The Bee reported.

The story also notes a California Department of Justice investigation into a March shooting of 29-year-old Robert Corchado during a traffic stop. Later that month, 33-year-old Coy Jackson was killed by officers after police said he pulled out a knife. An edited video of the incident was released on the Fresno Police Department’s YouTube channel.

Fresno’s summer temperatures will plummet this week – to 91.

Around the world, July was the hottest month recorded in about 120,000 years.

However, in Fresno, it was only the ninth hottest July, according to National Weather Service data that dates back more than a century to 1887.

The average daily temperature in Fresno last month was 86.6 degrees, more than a full degree below the city’s all-time record – set all the way back in 2021.

Dan Harty, an NWS meteorologist in Hanford, said 24 of July’s 31 days hit triple digits in Fresno, including a 20-day stretch from July 12 to the last day of the month.

Heading into August, Harty said Fresno would get a slight break from 100-degree days, with temperatures sinking to 91 on Thursday.

“We’re on a little bit of a rollercoaster right now,” Harty said. “It will be cooler, below normal, for this time of year.”

But the weather warms up again heading into the weekend, with a high Sunday of about 103.

The Lindsay City Council could reject a councilmembers’ medical leave request, and may even replace her. 

The council can replace a member if they have missed three consecutive meetings, and Councilmember Ramona Caudillo’s third could be the upcoming Aug. 8 meeting, Heather Halsey Martinez writes with documenting assistance from Esteban Solis Loya (Fresno Documenters).

Details of Caudillo’s medical leave request have not been made public, beyond the fact that she is requesting a leave of absence through Oct. 8. Mayor Hipolito Angel Cerros made a motion to approve the request, but that motion failed to be seconded. City Attorney Megan Dodd said she received a doctor’s note from Caudillo but, again, did not elaborate on its contents.

OUTSIDE THE LINES

The Fresno Housing 2024 Agency Plan, which concerns local housing needs and goals, was released online for public comment, Kathleen Lund wrote with documenting assistance from Ramiro Merino (Fresnoland Documenters). The big ticket items are an extension of the Housing Choice Voucher program beyond its usual 60 days and rent control caps of 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living as defined, or 10% (whichever is lower). Prohibitions on applicants with evictions from federally assisted housing involving drug-related criminal activity have been relaxed. Households with those evictions can still apply if they complete a supervised drug rehab or if the primary offender is no longer a part of the household. 

Sen. Melissa Hurtado is raising the alarm about a Delaware-based company that just acquired 52,000 acres of land in Solano County – becoming that county’s largest landowner – amid concerns about foreign ownership of agricultural land.

Proposed rule changes by state water officials could clear the way for highly purified sewer water to be made available for drinking. The water would be treated with ozone as well as bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, and blasted with high-intensity UV light. Minerals like calcium would be restored, and then it would undergo all the regular tap water treatments. 

The “Sturgeon” supermoon shone over the city on the evening of Aug. 1st. A second supermoon, called the Full Blue Moon, will rise on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Block Beat

SUNNYSIDE: The ruined Sunnyside Deli Delicatessen was demolished last week, months after an apparent arson fire gutted the building. But the family-owned business plans to rebuild. KFSN

REEDLEY: Code enforcement officers in Reedley discovered an illegal lab, COVID-19 and pregnancy test kits, infectious agents and 1,000 white mice at a warehouse on 850 I Street. Midvalley Times

DOWNTOWN VISALIA: The Art Consortium’s First Friday event will bring an immersive showing of Shrek 2 to the Fox Theatre on Aug. 4, in an experience that has been likened to Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Sun Gazette 

YOSEMITE: Park rangers report that dogs are getting blisters and overheating as a result of extreme temperatures in the park. Please be advised: we are the sacred guardians of our four legged friends and they depend on us for water and, above all else, a safe environment. KMPH

SOUTHEAST FRESNO: Yellow Corp, a trucking company, has ceased operations nationwide. Sixty workers in the Fresno and Visalia area are now out of a job. KMPH

KINGS COUNTY: Holiday Lodge, homeless shelter, has closed as planned, its funding sources evaporated. Providers managed to place 95 individuals into permanent housing through Project Homekey. Of those currently using the lodge, 10 were displaced with no options, 12 relocated with friends or family and 18 continue to be sheltered under a different program. KMPH

Department of New Construction

AIRPORT DISTRICT: A conditional use permit has been issued for the retail sale of alcohol in an existing hotel market at North Peach and East McKinley Avenues.

Around Town

Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company has an Adult Back-to-School Night at their Beer Garden. Downtown Fresno

Speaking of: Tower Rats, a Fresno-based band, has a show at Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company this Saturday. Downtown Fresno

We Are Not Invisible (WANI) is seeking donations and volunteers to pass out water to the unhoused community. Uspark/Instagram

Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and Fresno City Council Vice President Annalisa Perea will co-host a backpack drive from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 3) at Inspiration Park for students from elementary school to college. While supplies last, students will receive a free backpack, school supplies, reading books, and dinner to kick off this school year.

Students must be present to receive a backpack. Free viewing of the movie Super Mario Bros will be starting at approximately 8:15 p.m.

Next Week in Public Meetings

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Tommy is the author of Toplines, the Fresnoland newsletter curating the top stories in the Central Valley. He thinks he's very funny.