Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Nov. 18. This is Rob.
A break from the rain: Cold and cloudy but dry today in Fresno. Rain is expected again tomorrow. NOAA
Fresno’s not the only one with sprawl: On this week’s Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and Danielle spoke with Mike McKeever, a regional planning expert based in Sacramento, on what we should learn from our friends to the north about managing and planning for suburban growth. Fresnolandia
Weird Al Yankovic is coming back to Fresno: He just added dozens of dates to his “Bigger and Weird” tour including a Fresno stop! The Fresno Bee
1. How Fresno’s SEDA plan got yet another second life
After a whirlwind rush to get the controversial, nearly 45,000 home mega-development to a vote last spring, Fresno planning director Jennifer Clark pulled the item off the Planning Commission agenda in the first 10 minutes of the commission’s meeting, as nearly 100 residents sat in the council chambers ready to protest the plan.
Just the day before, the city finally released the long-awaited report showing that SEDA would cost about $4.3 billion in infrastructure, and the consultants concluded: it’s not financially feasible.
As Gregory Weaver reports for Fresnoland, a meeting held earlier that day between Mayor Jerry Dyer and developers shows that the plan was never dead — political leaders just needed more time to whip the votes. And now, nearly six months later, there may be a council majority to move it forward, despite ongoing financing challenges.
Councilmember Nick Richardson: “If it comes to general fund money, on extending utilities [to SEDA], I’m willing to do that.”
-Danielle Bergstrom
2. ‘She needs to go now’
Faculty in the State Center Community College District will formally request that the California Community College Board of Governors remove Chancellor Carole Goldsmith from office immediately — saying her retirement next year is too long to wait for leadership changes, KVPR reports.
The request expected today comes a day after the union held a news conference to discuss the recent unanimous ‘no confidence’ vote taken against Goldsmith’s leadership.
Union leaders say Goldsmith fosters a “toxic autocratic culture.”
“Under Goldsmith’s leadership, the district’s legal expenses have exploded,” Keith Ford, the faculty union president, said. “A team of bullies has enacted a culture of retaliation in fear, and ignoring faculty expertise and silencing college voices. Faculty morale is at an all-time low.”
Said Ford: “She needs to go now. Ten months is too long.”
3. Fresno County to ban kratom?
Fresno County is considering banning a plant that people have been using as a medicinal herb for centuries, CBS47 reports.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors takes up the issue during their regularly scheduled meeting today, with a news conference scheduled for this afternoon.
The DEA kratom leaves — which are not a controlled substance but identified by the DEA as a “chemical of concern” — leaves can be used to increase alertness and physical energy at low doses and as a sedative at higher doses.
While the leaves have been used in Southeast Asia for centuries, the DEA says that consumption can lead to addiction, and said that cases of psychosis have been reported.
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza, and the Department of Public Health will discuss the proposed ordinance to regulate access to kratom during a joint press conference on Tuesday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
