Good morning! Today is Tuesday, Jan. 20. Danielle, here.
Enough with the fog: Dense fog advisory in place until noon, when the sun is expected to peek out. High of 59. NWS
Get your dumpling fix: Jingle Bao, featuring Chinese dumplings, soft-opened in the former Boston Market location on Bullard and Highway 41 this past weekend. Your Central Valley
Mayfair, the pho capital of Fresno: Have you ever wondered why there are so many pho restaurants at First and McKinley Avenues? (I have.) The Bee’s Melissa Montalvo dove in to find out why. Fresno Bee
Know your roots: The Fresno City College Social Justice Institute and the Central Labor Council’s Empowerment Institute are hosting a Working Class History workshop on Thursday, Jan 29 from 5:30-7:30p.m. at the college’s Old Administration Building, Room 114. Dinner is provided.
Speaking of Fresno history: I’m loving this video from KVPR’s Joe Moore on how the birth of Fashion Fair put the brakes on downtown revitalization efforts in the 1970s. YouTube
1. ICE operation in Clovis
Clovis Police confirmed that federal immigration officials with ICE performed an operation early on Monday morning at Shepherd and Willow, ABC30 reported.
They did not confirm if anyone was detained. Local law enforcement officials said they were notified just before 7:00 a.m. by federal agents regarding the operation, an action they said was standard for federal law enforcement agents.
Residents posted photos on social media of the unmarked vehicles — with flashing lights — on the side of the road.
The operation comes as Fresno Councilmember Miguel Arias announced last Thursday that increased ICE presence was imminent, according to an unverified social media post — then walked back his comments in an interview with Fresnoland on Friday, saying his sources had new, different information.
2. Why Fresno struggles to build denser housing
On this week’s Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and I spoke with housing policy expert Jennifer LeSar to help us better understand why it’s so difficult to build denser housing in places like Fresno, even when the demand exists for it.
It’s a really nerdy conversation that dives deep into topics like housing finance, the cost of capital, the abundance debate and whether Fresno has the right types of developers to get it done.
Jennifer also shared more about why she’s so inspired by Vienna’s social housing model. She takes delegations of leaders from across California to visit the Austrian capital each year to learn more about the city’s unique approach to keeping housing affordable for people of all incomes.
3. State increases hoops for cities and counties to get homelessness funds
State officials are ramping up new requirements for cities and counties to meet in order to receive millions of dollars to address homelessness, CalMatters reports.
For some time, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators have been promising more accountability and oversight over highly sought-after funds that local jurisdictions have used to expand shelter capacity and supportive housing.
The requirements include: having a state-approved housing plan, a “Prohousing Designation,” a local encampment policy “consistent with state guidance,” matching local dollars and demonstrating progress on local housing metrics.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Julianna Morano.
