Quote of the Week
“When an employer closes an operation abruptly and significantly like this, an employee should take immediate action, because they should assume that the bank accounts are getting drained.”
— Fresno labor attorney Roger Bonakdar on the recent abrupt closure and layoffs at a local shelter
This Week in Fresnoland
Former Fresno shelter operator may have broken federal law, officials say
The Fresno City Attorney’s Office launched an investigation this week, a day after a Fresnoland story that questioned whether Fresno shelter workers had their rights violated when they were laid off this month with just 12 hours’ notice.
Officials told Fresnoland that the operator of a recuperative care facility on Blackstone — the sudden closure of which was first reported on by Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela — had not filed for any exemptions from the WARN Act, a federal law that requires employers provide workers with a minimum of 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs.
In its layoff notice to Fresno workers, however, the company claimed it had qualified for a WARN Act exemption. Since then, the company has not responded to numerous requests for comment on why the government has no record of any exemption requests.
Federal election monitors headed for Fresno
The Trump administration on Friday announced plans to send “federal election monitors” to five California counties during next month’s special state election, including Fresno County.
Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom called the federal monitors “an intimidation tactic.” It wasn’t immediately how the Justice Department picked the five counties — Fresno, Kern, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles.
On Nov. 4, California voters will decide whether to let state Democrats gerrymander voting districts to allow GOP votes to be further watered down in the state. The move comes in response to Trump-ordered gerrymandering in Texas where the legislature didn’t even bother asking voters for permission to further cut out Texas Democrats in the deep red state.
You can read Fresnoland’s guide for the upcoming election here.
Shutdown impacts in Fresno
The 30,000 Fresno County residents who rely on the nation’s largest rental subsidy program got a rare scrap of good news this week amid the historic federal government shutdown, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported Friday.
The Housing Choice Voucher program, more commonly known as Section 8, will cover rent for enrolled Fresno County residents through the rest of 2025 — even though Congress continues to be in a stalemate on how to shape the federal budget for the next fiscal year.
But that money remained in doubt as recently as Thursday morning, and residents and local program managers say the federal government needs to do more to keep citizens in the information loop.
However, other federal programs like CalFresh — the program once more commonly known as food stamps — aren’t so lucky. About 248,000 Fresno County residents are facing the possibility of losing their critical food benefits unless the shutdown ends soon.
Rate hikes coming to Fresno County’s concealed-carry permits
It’ll soon get pricier to maintain a concealed-carry gun permit in Fresno County following a vote by the Board of Supervisors, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported.
The fees went up for the first time since 2007 at the request of the Sheriff’s Office, which asked for the rate hike to account for the costs associated with the increasingly complex permit process.
At the same meeting, the supervisors also provided an update on the board’s controversial proposal to restrict how many roosters county residents can own. The county committee that will help reshape the new policy following fierce criticism could begin meeting as soon as next month.
Fresno just says ‘No Kings’
Thousands of Fresno residents packed the streets Oct. 18, joining a wave of national “No Kings” protests coming together to criticize the policies of President Donald Trump, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reported this week.
And while many GOP leaders, including Trump, mocked and criticized the protesters, questioning the legitimacy of the rallies, the protesters who spoke with Fresnoland on Saturday were a mix of workers, clerks, teachers and accountants.
The sidewalks around East Fedora and North Blackstone were overflowing with protesters and a chorus of anti-Trump chants greeted with a stream of honking car horns. Many honked horns in support of the peaceful rally, while others clearly honked in counter-protest, signaling support for the president, who won Fresno County last year, collecting nearly 51% of the local vote. Trump was the first GOP candidate to carry the county since George W. Bush in 2004.
Outside the Lines
Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas put together a guide on how students in Fresno can check the status of scholarship accounts California provides for all children born from July 2022 onward. Fresnoland
On this week’s episode of Fresnolandia, Danielle and Jordan sat down with local arts reporter Doug Hoagland to unpack the recent debates around Fresno’s Measure P arts funding. Fresnolandia
In recent years, Sanger Unified has gone from being a chronically underperforming district to one where its more than 13,000 students are outpacing state averages. EdSource
The San Joaquin Valley’s Latino population is experiencing obesity rates significantly above that of non-Latinos. The Intersection
The City of Fresno begins its One-Day Outdoor Water Use Schedule on Saturday, Nov. 1, and it will remain in effect through March. CBS47
Block Beat
FRESNO HIGH: Jazz on Van Ness will take place at the Big Red Church from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. Facebook
CALWA: The Fresno County Board of Supervisors rejected a liquor license application in Calwa, saying that liquor applications have been on the rise in rural parts of the county ever since the City of Fresno passed more stringent standards. The Fresno Bee
EDISON: The public is invited to a Celebration of the Cycle of Life hosted by the Central California Environmental Justice Network from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 at La Milpa de Fresno, 2750 S. MLK Jr Blvd. There’ll be tamales and pan de muerto, cempasúchil for sale, face-painting and more. CCEJN
FRESNO HIGH: Mirror Coffee, the coffee cart inside MOTO Delicatessen & Bodega, is celebrating its two-year anniversary this Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1916 N Echo Ave. from 8 a.m. to noon. Mirror Coffee
SOUTHEAST: A new Target opened in the Fancher Creek Town Center over the weekend, making it the fifth one in Fresno. The Fresno Bee
MADERA: Two Madera County farmworkers are being celebrated as heroes for their quick actions during a school bus fire. KSEE 24
PINEDALE: Fresno’s first Honduran spot, Keidy’s Restaurant, opened earlier this year at 7091 N. Blackstone Ave. The Fresno Bee
FORT WASHINGTON: Sequoia Brewing Company in northeast Fresno is supporting beleaguered federal workers during the government shutdown with a special “(Un)Happy Hour.” KMPH
DOWNTOWN: Fresno State basketball will return to its old home at Selland Arena for night only for a game against Cal State Bakersfield Nov. 30. The Fresno Bee
