Good morning! It’s Friday, Feb. 20. This is Rob.
Oh, (cold) snap! Icy overnight temperatures prompted another freeze warning that remains in effect through Saturday morning. NOAA
Stay safe: Amid the latest freeze warning, the City of Fresno will open its warming centers for the unhoused and others that need a place to warm up. ABC30
Golden girl: Clovis-born Alysa Liu brings home historic figure-skating gold medal at the Winter Olympics — and gives a shout out to Fresno! YourCentralValley
ICYMI: Only one Fresno Unified trustee was willing or able to defend accepting an enormous pay raise ahead of a brutal budget year that has already seen layoffs and job cuts in other large California school districts. Four other trustees took the money and refused to answer questions about it. Fresnoland
¿Lenguaje dual?: Central Unified schools plan to explore adding Spanish and Punjabi dual-emersion programs. ABC30
‘Try to keep up’ The public is invited to an event called “Critical Hits: Asian Creativity in the Global Game Industry,” featuring a speech by Professor Hirokazu Yasuhara, the original Game & Level Designer of Sonic the Hedgehog! The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20 at Fresno State’s McLane Hall, Room 121. Registration is required. Admission is free. Instagram
1. ‘Dirty’ politics?
It’s cold everywhere in Fresno today except City Hall — that spot remains super hot with a chance of mudslinging.
Allegations of corruption, collusion and bad faith plagued a scheduled vote Thursday as councilmembers clashed over the the Central Southeast Area Specific Plan, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports.
In-fighting, usually reserved for closed-door meetings at City Hall, spilled over onto the dais during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting after a local attorney threatened to sue the city if the plan was “considered” on Thursday.
And when Council President Mike Karbassi asked the council to postpone Thursday’s vote, two south Fresno councilmembers pushed back — hard.
Councilmember Miguel Arias called the move “dirty” and accused Karbassi of trying to curry favor with fat-cat developers and local political fixers amid Karbassi’s campaign for higher office at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.
And Councilmember Brandon Vang, who doubled down on Arias’ accusations, didn’t bother to hide his frustration, telling the council to “stop playing politics here on the dais.
“Represent the people who elected you to this position,” Vang snapped, “not the next position you’re seeking.”
Karbassi angrily fired back at Arias, calling his fellow councilmember’s claims out of line and unfounded. He suggested Arias had insulted the whole City Council.
Karbassi: “I will not stand for accusations about any merit or evidence meant to harm any council member’s reputation. I don’t give a damn who it comes from. It’s inappropriate, and you owe an apology to this council, sir.”
2. Ballot traffic jam?
The long-expected alternate plan to fund transportation projects in Fresno County for years to come finally emerged this week, officially kicking off the race between competing ballot measures — one backed by westside mayors and nonprofits, and the latest proposal, backed by transportation lobbyists.
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano spoke with both camps and breaks down the differences between the two campaigns. The original plan puts more money into public transit projects, while the latest plan spends more on fixing local roads, among other key details.
And there’s already plenty of finger-pointing going around.
Lobbyist Henry Perea defended the group behind the plan released this week, describing it as a small group of transportation experts “who have spent many years working with elected leaders to build the transportation system of our county.”
But when asked about possible conflicts of interest between his committee members and their proposal project list, Perea dodged. Without providing evidence, he suggested the original committee might have conflicts of interest.
3. Fresno secures $4 million for unhoused shelters
The City of Fresno unanimously voted to approve funding for dozens of emergency shelter beds alongside Parkway Drive well into next year.
“The council’s actions deliver about $4 million in state funding to Elevate Community Services, to continue operating the Ambassador Inn, Fresno Home and Villa Motel emergency bed shelters. The three shelter sites account for 155 shelter beds,” writes Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela.
The council also approved sending about $500,000 to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission to continue managing eight youth shelter beds at their Sanctuary Transitional Living Center at 1046 T St. until June 30, 2028.
The contracts come following news last year that some shelters would be forced to close following state funding cuts.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
