Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Feb. 3. This is Rob.
😒For the first time since yesterday, Fresno sees dense fog early, and highs in the 60s. NOAA
🥳El Premio Mayor will celebrate the grand opening of a new location for the restaurant at 3110 E. McKinley Ave. on Tuesday, Feb. 3. El Premio
👏The Fresno Grizzlies invite interested applicants to a job fair at the ballpark on Feb. 7. Instagram
🕴️The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students has expanded its suit drive initiative to ensure year-round supply of professional attire for students preparing for interviews, internships and post-secondary opportunities. Foundation for Fresno Unified
1. What has — and hasn’t — changed since Fresnoland’s investigation
It took the City Council just three weeks to overhaul small-dollar contract transparency at City Hall, following a major two-part Fresnoland investigation.
The big, unanimous vote came during last Thursday’s city council meeting. Fresnoland’s Investigative Reporter Omar S. Rashad, who led the newsroom’s contracts probe, unpacks what exactly has changed at City Hall, what changes are still in the works — and, critically, what city leaders have not done, yet.
And while the Jan. 29 vote was unanimous, several councilmembers, led by Council President Mike Karbassi, criticized many of the changes, pushed hard — and successfully — for private committee meetings to discuss policy changes and complained from the dais that the transparency reforms were sparked by Fresnoland’s reporting.
But Councilmember Brandon Vang, who cosponsored the latest package of reforms, said the process needed to change to give the public better access to how City Hall spends taxpayer dollars.
Vang: “This discussion came about because it took Fresnoland eight months to go through the City Attorney’s Office to get some records.”
2. Is this the future?
They call it the “Blythe Village” — a 67-home project in West Fresno that utilizes a relatively uncommon construction method aimed at slashing building costs.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer calls it the future.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela writes that the man behind the housing community is Ted Moon, an investor-turned-developer from Los Angeles, and a man Dyer described as “a visionary,” a “financial guru” and “an innovative home builder,” adding that he’s “somebody I deeply respect,” and who “has found the secret sauce” in housing development.
Dyer: “Ted Moon is exactly what we need in the City of Fresno, He has a housing solution that I think is going to be somewhat of a revelation for developers in our community.”
3. Hoover students walkout in protest over ICE raids
Hoover High School’s students refused to attend class early Monday and marched towards Fashion Fair with signs and songs criticizing the Trump Administration and the escalation of immigration enforcement that has resulted in at least two recent deaths, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
Students marched down North First Street from the high school towards Fashion Fair, accompanied by school staff. Many held signs admonishing ICE and the Trump Administration.
The march marked the second consecutive school day that Fresno Unified high schoolers have halted classes to voice their concerns and fears.
Student Montana Snavely: “We’re not here because we want to ditch or because we have a bit of fun; we’re here because some of our friends could be gone the next day.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
