Good morning! It’s Wednesday, May 13. This is Rob.
Mild: Clear skies and a balmy 87 today in Fresno. NOAA
Termed out? The Clovis City Council wants to add term limits amid district-election shakeup. The Fresno Bee
Crunch time: Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer expects to release a preview of his balanced budget proposal later this morning, one day ahead of the City Council’s first full look at next year’s draft spending plan.
Get creative: A new art collective lands in the Tower District. YourCentralValley
Bring your tots: Napoleon Dynamite Live! is coming to Warnors Theatre with a live conversation featuring the actors behind Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico, plus a screening of the classic film. Instagram
Let’s dance: Boots in the Park Fresno has announced its lineup for the 10th annual country festival. YourCentralValley
1. No more hiding?
A potentially contentious vote is on the schedule today at the regularly scheduled Fresno Unified School board meeting, as several trustees begrudgingly revisit taking a stance on a massive sprawl development that could accelerate the school district’s downward enrollment spiral.
Earlier this year, at least four trustees appeared to bend to political pressure from Mayor Jerry Dyer, who told the school board in private text messages later published by Fresnoland to stay out of the highly controversial mega urban sprawl project.
Some trustees have claimed that taking a position on a project that could accelerate school closures was “outside” their authority.
2. No Pride
Featuring one sign saying “no indoctrination” and another saying “In God We Trust,” a narrowly divided Board of Supervisors rejected a request from the county library to participate in a Pride Month celebration.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela was on hand at the Hall of Records on Tuesday as the board conservative majority threw cold water on the library’s request.
The 3-2 vote fell along party lines.
Pablo breaks down what the board’s vote means and doesn’t mean and details how we go to this point on the Fresno front of the latest culture war.
3. Fresno tries to redefine ‘winning’
A week after a conservative Fresno judge ruled against the City of Fresno, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad sat down with KVPR to discuss his groundbreaking reporting that resulted in the formal legal finding that the Fresno City Council broke the law.
And while the Fresno City Attorney’s Office has publicly tried to claim a legal victory, the judge’s ruling was clear: Fresno violated the Brown Act, California’s collection of open meeting laws.
Check out his conversation with KVPR’s Central Valley Daily podcast here.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
