Good morning! It’s Thursday, Sept. 17. This is Rob.
We’re past halfway to our goal of raising $5,000 for community-based reporting at Fresnoland during our end-of-summer campaign. Consider making a donation today at the link here. Chip in at least $75 and get your exclusive ‘Fauna of Fresnoland’ shirt.
ICYMI: The Fresno County Planning Commission is set to vote later today on plans for a new town south of Friant. Fresnoland
A little help: Fundraising efforts are underway for at least a dozen San Joaquin Valley journalists who lost their jobs during the latest rounds of corporate and legacy media cutbacks. The valley journalists included at least eight Fresno Bee journalists. KMPH
Dome Fire: A fast-moving and still out of control wildfire inside Yosemite National Park erupted this week, consuming more than 1,000 acres. ABC30
It’s public land: U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, joined 156 other members of congress this week in a letter urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to block a land transfer within Yosemite National Park to a private developer. GV Wire
Nobody was injured: The Fresno Council of Governments was evacuated Wednesday as a precaution after a car caught fire in the underground parking garage at Van Ness and Tulare in downtown. ABC30
‘Celebrating culture’: In celebration of Mexico’s independence day, Fresno leaders gathered outside City Hall this week in a flag-raising ceremony. KMPH
Hispanic Heritage Month: Here is a list of events happening throughout the central San Joaquin Valley. ABC30
‘Horrible sanity’: A Night of Poe is a “hauntingly immersive evening where Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous tales come alive through immersive theater, live music, theatrical storytelling, and expertly crafted cocktails,” over the course of a 90-minute journey, where actors, musicians, and performers weave together reimagined stories, atmospheric soundscapes, and immersive theatrical moments.” The event is set for Sept. 25 and 26. Tickets are on sale now.
1. Auction set in Fresno eminent domain case
The City of Fresno plans to auction off property including tile on Monday in connection with its long-standing eminent domain fight with a shuttered Fresno business, YourCentralValley reports.
The auction is set for 9 a.m. Monday at 1780 E. McKinley.
Art Terzian, owner of A&T Ceramics, says he has operated out of a building near McKinley and Blackstone Avenues since 1995 and says the city refuses to fully compensate him for property they need to complete plans for a grade separation project at McKinley and Blackstone.
“They need my building just to direct the traffic until they finish the project,” Terzian told the TV station.
City Attorney Andrew Janz disputed Terzian’s claims, saying the City of Fresno has tried to cut a deal with the shuttered business owner for more than two years.
The case made headlines earlier this year when a city-contracted attorney was caught using generative AI to draft legal documents, and including multiple fictional or improper case citations.
2. Fresno County correctional officers will soon carry firearms at work
A new law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom grants peace-officer status to Fresno County correctional officers, allowing local jail guards to carry firearms on duty, GV Wire reports.
The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Assembly Bill 2004, also known as the “Scanlan Bill”, adds Fresno and San Joaquin counties to state law granting peace officer status to deputy sheriffs with custodial assignments.
Correctional officers are charged with the care, supervision, security, and transportation of incarcerated people.
Their families will also become eligible for certain line-of-duty death benefits that were not previously available to them, the sheriff’s office said.
The announcement comes as Fresno County also tries to clear the way for some local prosecutors, with valid CCWs, to carry firearms in and around the county courthouse.
Sheriff John Zanoni said Fresno County fell behind other agencies in California that already grant peace officer status to custodial employees.
Zanoni: “There’s about 50 other sheriff’s offices in the State of California that have either correctional deputies, jail deputies or custody deputies in some capacity working in their custodial facilities.”
3. SEDA talks stalled — for now
Two major development proposals are in limbo after both projects faced public criticisms amid a tense election cycle, ABC30 reports.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s signature Southeast Development Area, or SEDA, project got a green light from the city planning commission last month and then quickly ran into a wall when the project’s long-awaited finance report landed.
Earlier this month, Councilmember Brandon Vang, who represents the area of the city most affected by SEDA, announced his formal opposition to the plan, Fresnoland originally reported, a significant setback for Dyer’s dreams.
Now, with an election looming, and the Central Southeast Specific Plan also stuck in the mud, ABC30 reports that Councilmember Annalisa Perea and Supervisor Luis Chavez have said SEDA talks have been tabled with no clear timeline for returning.
But it will be after the November election.
Perea: “…in order to make sure that we are setting up this plan for success, we wanted to just take a step back, evaluate those letters, and ensure that we are doing everything possible to position this planning document to be approved and to avoid any potential lawsuits moving forward.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
