Quote of the Week
“I think what you hear is an emotional plea, but also a connection to the past, present and future.”
— Dr. Venise Curry, a southwest Fresno resident who implored the city council to rename Cesar Chavez Boulevard back to California Avenue at their meeting Thursday.
This Week in Fresnoland
Fresno gets a state park — but questions loom about San Joaquin River access
Our governor graced Fresno with a visit this week on Earth Day to make a not-so-insignificant announcement at Sycamore Island: The San Joaquin River Parkway will become a state park, along with two other new parks in the Central Valley, Dust Bowl Camp in Kern County and Feather River Park in Yuba County.
It was four decades in the making, reports Gregory Weaver for Fresnoland.
But there’s some fine print to absorb that was not so clear from the initial announcement.
First, six parcels of the parkway are being shipped to state parks control, not the entirety of the 22-mile vision connecting Friant Dam to Highway 99.
One of those is River Vista, a property never opened to the public before. Sycamore Island, currently operated by the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust, will also be included in the state park, solving an operational problem — and potentially opening up more recreational opportunities.
But the state parks move doesn’t really address some of the hot button issues that still plague the river parkway, from more public access to River West Fresno or how CEMEX’s blast mine proposal on the river should move forward.
Will Fresno County’s Latino voters show up for the June primary?
There’s a lot of misinformation about voting right now, especially for Latinos — and Fresno City College student Theiten Guizar is trying to help clear it up, reports Gisselle Medina for Fresnoland.
From escalated immigration enforcement to attempts to require a passport or birth certificate to cast a ballot, voter education experts say that the confusing and intimidating messaging could discourage people from showing up.
Guizar and others are working on trying to combat hopelessness and voters’ sense that their vote doesn’t count. They think that getting involved more broadly in civic life can help encourage that optimism.
Others are focusing their efforts on opposing federal bills to nationalize elections and create federal verification databases to mandate proof of citizenship.
For now, voters in California are not required to bring photo ID or proof of citizenship to vote — that already gets verified when folks register. The state is also remaining vigilant against any efforts to intimidate voters, Latino or not, at the polls in advance of the June primary.
“We will combat any force that seeks to disenfranchise those wishing to exercise their right to vote and will continue to educate and empower all eligible voters to cast a ballot,” a California Justice Department representative told Fresnoland.
A tale of two highway expansions?
A Fresno County judge recently ruled against Friends of Calwa’s lawsuit attempting to stop a pair of interchange expansions on Highway 99 — but, as Gregory Weaver reports, the reasons cited didn’t stop another federal judge from halting a highway expansion near Carmel back in the 1990s.
The Calwa group, along with Fresno Building Healthy Communities, are alleging that the highway expansions were approved without considering the air quality impacts that could result from unleashing a new proposed industrial park, which can only happen if the interchanges get widened.
The story has a lot of legal research in it, but as we know too well, the devil is in the procedural details.
Two prominent environmental attorneys (not working on the case) say that it’s a familiar pattern with Caltrans, and they expect an appeal. The community groups are mulling it over.
“What community decides,” said Sandra Celedon with Fresno Building Healthy Communities (who’s also a candidate for the state legislature), “is what we’re going to do.”
Could Newsom bail Fresno Unified out of a $55 million deficit?
I mean, anything is technically possible, but some educational leaders think there’s some merit to this argument. Or at least some union leaders and the CTA-endorsed candidate for superintendent of schools thinks so, reports Diego Vargas for Fresnoland.
Here’s the deal: when the governor released his January budget proposal, it didn’t include $5.6 billion for K-12 through Prop 98 funds. They say that this was due to an unstable revenue forecast.
Fresno Teachers Association president Manuel Bonilla says he thinks the district’s cut of that missing money is around $57 million. Fresno Unified’s spokesperson declined to say whether they think FTA is right, but acknowledged that the lost Prop 98 funds are having an impact.
Fresno Unified has already projected a $55 million deficit for the 2026-27 year, which they’ve said is leaving them with no choice but to cut 450 jobs. They’ve attributed the reduction to reduced enrollment and attendance challenges.
This spring has been brutal for school districts across California, with school closures and strikes on the horizon. We’ll get an update after the governor releases his updated budget in the May Revise by May 14.
Goodbye, Cesar Chavez. Hello again, Kings Canyon, Ventura and California
Feeling nostalgic for the old Kings Canyon, Ventura or California Avenue street signs? They’re coming back, reports Pablo Orihuela for Fresnoland.
Over a dozen residents showed up to support the Fresno City Council’s unanimous decision to revert the seven-mile stretch of Cesar Chavez Boulevard from Marks to Peach back to the original names of Kings Canyon, Ventura and California Avenue, following the New York Times investigation in March revealing sexual assault allegations against the formerly revered labor leader.
Despite a multi-decade effort to name a street after Cesar Chavez in Fresno, it only became official in 2023. And it was immediately controversial, sparking a lawsuit from a community coalition. The city won that lawsuit.
And change is coming quickly: City officials say that the signs will begin to change back in May.
Outside the Lines
Fresnoland Food put together a guide to every winning taco at the Taco Truck Throwdown in Fresno. Fresnoland Food
Fresno County approved a partnership with the Fresno Arts Council, as they work to rebuild trust. Fresnoland
Clovis residents will soon see a jump in water rates in January. ABC30
Is the median home price in Fresno really almost $600,000? Business Journal
Famed urban planner Richard Florida visited Fresno this week to discuss the State of Downtown. Facebook
Block Beat
Downtown: Granville is liquidating seven of their downtown apartment properties. Fresno Business Journal
Fresno High: Breakdancing fan? Don’t miss the Battle of the Far East – B-Boys and B-Girls at Fresno City College’s Asian Fest today (Saturday) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Instagram
Tower: See you at Porchfest? Check out the map of porches here. I’ll be biking around. Tower Porchfest
Heaton: The 100-year old elementary school celebrated its anniversary with an interactive exhibit. ABC30 (PS: Have you seen the original Heaton building? It will radicalize you for historic preservation.)
Chinatown: If you’d like to be there for the launch of Scrub Jay Press’ latest publication of local authors, swing by Judging by the Cover bookstore in Chinatown at 2 p.m. Saturday. It’s part of their Indie Bookstore Day lineup — and there are events at bookstores all over the city. Instagram
Today’s newsletter was written by Danielle Bergstrom and edited by Julianna Morano.
