Quote of the Week
“Those workers are well worth that $20 an hour.”
— Ben Takemoto, a former Starbucks employee who was fired following an unsuccessful attempt to unionize a northwest Fresno store
Last chance to grab tickets for our first Fresnoland Futures event on Tuesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. – focused on the future of downtown, and what we can learn from Sacramento leaders. Just a handful left!
This Week in Fresnoland
City Hall’s lack of transparency criticized, again
The California Auditor criticized Fresno’s cannabis licensing process in a recent report, ABC30 reported. The report said Fresno’s process “lacked transparency” and potentially undermined public trust. The report, released in late March, also criticized Fresno’s appeal process. A City Hall spokesperson told ABC the mayor and the city council have the authority to appeal decisions.
“Fresno was the only local jurisdiction we reviewed that lacked an administrative appeals process (appeals process) for applicants to contest the jurisdiction’s decision to deny their applications,” the report noted. “An appeals process is critical because it helps ensure that applicants have the opportunity to contest the decision if they are denied improperly.”
The auditor recommended Fresno change its process to include “blind scoring,” a process that keeps an applicant’s identity secret from the people reviewing and approving applications to avoid any bias or favoritism from potentially tainting the process.
“Fresno’s deputy city manager indicated that incorporating blind scoring would require additional resources and would significantly delay the process,” the report notes. “She further noted that the evaluators consisted of a panel rather than just one individual and that each evaluator was required to sign impartiality statements for each application.”
The report also criticized Fresno’s public transparency and engagement – a frequent criticism for many years of California’s fifth-largest city on issues across the board, ranging from cannabis permits, public records violations and housing policies to homelessness, government accountability and the city’s closed-door budget process that city leaders are currently defending in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and First Amendment Coalition.
“Fresno’s ordinance does not specify the requirements for its cannabis permitting process,” the report says. “Instead, Fresno’s ordinance gives the city manager discretion to design evaluation criteria and permitting processes for issuing commercial cannabis business permits, which Fresno developed using policies and procedures.”
Read the full 62-page report here.
Fresno homelessness agency re-elects leadership
Chair Laura Moreno and Secretary Sara Mirhadi were elected for their positions at the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care board on Thursday.
The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care is an interagency organization responsible for guiding the region’s homelessness spending and commenting on policy.
Moreno, a staff analyst for Fresno County, initially announced she wouldn’t be running for reelection during the March board meeting but changed her mind later. In March, she also nominated Katie Wilbur, executive director of RH Community Builders and FMCoC Member At Large, for the position.
“During that time, I was encouraged by a few people to run,” Moreno said. “I do love this work and I want to sincerely apologize to Katie, that I told her that I wasn’t going to [run]. I talked to Katie before I put my name in and she’s aware.
“So I just wanted to let you know that was the reason…I just was encouraged to,” Moreno added. “I talked to my administration here as well, because it’s a lot of work and I wanted to ensure that I was going to have the time available to put into this.”
FMCoC board positions last two years and are up for reelection during staggered terms. Positions on the ballot next year will include vice chair, treasurer and member at large. Only members of the board can vote.
A step toward a ‘living wage’
Thousands of fast food workers in Fresno are getting raises this month – to at least $20 per hour – thanks to a new state law that went into effect April 1, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Labor leaders call the new fast food workers minimum wage a win for workers, while critics worry how the law will affect local businesses.
“Those workers are well worth that $20 an hour,” said Ben Takemoto, a former Starbucks employee who was fired following an unsuccessful attempt to unionize a northwest Fresno store.
Will Oliver, president of the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, said while the impacts at larger franchises that already use automation may be “minimal,” he’s concerned about smaller businesses trying to hire and retain employees.
‘In desperate need of healthcare services’
Two state agencies approved a $57 million interest-free loan for American Advanced Management, Inc. to reopen Madera Community Hospital, Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad reported this week.
The announcement Monday from California Gov. Newsom’s office put AAMI closer to restoring the only general acute care hospital in Madera County — which executives say they’ll get done by July.
The loan is being made available to AAMI through California’s new Distressed Hospital Loan Program, which has $150 million in total funding. That means more than a third of all loan funds in the statewide program will be used to restore Madera Community Hospital.
“I remain cautiously optimistic that our work over the last two years will result in the successful reopening of the hospital,” state Sen. Anna Caballero said in a statement.
Fresno’s Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Khmer communities hosting new years’ celebrations
Fresno’s Thai, Lao and Cambodian communities are hosting New Year’s celebrations throughout the weekend, Fresnoland’s Ntsa Iab Vang reported this week.
A new coalition of Southeast Asian community members has launched a series of nighttime street fairs to bring together local vendors, artists, performers and community members from across the Fresno region.
The Southeast Collective’s second Moonlight Market drew a large crowd to the Full Circle Brewing Co. in downtown Fresno on Wednesday and coincided with New Year’s celebrations marked by Fresno’s Thai, Lao and Cambodian communities.
Outside the Lines
Fresno residents can still nominate local landmarks to be featured in a new Fresno-edition of the popular board game Monopoly, the Fresno Business Journal reported this week.
Assemblymember Vince Fong can remain on the ballot in the race for a congressional seat formerly held by Kevin McCarthy, KVPR reported this week. An appeals court unanimously ruled in the candidate’s favor on Tuesday.
Block Beat
TOWER DISTRICT: The Tower Porchfest returns April 27, Fresno’s “grassroots” music festival converts the porches and front yards of home in the city’s most famous neighborhood into mini concert venues featuring some of the very best local musicians and performers. The 2024 Porchfest map was expected to be revealed at a pre-party on Friday night at Goldstein’s. PORCHFEST
HERITAGE GROVE: The Ampersand Ice Cream shop located at Willow and Shepherd avenues will be closed until further notice due to ongoing repairs. INSTAGRAM
HOOVER: Lisa Spoors, the intoxicated driver who killed 15-year-old Rashad Al-Hakim Jr. while he was crossing Barstow Avenue in 2022, received a five-year prison sentence this week, The Fresno Bee reported, despite the objections of the teen’s grieving family.
TOWER DISTRICT: Tower’s Farmers Market is “getting close” to reopening, more than four months after abruptly shutting down amid complaints of poor attendance and bad weather. THE FRESNO BEE
Department of New Construction
The city’s development permits portal, Accela, is down for maintenance. We’ll be back with more updates next week.
Around Town
The Big Tell Showcase is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 at The Tower Theatre in Fresno. Featuring 13 short movies from local filmmakers, the Big Tell features stories from up and down the central San Joaquin Valley. “From heartfelt documentaries to captivating narratives, The Big Tell Showcase celebrates the diversity and richness of the Central Valley.”
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer will be the keynote speaker during the annual State of Downtown event, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 19 at Warnors Theatre, 1400 Fulton St. Downtown Fresno
Later this month, Valley Forward is hosting a workers rights resource fair in Calwa Park. The April 21 event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., called Tacos con Derechos, will offer resources related to wage theft, retaliation, health and safety, Cal/OSHA, and more, as well as free food, a PS5 raffle, and, of course, tacos.
