Quote of the Week
“The message, which was sent earlier this month, outlined the terms of Wamhoff’s proposed deal, including a new position in the department for Wamhoff and for Balderrama to resign. The message stated that if the terms were met, the city would not be subject to legal action.”
— From KVPR’s report this week questioning whether city leaders have been pressured behind the scenes to push the chief out and control the public narrative around the investigation.
This Week in Fresnoland
Legal threats? Political pressure? Nothing to see here, police union claims
A bombshell report by KVPR this week added greater context to the controversy surrounding embattled police Chief Paco Balderrama — and drew furious response from the Fresno Police Officers Association.
In statement early Friday, the Fresno police union slammed KVPR for reporting that the officer whose wife carried on a lengthy affair was Jordan Wamhoff, a veteran officer and an elected official in Madera County who, KVPR reported, attempted to pressure city leaders to promote him and fire Balderrama or face a lawsuit.
Fresnoland independently verified the text messages sent from Wamhoff to a high-ranking official on Friday in our own reporting. (We also explored the strange request for a journalist to use a non-disclosure agreement in their reporting.)
The union also praised The Fresno Bee in their statement.
“The FPOA would like to acknowledge The Fresno Bee for demonstrating integrity and ethics in choosing not to publish the victim officer’s name,” the union said. “Thank you for your consideration and discretion.”
The Bee later published a story on Friday identifying Wamhoff as the officer whose wife allegedly carried on an affair with Balderrama.
The union argued there was “no journalistic value to the story.”
“Publishing the name of the victim adds no journalistic value to the story,” the union said. “The officer’s status as a public figure / elected official has absolutely no bearing on or relevance in this situation. And again, he is the victim, not the accused.”
The union statement, however, failed to address the key claim in the KVPR story — that Wamhoff was apparently pressuring city leaders for a promotion and to fire Balderrama under threat of a lawsuit.
City Hall and the police union have worked hard to control the narrative surrounding the investigation that could end Balderrama’s tenure in Fresno, but this new information is a clear indication that there’s far more real news to this messy scandal than the city and union want you to know.
Fresno City Council adopts first budget under new process
After weeks of wrangling, the Fresno City Council unanimously adopted a record-breaking $2 billion budget on Thursday that preserves the city’s Eviction Protection Program and firefighter staffing levels.
The
The city’s 2024/25 budget marked a departure from the city’s typical budgetary process, at least in recent years. The council did away with its controversial budget committee, which has been criticized by legal experts — and sued — for meeting behind closed doors. But it remains unclear whether the new process is adding additional transparency or reverting back to a process that may be more legal – but still leaves room for questions about last-minute haggling and decisions.
The budget hearings have been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding police chief Paco Balderrama in the preceeding weeks. Public comment around the budget was largely made by members of the unhoused community, who have been fighting against budget increases for the Homeless Assistance Response Team (HART) under the police department.
Just in time for summer, a Fresnoland reading list!
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano teamed up with local writers and booksellers to compile a summer reading list for all book lovers. From poetry and graphic novels to new releases and classic reads, local poets, authors and booksellers have recommendations for all ages.
There’s some familiar Central Valley authors on the list – Mas Masumoto, with his latest, “Letters to the Valley: A Harvest of Memories”, or “The Elote Man Goes to College,” by Maia Gonzales, with art by Chalome Gonzalez and Roald Tenorio.
I’d also add “What We Fed to the Manticore,” by Fresno author and attorney Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, a series of short stories about climate change through the perspective of animals.
Fresno County weighs nearly $5 billion budget
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the recommended $4.9 billion budget during a meeting at the Hall of Records on Tuesday, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported. However, the budget won’t be finalized until this fall.
Fresno County budget hearings are expected to run during the week of Sept. 16. The county and its residents have a chance to review the budget and recommend changes until then.
Paige Benavides, the county’s budget director, added that currently the state legislature’s budget aligns with most of the governor’s proposals, but includes “restorations” of some social services, health and housing programs.
“These funding restorations will impact the county’s health and human services departments in varying degrees,” Benavides said. “However, given the state’s uncertain revenue picture, departments will be taking a more conservative approach should these cuts be reinstated throughout the year.”
Fresno approves first trash rate hike in 15 years
For the first time in more than a decade, Fresno residents will likely start paying more for trash pickup, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported. Over the next five years, most residents will see gradual increases to their garbage bill that will eventually take them from around $25 currently to about $45 by 2029.
A protest vote fell well short of stopping the rate hike. Fresno City Clerk Todd Sterner said the city only received about 34,900 of the 58,480 protest votes needed to block the hike. City leaders have cited climbing costs and stagnant revenues in their case for implementing the rate hike.
At the meeting, the council also approved a $5 million contribution towards a new mixed-income housing development for farmworkers near Roosevelt High on Ventura Avenue.
Outside the Lines
After facing criticism over executive compensation and direct community investments on its tax filings, Valley Children’s Hospital now faces a potential class action lawsuit over allegedly paying some of its workers less than minimum wage for on-call shifts, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
The California Reading Corps and California Math Corps – under the umbrella of the federal agency AmeriCorps – are hiring both full-time and part-time tutors at several local schools where students struggle with literacy and math, according to program leaders, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
“John Willheim: Secret War Photographer” is on display at The Fresno Art Museum through the end of June. The exhibit of 23 images shows the reality of the war zone that should have never been, Fresnoland’s Trong Yang reported.
A Juneteenth celebration hosted by The Alley and Fresno City and County Historical Society put a spotlight on local history and vendors in Fresno, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reported.
Block Beat
ROOSEVELT: The Fresno City Council approved $5 million in funding towards a new mixed-income housing development for farmworkers on Ventura Avenue, between 7th and 8th Streets. Fresnoland
QUIGLEY PARK: The city would like residents’ feedback on the redesign and renovation of Quigley Park at a workshop at 6 p.m. on June 26.
ROEDING PARK: The public is invited to the first Summer FresFest at Roeding Regional Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (June 22), 890 W. Belmont Ave. The event is free and includes tacos, mini-pancakes, arts & crafts, games, and more. LEARN MORE
Department of New Construction
SOUTHEAST: The owners of Birrieria Mi Ranchito have applied for a permit to sell beer and wine at their restaurant on Butler and Orange Avenues.
Around Town
Fresno County’s summer youth library program offers reading challenges, events and other activities for children of all ages. Young readers can win prizes for completing reading challenges. Fresno County Public Library
