(If you’re reading this newsletter, that means you might just be a nerd about Fresno. So join us for our first Trivia Night in support of Fresnoland, next Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Full Circle Brewing from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Register here now!)
Good morning! It’s Danielle Bergstrom, policy editor here.
Fresnoland news alert: I’m excited to share that this week, we welcomed Omar Shaikh Rashad, the new government accountability reporter to the Fresnoland team, thanks to support from donors like you, the Kresge Foundation, and the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. He’ll be taking a closer look at public spending and inequality. Have any tips or story ideas for Omar? Please email him at omar@fresnoland.org.
More growth coming to Clovis – but affordable homes unlikely, say city leaders: as Gregory Weaver reports, the Clovis City Council approved a $600,000 environmental study to analyze the impacts of folding 1,000 acres of land, north of Shepherd, into the city, for thousands of new single-family homes.
Councilmember Drew Bessinger assured the rest of the council at the meeting that neighbors won’t have to “worry about high density housing being placed in any of this area.”
The new growth area was slated to get $30 million for street widening and fiber cable upgrade along Shepherd Avenue through Measure C, which failed at the ballot box last month.
Free transit coming to Fresno students in 2023: As more cities across the US look to expand access to free public transit, thanks to partnerships between the City of Fresno, Fresno State, Fresno Unified, and State Center Community College District, students with a valid student ID can ride FAX buses for free beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
My job depends on….oil? As Melissa Montalvo reports for Fresnoland/Fresno Bee, the Central Valley Business Federation – a coalition of businesses – launched a new campaign last week, hoping to create a public relations campaign against California’s push to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels.
A 2019 study from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, on behalf of the Western States Petroleum Association, found that there are 3,000 oil-related jobs in Fresno County.
Councilmember Esparza cleared: As the Fresno Bee reports, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp’s public integrity unit dropped attempted extortion against Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza this week, reigniting yet another debate about whether the charges were motivated by politics or racial bias.
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Can trees reduce pollution at schools next to freeways? A Fresno campus tries plantings
Central Valley group wants to save oil jobs as California plans to move away from fossil fuels
Fresno students to have free rides on FAX buses, starting New Year’s Day
Thousands of homes, and not a single one affordable: Clovis moves forward on 1,000-acre expansion at the edge of town
