Quote of the Week
“People are getting real comfortable with being racist fucks.”
— Fresno protester Michelle Echeverria speaking during Friday’s rally
This Week in Fresnoland
Did City Hall punish planners for questioning SEDA?
About a month after a contentious vote over the largest development project in Fresno history, leaders quietly reshuffled staff assignments at the city’s planning department, which at least one veteran planner suggested was a punishment for challenging developer-backed plans.
In an exclusive special report this week by Fresnoland’s Danielle Bergstrom, planner Casey Lauderdale criticized the planning department staff shakeup.
“Our team has really stood up inside City Hall for community interests,” she said. “We’ve spoken up against things like SEDA, even though we were pretty much forced to work on that.”
The city’s long-range planning division engages residents across the city to build and implement plans that support neighborhood goals.
“Our culture isn’t just ‘check the box,’” Lauderdale said. “We question things. And I think we’re being punished for that.”
Fresno bracing for massive cuts to child care programs
The Trump Administration effort to freeze billions in federal child care funding could leave hundreds of infants, children and families in Fresno with even fewer options in a town where finding reliable childcare has never been easy, Diego Vargas reports for Fresnoland.
As the White House battles with the courts over the order, Fresno-area child care specialists are bracing for impact.
The Trump administration attempted to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care in five states, with California alone possibly standing to lose $4.7 billion.
For Fresno Unified, the impact of the funding freeze would be felt across its eight child development centers that provide full-day care to hundreds of infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children.
Fresno Unified receives around $24 million from the CDE’s California State Preschool Program. In 2026, 1,385 preschoolers were enrolled at 73 FUSD preschools. Currently, the district serves 345 infants and toddlers at its development centers.
Council overhauls spending rules after Fresnoland investigation
Just weeks after a major two-part Fresnoland investigation, the Fresno City Council adopted new rules aimed at beefing up spending transparency and closing loopholes that allowed councilmembers to award multiple small-dollar contracts without public oversight.
Fresnoland Investigative Reporter Omar S. Rashad led the newsroom’s monthslong investigation and was at City Hall on Thursday when the council unanimously approved changes to city laws and procedures.
Councilmember Miguel Arias, who led the city’s renewed transparency efforts, called Thursday’s vote a good start and acknowledged more work needs to be done.
The city plans to upload contracts worth less than $100,000 onto a public website — but the policy change excludes contracts worth $100,000 or more. Additionally, the new rules do not include any “blackout” period for councilmembers to spend city ad dollars during a political campaign.
Thousands of Fresno-area truck drivers stuck in limbo
Thousands of immigrant truck drivers remain stuck in limbo amid a lawsuit challenging the recent DMV purge of thousands of commercial drivers licenses in connection with a federal government crackdown on immigrants, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reports.
A December lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition and others on behalf of Jakara Movement and five anonymous immigrant drivers challenges the DMV’s planned cancellation of nearly 20,000 commercial driver’s licenses.
More than 17,000 drivers were told their licenses would be canceled on Jan. 5, with another 2,700 notified in December that their licenses would be revoked in mid-February. Advocates say many of those drivers had valid work permits or were never given a chance to update their records.
Jakara Movement estimates as many as 5,000 drivers in Fresno County received cancellation notices, and around 15,000 drivers throughout the central San Joaquin Valley.
“Commercial drivers transport our food. They drive our buses. They keep our ports, warehouses, schools and hospitals functioning,” said Naindeep Singh, executive director of Jakara Movement and a current Fresno City Council candidate. “When these workers are abruptly removed from the workforce, everybody feels the impact.”
‘Life or death’
Dozens gathered under the Highway 41 overpass Friday as Fresno joined national shutdown protests, decrying the recent killings of American citizens at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minnesota.
Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina and Diego Vargas spoke with Fresno protesters at the gathering.
Elena Tsuchiya, a 64-year-old Asian lesbian and the daughter of immigrants, stood among the crowd with a mix of anger and grief.
She said recent immigration enforcement actions represent a moral breaking point.
“This is life or death,” Tsuchiya said. “If they’re willing to shoot white people openly in public, who knows what will happen next.”
In solidarity with the shutdown, many local businesses, including Sour Milk gift shop and Judging by the Cover bookstore closed their doors on Friday, while other pledged alternative ways to support protesters.
Outside the Lines
On this week’s podcast, hosts Danielle Bergstrom and Jordan Mattox sat down with investor, philanthropist, environmental advocate and California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer for a conversation about what the state’s biggest policy challenges mean specifically for Fresno and the Central Valley. Fresnolandia
A former police union business manager is suing the Fresno Police Officers Association and its president, Jeff La Blue, accusing the veteran union chief of firing her for rejecting his sexual advances. Fresnoland
A new study of Fresno County’s Southeast Asian businesses will be the first of its kind in both the county and the state. Officials hope it will assess needs and unlock resources for the businesses owned by members of Fresno’s large Southeast Asian community. Fresnoland
The chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors is gearing up to challenge the latest effort to renew the county’s decades-old transportation tax. Fresnoland
The Fresno-Madera region began its Point-in-Time Count on Tuesday night, a process that takes stock of the region’s local homeless population. Fresnoland
As the Trump Administration scrambles to respond to the latest killing of an American citizen at the hands of federal immigration agents, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday made sure voters know where they stand on the issue. Fresnoland
The Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously approved an extension of its Small Business Facade Improvement Program into the summer — a policy that helped subsidize makeovers at about 50 storefronts for local businesses. Fresnoland
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano sat down with KVPR’s Central Valley Daily to discuss her recent reporting examining why one of Fresno’s most beloved neighborhoods has some of the city’s most aggressively vacant buildings. Central Valley Daily
A former Fresno police sergeant’s sexual harassment lawsuit against the City of Fresno reached a $1.7 million settlement. The Fresno Bee
Speaking in Washington D.C. on a panel at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Fresno’s Jerry Dyer called on President Donald Trump to “hold ICE accountable” in the wake of deadly clashes between federal agents and American citizens in Minnesota. YourCentralValley
The City of Sanger approved a $5.25 million settlement with a victim of a former city cop who raped and sexually assaulted women over a six-year period. ABC30
The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students has expanded its suit drive initiative to ensure year-round supply of professional attire for students preparing for interviews, internships and post-secondary opportunities. Foundation for Fresno Unified
A new Sacramento bill seeks to block former ICE employees from ever working as police officers or teachers in California. KMPH
Block Beat
DOWNTOWN: A soccer stadium would bring big changes to downtown Fresno. The Business Journal
PINEDALE: Fresno received $5 million to develop 17 mobile homes at La Hacienda Mobile Home Park for military veterans who may be homeless or at-risk of becoming unhoused. Fresnoland
TOWER: Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its new ownership by two longtime employees on Monday, Feb. 1, by offering customers $1 off any deli sandwich. Piemonte’s
MAYFAIR: El Premio Mayor will celebrate the grand opening of a new location for the restaurant at 3110 E. McKinley Ave. on Tuesday, Feb. 3. El Premio
DOWNTOWN: The Fresno Grizzlies invite interested applicants to a job fair at the ballpark on Feb. 7. Instagram
PARKWAY DRIVE: The Parkview Apartments, a project by developer The Cesar Chavez Foundation, proposes up to 98 new homes along Parkway Drive and won a conditional commitment from the city of $10.5 million and three city-owned parcels. Fresnoland
DOWNTOWN: Some new local restaurants will soon open in downtown Fresno. ABC30
LOWELL: The Lowell Community Development Corporation will celebrate 15 years of service and the grant opening of their new office (234 N. Broadway) Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Lowell CDC
