Quote of the Week
“If you are a hospital whose reinvestment to the community through charity care is less than not just what you’re paying your CEO but what you’re loaning your CEO to buy a beach house, then that doesn’t seem consistent with the mission of a nonprofit hospital.”
— Chris Whaley, a health economist and professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University, on Valley Children’s Hospital’s stagnant community benefits amid soaring excess revenue.
Did you see the aurora borealis, or northern lights on Friday night? Our favorite local shots are from local photographer Jenn Emerling and Yosemite National Park’s Instagram.
This Week in Fresnoland
What is Valley Children’s mission?
A detailed investigation published this week by Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad raised several startling questions about a nonprofit hospital with more than a billion in the bank.
Among the key findings of the Fresnoland probe included the fact that between 2013 and 2022, Valley Children’s Hospital spent an average of just $185,899 on charity care annually, defined as financial assistance that a hospital provides to patients who cannot afford a medical procedure.
“If you are a hospital whose reinvestment to the community through charity care is less than not just what you’re paying your CEO but what you’re loaning your CEO to buy a beach house, then that doesn’t seem consistent with the mission of a nonprofit hospital,” said Chris Whaley, a health economist and professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University.
Three experts who spoke with Fresnoland said they were surprised that the hospital donated $73.7 million to Valley Children’s Medical Group over a span of eight years and claimed it as a community benefit. They reacted similarly to the fact that 80% of the hospital’s $90.5 million in reported community investments over the last decade went to the hospital’s own medical group.
Zara Arboleda, Valley Children’s spokesperson, said donations from the hospital to Valley Children’s Medical Group group were a community benefit since it helped establish and cover ongoing costs at two of the hospital’s specialty care centers — one in Bakersfield and another in Modesto.
Additionally, the lucrative nonprofit hospital received more than $70 million in pandemic relief funds – but they don’t want to talk about it.
The hospital refused to release its records detailing how those taxpayer dollars were spent, claiming the records are confidential.
Embattled college senate president calls investigation ‘gender discrimination’
The Fresno City College Academic Senate failed to take action on tenured communication instructor Tom Boroujeni, who has been on involuntary administrative leave since Nov. 30 and has refused to step down as president, EdSource’s Lasherica Thornton reported this week.
It leaves the academic senate in limbo, said theater design instructor Christina McCollam-Martinez, who had filed two petitions to remove Boroujeni as president.
“We can’t move forward; we’re stuck,” McCollam-Martinez said during the meeting. “When you don’t get to choose anymore, you get stuck; you don’t have an option.”
Members of the senate were divided over whether a removal impacts due process, speaks to one’s belief about the allegations, puts the senate back on track or sends a message about faculty rights — a contention made by Boroujeni.
He has characterized the complaints as allegations of “gender discrimination.”
“The road map that you need is: Wait for the investigation to end,” Boroujeni told his colleagues before the vote this week. “If there is anything in the investigation, use that to remove me because that will give you the ammunition so you can preserve the power of the academic senate.”
Diminishing returns on suburbia?
A new report from the Urban Institute raises questions about the city’s on-again, off-again plans for 9,000-acre Southeast Development Area, a centerpiece of Mayor Jerry Dyer’s housing strategy, Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reported.
If the past half-century of market trends hold true for SEDA, the Urban Institute analysis suggests the development could cease to be profitable after just 10,000 to 15,000 homes are built, leaving the city –and taxpayers– to foot the bill for the sprawling development’s remaining infrastructure costs.
After looking at the data, Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias blasted the SEDA plan as a financial house of cards.
“The evidence is clear. In order for SEDA to pay for itself, we have to assume unrealistic market numbers,” he said. “And the backstop would be public utilities. There’s no way I would sign off on that.”
Fresno Unified’s new interim superintendent hopes to close double-digit ‘achievement gap’
Misty Her, who will take over as Fresno Unified interim superintendent once Bob Nelson steps down from the district’s top job, shared her priorities for the district in a news conference Wednesday, Julianna Morano reported for Fresnoland.
Speaking to reporters, Her said she was working on a 100-day plan and said she wants to see “double-digit gains” in student achievement.
“We must continue our efforts to close the achievement gap,” she said, “to foster a supportive environment where all students thrive.”
Her is the first woman and the first member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to lead Fresno Unified, district spokesperson Nikki Henry confirmed.
She is also the highest-ranking Hmong public school official in the country, according to the district.
Fresno County District attorney says ‘despicable’ remarks during violent confrontation are not a hate crime
Despite acknowledging the incident was racially-fueled, Fresno DA Lisa Smittcamp declined to pursue hate crimes charges against a 49-year-old man who they said started a fight with at least three women last month during the Tower District Porchfest, Fresnoland’s Rob Parsons reported.
“The derogatory statements that were allegedly made by Samaniego referring to Palestine and Palestinian people, while despicable, are protected by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America and are insufficient evidence to prosecute a crime under Penal Code §422.6,” District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp’s Office said in a lengthy statement late Thursday.
Fresno’s Palestine Liberation Group slammed the decision in a response on Friday.
“When I read this statement on the local news, I was horrified,” Lori Garcia responded. “I was shocked to even see the word Hamas in the article. It’s a thinly veiled message to the public that Arab, or Muslim is synonymous with Hamas. Palestinians and Arabs do NOT equate with Hamas, but the verbiage in the media sends an underlying message that they are one and the same, and clearly they are NOT.”
The defendant, Francisco Samaniego, is due to appear in court May 16 for arraignment.
Outside the Lines
A lawsuit seeks $5 million from the Fresno Grizzlies over a “ladies night” promotion last year. The plaintiffs are claiming gender discrimination, citing that the male plaintiff’s ticket cost $18, while the woman he was with sat next to him at the game for free. The Fresno Bee
“The Fresno area had an average annual unemployment rate of 7.5% in 2023, but counting the ‘functionally unemployed,’ the actual jobless rate is closer to 31% and as high as 60%,” the Fresno Business Journal reported.
Last year was the first time since 2019 that groundwater storage increased in California, but while two consecutive rainy seasons have helped, long-term storage continues to face a deficit of nearly 40 million acre-feet, KVPR reported.
“California’s wealthiest farming family is proposing an expansion of industrial warehousing in Kern County that would fundamentally reshape the economy in the southern San Joaquin Valley,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
“A Hanford-based meat processor has purchased the Cargill Meat Solutions beef plant in Fresno, positioning itself as one of the top California beef producers,” The Fresno Bee reported.
“Kaiser Permanente Fresno and two Adventist Health hospitals in Selma and Hanford earned ‘A’ Grades for hospital safety this spring from The Leapfrog Group, which evaluates patient safety using data, surveys and other sources,” the Fresno Business Journal reported.
Block Beat
DOWNTOWN: Gov. Gavin Newsom has delayed for another year $200 million of funding for Fresno infrastructure, posing an obstacle to Mayor Jerry Dyer’s plans to revitalize the city’s downtown. Fresnoland
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER: 350 acres of recreational land at Ball Ranch on the San Joaquin River near Friant will be open to the public in July. KVPR
SOUTHEAST CLOVIS: A new middle school near Clinton and Armstrong Avenues has been named for Clovis High alumni and former ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez. KVPR
EDISON: Saint Rest Baptist Church celebrated the grand opening of a new ‘Food to Share’ hub at 1550 E. Reverend Chester Riggins Ave on Saturday. LEARN MORE
TOWER DISTRICT: The public is invited to the next meeting of the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 at the Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. Pablo Ave. The meeting includes a review of the draft policies for land use and presentations from Public Works regarding traffic and circulation. The policies will be incorporated into the public review draft for the Specific Plan.
MANCHESTER PARK: Residents are invited to a community open house meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 at the park, 3414 N. Fresno St. The PARCS Department is seeking input regarding the park’s transformation. LEARN MORE
Department of New Construction
SOUTHWEST: A development permit is under review for a mixed-use development featuring nine retail stores on the first floor, as well as six apartment units, five offices, and one manager’s suite on the second floor and 27 underground parking spaces on Elm Avenue, west of the 41.
SOUTHEAST: A development permit is under review for the installation of electric vehicle equipment and chargers for a delivery van fleet at the Amazon facility on East Olive Avenue.
ROOSEVELT: A development permit is under review for a 4,605 square-foot shell building and site improvements for a Bank of America location in the Asian Village shopping center on East Kings Canyon Road east of Chestnut Avenue.
BULLARD: A permit application is on hold to remove an existing cell tower and restore the area to match its surroundings on West Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue.
SOUTHEAST: A development permit application is under review for a 21,200 square-foot warehouse for MCS Glass on Belmont Avenue just south of the 180.
Around Town
This weekend in Fresno, Hmong immigrants and their descendants will commemorate that moment in history with a celebration of Hmong American Day, Fresnoland’s Trong Yang reported.
Mobile food vendors are invited to two public meetings in May detailing new procedure and operational requirements for street vending in Fresno parks. Join the City of Fresno and County Health Department to learn about permit and license requirements. Spanish interpretation will be available. The first meeting takes place at 5:30 p.m. May 22 at City Hall, 2600 Fresno St. The second is set for 9 a.m. May 24 at Mosqueda Park, 4670 E. Butler Ave. LEARN MORE
CMAC invites you to participate in Crowdsourced Cinema, a creative challenge that brings community members together to remake a feature-length film. This year, local filmmakers will collaborate to remake scenes from the the 90s classic family film “Home Alone.” You do not need to be a CMAC member to participate. You can work alone or as part of a team. Everyone who signs up will be randomly assigned a 1-3 minute scene from the movie. We will provide you with a video clip of your scene and the written script. Completed scenes are due in September. LEARN MORE
Latino Outdoors invites the community to a walking poetry workshop from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at 5508 E. Butler Ave. LATINO OUTDOORS
The Fresno Rainbow Pride & Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1 at various locations around the Tower District and Fresno City College.
Rainbow Family Day at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 8.
June 22 is Diversity & Inclusion Night at Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno. Watch the Grizzlies take on the Stockton Ports at 6:50 p.m.
