Quote of the Week

“Just by us being here, I feel like that it is going to bring in a lot of attraction from other investors to serve and improve West Fresno.”

— Gurminder Sangha, campus dean of educational services and pathway effectiveness at the brand new West Fresno Center of Fresno City College, which opened for the first time for students this Monday.

This Week in Fresnoland

Adam Gray is seeking a rematch against John Duarte for the 13th Congressional District.

In case you thought you had a year off from elections, the candidate rumors and announcements have been trickling in. And, Merced Democrat Adam Gray announced this week that he’s back in for a rematch against Republican John Duarte, who won the district by less than 600 votes last year, reports Victor Patton for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.

“I am confident that, going into a presidential election, there’s going to be a lot of attention,” Gray said. “A lot of folks (will be) coming out to the polls, and I am confident that my message of bipartisanship, collaboration and fighting for the Valley is going to be the winning message at the end of the day.”

California may lose population by 2060, but the Central Valley is still expected to grow.

The California Department of Finance recently released their latest population projections for the Golden State through 2060, and – for the first time, the state is expected to lose population. 

But that’s not the case for the Central Valley, which is still expected to gain people through 2060. While most of the forecasted population growth in the valley is expected to happen in counties now considered the exurbs of the Bay Area – Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin Counties – Fresno County is still expected to grow by 9%. Tulare County is actually expected to decline in population by 6%, and more modest growth of 2% in Madera and 3% in Kings is forecast by state demographers.
What’s driving the gains in the valley, relative to the rest of the state? The valley’s relatively young population, along with more room to grow and build housing, state demographer Andres Gallardo told the Los Angeles Times.

Reedley city manager addresses ‘misinformation’ around illegal bio-lab.

In what has become one of the strangest stories in the San Joaquin Valley this summer – the illegal bio-lab that was discovered in Reedley (which we later found out had already previously operated in Fresno) – Reedley city manager Nicole Zieba wants to set the record straight, as reported by Brianna Willis for ABC30. 

“I would just ask the public, it’s very easy to think that the government is trying to cover something, but generally, there’s no desire to cover anything. We might not be able to tell you something at the time, but really we will, transparency is critical, but the timing of getting information out to the public is just as critical,” said Zieba.

Clovis Unified is moving to district-wide elections. 

As Lasherica Thornton reports for EdSource, Clovis Unified School District has begun the process of moving from at-large elections to district elections, with a resolution at their meeting last week. 

The move was prompted by a threat of legal action by a Malibu-based law firm that has a history of suing school districts and local governments that have retained an at-large elections model. 

At-large elections are often seen by civil rights and other community advocacy organizations as stifling the interests of racial or ethnic minorities, who – because of historic patterns of racism, segregation, and redlining – are more likely to be concentrated in one or a handful of neighborhoods of the city.

Science tells us that Fresno apartments are becoming unaffordable. 

The California Housing Partnership report found that 69% of apartments in Fresno County are at risk of becoming unaffordable for low income residents, Danielle Bergstrom (Fresnoland) reports. Rent has been steadily increasing since early-pandemic in 2020, and even with an investment of $350 million in housing last year and around 500 new affordable homes approved, the city is struggling to keep up with demand. Advocates have called for local rent stabilization measures to keep rents from increasing, but Jerry Dyer and the Fresno City Council are unanimously opposed, citing concerns that stabilization measures would discourage new development and encourage slums. 

For now, affordable housing in Fresno is so called “naturally occurring,” because instead of government subsidized affordable housing we have things like trailer parks and older, less maintained apartment buildings that cost lower than the market rate. Now it’s important that we use words like “less maintained apartment buildings” rather than “neglected housing” because otherwise people might start to think that Fresno’s poor already have substandard living conditions as a norm. And if they already have substandard living conditions without rent stabilization then… well, I guess it’s best not to think about it. 🙂

OUTSIDE THE LINES

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced on Tuesday that all FAX buses would come equipped with free wifi. Also, check out this guide from the Bee about road closures as a result of high speed rail construction. Meanwhile, a federal judge said that Sacramento can’t clear out homeless encampments for at least 14 days, due to extreme heat.

Block Beat

SUNNYSIDE: Back in January, a fire devastated the Sunnyside Deli, a Southeast Fresno staple. Now it has been fully demolished. The insurance and planning process for a new building is underway. ABC30 

CLOVIS: The Clovis City Council sent some opposition letters on big state housing bills and three of the five council members voted to direct staff to draft a letter to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors opposing ‘graphic sexual content in childrens’ books’ at the public library. Fresnoland Documenters

EAST CENTRAL: Wal-Mart has launched new renovations at their Cedar and Shields store, with increased delivery capacity and a new health room for immunizations. Business Journal

SOUTHWEST: Fresno City College’s new West Fresno Campus opened its doors Monday, Aug. 7. It offers 48 courses this fall with around 1500 students in attendance. ABC30

MADERA: A deputy engineer for the city of Madera told the city council that their street repair program is underfunded to the tune of $3.5 million, annually. Fresnoland Documenters

Department of New Construction

FORT WASHINGTON: The owners of Aadar Indian Bistro have applied for a permit to sell beer and wine at their restaurant in the RiverView Shopping Center.

OLD FIG: A development permit has been filed to build six new cottage homes on the corner of Del Mar and Barstow Avenues.

NORTHWEST/EL PASEO: A development permit has been filed to build two drive-through restaurant buildings and one strip commercial building, along with 516 apartments, on the corner of Herndon and Hayes Avenues. 

FANCHER CREEK: A plan amendment and rezone has been filed to allow apartments and a car wash to be built within the Fancher Creek Village Center project at Fancher Creek and Fowler Avenues.

SOUTHWEST: A planned development permit has been requested for a 33-unit affordable housing project and pocket park proposed near Walnut and Church Avenues.

SOUTHWEST: A tentative parcel map request has been filed for a SB9 (housing) project located on South Lee Avenue, between Hardy and North Avenues.

AIRPORT: A conditional use permit has been filed to locate a new banquet hall within an industrially-zoned building on North Chestnut Avenue, south of McKinley Avenue.

Catch that cultural cardio with the Fresno Art Run, weekly running sessions with artists and art appreciators. There is a 5k run starting at the Tower Theatre planned for 6 a.m. on Thursday. Instagram

When you’re a writer, people assume that you can write anything: screenplays, stageplays, grants and even poetry. But I’ve never been a poet! I just don’t have the gift. But maybe you do! And maybe you like alcohol also. And in that case, why not visit Full Circle Brewing Co. for their Poetry and Pints workshop hosted by Former Poet Laureate Bryan Medina. Downtown Fresno

Next Week in Public Meetings

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Tommy is the author of Toplines, the Fresnoland newsletter curating the top stories in the Central Valley. He thinks he's very funny.