Quote of the Week
“Put something on your record to stand up for the Black and brown community, because she’s only one — that’s the one that got caught. Be a stand up person and hold them accountable.”
— Fresno resident Eugene Taylor, urging the city not to fight a $15 million racism verdict in federal court
This Week in Fresnoland
Public calls for more police transparency
Fresno has been without an independent police auditor since last summer and numerous transparency reports have fallen by the wayside and faced renewed scrutiny from a skeptical public.
In a scoop first reported this week by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad, a veteran police commander acknowledged the lingering vacancy during a public meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
And at least three public transparency reports — which detail everything from police misconduct to department policy and procedure review — have not been released to the public.
On Friday, a City Hall spokesperson confirmed the city has been searching for a replacement candidate and even offered the job to an applicant who eventually turned it down, bringing the city back to square one in the hiring process.
Deputy Police Chief Burke Farrah acknowledged the public’s frustration and said the department is always looking for ways to improve communication and transparency.
The Wednesday meeting, the city’s first ever on the department’s use of military-grade equipment, drew a small but vocal crowd that questioned whether the department had strictly followed the state transparency laws.
It came less than 24 hours before the City Council was set to vote on the department’s formal report.
Council OKs military-use report over objections
The morning after Fresno police leadership met with the public over the department’s use of military equipment, the Fresno City Council approved the contentious police disclosure report that critics say remains legally incomplete.
The City Council approved the department’s annual military equipment use report over the objections of numerous residents who have questioned whether the city fully complies with a state law known as AB 481, Omar S. Rashad reports for Fresnoland.
City leaders, including police Chief Mindy Casto, argue that it’s “not an explicit requirement” of the law to summarize how, when and why military equipment was used in specific situations. She also suggested such a requirement might be impractical.
However, California Government Code 7072 plainly states a requirement for law enforcement to summarize how they use military equipment. The name of the annual report directly refers to military equipment use.
“We vetted it, vetted it, and vetted it with the City Attorney’s Office, and that’s not an explicit requirement of it,” Chief Casto told Fresnoland. “But it doesn’t mean it’s not something we could look at doing if that’s something the community is interested in.”
Is Fresno County botching child abuse cases?
A pair of Fresno County supervisors want an independent audit to review the Department of Social Services in the wake of troubling allegations raised by a veteran whistleblower.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela confirmed that Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Luis Chavez will ask for the full board’s support during the April 7 supervisors meeting at the county Hall of Records.
The comments led to a private conversation last week between county leaders and Lorraine Ramirez, the whistleblower, who said the county is allowing too many foster children to be reunited with abusive guardians.
“They have a very difficult job,” Bredefeld said, “but the bottom line for all of us is to ensure the safety and security of the kids that the county is responsible for.”
More than 450 school jobs on the line
The Fresno Unified School Board didn’t have much to say this week about the more than 450 estimated job cuts that will help the district fill at least part of its $55 million budget deficit next year.
Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas has been following the district’s budget woes and was on hand again this week as FUSD’s finance chief painted a grim picture of the district’s enrollment-related fiscal problems.
A total of 466 jobs — including retirements and attrition — are on the line.
The teachers union president said the cuts would hurt students at nearly two dozen schools that are about to lose their full-time nurses.
“Our folks want transparency and answers about what is going to happen in this next year on our campuses if you go through with these layoffs,” teacher Marisa Rodriguez told the school board, “because it just feels you’re going to expect more and more with less and less support.”
Do Fresno apartments need cooling standards?
Sweating through summer in an apartment with no air conditioning is regularly-scheduled brutality for thousands in Fresno — where about half of us are renters.
The fight over indoor apartment temperature standards goes back years now and the next round got underway earlier this week, Rob Parsons reports for Fresnoland.
While California requires landlords to keep apartments at 70 degrees when it’s cold, there’s no corresponding standard for sweltering heat.
Landlords have lobbied against mandating an 82-degree temperature cap, successfully defeating that specific standard last year in a housing bill the governor ultimately signed.
The latest round emerges as Fresno renters endured a particularly scorching March that has seen temperatures climb almost 10 degrees above average.
Want to take a deeper dive into this perpetual fight? Check out the CalMatters story.
Outside the Lines
Fresnoland is hiring: That’s right, we’re hiring for our first-ever Senior Revenue Officer to help lead and execute our fundraising strategy with local donors and sponsors. Share with your fundraising friends! Fresnoland
Council punts for now on whether to fight a $15 million penalty over racist harassment at City Hall. Fresnoland
On the heels of a $1.5 million embezzlement scandal, the Fresno Arts Council has parted ways with its longtime executive director, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez. Fresnoland
In response to a recent judicial ruling, the Fresno City Council on Thursday began changing city law to allow any officer, including code enforcement, to access parts of private property without a warrant, similar to the protections afforded mail carriers. The Fresno Bee
Fresno-area gig drivers rallied outside Fresno City Hall this week, drawing attention to safety concerns and rules surrounding autonomous vehicles. The Business Journal
Fresno immigration attorney speaks out on ICE tactics. ABC30
A man pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack plans to be a Madera County supervisor. YourCentralValley
The Fresno Restaurant Association crowns its ‘best’ spots to eat. The Business Journal
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced that registration for the Greatest American Cleanup event opened on Monday. YourCentralValley
Fresno-area farmers get 5% more water. Maven’s Notebook
A new bill would help distribute free menstrual hygiene products to women who work in remote, high-poverty agricultural regions. ABC30
California governor candidates will debate at Fresno State next month. KMPH
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced that registration for the Greatest American Cleanup event opened on Monday. YourCentralValley
The president of PG&E Corp. says Fresno County is uniquely positioned to take on the AI data center boom in ways she said could potentially benefit the region’s ratepayers. The Business Journal
About one in four Gen Z adults in Fresno own a home. That’s the rightest rate of ownership for the younger generation in the state of California. ABC30.
We should’ve probably always called it “Fresno County Farmworkers and Agriculture Appreciation Day.” ABC30
Block Beat
Sunnyside: California’s Racial Equity Commission with the Governor’s Office will host a town hall in Fresno on Wednesday, April 1 about “addressing racial equity and inequities affecting underserved and marginalized communities.” United Way
Tower District: Sour Milk’s next group art show — a tribute to filmmaker and artist John Waters — is set for 5 to 9 p.m. May 7 at Sour Milk, 1474 N. Van Ness Ave., in the Tower District. More info
Hoover: A proposal for a Dick’s Sporting Goods store at Fashion Fair Mall hinges on whether Fresno’s Historic Preservation Commission agrees the decades-old building is worth saving. Business Journal
Downtown: Fresno hospital accused of unpaid overtime and labor violations. GVWire
Central Fresno: A Michelin-recognized Mexican restaurant is coming to a former Fresno comic book store. The Business Journal
West Fresno: El Capitan Middle School opens the second food pantry at Central Unified schools. ABC30
Millerton Lake: If the Trump Administration gets its way, parts of Fresno County — and the rest of the central San Joaquin Valley — will see more oil drilling and fracking. YourCentralValley
Downtown: What happened to plans around this historic building? The Fresno Bee
