Quote of the Week
“DO THESE LANDOWNERS REALLY NEED A TAX BREAK?”
— Fresno County Assessor Paul Dictos on California’s Williamson Act, a tax break program that a Fresnoland investigation showed has largely benefited major corporations, rather than the small farms it was intended to protect
Dig deeper into the Williamson Act investigation with us. Join Fresnoland for a conversation with reporter Greg Weaver, and senior editor Rob Parsons, next Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sun Stereo Warehouse. Register to attend here.
This Week in Fresnoland
California tax break hasn’t helped the small farmers it was supposed to
What do Canadian Mounties have to do with Fresno farms?
You might think: Not much. We did, too, at least until Fresnoland’s Greg Weaver’s dropped his two-part investigation into the Williamson Act, California’s biggest land program.
Greg’s reporting revealed how a program designed to preserve family farms instead subsidized their demise and benefited major corporations and investment firms. A pension fund tied to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is just one example of the surprising recipients of the largest tax breaks.
Want a breakdown of this whopper investigation? Come to our event! We’re hosting a conversation between Greg and senior editor Rob Parsons Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sun Stereo Warehouse downtown. Register at the link.
California’s high-speed ‘Stonehenge’ faces federal audit
News of a federal audit of California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project drew mixed reactions from Fresno-area leaders this week, with most expressing at least some level of support for the review, if not downright contempt for the rail project itself, Fresnoland’s Danielle Bergstrom and Omar S. Rashad reported.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said while he shared concerns over the project’s never-ending timeline and “severe cost overruns,” he still supports the project “as long as it connects the Central Valley to the California economy.”
Other Central Valley leaders are actively cheering for the project’s demise.
Assemblymember David Tangipa, whose district includes north Fresno, Clovis, and Madera, likened the rail project to “a modern day Stonehenge.”
Would local voters get behind a public safety tax?
As Fresno stares down a $20 million budget deficit that’s only expected to grow in the coming months, city leaders are coming to a public-safety spending crossroads.
The recent expansion of police and fire departments might have helped tame the city’s once-soaring homicide rate, but it also contributed to the current deficit.
Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad spoke with Mayor Jerry Dyer, who insisted that it’s still too soon to get into specific plans to close the funding gap but acknowledged “preliminary” talks over a potential new tax, possibly similar to the public safety tax recently passed in Clovis.
At the same time, city leaders also need to figure out how to pay for road maintenance and construction in the coming years.
Will Fresno lock up a 77-year-old unhoused man?
Wickey Two Hands, a 77-year-old unhoused man, could be the first to take his anti-camping case to trial in Fresno.
Two Hands has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of violating Fresno’s new anti-camping law and “unlawful possession and abandonment of carts.” He was arrested in October, about a month after the city’s controversial law went into effect, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported.
As has become standard practice at the Fresno City Attorney’s Office, Andrew Janz did not respond to Fresnoland’s requests for comment on the case.
Two Hands’ trial was delayed this week when his defense attorney, longtime unhoused advocate Kevin Little, filed a series of motions arguing to dismiss the case.
Both sides are due back in court in April for the ruling on the motion to dismiss.
Too soon for more election news? Sorry, southeast Fresnans
Did you know there’s an election coming up in less than four weeks in Fresno?
If you’re a resident of southeast Fresno, this special election will select your next council representative, now that former Councilmember Luis Chavez packed his bags for the Board of Supervisors.
Three of the four candidates running in the March 18 special election have run for the seat before, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported. The fourth challenger’s name should also ring a bell, not only as a longtime Fresno Unified trustee but also Chavez’s wife.
The candidates shared a spectrum of views on matters like the city’s Southeast Development Area (SEDA) project – from opposing it, to tentatively supporting it, to not knowing what it was.
Read their thoughts on SEDA and more in Julianna’s guide.
Outside the Lines
“Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is in talks to advise the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the country, as the California agency prepares to lobby under a friendlier administration for federal contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, according to two sources.” The Sacramento Bee
“Ross Dress for Less will open its newest Fresno store next month, bringing discount options to shoppers in southeast Fresno.” The Fresno Business Journal
A new area code – 357 – is coming to parts of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties, starting in March. The Fresno Bee
Two “Fresno-based changemakers” took home the James Irvine Foundation’s prestigious Leadership Award this year: Shantay R. Davies-Balch, CEO of the BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center, and Nayamin Martinez, executive director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network. James Irvine Foundation
The Forever 21 location at Fashion Fair mall will close after 14 years in business in the space previously occupied by Gottschalks. The Fresno Bee
Block Beat
FRESNO STATE: Valley Children’s Adaptive Sports Program will host the 2025 West Coast Conference Championship Tournament at Fresno State’s Student Recreation Center, 5010 N. Woodrow Ave. More than a dozen regional wheelchair basketball teams will compete Saturday, Feb. 22, and Sunday, Feb. 23, beginning at 8 a.m.
SOUTH FRESNO: The Fresno County Bicycle Coalition invites you to join them for a 20-mile bike ride “exploring the bird life of south Fresno.” Bike lights and binoculars, if you have them, are encouraged. Riders meet at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at Fresno High School, 1839 N Echo Ave. Fresno County Bicycle Coalition
TOWER DISTRICT: Fresno’s Rogue Festival returns for a six-day run from Feb. 28 to March 6 at various locations throughout the Tower District. For more information, check out the Rogue Festival website.
CHINATOWN: Judging by the Cover, Fresno’s newest bookstore, invites the public to an Oscar Wilde Lookalike Contest at noon, Saturday, March 1, at their store, 1029 F St. Organizers are also looking for artists to contribute “your Wilde-inspired art, your words, your rage, your joy.” Art submissions are due by Feb. 28. For more information, check out Judging by the Cover’s Instagram.
SOUTHWEST FRESNO: Wellness to the West and Outdoor Afro are co-hosting a free fitness-centered event with outdoor walking, yoga and more at Kearney Triangle Park (847 Fresno St.) Saturday, March 1, starting at 9 a.m. Read more about it in their joint Instagram post.
DOWNTOWN: With help from Measure P funding, the Fresno nonprofit Might Community Advocacy is hosting a free culinary arts workshop at their downtown headquarters (1807 Broadway St.) Sunday, March 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring lessons from local Chef Kate Myer and free on-site childcare. Space is limited – you can register online at the link.
