Quote of the Week
“We don’t really have an economic model. The economic model of the city is to let everybody live here for cheaper than other parts of California.”
Dillon Savory, the executive director of the Central Labor Council, reacting to a recent California appellate court ruling that forces delays on more than 20 development projects in Fresno.
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This Week in Fresnoland
Development limbo?
Fresno’s ambitious growth plans face serious problems after a court ruling exposed flaws in the city’s program environmental impact report for the citywide General Plan, Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver reported.
Potentially hundreds of projects are stalled and the city does not have a legitimate environmental impact report covering most neighborhoods and growth areas.
In 2021, The Fresno City Council exempted developers from completely addressing the traffic, air quality and water impacts of sprawl, arguing that new state requirements didn’t apply to them because the priorities of growth outweighed public health.
However, a court ruling handed down Aug. 6 said that the city could not simply opt out of these requirements – stalling more than 20 projects and leaving most of the city without a legitimate environmental impact report, according to City Manager Georgeanne White.
The ruling puts as many as hundreds of projects in nearly every corner of the city – outside of downtown and the city’s west area specific plan – in development quicksand, three sources with close knowledge of the city’s environmental review process told Fresnoland. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized by their employers to speak publicly about the situation.
Transparency lawsuit against the City of Fresno moves forward
A Fresno County judge declined to declare a winner this week in the public transparency lawsuit against the City of Fresno.
Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad was in court Wednesday when Judge Robert Whalen rejected the city’s request to have the case thrown out on procedural grounds. The judge also denied the motion for judgment filed by the ACLU and First Amendment Coalition.
The lawsuit accuses the Fresno City Council’s “secret budget committee” of violating California’s Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires legislative bodies to hold their meetings publicly, along with releasing agendas in advance and allowing public input on decisions.
The case was sparked following a 2023 Fresnoland investigation that examined whether Fresno’s budget process was less transparent than other major California cities. For more than a year at least, Fresno city leaders have claimed the council’s budget committee is exempt from the Brown Act. A Fresnoland review of California’s 10 largest cities showed that Fresno is the only large city in the state that claims a Brown Act exemption for its budget committee.
Fresno cracks down on trespassers, squatters
Describing it as an effort to beef up protections for business and property owners, the Fresno City Council unanimously adopted a new trespassing law this week, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reported.
“It’s our job and responsibility as elected officials of the city of Fresno to ensure our community is vibrant, healthy, safe,” said Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, one of the ordinance’s sponsors.
The policy, which the council called a “common sense” measure, comes after the city passed its anti-encampment ordinance — which bans people from building encampments and sleeping in public spaces. Fresno’s trespassing ordinance covers private property that is open to the public.
Penalties for violating the ordinance could include a criminal misdemeanor charge, up to $1,000 in fines and a maximum one-year jail sentence. City Attorney Andrew Janz confirmed that the prosecution of these cases will be led by the city attorney’s office.
The ordinance passed Thursday, though the meeting was only an introduction for the ordinance. It is expected to go through a final passage during the next council meeting on Set. 12, where it will go into effect 31 days after that.
Pay raises in the works for Fresno police officers
The Fresno City Council also approved a new police contract this week, Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad reported.
The new contract, which spans a single year unlike past multi-year labor union contracts, included a 3% annual raise for police officers. The contract was negotiated by city officials and the Fresno Police Officers’ Association over a three month period.
One new change in the union contract was a provision for officers to continue receiving premium pay while on a long-term absence. Premium pay is reserved for police officers in specific scenarios, including those who maintain a commercial pilot license, have work hours that were changed without notice or are placed on a specialized assignment, according to the union contract.
The new agreement also includes a transition period for the police union’s president and vice president phasing out of their union leadership role.
Library book committee on ice, at least for now
Appointments to Fresno’s controversial review committee for children’s library books are on hold as potential state legislation threatens to put an end to local book bans, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Assembly Bill 1825, introduced by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, would prevent bans on library materials that deal with sexuality or diverse identities.
The office of Supervisor Steve Brandau, who authored the resolution creating the book committee, told Fresnoland the supervisor is holding off on making any appointments to the committee until he knows the fate of the bill.
“AB 1825 would have major implications for the organization and purpose of the committee. As written,” said Brandau’s chief of staff, Robert Jeffers, “it would basically strip the committee of any authority to limit children’s access to age-sensitive materials.”
Jeffers added that Brandau “strongly condemns” the bill, saying it’s an instance of “Sacramento again forcing a one-size-fits-all order over what should be a local matter.”
Outside the Lines
George Gruner, a former Fresno Bee editor and senior member of a group of Bee journalists jailed in 1976 for courageously refusing to give up their sources, died last week at the age of 99. The Fresno Bee
California’s undocumented immigrants could be eligible for public assistance in buying a new home under a bill authored by Fresno Democrat Joaquin Arambula. Arambula’s bill, AB 1840, landed on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Twenty-eight American Sign-Language interpreters at Clovis Unified filed a union petition to the Public Employment Relations Board this week, joining the now-yearslong effort to unionize the largest California school district without a teachers’ union, The Fresno Bee reported.
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo celebrated the births of two baby elephants this week. Zoo officials say Amahle gave birth to a healthy male calf on Monday. Just 10 days earlier, on Aug. 16, the zoo’s other African elephant, Nolwazi, gave birth to a male calf. Authorities said the birth marked the first elephant calf born in the zoo’s 95-year history.
A pair of trees known as “the palm and the pine,” a nearly-century-old mysterious landmark outside Fresno that many believe represents California’s geographic midpoint, will soon be coming down to make way for another freeway expansion, KVPR reports.
Block Beat
SOUTH TOWER: The 100-foot-tall grain silos that have stood for nearly eight decades will soon be coming down, said the owners of Producers Dairy told The Fresno Bee.
WOODWARD: The Fresno Public Library’s Woodward Branch is hosting LGBT game night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Everyone is welcome.
Around Town
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo and the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust will be working together to celebrate Coexist with Wildlife Day on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pick which activities you attend at this fun-filled event– options include a class on San Joaquin River flora and fauna, a habitat restoration project, and food trucks, ice cream, and conservation group information at the River Center.
The Fresno Police Department announced a DUI checkpoint scheduled to run from 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 to 4 a.m. the following day. The checkpoint’s location was not disclosed. California law requires police to announce checkpoint operations in advance. In a news release this week, police reiterated that impaired driving includes alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter that might impair driving, as well as driving under the influence of otherwise legal marijuana.
The Small Business Security Camera Rebate Application is live. Offered by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, rebates of up to $2,000 are available for businesses to protect the interior and exterior of their establishments. The footage can be provided to law enforcement for the purpose of arrest and prosecution. Find more information here
The 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit, presented by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, is visiting Fresno’s California 9/11 Memorial Sept. 3 and 4. Tours are given by veterans who experienced the event firsthand. The exhibit will only be open to veterans, military, and first responders from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 3. The exhibit will be open on Sept. 4 from noon to 2 pm, and again from 3 to 7 pm.
Arte Americas is hosting a screening event for a film featuring Mexican actress and singer Maria Felix. Portraits will also be on display during the event from 5 to 8 pm on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The Big Fresno Fair and the Central California Blood Center are collaborating to host the 14th annual “Pint for a Pass” Blood Drive from Aug, 27 to Oct. 14. Donate at any Central California Blood Center location or mobile drive to earn a “buy-one-get-one-free” voucher for tickets to the Big Fresno Fair, and be entered in a chance to win tickets for concerts and horse races.
Tower Yoga is hosting a Fall Equinox Women’s Circle, a sacred gathering to honor the changing seasons and the balance between light and dark, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22.
