Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

18 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

19 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

2 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

2 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

2 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

2 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

2 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

2 days ago
Gary Serrato Is Retiring From Fresno Irrigation District
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 7 years ago on
August 23, 2018

Share

Gary Serrato’s nearly 33 years with Fresno Irrigation District — the last 19 as general manager — will end early next year, the district has announced.
He will be succeeded by Bill Stretch, who takes the helm Jan. 15, 2019.
Stretch, who joined the district in 1998, was unanimously selected for the top job by the district’s board in a meeting Tuesday evening.

Visionary on Groundwater Banking

Serrato joined FID in February 1986. He has also held the positions of watermaster and assistant manager of operations.
“Gary has done some amazing things,” said FID Board President Ryan Jacobsen. “He’s a visionary on groundwater banking, and he’s maximized our ability to transfer and shift water by taking advantage of FID’s strategic location between” the San Joaquin and Kings rivers.
Jacobsen said that Serrato will serve as a consultant to the district for about a year following his retirement.

Serrato Will Stay With Groundwater Agency

In addition, Serrato will continue as the executive officer of the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency.

“The board recognized Bill Stretch was the right person to not only continue Gary’s incredible legacy, but he is also the leader to guide the District into our next century of service.” — FID Board President Ryan Jacobsen
The multi-agency group was formed after Gov. Jerry Brown signed the  Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 into law. The legislation mandates regional plans that sustainably manage groundwater for the benefit of communities, agriculture, and the environment.
Serrato is a former director of the Community Food Bank and served two terms as a Fowler City Councilmember. He graduated from Fresno State in 1978 with an agricultural business degree.

Stretch Is a Civil Engineer, Cal Poly SLO Grad

Stretch is a licensed civil engineer and graduated with a major in agricultural engineering and an emphasis in water resources from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He grew up on a family farm in Merced and Madera counties.
“The board recognized Bill Stretch was the right person to not only continue Gary’s incredible legacy, but he is also the leader to guide the district into our next century of service,” Jacobsen said. “Bill understands all the unique aspects of the district, its history, and, most importantly, has a vibrant vision for its future.”
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

DON'T MISS

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

UP NEXT

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

UP NEXT

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

UP NEXT

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

UP NEXT

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

UP NEXT

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

UP NEXT

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

18 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

18 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

18 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

18 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

19 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

19 hours ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

19 hours ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

19 hours ago

Markets’ 90-Day Tariff Pause Rollercoaster Nears an Uncertain End

19 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

19 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a massive package of tax and spending cuts into law at a ceremony at the White House on Friday, ...

17 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
17 hours ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

18 hours ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
18 hours ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
18 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
18 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Israel Builds a Fence Around the West Bank
18 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

A view of the site of Thursday's Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp, in Gaza City, July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
19 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend