Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno Suspect Caught After Jumping Out of Second-Floor Window, 2 Others Arrested

2 hours ago

Tesla Has Applied to Arizona for Robotaxi Service Certification, State Transport Department Says

2 hours ago

Evacuations Ongoing as San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Scorches Tens of Thousands of Acres

2 hours ago

US Senate to Vote on Trump Aid, Broadcasting Cuts as Deadline Looms

3 hours ago

US Health Department Widens Immigrant Benefit Restrictions

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Stabbing That Left Man Critically Injured

3 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Next of Kin for North Fork Man

4 hours ago

Froot Loops Maker WK Kellogg Agrees to $3.1 Billion Deal From Italy’s Ferrero

5 hours ago

China Signals Willingness to Sell Fighter Jets as Iran Eyes J-10 Aircraft

5 hours ago

Tulare County Man Arrested in Ivanhoe Shooting, Second Suspect Still at Large

5 hours ago
Nearly 500 Future Teachers Lose Jobs in Local Pandemic Layoff
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 5 years ago on
May 20, 2020

Share

As the economy starts to slowly reopen in Fresno County amid COVID-19 restrictions, many companies are reporting large layoffs, according to the Employment Development Department.

The most recent unemployment data through March shows Fresno County at 10.8% unemployment, nearly double the 5.6% state rate.

One of the largest employers to report recent numbers, the nonprofit California Teaching Fellows Foundation, placed 460 employees on temporary layoff.

“We’re a Story of Resilience”

“We’re a story of resilience. Our community needs leaders, needs teachers. And we’re going to continue to be here for a long, long time, serving our community.”Mike Snell, CEO of CTFF

Mike Snell, the CEO of CTFF, says his foundation connects more than 2,000 area college students with on-the-job teaching experience, mainly in after school programs. Most of the fellows work part-time, 17-20 hours a week. The switch to virtual schools means nearly a quarter of his teaching fellows lost their jobs.

“We’re devastated. Even today, we continue to try to find a way to provide services and support to the folks that were temporarily laid off. We are optimistic that we’ll be able to return them back to work. And we’re optimistic that schools will come back,” Snell said.

The layoffs are on top of what Snell anticipates to be further financial hardships. He expects to lose 20% of his $25 million operating budget, funded in part by local school districts.

Snell remains optimistic.

“We’re a story of resilience. Our community needs leaders, needs teachers. And we’re going to continue to be here for a long, long time, serving our community,” Snell said.

Snell is proud that hundreds of graduates have gone on to work as teachers and administrators.

“They learn more about what it means to be a teacher and how to positively impact young people’s lives. They learn about the climate in the culture of schools and how to learn how to work with diverse populations,” Snell said.

When Will Costco Food Samples Resume?

“We will be working with (Costco) to develop solutions on maintaining social distancing around our demo stations.”Don Dohanyos, president of CDS

Club Demonstration Services, which provides the food sampling tables at local Costcos, laid off 78 employees in Clovis.

A message last week on its website from president Don Dohanyos offers optimism about returning. Dohanyos pointed to the resumption of food sampling at all Costco stores in Australia as evidence.

“Our associates were glad to be back in the warehouses and members were pleased to see us up and running,” he said. Dohanyos included photos showing CDS employees wearing face masks behind their food sampling stations.

“The Costco teams are fully behind our demos and want to do everything they can to help us come back when restrictions ease. We will be working with them to develop solutions on maintaining social distancing around our demo stations,” Dohanyos wrote.

CDS and Costco are still working on a list of what will be needed to resume in each region, he said.

Reporting from Other Industries

Employers are required by state labor law to report Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) figures. The most recent list from EDD contains industries effectively shuttered by local and state COVID-19 restrictions — restaurants, retail, and entertainment.

Recent numbers show Ross Stores reported 237 temporary layoffs in Fresno County; used-car retailer CarMax Fresno said 208 employees have also been temporarily laid off.

Medical facilities also are feeling the pain. St. Agnes Medical Center reported 175 temporary layoffs and 18 permanent losses. Western Dental laid off 102 temporarily.

Fresno County Layoff Figures

Information from EDD, through May 17.

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

Hiker Rescued by Helicopter After Injury on Pacific Crest Trail in Kern County

DON'T MISS

US Military Delivering Some Weapons to Ukraine After Pause

DON'T MISS

Qantas Confirms Personal Data of Over a Million Customers Leaked in Breach

DON'T MISS

US Sanctions UN Expert Critical of Israel’s War in Gaza

DON'T MISS

Madera County Structure Fire Spreads to Vegetation in Coarsegold Area, Evacuations Ordered

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Guadalupe Gilberto Moreno

DON'T MISS

Blackstone Businesses Demand Fresno Homeless Orgs Stop Drop-Offs on Private Property

DON'T MISS

Madera Driver ‘Extremely Intoxicated’ in Crash, Arrested for DUI

DON'T MISS

Six Crew Rescued, 15 Missing After Houthis Sink Latest Greek Ship in Red Sea

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Threatens Harvard’s Accreditation, Seeks Records on Foreign Students

UP NEXT

Madera County Structure Fire Spreads to Vegetation in Coarsegold Area, Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Guadalupe Gilberto Moreno

UP NEXT

Madera Driver ‘Extremely Intoxicated’ in Crash, Arrested for DUI

UP NEXT

Fresno Breaks Ground on ‘Long Overdue’ 911 Center

UP NEXT

Motorcyclist Down After Losing Control at Fresno Intersection

UP NEXT

US Emergency Agency FEMA Should Be ‘Eliminated as It Exists Today,’ Noem Says

UP NEXT

Why Measure C Is Not Measured

UP NEXT

Death Toll Reaches at Least 119 in Texas Floods, With 173 Missing

UP NEXT

Horse Racing May Be Out at Fresno Fair, but New Events Promise to Pack Grandstands

UP NEXT

Who Will Dyer Support as His Successor? We Asked Him.

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Fresno County Fire Destroys Structures, Contained at 20 Acres

1 hour ago

State Department Says Reorganization Plan Moving to Implementation

2 hours ago

Fresno Suspect Caught After Jumping Out of Second-Floor Window, 2 Others Arrested

2 hours ago

Tesla Has Applied to Arizona for Robotaxi Service Certification, State Transport Department Says

2 hours ago

Evacuations Ongoing as San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Scorches Tens of Thousands of Acres

2 hours ago

US Senate to Vote on Trump Aid, Broadcasting Cuts as Deadline Looms

3 hours ago

Kyiv Received Political Signals for US Aid Resumption, Zelenskiy Says

3 hours ago

US Health Department Widens Immigrant Benefit Restrictions

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Stabbing That Left Man Critically Injured

3 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Next of Kin for North Fork Man

4 hours ago

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno’s Mission Thrift Store

A fire broke out Thursday at the Mission Thrift Store in Fresno, burning through piles of donations and forcing a road closure and temporary...

43 seconds ago

A fire at the Mission Thrift Store in Fresno on Wednesday, July 10, 2025, damaged up to 30 pallets of donations, forced a road closure, and led to a temporary halt in operations, officials said. (Google)
43 seconds ago

Fire Damages Donations at Fresno’s Mission Thrift Store

The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. (REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo)
34 minutes ago

Oil Falls Amid Bearish Trump Tariff Outlook

A medical worker pushing a bed through the corridors of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister on March 30, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
1 hour ago

Higher Premiums and Lost Coverage: How Trump’s Budget Will Change Health Care in California

A wind-driven fire north of Reedley destroyed a mobile home, RV, and two outbuildings before crews contained it at 20 acres Wednesday, July 9, 2025, afternoon, CalFire Fresno County said. (CalFire)
1 hour ago

Fresno County Fire Destroys Structures, Contained at 20 Acres

The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2017. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

State Department Says Reorganization Plan Moving to Implementation

Three people were arrested and multiple weapons were seized after a standoff at a Northeast Fresno apartment on Tuesday, July 8 2025, police said. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Suspect Caught After Jumping Out of Second-Floor Window, 2 Others Arrested

A Tesla logo is pictured on a car in the rain in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., May 5, 2021. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Tesla Has Applied to Arizona for Robotaxi Service Certification, State Transport Department Says

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned over 80,000 acres, injured one firefighter, and prompted evacuation orders and warnings across multiple zones. (CalFire)
2 hours ago

Evacuations Ongoing as San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Scorches Tens of Thousands of Acres

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

Search

Send this to a friend