The California Legislature has a handy website that allows users to find and track the thousands of bills that are introduced during its two-year sessions. If one enters “California Environmental Quality Act” into the website’s search function, 171 bills pop up for the session that ended a fortnight ago, implying the Legislature’s penchant for...
An Attempt to Steal Valley Water in the Dark of Night
With a global pandemic, a catastrophic economic recession, and record-high unemployment numbers, one would think the state has enough issues to tackle. But proponents of a state water grab that I have been fighting since the day I was sworn into office in 2012 disagree. Where others see turmoil and...
Kern County Oil Drilling Rules Break Law, Fresno Court Rules
The Fresno-based 5th District Court of Appeal gave Kern County 30 days to stop issuing oil and gas drilling permits in a ruling Tuesday. The court invalidated the permitting ordinance that allows oil companies to start drilling under a blanket environmental impact report instead of performing an EIR for each...
Borgeas Calls for CEQA Reform After Newsom's Homelessness Address
State Sen. Andreas Borgeas lauded Gov. Gavin Newsom for focusing on homelessness and housing affordability in his State of the State address Wednesday. But Borgeas, a Fresno Republican representing the 8th District, also said that reforming the California Environmental Quality Act is paramount in ramping up housing construction and easing...
FUSD Owes Flood Control District $750K. The Check Is Not in The Mail.
Fresno Unified School District and the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District have reached a tentative agreement that would require the school district to pay drainage fees for upcoming school improvement projects as well as some built as far back as 1987. Listen to this article: The Fresno Unified board...
Ag Giant Wonderful Sues Fresno County Over Assemi Nut Plant
One of the world's largest pistachio growers is suing Fresno County, alleging that it violated state environmental review regulations. The suit seeks to halt a nut processing plant being built by the Assemi family in the western part of the county. Wonderful Nut Orchards LLC filed the suit Tuesday in...
Walters: Housing Action Just Half-a-Loaf
Gavin Newsom’s first legislative session as governor began with promises to vigorously confront California’s huge and ever-growing housing shortage. “If we want a California for All, we have to build housing for all,” Newsom told legislators in his State of the State address in January, pledging to crack down on cities that...
Clovis Secures Its Future Growth With FID Water Deals
The Clovis City Council has approved landmark water deals with the Fresno Irrigation District that officials say will secure the city's growth for decades to come. According to the Clovis General Plan, the city expects 280,000 residents in 2083 — 2.5 times its 110,000 population. Plans call for Clovis to...
Weakling or Bully? The Battle Over CEQA, California’s Iconic Environmental Law
In the rugged hills to the east of the Napa Valley, chainsaws and bulldozers converted a steep hillside of scrubby oak woodland and rockpiles into another vineyard. “That was an incredible rock-hopping wonderland, with frothing, amazing, waterfalling cascades every time it rained — I mean, it should have been a...
Walters: Newsom Raises the Housing Bar on Himself
Gavin Newsom began his governorship this month by promising to confront what he described as California’s most important issue, an ever-increasing shortage of housing. “This is the issue,” Newsom said as he introduced his first state budget. California’s chronic housing shortfall, particularly for low- and moderate-income families, and its soaring costs...