When fires ravaged Chico and Paradise in 2018, most of the homes built there came before modern state mitigation standards, said Frank Bigelow, deputy director of community wildfire preparedness and mitigation with CalFire. Now, the statewide agency has new threat designations for areas much closer to urban areas than before....
Protests Planned All Over California to Oppose Medicaid, SNAP Funding Cuts
A grassroots movement, We Are California, is leading a statewide week of action to protest proposed federal budget cuts that threaten essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP, which millions of families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities rely on, the group said in a news release. The week-long campaign, which...
‘They Didn’t Lift a Damn Finger’: California Crime Victim Fund Ordered to Change Practices
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ruby Marichalar didn't have the money to pay for her son's funeral after he was stabbed to death in September 2012. Like thousands of Californians every year, she turned for help to a state agency that was created...
Madera Community Hospital Reopens. How Does It Fit Into Valley Medical Care?
When Madera Community Hospital abruptly closed its doors in early 2023, its ripple effects spread much farther than the immediate city and county that relied on its services. The 103-bed hospital, which faced significant financial pressures for several years, will reopen today (March 18) under the management of Modesto-based American...
Experts Say Fresno Dark Money Group Should Disclose Funding Sources Now
The mysterious political group behind a controversial election mailer should disclose its funding sources now, election experts tell GV Wire. Earlier this month, some voters in District 5 — southeast Fresno — received a mailer accusing Fresno City Council candidate Brandon Vang of statutory rape more than 30 years ago....
Fresno Council President Says It’s Not Worth Investigating ‘Rumors’ of Chavez Wrongdoing
Update: Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi said he would be willing to investigate the allegations if Juan Arambula and Luisa Medina were willing to reimburse the city for the cost of the investigation if no wrong-doing was found. Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi says he doesn't want an...
Don’t Listen to Critics. SJ River Conservancy Is Doing Its Job
The recent Fresnoland article on the proposed CEMEX mining project in Fresno County raises several important issues but misrepresents the San Joaquin River Conservancy, its role, and its capabilities. The article critiques the Conservancy for not taking a more direct stance on the mining proposal and portrays its staff and...
Former Fresno City Councilman Accused of Using Taxpayer Funds to Support Wife’s Campaign
Former California Assemblymember Juan Arambula and a well-known community activist say there is "substantial reason to believe" that former Fresno city councilmember and current county supervisor Luis Chavez used taxpayer funds to support his wife's campaign for his vacated seat. Chavez is married to Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, a Fresno Unified...
Fresno Candidate Brandon Vang and Wife May Lee Emotionally Respond to Attack Mailer
Brandon Vang and his wife are incensed about a recent campaign mailer accusing him of statutory rape. In an exclusive interview with GV Wire on Wednesday, Vang and May Lee denied allegations made in the mailer by the dark money political group Fresno Future Forward. "This is wrong. These accusations...
After Fresno Unified Student Dies, District Punishes Whistleblower: Lawsuit
In 2022, a Fresno Unified elementary student died after having an asthma attack at school. Following the asthma attack, a staff member took the student to the school nurse after the girl used her inhaler six times to little effect, alleges a lawsuit filed against the district Tuesday. Very quickly,...