Fresno's city clerk for the past four years is leaving for a new job. Todd Stermer tells Politics 101 he is leaving to become the clerk of Sacramento County. His last day is Nov. 30. "Fresno's really all I've ever known, so I'm excited to experience something different. I can...
A Fresno Immigrant’s American Dream: Simply Pita, Simply Heart
Walking into Simply Pita in Fresno feels like stepping into someone’s home — a warm, cozy space where families chat over meals, the scent of fresh pita drifts through the air, and the grill in the back hums with the rhythmic chopping of vegetables. A TikTok went big in Fresno...
Big Tech Makes Cal State Campuses Its AI Training Ground
On the first day of AI Camp, a new summer program at California State University, Savannah Bosley got a hands-on introduction to Amazon Bedrock, a system for building artificial intelligence apps. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put it on the résumé, to learn a new tool that’s maybe marketable,”...
Why Are Federal Election Monitors Heading to Fresno?
Why are federal election monitors heading to Fresno County? It stems from a sticky deadline in the 2022 election. Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was sending monitors to six locations in California and New Jersey “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.” California...
California Wants to Overhaul High School Learning. CART in Clovis Leads the Way
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. At CART High near Fresno, there is no gum stuck to the floor. The saffron-yellow walls are unmarred by graffiti. Toting laptops, students file calmly down spacious, light-filled hallways to classes like biotechnology and digital marketing. There’s no...
What Would Clovis and Fresno Look Like Under Proposition 50 Maps?
How would congressional representation for Fresno and Clovis change if voters approve Proposition 50? The special election — currently underway and concluding Nov. 4 — would split Clovis from one into three congressional districts. The Clovis City Council voted to oppose Prop. 50, concerned it would dilute its representation in...
Fowler Teachers Say District Is Shortchanging Them and Giving $$ to Admin
Fowler Unified teachers are up in arms over the district’s failure for two years in a row to allocate 55% of its budget for classroom teachers, as is required by state law. Longtime teachers tell GV Wire that the district has been putting dollars into beefing up the administration, adding...
Farming Giant Boswell Says It Plans to Sink Corcoran 6 More Feet
A wide-ranging letter from J.G. Boswell Company Vice President Jeof Wyrick accuses SJV Water of misrepresenting the farming giant’s plan to deal with subsidence, land sinking from excessive groundwater pumping, which has impacted huge swaths of the San Joaquin Valley, including around the small town of Corcoran. Wyrick is also the chair...
A Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee Without US Citizens?
The Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee may not include citizens if the proposed tax renewal follows one suggestion. At a meeting on Oct. 16, advisory committee member Veronica Garibay asked why it's a requirement to be a U.S. citizen to sit on the oversight committee. "I recommend removing that given...
Why Did Nearly All Central Valley Lawmakers Back Controversial Housing Bill?
Nearly the entire Central Valley delegation in Sacramento — Democrats and Republicans — voted for a housing measure that some experts say could drastically increase costs. Supporters, such as state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, said the bill will help increase housing stock. The bill, AB 130, builds on the state’s...