Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, I am writing to respectfully urge you to reconsider and vote yes on the proposed ministerial approval for office-to-dwelling conversions without watering it down. This amendment, as originally proposed, is a necessary step to unlock Fresno’s potential and address our growing housing needs. As President of...
Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’
After a battle between Fresno Unified and the Fresno Teachers Association became public, the district's chief communications officer announced on social media she's left the district. Former Communications Chief Nikki Henry on LinkedIn said that Monday was her last day with the district. The district's Wednesday board agenda removed Henry's...
O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’
Dr. Eimear O'Brien officially kicked off her campaign for Fresno County Superintendent of Schools on Saturday afternoon in the shaded backyard of her northeast Fresno home surrounded by close relatives, more than 100 friends, and two former Fresno County schools chiefs. O'Brien's endorsers including Larry Powell and Jim Yovino, both...
CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction
SACRAMENTO — California leaders on Monday rolled back a landmark law that was a national symbol of environmental protection before it came to be vilified as a primary reason for the state’s severe housing shortage and homelessness crisis. For more than half a century, the law, the California Environmental Quality...
Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?
Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and other Republicans in Medicaid-dependent districts, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson saying they can't support the Senate's version of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." "Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent,"...
Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec
A new California bill would eliminate existing solar credit contracts for homeowners when they sell their homes, potentially removing thousands of dollars from the value of a home. Assembly Bill 942 — authored by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, D-Whittier, a former utility company officer — ends the Net Energy Metering 1.0...
Catholic Bishops Try to Rally Opposition to Trump’s Immigration Agenda
As the Trump administration escalates its aggressive deportation campaign, Roman Catholic bishops across the United States are raising objections to the treatment of migrants and challenging the president’s policy. For years many bishops focused their most vocal political engagement on ending abortion, rarely putting as much capital behind any other...
Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown
What was supposed to be a news conference about a major gang takedown turned into an impromptu, tension-filled policy debate between the top law enforcement leaders of Fresno County and the state. The only thing that California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, and Fresno County...
Can New Star Zohran Mamdani Help Guide the Democratic Party Out of the Darkness?
The national Democratic establishment on Tuesday night struggled to absorb the startling ascent of a democratic socialist in New York City who embraced a progressive economic agenda and diverged from the party’s dominant position on the Middle East. As elections go, Tuesday’s party primary for mayor was a thunderbolt: New...
Stephen Miller Expands Power in Second Trump Term, Defies Legal Limits
Stephen Miller wanted to keep the planes in the air—and that is where they stayed, The Wall Street Journal reported. When a federal judge in March ordered the Trump administration to return deported migrants to El Salvador, senior officials scrambled during a Saturday call. Some feared defying the court. But...