Fresno Unified School Board members make about $20,000 annually. But, as part of their duties, they attend conferences, some of them in tourist destinations such as Napa, New Orleans, and Miami. Not all conferences are the same, and neither are the costs that trustees charge taxpayers. For example, district records...
Guilty as Charged: Trump Is First Former U.S. President Convicted of Felony Crimes
NEW YORK — Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had...
Fresno Population Growth Triples Forecasts. Will That Bring More New Housing?
Demographers counted something not seen in California since before the pandemic — growth in the Golden State's population. But within the state, affordability still has people searching for housing that is a bargain compared to California's median price of more than $900,000. Thus, hybrid work assignments are powering the counties...
California Bill Would End ‘Gender Police’ Reports From Public Schools to Parents
A bill in Sacramento would prevent school districts from enacting policies that notify parents if their child uses an alternate name or gender. Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, said AB 1955 — dubbed the SAFETY Act (Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth) — will help LGBT youth. “Teachers...
Fresno Nears End of Truck Route Study. Residents & Businesses Aren’t Sure of the Impacts.
In south Fresno, where industrial job centers butt up against residential neighborhoods, the city has a map outlining large swaths of land limiting the trucks that residents say all too often zoom down school roads and pollute the air. On Wednesday, May 22, Fresno City Council authorized spending another $52,670...
Fresno Trustees Have Two Days of Homework This Weekend. What Is It About?
Update: Board President Susan Wittrup said Friday evening that the weekend workshop has been cancelled because of weather delays on the presenters' flights to Fresno. The workshop will be rescheduled to a later date, she said. Fresno Unified trustees will spend part of their Memorial Day weekend at a two-day...
Dolores Huerta, Mayors Dyer and Ashbeck Oppose Tax Protection Measure. What Does it Do?
Famed civil rights activist Dolores Huerta rallied at Fresno City Hall, opposing a proposed state ballot measure that would make it more difficult to raise taxes. "It takes away the right of citizens to be able to vote for the things that they need because it's so difficult," Huerta told...
Fresno State Faculty: Stop Diverting Money from Academics to Athletics
The Fresno State Academic Senate says the university and CSU system need to reverse the trend of putting more general fund and student tuition money into athletics at the expense of academics. The Senate voted unanimously last month for a resolution that says spending on Athletics from the state general...
Newsom Says No New Taxes, Yet His Budget Has Billions in New Levies on Businesses
When Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a much-revised 2024-25 state budget this month, he became visibly irritated when reporters pressed him about raising taxes to cover a $44.9 billion deficit, particularly the corporate tax hikes that left-leaning groups have suggested to avoid spending cuts in health, welfare and education programs. “When...
A Radical Lesson From El Salvador to Solve Fresno Housing & Homeless Crisis
Several months ago, I sat on a bench for 24 hours and had conversations with people about all kinds of topics but mostly about the needs surrounding housing and homelessness. The interaction that touched me the most was with a young mother with her very young daughter who brought me...