Maria G. Diaz splits her time as an attorney between Los Angeles and Fresno but considers the Central Valley home. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Diaz, 55, to the Fresno County Superior Court bench. "I really believe in equal access to justice and diversity on the bench. And I...
2-Day Strike Begins at City of Fresno. More Than 300 Bus Routes Canceled.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 Update: Fresno Strike Ends as City Reaches a Deal With White Collar Union Original Story The city's architects, engineers, and supervisors began a planned strike Tuesday morning. More than 100 bus drivers are joining them who say their co-workers aren't getting a fair shake. City of...
What Is Justice in the Bitwise Case? 5 Years or 12 Years in Prison for CEOs?
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, update with prison sentences for Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr. at this link Original story The criminal former CEOs of Bitwise Industries believe they should serve five years in prison. Federal prosecutors say it should be at least 12 years. Irma Olguin Jr. and Jake...
City, County of Fresno Reach Tax Agreement. Can Building Move Forward?
The four years the city and county of Fresno spent without an agreement on how to share property tax revenue led to contentious fights between the two bodies for each plot of land eyed for development. But now, the two bodies appear to have an agreement. In a last-minute special...
UC Merced, Born Because of Politics, Is CA’s Expensive Stepchild 20 Years Later
The Legislature's budget analyst, Gabe Petek, is marking the 20th anniversary of University of California's Merced campus with an overview of how it has fared. In polite language, Petek fundamentally says the campus has fallen well short of its enrollment targets, requires much more state aid than other UC branches...
Friant Agrees to Hold Water Board Retreats in Valley, Not Distant Swanky Resorts
The Friant Water Authority and three irrigation districts in southern Tulare County hammered out an agreement last week that will force Friant to hold future board retreats in its service area — the San Joaquin Valley — instead of the rolling hills of Paso Robles wine country. The development is...
Former Clovis Superintendent Says She’s Running for County Schools Chief
Eimear O'Brien, who retired 18 months ago as Clovis Unified's superintendent, says she will seek election as the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in 2026. O'Brien said Wednesday she had planned to formally announce her candidacy next month. However, word of her decision was already starting to leak out in...
California Banned Bilingual Education for Nearly 20 Years. It Hasn’t Recovered
In 1953, Bárbara Flores entered kindergarten at Washington Elementary School in Madera, a small city surrounded by farm fields. Her mother and grandmother had talked it up: You're going to learn a lot. You're going to like it. She believed them. A little girl who would one day become a...
City of Fresno’s White-Collar Employees Say They’re Ready to Strike
After more than a year of trying to negotiate a new contract, the city of Fresno's Professional Employees Association warned City Hall its members are preparing to strike. The union of city engineers, architects, paralegals, and department supervisors says the city has stopped negotiating. They want a 3% raise, changes...
Growers to Decide Almond Board’s Future While Banking on ‘Coach Prime’
As they've done for decades, almond growers are voting on whether to continue to fund the Almond Board of California. The vote comes after years of collapsing prices caused by oversupply — from excessive plantings and backlogs caused by shipping chokeholds following the pandemic. Experts now see prices stabilizing as...