Neal Costanzo had a George Costanza moment. Last week, the Parlier City Council fired Costanzo — the city's attorney — on a 3-0 vote in closed session. At a special city council meeting Monday, Costanzo occupied his normal seat, returning to work as if nothing happened. Just like George in...
One of Fresno’s Premiere Art Spaces Closing. Owners, Manager Look for Solutions
What was once of Fresno's premier homes for all things art is being emptied as artists clear out their spaces from the Chris Sorensen Studio. Property owners posted a three-day notice to pay or quit at the downtown Fresno art studio that hosted the first Art Hop. And while a...
No Fresno Unified Superintendent Search Until After Labor Day
The Fresno Unified School Board is postponing its search for a new superintendent until after the Labor Day weekend, when the trustees are scheduled to gather for a board retreat that will include setting student outcome goals, Board President Susan Wittrup told GV Wire on Monday. A consultant from the...
Will Finishing Touches to $2B Fresno Budget Occur in Public?
After the first round of public budget presentations, the Fresno City Council made only 24 budget motions — far fewer than the usual 100 suggestions to change the mayor's spending plan. After a second round of budget hearings, the budget motions swelled to more than 100. The motions added or changed...
Arias Asks the Big Question: Is Benching Chief Balderrama About Race?
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias is speaking on the sidelining of Police Chief Paco Balderrama — the first of his colleagues to go public with their thoughts. In comments from the dais during Thursday's council meeting, Arias asked the media to leave Balderrama's family out of stories and openly questioned...
Fresno Police Chief Balderrama on Paid Leave, City Manager Says
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama is now on paid leave as of Wednesday afternoon, City Manager Georgeanne White said in an email to police employees Wednesday afternoon. White also said that Deputy Chief Mindy Casto "will have operational control" of the department immediately. Last week, Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration announced...
Balderrama: ‘I Plan on Leading This Police Department to Even Greater Heights’
Paco Balderrama said he plans to remain Fresno police chief, despite allegations he had an inappropriate relationship. "I am human. I am imperfect. I work extremely hard. So I plan on continuing to lead this police department to even greater heights," Balderrama said at an impromptu news conference Wednesday outside...
Lawsuit Claims Valley Children’s Paid On-Call Employees Less Than Minimum Wage
A class-action lawsuit against Valley Children’s says the hospital has been paying far less than minimum wage for on-call employees. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Madera County Superior Court, claims it was the hospital's policy to pay between $6 and $8 an hour for employees working on call even though...
Valley Children’s CEO Suntrapak Ends Silence on Hospital Pay Controversy
In a video to employees, Valley Children's Hospital CEO Todd Suntrapak addressed controversies about his pay and hospital investments. In March, news broke that Suntrapak earned pay in the 90th percentile of hospital CEOs, outpacing those of Community Medical Centers and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Beyond yearly salary, Suntrapak...
Fresno Police Union: Members Feel Betrayed, Trust Lost in Chief Balderrama
The leader of the Fresno Police Officers Association says that the union's executive board "has received countless communications from members of all ranks ... that they feel betrayed and trust has been lost" in police chief Paco Balderrama. FPOA President Brandon Wiemiller made the comment in an email sent to...