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...
FUSD Has Spent $1.5 Billion on Facilities Since 2006. It Might Ask Voters for $500M More.
Fresno Unified trustees on Wednesday will learn the results of a third community survey about a proposed $500 million bond measure for the November ballot that would raise the district's property tax rates to the highest among school districts in Fresno County. Since July 1, 2006, the district has spent...
Embattled Fresno Police Chief Cherry Picks Scripture on Social Media
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama responded to Thursday's announcement that he is under city investigation by quoting scripture. Balderrama posted on social media (X and Facebook) Thursday night, hours after the city announced it is looking into allegations that the chief had "an inappropriate off-duty relationship he was involved in...
Gay Fresno Police Sgt. Shares His Story at Pride Flag Ceremony
Matthew Couto once hid his true identify from fellow Fresno police officers, afraid of how they might react. "I remember very vividly enjoying an evening at a gay event called Pink Wednesdays and hiding when officers drove by the patio out of fear that being seen would limit my ability...
Why Gavin Newsom’s Gun Control Constitutional Amendment Hasn’t Gone Beyond California
One year after Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed changing the U.S. Constitution to place new restrictions on gun ownership, no other states have joined his campaign for a 28th amendment. Even as Newsom continues to tout the effort — largely through social media advertisements that encourage people to sign a “petition”...