The city of Fresno held its first day of budget hearings, receiving presentations from several departments. Mayor Jerry Dyer presented the budget, a shade under $2 billion, with the general fund — the pot of money the city council directly controls — at $504 million. Despite a $47 million initial...
Two Brands Dominate List of Most Stolen Cars. Police Have Free Fix for Car Owners.
A social media challenge exploiting a weakness in Hyundais and Kias catapulted the sedans to become the most stolen autos of 2023 — and the trend isn't going away. In 2023, Hyundai and Kia car models took four of the top five spots for the most stolen cars, according to...
State Senator Wanted to Kill Fresno’s Online Sales Tax Advantage. Did He Win or Lose?
Some of the most liberal and conservative members of the state Senate agreed recently that if you buy an iPhone in Los Angeles it shouldn’t help pay for police in Cupertino. But the bipartisanship wasn’t enough to pass a bill that would change the rules allowing corporations wide discretion to...
Fresno Trustee Thomas Leads the Pack in Taxpayer Funded Travel to Tourist Destinations
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...