As this much-troubled year began, the twin crises of homelessness and a broader housing shortage were, by common consent, California’s most pressing political issues. Gov. Gavin Newsom devoted almost all of his State of the State address to them in February and legislators introduced dozens of housing bills. Within a...
Fresno Homeless Count: 45% More People on Streets, More People Housed
Even as local leaders marshal more resources and team up to tackle homelessness, the number of people living on the streets of Fresno has climbed 45%. Listen to this article: That's the big takeaway from Wednesday's announcement of the point-in-time homeless count conducted in late January in Fresno and Madera...
City Orders Workers Back. Evictions, COVID-19 Shelters on County Agenda.
Fresno city workers sent home because of their age or health status have been ordered to return to work today or use paid leave. The most recent order from Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan, acting as Emergency Services Director, came Friday afternoon. Quan ordered city employees 65 and older and...
Brand, Fellow Mayors Meet for Homelessness Talks with Newsom
The mayors of California's biggest cities had a “robust” discussion with Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, highlighting their opposition to his plan on how to spend $750 million to combat the state's homelessness crisis. California's homelessness count increased 16% last year while unsheltered populations declined in much of the rest...
Borgeas Calls for CEQA Reform After Newsom's Homelessness Address
State Sen. Andreas Borgeas lauded Gov. Gavin Newsom for focusing on homelessness and housing affordability in his State of the State address Wednesday. But Borgeas, a Fresno Republican representing the 8th District, also said that reforming the California Environmental Quality Act is paramount in ramping up housing construction and easing...
Full Transcript of Newsom's 2020 State of the Address
Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his State of the State address on homelessness before a joint convention of the California Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, in Sacramento. Below is the text as prepared for delivery. (Editor's note: Sub-headlines have been added to aid readers.) State of the State Address Thank...
Dyer, Janz Debate. They Agree on Potential City Sales Tax Hike.
Those expecting black eyes and bloody knuckles after a Monday forum between Fresno's two leading mayoral candidates would've been disappointed. Former Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer and Fresno County Deputy District Attorney Andrew Janz shared their views at a luncheon hosted by the Fresno Rotary Club. Answering questions at Cornerstone...
California Just Finished Its Homeless Count. It's Sure to Be Inaccurate, and Politically Weaponized
By Manuela Tobias, The Fresno Bee and Matt Levin, CalMatters With yellow vests and flashlights, over 200 volunteers fanned out across Fresno to count homeless people on Tuesday night. Along the railway, one group walked by a freight container with a mattress and shoes inside, and past a dirt cot...
High-Profile Housing Bill SB 50 Fails to Pass State Senate
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers have failed to pass the most ambitious proposal yet to combat a growing housing crisis in the nation's most populous state, voting down legislation twice in two days that would have overridden local zoning laws to let developers to build small apartment buildings in neighborhoods reserved...
Dyer Offers Specifics on Safety, Homeless, Business
Jerry Dyer says Fresno residents all over the city have been consistent in sharing their priorities with him. Public safety and homelessness top the list. Dyer, a candidate for mayor, spoke to the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation on Wednesday morning at TorNino's. In a 20-minute speech, Dyer outlined his plans...