Teri Sanchez will use her Save Our Small Businesses funds to pay the debt on her catering company. Sunny Sehgal will use his funds to help keep his family's restaurant open for take-out and delivery. They own two of the 116 small businesses named as recipients from the city of...
Virtual COVID-19 Reality: City Council Meetings Now All Online
The people's house of local government is closed for the time being, the latest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. All governmental meetings for the city of Fresno will be conducted online until the health crisis abates. Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias said meetings will take place on Zoom. There...
Councilman Arias and Chief Hall Get Into Gun 'Battle'
The Fresno Police Department needs 900 new guns. And, the city council and the mayor's office tentatively have agreed to pay for them. But, the path to "yes" included a testy exchange between council president Miguel Arias and police chief Andy Hall at Thursday's meeting. Police Gun Request Hall told...
Dyer or Janz? Your Guess Is as Good as Any.
This year's Fresno mayoral race is breaking nearly all of the "political rules" built up since voters decided the city's first "strong mayor" in 1996. And that is creating an interesting — dare I say confounding? — situation heading to the March 3 primary. Listen to this article: In truth,...
Where Should Fresno's Homeless Go? Arias and Dyer Duke It Out.
Mayoral candidate Jerry Dyer and a trio of city councilmembers agree on two things about the homelessness issue in Fresno — it is a crisis and the top issue in the March 3 election. But, in a news conference on Wednesday, the councilmembers criticized Dyer's plan for navigation centers —...
Does Brand Think Dyer Is the Man? Checkbook Says So.
While Fresno Mayor Lee Brand won't come out and directly say he is endorsing Jerry Dyer as his successor, his dollars may do the talking for him. Brand contributed $20,000 from his campaign account to the independent expenditure effort run by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to elect Dyer for...
Is Fresno City Council Warning Label Constitutional?
Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias wants to add a warning when council discussions might be offensive. But, is adding a disclaimer— but not outright banning such conversations, images or videos — constitutional? Experts that GV Wire spoke to said probably, with certain caveats. Listen to this article: Gun Debate...
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...
Latino Wave Is Changing Fresno's Small-Town Political Culture
Looking for California’s biggest wave? Try Fresno. As Fresno emerges as the Golden State’s next great city, it’s also experiencing an opening up of its small-town political culture. At this transformation’s heart is the so-called “Brown Wave” — the emergence of local elected officials, who, like half of Fresno’s residents,...
Fresno Dem Leaders Divided on Presidential Endorsements
All the polling shows Joe Biden leading a close race to decide the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nominee. And, here in the Valley, a sampling of local elected Democratic leaders indicates they are just as split as the nation's voters. For example, state Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) is bundled up...