Two Fresno heavyweights get new titles at the 14th Taco Truck Throwdown More than 10,000 people showed up to the 14th Taco Truck Throwdown, and it was a Saturday night to remember at Chukchansi Park. The small kitchens inside more than 20 taco trucks were extra busy all night, keeping up with the…

‘Our mission is to meet needs.’ Fresno joins ‘Yes in God’s Backyard Movement’ with a affordable housing project Fresno is joining the national Yes in God’s Backyard movement, which encourages churches to build affordable homes amid the nation’s housing crisis.

 ‘Out of control.’ Fresno industries, residents divided over PG&E’s latest rate hike proposal The California Public Utilities Commission’s hearings over proposed electricity rate hikes came to Fresno Friday afternoon, drawing a split crowd of Central Valley residents and industry groups that…

Better roads, better transit: Key Measure C committee votes to move Fresno County’s new transportation plan forward After nearly four years of debate, a key committee voted Thursday to move forward with a new plan for Fresno County’s transportation sales tax — bringing together factions frequently…

Fresno City Council positioned to finally pass the goal line on policy streamlining housing in office zones The Fresno City Council cleared what they hope is the second-to-last hurdle needed to pass legislation making it easier for developers to build homes on land zoned for offices. Council…

Rate My Superintendent? Fresno Unified has a new way to grade Misty Her’s performance Changes are coming to how the Fresno Unified Board of Education will rate the performance of the superintendent in its yearly evaluations. A draft template of the new evaluation tool was presented at Wednesday’s…

Diverse political coalition threatens ‘nuclear option’ to stop 45,000-home southeast Fresno mega-development A coalition spanning Fresno's political spectrum delivered an ultimatum to Mayor Jerry Dyer on Thursday: Kill the massive Southeast Development Area (SEDA) or face a voter referendum that…

Hundreds of shutdown-related furloughs loom over Fresno EOC. Impacts to food, housing programs unclear The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission plans to furlough over 600 employees two months from now — indefinitely — citing a lapse in federal funding to its programs during the now…

Fresno County moves to eliminate fees for veterans at some parks The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to begin the process of eliminating vehicle entry fees for veterans and active military members at their county-run parks. Introduced by Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan…

Fresno voters show up in numbers to Prop. 50 special election Close to 530,000 people are registered to vote in Fresno County, according to elections officials. But will even half of them vote in an off-cycle statewide special election? As of Monday, Nov. 3, election officials already received…

Fresno County live Prop. 50 election results This story will be updated around 8:00 p.m., after polls close and the first batch of results will be released by county election officials. It's a big day for California. It's also a big day for the country. California's 2025 statewide special election…

Fresno could gift $250k to region’s largest food bank this week amid SNAP/CalFresh chaos The Central California Food Bank, the San Joaquin Valley’s premier hunger-relief organization, can expect to receive a quarter of a million dollars from the City of Fresno following a procedural vote this…

Fresno County, here’s your last minute Prop. 50 special election voter guide Tuesday is the last day for California voters to turn in their ballots for the special election on Proposition 50. If you haven’t voted yet, Fresnoland has you covered on all your last-minute voting questions. Not clear…

After two years of tensions boiling over, what’s the path forward for Measure P arts grants? As the dust settles and the wounds begin to heal from the latest fight over millions of taxpayer dollars for the arts, many Fresno artists and advocates are already gearing up for next year’s funding…

Fresno OKs deal to clear more homeless encampments on highway ramps around Friant, Shaw The Fresno City Council unanimously approved a deal on Thursday that will get the city reimbursed by almost half a million dollars to clear up homeless encampments along freeway ramps in the north part of town.…

Fresno City Attorney to monitor special Prop. 50 election, too The federal government won’t be the only ones monitoring Fresno County polling sites next week on election day. During a late Thursday news conference, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said his office will dispatch staff to also…

Fresno eyes $400,000 deal to break up more unhoused encampments along state highways Fresno City Hall plans to cut a deal with Caltrans this week to clear out additional encampments along state-owned highways and other “right of ways.” First reported this week by Central Valley Community Action,…

California wants to overhaul high school learning. This Clovis school is leading the way Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues…

‘Where’s the due process?’ Fresno churches come together to criticize rapid immigration detentions Advocates and interfaith leaders gathered outside the Fresno ICE Processing Center to denounce racial profiling and detentions of immigrants attending required appointments with no criminal record.

Fresnolandia Podcast: ICE’s changing immigration enforcement playbook On this week's Fresnolandia podcast, Jordan and Danielle speak with Gisselle Medina, religion, culture and immigration reporter at Fresnoland; Melissa Montalvo, accountability reporter at The Fresno Bee, and Armida Mendoza, a…

Could Fresno County start losing population? Experts predict it could happen sooner than expected For generations, Fresno County boosters have touted steady population gains, envisioning annual growth rates of 1% to 2% stretching decades into the future. Now, these policymakers face a reality once…

With SNAP benefits frozen, here’s list of food and free resources for Fresno families in need Hundreds of thousands of Fresno County residents, along with millions of Americans nationwide, likely won’t receive critical food assistance as winter approaches and the government shutdown rumbles on…

‘It’s like a nightmare.’ ICE now detains immigrants attending permanent resident appointments in Fresno As ICE enforcement surges across the Central Valley, immigrants attending permanent residency appointments are being detained at Fresno’s USCIS office.

Homeless encampments cleared near 180 freeway in Fresno as Newsom acknowledges presidential potential Encampments of unhoused people in Fresno were cleared quietly out last week by state authorities and new barriers were installed to prevent what the governor’s office described as “repopulation”…

Fresno County Section 8 recipients will see rental subsidies paid through end year amid ongoing government shutdown The 30,000 Fresno County residents who rely on the largest rental subsidy program in the nation will have one less thing to worry about during the ongoing federal work stoppage — now…

Federal agents to ‘monitor’ Fresno polling sites during Prop 50 voting next month Federal agents will be sent to Fresno to “monitor polling sites” during California’s Nov. 4 statewide special election, according to a Friday morning announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Fresno is one of…

How Fresno-area parents can find out if California has money set aside for you kids’ future Across California, a program created to jumpstart college and career training savings accounts has been awarding money to all children born on or after July 1, 2022, with scholarship accounts worth up to…

Fresno City Attorney opens investigation into the abrupt closure of homeless medical shelter The Fresno City Attorney’s Office plans to open an investigation against Soul Housing on possible wage theft and WARN Act violations, following the care facility operator’s decision to abruptly close their…

Did the Soul Housing medical shelter break the law when it laid off its Fresno workers? State officials in charge of protecting workers’ rights said that a recent local mass layoff incident may have violated federal law, potentially resulting in future fines and legal trouble. Some recently laid…

Thousands in Fresno County at risk of losing food amid federal government shutdown Fresno County leaders are bracing for thousands of local residents to lose essential food assistance unless the federal government shutdown — already the second-longest in history — ends before next month. In a…

Latinos in the San Joaquin Valley face higher obesity rates than non-Latinos. That carries broad health implications The San Joaquin Valley’s Latino population is experiencing obesity rates that significantly exceed non-Latinos among both adults and children – a disparity that carries with it…

Sanger Unified’s yearslong achievement tied to engaging instruction, focus on student growth At Washington Academic Middle School in the Sanger Unified School District, students in Samantha Nixon’s eighth grade math class recently tackled how to organize and tabulate a large fast-food order.…

The cost to carry a concealed gun in Fresno County will increase for the first time in almost 20 years In an effort to cover escalating costs in this year’s budget, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request from the Sheriff's Office to increase fees for concealed-carry…

Protesters pack the sidewalks for Fresno’s ‘No Kings’ rallies MANCHESTER CENTER -  More than 1,500 peaceful protesters packed the streets early Saturday as Fresno joined the millions expected to march in “No Kings” protests across the nation, decrying the policy agenda of President Donald Trump —…

West side residents cheer Fresno’s new development plan The Fresno City Council unanimously approved a new plan for the neighborhoods west of the 99 highway on Thursday in a move proponents believe will pave the way for benefits like more walkable neighborhoods while combatting the food and other…

‘Hands tied.’ Fresno approves contentious northwest housing project despite angry neighbors The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted 4-2 to approve a market-rate housing project in northwest Fresno – a year after they rejected the same proposal, prompting a legal battle the city lost quickly. The…

State’s $5 million award helps clear final hurdle for residents of Fresno’s La Hacienda Mobile Home Park  Years of back-and-forth struggles between the residents of a local mobile home park and its property owner seem to be over following a financial award from the state. California housing…

‘Larger than life.’ How Arte Américas brings Fresno together for Día de los Muertos  For the first time, Arte Américas welcomed participants from diverse backgrounds to join the Mexican tradition of honoring loved ones through this year’s Día de los Muertos ofrendas.

Some Valley students rethinking college plans amid heightened immigration enforcement When Dayana migrated to the United States from Perú in 2022, her main goal was to finish her education. Dayana’s family was split apart – her older brother and mother stayed in Perú. Meanwhile she and her father,…

‘The west area needs a plan.’ Fresno council weighs in on land use policy for neighborhoods west of 99 The Fresno City Council will weigh on Thursday whether to support a new plan for the growing neighborhoods west of the 99 highway, a policy seven years in the making. Supporters of the new land…

Did Forest Service inaction make the Garnet Fire worse? Years of inaction by the US Forest Service station near Fresno put one of the agency’s last stands of old growth forests in California on the brink of disaster. And then lightning struck. For six years, scores of scientists pressured the US…

Gavin Newsom rejects transnational repression bill supported by many in Fresno After advocates noted that there had been no indication of whether Gov. Gavin Newsom would sign the bill as of last week, he vetoed it late Monday.

Residents, business groups clash over industrial project in south central Fresno  Residents of south Fresno and environmental advocates are urging the Fresno City Council to reject a project that would relocate an industrial facility closer to an elementary school. If that sounds like a familiar…

Fresno group says troubled medical shelter facility will stay open — saving homeless patients from uncertainty RH Community Builders, a Fresno-based service provider, will continue managing a recuperative care facility for the homeless on the city’s Blackstone corridor following an abrupt…

California awaits decision on transnational repression bill, Fresno and Central Valley advocates say more work lies ahead  Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sunday to sign or veto California’s first law acknowledging transnational repression as a threat, requiring the state to develop training to help…

Fresno State professors raise free speech concerns in wake of Charlie Kirk controversy After an audio recording of Fresno State professor Barri Brennan commenting on Charlie Kirk’s death went viral, the incident has sparked many questions about free speech and privacy within the university. The…

Fresno County schools show improvements overall, but Fresno Unified remains well below state benchmarks Overall, schools in Fresno County saw their test scores head in the right direction, but the area’s largest district still remains behind the curve. The 2024-25 results from the California…

Fresno homeless shelter on Blackstone abruptly closes, causing layoffs and leaving at least 200 people in limbo A homeless shelter along Fresno’s Blackstone corridor abruptly announced on Tuesday that it would shut down operations, leaving city leaders scrambling to find answers for the 250 or so…

Fresno’s economic and social mobility moves in the right direction, but nobody declares victory Posterboards covered in statistics and infographics populated a packed Valdez Hall inside the Fresno Convention Center on Tuesday. The displays informed attendees about the progress a local coalition of…

Fresnolandia: Fresno in flux amid ICE crackdown, housing market freezes and gerrymandering This week on Fresnolandia, Danielle and Jordan speak with Rob Parsons, Senior Editor, for a wide-ranging news roundup on the biggest issues shaping Fresno and the Central Valley. From the fierce debate over…