Springville
Springville, CA · Municipal
The Fresno Bee
City Council looking to hike utility rates in Fresno. How much extra, and how to protest
Fresno’s residential ratepayers could soon face utility rate hikes for the first time in nearly a decade. The City Council voted 5-2 Thursday to begin the public hearing process for water and sewer rate increases that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and run through 2031. Under the current water rate structure, the average monthly water bill for most Fresno households is $47.48, and for wastewater, $25.75. The city’s water rates have not been raised in over eight years, and wastewater rates have not increased in 16 years. Water rates would rise by 27% in small annual increases over five years under the proposal, and wastewater rates would increase by 22% over the same timeframe. In 2027, water rates would begin to rise by $1.77. By 2031, the total increase would be $12.83. For wastewater, rates would dip by $0.95 to begin with, and then climb by $5.55 in 2031. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration has been preparing to bring forward rate hikes for a while. In a February interview with The Bee, Dyer said the city had begun to see a significant water and wastewater deficit and was going to be “in the red” within the next 12
midvalleytimes.com
Fowler seeks to fill planning commission vacancy
FOWLER – Community members can now throw their hat in the ring for a chance to make decisions on future city developments. Until Nov. 25, residents of Fowler may submit an application to serve on the city’s planning commission. The city aims to fill one vacancy on the commission to get it operating back at full capacity with five members.
The Fresno Bee
Soria holds large lead in race for CA Senate district covering large part of Fresno
State Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria is maintained a large lead on election night in the race for the California Senate’s District 14 seat currently held by Anna Caballero. Returns showed more than 110,000 votes had been counted as of 11:29 p.m. in the race to represent the district, which covers the southern half of the city of Fresno, the west side of Fresno County and also large parts of Madera and Merced counties. Soria, a Democrat, held about 64.1% of the expected vote while Republican Darin Dupont, an attorney and Merced City Council member, held 35.9%. Soria’s lead had widened slightly since the night’s first returns. She told The Fresno Bee that Tuesday’s numbers show “there is resounding support” for her campaign. “We’ve been working very hard over the last four years in the State Assembly,” said Soria, who attended a watch party in the Fresno High neighborhood. “We’ve demonstrated that we can deliver real, tangible results, like opening a hospital, delivering relief for families in Planada, bringing money for our immigrant community.” Earlier in the night, Dupont told The Bee it was still too early to call the race. “There’s still a lot of votes to be tallied in this
parlier.ca.us
KMPH.com
Porch pirate season in full swing as holidays approach, Clovis PD says
CLOVIS, Calif. (FOX26) — As folks begin to shop for the holidays, the time of year that more packages arrive at the doorsteps of Fresno County residents rolls around --- and thieves are on the prowl. For Fresno local Joanna Arzate, porch pirate season came early. On Sept. 17,...
The Fresno Bee
Annalisa Perea maintains strong lead over GOP candidate in Assembly District 31 race
Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea held a strong lead late on election night in the race for California’s Assembly District 31 seat currently held by Joaquin Arambula. Returns showed almost 49,000 votes had been counted as of 11:45 p.m. in the race to represent the district, which covers the southern half of the city of Fresno, Sanger and Selma. Perea, a Democrat, held about 67.3% of the vote expected while Republican Jim Polsgrove, a retired engineering technician, held 32.7%. The gap between the candidates had not changed much since the night’s first returns. The Fresno Bee could not reach Perea on Tuesday night. Earlier in the night, Polsgrove, who attended at watch party in Old Town Clovis, said he wants to “give it more time” before making a decision on the race. Polsgrove added that he “knew it would be a rough race.” Late on Tuesday night, Polsgrove said it is still too early to call the race. “I don’t think we’ll see a big change tonight,” he said. “All I can say now is I’m disappointed in the early results.” Polsgrove added that those early results don’t match the level of support he saw while campaigning, but he is
kvpr.org
Fresno's German Syndicate: The land speculators who sparked the Valley's growth
They were known as The German Syndicate. And in 1860s they placed a big bet on the land that would become Fresno. But just like today, sometimes big gambles pay off, and sometimes, those same empires collapse. The story of the investors who gave birth to Fresno, today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots.
The Fresno Bee
State Center Community College District election night roundup. Terance Frazier in last
Now that the polls are closed, here’s a look at the ongoing vote tallies for the State Center Community College District trustee race. Magdalena Gomez, the incumbent first elected to represent Area 4 in 2018, ran unopposed. Here’s what the ballots show so far for the contested races as of around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. Area 1 Incumbent Destiny Rodriguez is leading to represent Area 1 with 59.85% of the expected vote. Business owner Nicholas Salinas has 27.57% of the expected vote. Omair Javid, an insurance agent, has 11.41%. Area 5 As for Area 5, Marcos Osorio, an educator, is leading with 44.14% of the expected vote. Miguel Castaneda Sanchez, a sales associate and student, has 28.05% of the expected vote. Business developer Terance Frazier, husband of Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, is in last with 27.05% of the expected vote. In a police report filed last month, Allyson Osorio — Marcos Osorio’s sister — accused Frazier of peeking through his political opponent’s windows and rummaging through his mailbox. Frazier did not comment on the situation, while Marcos Osorio called it “disqualifying” behavior. Incumbent Rob Fuentes did not seek re-election and is running for Fresno City Council. Additional updates are slated to arrive
themercedfocus.org
Democrats Pacheco, Soria declare victory in Merced-area state Assembly and Senate seats
Democrats Esmeralda Soria and Brian Pacheco declared victory Tuesday night in their respective races for Merced-area seats in the California state Legislature. If current results hold, Pacheco will assume Soria’s District 27 seat in the state Assembly, while Soria will succeed outgoing Democrat Anna Caballero in state Senate District 14.
sjvsun.com
Fowler Councilmember Gill faces query over confronting owner of troublesome property
A Fowler City Councilmember is facing questions for an confronting the owner of a group home that has been causing issues for residents without the prior backing of the rest of the council. Mayor Pro Tem Amarjeet Gill met with the property owner and claimed victory in a flyer she...
The Fresno Bee
Retired officer, incumbent surges to lead in 3-candidate Clovis City Council race
Three candidates faced off Tuesday for the new northwestern District 5 seat in Clovis with the incumbent taking a lead that held through the night’s vaote tally updates. Incumbent Drew Bessinger, a retired police officer, led the group with 56.% of the expected vote after the first results came in about 8 p.m. In second place was Sarah Almond (22.6%), who owns a small solar sales company Candidate Des Haus, a legislation and policy director for an energy and engineering company, brought up third with 20.8% of the early returns. Bessinger said he believed the work he put into the campaign showed in the early results though he stopped short of declaring victory. “The numbers were indicative of the effort that I put into the re-election, and to the effort that I put into being a public servant for 50 years,” he said in a phone call. “I walked 100 miles putting door hangers out, talking to folks, and I think that pays dividends because people appreciate seeing people who serve them and those who want to serve them at their door.” He said he appreciated that both his competitors ran campaigns “citizens of Clovis can be proud of,” noting