Fresno

Education

Lawmakers blitz governor on school reopenings

Members of the Legislature put forward a bill to require schools to reopen by mid-April and guarantee that teachers get offered a COVID-19 vaccine beforehand. The lawmakers have said they’ll vote on the bill next week without hearings and Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled that he'll veto it if it reaches him.

By Ricardo Cano • February 18, 2021

California Divide

Illegal pot grow? Antifa? Rumors swirl about Creek Fire cause, but officials’ lips sealed

By Manuela Tobias • February 16, 2021

Coronavirus

State fines Kaiser $499K for COVID worker safety violations

Kaiser Permanente has been cited more than any other California health system for violations of worker safety during the pandemic.

By Ana B. Ibarra • February 15, 2021

WhatMatters

Becerra, Su emerge as GOP targets

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, February 11. Tough confirmation hearings Two Californians nominated for top positions in President Joe Biden’s administration could face tough confirmation hearings later this month, putting the Golden State’s pandemic response under a national microscope. Attorney General Xavier Becerra, tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appears to […]

By Emily Hoeven • February 11, 2021

California Divide

California isn’t fully tracking serious workplace COVID-19 cases in Fresno. Here’s why

A year after the first COVID-19 case hit California, the state agency in charge of policing offices, warehouses, and other workplaces is understaffed and significantly undercounting the number of people in Fresno County and across the state who’ve fallen seriously ill with the coronavirus. Employers in Fresno County reported only 66 serious worker illnesses or […]

By Manuela Tobias, Jason Pohl, Dale Kasler and Phillip Reese • February 2, 2021

Justice

State lifts suspensions of half a million driver’s licenses

Legal advocates are trying to roll back California’s hefty traffic ticket fines and fees, which are among the highest in the nation. One attorney called them a “blunt instrument” punishing people “when in reality, for many Californians, traffic tickets are simply too expensive to take care of.”

By Robert Lewis • January 29, 2021

Elections

Covering elections showed me California votes were secure

Despite continuing national concerns about election integrity, it’s clear that California's county registrars of voters — the heroes of the 2020 election — made sure every vote was counted.

By Lewis Griswold • January 15, 2021

Housing

How the remote work revolution could change California’s housing crisis

A huge number of people have been working from home for the better part of the year. The long-term implications for housing will likely benefit higher-earning workers and hurt lower income Californians.

By Matt Levin • December 21, 2020

Elections

Poor and diverse voters fuel California’s record ballots cast

California’s decision to mail a ballot to every registered voter resulted in record ballots cast in the general election — but it was poor and diverse communities that fueled the increases.

By Phillip Reese and Lewis Griswold • December 10, 2020

WhatMatters

Calls grow for data behind state restrictions

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, December 9. ICUs under pressure As California races past grim coronavirus milestones — more than 10,000 hospitalizations, more than 20,000 deaths, 100% ICU capacity in some counties — pressure is increasing on the state to provide data justifying its restrictions. A superior court judge on Tuesday issued a withering rebuke […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 9, 2020