Efforts to implement some legislation fell short during last year’s legislative session amid a bitter split within the Legislative Black Caucus over slow progress. This year, Gov. Gavin Newsom is widely seen as shifting politically to the right following a string of nationwide victories for President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.

Still, the Black Caucus says it isn’t backing down from its push for equity and reparative justice legislation in 2025. But the group is not using the word “reparations” to describe its collection of 16 bills, partly because the legislation does not require cash payments as restitution for slavery. That’s a change from last year, when the group’s incremental approach led to a clash with advocates.

The slate includes second tries at measures that failed last year, such as establishing a new state agency to help implement and fund equity legislation and removing language from the state constitution that allows prison administrators to force people to work under threat of disciplinary consequences.

While a majority of Californians have said they support an official apology for the state’s role in supporting slavery, the idea of direct cash reparations is unpopular — a 2023 poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies showed Californians opposing payments by a 2-to-1 margin.
CalMatters’ reparations calculator, based on economic modeling in the task force’s report, estimates that an eligible Black resident who has lived seven decades in California could be owed up to $1.2 million.

Denise Amos of CalMatters contributed reporting to this explainer.

The post What To Know About California Reparations: Is State’s Apology the Beginning or the End? appeared first on GV Wire.

Despite this trend, recent data indicates a slight reduction in outward migration and a resurgence of young college graduates moving in.

From 2010 to 2023, approximately 9.2 million Californians left for other states, while only 6.7 million moved in from elsewhere in the country. However, the latest figures from 2022 and 2023 show a decrease in the net loss of college graduates and a gain of over 30,000 young college graduates in their 20s.

Housing remains a significant factor in migration decisions. The PPIC Statewide Survey reveals that 34% of Californians have seriously considered leaving due to high housing costs. Since 2014, the state has experienced a net loss of over 700,000 adults citing housing as their primary reason for moving.

Related Story: Wired Wednesday: How Tariffs Could Impact California’s Agriculture

The ability to work remotely has also influenced migration patterns. Among higher-income Californians who left the state between 2020 and 2023, 45% reported working from home, according to the American Community Survey.

While the outflow of higher-income and more educated households is noteworthy, it remains relatively small compared to their overall representation in the state. In 2023, the net outflow of college graduates amounted to only 0.4% of the total number of degree holders in California.

President Trump's administration has been monitoring these demographic shifts closely, recognizing their potential impact on the state's economy and political landscape.

Read more at Public Policy Institute of California

The post California’s Demographic Landscape: Who’s Coming and Going? appeared first on GV Wire.

Far from rising up in outrage, the opposition party’s lawmakers have taken a muted wait-and-see approach as Trump tries to end birthright citizenship, halt diversity programs in the federal government, undo foreign policy alliances and seek retribution against his perceived political enemies.

In some cases, Democrats are even making a show of working with Republicans.

Scores of them voted for the Laken Riley Act, which allows the deportation of unauthorized migrants who are accused but not yet convicted of crimes. Others volunteered to work with Republicans on a border security bill. And while Democrats are fighting the nominations of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and Tulsi Gabbard as national intelligence director, Trump’s other Cabinet appointees appear on a glide path to confirmation without much vocal resistance.

It is telling that in the opening days of the new Trump administration, the loudest pushback to the president’s policies has come not from an elected Democrat but from the bishop at Washington National Cathedral, who asked Trump directly during a service to have mercy on immigrants and LGBTQ+ children.

“We’re no longer trying to win a news cycle,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who has become an outspoken messenger for his party on social media. “We’re trying to win an argument, and that’s going to take time and patience and discipline.”

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Democrats Plan to Oppose Trump

A group of 70 progressive House Democrats and six Senate Democrats gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to try to settle on a single message of opposition to Trump as he takes aim at myriad liberal constituencies and priorities. The assembled Democrats concluded that their best course of action was to focus on economic concerns, which they believe led to the party’s November defeats.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, convened the meeting. He said Trump’s control of the federal government, combined with his allies’ ownership of major social media networks, meant that Democrats must be in lockstep, with a focused message of opposition for voters.

“It’s going to be really critical for Democrats to point out what Trump’s real intentions are, which is to screw people over on pocketbook issues in service of the megarich,” Casar said.

The Democratic stance is a stark change from the last time Trump came to office. That period, in 2017, was defined by public demonstrations of resistance, a flurry of new liberal groups and a palpable anger over an election outcome many in the party saw as illegitimate.

This time, Trump won the popular vote, and there have been no murmurs of significant foreign interference in the election. And he has unleashed so many new policies and executive orders that Democrats have been left in a daze.

“It feels like we’re battling the LA fires, and the wind is 100 miles per hour, and it’s zero percent contained,” said Matt Bennett, a founder of Third Way, a center-left think tank. “We’re just going to have to wait for the wind to die down a little. It’s going to be a minute before Democrats can mount an effective response.”

Some Democrats Believe Trump Has Already Made Big Mistakes

Some Democrats do believe Trump has already made significant mistakes that will cause political damage for him and Republicans.

His far-reaching pardons for people convicted of attacking police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have already led to uncomfortable responses from Republicans. Democrats are also quick to point out that few of Trump’s early actions have addressed inflation or grocery prices — top issues for voters that he pledged during the campaign to prioritize.

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And in a sign that substantive pushback to Trump’s policies is likely to come from state capitals rather than from Washington, 22 state attorneys general sued the federal government to block Trump’s executive order directing the government not to recognize U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens. (However, not all of these left-leaning attorneys general wanted to talk about their legal challenge; in Washington, D.C., the typically voluble top prosecutor did not issue a news release and declined to discuss it.)

Democratic officials whose constituents are being directly targeted by Trump’s actions are less willing to give the party time to think about how to respond.

Cristóbal Alex, a former Biden administration official who is now the chair of the Latino Victory Fund, ticked through Trump’s early moves: binding himself to billionaire tech executives, ending Biden-mandated caps on insulin prices, pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters and seeking to end birthright citizenship.

“It’s prime time for Democrats to step it up,” Alex said.

Some Democrats Try to Show That They Are Working With Trump’s Administration

And yet plenty of Democrats want to make it known that they are trying to work with the new Trump administration. Thirteen Democratic senators signed a letter to Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the Republican majority leader, asking to be involved in Trump’s proposed legislation to crack down on the nation’s immigration system.

“We stand ready to work with you,” the senators wrote.

Some Democratic officials ascribed the party’s hesitation and confusion in part to a lack of clarity from their voters.

While anger — and money — drove the so-called Resistance of 2017, Trump’s second coming has been met by liberal resignation. No one in the world of politics or culture has emerged with a cogent and consistent anti-Trump message since his victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris, and the social media platforms that hosted many of the influencers of eight years ago are now owned by Trump’s billionaire allies.

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Patrick Gaspard, the president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal research group, said the lack of Democratic mobilization was not surprising, given that few in the party were shocked by Trump’s 2024 victory. Democrats, he said, must take time to decide how best to oppose him and Republicans.

“This guy is throwing loads of chum in the water, and we can’t go after all of it,” Gaspard said.

One think tank’s thoughtfulness is another’s hesitation. Rahna Epting, the executive director of MoveOn, a liberal advocacy group, said elected Democrats were trying to determine what their voters want them to do.

“I see Democrats still trying to figure out where to plant their feet on the spectrum of pure opposition and bipartisanship,” Epting said. “It’s up to constituents and outside groups like MoveOn and others to hold their feet to the fire.”

—

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Reid J. Epstein/Haiyun Jiang
c. 2025 The New York Times Company

The post Trump Leaves Democrats Dazed and on the Defensive appeared first on GV Wire.

Should Israel agree to the deal, the prime minister’s office has said the ceasefire could start Sunday with the first hostages released. This would be just the second ceasefire achieved in 15 months of war.

At this pivotal stage of the conflict, it’s important to note that celebrities, activists, and political leaders from diverse backgrounds have taken to social media and public platforms to condemn the violence and call for peace. Their statements have sparked conversation, bringing more eyes on Gaza.

Those Who Are Speaking Out

Among those speaking out, Mark Ruffalo, the actor known for his role in “The Avengers,” has used his platform to amplify calls for justice. He expressed deep concern over the humanitarian impact of the conflict by shouting “humanity wins” repeatedly at the Oscars.

Roger Waters, an iconic former Pink Floyd member, has long criticized Israeli policies. His powerful messages of solidarity with Palestine, especially during moments of crisis, have made him a leading voice in the fight for Palestinian rights. Waters frequently uses his fame to call boycotts of Israel, condemning what he calls an “apartheid” system in the region.

Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist, has been particularly vocal about the need for international intervention. Sachs condemned the violence in Gaza in a podcast with Tucker Carlson, explaining the history, as well as Israel’s common actions of violence. His advocacy for human rights has made him a critical voice in this ongoing battle for justice.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Candace Owens, a conservative Christian commentator, has surprised many by publicly criticizing U.S. policies regarding Israel.

Known for her often controversial takes, Owens voices her support for Palestinian people on her show and in other forums. Her views underscore a growing recognition that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires nuanced, thoughtful dialogue, regardless of political affiliation.

The post Voices for Justice: Diverse Figures Unite in Support of Palestine appeared first on GV Wire.

A study by the Queensland University of Technology found that during the 2023 Republican primary debates, over 1,300 bot accounts were actively spreading disinformation on X (formerly Twitter). This level of automated activity is far higher than the average bot presence on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

The problem is even more pronounced during high-profile events. Cybersecurity firm CHEQ found that up to 76% of X’s Super Bowl traffic in February came from fake accounts, potentially inflating ad view numbers.

Political Discussions Susceptible to Manipulation

Political discussions are particularly susceptible to manipulation. A Cyabra report showed that when Elon Musk positioned himself against Kamala Harris on X, over 40% of the activity was driven by inauthentic accounts.

The issue has worsened since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Changes to the platform, including mass reinstatement of banned accounts, monetization of verification, and removal of misinformation safeguards, have contributed to a tenfold increase in bot activity as of May 2024.

Related Story: On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

Algorithm Manipulation Favored Right-Wing Accounts Starting in July of This Year

Recent research also suggests algorithm manipulation favoring right-wing accounts starting in July 2024, with significant deviations in engagement metrics coinciding with Musk’s endorsement of Trump.

As social media becomes increasingly saturated with artificial engagement, users must remain vigilant. Experts advise critically evaluating sources, being aware of potential biases, and using tools to verify information authenticity.

Watch the full video on YouTube

The post ‘Misinformation Is an Attack on You’: Research Shows Alarming Increase in Social Media Manipulation appeared first on GV Wire.

Forecasters warned the risk of flash flooding and rockslides would continue, and scores of flights were canceled at San Francisco’s airport.

In Washington state, more than 185,000 people — mostly in the Seattle area — remained without power as crews worked to clear streets of electrical lines, fallen branches and debris. Utility officials said the outages, which began Tuesday, could last into Saturday. The National Weather Service warned that in addition to gusty winds, a high surf advisory was in effect Friday for large ocean waves of 20 to 24 feet (six to 7.3 meters) that may cause significant beach erosion.

Meanwhile on the East Coast, where rare wildfires have raged, New York and New Jersey welcomed much-needed rain that could ease the fire danger for the rest of the year.

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Flood Watch Extended in Northern California

The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.

Flooding and road closures were reported in the North Bay, and the weather service warned area residents throughout the area to expect disruptions during the morning and afternoon commutes on Friday. Rain rates have increased and shifted southward along the San Francisco Peninsula to the Santa Cruz Mountains with rain gauges reporting a few tenths to 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) so far, the weather service said early Friday.

In Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office issued evacuation orders and warnings and urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week. Flooding closed Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Related Story: When Will the Rain Arrive in Fresno? (Hint: Turn Off Your Sprinklers)

Bomb Cyclone Causes Widespread Damage

The system roared ashore Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes, killing at least two people in Washington.

Communities in Washington opened warming centers offering free internet and device charging. Some medical clinics closed because of power outages.

“I’ve been here since the mid-’80s. I haven’t seen anything like this,” Trish Bloor, a city of Issaquah official, said while surveying damaged homes.

Up to 16 inches (about 41 centimeters) of rain was forecast in southwestern Oregon and California’s northern counties through Friday.

Santa Rosa saw 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain in the last 24 hours, marking the wettest day on record since 1998.

The Sonoma County Airport, in the wine country north of San Francisco, got more than 11 inches (28 centimeters) within the last 48 hours and the unincorporated town of Venado had about 12.7 inches (32.3 centimeters) in the same period.

Flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows were possible, especially where hillsides were loosened by recent wildfires, officials warned. Scott Rowe, a hydrologist with the weather service in Sacramento, said so far the ground has been able to absorb the rain in areas where the Park Fire burned this summer.

“It’s not necessarily how much rain falls; it’s how fast the rain falls,” Rowe said.

A winter storm watch was in place for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet (1,070 meters), with 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph (121 kph) in mountain areas, forecasters said.

In California, there were reports of more than 12,000 power outages.

Authorities limited vehicle traffic on part of northbound Interstate 5 between Redding and Yreka due to snow, according to California’s Department of Transportation. Officials also shut down a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the scenic Avenue of the Giants, named for its towering coast redwoods, due to flooding.

More than 40 flights were delayed and about 12 were canceled early Friday at San Francisco International Airport, according to tracking service FlightAware.

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East Coast Receives Much-Needed Rain

The Northeast, meanwhile, got a much-needed shot of precipitation, providing a bit of respite in a region plagued by wildfires and dwindling water supplies. More than 2 inches (5 centimeters) was expected by Saturday morning north of New York City, with snow mixed in at higher elevations.

Weather service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki in New York City, which this week saw its first drought warning in 22 years, said “any rainfall is going to be significant” but the storm won’t be enough to end the drought.

The post Northern California Gets Record Rain and Heavy Snow. Many Have Been in the Dark for Days in Seattle appeared first on GV Wire.

The Hill reports the poll, conducted Nov. 13-15 with 1,164 participants, revealed that less than a quarter of respondents frequently use phrases like “safe space,” “woke,” “lived experience,” and “white privilege.”

This data emerges amid ongoing debates about the Democratic Party’s performance in the 2024 election. Some centrists argue the party’s leftward shift alienated voters, while others contend it didn’t go far enough to energize its base.

The New York Times reported that Democratic centrist U.S. Reps. Tom Suozzi and Seth Moulton criticized their party’s stance on transgender rights, a key issue for many progressives.

Related Story: Trump Wants to End ‘Wokeness’ in Education. He Has Vowed to Use ...

Survey Results on Term Usage

According to the survey, only 20% of Americans regularly use “safe space,” 19% use “woke,” 16% use “lived experience,” and 15% use “white privilege.”

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who lost to President-elect Trump in the GOP primary, interpreted the election results as a warning sign. On her Sirius XM show, Haley stated, “This should be a wake-up sign for companies that had gone woke. This should be a wake-up sign for government where they got so arrogant they started telling Americans what they should and shouldn’t do.”

The survey’s findings suggest a disconnect between the prevalence of these terms in certain political and social justice circles and their usage among the general public. This disparity may have implications for how political messages are crafted and received by voters across the ideological spectrum.

Read more at The Hill

The post ‘Woke’ Terminology Not Commonly Used by Americans: YouGov Survey appeared first on GV Wire.

Democrats Hit Harder as Republican Voices Gain Traction

The Post’s review of data from the 100 most active congressional accounts reveals a troubling trend for both Democrats and Republicans. However, the impact appears to be more pronounced for Democrats, with Republican voices gaining more traction on the platform.

This shift comes at a crucial time, just months before a major election, raising questions about X’s role in shaping political discourse. The platform’s diminishing influence could have far-reaching implications for how politicians connect with voters and disseminate their messages.

“The top political accounts on X have seen their audiences crumble in the months before the election,” the Post reports, highlighting the platform’s waning significance in the political arena.

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Musk’s Leadership and Platform Changes Under Scrutiny

Experts suggest that changes implemented under Musk’s leadership may be contributing to this trend. The platform’s algorithmic adjustments and content moderation policies have come under scrutiny, with some arguing that they favor certain political viewpoints over others.

As politicians grapple with these changes, many are exploring alternative platforms to reach their constituents. This shift could reshape the digital political landscape, potentially altering how campaigns are run and how voters receive information in the lead-up to elections.

The implications of this trend extend beyond individual politicians, potentially impacting the broader political discourse and the way Americans engage with political information online.

Read more at The Washington Post.

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Are reporters “sanewashing” Trump, or are they succumbing to the “banality of crazy?” Should his rallies be aired at length, or not at all? To fact-check or not fact-check?

“If it wasn’t so serious, I would just be fascinated by all of it,” said Parker Molloy, media critic and author of The Present Age column on Substack. “If it didn’t have to do with who is going to be president, I would watch this and marvel at how difficult it is to cover one person who seems to challenge all of the rules of journalism.”

Books and studies will be written about Trump and the press long after he is gone. He’s always been press-conscious and press-savvy, even as a celebrity builder in Manhattan who took a keen interest in what tabloid gossip columns said about him. Most issues stem from Trump’s disdain for constraints, his willingness to say the outrageous and provably untrue, and for his fans to believe him instead of those reporting on him.

It has even come full circle, where some experts now think the best way to cover him is to give people a greater opportunity to hear what he says — the opposite of what was once conventional wisdom.

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‘Sanewashing’ Creates an Alternative Narrative, Some Say

Molloy first used the phrase “sanewashing” this fall to describe a tendency among journalists to launder some of Trump’s wilder or barely coherent statements to make them seem like the cogent pronouncements of a typical politician. One example she cites: CNN distilling a Trump post on Truth Social that rambled on about the “radical left” and “fake news” into a straight news lead about the former president agreeing to debate his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

At its best, polishing Trump creates an alternative narrative, she said. At its worst, it’s misinformation.

During a Wisconsin rally the last weekend of September, Trump talked of danger from criminals allowed in the country illegally. “They will walk into your kitchen, they’ll cut your throat,” he said. The New Republic writer Michael Tomasky was surprised not to find the quote in The New York Times’ and Washington Post’s coverage, although The Times noted that Trump vilified undocumented immigrants, and there were other media references to what Trump himself called a dark speech.

“Trump constantly saying extreme, racist violent stuff can’t always be new,” Tomasky wrote. “But it is always reality. Is the press justified in ignoring reality just because it isn’t new?”

One likely reason the remark didn’t get that much attention is because Trump — at the same rally — referred to Harris without evidence as “mentally disabled.”

That comment merited quick mention on the ABC and CBS evening newscasts the next day, in the context of criticism from two fellow Republicans, and after stories about Hurricane Helene’s devastation and war in the Middle East. NBC’s “Nightly News” didn’t bring it up at all.

In other words, Trump said something wild. What’s new? More than sanewashing, political scientist Brian Klaas calls that the banality of crazy, where journalists become accustomed to things Trump says that would be shocking coming from other candidates simply because they’re numbed to it.

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It’s a Hard Fit for a Daily News Cycle

Illuminating reporting on Trump rarely fits the model of quick news stories that sum up daily developments. “This really serves the small group of news consumers that we would call news junkies, who follow the campaign day to day,” said Kelly McBride, senior vice president of the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank. “But it doesn’t help people decide how to vote, or understand the candidate better.”

Trump critics often complain about how the nation’s leading news outlets cover him. But they sometimes overlook attempts to bring perspective to issues they’re concerned with. The Times, for example, used a computer to compare his speeches now with older ones in a story Sunday, and similarly had a Sept. 9 examination of questions about Trump’s age and mental capacity. The Post has written about how Trump doesn’t mention his father’s Alzheimer’s Disease as he attacks others about mental capacity, and distortions about a cognitive test he took. The Associated Press wrote of Trump’s Wisconsin rally that he “shifted from topic to topic so quickly that it was hard to keep track of what he meant at times.”

“Trump is a really difficult figure to cover because he challenges news media processes every day, has for years,” The Times’ Maggie Haberman, one of Trump’s best-known chroniclers, told NPR last month. “The systems … were not built to deal with somebody who says things that are not true as often as he does or speaks as incoherently as he often does. I think the media has actually done a good job showing people who he is, what he says, what he does.”

Press critics may instead be frustrated that the work doesn’t have the impact they seek. “The people who don’t like or are infuriated by him cannot believe his success and would like the press to somehow persuade the people who do like him that they are wrong,” said Tom Rosenstiel, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland. “And the press can’t do that.”

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Fact-Checking Is a Bone of Contention

One of the central issues surrounding the three general election debates was how, or whether, the television networks would fact-check the candidates in real time on the air.

CNN didn’t during Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden last spring. When ABC’s moderators corrected Trump four times during his September debate with Harris, the former president’s supporters were infuriated. CBS News sought a middle ground during the vice presidential debate, and learned how hard it is to satisfy everyone.

“F you CBS — how DARE YOU,” Megyn Kelly posted on X when CBS briefly cut JD Vance ‘s microphone after correcting him on a comment about immigrants. Salon media critic Melanie McFarland wrote that the people best equipped to point out truth “barely rose to that duty.”

The fact-check industry flourished during Trump’s years in office, the number of such websites devoted to that duty jumping from 63 in 2016 to 79 in 2020, according to the Duke Reporters’ Lab. Yet limitations were also exposed: Republicans demonized the practice, to the point where many Trump supporters either don’t believe those who try to referee what’s true or false, or don’t bother reading. In day-to-day reporting, it’s not enough to point out when a politician is wrong, Rosenstiel said. They must clearly explain why.

Journalists, who rarely win popularity contests to begin with, saw their collective reputations plummet under withering attacks from Trump.

In the heady days of 2015, television news networks like CNN showed Trump campaign rallies at length. It was entertaining. It drove ratings. What harm could be done?

Many later regretted that decision. Throughout his presidency and beyond, television outlets that are not Trump-friendly have grappled with the question of how much to show Trump unfiltered, and still haven’t fully settled on an answer. CNN shows Trump at rallies on occasion, rarely at length.

But in a back-to-the-future move, some experts now say it’s best to let people hear what Trump says. Poynter’s McBride praised The 19th for a story on child care when, frustrated by an attempt to clarify Trump’s positions with his campaign, the website simply printed a baffling 365-word direct quote from Trump when he was asked about the issue.

While fact checks and context have their place, there’s value in presenting Trump in the raw. “Showing Trump at length is not sanewashing,” Rosenstiel said.

Molloy admitted to some surprise at how much traction her original column on sanewashing received. It may reflect a desire to define the undefinable, to figure out what the news media still hasn’t been able to after all this time. She notes the politicians who try to emulate Trump but fail.

“They don’t have what makes him Donald Trump,” she said. “People can look at it as part of his brilliance and people can look at it as him being crazy. It’s probably a little of both.”

The post Sanewashing? The Banality of Crazy? A Decade Into the Trump Era, Media Hasn’t Figured Him Out appeared first on GV Wire.

A list of projects sent to city leaders shows construction was halted on hundreds of homes and several businesses.

Even though the city of Fresno list acquired by GV Wire shows two dozen projects held up by the ruling, experts and politicians say this is only an initial list. The full scope of businesses impacted is only beginning to be understood.

The list contains three transportation projects, two storage facilities, an energy project, an apartment complex, two industrial businesses, an Amazon truck parking lot, nine residential tracts, and an entire subdivision.

But the California 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision affects a wide variety of projects looking to be built. That could mean car washes to gas stations and especially affordable housing, said Dirk Poeschel, principal at Land Development Services.

“It’s essentially a moratorium,” Poeschel said.

Related Story: Court Says Fresno’s Environmental Docs Aren’t Up to Snuff. ...

‘Public Has No Idea of the Real Consequences’

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said the tracts and subdivisions on the list equal hundreds of houses.

“My understanding is that they are still trying to assess what is the scope of the projects impacted,” Arias said.

The city may also have to spend an additional $330,000 to do an environmental study for the Tower District Specific Plan.

Fresno City Council Vice President Mike Karbassi said the impact of the judicial ruling is widespread.

“(The) public has no idea of the real consequences,” Karbassi said.

Half of Projects Initially Impacted Are Residential

In 2021, two community groups, South Fresno Community Alliance and Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability sued Fresno, saying its 2019 program environmental impact report did not adequately address traffic, pollution, and water problems.

The court of appeals agreed saying the PEIR was deficient.

“(The city) concluded ‘economic and social considerations outweighed the remaining environmental effects of approval and implementation of the project,’” the appellate opinion stated.

They gave the city six specific items it needs to fix. Those fixes could take months or years, depending on who is being asked. The court in its ruling said the city could get conditional approval for the PEIR by showing the court it has a plan to fix these shortcomings.

“We are evaluating the court’s ruling with our counsel to determine the next steps,” said Sontaya Rose, director of communications with the city.

Most new construction needs to have an environmental assessment. A car wash might need to show it won’t back up traffic. New home construction, in addition to potential impacts on undeveloped land, has to show that the people who will live there won’t significantly increase car pollution when they go to work or shop. Developers will have to find ways to mitigate what’s called vehicle miles traveled, or VMT.

For small business owners, doing an environmental study is costly and takes a long time. Environmental impact reports also expose projects to litigation for those studies.

To save time and money, businesses use — or tier off — a PEIR to understand what they have to do to comply with the state’s landmark California Environmental Quality Act.

Of the two dozen projects on the list, nine had industrial uses. More than half of the projects impacted were residential. One was an apartment complex.

“I think the unintended consequence sadly is that the very group that’s suing the city over this deficiency wants to have additional increased densities to help with greenhouse gas and traffic and service delivery costs, but those projects are also stopped because they also rely on this EIR,” Poeschel said.

Industrial/Commercial Projects Citing Fresno PEIR

• Papé Material EIR
• Willow/Nees Annexation
• Barstow Truck Repair
• Mini Storage
• NKRS Trucking
• Unifirst — Industrial Laundry
• Amazon Truck Parking
• McKinley/Fine Rezone
• RVJ Green Energy
• Central Transportation
• Darrel’s Mini Storage

Residential Projects Citing Fresno PEIR

• Los Pueblos Apartments
• Sierra Racquet Subdivision
• Bella Vita (Commercial/Residential)
• Tract 6468
• Tract 6352
• Tract 6411
• Tract 6440
• Tract 6441
• Tract 6432
• Tract 6472
• Tract 6475
• Tract 6376

Projects Should Have to Do Their Own EIRs: Arias

Arias said every project with big enough impacts should have to do its own full environmental study. Getting a memo saying more studies have to be done is a consequence of tiering off of the city’s environmental assessment.

“Any project that’s of significant impact, in both vehicle and truck and pollution impacts has always been required to complete a full environmental study,” Arias said. “And when they follow the simple state law of CEQA, then they’re approved and they overcome any legal challenges or opposition.”

He brought up the north Fresno Costco and south Fresno Scannell warehouse project as examples, both of which did their own EIRs. The Scannell project was nearly denied after union groups used the EIR to try to get the company to sign a Project Labor Agreement.

Most major industrial projects have to do their own EIRs.

Related Story: Controversial Industrial Project Approved With Fresno at ‘Economic ...

Arias said, however, that the city encouraged businesses to use the PEIR.

“A lot of applicants were misguided by the city’s suggestion to skip a full environmental study and simply tier off our PEIR,” Arias said. “And those individuals and applicants did spend a significant amount of resources following the city’s direction.”

Homebuilders Rely on City PEIR to Understand Impacts

For homebuilders, PEIRs provide reference points for the necessary greenhouse gas and traffic studies, said Darren Rose, president and CEO of the Building Industry Association of Fresno Madera Counties.

An EIR can cost over $100,000 for an impact analysis, he said. And those costs get baked into the cost of homes. In the long term, problems like these push builders away from the city. Cities such as Sanger, Madera, and Clovis have become popular for builders.

“With each new headwind, with each new challenge it becomes increasingly difficult and all that does is add cost and delay time,” Rose said.

The delay affects everything in the planning and development stages, Rose said.

Rose expects it to be at least a year to fix the PEIR to comply with the appellate decision. That will take additional city staff time probably not budgeted.

The industry has worked very closely with the city to move forward on the homes being delayed. Each project will most likely have to develop its own plan to move forward.

Each project has a different environmental deficiency, be it traffic or greenhouse gas, Poeschel said. Short of waiting for the city to fix its PEIR, a project developer may be able to pay for a limited study on a specific topic, he said.

“Whatever the solution is, because the city’s the lead agency, they have to tell us (developers) what the solution is going to be,” Poeschel said.

City Projects Also Set Back

Arias questioned the merits of even having a PEIR.

The Southwest Fresno Specific Plan — outlining land use in that part of town — had its own EIR, he said. Projects within that area can cite that EIR, he said.

The city’s nearly $1 million Tower District Specific Plan may cost an additional $330,000 for an environmental review.

Fresno City Council President Annalisa Perea, whose district encompasses Tower District, said in the Sept. 26 council meeting this sets the project back.

“We have to do an EIR. We have to start from scratch to some degree, currently at the cost of $330,000 which we do not have,” Perea said.

A large city park on Peach Avenue in southeast Fresno also is delayed because of the PEIR decision, according to Karbassi.

He said the delays will be costly in potential lost jobs and higher home prices.

“I think it’s unfortunate for Fresno’s working families that some special interests have effectively created a moratorium on new housing and parks projects in the entire City of Fresno, all in the name of social justice,” Karbassi said. “There is nothing just about killing jobs and driving up housing prices and rents. We will be feeling the repercussions for years to come.”

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