fresno county

On Valley Edition: Fresno, Bakersfield Animal Control; Valley Fever & Advocacy; 40 Under 40

Juanita Stevenson and Rebecca Plevin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:40:02 +0000

On this week’s Valley Edition we discuss the future of animal control across California's Central Valley. Host Juanita Stevenson takes the listener into Fresno County where the city and county no longer work together when it comes to Animal Control since the SPCA six months back announced it would no longer provide services to either agency.

City of Fresno, SPCA Look For Another Animal Control Extension, Long Term Fix

Juanita Stevenson — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It’s a Saturday morning and they are serving up pancakes at the Central California SPCA in Fresno.

It’s a fundraiser to help support one of the organizations new programs called “Snip N’ Chip.” It’s a low cost spay and neuter service for low-income pet owners. Central California SPCA Executive Director Linda Van Kirk is happy with the turnout.

“Well, look at the crowd out there. It’s going absolutely fantastic. We are expecting a crowd of 500 to 600 this year versus the 300 we had last year, so we are ecstatic,” says Van Kirk.

Fresno County To Allow Developers to Select Their Own Environmental Consultants

Joe Moore — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:15:12 +0000

Developers in Fresno County will soon be able to hire firms of their own choosing to study the environmental impacts of proposed projects.

The Board of Supervisors approved the new policy Tuesday on a 5-0 vote, saying that it will speed up the development process, and help to create jobs.

Fresno County to Explore Housing Inmates In Other Counties

Joe Moore — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:38:07 +0000

Fresno County is exploring the possibility of contracting with other counties to house inmates in their jails, as soon as January of next year.

The Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with the analysis of what such a plan would cost at its meeting on Tuesday.

It’s part of an effort to stem the early release of prisoners from the county jail. A pair of new state laws allow counties to place inmates in jail facilities in other counties when their own jails reach capacity.

City of Fresno to Study Police, Sheriff Consolidation

Joe Moore — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:49:04 +0000

The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to spend $50,000 to hire a consultant who will examine the possibility of consolidating city and county law enforcement. The council also established a special sub-committee to examine the issue.

Fresno Ranks Last In New Study of Immigrant Integration Progress

Joe Moore — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 22:36:24 +0000

Fresno County's efforts at integrating new immigrants into the overall population fall short when compared with the rest of the state.

That's the finding of a new report by the University of Southern California's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration.

The study measures a variety of indicators including the economic impact of immigrants in the local economy, educational performance, the warmth of welcome by the community at large, and civic engagement.

Court closures expected to hurt rural communities

Gabriela Ornelas — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:05:06 +0000

California’s budget problems have put a strain on all state departments - including local county courts. Valley Public Radio's Gabriela Ornelas tells us how Fresno County residents may find getting to a courtroom much more difficult in the coming weeks.

With Realignment, Fresno County Jail Floor Likely to Reopen

Ezra Romero — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:56:03 +0000

Since 2010, the second and third floors the Fresno County Jail in Downtown Fresno have been empty. Budget cuts resulted in the layoffs of around 70 officers who worked in the jail, forcing Sheriff Margaret Mims to close the floors, and begin the early release of prisoners.

"Right now our capacity is at about 2,300 inmates and we run at 100 percent capacity almost all of the time," said Mims.

Fresno County to reopen mental health crisis center

Joe Moore — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:45:22 +0000

Fresno County is moving forward with a plan to reopen a crisis center for mental health patients. The county closed the center in 2009 due to budget cuts. That resulted in patients being sent to area emergency rooms.

Hospitals say they aren’t well equipped to handle those patients. The new crisis stabilization service will be run by a private contractor, Exodus Health, at the county’s former facility on Kings Canyon Road.

The four year contract with Exodus Health to provide the services for Fresno County is for around $16 million.

On Valley Edition: Fresno County Health Funding; Teatro Obesity

Juanita Stevenson — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:51:55 +0000

This week on Valley Edition, we hear an in-depth report on Fresno County's decision to become the only county in the state not to pursue federal funding for a new low-income health program. We'll also hear about a new theater program that takes on the issue of obesity in the Valley's Latino community.