Creating the Transportation Future We Deserve
Fresno County residents deserve a seat at the table when decisions are made about the county’s transportation future. Residents should have a say in how their hard-earned dollars are spent.
Last month, the Transportation for All coalition—which includes Fresno Building Healthy Communities, other organizations, parents, grandparents, students, teachers, workers and community leaders (e.g., faith, business, labor and healthcare professionals)—officially launched the “Moving Forward Together” campaign and hosted several community visioning sessions across the county to learn from folks about how they envision the transportation future in Fresno County.
Driven by Fresno County residents, the “Moving Forward Together” campaign is developing the people’s plan for Fresno County’s transportation future. The response has been overwhelming. About 1,000 people have participated in the sessions so far, and more are to come.
Ensure that everyone uses their voices and power to shape road, transit and mobility solutions that will meet everyday needs and make the county a better place to live and work for decades to come.
For more information about the coalition and the campaign, visit transportationforall.com/.
Central Valley Partnership Update
Recently, the Central Valley Partnership hosted a regional solidarity meeting centered on activism and organizing.
Specifically, we highlighted the decade-long winning campaign by SEIU 2015 to get a better contract for In-Home Support Service (IHSS) workers in Fresno County.
In the end, the vote to give IHSS a pay raise and better benefits quietly passed embedded within Board of Supervisors’ Consent Agenda in a remarkable 5-0 vote. Yet this outcome was the result of many years of sacrifice, organizing and, finally, strategic redirection until the fight was won.
Inspiringly, the meeting opened with Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez expressing his conviction to support workers and unions—a value and position based upon his experience seeing his own mother struggle to support her young family, and the assistance that her labor union offered their family. He showed us what quiet leadership pared with worker values looks like when elected to office.
SEIU 2015 leaders Maliha Noamani and Melissa Figueroa laid out some of the main takeaways from their long-fought campaign. Many of these lessons are pertinent for us moving forward.
The union, for example, hosted a full day “democracy school” to educate its members. A movement approach was adopted that brought together labor, community and faith leaders.
After fasting, protests, constant public testimony and even civil disobedience, a realization arose: “We don’t always have to go in aggressive” as they moved from “action to relationship” to better understanding the context they were organizing.
The union continued to shift strategy over time. They developed a power map of major decision makers, organized allied groups, engaged unorganized social sectors and named major centers of opposition. This resulted in new awareness and a willingness to take different approaches.
Most significant, the union realized that it needed to invest in candidates running for office. As seen before—elections have consequences—not only did two newly elected, union-backed supervisors deliver on their promises to support IHSS workers, the defeat of incumbent supervisors convinced other holdouts up for election in the next cycle to finally agree to a contract with the labor union.
The fight for a living wage and good benefits for IHSS workers now heads to adjacent counties including Kings and Tulare, where some of the lessons of Fresno’s long-fought effort might help secure contracts in those jurisdictions.
—Daniel O’Connell, CVP executive director
Solar + Battery Storage Project in Fresno County
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved the Darden Clean Energy Project (DCEP), the first to be permitted under the state’s Opt-In Certification program.
Once built, the DCEP will be the largest battery energy storage system in the world, highlighting California’s leadership in clean energy innovation and infrastructure.
Authorized under AB 205, the Opt-In Certification program provides a consolidated state permitting option for eligible clean energy projects, supporting California’s transition to 100% zero-carbon retail electric sales by 2045, as required by SB 100.
DCEP will be built on 9,500 acres of land in western Fresno County that is no longer able to support agricultural production.
Projects seeking approval through the Opt-In Certification program are required to provide community and economic benefits. The DCEP includes
- $2 million in community investments over the next decade starting with a $320,000 commitment to Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, a nonprofit supporting crime victims, family wellness and civic engagement in rural communities.
- More than 2,000 prevailing-wage construction jobs to support the local workforce throughout the construction period, which will last 1.5–3 years.
- An estimated $169 million in economic benefits to the local area over the project’s lifetime, estimated at 35 years.
“California is moving faster than ever before to build the clean energy we need—now with the world’s largest solar and battery project,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
“With a record amount of clean energy capacity added last year, we’re creating jobs and supporting local communities—all while building a cleaner, more reliable power grid.”
Fresno’s Lawn to Garden Rebate Program
The City of Fresno launched its Expanded Lawn to Garden Rebate program to give homeowners and businesses more money back when they replace their front lawns with water-efficient landscaping. The program is open to residents and businesses who receive water service through the City’s Department of Public Utilities.
The program offers $2 per square foot for eligible lawn conversion projects—nearly double the previous rebate amount. The rebate is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is funded in part by a $5 million grant from the Department of Water Resources: Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program.
Residential customers can receive up to $3,000 when they convert the maximum program covered 1,500 square feet of lawn in their front yard to water-wise landscaping.
Commercial, industrial and institutional customers can now convert the maximum program covered 4,000 square feet of lawn and receive up to $8,000 in rebates for projects. This expanded rebate also helps such properties comply with new state requirements.
“This rebate program demonstrates Fresno’s commitment to meeting California’s long-term water efficiency goals,” said Brock Buche, director of Public Utilities.
“Reducing outdoor water use through sustainable landscaping is one of the most effective ways we can build a more resilient water future for our city.”
