Coalinga-Huron Teachers Vote to Strike
On April 15, educators from the Coalinga-Huron Unified Teachers Association (CHUTA) voted to authorize a strike if a settlement cannot be reached by early May, when a strike should become lawful.
After months of negotiations, the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District (CHUSD) has outright refused to prioritize the retention of educators, insisting on misleading the public about its inability to pay teachers a salary that competes with nearby districts.
Failure to resolve this issue fails the students that the CHUSD are entrusted to educate.
Due to the district’s unwillingness to settle a fair contract, the CHUTA and the CHUSD are nearing the end of the impasse process and scheduled a fact-finding hearing for April 19. If no settlement is reached by the time the parties receive an advisory report from the fact-finding panel, Coalinga-Huron educators will then be able to lawfully strike.
“The educators of Coalinga-Huron have spoken,” said Jessica Cardenas, president of the CHUTA.
“Over 96% of the members who voted say they are willing to strike. We won’t be fooled by [the] CHUSD’s desire to divide our community and claim they cannot afford to pay teachers a cost-of-living increase.
“If we do not settle a fair agreement, we will have a mass exodus of CHUSD educators to districts in surrounding towns. We know what this would do to our schools and communities.
“If CHUSD will not prioritize students, then we must take up the fight on their behalf.”
City-to-State Pathway
Fresno City College students will soon be able to transfer more easily to Fresno State to continue their higher education journey with the launch of the City-to-State Transfer Program. The two schools signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the agreement, committing to strengthening relations and increasing the number of transfer students.
“Fresno City College is a key educational partner in elevating the quality of life in our region,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.
“This MOU will streamline the transfer process between Fresno City and Fresno State, helping remove barriers to Fresno State—a clear choice for our talented Fresno City College students, as we are a university with unparalleled value, rankings and a supportive community.”
Through this partnership, the two institutions seek to accomplish the following:
- Reduce matriculation barriers.
- Hire a jointly funded, dedicated Fresno City College transfer counselor who will focus on this pathway.
- Create a summer transfer experience event, including undergraduate research projects, to take place at Fresno State.
- Continue strategic outreach programs.
Mobile Health Unit
The Fresno State Mobile Health Unit offers free health services and health screenings to underserved communities in Fresno County. This includes free health education, blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, cholesterol screenings, flu and Covid vaccines, and more.
In addition to providing healthcare services to the region, the unit has provided vital hands-on training, experiential learning opportunities and clinical experience for hundreds of students at Fresno State.
The unit is uniquely equipped to address the healthcare needs of Fresno County’s most underserved areas, and works in partnership with local nonprofits, community organizations and local leaders to help provide culturally respectful care to those who need it most.
Since 2015, the Fresno State Mobile Health Unit has
- Visited 240 different locations across Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties
- Treated more than 16,000 patients who otherwise would have gone without care
- Provided hands-on learning opportunities to more than 3,500 Fresno State students
- Administered more than 8,680 Covid-19 vaccines
- For more information, contact 559-278-2096 or ljakobs@csufresno.edu.
Rent Burden for Youth
A new study by RentCafe delves into historical housing costs and spending patterns in nearly 200 metro areas in the United States. Specifically, the study looked at Gen Z and Millennials and what they spend in terms of renting, as well as owning a home, by the time they reach 30.
- Gen Zers will spend, on average, $145,000 on rent before turning 30, which is 14% more than what Millennials paid.
- In California, however, Gen Zers will encounter much higher rental expenses by age 30—up to $300,000. Specifically, Zoomers in Fresno face lower rent costs than the state’s most expensive metros but lower than the national average of $131,600.
- In Fresno, the cost of homeownership for the youngest generation in the housing market surpasses rental costs, climbing to $190,418 (including the mortgage, taxes and fees, but not the down payment) by age 30.
- The silver lining? The youngest generation of renters in Fresno is predicted to earn an average of $432,861 by age 30, which is $16,000 more than what Millennials made by this age.
- The cost differential between renting and owning costs in Fresno for Gen Zers ages 22–29 is $58,818.
For more in-depth, customized data, contact media@rentcafe.com.
