REFLECTIONS FROM THREE MEMBERS OF FRESNANS FOR A PEOPLE’S BUDGET
Bootstraps Aren’t Real But This Bridge Called My Back Is
BY ARIEANA CASTELLANOS
I come from a long matriarchal line of healers and helpers tasked with stewarding the land and making sure our most vulnerable are housed, fed, cared for, kept safe and uplifted.
My grandmother was a curandera, a cultural healer, and my mom, godmother and I have master’s degrees in professional counseling.
I have worked as a clinical social worker for system-involved children and families on Medi-Cal in six different counties and have provided advocacy and support services for underserved, marginalized and/or at risk populations for the last thirteen years.
I have also managed a crisis support program for sexually exploited minors from the Bay Area to Fresno and was often in the room with district attorneys and law enforcement.
District attorneys would ask questions like—how do we replace the exploiter? Should we build a remote camp? Solutions like funding access to childcare, job opportunities and education and diversion programs were options we didn’t explore first.
Growing up I lived with my grandma and mom in district five near Sunnyside High School. My mom had me as a teen and when she went off to the military for basic training we were lucky to have my grandma for 24/7 reliable, safe and free childcare.
We also never had to worry about eviction when my mom’s bank account was in the negative because my grandmother owned her house.
My mom made just enough working at the IRS to disqualify us from Head Start so my enrichment was playing with dolls underneath the table while my grandma did cultural healing services in her store across the street from Castillos.
When she started working from home, she and my grandfather helped care for me while my mom went to college and completed military requirements.
When I was in fifth grade, we left because my mom was stationed at a base in Ohio and when I returned for eighth grade she bought a house in district six. We lived there until 2013 when I left for college—the house is currently rented out to Fresno families well below market rate.
In 2005, my grandma was scammed out of her own home when my mom and godmother were in Ohio. She then moved into a tiny apartment in Clovis. Eventually her Alzheimer’s and dementia became too challenging to manage and she struggled to pay her increasing rent on time.
In 2023 we were lucky to relocate her to a spot near my godmother. I quit my job and rearranged my whole life to help my family.
We do our best to provide care for her while maintaining her dignity and independence. Despite my grandma being on Medi-cal her whole life there are no affordable care programs she qualifies for nor are there many resources for seniors in Fresno.
Here we are caring for our people that have been abandoned by the city. What do our tax dollars fund? My family has poured millions into property taxes, small businesses and state taxes. What do we have to show for it?
My family did everything right—we played the game and played by the rules. Yet, we are spreading our resources thin and drowning in care work.
At the police budget hearing the City Council played videos of kids fighting and requested information for how much policing the youth will cost. How will another police paddy wagon help them? How will it help us?
Arieana Castellanos is a mental health professional, small business owner and artist. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology with a Minor in Education, a Master of Social Work and a paralegal certification. She was born and raised in Fresno.
From A North Fresno Resident: We Don’t Need More Cop Funding, We Need Community Investment
BY ARISSA DE LA CERDA
About a year ago, I learned that the city of Fresno invested almost half of our general fund into the police department. I began to reflect on the different versions of Fresno that I have lived in and observed, specifically thinking of the different areas of our city that have been invested in and those that have not.
I started imagining the version of the city where I grew up and currently reside in—north Fresno. I have lived here my entire life. My neighborhood has quiet suburban streets and decent sidewalks, nice parks where parents can take their children to play, the recently remodeled Figarden Branch library and access to several grocery stores.
According to Census Reporter, the median household income in north Fresno is around $104,319, which is higher than the California median of $100,149. 10.9% of residents live below the poverty line—this is significantly lower than the city’s 18.7% rate. These numbers are vastly different from many other parts of the city.
After graduating and returning from the Bay Area I started working with a nonprofit whose mission is to elevate awareness of food insecurity in the city. Much of the work is centered in southwest Fresno.
In the southwest version of Fresno, the median household income is around $62,359, with a per capita income of $26,094—that’s about half of California’s $49,934. Additionally, about 23.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
These statistics are not surprising when one learns about the long history of social disparities between north and south Fresno.
There has been extensive historical research around inequities within southwest Fresno, stemming from the city’s past racist redlining policies and practices and continued disinvestment in low-income, impacted areas.
According to Unequal From Birth, a multimedia journalism project by students at UC Berkeley, this has resulted in a life expectancy that is 20 years lower than that of people living in north Fresno.
When reflecting on my own upbringing, I recognize that meeting one’s basic needs leads to an increase not only in public safety but also in quality of life.
In fiscal 2026 the city allocated $251.3 million to FPD and with fiscal 2027 they are increasing that to $263.7 million.
How will police investment help the social and economic upward mobility of our most impacted communities? How will this help folks who are currently seeking employment, paying next month’s rent or even affording groceries?
Beyond thinking about north vs. south Fresno, everyone’s tax dollars are going toward funding police expansion. Rather than increasing the police budget, I’d like to see a shift to community-forward solutions and policies for all our districts.
When I envision the future of Fresno, I want to think of one Fresno, not a city divided by resource investment.
Arissa De La Cerda is a lifelong North Fresno resident. She is a UC Berkeley alum and organizes with Fresnans for a People’s Budget.
A Southeast Father’s Perspective: Sinking Millions Of Tax Dollars Into Policing Is A Bad Investment For My Family
BY RUBEN ESPINOZA
$251.3 MILLION—that’s how much of our hard-working taxpayer dollars the Fresno City Council allocated to the Police Department (FPD) for 2026. For 2027, Mayor Jerry Dyer increased the amount to $263.7 million!
Budgets are not simply numbers on a page but moral and political documents that show us who and what we as a city value. The FPD’s general fund allocation has skyrocketed in the last 5 years, making it loud and clear who the Mayor and City Council believe deserve the lion’s share of our money.
As a father living in southeast Fresno, the City sinking millions of tax dollars into policing has been a bad investment for my family and represents a bad return for Fresno’s taxpayers.
Last year, WalletHub listed Fresno as one of the neediest cities in the U.S., with a poverty rate of 20.1%. That is almost double the national average of 12.5%.
The average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Fresno is $1,633 per month, while the median household income is approximately $69,000. These economic pressures force families like mine to make tough decisions day in and day out.
As a father supporting a family of three on a low-income salary in southeast Fresno, I live through these hardships. With living costs rising faster than wages, I constantly make painful decisions about which bills we can pay or what days we can eat a full meal.
When I discovered how much of my tax dollars fund policing, I asked myself: Does policing help when I’m facing eviction? Does it put food on my family’s table? Does it help me train for a higher-paying job?
The answer is no and it made me realize that this is a deeper systemic issue.
For generations, many racist policies have shaped Fresno’s development, creating stark inequities between North and South. The redlining practices of yesterday have evolved into the budget priorities of today. These policies contribute to poverty in Fresno.
You would think that the Fresno City Council would be more receptive to proactive solutions that can uplift Fresnans from documented decades of strategic disinvestment. Instead, they pour a majority of our tax dollars (along with any imagination they have) into failed, reactive carceral approaches.
Moreover, I came across research from Catalyst California and Fresno Building Healthy Communities that found the FPD is riddled with racial bias.
One example is that data shows FPD disproportionately stops and tickets people of color for minor traffic violations, such as equipment or administrative issues that do not meaningfully advance community safety.
The systemic exclusion continues at City Hall. It took a Fresnoland investigation and a Superior Court Judge to rule that the way the Mayor and the City Council have been negotiating taxpayer dollars away from the public violates California’s Brown Act—a clear disregard for taxpayer input.
If the status quo continues, we will face deepening inequality, continued over-policing of vulnerable communities and the perpetuation of intergenerational poverty. We need a budget that truly invests in Fresnans as the #1 priority.
Imagine if we redirected even a fraction of that $263.7 million toward research-backed, proactive investments proven to create safer, healthier communities—programs and policies such as youth diversion programs, rent control policies and employment programs.
The budget is a moral document, and right now it tells a story of misplaced priorities and missed opportunities. Each budget cycle that prioritizes policing over prevention pushes a better Fresno further out of our reach, especially for those Fresnans already on the margins.
We deserve a city where our families can thrive, our kids can play and where we are invested in the people.
Ruben Espinoza is a southeast Fresno father who has lived in the community for over five years. He has a background in social work from Fresno State and organizes with Fresnans for a People’s Budget to advance a city budget that works for all families.
