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\u201cWe\u2019re deeply concerned that Fresno County supervisors held a [Jan. 13] press conference to support ICE, while ignoring the real harm ICE raids are doing in tearing families apart across the Central Valley,\u201d states Sukaina Hussain, deputy director of strategic initiatives at the California Immigrant Policy Center.<\/p>\n
Central Valley\u2013serving organizations and community leaders expressed outrage during a Jan. 16 press conference concerning statements made by Fresno County Supervisors Garry Bredefeld, Nathan Magsig and Buddey Mendes blatantly disregarding the devastating real-world impacts on families enduring fear, trauma and loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s especially alarming [that the supervisors] would do this when there have been no reported incidents of harm to ICE agents in their districts,\u201d adds Hussain. \u201cThese supervisors are out of touch with the people they represent.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaw enforcement\u2019s job is to protect local communities and uphold constitutional rights\u2014not enable federal agents who are disrupting daily life and spreading fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organizations present at the Jan. 16 press conference called for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to<\/p>\n
acknowledge the proven harms from ICE\u2019s escalation in enforcement;<\/p>\n
commit to full transparency, including public briefings, community dialogues and oversight mechanisms; and<\/p>\n
protect civil rights, especially First Amendment freedoms, and ensure equal treatment and safety for all residents\u2014regardless of immigration status.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese elected officials have incredible responsibilities and yet use their platforms to support an agency that has shown no respect to our Constitution or care for the safety of our communities,\u201d concluded Huy Tran, executive director of SIREN.<\/p>\n
Supporting Independent Media<\/p>\n
At its Jan. 3 meeting, the Kennedy Club of the San Joaquin Valley announced the creation of the Kennedy Club Project to Support Independent Media. The Kennedy Club is the second oldest Democratic club in Fresno County having begun in 1997.<\/p>\n
The Kennedy Club has been a longtime supporter of the Community Alliance as an advertiser for two decades.<\/p>\n
With its new project, the Kennedy Club intends to continue its support of the Community Alliance newspaper and extend its support to other independent media in the Central Valley.<\/p>\n
To support the project, contact 559-435-4043 or claval@comcast.net.<\/p>\n
Condemnation of ICE Actions<\/p>\n
The Fresno May First Coalition strongly condemns the recent actions carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis. These operations are part of a broader, coordinated campaign of intimidation, detention and violence being waged against immigrant communities across the country.<\/p>\n
What we are witnessing in Minneapolis is not an isolated incident. It reflects a nationwide escalation of enforcement tactics that tear families apart, criminalize migration and instill fear in our neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
ICE continues to operate with impunity, targeting working-class communities, people of color and those already made vulnerable by unjust economic and political systems.<\/p>\n
We stand in solidarity with the communities in Minneapolis who are resisting these attacks, as well as with all the actions and mobilizations taking place across the country demanding dignity, safety, and justice for immigrants. From California to Minnesota and beyond, our struggles are interconnected and our resistance is collective.<\/p>\n
The Fresno May First Coalition calls for an immediate end to ICE raids, detentions and deportations. We demand an end to the militarization of our communities and the use of federal agencies to terrorize families. Our communities deserve resources, care and protection\u2014not surveillance, incarceration and displacement.<\/p>\n
We affirm that immigrants are essential members of our communities. No human being is illegal. We will continue to organize, mobilize and stand together until these attacks end and our communities are free from fear.<\/p>\n
End ICE\u2019s assault on our communities. End the raids. End the deportations.<\/p>\n
\u2014Fresno May First Coalition<\/p>\n
Worst Zoos for Elephants<\/p>\n
In Defense of Animals has released its 21st annual list of the \u201c10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America,\u201d exposing a deadly and exploitative baby elephant boom. Fresno Chaffee Zoo has been ranked No. 9 for its ongoing cycle of secrecy and shame.<\/p>\n
The new investigation reveals how zoo breeding programs like Fresno Chaffee\u2019s often force elephants into unnaturally early, rapid breeding and invasive reproductive procedures, leading to shortened life spans and devastating calf losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cFresno Chaffee Zoo has snatched every freedom from these wild-born elephants to create unnatural family trees,\u201d said Courtney Scott, elephant consultant for In Defense of Animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptive breeding does not save elephants in the wild; it simply restocks ticket-selling exhibits. The solution is to stop Fresno Chaffee Zoo\u2019s unethical breeding program immediately and send the elephants to a sanctuary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cZoo-bred elephants are fated to suffer from the moment they are conceived, and die at double the rate of wild babies. This industry is manufacturing babies in a bid to keep exhibits full\u2014not to save elephants,\u201d said Marilyn Kroplick, M.D., president of In Defense of Animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue conservation happens in the wild, not behind bars. The only ethical path forward for Fresno Chaffee Zoo is to end captive breeding and move its elephants to a spacious, true sanctuary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Proposed 2026\u201227 State Budget<\/p>\n
Regarding Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s proposed 2026-2027 budget, Assembly Member Esmeralda Soria (D\u2012Merced) says that \u201cthis year\u2019s budget must be strategic as we continue battling the federal administration\u2019s relentless effort to unlawfully withhold millions of federal dollars from Californians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must protect our most vulnerable communities and continue prioritizing affordability in California. This budget is a good start at accomplishing that and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soria draws particular attention to the following:<\/p>\n
$233.6 million via the Rural Health Transformation Program for workforce, infrastructure and access to care in rural communities<\/p>\n
$25.9 million for the Healthy Soils program<\/p>\n
$14 million for the Regional Farm Equipment Sharing program<\/p>\n
$25.2 million in ongoing funding for the Farm-to-School program<\/p>\n
$173 million for drinking water projects serving small or disadvantaged communities<\/p>\n
$232 million for flood control projects<\/p>\n
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