Tag Archives: Advocates

California Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended most evictions in April. But now state lawmakers are debating whether to lift the moratorium, leaving renters who have lost their jobs to the pandemic facing an uncertain future. To learn about how this could impact the affordable housing market, and homelessness, Valley Edition host …

Last week, over 200 people inside a Bakersfield Detention Center participated in a hunger strike, according to advocates. Now ICE is threatening to suspend detainee privileges and it’s had a chilling effect on some of the strikers. Pablo Ramirez has been detained in Mesa Verde for six months. He joined …

On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom placed an executive order restricting water shutoffs retroactively from March 4th. That’s good news, community advocates say, but it doesn’t help those whose water was already shut off. Jonathan Nelson is the Policy Director for the Community Water Center. He says Newsom’s order will help …

Last week we brought you a story about high schoolers in Merced asking for a mental health class, and getting one. This week, moderator Kathleen Schock digs deeper into youth and mental illness with Christina Valdez-Roup, executive director of the Fresno National Alliance on Mental Illness, and teacher Abraham Perez …

In Fresno County, around 10 percent of all babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation. That’s higher than the national average, and among the highest of all California counties. For African-Americans, the numbers are even more concerning: From 2013 to 2015, black babies were 63 percent more likely to …

You know how newer cars are rated to drive a certain number of miles per gallon of fuel? That number is regulated by the federal government. Since 1978, the U.S. has required that cars achieve steadily better fuel economy. Earlier this year, however, the Trump Administration announced a new rule …

About a quarter of the nation’s homeless population live in California with most of them concentrated in the state’s larger cities, including Fresno. Governor Brown has responded in his latest budget by including $ 500 million in grants for cities to address homelessness. Fresno Mayor Lee Brand went to Sacramento …

The first sign of trouble on Illinois’ only national scenic river is when thick stands of sycamore, red bud and oak suddenly give way to a barren, rocky bank stained … Click to Continue »

Dos Palos student Ace Mejia Sanchez doesn’t know where the drinking fountains are located at her school. Why would she? Nobody uses them. The 17-year-old said she’s been taught all … Click to Continue »

Local advocates are calling on elected officials, law enforcement and allies in Merced County to unite against the recent deportation efforts happening in Atwater and surrounding areas. Five men in … Click to Continue »

Local advocates gathered in Atwater on Tuesday Feb. 27, 2018 for a rally in light of the recent people who were picked up by ICE agents in Atwater. They were calling for unity and support from elected officials and local law enforcement to stop deportation efforts in Merced County. mvelez@mercedsun-star.com …

A handful of people were picked up by immigration agents in Atwater during the weekend, according to advocates and a witness. The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known … Click to Continue »

Even as valley fever cases are sharply increasing in Central California, Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed legislation that would have created programs to inform the public about the little-known respiratory disease. AB 1279, authored by Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, initially promised $ 2 million in funding for valley fever awareness. It …