PG&E bills are rising fast—and in the Central Valley, the pain is especially acute.

On this episode of Fresnolandia, hosts Danielle Bergstrom and Jordan Mattox sit down with Martha Guzman, one of the most influential policy leaders to come out of the Central Valley, to unpack why energy affordability has become such a crisis—and what can realistically be done about it.

Martha brings rare, inside perspective from her decades-long career in state and federal government, including her time as a California Public Utilities Commissioner and most recently as the Biden administration’s EPA Region 9 administrator. Together, they break down how investor-owned utilities like PG&E actually set rates, why wildfire mitigation and infrastructure costs are driving historic increases, and how fragmented decision-making at the CPUC makes affordability harder to control.

The conversation zeroes in on Fresno and the Valley’s unique burdens: extreme heat, aging housing stock, lower wildfire risk but higher electricity usage, and the frustration of hosting massive solar development without seeing direct local bill relief. Martha also explores the limits—and possibilities—of tools like the climate credit, debates around utility profits, and whether public power is a realistic option for cities like Fresno.

It’s a candid, wonky, and deeply human conversation about power—who pays for it, who profits from it, and what fairness should look like in a hotter, more unequal California.

In this special episode of Fresnolandia, hosts Jordan Mattox and Danielle Bergstrom take a trip to Bakersfield with Fresno developer Reza Assemi, to sit down with Austin and Anna Smith—two of the most successful infill developers in the Central Valley—whose work is reshaping downtown Bakersfield. Together, they explore the parallel stories of revitalization in Fresno and Bakersfield, the opportunities and roadblocks facing infill projects, and the lingering challenges of codes built for suburban fringe development rather than dense urban cores. This conversation dives into what each city’s downtown could become, how visionary builders are pushing those possibilities forward, and how communities across the valley can learn from one another to create more vibrant, livable, and connected places.

In this special episode of Fresnolandia, Jordan Mattox speaks with Katherine Blunt, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of California Burning, one of the definitive works on PG&E’s failures, wildfire liabilities, and the vulnerabilities of America’s power grid. Blunt brings clear-eyed insight into how decades of underinvestment, aging infrastructure, regulatory complexity, and climate stress have collided to create California’s ongoing energy crisis.

Together, they unpack the forces that shaped PG&E’s modern identity—from its early monopoly structure to its repeated safety lapses—and discuss how these systemic issues affect communities across the state. The conversation also turns toward Fresno and the Central Valley, exploring why local ratepayers face rising bills, how grid weaknesses show up differently in inland regions, and what future reforms might actually protect residents.

Accessible, deeply informed, and directly relevant to Fresno’s present moment, this episode offers essential context for anyone trying to understand PG&E’s impact on daily life in the Central Valley and the uncertain future of energy in California.

Danielle and Jordan talk through the challenges and opportunities that is Thanksgiving. They share their civil dialogue toolkit for surviving the holiday and also what they are loving this week! 

On this week’s Fresnolandia, Jordan and Danielle dive deep into the wonky world of regional planning with Sacramento planning veteran Mike McKeever, former CEO of SACOG and longtime policy advisor to Mayor Darrell Steinberg. Using Sacramento as a point of comparison, Mike unpacks why regions sprawl, how over-entitlement of housing land can stall actual development, and why local governments so often misread real housing demand. The conversation explores Fresno’s hottest planning issue—SEDA—and what decades of Sacramento experience can teach us about urban growth boundaries, infill vs. greenfield development, the role of school districts in planning, and why political pressure, developer expectations, and outdated population projections make long-term growth so hard to get right. If you’ve ever wondered why Fresno grows the way it does—or what smarter growth could look like—this is an episode for the true planning nerds.

In this grab-bag edition of Fresnolandia, Jordan and Dani break down a fast-moving week in Fresno and the Central Valley. From Prop 50’s narrow local margin and its implications for congressional representation, to the breakthrough compromise on Measure C funding priorities, they track how shifting political dynamics may reshape local policy. They also discuss the city’s new ministerial housing approval approach, ongoing City Council procedural turmoil, and the very real consequences of the federal government shutdown for CalFresh recipients, the local food bank, and major service providers like Fresno EOC.

In this episode of Fresnolandia, Danielle and Jordan talk with Fresno City Councilmember and urban planner Annalisa Perea about how planning shapes the way she approaches municipal governance in Fresno. They discuss housing and zoning challenges, regional cooperation, the balance between growth and equity, and what smarter, denser development could look like for the city. Perea also shares her thoughts on NIMBYism, downtown revitalization, and how infrastructure—both above and below ground—defines Fresno’s path forward.

On this episode of Fresnolandia, Danielle and Jordan sit down with Fresno Bee accountability reporter Melissa Montalvo, Fresnoland’s religion, culture, and immigration reporter Giselle Medina, and immigration attorney Armida Mendoza to unpack the shifting landscape of immigration enforcement in California’s Central Valley under the Trump administration. The conversation explores new ICE and Border Patrol tactics—from courthouse arrests to detentions at immigration appointments—and the chilling effects on local families. Together, they examine the human consequences of policy changes, the role of misinformation and notaries in immigrant communities, and how advocates are organizing for “power, not panic.” 

In this episode of Fresnolandia, Danielle and Jordan sit down with journalist Doug Hoagland of The Monroe Review to unpack the growing tensions around Measure P, Fresno’s parks and arts tax. They revisit the measure’s origins as a campaign for park equity, the controversial inclusion of arts funding, and the ongoing struggles over transparency, bias, and equity in how grant money is distributed. From the battles over public meetings and recordings to broader questions about who benefits from public arts funding, the conversation lays bare the complexities of civic trust, process, and power in Fresno’s cultural life.

Disclosure: Jordan is a member of the board of the Fresno Philharmonic, a recipient of Measure P Funds. 

On this episode of Fresnolandia, hosts Danielle and Jordan speak with Fresnoland's environmental reporter Gregory Weaver about his new story on the Garnet Fire, which scorched over 65,000 acres in the Sierra National Forest. They uncover how bureaucratic delays and inaction by the U.S. Forest Service may have doomed one of California’s most important old-growth research areas—the Teakettle Experimental Forest—despite years of preparation, funding, and scientific consensus. The conversation traces the tangled history of prescribed burns, the decline of the Forest Service’s capacity, and California’s environmental future.