In this episode of Fresnolandia, hosts Jordan and Dani sit down with Fresno City College history professor Paul Gilmore to uncover a fascinating but often overlooked chapter in the city’s past: Fresno’s Free Speech Fight.

You may have walked past the small plaque at Mariposa Plaza—on the corner of Fulton and Mariposa—without realizing its deeper significance. This plaza marks the site of an early 20th-century struggle for civil liberties that still resonates today. Paul recently gave a public talk at Tioga-Sequoia about this historic moment, and we’re excited to bring that conversation to our listeners.

In this episode of Fresnolandia, Dani and Jordan are joined by Christine Barker, the Executive Director of FIRM, to discuss refugee resettlement pipeline and the ways that Trump Administration is attempting to hault the process.

In this episode of Fresnolandia, we sit down with Laura Gromis, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council of Central California and a member of Fresno’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee, to talk about the city’s efforts to make streets safer for people who walk and bike.

At the center of the conversation is Fresno’s Vision Zero initiative—a new strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. We explore what’s driving this policy push and what it means for neighborhoods across Fresno.

A recent report from Smart Growth America ranked Fresno as the 7th most dangerous metro area in the nation for pedestrians, with 196 pedestrian deaths in Fresno County between 2018 and 2022. That puts Fresno in troubling company among Sunbelt cities where car-centric design often leaves walkers and bikers behind. So what’s being done—and will it work?

In this special encore, we revisit our award-winning episode, "Homelessness is a Housing Problem," recently honored by the California Journalism Awards. We were joined Clayton Alder, co-author of the influential book of the same title, Fresno affordable housing developer Jessica Berzac, and Fresno City Council member Miguel Arias as they delve deep into the roots of homelessness in Fresno. Together, they explore practical solutions, housing policy insights, and critical next steps to address and resolve this pressing issue.

We're thrilled to share this recognition with our listeners and look forward to continuing these essential conversations about the challenges and solutions that shape Fresno. Thank you for your support, and enjoy this encore presentation of an episode that sparked meaningful debate and insight.

On this week's Fresnolandia, Dani and Jordan discuss a busy week in Fresno including the mayor's proposed 2.3 billion dollar budget for the city, a dramatic and brief meeting at the Fresno Planning Commission about the future of SEDA, challenges hiring locals for construction jobs per the city's project labor agreements, and some drama after an incident at prom at Clovis North High School. Finally, Dani and Jordan share what they are loving this week. 

On today's episode of Fresnolandia, Misty Her, the new superintendent of Fresno Unified, joins Dani and Jordan to discuss her goals for the district, how she plans to address attendance and truancy, community school programs, and much more. Dani and Jordan also discuss some headlines including the early talks around the new budget, a Community Health System legal settlement, and the new modular housing project. 

On today's Fresnolanida, Dani and Jordan are joined by Keith Bergthold, CEO of Regenerate California Innovation and CEO of Better Blackstone CDC, to discuss the history, challenges, and future of Southeast Development Area (SEDA). 

On today's episode of Fresnolandia, Dani and Jordan are joined by Andrew Janz, Fresno's City Attorney, to discuss the expansion of the powers of the office during his tenure, his vision for the role, ethics and campaign finance, code enforcement, and more. They conclude the episode discussing what they are loving this week. 

On today's episode of Fresnolandia, Dani and Jordan are joined by Eric Payne, Lynisha Senegal, and Keshia Thomas to discuss the state of DEI programs in Fresno. 

Dani and Jordan also discuss some headlines including Porchfest, the High Speed Rail Conference, CEMEX, and rezoning in Southwest Fresno. 

They conclude the podcast by sharing what they are eaching loving this week. 

In this episode of Fresnolandia, Dani and Jordan welcome Nick Richardson to the show, the new city council member representing district six to discuss his win, pressing issues in his district, and more. 

Dani and Jordan also discuss some headlines including the conclusion of the D5 city council race, traffic issues with a Muslim school expansion in Clovis, a demolition in Chinatown, and a rumored change to Christmas Tree Lane walking nights. 

Finally, Dani, Jordan, and Nick share what they are loving this week. 

Fresnolandia will be taking a brief break in programming for the next few weeks and will return on April 29th. 

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