Fresno

After nearly 14 years of protests, dozens of meetings with various officials, extensive research and lots of prayer, hundreds of concerned citizens and dedicated families finally convinced the Fresno City Council to pass breakthrough legislation that will begin to hold slumlords accountable for their unhealthy and dangerous properties. This historic vote to approve the Rental Housing Improvement Act happened in February. It’s now time for the vote to turn into action.

Faith in the Valley, a grassroots organization that represents around 120 congregations in the central San Joaquin Valley said the city declined to meet with the group so organizers could get an update on the plan. The organization wants to help and is concerned about tenant education. “We can’t wait for it to begin, we have to let folks know this is coming,” said community organizer Lety Valencia.

Tension is building in many Valley communities over deportation fears. In Selma, families are calling on the police department to improve its immigration policy. St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a place of refuge where families gathered on Friday to voice and ease their concerns about deportation.

In 2016, we asked over 1,000 Fresnans of all backgrounds what issues they wanted to see prioritized by their next Mayor. We brought over 600 people together in April 2016 to hear from the candidates what they would do on…