Omar S. Rashad عمر

Perfectly put by @femmfeministe.bsky.social and @mayaschenwar.bsky.social:

prismreports.org/2025/11/19/p...

Federal judge grants Fresno temporary win in lawsuit over federal funding A federal judge in San Francisco granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from taking federal funding away from the City of Fresno and several other agencies.

Here's my latest from yesterday evening, about a federal judge temporarily blocking the Trump administration from taking federal funding away from local governments, including the City of Fresno and Sacramento County.

For @fresnoland.bsky.social:
fresnoland.org/2025/08/26/f...

Turns out the PAC was funded by a company with the same business address as three companies run by Alex Tavlian, a well-known Fresno-area political consultant who is also the treasurer of the Fresno Future Forward PAC.

A mysterious company funded Fresno’s most recent political controversy Fresno Future Forward, the political action committee responsible for sending out a disparaging mailer during a March special election, revealed its

I got my hands on an unredacted copy of the latest political disclosure filing from Fresno Future Forward, a newly formed PAC that spent thousands on disparaging mailers during a March city council special election.

My latest for @fresnoland.bsky.social below:
fresnoland.org/2025/08/07/f...

‘The very essence of dark money:’ Could Fresno voters be misled again? Experts think so

It took a month after an election to find out who was behind disparaging and misleading mailers designed to sway southeast Fresno voters. Leading up to the March 18 special election for southeast Fresno’s…

Fresno election mailers raise questions about dark money in local races It took a month after an election to find out who was behind disparaging and misleading mailers designed to sway southeast Fresno voters.  Leading up

Many long nights over the last couple months were spent working on this: I looked into misleading mailers, dark money and an Orange County company called FrontPoint Partners, LLC attempting to influence Fresno's elections.

My latest for @fresnoland.bsky.social:
fresnoland.org/2025/07/21/d...

Two Fresno homeless shelters will close by end of year, sparking uncertainty across the city Jason Throop has been homeless for over a year now. The Fresno native said he waited for about four months to get a spot at the Journey Home homeless shelter on Parkway Drive before finally landing a spot on Thursday.  The problem? The shelter he moved into has just announced it will close at the end of the year. The Fresno Housing Authority on Wednesday…

Two Fresno homeless shelters will close by end of year, sparking uncertainty across the city

Jason Throop has been homeless for over a year now. The Fresno native said he waited for about four months to get a spot at the Journey Home homeless shelter on Parkway Drive before finally landing a spot…

NY Times cited 29 times to justify decision limiting trans healthcare Meanwhile, other mainstream media newsrooms treated the U.S. v. Skrmetti case as an opportunity to center coverage around the expected result.

twenty-nine (29!!!) nyt stories were cited to support the state in the u.s. v skrmetti decision (h/t @assignedmedia.org for reporting for @objectivejournos.bsky.social) to further limit access to trans healthcare. just horrid horrid stuff objectivejournalism.org/2025/06/new-...

not to mention they don't even log it as a correction or update,, where is the transparency with readers 😭😭

the folks at the nyt are genuinely so trigger happy 😭 not to mention the article doesn't grapple with what this actually means or its significance,, aka a nutgraf!

because the implication is that he co-opts Blackness! but as the article states, he doesn't actually do that? big sigh

media stories are boring, Ivy League admissions stories are even more boring, so I’ll leave it to others to determine whether Zohran allegedly gaming Columbia’s admissions is a bigger deal than NYT attributing a prolific scientific racist as an “opponent of affirmative action”

Cremieux’s real name is Jordan Lasker. I put his name in the newspaper. He’s a scientific racist www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I just want to tell you guys, bc the nyt won't, that kurtas CAN have collars... talk about cultural competency!

There are only seven counties in California with a majority of residents enrolled in Medicaid.

FIVE of them are in California's San Joaquin Valley.

This is easily one of the most concerning data visualizations I've made in my career so far.

Why Fresno County could hurt more from potential Medicaid cuts There’s no doubt amongst experts that Medicaid cuts would impact California greatly. But for Fresno County, the impacts could be dire.

Trump is expected to sign the new congressional spending bill tomorrow, part of which cuts Medicaid funding.

Here's a deep dive I wrote a few months ago exploring how that could drastically impact California's Central Valley:
fresnoland.org/2025/03/11/m...

Federal agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium parking lot: Here is what really happened A resident captured pictures of vans with the same license plates at Home Depot ICE raids and Dodger Stadium, conflicting with DSH social media posts.

Anyone else notice that in this photo, the CBP agent on the right appears to be wearing a keffiyeh??
www.latimes.com/california/s...

No ICE raids at Cherry Avenue Auction in Fresno despite warning ICE did not raid the Cherry Avenue Auction in Fresno on Saturday, days after Councilmember Miguel Arias urged people to avoid the swap meet.

Just want to note that you don't need a personal connection to these communities to get a sense of the real impact ICE presence is having on people's daily lives.

The simple mention of potential ICE presence made a popular market in Fresno County empty last weekend.
fresnoland.org/2025/06/14/c...

Immigration attorneys critical of ISAP detentions in Fresno Immigration attorneys are questioning what they say are escalating tactics from ICE with increasing ISAP detentions in Fresno, elsewhere.

Just on Sunday in downtown Fresno, I witnessed what appeared to be plainclothes federal authorities in masks and sunglasses taking two men into the back of a Ford Explorer outside an ICE contractor's office.

This is creating a lot of chaos for community members.
fresnoland.org/2025/06/15/i...

ICE raids leave people 'scared to leave the house' in South Bay town Immigration enforcement raids in the city of Hawthorne have sparked outrage, fear and anxiety in a town that is half Latino.

Most of my childhood was spent in Hawthorne, south of Los Angeles. I used to order pupusas at the restaurant, go to the bank, do groceries near 120th and Hawthorne.

Hard to come up with words after learning a couple was separated by ICE right there.
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Journalists Attest to Experiences of Sexual Misconduct with Wesley Lowery Lowery rose to prominence as a reporter and media thinker. Women in the industry say he engaged in sexual harassment and assault.

Some of y’all noticed I’ve been uncharacteristically offline. This is why, and I remain on leave for a few weeks to handle a PTSD relapse. CJR was dogged in its pursuit of my story. Because of what I do and who I am, I felt that I had to answer their questions honestly.

www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...

Managers need to realize it is NEVER worth it to keep an abuser or a predator. It chases away more talent than you know. There is nobody so valuable that you have to put up with this kind of behavior and anyone who hid it who had power to stop it should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

FPPC launches investigation into Fresno political group Fresno Future Forward, the political action committee behind a controversial election mailer, is under investigation by the FPPC.

The FPPC is investigating dark money PAC Fresno Future Forward for “potential violations of the campaign disclosure provisions of the Political Reform Act.”

in @fresnoland.bsky.social: fresnoland.org/2025/05/13/f...

Mayor Jerry Dyer on pursuing a mega-development in southeast Fresno:

fresnoland.org/2025/04/25/s...

Thanks for sharing, Alma!!

Why Fresno County could hurt more from potential Medicaid cuts There’s no doubt amongst experts that Medicaid cuts would impact California greatly. But for Fresno County, the impacts could be dire.

The Central Valley has the highest number of Medi-Cal enrollees. In Merced, 52% of county residents receive benefits.

Why Fresno County could hurt more from Medicaid cuts than most of the country by @omarsrashad.bsky.social fresnoland.org/2025/03/11/m...

Apr. 25: How A Little Known Tool Has Major Implications For Your Homeowners’ Insurance Policy We speak with reporters Susie Neilson and Megan Fan Munce about their new investigation into a system known as “360 Value.” Their reporting uncovers how major insurance companies rely on the program’s...

Really enjoyed speaking with Elizabeth Arakelian at @kvprnews.bsky.social about @meganmunce.bsky.social's and my investigation into the algorithms driving widespread underinsurance among California wildfire survivors. Listen here: www.kvpr.org/podcast/cent...

Fresno to crack down on smoke shops following narrow vote City leaders moved forward with cracking down on Fresno smoke shops after a somewhat tense Thursday debate.

Now that Bluesky is back up: The Fresno City Council moved forward with a policy to crack down on smoke shops.

Fresno has over 144 smoke shops. This policy aims to reduce that number to a max of 49.

Breaking story below:
fresnoland.org/2025/04/24/s...

At least 33 Fresno smoke shops could close if this policy gets OK'd If a proposal to define smoke shops in Fresno’s city code — and also regulate them — is approved, dozens of Fresno stores could close.

If four Fresno councilmembers approve a proposal to regulate smoke shops, dozens of them will have to either close down or change the nature of their business by 2026.

Here's my preview on what's at stake this Thursday for @fresnoland.bsky.social:
fresnoland.org/2025/04/22/s...

Two Hands' trial in Fresno thrown out by judge Two Hands trial in Fresno was thrown out this week after a judge ruled that the Fresno City Attorney's Office violated his speed trial rights.

The city subpoenaed my colleague as part of its attempt to prosecute an unhoused 77 year old man for allegedly violating Fresno's anti-camping law.

Read more in @fresnoland.bsky.social:
fresnoland.org/2025/04/10/t...