Orange Cove resident: Restaurant closures destroy a sense of community built over years | Opinion

Restaurants close, all lose

“The closures keep coming. Stores and restaurants calling it quits in Fresno, Clovis” (fresnobee.com, Oct. 5)

As someone who has lived in Fresno for their childhood but moved away, it saddens me that so many local shops are closing because of the economy.

When these stores close, the feeling of community quickly fades away. Sometimes, people have shopped at these stores for years and formed relationships with owners and employees.

We also risk losing the diversity and uniqueness of different shops when they close because it can lead larger corporations or monopolies to take over that area.

Angel Gonzalez

Orange Cove

Upscale housing not good

“SLO County supervisors should approve Dana Reserve housing development. Here’s why | Opinion” (sanluisobispo.com, June 4, 2024)

Large developments like Dana Reserve won’t solve the issue of affordability. Adding more million-dollar homes to the market doesn’t help younger Californians struggling to save for a down payment. I’ve experienced this firsthand, as home prices have skyrocketed.

Homes that once sold for $200,000 now go for $300,000 or more, making it harder for younger generations to afford a home. Even securing financing has become a major challenge, making homeownership an increasingly unattainable dream.

Additionally, cutting down 3,000 oak trees for this development is not just a minor inconvenience, it’s a significant loss for the local ecosystem. Instead of prioritizing large luxury developments, why not focus on smaller, sustainable housing projects? These could provide more affordable housing options without causing as much environmental damage or consuming as much land.

Rather than supporting massive developments, we need policies that prioritize affordable housing and smart growth. In today’s economy, owning a home has become a privilege. Let’s push for solutions that allow future generations to thrive without destroying the environment in the process.

Patrick Hernandez

Fresno

Alternatives for farmers

“California air board OKs crackdown on agricultural burning in San Joaquin Valley” (fresnobee.com, Feb. 20, 2021)

I wholeheartedly support the recent decision to phase out agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley, recognizing its significant negative impact on air quality and public health. However, I believe that simply banning this practice is not enough; we must provide practical alternatives for our farmers. Many growers currently lack the equipment and infrastructure necessary to adapt, and the economic feasibility of transitioning away from burning must be taken into account.

To facilitate this shift, the state should invest in expanding access to biomass power plants, increase funding for chipping and grinding programs and explore innovative composting methods to manage agricultural waste sustainably. This comprehensive approach will not only protect our environment but also support the livelihoods of those who feed us.

Vienna Sage

Fresno

Immigration done legally

“Wanted: Better immigration policy, more immigrants” (fresnobee.com, Oct. 5)

The border is an extremely polarizing issue and sensitive topic. However, to say that more immigration into the United States has all net upside and negligible downside is, at best, blind optimism. In the article, the increase in gross domestic product (GDP) is used as a justification for it benefiting taxpayers and seemingly not having a negative impact. This disregards GDP per capita and all the problems that arise with a larger population, especially when new immigrant workers drive down labor costs and take jobs from current citizens.

Furthermore, a decreased level of integrity required to become a citizen discredits the work done by immigrants who went through the process legally. Accepting the current overflow of illegal migrants into the United States makes coming into the country legally an ignorable nuisance. An ignorant view of the current critical state of U.S. borders could soon cause a collapse of civil order. The consequence of an unregulated border is the destruction of American values, and therefore, the immigration of people into America should be carefully considered and not taken lightly, as this article suggests.

Matthew Smith

Fresno

Too many liquor stores

“Fresno wants to shrink number of liquor stores. Here’s how city plans to do it” (fresnobee.com, Oct.15, 2020)

We are writing in reference to the Fresno City Council’s decision to grant a Conditional Use Permit while disregarding the Responsible Neighborhood Market Act (RNMA) enacted in 2020. The Responsible Neighborhood Market Act was a youth led initiative that youth worked on for nearly a decade. The goal of RNMA was to lower the amount of liquor stores, however we feel Fresno City Council is looking the other way.

Increasing the number of liquor stores in an already oversaturated city benefits the city council financially, as it aligns with the interests of developers who contribute to their reelection campaigns. All the while, ignoring the health and wellbeing of its constituents. From our perspective, more liquor stores means more crime in that area, which could create an unsafe space for young people like myself.

The council is failing to realize that we already have one liquor store for every 1,000 people, beating out the state and national average per capita. Fresno is disgustingly oversaturated with liquor stores and this makes me question what you envision for the city going forward.

Sincerely,

Julián Soto and José Moreno

McLane High School students