Fresnolandia

In this special year-end recap episode of Fresnolandia, Jordan and Dani discuss the year in local news coverage.  Together, they unpack the most impactful stories of the year, starting with Fresnoland’s sustained coverage of the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) plan and how reporting on infrastructure costs and fiscal shortfalls helped shift public understanding of suburban growth. They also examine the CEMEX mining proposal along the San Joaquin River. The conversation moves beyond headline stories to explore underreported issues like campaign ethics, dark money in local elections, and the fragility of civic institutions in Fresno. Dani reflects on what it means to run a newsroom with limited resources, how editorial choices are shaped by staffing realities, and why some stories demand sustained focus even in the face of backlash. The episode also looks ahead: upcoming city council and school board elections, potential school closures, ICE enforcement fears, and what attentive residents should be watching in the year to come. 

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!