Newsom Signs Bill Mandating the Removal of the Word “Squaw” Forever
Valley Well Positioned to Accelerate Its Steady Clean Air Transformation
Fresno Delegation Headed to Armenia on Medical Relief Mission
Community’s Long History of Investing in This Region
Enviros Dismayed After Gov. Newsom Vetoes Arambula’s Air Bill
Newsom Signs Bill Mandating the Removal of the Word “Squaw” Forever
Be Informed Before You Vote With Nonpartisan CalMatters Guide
Burial, Cremation, or Human Composting? Californians Can Now Decide
California Attorney General Takes Over LA Political Corruption Probe
Blind Dog Freed from Hole by Rescuers at SoCal Construction Site
Court Deals Heavy Blow to Trump in Mar-a-Lago Records Probe
Navy Bribery Fugitive ‘Fat Leonard’ Nabbed in Venezuela
Bezos Rocket Crashes With No One on Board
Americans Pay Tribute to Victims of 9/11 Terror Attacks
Elected Officials, Police Chiefs on Leaked Oath Keepers List
Palestine’s Abbas Says Hope of Peace With Israel Is ‘Waning’
Russian Men Join Exodus, Fearing Call-up to Fight in Ukraine
Iranians Protesting Woman’s Death Chant ‘Death to the Dictator!’
Security Council Must Tell Russia to Stop Nuke Threats: Blinken
Missile Strikes Continue in Ukraine Despite Prisoner Swap
Unlike LA, Schools in Clovis, Fresno Already Have Fentanyl Antidote on Hand
State Ed Delays Test Score Release. Fresno Reports Lower Scores.
Clovis Bootcamps Prepare Area Students for Tough Medical School Exam
Bullard Response to Shooter Hoax Highlights Communication Flaws, Parent Says
Active Shooter Hoax Hits Bullard High. Will It Affect Cellphone Ban?
Valley Well Positioned to Accelerate Its Steady Clean Air Transformation
Zakaria: Putin Has Just Made the World a Far More Dangerous Place
Dems’ Criticism of DA Smittcamp Is Straight From Trump Playbook
COVID-19 School Closures Undermined Learning
Caballero Urges Stronger ‘Buy American’ Policy on the State, Local Level
Dodger Great Maury Wills, Who Revived the Art of the Stolen Base, Dies at 89
Judge Is Two Home Runs Shy of Setting Baseball’s ‘Real’ Season Record
Spending Over California’s Legal Gambling Initiatives Breaks Records
Bulldogs Squander Opportunities in Last-Play Loss to Oregon State
‘Serving’ Time: California Prison Inmates Find Community Through Tennis
UNFILTERED – DeSantis’ Treatment of Immigrants, Elections Update, Fresno County Redistricting
UNFILTERED – Keeping Them Honest In The Valley
UNFILTERED – Bullard High, McCarthy Visit, Downtown Development & Restaurant Robots!
UNFILTERED – Fresno Area High School Gives Students A Choice On Cellphones
UNFILTERED – Cellphone Ban, TJ Cox, Fresno State Sales Tax, Save Mart, Bulldog Football, Injection Sites Veto
Like many Valley cities, Clovis began as a farming and railroad town.
Then Doc Buchanan showed up with his visionary ideas about public education, and the city blossomed into a prosperous suburb.
Once the butt of jokes told by Fresno residents, Clovis became the dream destination for many.
In fact, Clovis grew tenfold to more than 50,000 people while Buchanan led the school district from 1960 to 1991.
Clovis today is a full-fledged city with a population nearing 125,000 that’s considered one of California’s most desirable places. Rarely satisfied, city leaders now are on the cusp of turning Clovis into a regional economic powerhouse focused on healthcare, medical education, medical manufacturing, and technology.
This vision actually began more than two decades ago because city leaders wanted Clovis to be more than a bedroom community.
“The biggest part of our strategy is growing a regional employment base — a jobs generator,” said Andy Haussler, community and economic development director for Clovis. “We can do that because we are set up to accept growth.”
Related Story: Clovis Hospital Expansion Is Exactly What the Doctor Ordered and the Valley ...
That’s not the case in Fresno, where growth often is considered a dirty word. And, unfortunately for Fresno, growth — just like water — flows on the path of least resistance (and best infrastructure.)
Growth has its downsides, including dealing with increased air pollution and the challenge of paying for more police officers and firefighters. But, as Clovis leaders see it, the trade-offs are worth it.
The anchors of the city’s healthcare and medical education strategy are Clovis Community Medical Center, which is nearing the completion of a $430 million expansion, and the California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
(Disclosure: GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi and other family members founded and own California Health Sciences University.)
Clovis Sierra Gateway District Map (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
“Getting the medical school was huge for us,” said Haussler, who predicted that the university will attract medical offices and doctors groups in a hub along Highway 168 that the city calls the Sierra Gateway District.
In addition, the Veterans Administration has bought a 9-acre parcel on the northeast corner of Herndon and Armstrong avenues that could be home to a satellite VA clinic.
“Put that together and the flywheel is going,” said Haussler. “We’re doing research right now on medical manufacturing, medical service providers, tech firm services, and marketing for those. We are creating the base for economic growth for Clovis and the region for the next 20 years.
“Healthcare delivers high-quality jobs for our residents and the whole county. You’ll see many people moving here — nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists.”
Community Health Systems, of course, has a massive presence in downtown Fresno with Community Regional Medical Center. Downtown also is home to UCSF-Fresno’s stellar medical education and research programs. Downtown Fresno could have been home to CHSU and its medical school, too. But City Hall at that time gave the Assemis the cold shoulder, which sent them to Clovis.
The point here is that Clovis has a strategy for attracting investment and elevating its already high quality of life. For decades, that strategy centered on good schools and low crime. Now it has added the pursuit of everything related to medicine and healthcare.
GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to rreed@gvwire.com for consideration.
A First Look at Clovis Community’s New High-Tech Hospital Lobby
City Asked to Reimburse $1.4 Million Granite Park Loan After Default
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email