It's not exactly Slow Food Nation, but something interesting is happening on some Valley farms. Small farmers are getting attention from a lot of different directions, now including farm machinery manufacturers and dealers. Here's Dennis Pollock's story from earlier this week, and our editorial today.
There's a lot of potential on Valley farms that hasn't been tapped yet. More and more people are trying to find produce that's grown close to their homes. It's fresher, healthier, tastier and usually cheaper. That's a hard combination to beat.
Others are concerned about the environmental impacts of our food distribution system. One-fifth of the fuel burned in American vehicles is consumed to transport food. Most of that fuel is diesel, and that's the single biggest problem with our air here in the Valley.
Farmers' markets are growing in popularity, as they should. And farmers are learning how to be even more efficient with water and other resources, and about reducing the impact of their operations on our air quality. We all win.
A visitor to The Bee's editorial board recently keeps a list like this for his own amusement to catalog legislative oversights. I would add the Hubbard Act to that list. Read our editorial advocating its passage by clicking here.
Can you believe there's not a law protecting the salaries and benefits of 'sole survivors' serving in the military? There is not, and if it hadn't been for local people fighting on behalf of Jason Hubbard, he would have been slapped with penalties for leaving the military six months early because two of his brothers were killed in the service of our country.
Fortunately, the Congress sees the negligence in such a policy and the House has moved forward with overwhelming support to correct that injustice. The Senate now must vote and then President Bush needs to sign off. Of course, they should do that as soon as possible.
McClatchy Tribune photo: Jason Hubbard poses with photos of his brother Nathan, while introducing the Hubbard Act of 2008.
Council members stick it to Autry -- don't even have a quorum for police auditor proposal
The divorce between Mayor Alan Autry and the Fresno City Council was completed Wednesday when the council didn't even show the mayor enough respect to vote on his police auditor proposal. It's one thing to vote a proposal down, it's quite another not to have enough members show up to even vote.
I can't remember a mayor being treated so poorly -- even Jim Patterson, who had daily battles with the council. At least they heard him out before disagreeing with him on policy matters.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the council didn't produce a quorum, leaving a seething Autry standing at the altar, so to speak. Autry wanted the council to put his police auditor proposal on the November ballot. The council blew him off.
There's no doubt that Autry is a lame duck because of term limits, and his status was confirmed Wednesday by an absentee council led by Jerry Duncan and Mike Dages. But the council members could have at least shown up to vote on his proposal. They were miffed that he brought the proposal back after they had repeatedly voted it down. They wanted to show him up, but they only revealed their character.
By the way, Bee reporter Denny Boyles said the mayor was angry at me because The Bee editorial board opposed putting the auditor issue on the ballot. We have long supported establishing a police auditor, but editorial board members thought that this proposal by the mayor was a last-minute desperation move.
He didn't like today's editorial, and this is what the mayor said at the podium at what had become a council committee meeting:
"The local newspapers didn't help. They have supported the independent police auditor all along, but when it came time for a show of courage, Jim Boren ran like a scared dog. I've never seen an individual so fearful of the people that has the power of the pen. He's obviously influenced two council members."
Here's today's editorial on the reasons we did not go along with the mayor on putting the issue on the ballot.
Feinstein can have the Demo nomination for governor if she wants it
California Treasurer Bill Lockyer doesn't think that Attorney General Jerry Brown or San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom would have a chance for governor if U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein decides to run for the job in 2010.
Lockyer told the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Bureau this morning that Feinstein would clear the Democratic field because of her immense popularity in the state.
"She beats everybody," Lockyer is quoted as saying in The Sac Bee report.
Lockyer has toyed with running for the Demo nomination for governor, but said he probably will run for re-election as treasurer in two years. "Turns out being treasurer is a lot of fun," he told The Bee.
Mayoral candidates Perea and Swearengin on opposites of the police auditor debate
Fresno Mayor Alan Autry will ask the City Council today to put the independent police auditor question before the voters in November. Council members have already rejected the auditor idea and there's no reason to believe they will vote today to put it on the ballot to let the public decide.
This issue has split the two candidates for mayor. Henry T. Perea opposes the auditor, while Ashley Swearengin supports creating the post. She even issued a press release urging the council to put the issue on the ballot.
That could have an impact on the mayor's race in November. If it were on that ballot, Swearengin would be running for mayor at the same time that the police auditor question is being decided by voters. That would give the issue a very high profile.
Perea, of course, would be running for mayor while opposing the police auditor, and he may be looking at a political calculation. Maybe he will vote to put it on the ballot today, just to try to put his opponent in a political box. Perea already has police union support and the Fresno Police Officers Association will be running an aggressive campaign against the auditor post if it is on the November ballot. That could help Perea.
Autry, who is leaning toward supporting Swearengin for mayor, thinks voters will back the auditor, and believes a candidate supporting creation of the post will gain votes because of it. Autry has a poll that says 59% of the public supports Fresno having an independent police auditor.
So the City Council vote this afternoon on putting it on the ballot may not be that simple after all.
The Bee's editorial board supports creation of an independent police auditor, but believes Autry has waited too long to try to put it on the ballot. You can read our reasons by clicking here.
The governor's dramatic tactic to pressure the Legislature into passing a budget is making him look like he's picking on innocent people instead of slamming the incompetent lawmakers who aren't doing their jobs. Here's a good way to say it, courtesy of the talented pen of Rex Babin, cartoonist for the Sacramento Bee.
John McCain's campaign has launched a new ad attacking Barack Obama -- by linking the Democratic candidate to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It's a hoot.
It's also risky for McCain. Pointing out the unprecedented buzz about Obama as a way of bringing him down is a tactic that could backfire. McCain seems to be betting that people will vote for the staid status quo out of fear of the unknown. It might work, but it could also drive people to Obama in a time when the vast majority of Americans are unhappy with the status quo.
Check out the new video from Fresno County's young voters
We wrote an editorial a couple of weeks ago about a Fresno County effort to reach out to young voters and interest them in voting this year. Well, the young people engaged in this effort are wasting no time in starting their work.
The kNOw, a group of young journalists, has already produced a video to air on Channel 24. I think it's a good start, so pass it on to all young voters in your household. Just click here. Sam Norman of The Rios Company will says the first youth workshop will be held Aug. 4 from 4-6 p.m. at the Economic Opportunities Commission conference room.
By the way, are you registered to vote? It's easy! You can fill out the form online. Just click here. The deadline is Oct. 20.
For a few minutes, Twitter more informative than LA Times Web site
We got a breaking news bulletin a little while ago about about a strong earthquake in the Los Angeles area. My first instinct was to check the Los Angeles Times Web site to get more detailed info quickly, but it seems maybe the earthquake knocked them off line. My second route? Twitter, the social-networking, micro-blogging site that allows users to send updates (known as tweets) of up to 140 characters in length.
There, people were talking about the quake and others, farther away, were hoping everyone in California was OK.
Budget "wackenomics" in Sacramento can be "easily fixed"
Steve Natoli, a history teacher at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, is not amused by what I call the budget "wackenomics" being practiced in Sacramento right now. Well, who is? None of us! When Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines of Clovis was in for an editorial board meeting last Friday, I asked him directly if the legislators were at all ashamed or embarrassed at the late budget. He admitted that they were. So, what we have here is conscious incompetence, which I consider to be far worse than unconscious incompetence. If you don't know what you're doing is wrong, there is some hope for you once your realize what's happening. When you intentionally do wrong, it's sinister.
I fished around a little bit, asking him what was really behind the budget paralysis -- a lack of training, perhaps, for these complex and potentially calamitous problems regular citizens just don't appreciate, something that would stump Nobel Prize winners?
He was blunt. It's simply "political will," he said. Um, OK, isn't that just another way of saying both sides are too bullheaded to compromise? Chilling, considering what's at stake. Meanwhile, the governor thinks he's directing a horror film, playing with people's mental health by threatening their families' financial security. Governor, this is not a suspense movie for real people. We cannot just walk out if we get scared.
Steve's got some strong opinions about fixing this mess -- redistricting, for one, which we at The Bee have long supported. Redistricting would fix that annoying and corrupt system in California where the political parties draw the districts in such a convoluted way that it's almost impossible for their candidates to lose. If we fixed that scheme, the lawmakers would actually have to fear voter rage in the next election and perhaps be enticed to do their jobs on time. Wouldn't that be refreshing? What do you think?
Here's an excerpt from Steve's e-mail:
Once again the state of California is without a budget, this time weeks past its constitutionally mandated June 30 deadline. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who came to power vowing to "clean up the mess in Sacramento" and "fix the crazy budget" is once again resorting to gimmicks and stunts rather than addressing the chronic root of the problem. And it could all be fixed so easily.
. . . You may be wondering why the Legislature doesn't just pass a budget and see if the governor will veto it. If so, then they could negotiate some compromises. The reason is because of problems in the state constitution and with redistricting. Constitutionally, California is one of the few states to require a 2/3 vote to pass a budget. There are 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly, and 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the Senate. It takes 54 votes to pass a budget in the Assembly and 27 in the Senate, so the Democrats need 6 Republicans to cross over in the Assembly and 2 in the Senate. Thus far none will. 60% support in both houses is not enough. One-third plus one can thwart the will of the heavy majority.
And of course, the reason no one on either side will budge is because all the districts in the Senate and all except one in the Assembly have been intentionally designed as safe seats for one party or the other. With only strong Democratic or Republican majorities to please in their constituencies no one is being pressured to compromise. Instead, all are rewarded politically for digging in their heels and being as stubbornly partisan as possible.
Two reforms are needed to break this impasse. The first is to allow the passage of a budget by simple majority, as practically every other state already does without calamity. There needs to be a new Proposition submitted to the voters to do this. The second is for the voters to pass Proposition 11 on this November's ballot, which would put redistricting into the hands of an independent commission rather than leaving it up to the legislators themselves. With these two reforms, the majority elected by the people could get its way and pass a budget. That is how a democracy is supposed to work. And with the districts more fairly and evenly drawn, that majority would be accountable. If the budget turned out to be a mess there would be a true opportunity for the people to give the other party the majority in the next election.
The annual budget charade and circus in California becomes increasingly tiresome, not to mention costly. These institutional changes would resolve the underlying dynamics that make the logjam all but inevitable every year. Perhaps this November will finally mark the beginning of solving the mess.
So now Mayor Autry isn't talking so tough about not paying his income taxes
Fresno Mayor Alan Autry, who last week said he would go to jail unless San Joaquin Valley agriculture gets more water, now says his protest may not be that dramatic. Instead of refusing to pay his income taxes, he might now just take a tax deduction for making a contribution to communities that have a lot of farmworkers who are suffering because of the drought.
So Bad Bubba has now become Please-Don't-Put-Me-In-Jail Bubba.
This is what Autry told Bee reporter John Ellis about his protest:
Autry said he wanted to clarify his income tax position. Autry says it is too late for this year's taxes for him, but next year he intends to either withhold his income tax and -- this was the point he wanted to make -- donate that money to west side towns that need it such as Tranquillity, Mendota, Firebaugh, Five Points, etc. OR, he said, he might donate the money and then seek a deduction on his income taxes. "Whichever one works the best and gets the most help to people," he said.
It seems he is talking more of state than federal taxes, because he kept railing on Sacramento. He said tax money "all goes to the state to keep the water from us." He then dubbed withholding the tax money or donating it the "Sacramento Insanity Deduction."
Is this the line for the politics and pickles pavilion?
If you haven't made plans for Labor Day, and you're into pickles, pistachios, polenta and politics, consider a road trip to one gigantic gastronomic party for about 50,000 folks planned for San Francisco. It's being billed as the largest celebration of food in history. They're calling it the Woodstock of food, a "profound event where a broad band of people will see that delicious, sustainably produced food can be a prism for social, ecological and political change."
Wow. Sign me up for the knife and fork revolution. Sitting in the middle of Ground Zero of food production, this party hits us, literally, where we live.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Slow Food Nation, held at both the Civic Center and Fort Mason, will include lectures, workshops, cooking demonstrations, tastings, films, concerts, hikes, a farmers' market and a "Slow on the Go" food court. Some of the programs are free; others require tickets that range in price from $5 to $65 (slowfoodnation.org) to help offset the $2 million cost. The mayor has already let them rip out the grass in front of city hall to plant a garden. Fifteen architects have been signed up to build pavilions around the city.
This is not your ordinary wine and cheese tasting. The opening panel discussion, for example, on the World Food Crisis is already sold out, but here are a couple of other panels listed:
* Building a new food system -- policy and planning: Urban planning, food policy, health and education initiatives - government policy at all levels can contribute to food systems that support the whole community. Learn from leaders in the field as they explore the first steps that governments -- from municipal to state and beyond -- can take to support and build a sustainable food system.
Featuring: AG Kawamura, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, NYU; and Andrew Kimbrell, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety.
Moderated by Timothy LaSalle, Executive Director of the Rodale Institute.
*EDIBLE EDUCATION: "In a nation where far too many people harm their health and the environment by eating poorly, public school lunch presents an enormous opportunity: right there, in the middle of the every child's school day, driven by his own hunger and his own taste, lies all this time and energy set aside and devoted to food."* This panel will discuss the potential and challenges of creating a national policy around Edible Education - a means of educating all children about stewardship, sustainability and the connections between food, health and the environment.
Presented by Alice Waters, founder of Slow Food Nation, international vice president of Slow Food, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant and founder and president of the Chez Panisse Foundation and featuring Dr. Tony Recasner head of Green Charter and New Orleans Charter Middle schools; Van Jones, Founder and President of Green For All; Craig McNamara, President and Founder at Center for Land-Based Learning; and Josh Viertel, Director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.
Moderated by Katrina Heron, writer, editor and a Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation.
*excerpted from Alice Waters forthcoming book, "The Edible Schoolyard," chronicle books, 2009.
Do you know a family going through tough times? The rising cost of food is keeping a lot of families with children from keeping their cupboards full. When children who are on free-lunch programs at school are on vacation, it often puts a crunch on the families' budgets. The summer lunch program is in place to help out with that problem by offering all kids a healthy lunch while school is out. Fresno County sponsors 71 sites where children ages 1-18 can eat free lunches.
Good nutrition for children is essential to their health and and particularly their brain development. It also affects their emotional health and behavior, so it's something to take very seriously.
There is no charge or registration and, in addition, many sites provide activities for kids along with the meal. Here is the food resources hotline 800-870-FOOD (3663) to find the location nearest you. This number gives information in multiple languages 24/7 on the summer lunch program, food stamps, the women, infants and children (WIC) program senior meals sites and food banks and pantries.
Mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea puts City Manager Andy Souza on notice about fixing city's permit process
Councilman Henry T. Perea, a candidate for mayor, says he has tired of administrative excuses for not fixing problems in the permitting process at City Hall. During a podcast with Bill McEwen and me, Perea said he is giving the city staff to the end of December to fix the problem or there will be changes in administrative leadership. You can listen to that podcast by clicking here.
That, of course, assumes that Perea defeats Ashley Swearengin in November and becomes mayor. Interestingly, Swearengin also has problems with the City Hall permitting process and has vowed to fix it, although she didn't threaten Souza's job. You can listen to the podcast interview with Swearengin by clicking here.
I talked with Souza and he understands that Perea's comments are aimed at him. He said he has been working on the problem with planning and development officials, and they have made substantial progress in recent years. Still, he said, about 25% of projects get hung up in the bureaucracy and Souza said that is unacceptable. He said he will continue to improve the permitting process, and that was being done even before Perea's threat.
Souza said while bureaucratic hang-ups in the planning and development department occur, there are some "urban legends" out there about about massive problems. Sometimes developers, or their staffs, blame City Hall when clients ask why a project is going so slow, Souza said. Often it's the developers or the project architects who didn't get their work done on time, but they tell people that it's the city's fault, according to Souza.
That may be so, but Souza has five months to fix the problem -- at least that's his deadline if Perea is elected mayor
Will Bad Bubba really refuse to pay his income taxes?
Fresno Mayor Alan Autry has a penchant for over-statement, and his announcement that he won't pay his income taxes until the San Joaquin Valley gets water for its farmers can be put in that category. My column today examines Autry's statement and wonders if there's really a Bad Bubba or if it's an act.
Autry says the lack of farm water in this drought is part of a grand conspiracy by the state and federal governments to harm the Valley. The fact that there are many reasons for the water crisis doesn't seem to strike a chord with the mayor, who is in his last few months in office. He likes to cast blame, and don't bother him with suggestions that there may be more to the issue than he acknowledges.
Don't you just love innovations? Now we have an opportunity to get political ads that are totally realistic. The Europeans already have ads with smell showing in theaters. AdAge.com is reporting that Cinescent first tested the smelling technology for Beiersdorf's Nivea, and exit polls showed a 515% rise in recall for the Nivea ad compared with moviegoers who saw the spot without the scent.
It sounds very intriguing, though I hope they have the commercials at the end so you don't have to smell that stuff throughout the whole movie.
So far, the Europeans are just using the technology for predictable stuff like cosmetics and bread. But I want to see this technology applied to political ads. OK, here's a little challenge -- how would a John McCain ad smell? How about Barack Obama? Ashley Swearengin? Henry T. Perea? Those don't-cut-us-from-the-budget ads? Now, wouldn't it be great if those nasty attack political ads filled with lies would actually stink?
A company called Cinescent is giving marketers the chance to pump out the scent of their brands in German theaters, where it first tested the technology for Beiersdorf's Nivea. For the test, a specially made 60-second spot showed a typical sunny beach scene, with people lying around on deck chairs or sunbathing on towels while waves crashed and seagulls cried in the background.
As people wondered what the ad was for, the scent of Nivea sun cream permeated the cinema, and a Nivea logo appeared on screen along with the words "Nivea. The scent of summer."
The results were significant: Cinema exit polls showed a 515% rise in recall for the Nivea ad compared with moviegoers who saw the spot without the scent. The same ad, when combined with only a subliminal whiff of scent, scored a 25% lift.
The people who run the International Baseball Federation have lost their minds -- or perhaps their souls. The world body has decreed some changes in the sacred game for the Olympics. From an Associated Press story:
Extra innings will have a new look in what could be baseball’s last Olympic appearance.
Each team’s at-bat in the 11th inning and beyond will begin with runners on first and second bases. Teams may start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month’s Beijing Games.
For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs.
Baseball (and softball) are making their last appearance in the Olympics, no doubt to make room for such worthy sports as demolition ice dancing and team ballroom dancing. But if this is the way they're going to treat baseball, who needs the Olympics?
Some things the journalists do (and I use that term loosely here) go too far, crossing the line between news and privacy. An article on Yahoo! tells of a flap over an Israeli newspaper's decision to publish a handwritten prayer left by Barack Obama in the cracks of Jerusalem's Western Wall.
The article goes on to say that the rabbi in charge of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitz, called it an intrusion on Obama's intimate relationship with God:
"The notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and his maker. It is forbidden to read them or make any use of them," Rabinovitz told Army Radio.
I am offended by the paper's decision to print the prayer. What do you think?
The first thing I did when I heard that Barack Obama was going to be speaking in Berlin was to e-mail our friends who live there. Several years ago, we hosted a bright and beautiful exchange student from Berlin, Lailanie Barthel, who attended Bullard High School for a year. She still keeps in touch with her friends in Fresno, and they've visited each other -- in Australia! We visited Lanie's family in Germany, traveled with them in France, and absolutely fell in love with Berlin. It's such an exciting and dynamic city. And the people are so grateful still to the U.S. for the Berlin Airlift. It's remarkable that decades later it's still fresh for them.
Well, I haven't heard back from our friends yet, but maybe others have friends living there. Pass on their reactions. I'm anxious to hear what they all thought of Obama.
Thanks to Homer Greene over at Fresno City College, who sent me this link to a German publication that seemed to like him overall, but considers him quite idealistic -- not sure if they meant that in a good way or a bad way. .
Today's editorial is a reminder that one of the most loving things we can do in our lives is prepare for our own death. Just in case there are life-and-death decisions to be made when we are incapable of making them, let everyone know in advance what your wishes are. Read the editorial by clicking here.
I read once that we shouldn't die with our words left inside us. Write.
Have you settled this touchy topic with your family in a good way? How did you do it? How did the conversation go? Did anyone disagree with you? If your family handles this issue in a healthy way, share your advice.
Ever get annoyed by those recorded phone calls — “robocalls” — from political campaigns? You might want to check out a fellow named Shaun Dakin, the CEO and founder of something called The National Political Do Not Contact Registry. Here's the group's Web site.
Dakin believes those calls are illegal, unless they’re introduced by a real, live human voice. He’s starting a campaign of his own to get them to stop.
“We hope to put a robo-hold on all California campaign robocalls this fall. Campaigns at levels — local, state and federal — will be calling at their own peril if they continue to ignore the law.”
It's an uphill climb for Dakin, I'm guessing, but he just might find some support among weary California voters.
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.
According to the article reporting his death, Pausch said he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his message:
"I don't know how to not have fun," he said in the lecture. "I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it."
California may be discussing prizes for good test scores, but Georgia's educators are trying to improve their schools by taking the words "board of education" quite literally. They plan to paddle the little rulebreakers. Do you support the use of corporal punishment in public schools?
Personally, I think if principals can get college degrees plus teaching and administrative credentials and still can't come up with an idea better than than hitting little kids, they need to find their calling elsewhere -- I'm thinking cage fighting might be a good option. At least, they'd be clobbering someone their own size.
Twiggs County principals will be pulling out their paddles when school resumes and using them when students act up. The Twiggs County school board reinstated its corporal-punishment policy this summer to allow students to be spanked to curb misbehavior. Some board members felt that in many cases, detention for students or a scolding wasn't working.
"We had a policy but we weren't using it," said Ethel Stanley, one of the board's five members. "Sometimes smaller kids will obey better if they have a paddling. The more you give them rope, the more they try. It's something to deter them," she said.
Fresno County budget: One step forward, two steps back
Fresno County's Board of Supervisors went through a painful budget process last month -- just like most local governments in this state of dysfunctional finance -- and we thought they did a pretty good job under trying circumstances. Part of their solution to a big shortfall was a hard freeze on hiring.
Turns out that hard freeze wasn't so frigid. The board decided Tuesday to let some departments start filling empty positions after all. District Attorney Elizabeth Egan will be permitted to fill up to 23 open jobs, and a couple dozen other positions may be filled by other county agencies. Here's our editorial on the subject today.
The fear, of course, is that the board is simply creating another shortfall that will result in layoffs down the road. But it gets some pesky department heads off their backs for a while, I guess.
Stephen Frank over at California Political News and Views says it's time for Fresno Mayor Alan Autry to go. Frank was reacting to my blog post about Autry saying he won't pay his income taxes until the San Joaquin Valley gets more water for agriculture.
Here's Frank's post:
Alan Autry was a very mediocre actor. He is even more mediocre as a Mayor. In a couple of years folks will laugh at the memory of Autry.
Now he is willing to go to jail if the State and Feds don’t give his area more water. He thinks it is a crisis. But maybe one of the reasons there is no water is because of the abuse of the 2006 Water Bonds—meant to create water sources for the State. Mr. Autry did not hesitate to take funds from that statewide bond measure to help pay for an aquarium for Fresno, instead of using the money for real water projects.
As an actor, he put people in jail. Now, in real life, if the judge doesn’t laugh to hard, maybe the Mayor will get to be on the other side of the bars.
Fresno deserves better than this. It is a growing town. I was in Fresno on Monday. I was very impressed by the new growth and dynamic feeling of the town. Due to my work I travel a lot. Without hesitation, the best restaurant in the whole State is in Fresno, The Ripe Tomato!
The good news is that Autry, who has supported lots of state bonds, which have put us in heavy debt, will soon leave office. Maybe he will work the dinner theater circuit? Certainly no one in public policy takes him seriously.
Cuts in Medi-Cal reimbursements could have terrible consequences for rural health care in the Valley and other parts of the state. That's our conclusion in an editorial today.
We've already seen the impact of hospital and emergency room closures in several small Valley towns. The services go away, but not the patients. In a short time, they begin showing up at the emergency rooms of urban hospitals, putting a strain on those institutions. It's also the most costly way to treat people.
In a rational world, we'd have dozens of small rural clinics doing primary care, reducing the need for expensive ER visits. But we don't live in a rational world. We live in California.
If you need a lift of the spirit this week -- whew, who doesn't?-- set aside a few minutes Thursday evening at 6 p.m. to take a look at La Querencia, Fresno's first co-housing neighborhood. Even if you're not in the mood to move at the moment, it's inspiring just to know people are creating such a walk-the-talk lifestyle.
This residential development represents all we say we want in our community -- friendliness, neighborliness, safety, helpfulness, environmentally innovative. But can the complex families of this century keep it so simple? We'll see! On Saturday's Valley Voices page, Bryan Syverson wrote about his family's decision to move from a home in Sunnyside on nearly an acre into this fresh approach to community life. Bryan and his wife, a general surgeon for Kaiser Permanente, expect to move in soon. I've asked him to check back in with us after a few months to see if there are any unexpected consequences -- positive and negative -- for all this togetherness. The location is on Alluvial between Willow and Chestnut. Here is a map.
Of course, such a modern-thinking place would have solar electricity. On Saturday at 9 a.m., there's an explanation of all those rooftop solar panels.
All the homes face each other, and there are lots of community activities designed to bring the children and the neighbors together. It's designed to be green; clean and fun. Everyone has a private home, but in addition there is a teen room, exercise room, garden, playground -- all communal. And the buildings are designed to be Fresno's greenest architecture.
Certainly, this is not for everyone. But I cannot wait to see how it all works out. Maybe someone will need a housesitter from time to time, and we can try it out...
Alan Autry says he won't pay income taxes until Valley gets its farm water
Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told The Fresno Bee's editorial board this afternoon that it's time for a revolt in the San Joaquin Valley over a lack of water for farms. He said communities on the Valley's west side are shriveling because farmworkers can't find work due to the drought, and long-standing water policies that are anti-agriculture.
In addition, Autry said, the federal and state governments are ignoring the Valley's water needs, even as this crisis worsens.
"Don't pay your income taxes if our farms don't get their fair share of water," Autry said. "I won't." Later, the mayor said he is willing to go to jail to help farmworkers in communities like San Joaquin, Mendota and Firebaugh. "I'll go to jail for this."
This also is about national security, Autry said. Government policies are killing agriculture and then we will have to rely on foreign countries for our food. "Talk about terror," he said. "We'll be giving control of our food supply to foreign countries." U.S. consumers will never know how safe that supply is, and the nation won't realize what it has given up until it's gone, he said.
Autry then said that on Wednesday, he will ask President Bush to declare a state of emergency in the Valley because of the water needs of agriculture.
Autry said he will be among the passengers on 20 busloads of farmworkers, farmers and supporters from the Valley traveling to Sacramento Wednesday for a water rally at the Capitol. They will meet with the state legislators and hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. on the Capitol steps to urge action by the state.
This wasn't the topic of the editorial board meeting. Autry and his staff came in to talk about a ballot measure to create an independent police auditor. At the end of the meeting, a question turned the subject to water, and Autry then called for a revolt, including not paying income taxes.
Fighting and Woodward Park: Wrong venue or a good match?
According to this update on The Fresno Bee's Web site, Christine Arbuckle, who lives near Woodward Park, asked the Fresno City Council today to consider moving a planned mixed-martial arts event to a different location.
There's a lively debate on the issue over on the Beehive. Reading through the 18 comments so far, it seems like most people don't have a problem with the planned event.
We've also talked about it at our morning meetings yesterday and today. Something about a fighting event being held in a park that was designed as a bird sanctuary seems incongruous. But are we already past that at Woodward Park, which now has a BMX track?
Arbuckle, the woman who went to the council today , is the same woman quoted in yesterday's article. Is she on a one-woman crusade? Or do others think this is an issue?
We welcome a recent crackdown on a notorious Fresno street gang in our editorial today. But these actions, while they relieve some of the pain and fear that gangs inflict on neighborhoods and communities, are not enough by themselves to eradicate the problem.
In fact, we will never entirely eradicate the problem of gangs, but we can do more to reduce their impact. Better schools, better job opportunities, better parenting, better relations between police and neighborhood residents -- all these things will do more in the long run to limit the damage inflicted by gangs than high-profile sweeps and mass arrests, however grateful we are for those short-term victories.
Fresno mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea, a two-term council member, appeared on the Boren/McEwen political podcast and said the time for studying problems has past, and he will be ready on Day One to take action at City Hall. You can listen to Perea by clicking here.
His opponent in the November runoff for mayor, Ashley Swearengin, appeared on our podcast last week and laid out her vision for mayor. You can listen to that interview by clicking here.
Perea, like Swearengin, has promised to speed up the permitting process at City Hall. But he said if the city staff doesn't solve that problem, he'll be getting rid of people unable to make the changes he demands. For as long as I've been a journalist in this town, City Hall has been promsing to fix this problem. But for more than three decades, those dealing with the city bureaucracy say little has improved.
By the way, both Perea and Swearengin have agreed to a 60-minute debate on the Boren/McEwen political podcast. We'll hold it next month and we are working with both candidates to schedule a time for this encounter. Details to come.
State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, wants to run for lieutenant governor in two years and has been raising money in an effort to clear the Democratic field. He has $600,000 in the bank and and says he will have $1 million by the end of the year.
I look into Florez's efforts and his record in this column. Florez is a political maverick, which means he has angered members of his own party, as well as the Republicans. But he also has gotten things done, which is something that few legislators can claim. Most of them contribute to gridlock when it comes to solving the state's biggest problems.
Did you see Denny Boyles' story in The Bee about the huge feral cat colony at the former Hacienda motel that's being managed by the folks from Mental Health Systems Inc.? They are trying to transform the place into a housing and treatment center for women but taking care of the cats has become a full-time job. They were taking in 18 a day at the beginning. Holy catnip. Wow. The things they don't teach you in management school.
While I'm sure nobody gets a case study like this one at Wharton, the care taken in supervising this problem says a lot about the management team that's coming into this neighborhood. Instead of trapping the cats and taking them to the SPCA, where they most likely wouldn't live too long, this group of folks has studied up on the science of feral cat colonies, is getting the animals spayed or neutered, adopting them out and letting the rest live on the premises taking care of any mice or rats.
I like what that says about the company and Jenny Bates, regional manager for MHS, who is overseeing the project. Though she's a dog person, she sought advice from the area's premier cat lady, Lynnea Lattanzio, who founded Cat House on the Kings in Parlier. Together, they devised the strategy. Now my mind works this way: If they take this much time and care with wild cats, how much more will they bring to the lives of the troubled human beings who will soon arrive? No telling for sure, but I'm just sayin' it's looking promising.
The story says that workers are now renovating three buildings to house residents in the Fresno First program, which will offer substance abuse treatment and housing to women released from prison. The first (human) residents are expected to move to the Hacienda from elsewhere in Fresno in September. Sounds like everyone will get a pet right away.
Are the words "peripheral canal" moving back into the politically correct lexicon of water affairs in California? After the thumping the idea got from voters in 1982, the phrase has rarely been uttered.
But times change, and although the same environmentalists who opposed the canal then are likely to fight it anew, there are other dynamics at work. One is the continued deterioration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Another is the fact that the Bay Area, once a bastion of anti-canal sentiment, is much more affected by what happens in the Delta than before. And growth has pushed demand for water well above what it was in the 1980s.
So don't be surprised if an updated version of the classic North-South water wars surfaces in earnest. Although this time, the sides may look a little different, and the outcome could change, too.
Does your neighborhood need a boost? Speak up by Aug. 1.
Cathy Caples, director of the Volunteer Center, is already planning events for National Days of Service. Make A Difference Day is on Oct.25. It's a day when more than 3 million Americans work together to complete community projects using volunteers.
Fresno will be celebrating Make A Difference Day by launching seven large-scale projects -- one in each council member's district. This year, the Volunteer Center is soliciting projects from the entire community; then, a project will be selected for each council district. What project do you need in your neighborhood?
Submit your project application by going to www.vcfresno.org for a copy of the application and instructions on submitting it. Deadlne for submissions is Aug. 1. Send applications to:
1900 Mariposa Mall, Ste. 114, Fresno, CA 93721 * Attn: Volunteer Connections. Or call 237-3101.
Glad to read that Stacy Johnson-Klein is writing a new chapter in her life, quite literally. Looking for book and movie deals and taking a job in marketing sound like the kinds of things she's well suited to, though the basketball group she's with sounds a little bit shaky. Maybe they're all looking for second chances, and they'll show everybody by having great success in Lawton, OK. Hope so.
Johnson-Klein certainly got justice in a financial sense, but clearly money isn't everything to her or she would just sit back, bake cupcakes for the PTA fundraisers and get massages for the next 50 years with all that $9 million. The very best thing that could happen to her would be to find success doing work she loves and raise up some happy, healthy young'uns in a peaceful place. Put up a basketball goal on the garage, and have fun playing horse with the neighbor kids.
Now, about casting that movie.... I'm thinking Katherine Heigl for the lead. How about you?
This article in the parenting section of Yahoo news talks about how the numbers of teen pregnancies are going up, the first spike in the rate in more than 15 years.
Just look at all the media/pop culture influences that may have something to do with this: Jamie Lynn Spears, star of Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, announced her pregnancy in December, when she was 16. She gave birth last month and was featured on a recent cover of OK! magazine. In the article, Spears said being a mother was "so much fun."
Academy Award-nominated "Juno" is a comedy about a high school girl who finds herself pregnant and decides to give her baby up for adoption (in reality, only about 2% of teens do so, says Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy).
And just last month, media swarmed at the news of a possible "pregnancy pact" between a number of teens in Massachusetts. (Kathleen Parker wrote a column about this frenzy.)
But set our adult angst aside for a moment. The scariest part of the recent spotlight on teen pregnancy may be what teens themselves think about it. Reading some of the comments on the Yahoo article from young baby mamas is just mind-blowing. Here are a couple of them, unedited so you can get the full experience:
"AM 16 AND MY BABY IS 1 BEING A TEEN MOTHER FOR ME IS DA BEST THAT EVER HAPPEN....ARE AGE DONT DETERMINE IN HOW WELL U CAN BE A MOTHER...I LOVE BEING A YOUNG MOTHER U HAVE WAY MORE TIME WITH YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER!"
"Hi im 16 and i just found out my eggo is preggo as the guy off of juno would say haha love that movie anyway so ya im only about a month preggo but da guy wants me to kill it and im like oh heck no so im freaked cause i got no to take care off this baby but i will make it happen cause its my responsiblity now."
"Hi. i am 18 years old and i am about to have my 3rd child. i have lived on my own since i was 16. i am still with the father of my 2nd two kids. tell me i am a teenage slut, tell me im an irresposible whore, and i will tell you to go to heck. I AM ONE AWESOME MOMMA!!!!!!!!!! just because im young does not mean that i am uncapable of taking care of my babies!!!!"
God help us all.
Daughters (all three of mine and anyone else's): I'm telling you now, being a teen mom isn't cool or trendy (granted I don't have any personal experience because I was SMARTER than that!). There are ways to not have babies before you are old enough, emotionally and physically, to be the best mother possible.
And aside from taking precautions to avoid becoming pregnant, your first concern when you become sexually active should be protecting yourself from the sexually transmitted diseases that can KILL you!
We hope that the new statistics on dropouts we mention in today's editorial will create a sense of urgency in the Valley to redouble all efforts to coach students at risk of dropping out. There are bright and talented people in the district who know how to create schools that work for kids. So why aren't people listening to them?
"President Bush took a helicopter tour of charred forests above Shasta Lake on Thursday and vowed to do the 'best … we possibly can' in directing federal assistance to help California respond to devastating wildfires."
Here's the list of Starbucks that are closing -- two in Fresno
Starbucks' web site reveals this list of stores that are closing because of the coffee company's new tactic to trim stores that don't meet its goals. Some of you will have to get your lattes elsewhere. But there still will be plenty in most communities.
Two Starbucks on the closure list are in Fresno. One is at Herndon and Marks and the other is at First and Shields. Starbucks also has the Visalia location at Mooney and Caldwell on the list. The only other ones I can find in our region are in Exeter at Belmont and Visalia Road and in Atwater at Bellevue and Winton.
A statement from Starbucks says the closings will come in waves, and more may be announced as the specific stores are notified. Starbucks says it is providing the list to be transparent to its customers and the communities in which the stores are located.
Here's part of that statement:
As we announced on July 1, 2008, Starbucks will close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. beginning this month and continuing through the first half of FY09. Partners in the stores . . . have been personally notified that their store has been slated to close during this timeframe.
In the spirit of transparency with our partners, customers and communities, we have provided the full list of stores below for general information purposes. Store partners will receive advance notice and more details from their leadership team once a specific closure date has been confirmed. After specific closure dates have been communicated to all affected partners, we will continue to update the confirmed store list.
There is a disclaimer in the statement, though. It says:
This list is provided solely for general information purposes, and does not create any obligation or commitment by Starbucks Coffee Company with respect to the closure of any particular store. This list is based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information. Actual store closures may differ depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks related to finalization of third party agreements, expected costs savings, income tax and other benefits associated with the store closures in the anticipated time frame, if at all. Starbucks undertakes no obligation to notify third parties of such changes.
So maybe they'll open some back up if customers yell loud enough.
Big-horned sheep and cardio lovers, San Francisco is tops
I love love love San Francisco, and I have to go there a couple of times every year, but I must admit I was a little bit surprised to read that it was named the most walkable city in the nation. Yeah, if you are a big-horned sheep from the Andes. Have the researchers watched those chase scenes in any cop movie?
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it's the most walkable in the nation. Heh, heh, the researchers didn't consider hills in the equation. The good news is you're just a mile from the store. The bad news is it's straight up a hill on an 80-degree angle. How goofy was that? Oh, well it's better for your cardio to hike those hills. And if your heart can't take it, I hear there are darn fine surgeons there, too -- if the ambulance can get to you through the traffic. There's more than one reason for that "left my heart in san Francisco" song. Just kiddin', SF, you know we love ya.
From the Chron:
WalkScore, a division of Seattle software company Front Seat, evaluated the 40 largest U.S. cities based on residents' proximity to grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, movie theaters and other amenities. Hills were not taken into account in the rankings, just distance and concentration.
San Francisco scored an 86 out of 100, besting New York's 83 and Boston's 79. Seventeen of San Francisco's neighborhoods ranked 90 or above - considered a "walker's paradise" - including Chinatown, the Mission, Nob Hill and Haight-Ashbury.
California: Take a hint from the legislative mess in Pennsylvania
Mike Lukens, who runs the local Web site San Joaquin Valleyfornia, knows something about dysfunctional state government. He once worked in Pennsylvania state government where the legislature and governor don't get much done, unless it's taking several steps in reverse. Sound like California? "A few years back, the state's Democratic governor once proposed a budget without any education funding -- and the Republican-controlled Legislature promptly passed it."
Lukens' insightful post offers a "cautionary tale" for California. Here's more on the mess in Pennsylvania and how the Golden State should be takign notice:
So it's not easy to get more than a raised eyebrow from Pennsylvania politicos when they hear of the latest political developments. But the Pennsylvania Capitol has been rocked by a scandal that has been brewing for several months – and came to a head last week – that is shocking even by Pennsylvania standards.
It's a story of how the desire for power clouded the judgment of those who have been entrusted with conducting the people's business. And it's a situation that should be a cautionary tale for California and those who are unsure about where to draw the line between governing and politicking.
Every California resident should read Lukens' post on this subject. Click here for some fascinating info.
Public Analysis for California Education, based at the University of California, Berkeley, released what is destined to become a highly controversial study concluding that the high school dropout rates at six of the state's largest urban school districts are only a fraction of what had been previously calculated.
Fresno Unified and other large school districts in the central San Joaquin Valley have under-reported their high school dropout rates, the state Department of Education said today.
A new system of tracking students shows that 35.1% of Fresno Unified students dropped out during a four-year period ending in the 2006-07 school year, but the district reported that only 24.9% dropped out.
It will be interesting to keep following this, now that the state is tracking pupils with a statewide student identification number.
The diversity of the community conversation in the Valley constantly fascinates me. I love hearing and telling people's stories, so I love it when people like the Hmong are able to tell about their fascinating adventures.
The Hmong American Writers' Circle (HAWC) will have a presentation from 7-9 p.m. on July 26 at the Fresno Art Museum's Bonner Auditorium (2233 N. First St., First and Clinton) called “New Threads: An Evening With Hmong American Writers and Artists”.
The creative voices of Hmong writers will touch on a range of topics, such as cultural identity, the Hmong American experience, and international issues, among others. Emceed by Korean American poet Lee Herrick, this free event will feature readings/performances from local Hmong American poets/writers, photographers, and a filmmaker.
For more information, call Burlee Vang at 892-7593 or Cindy Thao at 824-8652.
City Council gets a do-over on bush-league parks fee
The Fresno City Council voted 4-3 to reverse that goofy $2 surcharge for "outsiders" it imposed on visitors to Roeding and Woodward parks and the Regional Sports Center. Whew! That was a close one.
The Bee's Denny Boyles has posted a story on the Web site, and my favorite comment came from Parks Director Randall Cooper: "We're going to just keep increasing the amenities we offer at the parks so more people will want to come in. We know that works because we've already seen a 20% increase in visits in the last year."
Swearengin "loves Fresno State" on Boren/McEwen podcast
Fresno mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin tells us on the Boren/McEwen political podcast that opponent Henry T. Perea's research team can stop looking for connections between her and Fresno State. She says, "But I will let you in on a dirty little secret, and that is I really love Fresno State."
Click here to listen to the podcast. We'll have Perea on the podcast on Monday.
Swearengin's Fresno State comment was in response to a question posed by Bill on where her loyalities would lie when a conflict came up between Fresno State and the city. Swearengin, who works at Fresno State, said that as mayor, her first obligation would be to the residents of the city.
Click here to listen to more from our interview with Swearengin, our analysis of her comments and our political winners and losers of the week..
That's some roofing job going on at the Old Administration Building on the campus of Fresno City College. The tile roof is being stripped off the venerable structure as part of the ongoing renovation of this community treasure. The tiles will be cleaned and reinstalled, along with replacements for any broken or damaged tiles.
I live just a block away from the OAB, and I wandered over to the site this past weekend to check it out. It's a real delight to see all the work being done. When it's finished, the restored building will add about 100,000 square feet of classroom, office and meeting space to the campus.
It's been a long time coming. The building, opened in 1916, was shuttered in 1976 because it didn't meet state safety standards. For years preservationists battled to save the historic structure from a campus administration that wanted very badly to tear it down and replace it with a more modern -- read "antiseptic and boring" -- structure. Eventually the preservationists prevailed, and voters passed a bond measure crafted, in part, to fund the restoration.
Rising construction costs and low initial estimates have driven the cost above the original $41 million price tag. There's a lesson there: Restoring the old building 20 years ago would have saved as ton of money, and the college would have had the use of all that space since then.
The November election is expected to have a record voter turnout and Fresno County wants to make sure the youngest voters don't get trampled in the rush. We write about the effort in today's editorial.
The elections department is hard at work at reaching underrepresented groups, and the editorial board met with Victor Salazar and some folks from The Rios Company on Monday to talk about their plans for encouraging young people -- especially minorities -- to register and vote. The professionals are joining forces with several groups of young people who already are working well together: Barrios Unidos, Californians for Justice, the kNOw and the Boys and Girls Club in Pinedale.
I like their strategy to teach the young people to take the lead in this effort. The opportunity is ripe. Never have there been issues that more affect young adults' lives, beginning with the war in Iraq. If you want to help out, contact Angie Rios by clicking here.
I can't even believe the illustration of Barack and Michelle Obama that graces the cover of the latest New Yorker magazine. It depicts Obama wearing Muslim clothing while Michelle is dressed in camouflage and combat boots with an assault rifle over her shoulder. Behind them, an American flag is burning.
I'm not alone in finding this offensive -- an article in today's paper says the cartoon has provoked outrage. Even Obama's opponent John McCain called the cover "totally inappropriate." I refuse to even republish the image here.
The magazine's editors have said the illustration was meant to be satirical, highlighting various attacks that have been made against Obama throughout the campaign. I say why continue to propagate them, even if you allegedly meant it in a satirical manner?
Fresno City Councilman Larry Westerlund, who is on leave from the council while on active duty with the Navy, is serving in Stuttgart, Germany. When Westerlund first got his orders, it was believed that he would be going to Iraq. Here's the headline on the story in the Bee published Feb. 21: "Westerlund called to Iraq."
I have been exchanging emails with the councilman because we gave him and a few other candidates in the June election a "Thumbs down" for still having campaign signs up. He promised to have volunteers get his lingering signs removed immediately.
Here's part of the email from Westerlund explaining his military status:
As for my active duty, I have been very fortunate. It doesn't look like will be going into Iraq after all. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the Navy has stationed me at SOCEUR (Special Operations Command Europe) in Stuttgart, Germany. I am an action officer working for the Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans-Sahara (JSOTF-TS). In very general terms, the Task Force is working with partner nations to strengthen democracy and increase their own security capacity. It has been quite an education. I never knew Africa had so much activity.
(Perhaps you saw the NY Times article several weeks ago about Algeria? It's a good read). Its fascinating work and I will probably get to Africa a couple of times.
Maria Shriver's a rock star -- sold out in three hours
Well, like I said, Maria Shriver's women's conference in Long Beach is a really popular event. I just got an e-mail saying that the tickets to the main event sold out within three hours. That's a 14,000-seat arena. Geez.
Tickets for the Night at the Village shopping event the day before the main conference will be available as well as tickets to the Minerva awards featuring Bonnie Raitt, so it's still possible to get that close to the conference.
