“Hey, if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.” I hear that comment frequently from people defending the City of Fresno’s use of video surveillance. But I can’t help wonder [...] Continue Reading
Exonoree Says “Death to the Death Penalty”
By Richard Stone Sabrina Butler has the dubious honor of being the only American female “exonoree”—a death row inmate who has later been found not guilty of the crime she was incarcerated for and [...] Continue Reading
Fresno City Council Takes Next Step Toward Privatizing Residential Garbage Collection
By Stan Santos On Aug. 16, the Fresno City Council approved a motion to hire a consultant, identified as Robert Hilton, to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) that would open residential garbage [...] Continue Reading
McKinney-Vento Turns 25 and Homelessness Continues to Grow
By Paul Boden Passed in 1987, the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act was intended to address the emergency needs of homeless people while the federal government worked to restore the funding that [...] Continue Reading
Momentum Grows for Renters’ Rights in Fresno
By Leah Simon-Weisberg More than 50% of the residents of Fresno are tenants. This silent majority is about to make some noise. Tenants Together, California’s statewide organization for renters’ [...] Continue Reading
Continuing Saga of “Just Cause for Evictions” in Merced
By Susan Bouscaren As detailed in the last issue of the Community Alliance, the new realtor- and bank-influenced City Council of Merced voted to repeal the Just Cause for Evictions ordinance on May [...] Continue Reading
Community Group Advocates Recall of Tony Vang
By Mai Summer Vue The Community United for Education Justice (CUEJ) held a press conference on Aug. 8 to announce a recall campaign of Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) Trustee Tony Vang. Vang [...] Continue Reading
SaveFTA Seeks Justice in Union Election
By Jerome Rice On May 29, the ballots were counted in the runoff election for president of the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA). Mai Summer Vue defeated Eva Ruiz by 51 votes (more than 5% of the [...] Continue Reading
Guelaguetza Regenerating Oaxaqueño Roots in Fresno
By Rosalba Lopez-Ramirez As a large number of Oaxaqueños have migrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, to California, they continue to embrace their distinctive identity that is tied to their homeland. Various [...] Continue Reading
Oakhurst’s Connection to the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame
By James Martinez The digital 10th anniversary edition of Local DJ is a wild narrative on rock ’n’ roll culture from the late 1950s to the present. A prominently featured DJ in Cleveland’s Rock ’n’ [...] Continue Reading
Where in the World Is Bertolt Brecht?
By Alfonso Hernandez Paris in July offers free rock concerts by top world bands and singers in front of City Hall. There are also free and for-pay concerts in churches, museums, theaters and parks; [...] Continue Reading
Fresno’s Reel Pride Film Festival
By Kaylia Metcalfe This month marks the 23rd anniversary of the Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival, which will take place September 19–23, once again in the historic Tower District. This year’s event [...] Continue Reading