When it comes to the plight of undocumented students (AB 540 students) in this nation, we must suspend our judgment and understand their presence from a historical context. The political discourse [...] Continue Reading
Activism
A California Dream: The California Golden Card
As part of its effort to foster economic growth and reestablish a more sustainable system of public services, the State of California should implement a set of policies that helps more thoroughly [...] Continue Reading
Homeless Couple To Be Recognized for Heroism
On the bitter night of December 17, Joseph Edwards put his life on the line to save the lives of four college students. The four had been driving along Bear Creek in Merced when they lost control of [...] Continue Reading
UN Expert Investigates the Valley’s Troubled Water
The UN Expert on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation came to the unincorporated Central Valley town of Seville on March 1 to investigate contaminated groundwater and broken delivery systems. It [...] Continue Reading
ACLU Campaigns for Justice Tour
So far, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has brought its Campaigns for Justice Tour to 10 cities in northern California including Merced on March 2 and Fresno on March 9. Visalia is a future [...] Continue Reading
History in a Bar: Tying California’s Hands
I was so upset about California’s budget the other day that I almost did something about it. So I headed over to the bar to be talked out of it. But as I was sitting down to enjoy my $5 “recession [...] Continue Reading
Opinion and Analysis from the Grassroots
Trunks to Tails By Leonard Adame We tend to think that the seasons will always follow one another like elephants linked trunks to tails, that clouds will always fill up our water bottles, that the [...] Continue Reading
The Soldiers of the Russian Winter
It is winter and I am drawn to a large map, designed in 1869 by French civil engineer and statistician Charles Minard. It is a graphic of the 1812 march of Napoleon and his imperial Grande Armee, [...] Continue Reading
Tired of Dirty Air? Urban Sprawl?
And so many other bad government policies? It doesn’t have to be this way. A strong majority of residents in Fresno support a wide range of progressive issues. And a plurality of registered voters in [...] Continue Reading
Letters to the Editor
Book Forthcoming from Boston Woodard I have been a contributing writer for the Community Alliance for about six years now. Editor Mike Rhodes put his faith and trust in me to contribute honest [...] Continue Reading
Progressive News Briefs
Mayor’s Privatization Scheme Defeated Fresno’s commercial solid waste workers won an important victory when City Council members voted 4-3 to stop a privatization effort led by Mayor Ashley [...] Continue Reading
Targeted Again!
A few years ago, I wrote an article about a “shake-down” (search) that took place at Solano State Prison (CSP-Solano) in Vacaville. During that search, some of the guards desecrated prisoners’ [...] Continue Reading