By Tom Frantz When community residents and local businesses meet to discuss solutions to their air pollution needs, innovative ideas are sometimes the result. Ten communities in California have [...] Continue Reading
Columns
Oil Production Blues
By Tom Frantz California’s 140-year-old oil company, Chevron, has been in the spotlight recently in Kern County. It is not good news. Chevron is in the process of losing a significant chunk of the [...] Continue Reading
Meet Kim Williams: A Progressive Challenging a Blue Dog Democrat in Rural California
By Eduardo Stanley In 2020, eight-time incumbent Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno), who represents Congressional District 16—which includes Merced County and parts of Madera and Fresno counties—will face [...] Continue Reading
AB 617 Not Working
B Tom Frantz In 2017, the California legislature extended cap-and-trade (AB 398) until 2030 as the key mechanism for reducing California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Major emitters of CO2 must buy [...] Continue Reading
New Direction for California Democrats
By Michael D. Evans On June 1, Rusty Hicks was elected the new chair of the California Democratic Party. In a special election to replace Eric Bauman, who resigned before his term ended, Hicks won [...] Continue Reading
A New Mayor for Fresno
By James Mendez Candidates for the 2020 mayor’s race have said this is a pivotal race that will decide the course of Fresno’s social-economic development for many years to come. As of July 15, five [...] Continue Reading
A Family’s Journey
By Dez Martinez Naszar’ie Maray Butler Sunrise: April 3, 2019 Sunset: July 14, 2019 Akifa and Denny (mother and father) became homeless in October 2018 in Fresno. Akifa looked for [...] Continue Reading
Veteran Legislator Costa Challenged by a Young Latina
By Eduardo Stanley It looks as if Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) is getting seriously challenged from within his own political party. Fresno City Council Member Esmeralda Soria announced recently that [...] Continue Reading
Book Review: The Cartoon History of Humanism
By George B. Kauffman The Cartoon History of Humanism: Volume One: Antiquity to Enlightenment; words by Dale DeBakcsy, art by Count Dolby von Luckner; Humanist Press, 1777 T St., Washington, DC. [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: A Just Transition
By Tom Frantz There is no question the earth is warming rapidly because of human activity. Our inability to fully accept this looming disaster has resulted in insufficient public action to quickly [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: High-Speed Rail Construction Is a Dirty Business
By Tom Frantz Readers may have noticed recent high-speed rail (HSR) construction in various parts of the San Joaquin Valley. The building of bridges over Highway 99 in south Fresno and over the San [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: Rearguard Action Needed
By Tom Frantz It is a fact that residents in Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties breathe the worst air in the nation. The rest of the San Joaquin Valley is slightly better. This pollution [...] Continue Reading