By Kevin Hall The Valley Mind-set “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”—Albert Einstein Each January, the Valley Air Board—that tea-guzzling bunch of local [...] Continue Reading
Columns
Progressive Voice!
By Yezdyar S. Kaoosji “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making [...] Continue Reading
Fresno Police Department Documents Posted Online
By Mike Rhodes In early September 2011, the Community Alliance newspaper, through a California Public Records Act request, asked the Fresno Police Department (FPD) for its Policies and Procedures [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – January 2013
By Kevin Hall Clean Air Acting How many Valley Air Board members does it take to violate the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law for government agencies? Eight, if the full 15-member board is [...] Continue Reading
New Marshal in Dodge City: Fresno’s Second Police Auditor Sets Up Shop
By Richard Stone So Fresno has a new person in the Office of Independent Review, with the task of reviewing all cases of an officer-involved shooting (OIS) and auditing the handling of public [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – Dec. 2012: Off the Grid / Discount Shopping
By Kevin Hall Off the Grid If you live in Fresno’s Tower District, Southeast Fresno, West Fresno or downtown, the pollution monitor that measures wintertime particulate levels for your neighborhood is [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – November 2012
By Tom Frantz Fact checking of candidate statements is a useful exercise during an election season. It is a rational response to politicians striving for public approval. Our air board is made up of [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – Oct. 2012: Particulate Matters a Lot
By Kevin Hall In a presentation before a class of 15 Fresno State seniors last month, I conducted a poll of these intelligent, highly educated, computer-literate, smartphone-owning future entrants [...] 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
Grassroots: Profiles of Local Progressive Activists
By Richard Stone Spending time at the Occupy Fresno encampment in Courthouse Park in mid-November, a visitor might have been surprised at how serene and congenial the atmosphere was. It felt more [...] Continue Reading
No More Stolen Lives
By Mike Rhodes Editor’s note: An important trial, particularly for those interested in police accountability issues, will begin on Dec. 6 in federal court in Fresno. The trial will look into the [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air
By Kevin Hall The Pivotal Year AheadThe coming year will prove to be pivotal in the effort to reduce Central Valley air pollution to “safe” levels any time soon. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution [...] Continue Reading