In the 1935 dystopian novel about fascism titled It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, Lewis states that “when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.” It seems [...] Continue Reading
Politics
Fighting Oligarchy Tour Inspires Bakersfield
The coast-to-coast “Fighting Oligarchy Tour,” featuring Senator Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.), hit the Central Valley town of Bakersfield, where oil and agriculture [...] Continue Reading
One Fresno or the Tale of Two Cities
This map of the November 2024 presidential election in Fresno County illustrates a voting pattern that is consistent ever since the Community Alliance started creating them in 2012. What you see is [...] Continue Reading
Equity on the Mall
Fourteen hundred people, many of them representing nonprofits in the San Joaquin Valley, came together on April 23 on the mall in front of the State Capitol in Sacramento to listen to speakers, [...] Continue Reading
Valley Reps Vote Against Constituents’ Interest
On April 10, Congress voted on a Continuing Resolution for the House Budget that would extend tax cuts that mainly benefit corporations and the wealthy. To partially cover the cost of the tax cuts, [...] Continue Reading
Costa Fighting to Save Medicaid
On April 8, Rep. Jim Costa (D‒Fresno) held a “Medicaid Matters” telephone town hall for a discussion with his constituents about Donald Trump and House Republicans’ budget proposal to cut Medicaid by [...] Continue Reading
BOS Acknowledges Reliance on Federal Funds
The March 11 meeting of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors (BOS), though largely procedural, carried an undercurrent of urgency as discussions about the County’s budget and code enforcement [...] Continue Reading
“Following Jesus” Can’t Mean…
Among Christians, “following Jesus” is supposed to be a good thing, the loving way to live. But is following Trump compatible with actually following Jesus? A few non-religious, common-sense [...] Continue Reading
Marco Rubio’s Powerful Secret Backers
Marco Rubio, as everyone knows, is now the U.S. Secretary of State. Among his first acts was attempting to deport a legal permanent resident of the United States who had committed no crime. The [...] Continue Reading
Protests Against Tesla Grow
On March 15, a protest against the Tesla electric vehicle dealership in north Fresno drew about 200 people. The protest was part of a similar action that occurred in several U.S. cities, with [...] Continue Reading
Endorsements “Sweep” Fails Jonasson Rosas
Fresno Unified School District Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas had it all heading into the District 5 Fresno City Council special election: political connections, name recognition, strong financial [...] Continue Reading
Democrats, Stand Up!
“I’m trying to figure out what leverage we actually have,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D–N.Y.) said at a press briefing in February. “What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly [...] Continue Reading