End of Coffee Stops: Serving Coffee at Fresno Street Corners Deemed Illegal

As I have been sharing with readers in previous blogs, sharing a cup of coffee with constituents on Fresno street corners for years a a city council member was one of the highlights of being an elected official. People would wave, honk and often stop to talk about issues important to them. It was, to turn a phrase, truly where "the rubber of local government hits the road."

Last year, while in my last few months serving as a council member (City of Fresno council members are limited to two terms of eight years in office) and running as a candidate for Fresno County Supervisor, I was castigated by Bill McEwen in his Fresno Bee column for my proposal for a City ordinance prohibiting the soliciting of donations from median islands due to traffic safety concerns (the ordinance was not adopted by the Council). He also criticized my years of being on street corners to answer constituent questions and, if they wished, share a cup of coffee with me.

Mr. McEwen had checked with the Fresno County Health Department to see if it was legal for me to serve coffee to people stopping at my corner table (I used one of those insulated coffee pumpers filled with Folgers drip coffee from my home). The Health Department told him that technically I could not serve coffee, even if given away free. They also told him that they had no intention of enforcing it.

While I disagreed with Mr. McEwen's position on allowing median island solicitation, I understood his right to express his position through his newspaper column. What I did not understand--and still don't--was his pettiness in criticizing my nine years of corner coffee stops as being dangerous to motorists and an illegal dispensation of a drink product.

As an elected, public figure I certainly could not flout what was now identified as technically illegal. I complied by immediately refraining from serving coffee. I did not, however, give him the satisfaction of seeing me leave my beloved street corners. I continued my corner coffee stops through election day. And even though I lost the election as county supervisor, I was out the following morning taking down my signs while waving at folks.

Thank you friends for nine wonderful years of waving, honking and sharing my coffee.

Coming attractions..
1) My "chauffeur" wins an award, but his "vehicle" needs an upgrade.
2) Schools need a national test: National Assessment of Educational Progress to the rescue.

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