Another Attempt at Downtown Development: Part II

In my previous posting, I shared my generally optimistic assessment of the Downtown Revitalization Update meeting I recently attended. My comments primarily addressed the proposed Downtown Specific Plan. I would like to now discuss code enforcement, the need for a building reuse ordinance, and progress on a Property Based Improvement District (PBID).

Code enforcement and adaptive reuse ordinance

I was pleased to learn at the Downtown Update meeting that the City of Fresno Code Enforcement Department is citing building owners that are not properly maintaining their buildings. For too long building owners, both from Fresno and out-of-town, could purchase buildings and hold them for investment purposes instead of maintaining them. Vacant buildings slow the economic growth of a neighborhood and invite degradation and blight. Even with the increased code enforcement efforts, however, I am disappointed that a comprehensive building reuse ordinance has not been enacted. Let me explain.

Fresno, like many cities, faces a deepening sea of vacant space in downtown. In response to concerns from me in 2006 when I was on the Fresno City Council, City of Fresno staff compiled data on the amount of vacant building space in the downtown area, the area bordered by State highways 99, 180E, and 41. Staff identified 118 vacant buildings, comprising 1,926,364 square feet of unused space. This is approximately the same square footage of the two former World Trade Center Towers. Moreover, approximately 40% of the vacant space, over 775,000 square feet, is housed in blighted buildings. The sheer volume of vacant space - close to eight times the amount of usable space in the Fresno Convention Center, including the Saroyan Theater, Selland Arena, and both Exhibit Halls - is a deterrent to the growth and vitality of downtown Fresno.

Fresno currently relies on public nuisance codes, in particular the Vacant Building Ordinance (VBO), to require developers to secure and improve blighted buildings. This approach, while helpful, is costly, slow and rife with legal obstacles. The VBO stipulates minimum standards of safety and aesthetics. It requires owners to improve vacant buildings in relation to the surrounding area. It also requires that the vacant building be fully secured to deter vandalism and prevent squatters from assuming control of the building. In limited cases, the owner could be directed to provide to the City's Planning and Development Department a plan for making the building ready for occupancy. The ordinance, however, stops short of requiring owners to reoccupy a vacant building.

Though the ordinance is helpful in diminishing blight, it does little for downtown's growth and vitality. The VBO is also an arduous tool to wield. Code Enforcement officers must first notify the owner that the building is not in compliance with the City's ordinance. If the owner fails to comply after the appeal process, the case is transferred to the City Attorney's Office for legal enforcement. This protracted legal process can be lengthy, limiting the City's ability to address other critical issues and diverting monies from other projects. In the end, the City is not guaranteed a reoccupied building since the building can legally remain vacant if it is secure and free from blight.

While the VBO is effective in addressing security issues and severe blight, its use is limited in transforming the sea of vacant buildings into vibrant centers of economic activity. To illustrate, let me briefly describe an instance when it was used in downtown. The City successfully used the VBO on the McMahon Building, formerly located on the corner of Van Ness and Tulare Streets. After a protracted and expensive legal battle, the building was razed. While the ordinance removed the vacant, blighted McMahon Building, it did little to encourage growth in downtown, and the lot that once housed the building is now home only to dirt.

Relying on the Public Nuisance Abatement codes to address the safety and aesthetic concerns of vacant buildings does not work. Downtown growth requires the two-pronged approach of enforcement and an adaptive reuse ordinance incentive to encouraging developers to renovate and reuse vacant buildings. Three cities have implemented different approaches to combat vacant building space and spur growth in depressed areas, typically downtown or industrial areas. Denver, New York City and Los Angeles have all developed adaptive reuse ordinances to provide incentives to property owners to reoccupy their buildings for housing and commercial purposes.

Though Denver was the first to implement an adaptive reuse ordinance, Los Angeles has had the most success. As of 2006, Los Angeles had already reused 3,700 buildings, while 5,400 buildings were finishing the process, and 7,000 buildings had applied to the program but had not yet begun the work. These numbers are much higher today.

The Los Angeles Adaptive Reuse Ordinance provides several substantial incentives for building owners. First, the ordinance relaxes the building codes applicable to the building. This means that buildings in commercial zones could be held accountable only to residential building codes when adapted for reuse. Residential building codes are less strict in their requirements for indoor lighting, parking spaces, proper number of restrooms, etc. Second, the ordinance includes "by-right processing" - the property owner can bypass Planning Commission approval, Council approval, and environmental approval because: 1) the building already exists, 2) the adaptive reuse is only applied to the interior of the building (and minor exterior work), and 3) the ordinance includes a "Master EIR" for the Los Angeles downtown area. The owner only has to obtain the proper permits for the rehabilitation work and is only subjected to inspection fees, not any of the other fees associated with the development process (i.e. Planning Commission and EIR fees).

The Los Angeles adaptive reuse ordinance also exempts the owner from any development fees and restrictions, including typical floor area ratios and open space requirements. Moreover, street fees or infrastructure fees are not levied against the property, even if significant rehabilitation is involved.

In May, 2006 I brought forward and the Council discussed options for working with Planning and Development staff , staff from the Economic Development Department, and staff from the Redevelopment Agency to address the vacant space problem in Downtown. Fresno, however, faces an unique situation when addressing this problem. Unlike Denver, Los Angeles and New York City, Fresno does not benefit from high rent prices in Downtown. Reuse projects in Los Angeles are immediately economically viable because the buildings are tall and rent is high, translating into significant revenue from housing uses (many rooms x high rent), giving developers financial "cover" while the investment for office use, which takes longer to turn a profit, matures. Adaptive reuse is more profitable in Los Angeles, Denver, and New York City because it is cheaper and easier than redevelopment, both of which could combine housing and office elements. Consequently, while staff was asked to look into an adaptive reuse ordinance in Fresno, they were also asked to study what types of incentives will encourage developers to reuse vacant downtown buildings.

Additionally, the type of vacant building is a factor. Staff was asked to evaluate the types of buildings that constitute the 1,926,364 square feet of vacant space in Downtown. Not all buildings present viable options for reuse. Many single-story buildings - particularly, large, single-story industrial warehouses - are not good candidates for adaptive reuse projects because they are not profitable for the developer. Fresno's ordinance needed to provide as many options as possible for projects that pose challenges to reuse. Previous reuse projects in Fresno, especially the JC Penny Building on the Fulton Mall and the Hotel Fresno, provide examples of effective and ineffective, approaches. Staff was asked to examine those case studies for clues to how a comprehensive ordinance will quicken the process.

I requested and the Council directed in September 2006 that City staff develop an adaptive reuse ordinance for Fresno. Staff was asked to consider tailoring the Los Angeles adaptive reuse ordinance, or others, to Fresno or to create an original ordinance specific to Fresno. Staff was further directed to provide incentives that would encourage developers to reuse vacant buildings, especially in downtown. Nothing was brought forward to council.

The need for an adaptive reuse ordinance has been supported by Mayor Swearengin months ago at a public hearing on the future of downtown Fresno. To my knowledge nothing has still been accomplished in developing an adaptive reuse ordinance. While I applaud staff for citing building owners not meeting City of Fresno code requirements, I encourage Mayor Swearengin and staff to prepare an adaptive reuse ordinance for public consideration and, hopefully, council enactment.

Program Property Improvement District (PBID)

I was very pleased to see that progress made on implementing a Downtown Property Based Improvement District. A PBID permits property owners in the area to benefit from improvements by assessing themselves fees. The property owners then determine how they want to spend these fees within the designated improvement area. It is a win-win situation for everyone concerned. It has worked elsewhere and will certainly work in downtown Fresno.

As a City of Fresno council member, I worked beginning in 2003 with Mr. Dan Doyle, president of a local bank, to establish a PBID for downtown. Mr. Doyle had been instrumental in helping to establish a successful PBID for downtown Sacramento many years ago and wanted to establish one in Fresno. He and a number of business leaders visited Sacramento in 2004 to learn more about their downtown PBID. The Fresno group returned enthusiastic about the concept and pressed anyone that would listen to establish one for Fresno's downtown. Unfortunately, local politics got in the way. I brought the concept to the Council on a number of occasions with no action being taken.

The PBID proposal--thanks to the leadership of the mayor, council, staff, the Downtown Association and community leaders--is now in the hands of the downtown property owners for approval. Let's hope that they approve it so that genuine progress can be made in downtown revitalization.

Coming Soon. . .

1. What about an Orchids and Onions Award to recognize the good and not-so-good in Fresno? 2. An update on your local community college. 3. Stories from the home front: Scheduled and Unscheduled Public Communications at City Council meetings.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

Another Attempt at Downtown Development: Will It Work This Time?

I recently attended a Downtown Revitalization Update Meeting sponorsored by the City of Fresno Downtown and Community Revitalization Department. A good turnout of interested citizens attended to hear a very useful presentation on Fresno's current plans for downtown as well as to solicit feedback from the public.

Of particular interest to those attending the Downtown Revitalization meeting was the presentation and discussion of progress on the Downtown Specific Plan. A contract for approximately $900,000 (the final cost is still being negotiated) was tentatively awarded to Moule and Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists of Pasadena. The City Council will consider the contract on November 5. While I lament the continuing delay for making progress on downtown development, the deliberative/inclusive process involved in developing and approving a specific plan (I did one for for my council district of Pinedale area when I was on council) probably makes sense. But since the specific plan will impact the Fulton Mall, a brief review of this contentious issue is probably in order as the council considers approval.

Forty-two years after its completion, Fresno's Fulton Mall is still at a crossroads. The revenues produced by the Mall district are anemic. Revenues rose briefly during the opening of the new stadium but have not risen since. The Mall is still a ghost town after 5:00 p.m. Real downtowns are active places well into the evening. Friday and Saturday evenings are usually the busiest time of the week for successful downtown areas; the Fulton Mall is the opposite.

The people who designed and supported the Fulton Mall had the best of intentions. They believed that the elimination of traffic would make the Mall a more pleasant place for shoppers and pedestrians. In hindsight, maybe a reduction in traffic rather than the elimination of traffic would have accomplished this goal. This is not a new problem facing the Fulton Mall. A partial history of Fulton Street revitalization shows a slow but steady recognition that the original concept for the Mall, particularly as it prohibited limited vehicular traffic, no longer applies today.

* 1964 the Fulton Mall opened with new paving, fountains sculptures, clock tower, and landscaping. The economic success was short-lived as department stores continued to move out and Fashion Fair Mall opened in 1969. 1989 The Development Department for the City of Fresno issued the Central Area Community Plan Summary. The Summary described a 400-page report developed by City staff and the Central Area Planning Task Force over a period of three years with the goal of creating "an inspiring environment conducive to new investments and economic growth." Special attention was given to the problems of the Fulton Mall District...."
* 1992 The Central Area Urban Design Strategy Final Plan prepared by the Ratkovich Company and Ehrenkrantz and Eckstut Architects proposed reopening the northern two blocks to traffic and retaining the southern blocks as an updated "casual" mall. This plan also proposed reconfigurations of downtown traffic, creation of an Uptown Arts District (which is currently being pursued), and relocation of the stadium to its present downtown location adjacent to Fulton Mall.

*1999 At the urging of the Downtown Revitalization Task Force of the Fresno City and County Chamber of Commerce, a panel of professionals convened by the Urban Land Institute spent one week in an intensive review of the commercial downtown district assessing future options. The core of the study area was the Fulton Mall. In their review, the ULI panel noted that "The City has developed several plans for the Mall area's revitalization; however, lack of both consensus and a comprehensive marketing program have left this core area vacant and without an identity."

*2001 The City's Redevelopment Agency retains ELS Architecture and Urban Design to provide market research and a new concept design for Fulton Mall and its surroundings. 2002 The ELS Concept Plan reestablishes the downtown blocks of Fulton as "Main Street". The plan proposes to restore the economic strengths of the original commercial street (limited traffic, with some on-street parking and nearby off-street parking.), and at the same time incorporate a full range of pedestrian amenities. These include: Adaptive reuse of historic structures for mixed uses; wide sidewalks and crosswalks supporting pedestrian activities; mature street trees; water and art features, with links to other districts; district identity supported by graphics and signage which build upon local history; and improved lighting including street lamps at pedestrian scale.

The ELS Concept Plan stressed the recognition among urban planners that Main Streets can play a key role in "green" sustainable policies: i.e., a return to people living and working in close proximity to retail, and office and entertainment uses. The report also recommended reopening Fulton Street to vehicular traffic which can support the economic vitality of commercial interests and allow the center of the city to be rediscovered and shared by the larger city population. Single narrow traffic lanes were recommended with 23 to 25 foot wide pedestrian sidewalks that preserve 85% of the existing trees, preserve all art pieces, and add water features, decorative lighting, landscaping and sidewalk dining opportunities. The Council/Redevelopment Agency accepted the ELS Report but took no action at that time pending the hoped-for (but not realized) benefits of the new baseball stadium.

*2002 The City Council and the City's Redevelopment Agency adopts Vision 2010: Downtown Fresno. The multi-year development plan for Downtown Fresno includes limited vehicular traffic on Fulton Mall with large pedestrian avenues. 2006 Mayor's Creative Economy Report issued calling for the revitalization of the Fulton Mall. Specific recommendations, however, are not provided.

*2006 At my request, the Fulton Mall Working Group was established and a series of community meetings were held with significant community input. The general feeling at these community meetings was that we've studied and made many "plans" to revitalize the Mall, now we need to start implementing the plans.

*2008 I asked, and the Council and City Redevelopment Agency agreed, to consider implementing the ELS Plan, particularly opening the Fulton Mall to limited vehicular traffic. The change in Administration (mayor and two councilmembers), however, leaves this reconsideration in doubt. Instead, a new specific plan at a cost of $900k will be considered by the council on November 5th. If approved, I hope it won't be another 42 years before downtown becomes the thriving location we would all like it to be.

My Saturday blog will discuss the update from the meeting on the Program Based Improvement District (PBID) for downtown and the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance.

Share your concerns with your councilmember or Downtown Revitalization Director, Craig Scharton at 621-8000. More information on the November 5th council hearing can be obtained by contacting Becky Klisch, City Clerk at 621-7650.

Coming Soon. . .

1. What about an Orchids and Onions Award to recognize the good and not-so-good in Fresno?
2. An update on your local community college.
3. Scheduled and Unscheduled Public Communications at a typical City Council meeting.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

Stop With The State Bonds and Start Paying As We Go

California has become addicted to bonding. It's like the alcoholic that can always get another drink from the hidden bottle, or the child that is rewarded for doing homework when the homework is an expected part of learning.

Legislators and interest groups are not dummies. They know that state budget fiscal fixes or expensive projects can be implemented, either through the legislative process or through the ballot initiative, because the cost is not on a pay-as-you-go basis but, rather, becomes a future cost for a later time and a later generation.

Some state bonding is both appropriate and necessary. A reasonable amount of bonding always has been a useful mechanism for fiscal management. The City of Fresno, for instance, typically uses long-term bonds to pay for expensive outlays such as sewer and water infrastructure. The relatively new City Hall was paid for with 30-year bonds. The state uses bonding in the same way.

It's the mind-numbing plethora of bonding that in the past few years has been a staple of California governance that needs to be reassessed and, I believe, significantly reduced. If you are worried about the $1.4 billion in federal debt, you should certainly be worried about California's penchant for borrowing.

The latest ploy by the legislature is to try to solve the very real water crisis in the state by proposing bonding for numerous dams that would capture snow run-off to be released during the dry months of the year. Dams and related water infrastructure may or may not be one reasonable answer to the state's water issues. Another multi-billion dollar bond issuance piled on top of others to fund the dams, however, is not. If voters want the water infrastructure, taxes should be raised to pay for it.

California just can't have it all. Voters of all political persuasions need to be convinced by our elected representatives or through the initiative process what California needs and then be given by legislators an honest pay-as-you-go plan to finance these needs. We can't just kick the proverbial fiscal can further down the street. To do otherwise is to jeopardize not just our future, but the future of our children and grandchildren.

Coming Soon. . .

1. What about an Orchids and Onions Award to recognize the good and not-so-good in Fresno?
2. A healthy beginning for downtown progress.
3. An update on your local community college.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

Are Local Area Blogs Useful?

Blogs, basically individual opinion pieces courtesy of the Internet, have significantly grown in number over the past few years. One might say that they have become every man's (this includes women, of course) megaphone to the world. Blogs, while all over the map in terms of purpose, certainly have "democratized" the media!

So, the question arises: Do blogs really accomplish anything? The answer is that they probably do...maybe. And you might ask, "What kind of an answer is that?" On the positive side, blogs are useful since they tend to fill in the gaps left by the mainstream media. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television are wonderful, but limited by their understandable need to make a profit (good ol' capitalism) and their limited staffing and time resources. Blogs can hone in on any particular issue without worrying about the proverbial bottom line of money, time or ratings. After all, it is one individual's time and resources. And more often than not, it is many individual blogs operating independently on an issue which serve as effective time and resource multipliers. On the negative side of the ledger, blogs can be shrill, misinformed rants not based on anything approaching facts.

Using my own blog experience, I can say that I am willing to spend a few hours each week to "publish" at no charge to the reader my opinions (based, hopefully, on a sound knowledge gleaned from my teaching and political experience) on what is happening primarily in the greater Fresno area. To a lesser extent, I comment on state and national political and educational events. I would like to think that my relatively small readership finds my comments interesting and helpful in improving the quality of life in Fresno.

The growth of blogs is particularly noticeable chronicling small-town life. Some of what is being reported is simply local gossip, true or otherwise. People are naturally nosey and love to learn about the foibles of others. Some local blog reporting, however, has garnered major journalistic scoops. While it may be local in nature, these scoops are very important to the people living in these communities.

The jury is probably still out on the value of local blogs like mine. It's almost impossible to determine if they have a significant "value-added" quality beyond the "regular" news or whether they simply add to the noise clutter in the 24/7 news cycles. Blogs are, I believe, a constructive outlet in a democracy allowing individuals to air their thoughts and feelings. In that sense, I would give blogs a qualified thumbs up.

Now let's see what the next electronic marvel brings.

Coming Soon. . .

1. What about an Orchids and Onions Award to recognize the good and not-so-good in Fresno?
2. Stop with the state bonds and start paying as we go!

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

You Are Safer on Fresno's Streets

Fresno used to have some of the most dangerous streets in California and much of America. Accidents and deaths related to automobiles (primarily as a result of excessive speed) were at an all-time high when I was elected in 2001 as a council member representing the northwest area of Fresno in 2001. That is certainly not the case today. Fresno's streets are among the safest in California with accidents and deaths significantly below what they used to be. The Fresno Police Department, in fact, was recently recognized by the State of California for its traffic safety program. How did Fresno get from having one of the worst traffic safety records in the state and nation to be among the very best? Much of the credit goes to Police Chief Jerry Dyer and the Fresno Police Department.

Jerry Dyer had served for years with the Fresno Police Department when newly elected Mayor Alan Autry appointed him Chief of Police in 2002. I was initially disappointed with the Mayor's choice because a national search for this position was not conducted. My thinking was that any internal candidates for chief, such as Jerry Dyer, needed to best any external candidates that apply. Since this process was not followed, I hoped that newly sworn Chief Dyer would be up to the challenge.

One of the first decisions by Chief Dyer after being appointed was to invite each of the seven council members to meet with him to discuss what we thought were critical issues the Fresno Police Department should address. All council members, I assume, shared with him the unacceptable level of crime at that time. I had, however, another issue: Traffic accidents and deaths city-wide but particularly in my northwest council district.

Chief Dyer listened and promised to work on the traffic safety issue. He then began a difficult, but ultimately successful, effort to convince County of Fresno staff and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors that the revenue-sharing agreement the city and county had put together years ago should be modified to provide more dedicated monies strictly for traffic enforcement. These additional revenues could only be used for the purchase of motorcycles and police officers to reduce unsafe driving practices that often result in accidents or deaths.

Within a year of getting approval by the County to revise the tax-sharing formula, the Fresno Police Department had significantly increased the number of motorcycles and officers on Fresno's streets. The results were dramatic. Accidents and deaths decreased by almost half!

No one likes to get a ticket for speeding or other "moving violations." If you do receive one, however, please remember that the fine you pay goes to support traffic enforcement and has resulted in a safer Fresno. Your chances of being injured or killed in a car while in Fresno has greatly declined thanks to the leadership of Chief Dyer and the staff and officers of the Fresno Police Department.

Coming Soon. . .

1. What about an Orchids and Onions Award to recognize the good and not-so-good in Fresno?
2. Are local-area blogs useful?
3. Stop with the state bonds and start paying as we go!

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

Saving Our Land: Regional Cooperation Works

When we moved to Fresno in 1988, my wife and I inquired as to what was going to happen in the river bottom area of the San Joaquin River. Our realtor informed us that the area was prime development land and would be highly desirable for high-end homes, retail and possibly some commercial use. We wanted to purchase a home near Woodward Park and were saddened to hear about the development plans.

Fortunately, and thanks to a few visionary women (I think that it was all women, but I may be mistaken), the area was saved from development and eventually became available for purchase by State of California park bond revenues through the auspices of the San Joaquin River Conservancy. The Conservancy was signed into law by the legislature as the local area agency responsible for receiving and spending state park funds to purchase private property in the river bottom from willing senders and placing it in a public trust as part of an eventual 13-mile parkway from Friant Dam to State Highway 99. I had the privilege to sit on the Conservancy Board as the representative from the Fresno City Council. The Conservancy Board also is represented by the Fresno and Madera County Board of Supervisors, the Madera City Council, locally appointed citizen members, California Fish and Game, California Parks and the California Department of Finance. The Conservancy has a talented paid executive director and support staff.

At about the same time that the Conservancy was being formed through state action, the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust was being established. This not-for-profit 501c-3 organization, comprised of a paid staff, a board of directors and hundreds of members/volunteers, works diligently to raise funds to purchase private property in the river bottom, maintain river bottom areas purchased for public use, and promote use of those public areas and the river itself. The Trust has a beautiful historic building that is used for education purposes related to both preserving and utilizing public river parkway areas between Friant Dam and State Highway 99.

Another important regional resource that works closely with the State of California, the River Parkway Trust, and the River Conservancy is the Sierra Foothills Conservancy, a 13-year old not-for-profit organization dedicated to purchasing beautiful but sensitive land that could otherwise be developed from willing sellers areas in the Fresno-Madera foothills and placed in a trust for public use. Again, the model is similar to the nearby San Joaquin River organizations that are purchasing land that will remain in its natural state for our children and grand children to use in perpetuity.

Little did I know in 1988 that I would be able to participate in at least a small degree with these outstanding organizations. The visionary leaders and generous members of these organizations deserve our gratitude for what they have already accomplished and for what further contributions will provide. They show how cooperation can and should extend across artificial city and county boundaries.

We owe a lot to these fine people. Thank you!

Coming Soon. . .

1. Why you are safer on Fresno's streets.
2. Are local-area blogs useful?
3. Stop with the state bonds and start paying as we go!

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

The Frank J. Craycroft Home: Losing Our Past

The historic Frank J. Craycroft home and horse barn, located on the west side of N. Palm a little north of W. Sierra, is falling into ruins. It's such a shame that another piece of Fresno's past, built in 1927 and listed as City and County Historical Site #82, is being ignored and will, in time, collapse from neglect.

Many of the homes built in Fresno were made from the Craycroft Brick Works. Frank J. Craycroft, in many ways, can be remembered as literally providing the building blocks for many of Fresno's homes. His beautiful home with its handsome unattached horse barn (later used for automobiles) was at that time well out "in the county."

As a council member concerned about the boarded up residence (commonly, however, used by transients for shelter, teenagers for drinking parties, and vandals for defacing), I urged City of Fresno historical preservation director, Karana Hattersley, to have the residence secured with a fence and to actively solicit a buyer for it. Eventually, a buyer was found (I won't mention the name here), and in 2005 a sign was erected in front of the property on N. Palm proudly identifying the home. Community volunteers spent a weekend removing much of the paint sprayed inside the house by vandals, and cleared away the weeds and general clutter in the yard. A press conference was held proudly announcing that the new owners would fix up the historic building and use it both as a residence and office.

It's now October of 2009 and I have been termed out of office for a year. Four years have passed since the jubilation of that 2005 press conference. The Frank J. Craycroft home, however, again sits lifeless and abandoned. The sign so proudly erected in the front now lies face down in the dirt.

What a shame. No one seems to care as another fixture of Fresno's past slowly slips into oblivion.

Coming Soon. . .

1. Why you are safer on Fresno's streets.
2. Working together for a better region: The San Joaquin River Conservation Board, the San Joaquin River Parkway and the Sierra Foothill Conservancy.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

The High Price of Being a High School Drop Out

I teach students at Fresno City College planning to be K - 12 teachers. It is, therefore, my responsibility to know about the education process. I tell my students that we, as educators, have failed when students drop out of school before graduating with a high school diploma. Maybe teachers can't prevent all dropouts since the home environment is critical to success in school. But regardless of where one might point the finger of blame, it's the dropouts in particular and society in general that pays the penalty.

On average, approximately a quarter of students drop out before graduating. Obviously, this percentage varies from school district to school district. Some of the 5,000 or so school districts in the country (Detroit, for example) have horrific drop out rates of almost two thirds. Other districts can be as "low" as 10 percent. The numbers, however, only tell part of the story.

A high school drop out, simply stated, is the last to be hired and the first to be fired and/or laid off. The drop out, when fortunate enough to find work, is hired for the worst jobs and for the lowest paying jobs. Employment usually is on a low hourly scale and benefits are few or often non-existent.

There was a time when my generation entered the workforce-the post World War II "baby boomers"--when a dropout could usually find decent employment, usually in a factory environment. Unionized assembly-line work, particularly in the auto industry, consisting of routine, manual labor required very limited education. Those jobs, however, are just about all gone as America entered a global economy where efficiency and education, not brawn, are essential.

In addition to unemployment or underemployment that results from being a dropout, society pays the tax price through public assistance and the fiscal/personal price of crime. The California Dropout Research Project at UC Santa Barbara recently reported that high school dropouts, who are more likely to commit crimes than their peers with diplomas, cost California $1.1 billion annually in law enforcement and victim costs while still minors (emphasis mine). Unfortunately, criminal activity does not end when these minors move into adulthood; if anything, it only increases.

The UC Project found that cutting the dropout rate in half would prevent 30,000 juvenile crimes and save $550 million every year. Project researchers previously studied the economic effect of not finishing high school and found that for each group of 20-year-olds who fail to complete high school (roughly 120,000 per year), the economic loss is $46.4 billion!

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said that, "the connection between dropping out of school and juvenile crime is very clear. the simple fact is if kids aren't in school, they're much more likely to be on the streets causing trouble, engaging in criminal activities such as burglary, thefts, graffiti and arsons."

Dyer and others, according to the Los Angeles Times, urged the governor to sign legislation, SB 651, which would require the state Department of Education to produce an annual report that accurately depicts the number of students not finishing school. The report would also identify early signs that a student might be on the path to dropping out, such as truancy. Such indicators would allow schools to target at-risk students.

Dropping out of school is unacceptable and can be prevented. We can do better. Ask what he or she is going to do about it when the next school board candidate asks for your vote.

Coming Soon. . .

1. The James J. Craycroft home: A story of neglect.
2. The San Joaquin River Conservation Board, the San Joaquin River Parkway and the Sierra Foothill Conservancy: Working Together for a Better Region

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.

Is Medical Marijuana an Oxymoron?

It has now been 13 years since California voters approved the nation's first initiative allowing the "compassionate use" of marijuana for medical ailments. Approval of this proposition was one of the finest scams in California history. For all practical purposes, the proposition should have just allowed the unlimited use of marijuana in California.

Marijuana "clinics" are seldom regulated. Anyone that walks in with the most flimsy excuse can purchase marijuana. The result has been an explosion of unregulated marijuana outlets across the state. And make no mistake that the objective of these "clinics/outlets" is profit, not compassion for an individual suffering pain from a medical condition.

The current economic recession in California is providing new impetus for the newest and potentially biggest scam: Expand marijuana outlets, tax them, and then use tax receipts to plug the giant hole in California's budget. Wow! What a great idea! The now rejected "compassionate" excuse for selling marijuana has cleverly morphed into the "more money for local and state purposes by taxing marijuana" gambit. Oh, so clever. The more marijuana sold, the more taxes collected to save the Golden State from financial ruin.

It is interesting to compare conservative Fresno's struggle against marijuana outlets with the more liberal hands-off policy in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles has gone from four marijuana outlets four years ago to more than 600 shops today. It's like having a friendly Starbucks on every corner. Los Angeles, however, is having big-time second thoughts about this proliferation of marijuana outlets. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.

In the meantime, I still support (as I did when on the City Council) the approach taken by Police Chief Jerry Dyer that marijuana outlets in Fresno only add to the challenges of maintaining a safe and pleasant city. Fresno is no different than any other city in California in its challenges navigating the fiscal uncertainties of this recession. What we don't need, however, are additional tax revenues from marijuana "clinics/outlets."

Coming Soon. . .

1. The serious implications of being a high school drop out.
2. The James J. Craycroft home: A story of neglect.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.