I would much rather comment on the FresYes instead of the FresNo side of our community. And anyone that comments that our community does not have culture has certainly not been to the Fresno Philharmonic. What a gem!
The Saroyan Theatre has welcomed the Philharmonic on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons for many, many years. The conductor, Theodore Kuchar, orchestra, and Philharmonic staff put on a wonderful show for classical music aficionados. And to broaden their appeal, just about every performance has world-renown guest artists. The most recent guest artist not only performed his required virtuoso piece, but chose to join the orchestra for the following major work as well as an additional short violin solo, The Red Violin. The quality of the Philharmonic's performances has climbed to the point where it is not at all uncommon to have standing ovations.
The Philharmonic "smart guys and gals" are only too aware of the limited potential audience for classical music. They have, therefore, used their creative minds to appeal to a broader audience. Next season's line-up, for instance, includes the Family Concert: Classical Kids Live! Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery; Pops: Bravo! Holidays; Pops: The 3 Phantoms & the Philharmonic; and Pops: Circque de la Symphonie-Encore! Clever program development and marketing introduces a new and younger generation to the symphony. At a time when many illustrious national symphonies are in dire financial straits or folding, Fresno's Philharmonic continues to please its audiences.
So, if you hear the "no culture" comment about Fresno, take the misinformed miscreant to the Philharmonic. They will never say that again.
Coming Soon...
1. Invocations at Fresno City Council meetings?
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com
The event was front page news in the Fresno Bee and the local news stations: "Big auction for Met memorabilia." Get it while its hot! Wonderful deals! Outstanding turnout!
I guess the auction was inevitable after the Met went belly-up after years of overbuilding and mismanagement. Nevertheless, it made me furious to think of how Met management lied to the City of Fresno in order to get its multi-million dollar loan guarantee to just "tide it over" until construction was finished and the museum would again open to sufficient paying customers to keep it solvent. What a con! And as a member of the City Council at that time, I fell for it.
Lost in all the hoopla of the auction was the fact that millions of City of Fresno tax dollars paid for a foolish Taj Majal that Fresno could not afford. Other important projects that Fresno was ready to provide citizens, particularly more parks, had to be scrapped because of the debacle. The irresponsible Met board of directors and staff should also be apologizing to the 140 city police department employees that were recently let go due to city budget constraints. And their apology will be needed again this spring when Mayor Swearengin's budget axes more employees.
I wish that I could turn back the clock to that unanimous vote by the council in 2006. It was difficult to vote against guaranteeing the loan with the council chamber full of Met supporters and the Fresno Bee editorializing about the need for "city leaders to support a downtown cultural icon" (which, incidentally, was originally given or sold to the Met by the Fresno Bee when it found the old building inadequate). The decision by the council was a poor one, based more on local feelings of sentiment and loyalty rather than hard-headed reality.
For those of you "lucky" ones that got a good deal at the Met auction, please be sure to thank the citizens of Fresno that are subsidizing your purchase. They are certainly not smiling.
Coming Soon...
1. The Fresno Philharmonic: We should be so fortunate.
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com
From the liberal New Republic to the conservative Wall Street Journal, I love reading. I have been a life-long subscriber to Newsweek, and have always--wherever I was living--looked forward to reading the local newspaper. As a moderate (fiscally conservative with moderate to liberal social issue views and an independent voting record), I find reading both enjoyable and educational. I am, therefore, troubled by my growing aversion to the locally published Community Alliance newspaper.
I have tried to cut the Community Alliance (which identifies itself as "The Voice of the Progressive Movement Since 1996") some slack. After all, the far-left position of this newspaper would find a more receptive audience in Santa Cruz; San Francisco; Boulder, CO; Madison, WI or similar bastions of liberal thought. Fresno is--no doubt about it--quite conservative. So I thought as I first started reading the Alliance some years back that it was healthy in a democracy to have a publication that takes a different approach to things happening in the community than, say, the main-line Fresno Bee.
Unfortunately, the Community Alliance is always against something. It is a newspaper with an axe to grind about just about everything. Rather than be for something, it chooses to criticize the community, particularly Fresno's elected officials. The most recent monthly publication, for example, tries to make the case that Fresno is on the verge of --horror of horrors--building a nuclear power plant. A meandering editorial worries about some chatter about a change in Fresno's name, criticizes Fresno's assault on the homeless, and expresses concern that the newly hired Independent Police Auditor is not cracking down on perceived widespread police brutality. Someone from out of town picking up the newspaper would conclude that Fresno must be the most God-awful place on the planet.
The Fresno City Council is a constant target of this newspaper. During the eight years I served as a council member, the only time I can remember the newspaper giving even grudging credit to the council was for its efforts to establish a community access channel for various public groups to use.
While Fresno still has the 'no' in its name and is not by any means a perfect community, I take strong issue with the Alliance's constant criticism, particularly of those city officials involved in the difficult task of providing decent housing for the homeless and the police-bashing. Few people take the newspaper seriously. It's sad. The Community Alliance could, with a less strident focus, be a force of constructive change.
Coming Soon...
1. The Fresno Philharmonic: We should be so fortunate.
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
4. "Auction" at Met. Taxpayers forgotten.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com
In the mid-1990's, visionary Fresno leaders, primarily from the private sector, established a citizen commission to consider changes to the City of Fresno charter that sets forth the structure and procedure of city governance. Their outstanding work led to City of Fresno voters overwhelmingly approving what has come to be called the "strong mayor" form of government. This significant change separated the mayor from the council and created a different set of responsibilities for each. The mayor was given increased responsibilities as the "chief executive" for the city, and the council gained two additional seats to make a council of seven members.
The charter change was an excellent one. Fresno leapfrogged most other municipalities in the country in implementing a governance system that has served it well for the past 20 years. Now a slight majority of council members proposes to change an important aspect of the charter by not implementing the provision for adding two additional council seats when the city population exceeds a half million. While not turning back the clock to the discredited "weak mayor" form of governance that existed prior to the mid-1990's, the proposal lacks merit and should not be approved either by the council in its second reading or by the voters since an affirmative council vote requires voter approval by City of Fresno citizens.
The position taken by council proponents for not adding the additional council member seats is that it is too expensive. This is simply not true. Each council member is paid $60,000 a year with the additional cost of two council assistants. Routine office expenses are on top of personnel costs. The expense associated with adding the two positions is less than one half of one percent of the city budget.
Cost (while small) should not be the overriding criteria in determining whether the council should be limited to the current seven members or expanded to the charter-mandated nine in the near future. Of far more importance is the work that the council does now and will be expected to do as the city population increases. Addressing the day-to-day needs of almost 80,000 constituents per council member, along with the policy decisions that must be addressed every week in public council meetings, is arduous and time-consuming. The responsibility should be spread over an additional two council members as the city population continues to increase well into the 21st century.
The charter provision for expanding the council upon the city reaching a population milestone was carefully considered and overwhelmingly approved by city voters in the mid-1990's. It was revisited again in 2006 when I was on the council. A slight majority of the council at that time voted to change the charter by placing the same prohibition against adding two additional council members when the population reached a certain point. Since it was a charter amendment and required voter approval, it went before the voters in the general election where it was voted down.
While I have always supported the strong mayor form of government, I am also having a difficult time trying to understand why some council members want to shoot themselves in the foot by restricting its number (and influence) in the democratic checks and balances process that takes place between itself and the mayor. Do they really want to have a strong, strong mayor form of government? And do they want to tell their constituents that the every-increasing size of the district means that they will have difficulty meeting their needs? Or is there the unstated motive of some council members that adding two more members might lessen their time in the spotlight?
I have always marveled at the extraordinary work of those citizens 20 years ago that held all those public meetings leading to a popular vote for significant improvements to the City of Fresno Charter under which the city operates today. And to drive home the value of those changes, the citizens just four years ago AGAIN reaffirmed the value of the charter.
Should the council approve the proposal in the second reading, the mayor would be wise to veto it, thereby requiring a super-majority to approve it. Something as important as a charter amendment should require a super-majority anyway.
There's a well-used phrase that applies to this current attempt at tinkering with the charter: "If it ain't broke, don't mess with it."
Coming Soon...
1. The Fresno Philharmonic: We should be so fortunate.
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com
Elected officials are the backbone of any democracy. Men and women stand for election to effect change or to maintain what exists. Both are legitimate roles of government. For government to operate at optimum effectiveness and efficiency, however, non-elected individuals and groups need to participate and seek to influence those elected officials.
I am not speaking here of special interest groups that see government--local government in this case--as something they need to influence or manipulate. Developers, labor unions and various business groups come to mind here. I am instead speaking of well known and respected individuals, usually business leaders, that care about the community as a whole and want to use their influence to make our community even better.
Unfortunately, the greater Fresno area seems to have lost the last vestiges of leadership by community opinion-makers. An exception might be made here for the efforts of the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce's attempt to get the City and County of Fresno to consolidate selected police and sheriff activities, and Mr. Dan Doyle, a local banker, effort to establish a public benefit corporation (PBID) to encourage development downtown. The former president of Pelco lent his support to the zoo funding campaign. Other than these examples, when was the last time you saw a respected and influential private sector citizen come downtown to speak before the City Council or Board of Supervisors on an important issue?
I remember years ago the influence of influential citizens when I was a county supervisor for Racine County, Wisconsin. A number of supervisors believed that a marina on Lake Michigan (Racine County and Milwaukee County shared beautiful lake frontage in Southeast Wisconsin) would be a significant economic development asset, but the project would need voter approval. Leaders in the business community shared the vision and lent their support to the marina concept. The voters approved and a successful marina was built.
In this very difficult economic period, I call on private sector leaders to raise their voices to demand city and county elected officials to place their turf issues aside and work together for improved effectiveness and efficiency in the provision of public services. These influential citizens should insist upon the creation of a commission to make recommendations that will go to the voters for approval. The process would be a reprise of the leadership taken by the private sector almost 20 years ago to create the successful strong mayor governance system for the City of Fresno.
Local elected officials are loath to challenge the status quo. To do so would be to threaten their current position and the special interests that helped to put them there.
One of the lessons I learned during my eight year tenure on the Fresno City Council was the significant influence of even one dedicated business leader speaking on behalf of an important issue. Multiply the one influential business person by a few more and elected leaders pay big-time attention.
Now is the time Mr. and Mrs. business person to demand change from those elected officials that continue to sit on their hands. Fresno needs you.
Coming Soon...
1. Let's not tinker with the City of Fresno Charter.
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com.
While on the Fresno City Council, I authored an ordinance two years ago calling for a complete ban on solicitation on median islands. It was my firm belief (supported by numerous citizens that had complained to me over the years) that soliciting donations--whether for burial money, Children's Hospital, the fire department or the "homeless"--was dangerous for those standing on the narrow islands in the midst of traffic and for the motorists navigating the intersection. The proposed ordinance failed on a 5-2 council vote.
I commend Council member Larry Westerlund for again bringing an ordinance to the council to address the median island solicitation issue. My only concern with his approach--adopted 6-1 on the first reading--was that it had numerous exceptions and was far from a total prohibition. The exceptions will inevitably lead to accusations of unfair and/or discriminatory enforcement by the Fresno Police Department. The whining has already begun as homeless advocates bemoan what they perceive as unfair targeting of the homeless while permitting "established" groups to raise money on the median strips.
There is still the requirement for a second public hearing and vote by the council before the ordinance can be implemented. I testified in favor of a full prohibition during the initial hearing and vote and won't comment again. I do believe, however, that Mr. Westerlund's proposed ordinance is a significant improvement over the current practice of doing nothing. People on median islands will eventually lead to injuries and or deaths. No one wants that.
If you wish to have your voice heard on this issue, please go to http://www.fresno.gov/, click to the City Clerk's page, and then scroll down and open the next scheduled city council meeting agenda.
Coming Soon...
1. Where are our private sector leaders?
2. College students, program reviews and jobs.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com.
We all love our cell phones! Ok, no argument there. But what about those cell phone yakkers that make your life miserable when forced to listen to their inane conversations while riding a public vehicle?
I am a big believer in public transportation and take advantage of it whenever I can. For work, I ride my bike to the bus, take the bus to work, and then reverse the process. For California travel (and I do a lot of it), I try to take the Amtrak train/bus and leave our one automobile at home. I also take planes for long-distance travel.
So, you are about to ask, what's my point? It's those cell phone users on public vehicles that feel the necessity to discuss just about everything imaginable while sitting next to me or within earshot. Not only is it loud and distracting, but at times it is so personal that I am embarrassed to overhear what is being discussed. The favorite topic by far are boyfriends and girlfriends, particularly jilted lovers. Health issues--ones I never want to hear about--are also a common topic of discussion. And financial issues--I never thought people could get themselves into such fiscal messes--come in at a high number three.
Why must these people spend so much time on their cell phone in a public place talking about the most intimate aspects of their life? Don't they realize that their voice is being heard by at least a quarter of the people on the bus or train? Do they think that they live in their own bubble?
Not only are they invading my space with unwanted personal nonsense, but so many of these yakkers use a stream of four letter swear words (sometimes including racial overtones) that are both crude and offensive. And when they finally finish with a half hour or more of talk and finally click off...yep, you guessed it: the phone rings (oops, my bad, I mean a ring-tone) and the conversation begins again.
I must be too old, for I do not understand the need people have to share their personal lives with others. My most fervent prayer is, however, that I am able to continue air travel a few more years without the tyranny of the cell phone user forcing me out of my much-too-small seat, forcing me away from the seat back in front of me that is crushing my knees, abandoning my plastic glass of soda and ultimately locking myself in the disinfectant smelling toilet until touchdown (only hours away!).
Coming Soon...
1. Where are our private sector leaders?
2. City Council action on median islands is a good first step.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com.
Fresno County residents rely on their elected leaders to address the issues facing our county and region including sustainable growth, high unemployment, air and water quality, transportation, and public safety services. Fresno has changed dramatically over the past few decades. The county, now more than ever, is intertwined economically and environmentally with 15 expanding Fresno County cities and a multi-county Valley region. As municipal services expand, however, cities and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors often provide overlapping, inefficient services which burden taxpayers with higher costs for the duplicated services. Facing millions of dollars in expenses it cannot pay for, cutting services, and with no vision/direction for the future, the five-member elected Board of Supervisors operating with a powerless appointed county administrator is simply incapable of meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.
Fresno County needs a more effective governance structure. The Fresno City Council twice initiated legislation to establish a citizen commission to investigate improving city-county services in Fresno County. The Board of Supervisors rejected the legislation. (As the primary proponent of the citizen commission while on the City Council, I took the request to a regular session of the Board of Supervisors. Then Supervisor Juan Arambula went so far as to characterize the proposal as "a stupid idea.") We cannot afford to wait until the supervisors are ready to investigate solutions to the problems our county is facing. A thorough evaluation of County of Fresno governance and delivery of services is needed.
A Commission on Effectiveness and Efficiency in Local Government should be charged with conducting a comprehensive study of the services provided by the Board of Supervisors with the goal of improving the delivery, quality, and efficiency of these services. The commission would be responsible for ensuring the feasibility of recommendations and for producing a plan that has a reasonable prospect for adoption by Fresno County municipalities, the Board of Supervisors, and ultimately, the citizens of Fresno County.
The commission should operate under as few constraints as possible, be broadly represented with strong, active leadership, and be linked to local government in Fresno County. The task of the commission would be to engage itself in a process of comparing the current Board of Supervisors governance system to relevant state and national models for enhancing local government.
A recommended starting point for an excellent governance model is the elected county executive utilized by Kings County (Seattle area), Washington and numerous other progressive counties. Just as the elected City of Fresno mayor provides checks and balances to the city council, an elected county executive would be a counterbalance to the supervisors; would work closely with the 15 cities in Fresno County; and, finally, would provide much needed leadership at the regional, state and federal level.
A number of years ago Fresno citizens asked for and got (thanks in large part due to the efforts of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce) major changes to the City Charter to include a strong mayor form of government, term limits and other governance modifications that have significantly improved services to city residents. It is time for citizens of Fresno County to establish this commission to bring about needed change to the governance methods of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.
Coming Soon...
1. Where are our private sector leaders?
2. Public transportation and the tyranny of the cell phone abuser.
3. "Choice" for parents and students in our local schools.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com.
