Attorney General Jerry Brown announced Friday that he has endorsed Henry T. Perea for mayor of Fresno. Brown cited Perea's experience in fighting crime and his comprehensive approach to public safety, according to a statement released by the Perea campaign.
This is part of Brown's statement: "I'm proud to endorse Henry T. Perea for mayor of Fresno because I know that he has the experience necessary to address Fresno's challenges with crime, gangs and drugs. His commitment to expanding job training and gang prevention programs is exemplary and as the attorney general, I look forward to working with Henry to make Fresno a safer place to live."
Perea said Brown's endorsement was an honor because of his record of public service that is "clearly remarkable and second to none."
"The accomplishments he and his family have achieved in the past 50 years -- for the benefit of Californians -- cannot be overstated. I look forward to working with him in the future to ensure our residents safety," Perea said in a statement.
This is the second big-name Democrat to back Perea in his campaign against Ashley Swearengin. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein endorsed Perea earlier in the week.
Police investigating death threats against mayor, pastor over support of Prop. 8
Channel 30 has reported that death threats have been made against Mayor Alan Autry and Pastor Jim Franklin over their support of Proposition 8, the measure on Tuesday's ballot to overturn a Supreme Court decison legalizing same-sex marriage. Click here for the Channel 30 story.
Here's a part of the Channel 30 story:
Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the written threats against Mayor Alan Autry and Cornerstone Pastor Jim Franklin were very detailed and mentioned their participation in a pro-proposition 8 rally this weekend.
That's the California ballot initiative that would ban same sex marriage. "We have significant information regarding threats against Mayor Autry and Pastor Franklin and it's as a result as their participation on the "Yes on 8" that occurred here recently," said Dyer.
Channel 30 poll shows Swearengin with a double-digit lead in mayor's race
Word out of Channel 30 is that mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin leads the Fresno mayor's race with 53% of the vote to 41% for opponent Henry T. Perea in the station's latest poll. The poll, taken Oct. 29 and 30, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1%.
The latest numbers mean Swearengin has lengthened her lead in recent days. On Oct. 18, Channel 30 released a poll that had her with a much smaller margin: 48% of the vote to 43% for Perea.
Click here to read details of the latest SurveyUSA poll for Channel 30.
This race still isn't over, though. Perea has increased his media buy recently and that could push "wobblers" and undecideds into his camp. Perea also has a major get-out-the-vote effort scheduled on Election Day, and his camp believes that will also pull voters to his side. Groups supporting Perea have also mailed some very negative ad pieces that attack Swearengin. We'll see if these last-minute tactics work.
Swearengin's handlers have believed she has had a double-digit lead for most of the month. Their internal poll released two weeks ago had her leading with 52% of the vote to 34% for Perea.
First we had the letter from Matthew Nolan of Fresno, a doorman at a local bar, who witnessed a fight between pro-Proposition 8 folks and opponents of the initiative. His thoughtful conclusion: "[T]his should stand out as a firm reminder that politics and alcohol do not mix."
But now comes word that, at least on election day, it's not a problem in seven states.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States -- or DISCUS, which makes me think of hurling -- Kentucky, Indiana and South Carolina have statewide election day bans on sales of alcohol at restaurants, bars and package stores. Utah and West Virginia ban the sale of alcohol at package stores on election day, and Alaska and Massachusetts also ban election day alcohol sales, except that local governments can make an exemption.
The booze industry calls these "silly Prohibition-era restrictions." Well, sure, they've got a dog in this hunt. But I don't know, after reading Mr. Nolan's letter. Peace, people.
Tomorrow is the day new, tighter regulations on residential wood-burning go into effect in the San Joaquin Valley. It's the subject of our editorial today.
The restrictions have been controversial with many people since their inception, but the number of violations went down last year, indicating that people are getting used to them, are resigned to them or just aren't snitching out the neighbors as often. Take your pick.
This year the exemption for those who live in the foothills is gone. The only exception to the no-burn rule on designated days will be for those households that don't have access to natural gas for heating.
This is hardship for a few people, and a pain for others, but the fact is that wood burning increases the amount of particulate matter in the winter air, and that's a big deal. Particulate matter is responsible for many lung and heart diseases suffered by Valley residents, and dozens of premature deaths each year.
The campaign to reform the redistricting process got a fund-raising boost Thursday night when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor Sylvester Stallone appeared together at a Proposition 11 event in La Jolla.
The money is needed to counteract the misleading ads by opponents of redistricting reform. We point out in this editorial in The Bee the offensive ads and the need for Proposition 11 to pass on Tuesday.
Proposition 11 would take the power to draw legislative district lines from legislators and give it to an independent commission. That would return fairness to legislative elections and make senators and Assembly members more accountable to voters.
But the politicians and the special interests who fund them don't want to lose that power. They can't win this debate on its merits so they are again using deceptive tactics to sink Proposition 11. Don't believe the opponents. This measure would make your votes county again in legislative elections.
Thursday's Proposition 11 fund-raiser was a pricey event. It cost $25,000 for two seats at the head table, 10 dinner tickets and two photos each for two people with Schwarzenegger and Stallone, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Here's more from our sister paper: "Co-chairs pay $10,000 get the same, minus the two seats at the head table. A vice-chair ($5,000) gets four dinner tickets, and one photo with two people and Schwarzenegger and Stallone. A just plain old ticket costs $1,000."
Supporters of Prop. 8 gain backing, according to new poll
Proposition 8, which would define marriage in California as only between a man and a woman, is still trailing, but the momentum seems with backers of the measure just days before Tuesday's election. A new Field Poll shows Proposition 8 with 44% of the vote, with 49% opposing it. In the September Field Poll, Proposition 8 trailed by 17 points.
Our sister paper, The Sacramento Bee, has this quote from pollster Mark DiCamillo:
"It's certainly closer than it was before the advertising campaign hit," said Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo. "A lot of that has to do with the campaigning on the Yes (on 8) side."
The San Diego story has this interesting analysis of the poll numbers:
Seventy-five percent of the Republicans favor Proposition 8 while 65% of the Democrats oppose it. There is also heavy opposition, 60%, among independents and members of minor parties.
Proposition 8 is leading with a 57% "yes" vote in the Republican-leaning inland counties and trailing with a 54% "no" vote in the Democratic-leaning coastal counties.
Opposition to same-sex marriage increases with age. While 62% of voters 65 and older support Proposition 8, only 39% of voters between 18 and 34 do.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has finally announced his positions on the state propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot. Thanks to John Myers, Sacramento Bureau chief for KQED, the PBS station in San Francisco, for the news. Here's the list:
Proposition 1A -- High Speed Rail Bonds: YES
Proposition 2 -- Farm Animal Confinement Standards: NO
Proposition 3 -- Children's Hospital Bond: YES
Proposition 4 -- Parental Notification of Abortion: YES
Proposition 5 -- Nonviolent Drug Offenses, Sentencing & Parole: NO
Proposition 6 -- Law Enforcement Funding, Gang Penalties: Neutral
Proposition 7 -- Renewable Energy Standards: NO
Proposition 8 -- Same-Sex Marriage Ban: NO
Proposition 9 -- Victims' Rights & Parole: NEUTRAL
Proposition 10 -- Alternative Fuel Bonds: NO
Proposition 11 -- Redistricting: YES
Proposition 12 -- Veterans Bond Act: YES
Not many surprises, though it's gratifying to see that a guy who owns eight Hummers can support high-speed rail.
Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told his radio audience today that he's voting for Ashley Swearengin for mayor over Henry T. Perea. Autry said Swearengin is best equipped to move the city forward, and that's why she should succeed him as mayor.
Swearengin, who appeared on Autry's show on KYNO radio, said her campaign "just got a lot better" with Autry's statement that he's supporting her.
Autry's office released this statement from the mayor:
"The upcoming mayoral election could be one of the most important events in the history of our city. Fresno has made progress on many fronts over the last several years and it is critical for the next mayor to keep that positive momentum going. Ashley Swearingen has the vision, skills and determination to continue our forward march into the 21st century. That is why she has my vote on November 4th."
Perea's office issue this statement in response:
"It's inspiring to think that in our country every vote counts the same.That's true in Fresno whether it's the Mayor or any one person across our community. I respect the Mayor and I've enjoyed working with him for the last six years but it will take more than 50,000 votes to win this election and I'm confident that the majority of local Fresno residents share my vision for change with a safer city and better jobs."
We get letters. Boy, do we get letters. We're getting so many letters right now, because of the election, that we had to resort to a special full page of extra letters today, the second time we've done that recently. Here are the links to the special page, and to the regular letters section.
I've been handling the letters to the editor here at The Bee for about 14 years now, and I've never seen volume like this. Much of it is driven by Proposition 8, which has excited passions on both sides of the issue. The McCain-Obama race is a close second.
We've always received more letters than we've been able to print; in normal times we manage to get between 35% and 40% of them into the paper. Now that percentage may be down around 15% or 20%, just because the volume is so much higher and the space is essentially the same. We'll get an accurate count sometime after the election.
We've always invested a lot of time and effort into letters. They are an important part of the newspaper's mission to serve as a place where public debate can take place. And the letters pages are always among the highest in readership, not just at The Bee, but at most newspapers.
Mayor Autry expected to give Swearengin's campaign a big boost on Wednesday
Sources close to Mayor Alan Autry said tonight that the mayor will issue a news release Wednesday to announce that he's "voting" for Ashley Swearengin for mayor. Autry has held off endorsing a candidate to succeed him, but has been leaning toward Swearengin because of some statements made by Henry T. Perea in the last weeks of the campaign.
Autry wants to let voters know that he will be voting for Swearengin when he casts his ballot for mayor on Tuesday, according to our sources. Swearengin is scheduled to be on Autry's radio show on Wednesday. The show airs on KYNO, 1300 AM, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Autry, still popular after two terms as mayor, can have an impact on voters if he campaigns for his potential successor. It is not known yet whether Autry will go beyond saying that he will vote for Swearengin.
Autry must step down because of term limits. Perea and Swearengin survived an 11-candidate primary in June to get into Tuesday's runoff election.
UPDATE at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday:
The Swearengin campaign just sent out this news release:
Mayor Alan Autry will be announcing on his radio show this morning who he plans on voting for in next week's mayoral race. To date Autry has not expressed public comments on who he would be supporting, but has chosen his radio show today to make the announcement. Please tune in now to listen to today's show. The show is also podcast live at KYNO.
In the 11 o'clock hour Autry's guest will be mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin.
The Mayor will be available for press interviews and questions, live, immediately following the show at the KYNO studios.
A few days ago I posted an item about The Bee's recommendations in local Assembly races, and some commenters raised the general issue of newspaper election endorsements. Here's the short answer, from our perspective:
The Bee publishes recommendations because we think we have something to offer. We meet with many of the candidates, especially the local ones, and we also meet with groups on both sides of state and local ballot measures. That's something many voters can't do.
Our discussions are sometimes short, if everybody agrees on the issue. But we're not always unanimous, and then the discussions can get long and arduous. Newspaper staffs -- and editorial boards -- are not monolithic, lock-step groups, as many critics assert.
For example, check out these two posts from from The Sacramento Bee's Shane Goldmacher. The first asks whether newspaper editorial recommendations matter; the second lists the recommendations on this year's state ballot propostions made by the largest 10 newpapers in California, which includes The Bee. There are some cases of unanimity; in other cases there is disagreement -- just as in any group.
We're under no illusions about the effectiveness of these recommendations. Sometimes voters agree with us, sometimes not. I used to have a reader who called every year before the elections, asking when we were going to start running our recommendations box, the listing of all the picks we've made. He wanted to cut it out and take it with him into the polling booth, so he could be sure to vote against The Bee in every case.
Fine. I regard that as a community service, part of a newspaper's job -- so long as he bought the paper he cut the box out of, of course.
Many readers question whether newspapers should make recommendations at all. I think they should, and not entirely because I get paid, in part, for participating in that task. Some complain that the lines between news and opinion get blurred, and that's a real concern. But I think newspaper readers, including ours, are smart enough to figure out the difference between a news story and an opinion piece. They know what it means when they see that great big black word "Opinion" at the top of the editorial page.
And I've always thought it curious that very few people complain when other institutions -- chambers of commerce, unions, business councils, the League of Women Voters, all sorts of groups -- make their own recommendations in elections, but they'll object when the newspaper does so.
Is it arrogant of us to make recommendations? Perhaps, but no more arrogant than anyone else expressing an opinon.
This is by far the longest blog I've ever done, and it's time to stop. I hope you'll offer your comments, and I'll reply as best I can.
Just ask the people in Denmark, where the publication of 12 editorial cartoons criticizing Islam in 2005 sparked protests across the Muslim world, resulting in more than 100 deaths.
Last week, I had to deal with an angry reader who was offended by a cartoon I chose, which she said put words in Karl Marx's mouth that he never actually said.
And today, I heard about this controversy over a cartoon about Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama. Cartoonist Gary McCoy is getting lots of email and threats over his cartoon.
Do you think editorial cartoons have a place in opinion commentary?
Tell me why some people won't vote in next Tuesday's election
The nation is at war, the economy is tanking, the definition of marriage will be decided, and yet 30% of registered voters will have more important things to do on Election Day than vote for the people who will be making the most important political decisions in a generation.
Elections officials are touting a big turnout -- 70%. But I'm wondering why the rest aren't engaged enough in their society to care enough to vote.
Am I being too pessimistic? Shouldn't I be happy with a 70% turnout?
Consider this: We're electing a president, and in Fresno a mayor. Voters will decide if same-sex marriages will continue to be legal in California. School board members across the Valley will be elected. There are important state propositions and local ballot measures. They've even spent $4 million in the 30th Assembly District race to get votes. In every community, there are crucial elections. Why doesn't that excite the non-voters?
Proposition 11 is our best chance to make California Legislature accountable to voters again
If you like the way the California Legislature ducks problems and refuses to balance the state budget, vote "no" on Proposition 11, the redistricting reform measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. But if you want lawmakers from both major parties to be accountable to voters, vote "yes."
This measure is very simple, even though opponents are trying to make it complicated to confuse voters. It takes the power to draw Assembly and Senate lines from the Legislature and gives it to an independent commission.
Proposition 11 would remove a basic conflict of interest -- the very people who benefit from the line-drawing are allowed to design their own districts. That must change -- unless you think the Legislature is doing a good job. I don't and I'm voting "yes" on Proposition 11.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in Fresno today to lead a rally in support of Proposition 11. He will be joined by Mayor Alan Autry and others at the event at the Fresno Fresno County Farm Bureau. It is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
UPDATE: Here's a link to today's news conference in Fresno.
Gerrymandering isn't new, but high-tech California has perfected it using computer modeling that can determine election results by figuring out exactly where Democrats and Republicans live. Then they slice up neighborhoods like they're dividing up a pie.
This measure has bipartisan support, as well as backing from several respected good-government groups in the state. Supporters include Common Cause of California, the League of Women Voters, AARP, Democrats such as Leon Panetta and Republicans such as Schwarzenegger.
Opponents of the measure are so dishonest that they claim in campaign material sent to Democrats that it's a power grab by Republicans, but in campaign material sent to Republicans, they say it's a power grab by Democrats. So which is it?
Simple, Proposition 11 is a power grab by the voters, and that makes the politicians -- both Democrats and Republicans -- nervous. But it's the right thing to do. Vote "yes" on Proposition 11.
A draft plan for achieving the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in California emerged from the state air board recently, and everybody -- from local agencies to private businesses to individual residents -- had better get ready for some big change in the way we do things. Here's our editorial today on the subject.
The new rules will take several years to finalize, but when they're in place they will affect the type of vehicles we drive, the ways cities are planned and allowed to grow and the way we handle everything from industrial operations to backyard barbecues.
No doubt the process will be punctuated by litigation along the way. Wait'll all those activist judges get their hands on this.
This is important, because Californians, like all Americans, produce greenhouse gases all out of proportion to our population. We've got to do better, but it won't be easy.
I'm not suggesting that domestic violence is OK behind closed doors -- it's not OK at all. But it's no wonder that domestic violence is often passed from one generation to the next, when so often it happens in front of children.
In today's headlines, a domestic violence case that involved at least two murders touches the family of an Oscar-winning actress. Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were killed. A suspect who hasn't been charged yet is in custody, but police are still looking for Hudson's 7-year-old nephew.
What did that little boy see?
In today's news briefs, three men were booked into the Tulare County Jail in the past two days on domestic violence charges, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department reported. In two of those three cases, the attacks are alleged to have happened in front of 2-year-olds.
Earlier this week, I chose an op-ed piece by Robert Kelly-Goss that describes his personal experience with domestic violence, by his stepfather against his mother when he was growing up.
One of the sources he quotes says she is sees young women seek shelter who were once the child of an abused mother. What we are exposed to as children is what we learn to emulate when we become adults.
Isn't that what you call it when someone threatens to do something bad if you don't give them money?
This Associated Press article by Lisa Leff reports that "leaders of the campaign to outlaw same-sex marriage in California are warning businesses that have given money to the state's largest gay rights group they will be publicly identified as opponents of traditional unions unless they contribute to the gay marriage ban, too."
I think this would be wrong no matter which side of the debate you're on, and it's apparently happened on both sides.
An anti-Proposition 8 group called Californians Against Hate has posted lists of gay marriage ban donors on the Internet and even launched boycotts of selected businesses. But Equality California executive director Geoffrey Kors said that those efforts were independent of the official No on 8 campaign, while the certified letters sent out this week were sent by ProtectMarriage.com, the umbrella group behind the ballot initiative.
Here's more from the article:
While corporations often give to rival candidates for public office as a way of preserving their government access no matter who wins, tit-for-tat solicitations are almost unheard of in ballot initiative campaigns, said Robert Stern, president of the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies.
"This is a proposition where you are on one side or the other. You vote yes or no, not yes and no," Stern said.
Though unusual and disturbing, Stern said there was nothing illegal about ProtectMarriage.com hitting up Equality California supporters for money.
It may not be illegal, but I think it's repugnant, or as the recipient of one of the letters said, "a bit 'Mafioso."
Besides, if it's important enough to you to donate money to a cause, why would you care if people find out that you support that cause?
UPDATE: Here's the link to a Los Angeles Times opinion piece titled: "New Proposition 8 strategy: Donate, or else." One of the comments says: "I hope they publish the list soon so I know which businesses to patronize!!"
I'll try to lighten up the politics discussion on the blog today with this item from Contra Costa County where three unruly women wearing Obama for President shirts and a campaign button tried to vote at the elections office. Told by elections officials that they couldn't wear campaign material within 100 feet of the polls, one women stripped off her T-shirt in front of other voters to turn it inside out. All this caused quite a stir, and the Martinez police were called. No one was arrested.
Well, I'll let the Contra Costa Times tell the full story. Click here.
One hard-pressed group of workers in California just got a little break. Legislators will get another $3 a day in per diem payments, up to $173 for each back-breaking day they put in at the Capitol.
The per diem payments are linked to the amount given federal workers who must travel to Sacramento on business, so the hike is pretty much one of those autopilot deals. The money will help them eke out a living on their measly $116,208 annual salaries.
Still, it's small reward for state Assembly members and senators. After all, they've done such a great job on the budget, water issues, underperforming schools, crumbling infrastructure, transportation needs...
Mayoral candidate Henry T. Perea has picked up a major endorsement with the announcement that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is backing the City Council member. The Democratic senator is one of the most popular politicians in the state, and has a reputation for working with Republicans on issues important to California. This should give Perea's campaign a big boost heading into the last days of the campaign.
Although the Fresno's mayor's race is a non-partisan office, Perea, a Democrat, and opponent Ashley Swearengin, a Republican, have touted their party affiliations in the race to succeed Alan Autry. The last two Fresno mayors -- Autry and Jim Patterson -- have been Republicans. You have to go back to Karen Humphrey's election as mayor in 1989 to find a Democrat as mayor of Fresno.
Here's a quote from Feinstein, which was posted on Perea's campaign Web site:
"Having served as Mayor of San Francisco, I know firsthand the tough challenges cities face," Senator Feinstein said. "Henry T. Perea is focused on tackling the issues affecting Fresno residents most -- public safety, jobs and air quality. I have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Mayor Alan Autry over the last 8 years and I look forward to working with Henry to make sure that Fresno gets it's fair share of resources in the fight to improve the quality of life for local residents."
A police officer in Mamaroneck, New York, ticketed the mayor for driving while using her cell phone. A judge threw out the case so the officer went to the mayor's house and gave her a duplicate ticket. I like the officer's spunk, but I'm not sure that it will help his law enforcement career.
Here's the story from the Journal News in the Lower Hudson Valley.
The mayor's trial was held Sept. 15, and the the town prosecutor noted a clause in the law that said cell phones could be used in emergencies. The mayor claimed such an emerhemcy existed, and then the judge dismissed the ticket.
Mayor Kathleen Savolt's doorbell ran the evening the ticket was dismissed, and Officer Michael Petrillo was at the door. This is how the mayor described the encounter to the local newspaper:
"He said to me, 'I think the ticket was unfairly dismissed, so I'm issuing a duplicate ticket,'" she said. "So then, once I was issued a second ticket, clearly in some people's minds, it's not a legal ticket, because the case had been closed."
A court date for the duplicate ticket has not been scheduled. We'll let you know what happens when we get word.
The Bee is wrapping up its electoral recommendations. An editorial today offered our choices for the two open state Assembly races in our region:
Democrat Fran Florez of Shafter for 30th District.
Republican Connie Conway of Tulare in the 34th District.
In addition, we recommend the re-election of incumbent Republican Mike Villines of Fresno in the 29th District, and incumbent Democrat Juan Arambula of Fresno in the 31st District.
A Yahoo! news article this morning reports how when "asked by a third-grader what a vice president does, Republican candidate Sarah Palin responded that the vice president is the president's 'team mate'but also 'runs the Senate' and 'can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes.'"
The article goes on to explain a vice president's actual duties, according to the Constitution:
While aimed at a typical 8-year-old, Palin's explanations oversimplify the Constitution's definition of the duties of the vice president and don't match the office's traditional role in Senate activities.
The vice president's main duty is to replace the president if the president dies, resigns, is removed from office or can no longer carry out his or her duties for other reasons. The Constitution names the vice president as the president of the Senate but allows the vice president to cast a vote only to break a tie.
The vice president, as a member of the executive branch of the government, has no official role in developing legislation or determining how it is presented to or debated by the Senate, which is part of the legislative branch. In all meaningful ways, the leader of the majority party runs the Senate.
Traditionally, the vice president appears in the Senate for ceremonial events and in case of a tie vote. Although the vice president can preside over the Senate, vice presidents have left that day-to-day chore to senators themselves. In the past, each president has determined the role of the vice president in an administration.
Local Republican activist Michael Der Manouel Jr. has written a column for us today that says the presidential race has come to this: "So we now have a choice between 'the guys that screwed it up' or the 'guy that will screw it up even more.' No wonder most voters are ticked off."
Der Manouel says a Barack Obama presidency won't be good for people who run small businesses or the people who work for them. He's now planning his "Obama budget for next year."
Two California congressmen among 10 worst, says Esquire magazine
Esquire magazine's congressional issue has two California Democrats among its 10 worst members of Congress. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, and Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino County, make the list.
Here are the others in the Bad-10 list: Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia; Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana; Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa; Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.
Esquire also endorses congressional candidates in this issue. Click here to read the endorsements in California House races.
In our region, Esquire supports Democratic House members Dennis Cardoza of Merced and Jim Costa of Fresno, and Republican House member Devin Nunes of Visalia. In Rep. George Radanovich's re-election race, Esquire urges a vote for the write-in candidate. The Democrats didn't field a candidate in the 19th District.
This is the magazine's assessment of the Mariposa Republican: "Radanovich has rarely met a pesticide, irrigation ditch, or development in an environmentally sensitive area that he didn't like."
This is a new version of our Opinion Talk blog that has some enhancements to help you maneuver through the postings and comments. We appreciate your participation in this blog, and you have helped make it one of the best read blogs in the Beehive.
So let's get to the changes. First off, the most recent comments are now posted on the right navigation bar so readers can quickly see the latest responses from our blog community. That was something readers had been requesting.
Second, the search function is much improved. It had been lacking in the previous version of Opinion Talk. Give it a try.
When you go to the main page, you can quickly see how many comments an entry has received and click on that link to read those comments. You can also see the author of the posting at the top of the item instead of having to scroll to the bottom to see who wrote it.
When you click on "Archives," you get a monthly roll of all postings going back to our first Opinion Talk items in January 2006. That should provide a nice history for those who are interested in previous postings.
We are working through some of the technical parts of this upgrade, and are still making changes. Give us your feedback on this new version of Opinion Talk.
They may be called the "nonprofit arts," but they're worth a bundle to Fresno and the Valley. A new study tallies the annual economic impact of the arts hereabouts: $119.7 million.
That breaks down this way:
2,725 full-time equivalent jobs.
$61.3 million in resident household income.
$3.7 million in local government tax revenues.
$7.7 million in state government tax revenues.
The nationwide study was conducted by Americans for the Arts, and info for the local component was gathered by the estimable Fresno Coaliton for Arts, Science and History, or FCASH.
Check out the study, called Arts & Economic Prosperity III, here.
I just saw my first television commercial in the Fresno mayor's race. Democrat Juan Arambula and Republican Mike Villines appear together on behalf of Ashley Swearengin. She's battling Fresno City Council Member Henry T. Perea in the campaign to succeed Alan Autry as mayor.
The ad touts Swearengin's bipartisan strengths. Arambula and Villines say the next mayor needs to be able to take an independent course when confronting the many challenges facing the city. They say Swearengin has shown that she's above partisan politics in her work leading the Regional Jobs Initiative and other programs.
Villines and Arambula have also helped Swearengin raise campaign funds.
Will Nicole Parra run for Congress after she leaves the Assembly?
That's one of the topics we tackle in today's Boren/McEwen political podcast. You can listen to our take on Parra's future by clicking here.
Bill McEwen raises the topic and his scenario goes this way. Parra, the Democrat, leaves the Assembly on Dec. 1 and lobbies for Republican causes now that she's estranged from her party. She then switches party affiliation and runs for Congress as a Republican against Democrat Jim Costa in the 20th District. That could happen in two years, but more likely in four under this view.
This discussion is part of our review of the 30th Assembly District race. Parra is leaving the Assembly post because of term limits, and Democrat Fran Florez is running against Republican Danny Gilmore. Parra has endorsed Gilmore.
We also discuss the Fresno mayor's race and give you our political winners and losers of the week on today's podcast.
Both candidates in 30th District race would give us more of the same -- legislative gridlock
It's quite disappointing that in one of the few competitive legislative elections in California -- the contest in the 30th Assembly District -- the two candidates running have no ideas beyond the talking points that their party leaders have handed them. Check out my column today that explains my frustration with this race in particular and California politics in general. Click here to read the column.
This race is for the right to succeed Democrat Nicole Parra, who is backing the Republican in the race, Danny Gilmore of Hanford. Fran Florez of Shafter is the mother of state Sen. Dean Florez and the Democratic nominee in the 30th. In my view, neither Gilmore nor Florez has shown that they are ready to lead.
Get a copy of last week's debate between Gilmore and Florez on Channel 24, and you'll see what I mean.
Overshadowing this contest is the personal feud between Nicole Parra and Dean Florez. This race is as much about their dislike for each other as it is about the qualifications of Danny Gilmore and Fran Florez.
We have big problems in California and the 30th District candidates are parrotting the same solutions that got us into this mess.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president during an appearance on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning. Powell is a Republican, and a longtime friend of GOP nominee John McCain. Here's the story.
Powell's possible support of Obama had been rumored for days and Lisa Maria Boyles gave a hint of that possibility on this Opinion Talk item Saturday morning.
The big question now is whether Powell will join Obama on the campaign trail. Powell's support helps Obama on foreign policy. But I'm not so sure that an endorsement has that much sway with voters, especially this late in the campaign when there are fewer and fewer undecided voters.
This is from today's New York Times story on the Powell move:
Mr. Powell's endorsement exposed a fundamental policy rift in the fractious Republican party foreign policy establishment between the so-called pragmatists, a number of whom have come to view the Iraq war or its execution as a mistake, and a competing camp, the neoconservatives, whose thinking dominated President Bush's first term and played a pivotal role in building the case for war.
Mr. Powell, who is of the pragmatist camp and has been critical of the Bush administration's conduct of the war, was said by friends in recent months to be disturbed by some of the neoconservatives who have surrounded Mr. McCain as foreign policy advisers in his presidential campaign. The McCain campaign's top foreign policy aide is Randy Scheunemann, who was a foreign policy adviser to former Senators Trent Lott and Bob Dole and who has longtime ties to neoconservatives. In 2002, Mr. Scheunemann was a founder of the hawkish Committee for the Liberation of Iraq and was an enthusiastic supporter of the Iraqi exile and Pentagon favorite, Ahmad Chalabi, who was viewed with suspicion and distaste at the State Department when Mr. Powell was secretary of state.
Mr. Powell met with both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama in June in preparation to make a possible endorsement. He has said repeatedly in recent months that he wanted to wait until after the political conventions and the presidential debates before making a decision.
Swearengin gets Bee recommendation in general election
The Fresno Bee's editorial board supported Ashley Swearengin for mayor in the primary election and today we confirmed that choice by recommending her in the Nov. 4 general election. Click here to read today's editorial. Swearengin faces Fresno Council Member Henry T. Perea.
Here's an excerpt from our editorial:
The problems facing Fresno are many, and it will take a disciplined leader to fix the bureaucratic glitches that are at the heart of many of the city's failures. But the race for mayor isn't just about smoothing out the permitting process at City Hall or making sure the potholes get filled. That's part of the job, of course, but we also need a mayor who has a vision for what Fresno can become after we work through the economic downturn and turn to the needs of a 21st century city.
We believe Ashley Swearengin is best equipped to take on Fresno's challenges. We supported Swearengin in the 11-candidate primary in June, and the way she has conducted herself in the runoff campaign continues to give us confidence that she's the right person for the job.
The race for mayor should be close, even though Swearengin has released a poll that shows her with a substantial lead (52-38). Channel 30, which also released poll results today, has the mayoral race much tighter. a poll by Channel 30 poll has it closer, with Swearengin leading with 48% of the vote to 43% for Perea.
I think the race will tighten at the end and the next mayor could be decided by which candidates get their voters to the polls. Perea has an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort and Swearengin's campaign says GOTV is a key part of the last days of her campaign. We'll see who's just talking.
General Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, is preparing for a live TV interview tomorrow amid intense speculation that he is ready to endorse Barack Obama's campaign.
Aides from John McCain's camp are bracing themselves for another damaging blow, with one being quoted yesterday as suggesting that such an announcement from General Powell would be "personally embarrassing" for the Republican nominee - with whom the General has been friends for 25 years - and would "create momentum against us".
Powell's unassailable national security credentials could sway voters who are vacillating about whether Obama is ready to be commander in chief, and his endorsement of the Illinois senator would make a national security emphasis by McCain in the election's closing days extremely difficult.
Now that the prison guards union has abandoned Schwarzenegger recall, it's time to ask whether this powerful union has lost its clout in Sacramento
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association dropped its attempt to recall Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Finally, the guards union did something right. The CCPOA never had a chance to recall the governor, and someone at the union headquarters realized what everyone else in the state already knew.
So does this mean the guards union is losing clout in state government, or is this just a temporary setback?
The union began calling the shots in the Legislature by generously heaping campaign money on both Democrats and Republicans. The CCPOA spent $17 million on political campaigns in the state in the past three years, according to The Sacramento Bee.
One of the reasons the union gave Thursday for dropping the Schwarzenegger recall effort is that a successful recall would only remove him from office a few months early because he's at the end of his term. Of course, the CCPOA knew that when it launched the recall.
The guards union flubbed this one big time and is now backtracking to save face. It's not working.
Swearengin poll has her with big lead over Perea in mayor's race
A poll released today by Ashley Swearengin's mayoral campaign has her leading opponent Henry T. Perea with 52% of the vote. Perea has 34%, according to the poll by Wilson Research Strategies. The Swearengin campaign says the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.
The survey was taken on Oct. 14 and 15 and had a sampling of 400 likely voters in Fresno.
Warning: You always must be cautious of polling numbers released by a campaign because they don't have independent verification. But if they are even close, it would mean the momentum in the last few weeks has swung Swearengin's way. Few expected her to be up by double digits. Those numbers still need to be confirmed by independent polls.
Channel 30, which also released poll results today, has the mayoral race much tighter. The Channel 30 poll has Swearengin leading with 48% of the vote to 43% for Perea.
Bloggers from the right and left are going to town on the GOP's consternation over alleged voter registration fraud by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known affectionately as ACORN. The righties assert that the group's efforts are part of plan by the Obama campaign to steal the election from McCain-Palin. The lefties scoff.
The shocking part is that Obama goes on to say that voter registration fraud is no problem. On the contrary, like everything else that doesn't advance his campaign, it's a 'distraction.' What Obama knows but doesn't want to acknowledge is that when hundreds of thousands of phony registrations have been submitted, and ACORN knows what those phony names and addresses are, the door to voter fraud is wide open. Absentee ballots can easily be cast on behalf of those non-existent but registered "voters," and they can cast ballots in person as long as someone from ACORN or the Obama campaign is willing to show up at the polls and give a false name.
When it comes to this ACORN stuff, there's nothing new under the sun. It's just that Republicans are more desperate, and more likely to lose, and there's more potential in stoking racial resentment and fear when the Democratic candidate is black, and so they're spending more time on it.
Read more of this good stuff on National Journal's Blogometer:
Meanwhile, the rest of America worries about job security, retirement savings, college costs, health care ...
I overheard lots of political chatter on the bus I rode in to work this morning.
People talked about the presidential debate last night -- and the ones that came before. One lady sounded vehemently angry that McCain refused to look at Obama in the first debate.
I also heard chatter about Proposition 8. Sounds like the scare ad -- the one about the little girl who learned about gay marriage in school -- that supporters are running is achieving its goal. "I don't care what people do in their own lives, but don't try to force it on my kids."
I was a little surprised, on a standing-room-only bus that wove down Shaw Avenue from Clovis through central Fresno to Fresno City College before heading downtown, that I didn't hear one word about the race for Fresno's next mayor.
Economic crisis makes college students shift their sights
One more bit of fallout from the economic meltdown: A lot of students are having to make drastic revisions about where -- and even whether -- they go to college, as families watch their resources shrink.
The San Francisco Chronicle outlined the problem in a story today. Students who wanted to go to a more expensive private school are looking at cheaper state schools, and some will wind up closer to home to save on travel expenses. Others -- 16% according to the Chron -- are postponing college altogether. Still others have shifted their plans from four-year to two-year community colleges.
This isn't exactly a bonanza for state universities. Many are already close to maxing out in enrollment, and their budgets are every bit as strained as public sector budgets elsewhere. If there's a surge in demand for space in public schools, they may not be able to provide it.
What if your kid played on a team that lost by 13 touchdowns?
High school football is getting way too competitive, and the rule seems to be that if you're not up to the task, you'll get crushed. That's what happened in Florida the other day when the Estero High School football team walked off the field after a 91-0 loss at the hands of Naples High, a Sunshine State football power.
Here's the story. Naples is a top-notch program -- the defending state Class 3A champion, and it should win the Florida title again this year. Its players go to college programs such as Ohio State.
Estero is rebuilding -- not to put too fine a point on it.
"Our team might not be winning or might not be on top right now," said Estero right guard Mike Perez. "But we all have to do the best we can do. We can't forget that."
So what do you think? Naples pulled its best players, but its worst players were much better than anything Estero put on the field.
But the Naples coach is feeling the anger, fielding nasty emails and phone calls after the score became widely known. Coach Bill Kramer said he didn't run up the score. It just happened. Maybe, but it was 70-0 at halftime. Of course, Naples only scored 21 points after intermission.
State budget is again in the red and Dems and Reps in Legislature have no idea how to fix it
We hate to say we told you so because this development really isn't good for the state. But the state budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders agreed to last month is already falling apart. It was built on faulty assumptions, and now it's clear that revenue projections will never meet their targets.
We discuss this in today's main editorial in The Bee. Click here to read it.
The Legislature and governor have three options: Cut spending, raise revenue or do a combination of both. The Democrats won't reduce spending and the Republicans won't raise taxes. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the middle. The solution last time was to borrow money and concoct a budget that was balanced on paper and not in reality.
My Sunday column explained how local governments -- Fresno and Clovis -- have dealt with the reality of the tough economic times and state leaders have ignored the problem. Click here to read that column.
Someone passed along this email and video from Jackie Fitzwater of Farmington, Mo., whose parrot, Houdini, squawks out pro-Obama slogans.
Naturally, I tried to verify that this wasn't some Internet hoax before posting it, and I discovered that Houdini isn't the only flying fan that Obama has. Here's a video of Smokey, another parrot. Frankly, I think Smokey's message is a little easier to understand.
In the interest of fairness, I'm more than willing to post any links to videos of animals that support the McCain/Palin tickets.
In these tough economic times, the cities of Fresno and Clovis are managing their budgets wisely
Unlike the state, Fresno and Clovis are doing a good job looking after taxpayer dollars in this difficult economy. I explore this in Sunday's column on how some government agencies are getting through the economic crisis. Click here to read the column.
Fresno has a healthy reserve fund in its budget and Clovis, which had a budget deep in the red, negotiated "givebacks" from some unions and cut costs in other areas to bring its budget into balance. The state, however, papered over its budget with gimmicks and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are again trying to solve the problem that they've ignored all year.
Can you imagine what would be happening to local services if Fresno Mayor Alan Autry or the Clovis City Council played the kind of budget games that the state is playing? Props to the local guys. Thumbs down to the governor and legislative leaders from both parties.
The litany of serious problems facing this country is as long as it has been in 70 years: the collapse of financial institutions, spiraling national debt, rising unemployment, a dysfunctional health care system, crumbling infrastructure, a failed energy policy and porous borders. And we're fighting two wars.
What we've been doing isn't working. America needs a powerful dose of change, and The Bee believes that Barack Obama is the presidential candidate who can deliver it.
and:
John McCain has served his country with extraordinary courage and dedication. But he is, in many ways, a figure out of the past, the Cold Warrior out of time and out of touch. The world has turned since McCain began his long service, and he hasn't kept pace. It is time for change, and Barack Obama is the candidate better suited to guide the United States into this troubled new century.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Pirates' spokesman threatens to blow up
hijacked ship off Somalia in 3 days if no ransom paid.
I know that terrorism and kidnapping are no joke. But sometimes strange things catch my imagination. After the most recent AP news bulletin, I'm suddenly picturing Johnny Depp in full Capt. Jack Sparrow regalia pushing a button on his ship office's intercom, asking his press secretary to draft a press release on their demands.
"You'll always remember this day as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow."
"This is the most important election in (our lifetime) (a century) (the nation's history)."
Wish you had a dollar for every time you've heard that, or something like it? Me too. Might take some of the sting out of watching the economy sink deeper in the toilet.
It's an old refrain, according to Christopher Clausen, writing in The American Scholar. Clausen traces our penchant for exalting the current election -- whenever it is -- way back to the Civil War. He quotes a leading politician of the day calling the 1924 presidential campaign between Calvin Coolidge and John W. Davis -- remember that earthshaking outcome? -- "the most important in the history of this country since the Civil War."
Does this year's election measure up to the high standard of "most important in history?"
Bulldogs take on Idaho Saturday in key turn-around game
Bill McEwen and I do political commentaries on KYNO radio each day, but we sometimes take on other subjects. Today we talk about the Idaho football game and its importance after the Bulldogs' demoralizing loss Saturday to Hawaii.
Click here to listen to the two-minute commentary. You can also catch our commentaries week days at 6 a.m. noon and 5 p.m.on KYNO, 1300 on your AM dial.
We've allowed participants in this blog to freely comment on the postings of other participants. I think that's one reason this blog is so successful. We have good participation across the political spectrum. Your comments show you have a passion for your beliefs and that's good. But I am getting concerned about some comments that are personal attacks.
I'm not going to block these comments at this point, but I'm offering a gentle reminder to Opinion Talk participants that we need to stay away from personal attacks. I don't mind you attacking someone's ideas, but let's not attack the person for offering those ideas. Most of your postings are just fine. Keep in mind that Opinion Talk gets about 40,000 page views a month, which means there are a lot more people reading the blog than are commenting. You have quite an audience.
I think this can be resolved by the Opinion Talk community without intervention by the moderator. Russ, Lisa and I thank you for your participation.
I've had to catch some of this year's events in the presidential campaign on the radio instead of TV because I've been driving instead of at home when they aired. And from listening to day-after breakdowns, I'm realizing that there are some aspects you miss when you don't see it happening.
For instance, yesterday at lunch, everyone was talking about how McCain refused to shake Obama's hand following Tuesday's presidential debate. Here's a YouTube video that captures it. McCain also left the stage immediately following the debate, while Obama stuck around, speaking individually with viewers and shaking more hands, even after being brushed off by his opponent.
Earlier in this election season, I listened to Obama give his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. But by listening instead of watching, I missed seeing the much talked about columns on the stage at Invesco Field. Here's what one blogger said about those:
The image of Barack Obama on stage amid those columns is all the Republicans need to reinforce their contention that he is elite. And foreign. And grandiose. And that image will become the visual equivalent of John McCain's not knowing how many houses he owns. Nothing says "out of touch with regular Americans" like Greek columns.
Appearances matter. We've known that since the televised debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. Most people these days watch, they don't listen. (And with YouTube and Tivo, the can watch over and over and over ...) Even if you miss the televised action the first time around, there are more ways than ever to go back and rehash every gesture after the fact.
Savvy politicians must be ever aware of this as they choreograph the moves they make before American voters.
This could mean the end of political debates: Congressional candidates in Indiana have been asked to hook themselves up to lie detectors for their Oct. 21 debate.
The idea was proposed by Ninth District Republican Party Chairman Larry Shickles on Wednesday. He wants Democratic Rep. Baron Hill, GOP challenger Mike Sodrel and Libertarian candidate Eric Schansberg to strap themselves to polygraphs for the debate, and Sodrel and Schansberg have agreed. Hill hasn't responded.
But the idea may not fly. The organizers of the debate at Vincennes University say they're moving ahead with plans for a conventional debate, minus the lie detectors. Good thing, too. A politician debate without lies probably wouldn't take more than a minute or two, and that's hardly the engaging theater we've come to expect.
I know a lot of you faithful bloggers also follow the Beehive. But just in case you don't, I don't want you to miss Felicia Matlosz' blog over there titled "AIG must mean 'Arrogance in Gross' (amounts).":
Here's my take: See, pigs folks at AIG were so exhausted from all the stress and pressure (you know, sweating bullets over whether us angry taxpayers might stymie this loan) that they just had to unwind.
Maybe AIG is pig latin for "Thanks, suckers!"
Sometimes a situation makes you so mad that your subject matter can't be contained to topics of pop culture, which is what Felicia normally blogs about. And really, what is more symbolic of today's pop culture than arrogance, greed and excess?
Here's a sampling of the Boren/McEwen commentaries on KYNO radio
If you haven't had a chance to listen to the two-minute commentaries that Bill McEwen and I do daily for KYNO, 1300 on your AM dial, here are a few links:
This one is on the high-priced steak houses that have opened in Fresno.
This one is on the future of the Fresno Unified School District.
This one is on Mayor Alan Autry having a talk show on KYNO.
You can listen to our commentaries each week day at 6 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. on KYNO. Join our growing force of listeners to hear what we're talking about next on the BIG 1300.
You can also listen to our weekly poltiical podcast on fresnobee.com by clickiing on the multimedia tab. Click here for our latest podcast.
Can you gauge who a community will elect by which candidate has up more yard signs? Do the signs help boost name recognition for candidates? Or are they visual blight on our landscape?
I got to thinking about this last week, when I was visiting my father in Gainesville Georgia. I saw quite a few McCain/Palin signs around town, but not one for Obama/Biden.
According to these poll results from Sept. 30, 50% of 561 likely Georgia voters polled said they would vote for McCain, while 44% said they'd vote for Obama (maximum sampling error +/- 4%).
The high-speed rail system proposed in Proposition 1A would have a huge economic upside for the Valley. That's the conclusion of a new report and the subject of our editorial today.
The report, by UC Merced economics professor Shawn Kantor, said thousands of new jobs, paying good wages, would be one source of the bonanza. Valley residents can also expect to save around $3 billion annually in lower transportation costs, reduced congestion at airports and on highways, fewer accidents and less air pollution.
The trains would even require less of the Valley's precious farm lands than an equivalent increase in freeway lanes.
Proposition 1A is precisely the sort of large public works investment we need in these difficult times.
Is local housing market starting to come out of its dive?
A story today by Bee Business writer Sanford Nax says there are several indicators that the housing market may be close to hitting bottom, which is needed for it to finally recover:
-- The number of houses for sale in Fresno and Clovis is shrinking.
-- Mortgage firms are again hiring employees.
-- Real estate agents say there are bidding wars for many houses.
More than 535 houses were sold in September in the metropolitan region, marking the fourth straight month of 500 or more transactions, according to local Realtors. The problem is those are not new homes, and more than half of them were foreclosure sales. That means the market for new homes still has not recovered.
Still, that's easing the housing glut, and that must happen before the entire market can right itself. But building permits are still down, according to Nax's report.
Here's some details from today's story that should caution the optimists:
And some experts argue that a "shadow inventory" of bank-owned properties is not being counted. Those are houses that are repossessed by banks and not immediately listed for sale -- either by design or because the lenders don't have the capacity to process them faster.
"Banks are sitting on the inventory and don't have them listed yet," said Sean O'Toole of Foreclosures.com.
He said 565 houses were auctioned off at the courthouse steps in September in Fresno County, and most of those went back to banks. Many have yet to hit the market.
Still, sales activity is strong -- and that's because the median price has fallen to $195,000, down 30.3% from $280,000 a year ago.
Here's a neat chart showing where McCain and Obama actually stand on the issues
Read this piece from today's Vision section and you'll get a quick overview of the positions of the two presidential candidates on 19 of the most important issues facing the nation.
Do you know where your candidate stands on abortion, Social Security reform, stem cell research, trade and our relationship with Cuba? Click here to find out the answers to these questions and more.
The Bee has recommended incumbents Manuel Nunez and Janet Ryan, along with challenger Natalie Clark, for the three seats on the Fresno Unified School District's governing board being contested in November. Read our editorial here.
Fresno Unified is moving onto the right track, with its fiscal house in order and student performance rising, though more slowly than any of us would like to see. We think Superintendent Michael Hanson and his administrative staff are doing well, and preserving that continuity is the main reason for our choices in the upcoming election.
Dages stirs up City Hall with comments about campaign contributions
Fresno City Council Member Mike Dages said the obvious: Money gives contributors' juice at City Hall, and those comments set off a debate over how much contibutors influence city policy. I explore this issue in today's column, which you can read by clicking here.
The big contributors in Fresno politics are the building industry and public employee unions, and they definitiely have influence over policy. Dages said he doesn't "sell" his vote for campaign contributions, but big contributors get more access.
Here's Dages quote: "What I was trying to say is that you feel an obligation to return a major contributor's phone call immediately. They don't get your vote, but they may go to the head of the line. Then they'll have to persuade me. I'll meet with anybody, but someone who donated to my campaign heavily, yes, I do put them at the top of the list. I'll make extra time."
Council Member Jerry Duncan was critical of that practice, saying it shouldn't take a campaign contribution to get immediate access to you council member. "My 25-year business career taught me that you return everyone's call as soon as you can," Duncan said. "A lot of people, contributors and non-contributors have my cell number."
Jeff Cummins, assistant professor of political science at Fresno State, said Dages' comments were on the mark: "People in general are somewhat appalled that money grants access, but they just accept it. The average voter assumes it's happening and there's not much that can be done about it. It distorts public policy toward people who have money to give. The public interest takes a back seat to the special interest."
Former Council Member Garry Bredefeld said Dages was wron to lump all politicians into his comments: "He is speaking about some politicians, but not all politicians," Bredefeld said, adding that Dages' comments raise the specter of what occurred during the Operation Rezone political corruption scandal of the 1990s.
Operation Rezone resulted in 16 federal convictions, including several Fresno and Clovis council members. They took bribes to vote for development projects.
Bredefeld wrote a letter to the editor that ran on Saturday. Bredefeld said Dages' comments were outrageous and he should resign.
Fresno State's 32-29 loss tonight to Hawaii was caused by many things, but the terrible play of the special teams stood out in the defeat before a disappointed home crowd. This has been an ongoing problem, although the Bulldogs survived the miscues in previous games. But tonight, combined with six turnovers, the special teams mistakes could not be overcome.
How's this for special teams madness?: The Bulldogs missed field goals, had a potential game-winning field goal blocked at the end of the game, gave up a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD, and didn't cover well on other kickoff returns. Then there were the turnovers. Oh, my, this didn't look like a Top-25 team tonight. The Bulldogs may drop from the Top-25 after this performance.
Fresno State is now 3-2 overall and Hawaii is 2-3. The Bulldogs have not won at home yet this season, but have been successful in all of their road games: Rutgers, Toledo, UCLA.
So I left work last night, listened to the beginning of the VP debate on the radio, then got home to watch the rest of TV. Interesting.
But the best part of the evening came after the debate, when I switched over to the Dodgers-Cubs playoff game. I was about to hit the MUTE button and shut off the typically lame TBS/cable network/ School of Broadcast Smurfs duo in the booth, when one of them mentioned that "in the next booth, broadcasting the game for the Dodgers, is the great Vin Scully..."
Hot dog! (That's a Farmer John Dodger Dog, of course.) Despite my long time antipathy for the Doggers and all they represent, I love listening to Vin Scully do a game.
I grabbed the radio, shut off the TV sound and had a couple of hours of baseball bliss. I often think baseball's more fun on radio than TV, and when Vinnie's doing the game, it's a pure pleasure. Too bad the Dodgers had to win. On the other hand, as an old Cardinals fan, I can't hardly root for the Cubbies. Ah, well.
I ask this question knowing that I'm going to get partisan answers. Those supporting the McCain/Palin ticket will say Gov. Sarah Palin won and those supporting the Obama/Biden ticket will say Sen. Joe Biden won. So with your answers, please give more than generalities.
If you say Palin won, tell us why. For example, she scored when she repeatedly pointed out that Biden had said in the primary that Sen. Barack Obama wasn't ready to be commander in chief. Or if you think Biden won, give reasons, such as he struck a chord with voters when he said Sen. John McCain voted against funding alternative energy sources.
Where did you think each candidate scored points, and where do you think the candidates displayed weaknesses?
Final question, does a VP debate mean anything in the grand scheme of a presidential campaign?
I'm certain the range of bloggers on Opinion Talk are up to the task. So let's have your answers and be specific.
The big vice presidential debate begins at 6 o'clock tonight California time and it could be the most-watched VP debate ever thanks to Sarah Palin's star power. Joe Biden sure isn't driving any television ratings. Are you going to watch, and how do you think Palin, the newcomer, will do against Biden, the old-school politician?
Analysts size up the debate this way: Palin must show she has the qualifications to serve in the nation's highest office and Biden must show that his experience is an asset and will not bring the same tired old politics to an Obama administration.
I've never thought the vice presidential candidates have a major impact on voters. In the race for the presidency, it's about the two people at the top of the ticket. They'll be voting for either John McCain or Barack Obama, and Palin and Biden don't have much influence on the presidential race. But it could be different this time around. What do you think?
The U.S. Senate voted 74-25 in favor of a $700 billion financial rescue plan, but senators had to sweeten the deal with extra tax breaks to get the broad bipartisan vote. On Wednesday night, they added $110 billion in tax breaks to bring more Republicans and Democrats to the bailout plan's side.
Click here for the breaking news on this development.
Unlike the House on Monday, a bipartisan majority in the Senate got behind the plan to rescue the nation's financial system. The measure now goes to the House where a vote is expected on Friday. It's uncertain how it will be accepted since many House members remain opposed to the bailout concept.
Both presidential nominees support the plan. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain said it is crucial that Congress passes the financial-rescue package.
San Joaquin Valley Congressman Debvin Nunes remains opposed. "It's garbage, Nunes told reporters. "They're to put more decorations on the Christmas tree, but the problem is the Christmas tree." Those "decorations" are the additional tax breaks.
They include a one-year fix to prevent the alternative-minimum tax from hitting more taxpayers.
You don't need to know the number of calories when you're super-sizing your meal
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Tuesday requiring restaurant chains with at least 20 locations to post the amount of calories of each of their menu items. This is one of those needless laws that I'm often complaining about in my columns. The idea of this bill is to encourage healthy eating. I'm all for that, but if you drag your family into a fast-food restaurant, and order the super-sized meal, who are you kidding?
I've had my share of fast food -- way too much of it at times -- but posting the calories of a Big Mac or the large fries would not have deterred me. I know that fries and burgers contain lots of calories saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium. If I want the healthy choice, I know I should choose a salad.
Restaurants have until 2011 to comply with the new law. If consumers demand menu labeling, the restaurants will do it on their own as a business practice. Many do now.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, the bill's author, says his measure will help fight unhealthy eating habits that can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood
pressure. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't think this bill will do what's advertised. Plus, if this is such an important bill, why are we waiting until 2011 to implement it?
Some things are just common sense. Here's a hint. If you regularly order the large fries, you're probably not into healthy eating.
