Here's my column assessing Alan Autry's tenure as Fresno mayor and what he says he plans for the final two years of his administration. He's calling his final push Operation Finish Strong. What do you think of Autry's time as mayor? How does he stack up with previous Fresno mayors? I'd love to see your comments.

Posted by Jim Boren at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We got slammed with spam comments -- something like 10,000 -- on Election Day and the system took all comments, even the legitimate ones, into our junk file. That's why several of your election comments did not get posted as timely as they should have been. I have pulled those comments out and posted them on the blog.

We apologize for that glitch in the system. Darn spammers. We're offering a reward -- an autographed copy (by me) of my Britney Spears/Kevin Federline blog item of Tuesday -- for anyone bringing me the keyboard of the spammers messing with our blog.

Thanks for playing.

Posted by Jim Boren at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry says he will sue the state Legislature if it gives Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa power over L.A. schools after he was denied similar power over Fresno schools. There are so many holes in Autry's position, it's difficult to figure which part of his reasoning should be attacked first.

Let's start with suing the Legislature. Go ahead, but you better not be using taxpayer money. That would be a colossal waste -- intended to serve the mayor's ego and not the citizens of Fresno.

Fix Fresno's problems first before you take on school district issues. Besides, a reform-minded school board is on the right track with the help of a new superintendent in Fresno. Stop pulling the rug out from under them and give them a chance to succeed.

If the mayor should control the Fresno school district, what about Clovis Unified? Much of it is in the city of Fresno. But Clovis parents have too much clout and the mayor apparently is afraid of taking them on. But where's your consistency, mayor? While you're at it, you should be screaming to take over Central Unified, too, because part of that district is in Fresno.

Sure, the public schools have problems, but those are not going to be solved by putting a politician in charge of the school system.

If the mayor wants to help the schools, he should create jobs so children aren't growing up in poverty. He should improve their neighborhoods so they are safe. He should control the drug problem that's hurting so many of our children.

Villaraigosa should take the same advice: fix Los Angeles before taking on the L.A. schools. Your city is a mess, Mayor Villaraigosa. Why are you ignoring it?

There is a lot both mayors could do for the schools in their cities. But please stop pandering to those who believe that there are easy answers to solving the problems of our schools.

Posted by Jim Boren at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I blogged yesterday on the ranking of cities by "sustainability" from the group called SustainLink, and got a nice comment posted from Ben Reebs of that organization. He suggested checking out a blog by Warren Karlenzig, who managed the study for the group. I did. It's interesting. Here's the link. Thanks, Ben.

Mr. Reebs also asked what I liked about living in Fresno. We've all been through this exercise, but I've never done it in this interactive venue. So why not?

This is hardly my exhaustive list, but two things have always been at the top. I like the people here. There is less affectation than I've found in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, the other two places in California I've lived.

I like the weather. I've only ever spent two winters in places -- Missouri and Japan -- that can be said to have real winters. You can have it. The thing I like best about the snow up in the Sierra Nevada -- after the water it provides us -- is the fact that it's two hours away.

What's on your list? Share it with us.

Posted by Russ Minick at 8:48 AM | Permalink

Just in time for the return of 100-degree temperatures on Saturday: Old Spice, the deodorant maker, has determined that Fresno ranks 25th on the list of the nation's sweatiest cities. Phoenix proudly holds down the top spot. Its citizens produced 26 ounces of sweat per hour during a typical summer day in 2005.

From the company's press release: "[Phoenix's] average high temperature last year was 93.3 degrees -- compared to a cool 63.2 degrees for San Francisco, the nation's least sweaty city." Texas, with six of its cities in the Top 10, is the sweatiest state.

The list changes when humidity is factored in, though. High humidity means the sweat doesn't evaporate. By that measure, the 10 most uncomfortable cities in the country are Miami; Corpus Christi, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Houston; San Antonio; New Orleans; Tampa, Fla. and Fort Myers, Fla.

I think I'll head for the coast this weekend.

Posted by Russ Minick at 11:13 AM | Permalink