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The Fresno Bee editorial opinion blogDecember 13, 2006Blogging with the Mayor: Thank you for your questions...It's been great visiting with you online. I value all of the questions, input and suggestions. Any questions that I did not answer because of time constraints will be answered shortly and posted on this blog. Although we agreed on some things and disagreed on others, this kind of give-and-take is extremely important for me as a person and as a mayor. Keep 'em comin'! Mayor Autry What would $1 million do to utility rates?If it is only a one shot deal, what difference does it make if it puts the division in shape to avoid a rate increase for a long period of time? How long will it take for the rate increase to amount to the million dollars needed? Leonard, We looked at all options for this one-time windfall. If it would have made a long-term difference in the rate increase, we would have considered it seriously. But after a thorough analysis, it was determined that it would not only not have a significant long-term effect on rates, it would even have a minimal short-term effect. But I do appreciate your thoughts on this issue as rate increases are an extremely important decision and not to be taken lightly. Mayor Autry What if the city manager resigned?If the city manager resigned tomorrow, what would you do? How would that disrupt the daily business of the city? Is there a short list of candidates, or someone who could cover the position on an interim basis? Scott, We are very blessed in the city of Fresno to have Andy Souza as city manager. When he decides to move on, he will definitely be hard to replace. However, one of the things Andy has been committed to is creating a structure at City Hall called "The New Normal" that ensures that the development of talent at the city be a main component of our policy. Good people in any business are hard to get and hard to keep. But the people of Fresno deserve the best services possible, and people like Andy Souza are critical in achieving that goal. Mayor Autry Where do traffic fees go?What does the mayor think of the traffic fees that are collected? Don't they go into the city's general fund? Let's really consider the traffic officers as revenue officers, as I'm sure the city does not donate the ticket revenue to the Poverello House or other nonprofit charity! George, I would like nothing better than to not receive one single penny from speeding violations in this city. It would allow us to deploy officers to fight crime throughout our city. But as long as individuals continue to use their vehicles as deadly weapons by breaking the speed limit and endangering others, we will continue to come down on that type of behavior. A little known fact is that up until a few years ago when we first implemented this policy, deaths caused by speeding in the city of Fresno had surpassed the murder rate. I've got a deal for you: Let's all work together and do our best to put this aspect of law enforcement out of business by driving safely and never getting behind the wheel after drinking too much. What do you say, George? Deal or no deal? Mayor Autry How do we determine success?Thank you for your response, sir. Jeff, You bring up good points. Measuring outcomes and accountability are extremely important in any successful endeavor. Innovation and progress in our economy is no different. That's why Pete Weber at the Regional Jobs Initiative made sure to incorporate in the structure of the RJI ways to monitor and measure success within the initiative. Although this is just one initiative, it is one that has a broad coalition backing it. I believe its commitment to accountability has been a model for many other initiatives seeking to improve our quality of life. Mayor Autry DUI checkpoints and tickets?Doesn't the city make enough money off checkpoints and traffic tickets? I'm tired of our city government making its money off the poor. Your Police Department is corrupt, as in the recent article in the newspaper on one of our finest crashing his car into a tree after drinking and partying with other cops. I'm sick of this. Sal Fernandez Sal, I'm going to answer the first part of your question. First of all, the city doesn't make any money off of tickets. We're not a for-profit entity. We work on behalf of you and the rest of the citizens of Fresno. The insinuation that we only ticket poor people is as silly as it is inaccurate. The fact of the matter is, you drive the speed limit and don't endanger yourself or others, you won't have anything to worry about. But if you seek to use your vehicle as a deadly weapon and endanger everyone else by speeding, you can rest assured, as long as I'm mayor, I'm going to do everything I can to pull your butt over. The reality is, that over the last several years that this policy has been in place, we have over a 40% reduction in traffic fatalities. In real terms, that means that 60 people are walking around living their lives today that would otherwise be dead. Sal, that could be you, me, our children or anyone else in this city. It's pretty simple: If you get in a car and you don't drink and you don't speed, whether you're rich or poor, you have nothing to worry about, except those who choose to do the opposite. As far as the second question about the loss of one of Fresno's finest, I'm not gonna dignify it with a response. I have too much respect for the Sanchez family. Follow up to the nuclear power plant questionI strongly support John Hutson's idea for a nuclear power plant in Fresno. The more I read [about them] on the Web, the safer they look. He tells me individual Fresnans would see the maximum decrease in their electric bills if a municipal electric district were created for the nuclear plant. The Prop 218 process would in that case guarantee lower rates for Fresnans. Are you aware of this, and do you support a MUD in connection with the nuclear plant idea? Loran, I firmly believe that it will be extremely difficult for this Valley to move forward, unless we become, in some way, energy self-sufficient. Energy bills have become burdensome to Valley families and businesses to the breaking point. I strongly support John Hutson's laser beam focus on this issue. Nuclear energy is, by every measure, the safest form of energy available today. Producing our own nuclear power would make us not only self-sufficient, but a supplier to the grid as well. The safety concerns have been met, the economic advantages are being analyzed, so full-speed ahead. Scott, the existence of the wastewater treatment plant is one of the reasons that many people who are looking at nuclear energy get excited about its possibility. One of the requirements to produce nuclear energy is large amounts of water. The wastewater treatment plant would provide that. Mayor Autry Why not spend the money on the Utility Division?Mayor, bearing in mind that the council and yourself were well aware that the Utility Division needed an infusion of approximately $1 million to put it in good shape, thus negating the need for a large increase in rates for the people in Fresno, why didn't you and the council use approximately 10% of the $10 million windfall to make that infusion? The projects you spent on, while commendable, could certainly have been scaled back just a bit!! Leonard, I am extremely sensitive to any utility rate increase. It's an increase we all have to bear. But our most vulnerable citizens, specifically seniors and the disabled are hit the hardest. That's why I appointed a commission to examine the need for increases. Having said that, I don't think it is sound economic policy nor in the best interest of the ratepayers to use one-time funding for an ongoing utility bill. Mayor Autry Will Fresno build a nuclear power plant?Mayor, there was a proposal made last week to the Fresno City Council to build a nuclear power plant in Fresno. Do you think this proposal should be seriously considered? Do you support building a nuclear power facility in this community? If you support the idea of a nuclear power plant, do you think it should be located near the bluffs in north Fresno or on the Westside? Mike, I believe nuclear power holds great promise for the entire San Joaquin Valley. We must find a way to become energy self-sufficient. High energy costs are crippling households throughout the Valley. The nuclear power plant being discussed is very small. The size being discussed, which is small enough to operate a nuclear submarine, could provide enough power for the entire city of Fresno. As for the Bluffs or Westside, it makes no difference to me since it is the safest source of energy around. Mike, by the way, how big is your back yard? Mayor Autry What would make police auditor independent?Dear Mayor: You have stated over and over that you support the Independent Police Auditor. We have observed you attempting to obtain funding for the IPA only to get shot down. We have even met with you to discuss your "proposal," which time and time again has the mayor or the city manager appointing or terminating the IPA instead of allowing the City Council to have the final say on this. Can you please tell us why you think the IPA would be independent if you or the city mananger appointed the IPA instead of the City Council? How independent can the IPA be if you and the city manager also hire and fire the chief of police? Is this really an empty gesture, knowing full well you won't get the votes? To accept your premise would accept as true that there is no honesty and integrity at City Hall. I not only think that this is wrong, I believe that we have some of the most honest and trustworthy individuals working at the city. I don't see how putting the authority in the hands of the council can make the IPA more effective. After all, wouldn't we want the overseer of the Police Department to answer to someone who has the authority to make changes in that department? The city manager does have that authority, not the council. Mayor Autry Council meetings in the evenings?Mr. Mayor: Why doesn't City Council conduct its meetings in the evening? There's no way I can make a daytime meeting, and the council members get this "holier than thou" attitude, especially mine (District 2). They complain about the public not attending meetings, yet schedule them when the majority of the public can't. Paul Rete Paul, That's a pretty good idea. I would suggest you run it by the Council and see what happens. Will mayor join U.S. Mayors Climate Control Agreement?Mayor Autry, on Nov. 14, the Fresno City Council passed a resolution for Fresno to join the U.S. Mayors Climate Control Agreement. Since the Mayor did not veto this resolution in the allotted time period, the City Clerk says it is in effect right now. My question is: Has the Mayor's office actually signed and sent off the paperwork to have Fresno join this group? The city of Fresno is on the cutting edge of clean air technologies. We have one of the cleanest fleets in the country and have received several awards reflecting our commitment to the environment, including: the EPA's Green Power Award for our solar energy project installed at our Municipal Service Center, and the 2006 EPA Pretreatment Program Excellence Award - Best in the Nation for our Wastewater Treatment Facilities. In addition, in 2005 I was honored to receive the American Lung Association's Good Government Award. In addition, I have been working to establish an Air Quality Empowerment Zone for our region to assist us in receiving incentives and funding from the federal government. While the U.S. Mayors Climate Control Agreement has many good things in it, there are also blatantly political statements that create too many questions for me to either support or oppose the agreement. I will look forward to seeing answers to my questions as the whole global warming discussion continues. I did not veto the Council's action because I am not going to stop them from expressing their opinion. We must be mindful as we work to clean our environment that people should not have to choose between clean air in their lungs and food in their bellies. A strategy that balances the needs of the environment with our economy is one I can support. How do you handle road planning?Why does the city do such a poor job of planning? I ask this because there are so many areas of poorly planned roads, yet other areas where there are great roads to nowhere? Paul, We have a blanket policy at City Hall never to argue with a criticism about planning. In fact, I ran on a "Tale of Two Cities," and one of the main reasons that created this tale was not poor planning, but a total absence of comprehensive planning. That's why I made a new General Plan one of the No. 1 priorities of my campaign. The bad news is it took so long for this to finally get done. But the good news is that we now have had a plan in place since 2002, which will not only allow us to grow at a smart and healthy manner, but begin to rectify some mistakes of the past. I share your impatience. I share your aggravation. But if future administrations stick to this plan, we can get the job done. Mayor Autry Does recycling have impact on utility rate hikes?How much impact does the lack of Fresno's recycling have, if any, on the proposed rate hikes? Although recycling has no direct impact on utility rates, we do face $10,000 a day in fines if we do not meet our state-mandated recycling levels. I believe, as a community, we should do everything we can to be a leader in recycling. It makes good sense environmentally and we sure can't afford $10,000 a day in fines. Mayor Autry How can Fresno take an innovative lead?How can the city of Fresno take the lead in heading up programs designed to incubate innovation and attract talent to our city? Right now, we are deferring these issues to the University and associated entities, which don't appear to be producing any results. Jeff, I don't feel it is the role of the city to operate an incubator. We do financially support several extremely successful efforts to improve innovation and attract talent such as the RJI [Regional Jobs Initiative], Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber Business Incubator. In addition, I serve on the board of the Governor's California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, which is focused on improving the economy of the San Joaquin Valley. I believe all of these efforts are doing a great job, as evidenced by our unemployment rate being at the lowest level in decades. Mayor Autry Tell public about council district changesIf Council Districts are to be modified -- 1) why was this not advertized to general public? And 2) why only 11 days (Dec. 16) to respond to City Planner Nick Yovino? Jeanne, Council Boundaries are an administrative action instituted by the City Manager. The boundaries are put together through an elaborate process that takes into account past growth trends. I believe the boundaries will be coming before the City Council after the first of the year. Although there is no legal notice to the public required, the Development Department did put a notice in the Bee inviting the public to call with comments. In addition, I will encourage the City Manager to publish a notice in the Bee so the public is aware of the date of the Council Meeting where the boundaries will be voted on. Mayor Autry Are your Christian values in line with treatment of homeless?The Gospel is quite clear about the necessary response to those who are hungry, thirsty, naked or homeless. Yet the city policy has caused the deliberate and illegal destruction of the homes and possessions of many homeless. Jesus describes the consequences of this type of sin in Chapter 25 of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. As a Christian have you considered this? The St. Benedict Catholic Worker worked with a team of lawyers, headed by Paul Alexander of Heller Eherman, to stop the city's most egregious practices in federal court. From what you said on the Ray Appleton program, it appears that you were not correctly briefed by city staff about the evidence that was presented in court. You accused the federal judge of not knowing what is going on, but it appears that you don't know what your own staff is doing or understand what the evidence demonstrated beyond any doubt in court. . . Would you like a to have a real briefing and discuss real solutions? If so, please let me know. Bryan Apper St. Benedict Catholic Worker Bryan, I respect and share your concern for the homeless. However, your grasp of the facts leaves a great deal to be desired. First of all, I doubt you were there before this sweep occurred. I was. And what I saw was a situation that was more of a disease factory than a place to live. To allow people to live in these kind of circumstances is not only bad for the community, it is also bad for the people who are staying there. What I saw was unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life. The things I spoke of on Ray Appleton's show were true. If you would have been there you would have seen it. There were no new tents. There were no wheelchairs destroyed. In fact, I find it kind of curious, where was the individual [who owned] this so-called wheelchair? I dispute your recounting of the actions and would like also like to remind you of something else Jesus said. Jesus spoke very clearly of his love for children and said, "He who harms one of these little ones, does the same to me." I would like to hear some of the same passion you have for these poor souls on the street be given to those children right across the street who have had to watch all of the sex in public, men and women relieving themselves in their view and being forced to stay inside all day rather than be exposed to this. I feel with all my heart that to have let this situation continue would have been mistreating, not only the homeless, but especially those children. Mayor Autry What will you do if Council doesn't adopt life-line rate?The City Council has the five votes to over-ride your veto of the utility rate increases. I attended the last nine meetings of the Utility Commission, addressed the Council three times and gave the rate hike schedule to the media on Nov. 2. I suggested a life-line rate to the Commission, they recommended it in their final report, the Fresno Bee has called for it editorially, and you have directed the City Manager to draft such a rate to be proposed to the Council. What will you do if the Council does not adopt a life-line rate for persons of moderate income in Fresno? I think you should caution the Council that Fresno will hurt its image if it gives the back of its hand to persons of moderate income and rejects the life-line rate proposal. Loran W. Harding Loran, I appreciate your heart for those who will hurt the most from these rate increases. However, there are clear laws that preclude utility rate funds used as a lifeline. However, we're doing everything we can to put together a plan to mitigate as much as possible the impact of this rate increase on our most vulnerable, in particular seniors on fixed incomes and the disabled on fixed incomes. Mayor Autry Improve the city's image by taking care of the busesIf you want to improve the image of Fresno just repaint those city buses that carry those ugly advertisements. One look at those monstrosities and you get the idea that we are living in a very poor Third World country. Visitors to this city must think we are really hard up for money to allow such nonsense. Bill, Most large cities sell bus advertising as a way to generate revenues to then put back into the bus service. Rest assured, if any Third World country had our quality of bus service, they certainly wouldn't be a Third World country. Mayor Autry What about traffic?I just do not understand how the city planning commission or whoever would allow the traffic mess we have at Willow and Nees, especially on the west corner. Why did they (?) allow a left-turn lane but not a right-turn lane? Mike, I've been to that location many times and agree that it's a mess. It's an example of what can happen when we don't have a comprehensive planning strategy. We're looking at any and all ways to fix this situation. After years of development fees not covering the cost of necessary infrastructure, I supported these fees being revised. Street feels will be voted on by the council on Jan. 23. The new fees should prevent this situation from repeating itself. SearchArchives
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