Meeting in the Middle: The Courage to Tell Your Story
By Jay Hubbell
I attended the Courage Campaign’s "Camp Courage" in Fresno on the weekend of March 7 and 8 with a lot of skepticism that Fresno would be able turn out a significant number of participants. What I witnessed was the face of the new national civil rights movement.
While the focus of Camp Courage was the repeal of the anti-marriage equality Proposition 8 initiative, the organizers, facilitators and speakers often reminded the participants that this is part of a movement in solidarity with other struggles for civil rights and economic and labor justice.
Movements happen when a few individuals find the courage within themselves to stand up for social justice for the oppressed. Sometimes the leaders come from the ranks of the oppressed but often leaders appear from among allies who understand and empathize with the struggles of others. Such was the case at Camp Courage where roughly one in four participants (out of about 200, "campers") self-identified as a straight ally.
The great phenomenon of this movement is its inclusiveness: from age 16 (about half of the participants were under 25) to senior citizen, from every shade of race, from people who live on the street to people who live on the bluffs, from all religions and none, from those who are recent immigrants to those who are indigenous and those descended from colonists and those who were their slaves, from those who are struggling to stay in high school to those with a Ph.D., from pioneers of the civil rights movement to those whose first exposure to any civil rights movement was Camp Courage.
Camp Courage was about telling your own story of
struggle of pain and hope while listening to the stories of others.
Oppressed people need to know that they are not alone. Many young people
walked into the ballroom of the downtown Fresno Holiday Inn not knowing
anyone. This in itself was an exercise in courage. Many spoke about
their horrific life experiences to an
audience for the first time. Telling your story is cathartic for the
listeners as well as the speaker.
Dolores Huerta told the story of the struggles and triumphs of the movement for labor justice for farm workers. Sheila Kuehl spoke about her story of challenging employment discrimination to become the first out lesbian to break the sexual orientation barrier in the California State Legislature. Cleve Jones, a contemporary of Harvey Milk in the early days of struggle in San Francisco, spoke of the need to find common cause with labor and other social movements.
What happens next? With help from the Courage Campaign, Central Valley activists are going to make Fresno ground zero for the new national civil rights movement. It is called "Meet in the Middle." The minds that need to be changed, the hearts that need to be touched, they are right here in the middle of California.
Meet in the Middle plans to launch this struggle with a huge rally at Fresno City Hall at 1 p.m. on the Saturday after the California Supreme Court renders its verdict on Proposition 8. Activists from all over California and beyond are invited to lend their presence and their voices to kick off the new national equality for all movement that will go beyond the repeal of Proposition 8. For more information, see: http://www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com.
Change does not come easy. One speaker compared our movement to water. Water seems weak up against the hard rock of traditional anti-gay prejudice. But drops of water judiciously applied have the power to dissolve even the most monolithic social calcifications.
From the middle of California to the middle of America a new wave of change is stirring and will not be deterred by thousands of years of sexual identity hate and prejudice. Si, se puede!
Jay Hubbell is the founder of the Fresno Stonewall Democrats and a founding member of Peace Fresno.
Earth Day in Fresno
By Brandon Hill
The common narrative of Earth Day is that Sen.
Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin founded the day in 1970 as a national
teach-in for the environment and thereby sparked the modern
environmental movement. Nelson deserves much credit for his actions.
Following the event, the environmental cause enjoyed greater legitimacy
and support among the general public and great gains took place during
the following decade including passage of the Endangered
Species Act and the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Today, Earth Day serves as a catalyst for a variety of environmental
awareness and stewardship projects across America.
However, the common narrative of Earth Day’s founding is typical of mainstream history in its portrayal of the growth of environmentalism. Specifically, it is presented as government championing a controversial cause and the people following. In contrast, movements generally are built by activists toiling for years to achieve critical mass and then finally gaining widespread legitimacy when reluctant politicians simply can’t ignore their concerns any longer. In fact, media accounts prior to 1970 described this critical mass being achieved on college campuses nationwide.
Environmentalists saw many impressive gains prior to the so-called start of their movement in 1970. Countless activists made up organizations such as Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund for decades prior. Numerous pieces of landmark legislation were also passed due to the work of ordinary people. Legislation that is still crucial today such as the Wilderness Act and National Environmental Policy Act were passed before environmentalism’s alleged birth. It is easy to see that it was years of work from ordinary folks that gave birth to Earth Day rather than a senator spawning the day and an entire movement with the stroke of his pen.
In addition, few people know that there was actually an Earth Day before the April 22, 1970, celebration. John McConnell, a peace activist and environmentalist, proposed holding an Earth Day on March 20, the vernal equinox. McConnell first made his suggestion at a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) conference in 1969; in 1970, the first equinox Earth Day was held in San Francisco. Today, the United Nations as well as a handful of cities and countries recognize March 20 as their Earth Day.
Fresno has a long Earth Day tradition and even had a string of large community Earth Day events earlier in the decade until the coalition that sponsored them was fractured due to infighting. Although the large community celebrations have receded, the Earth Day scene in Fresno continues to thrive with a variety of events planned for this year. A guide to your Fresno Earth Day follows:
Fresno
Solar Tour
Saturday, April 18, doors open at 10 a.m., tour sites close at 4 p.m., Claude Laval WET Incubator, 2911 E. Barstow Ave., Fresno.
From the Fresno Solar Tour Web site (www.fresnosolartour.com): The Fresno Solar Tour has developed into one of the most successful and popular tours of solar homes and businesses in California. Join neighbors, educators, students and business owners from around the valley for a learning experience which provides access to working examples of several solar technologies:
Learn about smart green products, pick up free resources, and hear from solar experts and environmental advocates. After selecting the sites you would like to visit from your guidebook, embark on a self-guided tour. At each site you will be met by a host (owner and/or solar installer) ready to explain the installation and answer questions. Look for the "Solar Tour" sign and you’ll know you’re in the right place!
• Meet homeowners who produce their own electricity.
• Watch electric meters spin backwards.
• Talk to solar designers and contractors.
• Find out about solar economics, return on investment, financing and PPAs.
• Discover energy- and money-saving tips and tricks from experts.
• Go at your own pace, and visit only what you’re interested in seeing.
• Learn about environmental initiatives in the Fresno region.
• See cars that run on electricity, biodiesel and waste veggie oil.
You may register up to two people online for $10, or you may register onsite the day of the tour for $15 (cash or check only). Educators and students are free with online pre-registration and will need to present their school ID at check-in. For more information, contact tom@fresnosolartour.com.
2nd Annual Green Hope Veterans Earth Day Picnic and Art Show
Saturday, April 18, 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Palm Point Shelter, Roeding Park, 890 W. Belmont Ave., Fresno. Free.
Guest speakers; fun and educational activities; raffle prizes; and youth Frisbee. Free food. For more information, visit www.greenhopeveterans.org or call 559-496-0794.
The False Dichotomy of Fish versus People:
A Talk on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m., Sarah McCardle Room, Fresno Downtown Library, 2420 Mariposa St., Fresno. Free.
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, the campaign director for Restore the Delta, will discuss the consequences, causes and proposed solutions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta collapse. Barrigan-Parilla is one of the leading advocates for a fishable, farmable, swimmable and drinkable Delta.
About the Delta:
• More than 700 native species of fish, animals and plants can be found in the Delta.
• 23 million Californians are dependent on the Delta for drinking water.
• More than 500,000 acres of the Delta are farmland.
• The Delta is one of the most important stopover regions for migrating birds.
• The Delta supports a fishing, boating and recreation economy worth $500 million annually.
For more information, contact Brandon Hill at 559-978-2369 or bhill968@gmail.com.
Encouraging Care of Creation
Thursday, April 23, 5:30 p.m.–8:15 p.m., AIMS Hall Atrium, Fresno Pacific Main Campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno.
Why care about creation? Our local environment faces enormous environmental challenges—from polluted air to water shortages, from sustaining local agriculture to the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity, and from issues of environmental justice to the prospect of devastating climate change. Amid this, Christians are called to lives of healing and restoration.
Fresno Pacific invites you to share stories and encouragement about environmental stewardship in the San Joaquin Valley. Come hear what individuals, churches and organizations are doing. Help organize a movement that can help care for creation.
For more information, contact Michael Kunz of the Biology & Environmental Science faculty at 559-453-2045 or mkunz@fresno.edu, or Kim Thompson of the Theology faculty at 559-453-5503 or kimberly.thompson@fresno.edu.
Earth Day at the Unitarian Universalist Church
Saturday, April 25, 2 p.m.–5:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 2672 E. Alluvial Ave. (between Chestnut and Willow), Fresno. $5.
"Building an Ethical Economy....One Dollar at a Time" - Dr. Ellis Jones, UC Davis professor and author of the Better World Shopping Guide, will speak at 3 p.m. at an Earth Day celebration at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2672 E. Alluvial Ave. (between Chestnut and Willow). A scholar of social responsibility, global citizenship and everyday activism, Dr Jones encourages consumers to use their spending power to "vote" for the kind of world they want. He points out that conscious consuming is "a perfect, bottom up way of moving to a green economy." Tickets for the talk are $5 at the door. Free table exhibits by local environmental and social justice groups before and after the talk. Free child care, upon request, while Dr. Jones is speaking (call the church office at 559-322-6146 by April 18). Sponsored by the Green Sanctuary and Social Justice coordinating committees of the UU Church. Information and copies of the book: Steve Sacks, 438-4426 or johnsonsacks@comcast.net
Brandon Hill is an environmental activist and a student at Fresno State University majoring in political science. He can be reached at bhill968@gmail.com.
2009 Fresno Film Festival
By Jefferson Beavers
Cultures and attitudes clash in an inner-city classroom, a microcosm of contemporary France. An Israeli soldier, recalling the first war in Lebanon, struggles to remember what he had chosen to forget. Working-class urban farmers fight to save their community garden in South Central Los Angeles. And a Japanese- American family from Fresno recalls its painful relocation to Colorado during World War II.
The 2009 Fresno Film Festival will explore just some of these themes in its April 17–19 run at the historic Tower Theatre. The festival is presented by Fresno Filmworks, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing first-run independent, experimental, and international movies to the central San Joaquin Valley.
The fifth annual festival, which will feature 23 films from 10 countries, marks Filmworks’ entry into its eighth year of programming. Filmworks continues to offer a multicultural, international film experience that most Fresno-area moviegoers cannot regularly get at commercial theaters.
Through a series of interviews, Waltz With Bashir writer and director Ari Folman re-imagines his painful and temporarily forgotten time in the 1982 Lebanon War. The "animated documentary" uses Flash cutouts mixed with classic animation. (Photo courtesy Sony Pictures Classics)
The group’s president, John Moses, said Filmworks quickly scooped up several big-name, award-winning films this year for the festival, after local chains surprisingly failed to book them. Three of the films—the French drama Entre Les Murs (The Class), the animated Israeli documentary Waltz with Bashir, and the American political documentary The Garden—all enjoyed Academy Award nominations but didn’t play in Fresno, until now.
"I can never fathom what goes into the booking decisions for this area," said Moses, the longtime president of the all-volunteer board. "We’ve been fielding lots of questions from people at our [recent] monthly programs about films that people had been hoping would come to Fresno and now we have them."
Critic Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune calls Entre les Murs (The Class) "one of the screen’s most rewarding explorations of the teacher/student relationship in any language." Critic Andrew O’Hehir of Salon.com calls Waltz with Bashir "the year’s most singular visionary experience available at the movies."
But it is The Garden, the controversial documentary about a powerful developer in South Central L.A. trying to kick working-class families out of their community farm, that Moses is particularly proud of bringing to Fresno.
"It’s an important story to tell, even if it focuses on South Central L.A.," said Moses, who also teaches classes in film studies at Fresno City College. "It’s an engaging story that more people need to know about, even without our own community’s controversy."
In the semi-autobiographical French drama Entre les Murs (The Class), actor and screenwriter Francois Begaudeau plays himself as a literature teacher who navigates the nuances of multiculturalism in an inner-city Paris middle school. (Photo courtesy Sony Pictures Classics)
The City of Fresno in late 2008 decided to force local Hmong farmers to relocate their community garden at Belmont and Dewitt avenues in southeast Fresno. After several months of heated debate, the City Council voted in October to clear out the farmers in order to make way for a new police substation building.
Moses said the local debate over the Hmong garden relocation has overlapped into multiple and unlikely segments of the community. The screening of The Garden, he hopes, will bring together those groups to talk about the similar struggles faced elsewhere.
"We expect the film to have a lot of local interest and support," he said.
Other feature films at the festival include the American independent comedy Skills Like This, an Audience Award winner from the South By Southwest festival about an unlikely 20-something bank robber; the classic Buster Keaton comedy The General, a family-oriented revival film centered on the Civil War; the small Russian independent Mermaid, a drama with comedic touches about an introverted girl born by the sea; and Che: The Argentine, part one of the epic Stephen Soderberg biopic of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, starring Benicio del Toro.
In addition to the high-profile features, Filmworks will continue its support of smaller films as well. Of the festival’s 23 scheduled films, 16 will be shorts. Filmworks will screen two full programs of the short films, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, in addition to sprinkling the rest throughout the festival, as introductions to the features. The two full shorts programs will feature Q&A sessions with more than a dozen visiting filmmakers from all over the world.
The most prominent local connection in the shorts is the 30-minute documentary Colorado Experience. The film tells the story of a Fresno family that escaped the internment experience in World War II by instead relocating to Colorado and joining other Japanese Americans living there instead of going to the camps. Moses said, though, that the relocation still led to a very hard life.
"Colorado gives them more freedom than at the camps," Moses said, "but it’s still not a rosy picture. They still suffer from the racism during World War II toward Japanese Americans."
Other short films with local connections include Wig, written and produced by L.A.-based filmmaker Scotch Ellis Loring, an alumnus of Washington Union High; The Crooked Eye, based on a short story by Coarsegold writer Betty Malicoat; and One Minute More, a series of sketches that include Fresno jazz musician and Rogue Festival favorite Benjamin Boone.
Moses said he hopes that the Fresno audience will still turn out strong for the festival, despite the difficulties of the current economy. The group’s mission of consistently providing Fresno with an alternative film source that truly speaks to diverse, multicultural audiences has been difficult to maintain, he said. But the support of Filmworks loyalists and the curiosity of newbies keeps Filmworks coming back to the Tower every month.
"In a lot of respects, it is a difficult time for people to have the financial resources for entertainment," Moses said. "A lot of [arts] venues that we’re competing with are struggling, in terms of audiences. Our audiences continue to regard us with a great deal of affection."
Moses noted that 24 sponsors stepped up to support Filmworks and the festival this year, a high number that the group is thankful for.
He concluded: "This is very important and rewarding to us, especially in these tough times."
Visit www.FresnoFilmworks.org for more information about Fresno Filmworks or for more details on the 2009 Fresno Film Festival.
Jefferson Beavers is a freelance writer based in Fresno. He teaches in the Mass Communication and Journalism department at Fresno State and is a Fresno Filmworks board member.
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2009 Fresno Film Festival Presented by Fresno Filmworks April 17–19 at Fresno’s historic Tower Theatre The fifth annual Fresno Film Festival is presented by Fresno Filmworks, a nonprofit group committed to bringing independent, experimental and foreign movies to central California. Filmmakers and directors are invited to present their films and interact with our audience. Fresno Filmworks’ goal is to provide a film experience that is thought provoking and joyful for an audience hungry for alternatives to the multiplex. FRIDAY, APRIL 17 7 p.m. 9:30 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 18 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 8 p.m. SUNDAY, APRIL 19 11:30 a.m. 2 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Ticket Prices Ticket Locations Tower Theatre box office, 815 E. Olive Ave. JA Photography, 2003 N. Van Ness Ave. Via PayPal at www.FresnoFilmworks.org. For more details, visit
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Ten things you can do to help curb global warming
Responsible Choices
The choices we make and the products we buy test our commitment to maintain a healthy planet. When we burn fossil fuels—such as oil, coal, and natural gas—to run our cars and light our homes, we pump carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air. This thickens the heat-trapping blanket that surrounds the planet, causing global warming.
Choosing modern technology can reduce our use of fossil fuels and help protect the planet. These 10 steps will help curb global warming, save you money, and create a safer environment for the future.
Drive smart!
A well-tuned car with properly inflated tires burns less gasoline—cutting pollution and saving you money at the pump. If you have two cars, drive the one with better gas mileage whenever possible. Better yet, skip the drive and take public transit, walk, or bicycle when you can.
Buy local and organic
Did you know the average American meal travels more than 1,500 miles from the farm to your plate? Think of all the energy wasted and pollution added to the atmosphere—not to mention all the pesticides and chemicals used to grow most produce! So go to your local organic farmer to get your fruits and veggies.
Support clean, renewable energy.
Renewable energy solutions, such as wind and solar power, can reduce our reliance on coal-burning power plants, the largest source of global warming pollution in the United States. Call your local utility and sign up for renewable energy. If they don’t offer it, ask them why not?
Also, support a national renewable electricity standard (RES). The Energy Bill signed in 2007 lacked key components that address our energy security and global warming emissions: a renewable electricity standard of 15% by 2020 and a tax package that will provide investment incentives for clean energy alternatives. Use our action center at http://action.sierraclub.org/site/VoteCenter?page=voteInfo&voteId=7710 to urge your members of Congress to support the renewable electricity standard and tax package.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact
fluorescent bulbs.
Especially those that burn the longest each day. Compact fluorescents produce the same amount of light as normal bulbs, but use about a quarter of the electricity and last 10 times as long. Each switch you make helps clean the air today, curb global warming, and save you money on your electricity bill.
Saving energy at home is good for the environment and for your wallet.
Start with caulking and weather-stripping on doorways and windows. Then adjust your thermostat and start saving. For each degree you lower your thermostat in the winter, you can cut your energy bills by 3%. Finally, ask your utility company to do a free energy audit of your home to show you how to save even more money.
Become a smart water consumer.
Install low-flow showerheads and faucets and you’ll use half the water without decreasing performance. Then turn your hot water heater down to 120°F and see hot-water costs go down by as much as 50 percent.
Buy energy-efficient electronics and appliances.
Replacing an old refrigerator or an air conditioner with an energy-efficient model will save you money on your electricity bill and cut global warming pollution. Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances or visit their Web site at www.energystar.gov to find the most energy-efficient products.
Plant a tree, protect a forest.
Protecting forests is a big step on the road to curbing global warming. Trees "breathe in" carbon dioxide, but slash-and-burn farming practices, intensive livestock production, and logging have destroyed 90% of the native forests in the United States. And you can take action in your own backyard—planting shade trees around your house will absorb CO2 and slash your summer air-conditioning bills.
Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!
Producing new paper, glass, and metal products from recycled materials saves 70%–90% of the energy and pollution, including CO2, that would result if the product came from virgin materials. Recycling a stack of newspapers only four feet high will save a good-sized tree. Please... buy recycled products.
Mount a local campaign against global warming.
Educate your community about how it can cut global warming pollution. Support measures at the national, state, and local level that
• Make automobiles go further on a gallon of gas;
• Accelerate the use of clean, renewable energy
sources, such as solar and wind;
• Increase energy efficiency and conservation; and
• Preserve forests around the world.
Interested in helping your city become a "cool city"? It’s easy! Go to http://coolcities.us/ and you’ll be on your way to helping your city be cool.
Reprinted from http://www.sierraclub.org/energy/tenthings/index.asp
A sincere "Thank you!" goes out to the generous readers who responded to our request for financial support over the last couple of months. We did indeed "dodge the bullet," are now looking optimistically toward the future, and are committed to making sure that the Community Alliance newspaper continues to provide readers with the information you need in this changing political, economic, and media environment.
The collapse of the newspaper industry nationwide and the continuing cutbacks at the Fresno Bee, provide us with both opportunities and challenges. The opportunity is that as the local daily paper cuts back on staff and content, there is the potential for the Community Alliance to play a larger role in news gathering and reporting on the important issues facing this community. We would like to become a weekly at some point in the not too distant future and increase our circulation from the current 10,000 to 75,000–100,000. The challenge is that with fewer people reading newspapers, is this the time to expand?
We think that it might be a great time to grow and expand. Here is why: The Community Alliance newspaper, as you might have noticed, is a very different type of publication. While there are many reasons why the business model of mainstream newspapers is failing, a central reason is because readers are not getting the information they need. If they were getting the information they needed, they would subscribe. The opposite is happening with us; our subscription base is growing and readers are telling us they are getting the news they need.
Community Alliance supporters met last month at
editorial board member Carol Bequette’s home
to talk about the future of the newspaper. Photo by Howard Watkins.
The Community Alliance is different because we are a newspaper with a purpose other than just making money. Our goal is to build a progressive movement that supports social, economic, and environmental justice. We don’t just report the news, we encourage our readers to be a part of a movement for social/economic change. We write about the activists involved in making this a better community to live in, validating the work they do, and encouraging others to stand up for social justice.
Our articles are about important local stories, many
of which are completely ignored by the mainstream media. A good example
of this is our coverage of homeless issues. Not only did we make the
community aware of homelessness in Fresno, we played a huge role in the
federal lawsuit defending homeless people’s rights and in changing
public policy. That is what newspapers should be doing—bringing
attention to important
social issues and helping to change public policy.
We also show the breadth of the progressive movement and help to link activists that share common values. The Peace and Social Justice calendar, for example, is the most comprehensive listing of progressive events in the region. It is used by numerous groups, the media, and individuals to link up with those who are working for peace, social, and economic justice. We are now publishing an Arts and Music calendar, focusing on local events, that provides readers with a comprehensive guide to community cultural events.
If you support grassroots, community, journalism and if you think "Another World is Possible" then we invite you to step up and support this publication. Become a part of history by subscribing and donating to this publication which is trying to change the world. Si Se Puede!
Bad Air Out, Good Air In
By Vic Bedoian
Ironically, the Valley’s bad air has transformed all
who live here into environmentalists. Urban and rural dwellers, young
and old, rich and poor, across all ethnic lines, everybody feels the
impact and everyone wants it fixed. That much we can agree upon. How to
fix it is a bone of contention that has spawned lawsuits, public
demonstrations, endless hearings and new laws. It has also given
expression to a grassroots social movement more broad-based and
inclusive than any other in Valley history, a movement that has changed
our business practices, politics and expectations
forever.
The product of that effort was in full evidence at the annual meeting of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition held in Fresno last month. Representatives of several dozen citizen groups were there to report on recent developments, exchange ideas and learn from each other’s experiences. They hailed from citizen action groups up and down the Valley as well as from national environmental advocacy organizations and academia. They were there less to celebrate their successes than to strategize about the long road ahead in attaining healthy air for Valley residents to breathe. And while the bottom line of clean air is an easy goal to conceptualize, getting there has become a difficult, complicated and elusive proposition. These folks, along with many other air crusaders, are about realizing a dream long overdue. When the Clean Air Act became law in 1970 its goal was for America’s cities to have clean and healthy air by 1975. People
—we are way behind!As a reminder, here is a thumbnail of Valley air
chemistry: There are three major elements in the mix—
nitrogen oxides (NOX) from vehicle exhaust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
such as pesticides and cow manure gases. Particulate matter (PM) such as
airborne dust, and ozone, an especially bad actor, are the witches’ brew
resulting from the atmospheric heating of NOX in the hot Valley summer
sun.
So, is air quality in the Valley improving? It shouldn’t be surprising that the answer is both yes and no. Of course, it depends on how you look at it. Driven mostly by citizen lawsuits and legislation forcing the local air district to enforce regulations, the farming sector has made significant improvements on dust and dairy control. The large cities in the Valley have also seen fewer violations of air standards, probably due to newer and cleaner vehicles. That is the plus side. On the negative side, it is clear that we could do much better. It is also evident that in terms of breathing easier we have failed miserably. Childhood asthma cases have risen more than 50% just over the past few years. Pollution levels, especially ozone, continue to be too high in some South Valley towns and in Sequoia National Park. Farm workers, living in the midst of farming areas, have not seen any improvement in the levels of cancer-causing VOCs in the air they breathe. On balance I would have to conclude that Valley residents may be marginally better off than before but that our air quality is not getting good enough fast enough.
The big player in the game of managing local air quality is the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. It is an 11-member board consisting of county supervisors and city council members from Valley cities. The philosophy they use seems to center on the concept that air is a natural resource to be managed in much the same way as other natural resources society uses, such as forests, minerals or water. This management paradigm views the world in economic terms where decisions are made using a cost-benefit analysis, usually erring on the side of the balance sheet. That paradigm went largely unchallenged until 2002. That’s when Fresno County voters turned down an extension of the transportation sales tax used to continue building freeways. It was the truly grassroots "Got Air?" campaign that forced a pause in the mentality (if not the reality) of unbridled development and made everyone count to 10 and take a deep breath. Pun intended!
Even with the more intensive campaign for accountability, business is being done pretty much as usual. As a result, local air district decisions have been timid when it comes to industrial compliance. In a decision that generated public outrage, the air board delayed a crucial cleanup deadline for ozone pollution until 2024, not the first time they put off achieving safer levels of that destructive molecule. Go to any given air board meeting and you’ll mainly meet industry lobbyists. But air officials have also dragged their feet on more stringent social controls of pollution such as no-drive days, halting suburban sprawl, requiring cleaner diesel trucks or using remote sensing technology to pinpoint gross polluting vehicles. All those tools and others are available today. Granted, such measures would probably result in social upheaval, at least in the beginning. The local air district and the state air board have made some positive steps in response to public pressure by including expertise from rural areas and the medical profession.
While the push/pull of the cost-benefit formula will continue to drive air quality decisions, science is showing that to be a false dichotomy. There is definitive evidence that ozone is toxic to plants as well as people. In plants, ozone disrupts photosynthesis, the very engine of plant life and growth. Research at the University of California Kearny Field Station shows that significant damage is being caused to Valley crops, estimated at between $2 billion–$4 billion dollars a year with losses in yield of 5%–20%. With stats like that you would think farmers would be alarmed. Some are, most are not. It turns out that ozone is one of many stresses on crop plants. So, though plant damage may be obvious in a laboratory setting, it is not so easily apparent in field conditions. In addition, farmers fear that while the benefits of cleaning upozone will be felt by all, the cost of cleaning it up will be borne by them. It’s called the tragedy of the commons and often leads to a political impasse. Similarly, improvements in diesel engine technology could reduce harmful emissions sooner than later but the transportation sector is daunted by the cost, especially under the pressure of an economic recession and the rising cost of fuel. The cost-benefit analysis strikes again.
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Want to get involved? Contact: Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition Office (559) 486-3279 liza@calcleanair.org catherinecvaq@gmail.com www.calcleanair.org |
The situation for farm labor stands the cost-benefit formula on its head in a most acute and egregious manner. Here, it is the exposure to VOCs from airborne pesticides added to the usual smog that had wreaked havoc in farm worker communities. Over the years, this problem has received scant attention by regulators and legislators. Thus, the level of VOC in the air is now 24 tons per day and it has not been reduced since 1990. In this case, this cost of doing business is being paid for by a relatively small number of farm workers while the benefits of the cheap food are enjoyed by society as a whole. The reason is simple. Fairness and equal treatment under the law has not been available for these folks because their priorities are seen by government as less important than the considerations of the agricultural economy. This has been manifested in many ways, particularly through the lack of urgency shown by a state Department of Pesticide Regulation long dominated by farming interests. Although California created far-reaching pesticide regulations, perhaps more so than any other state, it has lagged reducing those VOC levels and the far-reaching effects agricultural chemicals in the air are having on entire communities.
Now clean air advocates are turning up the heat for a legislative mandate. California Assembly member Bill Monning, representing the central coast region, has introduced AB 835, the Pesticide Air Pollution Reduction Act. In response to the clear and present health danger airborne pesticides pose, this bill would strengthen regulatory oversight and require the state to disclose VOC ingredients and usage, and also ensure that replacement products would not increase toxic exposure to workers or the public. In the upper house, State Senator Dean Florez, a proven clean air champion, will hold hearings this June examining the effectiveness of pesticide regulations in his Food and Agriculture Committee. Though it may move slowly, the pendulum is beginning to swing in the direction of health considerations in the cost-benefit equation.
And then there’s global warming. A complex and multifaceted factor, it makes the difficult task of cleaning the air even more so—and more crucial. Vehicle emissions and the carbon-based energy economy are the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room. Cars and trucks are lightly regulated currently, while imposing the kind of controls that would really clean the air requires substantial public buy-in. That level of consensus is not now the political reality in the Valley. Maybe it will be in the future. There may even be new dangers ahead if alternatives such as biofuels or coal-fired plants are situated here, as there are proposals to do. The solutions here are years away, even though California has made a legal commitment to reduce global warming emissions. Eventually, the production of cleaner vehicles will catch up to the reality of our polluted skies. According to scientists, the main task boils down to getting as much carbon out of the air as possible and as quickly as possible. Anything short of that keeps ramping up the feedback loop between the causes and results of climate change. To address this overarching problem will take a strategic effort with long-term thinking. Such ideas are already bubbling up with concepts like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which would hold fuel providers responsible for the pollution from the production and use of transportation fuels. The job will require all the tools we have. Clean air is a necessity, not a lifestyle choice.
There are some good local sources on the history, science and politics of air quality. The Central Valley Air Quality Coalition brings together most of the broad-based citizen groups working on the issue, and their Web site is loaded with information. Fresno Metro Ministry does a lot of research and advocacy locally. The Fresno Bee has done a commendable job following air quality and has a wealth of information sources and articles on their Web site. Radio station KFCF 88.1 FM broadcasts a cutting-edge program hosted by Kevin Hall and Jim Compton-Schmidt that airs at 3:00 p.m. on the fourth Friday of every month.
Independent Reviewer Proposal Was Discriminatory
By Dan Waterhouse
Before it was changed, 72 hours before being taken up by the city council, the independent reviewer proposal ignored the queer community. Originally, complaints of sexual orientation bias by Fresno police officers would not have been reviewed by the auditor. However, complaints alleging racial, ethnic, or religious bias would be.
According to new mayor Ashley Swearengin, a key role of the reviewer originally would have been to do mandatory reviews of "use of force investigations (including officer involved shootings); investigations of in-custody deaths; and complaints involving racial, ethnic or religious bias."
Several categories, including sexual orientation, covered by state hate crime statutes, were originally left out of the police auditor’s purview. The other categories addressed in California’s hate crime laws are: actual or perceived nationality, country of origin, ancestry, disability, or gender.
The revised proposal, which changed the name to "Office of Independent Review" from the "Office of the Independent Police Auditor," added gender, age, sexual orientation, or disability bias to the list of categories requiring mandatory audits.
The revision also includes collisions during pursuits resulting in serious injury or death in the list of mandatory audits.
The initial omission of sexual orientation bias from the proposal was particularly troubling to me in light of statements by a Fresno officer several years ago that a group inside the police department calling itself "the army of God" planned one day to use violence to "take back the Tower" District "for Jesus Christ" from the "sinners."
Discretionary audits, according to the proposal, include "all other collisions during pursuits; claims of retaliation for filing complaints against police officers; and any other complaints."
Another, disturbing aspect of the proposal, is that in the case of mandatory audits the reviewer "can choose to be involved in the investigative process as an observer [emphasis in the original] only (not an additional investigator) from the initial callout until the investigation (by police Internal Affairs) is completed."
The proposal makes it clear that all investigations will be done by the police department’s internal affairs unit and the reviewer will not be allowed to conduct its own, independent, investigation "of citizen complaints or allegations of employee misconduct."
The reviewer, says the proposal, will review the police department’s inquiry and complaint logs, as well as the "early alert" system (designed to identify officers with an unusual number of complaints). Demographic data collected by officers during traffic enforcement encounters and other incidents would be monitored. That’s okay—as far as it goes.
However, as a vehicle for greater police accountability to the community, the proposal seems to be a bad one. The reviewer is totally dependent on the police department—the same one he’s supposed to be over-sighting—for everything. Apparently, he won’t be able to ask direct questions of complainants, witnesses or of officers involved in the incident. He’ll have to accept whatever internal affairs gives him and be satisfied with that.
Justin Ruben of MoveOn.org and Fresno
By Mike Rhodes
I was arrested with Justin Ruben, the new executive director of MoveOn.org, at an anti-sweatshop rally at Fashion Fair in 2000. If you are unfamiliar with that episode of Fresno history, go to http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/GAP.htm and see how Justin and 18 others were arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights. All charges against us were eventually dropped (after 1½ years of going back and forth to court), and we then filed a lawsuit against Fashion Fair for violating our civil rights. We settled out of court for a significant amount of money, which was used to financially support progressive groups in the Fresno area.
Fashion Fair continued to threaten groups and individuals who held protests at the mall with arrest, so a group of Community Alliance supporters decided to challenge them again. On July 4, 2003, we held a rally at the main entrance of the mall. Fashion Fair security threatened us with arrest, but they backed down as one person after another stood on a soap box and read from the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Our right to Free Speech does not end at their driveway. Justin Ruben played an important role in fighting for free speech in Fresno.
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One of the banners used in the anti-sweatshop protest at Fashion Fair. Photo by Catherine Campbell. |
 The police lined up in the parking lot at Fashion Fair before arresting peaceful protestors who were telling customers about The Gap’s use of sweatshop labor. |
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Justin Ruben, the new executive director of MoveOn.org, is seen here being arrested at Fresno’s Fashion Fair mall in May 2000. Ruben was protesting The Gap’s use of sweatshop labor. Photo by Dallas Blanchard. |
 Mike Rhodes, the editor of the Community Alliance newspaper, when he was arrested at Fashion Fair for exercising his First Amendment right to Free Speech. Photo by Dallas Blanchard. |
The following is from the March 16, 2009, issue of The Nation magazine:
MOVING ON: Justin Ruben, the new executive director of MoveOn.org, brought a message from his 5 million members when he met with President Barack Obama at a small White House gathering for allies on February 18. "This is a moment to go big," he said, citing daily conversations with MoveOn activists. "We understand that’s not going to be easy, but people are mobilized and willing to fight to make it happen. That’s really what I carried with me into that room," he told The Nation, in his first interview since taking the helm of one of the country’s largest progressive organizations.
Ruben, who has organized for labor, trade and environmental groups, must take a network that has long battled bad ideas—impeaching Bill Clinton, invading Iraq, gutting Social Security—and adapt it to supporting and broadening the administration’s agenda. "We’re in this amazing position now where we get to fight for stuff," he says. MoveOn’s four "core" policy areas, decided by members during December house meetings, are economic recovery, universal healthcare, climate change and ending the Iraq War. Ruben does not expect ending the war in Afghanistan, where Obama is deploying additional troops, to make the list. The "overwhelming priority" is still Iraq, he says; while his members are concerned about Afghanistan, they tend to "differ on what ought to be done about it." ARI MELBER
