#OccupyFresno

It was a photo tag that first brought my attention to the "Occupy" movement.  The picture had no real information, so I looked a little further into what this movement stood for.  After some digging, it was still a little difficult to deduce a clear demand.  There was however, an event page made for a demonstration in Downtown Fresno that I took as an opportunity to find out more.  To my surprise, there was a good sized crowd when I showed up and as I meandered through the people, I could tell it was a diverse group at that.  So it was understood after some time that a clearly defined movement was not at hand, but still the fact that people were willing to meet for common understanding and frustration was comforting.  It was the understanding that there is a large imbalance in wealth and power that brought people there.  The frustration is the feeling when you sense there is nothing you can do about it.  But the comfort comes because it is only the meeting of mass amounts of people that can make any real change in our country.  Exercising our right to organize and speak freely against things in our lives that we believe are unjust are reasons why our country's soldiers are supposedly fighting for.  So to see a piece of America still alive was a proud sight to see.

There is another demonstration scheduled for tonight (Sunday) that does not set an ending time.  From the list of needs on their website, it seems like this will be one of their longest demonstration. People will be setting up at the Southeast area of the Courthouse Park in Downtown and are schedule to start arriving at 5pm.

Here are photos from Friday, October 7th event:

Governor Jerry Brown on Prison Realignment

After meeting with the City of Fresno Mayor and City Council, Governor Jerry Brown answered some questions from local media.  Most of which were about the realignment of state prisoners to local jails.

One in, One out: A Kocky's Review

Bacon Burger w/ Onion Rings @ Kocky's

This afternoon, I had an opportunity to treat a friend to lunch for her birthday and she asked "where should we go?"  I took this opportunity to try a new bar & grill in Downtown Fresno that has just opened up taking the place of Steakhouse Bar & Grill at 1231 Van Ness.  I was already put on guard because of the lack of information from their facebook event page where I first found out about it (no specials, why it's a "grand" opening, what will be the food served, ect.) and not having an available website to see a menu made it even worse.  Either way, my curiosity still got me in the doors.  It was hard to choose what to eat at first seeing that most if not all were items that could be ordered anywhere else in town, but this was Downtown so I moved on and chose the bacon burger to be my litmus test.  It wasn't that long of a wait (about 15mins) before I got my burger and my friend got their salad. When I first looked at the burger, I said, "it's a little guy."  Then I looked at the pretty fat patty and moved on.  The first bite was actually satisfying and had a lot of flavor to it.  The juices were flowing, the bacon was crispy and the taste of pickle gave it the perfect balance.  One thing I did notice after my first couple of bites, was the meat was a little rare (as you can see in the picture).  Though,  I'm a savage and have an iron-clad stomach, so I finished without complaining.  Other notes, I asked for ranch for my onion rings, which had a good batter and were served hot, but after I asked for ranch and before I was given any, the server actually asked me if I needed anything.  That was a rookie mistake but people are people and we make mistakes.  All and all, it was a satisfying meal at a reasonable cost but nothing really grabbed me wanting them to know my name as I walked through the door.  They have a bar area to the left that is a little more inviting than the high ceiling dining area to the right.  I might visit though if I'm in the mood for a burger or some chicken fingers just because I live Downtown and I like walking to my places.  Also, Kocky's opened up in the wake of the closure of Iron Bird Cafe which was loved by many people in the Downtown area and had great little events to give the customers an inviting environment.  Still, with everything that seemed to be in the Iron Bird Cafe's favor, they had to close their doors due to the personal problems within the investors.  I'm no restaurateur, so it would be hard for me to predict the future of Kocky's, but I do know that an underlining issue for the future of these businesses is the stability and regaining of jobs in the area (besides server/bar tending).  In my opinion, disposable income is still at a historic low so the idea of value in any consumer spending is still at the forethought of most.  In this type of economy, Kocky's is going to have to learn to be very adaptive and take any recommendation into careful considerations.  I wish them the best of luck.

When Is The Right Time for a Mix-Up?

The area of proposed rezoning NE of Fig Garden Shopping Center.

After taking a look at the Distict 2 Implementation Committee Meeting agenda (http://goo.gl/LmSaF) for tonight at 5:30pm in City Hall, I noticed there are still major changes happening across the Fresno landscape.  In tonight's meeting, Scott Mommer, on behalf of Gunner Andros Investments LLC, is requesting that 3.96 acres of existing apartments and empty land be rezoned from R-2 (low density multi-family residential) to C-Pcz (Admin/Prof Office w/ conditions of zoning) where a proposed 4 story 104,593 sqft office building will be built.  It is already unsavory to me for changes to be made to the General Plan, even though I understand that the General Plan is just a guideline, but this also begs a question.  When will Fresno start developing mixed-use buildings?  Maybe a mixed use doesn't fit this project, but for a property so close to the Fig Garden Shopping Center which is one of Fresno's major activity centers, it should set an example for how new buildings can contribute to the place-making of an area.  Instead, a building with just one use and one purpose will be erected.  How can we establish high density by removing mid-density housing and placing a building that will most likely be occupied by those who will commute (using a car) from outer areas?  It is projects like this that should incite ideas on how you feel the high activity centers you visit every week should be made more livable and walkable.  Start looking at maps of the area you visit the most and take note where you would be willing to move if there was housing available, what you would need in the area without having to drive anywhere, and what kind of job you could possibly work at within walking distance or just a bus ride away.  Keep these things in mind and start taking notes, then start sharing them with your Council member, at a planning meeting or even on here if you like.  You can also email if you're interested in learning more, servinarthur@yahoo.com.

Proposed District Changes for the City of Fresno

City Manager Mark Scott pointing out some changes.

When the Census data is taken every decade, it is the City of Fresno's policy to use the updated information to change the City Council district line boundaries to reflect these updates.  City Council and City Manager Mark Scott used the changes in population density and the movement of specific types of ethnicity to help make their decisions.  What they saw when they looked at the data was that districts did indeed change in size.  They did however express at their Proposed District Changes Meeting today at The Painted Table (formerly Samba) in the Tower District that that they wanted to change as little as possible.  The changes they did make were guided by Municipal Code criteria that explains census tracks should not be broken up, arterial roads, bodies of water and railways should be used as boundaries and similar community interest should be kept intact.  They also sought to keep each district within about 2% of difference of each other, attepmting to have as close to the same number of people in each district as possible.  The biggest change to the boundaries was made in District 6 in Northeast Fresno where the lowest density of population was.  The last time boundaries were drawn up, it was expected that this area would show an increase in population when it in fact did not, and that contributed to this change.  District 5 in Southeast Fresno grew the most looking at the census information.  When the meeting opened up to the public, it was voiced that the Tower District should remain intact, but the opinion of where the Tower District ends is up for debate.  The proposed district changes (http://allhappenings.com/resources/Proposed%20Council%20Districts.pdf) will be decided on at next week's council meeting July 28th. It is highly advised this document is looked over so input can be provided to City Council as soon as possible.  Call your council member at (559) 621-8000 and share with them where you feel community interest boundaries are.

DCAC Must Close Doors to Youth Program

Although I have not been a participant of this program (planned to bring my little brother soon), I know the heart of it's organizers is nothing but pure and good so it was very sad to see this email today:

It is with a heavy heart that I share the following message from our executive director, Stephanie Pearl, on the closure of DCAC.  I want to thank each and every one of you for coming to art workshops as a student, volunteer, visitor, and observer.  My life has been enriched by the experience of DCAC and by all the wonderful people who have been a passed through its doors.  I will miss you all!

 

Regretfully, Downtown Community Arts Collective is forced to suspend their Youth Arts Program indefinitely effective Sunday, July 10, 2011.  Due to the poor state of the economy, we are unable to generate enough revenue to support our Youth Program.  DCAC’s Youth Arts Program depended solely on private and corporate donations as well as community partnerships.

Unfortunately the money just isn’t there, and to avoid any further debt, dcac has been forced to cut the youth program and reinvent themselves.  Dcac resident artists, Stephanie Pearl and Andrew Watrous will continue to maintain studio space at 754 P Street.  The front half of the building will be occupied by a photography studio and the back half will be Downtown Community Arts Collective Studios. Dcac artists in residence will continue to open their studios for the first Thursday art-hop and plan to explore small venue shows such as experimental music, poetry, and performance art.

It’s been an amazing three year run with our Youth Arts Program.  We have watched kids and young adults come and go; many of them taking ownership of something for the first time in their lives. Some youth said dcac was the only place they felt free to be themselves.   We’ve seen youth who say “I can’t” transform into a formidable artistic talent.  We’ve cried for the ones who have left the program for both good and bad reasons and we’ve cased city streets looking for others who have run away from their homes.  We have given all we had to these community youth just to see them smile and say something positive.  My heart is broken, but we just can’t get on our feet.

Please forward this message to anyone who I have missed and who would want to know.

 

Again, THANK YOU for the terrific ride.-- 

Monica Joy Henry

Youth Arts Program Director/Photographer

Downtown Community Arts Collective (dcac)

754 'P' Street, Fresno, CA  93721

(559) 284-2276 ~ www.dcacfresno.org

Swearengin's Budget Briefing

Two days before the Mayor of Fresno will be presenting her budget before City Council, Swearengin decided to have her Citizens Academy Alumni along with the Mayor's Community Advisory Panel (who inspired the Citizens Academy) listen to what she had to present. City Manager Mark Scott was also on-hand to set the scene for the budget years leading up to today and future outlook. Mayor Swearengin then took over diving into the details. She seemed eager to present to the group of about 40 and even mentioned how excited she was to show her four budget boards on easels. The four budget boards displayed: a graph of the "General Fund History and Forecast," "General Fund Five Year Forecast," "FY 2012 Mayor's Proposed Budget Plan," and "Budget Options for Council."

What it boiled down to were 23 items that would fill the current $18.5 million budget gap, 3 of which were considered controversial. These controversial items, which amounted to about $5.3 million, were then prepared to be replaced by 15 of the "Budget Options for Council" if not passed. Of the three is the return of the proposal to privatize solid waste ($1.9 million), along with the delaying to add some money to the parking enterprise fund (which is about $14 million in the hole) and a 3% request for employee concessions ($3 million). Most of the other items that have been predicted to pass are creative accounting numbers (delayed payments, revenue gains, funding source changes, etc.) or the effect of employee contraction from budgets proposals of the past.

Here are some others stood out:

Establishing Roll-off Container Franchise Fee = $500,000

This will allow private roll-off container providers to pay the city to broker the roll-off service to their customers.

Abandon Airport Police Conversion Back to the General Fund = $1 million

Fresno PD is currently out at Fresno Yosemite Airport providing security, and the City was considering allowing the Airport to hire private security guards to save money that would go to fill their own $4 million fund gap. But Fresno PD has a no layoff clause, so FYI will continue to pay for the PD security service. (not sure how that affected the General Fund still)

Elimination to the City Call Center (621-CITY) = $114,000

This would eliminate the call center that is reached when dialing 621-CITY and only have a private call center forward the message to the respected department. Before, the City's call center would send a work order email to the right person as they received the call.

Postpone Land Use Data Base Software Investment = $130,000

Currently, the City's Planning Department has a very outdated software program that reduces efficiencies in the planning process. They have been expecting an update on their software for some time but it will continue to be postponed.

Increase Park Gate and Reservation Fees on Holidays/Peaks = $100,000

Park entrance fees will go up from $5 to $10 on holidays, but the Mayor has also considered a one dollar increase for everyday as an alternative.

The last three mentioned are some examples of items that are anticipated to be passed, but should actually be replaced by one or some of the items in the "Budget Options for Council." I will be posting the accompanying documents when available so you can see for yourself but you can not have an impact unless you are heard.

-Arthur Servin

Update: here is the PDF of the Mayor's Budget Proposal to City Council with all the information as explained above