In his inaugural address one year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom said of California, “This is where America’s future is made. This is our charge. That is our calling.” Gov. Newsom has had a full year, and a supermajority of Democrats in the Legislature. And yet with this power and ability...
Tateosian Challenges Embattled Payne for Trustee Seat
State Center Community College District Trustee Eric Payne will have competition for reelection. Payne, a two-term trustee, said he intends to run again on the November 2020 ballot. Sevag Tateosian, a longtime Fresno County employee, filed his intention to run for the District 2 seat, which covers much of Fresno...
Remembering Marvin Meyers, a Giant of Ag and Education
California agriculture lost a legend and Valley students — from kindergarten to graduate school — lost one of their best friends when Marvin Allen Meyers died two weeks ago at 85. He was a farmer, philanthropist, and innovator who transformed 2,600 acres west of Mendota into California's first privately funded...
Secret Documents Reveal How China Mass Detention Camps Work
The watch towers, double-locked doors and video surveillance in the Chinese camps are there “to prevent escapes.” Uighurs and other minorities held inside are scored on how well they speak the dominant Mandarin language and follow strict rules on everything down to bathing and using the toilet, scores that determine...
California Legislators Must Stop the Attorney General From Rigging Ballot Initiative Descriptions
Imagine that in next year’s presidential race, election officials scrambled the letters in Donald Trump so it appeared on ballots as Daldon Prumt. Most people would agree this is not acceptable. Voters need their ballots to accurately convey who it is they are voting for or against. Yet for decades,...
Walters: Will Spending More Fix Our Schools?
Former state legislator Ted Lempert is personally and professionally committed to improving the wellbeing of California’s children. Lempert, the president of Children Now, has tirelessly advocated to improve children’s futures and last week released a lengthy report comparing California to other states and concluding that we are woefully underspending on education. “Since...
California Just Pushed Back School Start Times. Now What?
Of the dozens of education bills that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this year, few will have a more practical impact on everyday lives than the new, later start times for California’s high schools and middle schools. The signing of Senate Bill 328 by Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino marked a milestone...
March Ballot Will Include $15 Billion Schools Bond
SACRAMENTO — California's voters will vote next year whether the state should issue $15 billion in bonds for school construction and modernization projects. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday placing the bond on the March 2020 ballot. He says improving physical conditions in schools will improve students' educational experiences. Nine...
Edison High Art Students Showcase Talent with 'I am Resilient'
Michele Mazzei, an art teacher at Edison High School, is showcasing an exhibit at the M Street Arts Complex in downtown Fresno. The exhibit features art created by Edison High students and focuses on the theme of "I am Resilient." Kane Sjoberg, a junior at Edison High School, says he...
Muslim Youth Have a Place to Call Their Own at My Deen
Eighteen-year-old Salman Khan is outside shooting hoops with a handful of friends, some of them his buddies since elementary school. Like Khan, the other players are Muslim young men; their basketball "court" is in a parking lot behind My Deen (it's Arabic for "My Faith"), a nonprofit organization founded over a...