Forum on Fair Campaign practices to be held February 12

Most of us claim to be put off by negative campaigning, and political pundits tell us the tone and character of electoral campaigns is causing voter cynicism and alienation, yet political consultants persistently advise their clients that negative campaigning wins elections and cite studies that negative campaigning make people more likely to vote. So which is it, are we for it or against it?

The answer, it seems to us, depends on the definition. Our democracy is based on a free and vigorous exchange of differing ideas. Candidates must be pressed to make their case on the issues and their view of the future, and to explain why their past record and experience best qualifies them to lead. But campaigns too often cross the line into distortion, character defamation, appeals to prejudice and scurrilous attacks on the personal lives of opposing candidates. Is it possible for candidates to run campaigns that are vigorous and hard-hitting while holding themselves up to high ethical standards? We believe the answer is yes and we hope Fresno voters will join in that conclusion.

On January 31, 2008, FCGG will be releasing a draft of a Code of Fair Campaign Practices for Fresno County Voters. On the evening of February 12, we will be hosting a forum where we will be joined by panelists from other political organizations in our community to discuss that draft and any other ideas that may be offered by the panelists and members of the public. We plan to issue a final document shortly after the forum, which we hope will set a standard for campaigns that are informative and vigorous at the same time that they are fair, ethical and constructive. It is our hope that voters will hold candidates accountable to this standard.

For more information on the February 12 forum, please visit www.FCGG.org/forums.html.

FCGG to conduct interview of mayoral candidates for
City of Fresno

Candidates for Mayor will be able to file for election beginning on February 11, 2008. FCGG will invite mayoral candidates for interviews on Wednesday, February 20, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. All members of FCGG are welcome to attend the interviews. Each candidate will be invited to visit for 25 minutes. The interviews will be held at the offices of Professional Exchange Services Corporation at 4747 North First St, Suite 140. Please RSVP to Michelle Ulyatt at mulyatt@pesc.com.

Meet the FCGG Board: Cedric Reese & Jane Middleton

Cedric Reese has lived in California most of his life, although he spent some time in New York. Originally a Valley man from Stockton, Cedric has also spent time in the Bay Area and San Francisco. In 1974 he moved to Fresno to work for the UCLA School of Medicine and has stayed in Fresno ever since. In 2005 he closed his own company after being in business for twenty years doing CEO coaching, management consulting and personnel recruiting.

Cedric has always been community-oriented. He believes that action “is at the community level directly with people.” In the past, Cedric has volunteered for Valley Medical Center Emergency Room, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, and his local Rotary. More recently, he has been volunteering for the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno Fire Department through Fresno Citizen Corps, where he also sits on the Advisory Board. Cedric helps run the Community Emergency Response Team program, which is a FEMA disaster preparation, response and recovery resident training program. Under Cedric’s leadership, more than 500 volunteers in Fresno have been trained to perform in Community Emergency Response Teams.

Cedric and his wife live near Sanger with their two birds, two cats, two dogs and horse.

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Originally from Virginia and educated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jane Middleton moved to Fresno in 2000 to work for Fresno State. Jane believes her early years in Virginia helped foster her concerns for social and economic justice.

While in Philadelphia, Jane worked for universities, private agencies and the 3rd District Federal Court in the fields of health, mental health, child welfare, substance abuse, developmental disabilities and the issue of deinstitutionalization.

Jane pursued the position of Chair/Director of the Social Work Department at Fresno State because she was “intrigued by the quest to pursue issues related to diversity, empowerment and social justice.” She has immersed herself in the community by becoming involved in a number of organizations. Not only is Jane on FCGG’s Board of Directors, she also serves as the president of the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and belongs to the Council on Social Work Education, as well as the Foster Care Oversight and Standards Committee. She is also active in her church choir.

Community gathers to honor Fresno Unified's progress

On Tuesday, November 13, hundreds of community members came together to celebrate the progress Fresno Unified School District has been making over the past three years. Sponsored by the Maddy Institute at Fresno State, the reception honored citizen participation in the District, as well as the many awards Fresno Unified schools have recently received. Highlights include:

• Three California Distinguished Schools
• Six Title I Achieving Schools
• National Title I Distinguished School Award for Manchester Gate
• Two California Honorable Schools 2007
• Four John Hopkins Promising Practice Awards out of 100 nationwide

Superintendent Mike Hanson recognized past and present Board members as well as teachers and classified employees for their commitment to student success. Hanson also thanked Chuck McCully and Walt Buster for their dedication to Fresno Unified.

Fresno Citizens for Good Government was actively and enthusiastically involved in organizing this community meeting. Three years ago, the District was on a the verge of a state takeover. Today, the District’s finances have been stabilized and the District has a sound reserve. Academic performance trends have been reversed, with the District taking five schools out of Performance Improvement status last year. While three years ago there were 21 schools in year-around programs, this year there are none. Kudos to Mike Hanson and the superb team he has put in place.

FCGG hosts forum on youth violence

At its last community forum, “Creating Save Communities: the Challenges of Youth Violence,” on November 1, 2007, FCGG invited community members to listen to a panel of representatives from local youth violence programs. Panelists included Sgt. Brenda Trobaugh from the Fresno Police Department; the Hon. Denise Whitehead, Fresno Juvenile Justice Judge; Dr. Mize Lowe, Fresno State professor and Focus Forward representative; Jesse Castro, a former gang member who now works with Hope Now for Youth; and Maggie Navarro from the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Initiative.

Sgt. Trobaugh listed the contributing factors to youth violence as domestic and/or community violence in front of children (this is the most common cause); violence in video games, television and movies; peer pressure; need for attention; feelings of low self worth; abuse or neglect; and easy access to weapons. After a while, children become desensitized to violence and it no longer bothers them to see others being hurt or victimized. Another problem is that violence is a popular form of entertainment and gang violence is glamorized. Gang violence becomes normal with children growing up in gang households being more likely to be violent as they grow up.

Judge Whitehead noted that more than 70% of juvenile offenders have substance abuse issues. Many also have mental health problems that are being left untreated. Until recently, the availability of services has been a problem but juvenile offenders now receive a full psychiatric evaluation.

Dr. Lowe introduced the Focus Forward mentoring program which matches Fresno State interns with institutionalized youth. Initially the program included Masters of Social Work students but has now expanded to include criminology students. These students review the youths’ case files and have found that many recognize their need for help with substance abuse, mental health, relationships and other areas.

Jesse Castro discussed the Hope Now for Youth program which helps children with gang affiliations through mentoring. The program provides job training, encourages a strong work ethic and provides other forms of youth support. Members of the community are encouraged to provide job opportunities to program youth who are looking for entry level jobs. Hope now serves ages 16 to 24 but will consider slightly older people if they are serious about making a positive transition.

Lastly, Maggie Navarro spoke about the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Initiative, which focuses on prevention, intervention, suppression, rehabilitation, and economic development. The initiative works to gather already existing service providers together to help local gang members work toward a better life. Ninety-eight providers currently participate in the initiative, offering services such as parenting training, mental health, mentoring, job training, and substance abuse counseling, among many others.

The forum ended with a question and answer session from the audience. Excellent comments were made from audience participants. FCGG would like to thank the panelists and attendees for their participation in the forum. The forum has already resulted in some linkages that were not there before and added financial support for some of the initiatives aimed at helping our community eliminate the scourge of gang activity.

Next FCGG meeting scheduled for February 11

The next joint meeting of the FCGG Board of Directors and Advisory Council will be February 11 2008, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Denham Resources (1540 E. Shaw Ave., Suite 112, Fresno). All FCGG members are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Michelle Ulyatt at 559.244.2522 or mulyatt@pesc.com.