In order to really reach the people, Community Alliance needs to have access to public property for newsstands. We cannot rely only on those people who allow us to put our paper within the boundaries of their private property, however. Fig Garden Regional Library: In 2012 former Community Alliance editor Mike Rhodes found that the library had banned the newspaper. A public newsstand on city land was installed outside the cafe. Revue Cafe in the Tower District (now under new management as Mia Cuppa): In 2011 former Community Alliance editor Mike Rhodes reported that Revue Cafe had removed the newspaper from inside the cafe. There are also many restaurants, offices, and community organizations that allow us to put copies of the paper on the counters. We do have some racks on private property with the permission of local businesses. Even though we have wonderfully dedicated donors and monthly subscribers, that would make it prohibitive for us to have news racks in the city. In addition to the fees the newspaper would be required to get a permit, an insurance policy just for newsstands, and (although we are a 501c-4 non-profit) a business license in order to keep our newsstands on city land. And since we do not charge for our newspaper, these new fees would cut into our big profit of nothing! We have as many as we do to be available to as many people throughout town as we can. When you are a free newspaper that has dozens of newsstands all over the city, that adds up. They are proposing a fee of $75 per news rack or box for the first year of the program and $35 per year, per rack for every subsequent year. The people who put together this ordinance clearly want to make it harder for the free press, especially independent print outlets like ours, to exist. I want to make sure our readers understand the significance of the issue.
The discussion about it will be taken up again in the new year, presumably not until February given the council’s work schedule. Thank you to those free speech supporters who made calls and sent emails to the council successfully delaying the decision. We were notified about this plan not long before it was to be voted on by the Fresno City Council. It would include new regulations and increased costs for all newsstands on city land.
If you listen to the Community Alliance version of Stir it Up on KFCF 88.1 every month, you may have heard me talk a few weeks ago about the proposed newsstand ordinance for the city of Fresno.
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