San Joaquin River belongs to all Californians

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand is upset that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t consult with him before supporting the best option for providing safe, fast and economical access to the former Spano property on the San Joaquin River bottom, Riverview Drive. Brand forgets that this property belongs to not only all of citizens of the Fresno, but to all Californians.

It is time for Brand to quit supporting the narrow interest of a very few Fresno property owners over the interests of several hundred thousand Fresnans and all residents of the Valley.

My wife and I visited both the proposed Riverview and the Palm and Nees avenues access points. Riverview Drive is a short, wide street cut through the river bluff and empties directly onto the river bottom. It is is easily accessible off Audubon Drive and Del Mar Avenue. The proposed Nees and Palm access point would eliminate a small, well-used park and require a new, expensive road down the bluff.

If you want to have a say in this important issue, attend the San Joaquin River Conservancy board meeting Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Clovis Veterans Hall, 808 Fourth St. in Clovis.

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "San Joaquin River belongs to all Californians."