On Valley Edition: Incarceration Rate; Bus Rapid Transit; Greek Fest

This week on Valley Edition, we learn more about a new report which shows that on average, Valley counties send more inmates to prison and jail than the rest of the state. What does this mean for county budgets as realignment is moving many of those inmates from state prisons to county jails? We also discuss the merits of public defenders in California, as Fresno County is likely to place a measure before voters this fall which could make it easier to outsource the county’s public defender jobs to private attorneys. Michael Males, a senior researcher with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and Jeff Adachi, San Francisco Public Defender join us for a discussion. 

We also talk about a plan to bring mass transit to Fresno with a new system called Bus Rapid Transit or BRT. Last month, the system got a big boost with a $2.4 million grant to fund a new station in downtown Fresno. Will this system, often called “light rail on rubber wheels” be enough for you to give up your car and ride to work? John Downs from the City of Fresno joins us to talk about plans for this new system in Fresno. And in our “around town” segment, we learn more about the 52nd annual Fresno Greek Festival which takes place August 24, 25 and 26, 2012.