A small crowd showed up at Modesto’s Red Center Thursday, September 22, for debates featuring candidates for two of the Valley’s seats in the House of Representatives. John Duarte, running against Adam Gray in Congressional District 13, was represented by his wife Alexandra. Republican Tom McClintock, heavily favored in District 5 against Mike Barkley, didn’t show up. Newly redrawn to include parts of six counties, District 5 seems tailor made […]
Politics
Tom Patti Doesn’t Want to Talk: We Know Why
San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti is running for Congress in California Congressional District 9. His opponent is Congressman Josh Harder. When Patti refused to answer questions from the San Jose Mercury News, it piqued our interest. What was it a candidate for Congress didn’t want to talk about? Turns out, there’s an awful lot. Tom Patti has a long history of financial improprieties, voting to raise taxes, crashing cars, […]
Two Views of Modesto’s Proposed Sales Tax Increase
Former Modesto City Councilmember Bruce Frohman always offers thoughtful analysis on issues involving local government. Below, he argues against Measure H, Modesto’s proposed sales tax increase. Following Bruce’s argument, The Valley Citizen presents its own argument in favor of Measure H. Ever since Proposition 13 passed in 1978, cities throughout California have seen their budgets shrink via inflation. While total dollars in Modesto’s annual budget have swelled from about $200 […]
Josh Harder and Adam Schiff: Standing for America
“I don’t know which line is longer,” said Congressman Josh Harder last Sunday, “the food line or the line to see Adam Schiff.” For much of the afternoon, it was the line to see Adam Schiff that was by far the longest. The twenty-year veteran of Congress has gained international fame not only as chair of the House Intelligence Committee but especially for his role on the House Select Committee […]
On Water: Josh Harder gets it Right
Right until the bitter end, Jeff Denham insisted he was against Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels, the key features of the now defunct California Water Fix. The facts showed otherwise; Denham consistently supported the program with votes he figured would never be exposed to his northern San Joaquin Valley constituents. Like Republicans throughout the Valley, Denham knew that if he wanted to get ahead in politics, his default command was allegiance […]
Need Optimism? Think Josh Harder
With the nation lurching ever closer to a totalitarian theocracy and the Valley’s own Kevin McCarthy defining “lily-livered” down in hopes of becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, there are multitudes of reasons to be pessimistic about our political future. Nonetheless, Valley citizens shouldn’t despair; there are points of light in the darkness. Just think back four and a half years ago and ponder how far we’ve come. Early […]
Kevin McCarthy: Are you Listening?
“A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, 2021, and our democracy today is on a knife’s edge.” MJ Luttig When even Ann Coulter admits that Donald Trump is a grifter, there’s really no sense trying to convince those who still support him of the truth. Coulter is only the latest and most radical of nominal “conservatives” to dump Trump. Conservative pundits like David Brooks, […]
Valley Dems Survive Low Turnout: Speed Bumps Ahead
More than most anywhere else in the state, Valley Democrats depend on heavy turnouts to survive, especially during primaries, when crowded fields of candidates slice and dice votes so that outcomes often depend on hard-core voters whose loyalties tend deeply conservative and favor hard-right candidates. Even though turnouts for this year’s primaries rivaled all-time lows, outcomes were often surprising. In most races, Valley Democrats exceeded expectations, especially in the contest […]
Chad Condit, “not credible,” said Judge. We Agree
In 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Earl H Carroll ruled that Chad Condit’s testimony during a bankruptcy case was, “not credible.” Today, Condit’s claim to be a Democrat running for State Assembly is also not credible. Condit registered as a Democrat only a few short weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, an AstroTurf organization calling itself “Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy” began a smear campaign against Jessica Self, the only […]
Homeless: Doubling Down on Double Standards
Tim Byrd’s response to our last essay deserves a more prominent position than in “Comments,” so we’re posting it below, along with our reply. For those who don’t know, Mr. Byrd is Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow’s campaign manager. He is also a resident of Wood Colony and a graduate of Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law. To get a better understanding of the context of our remarks, please read our previous […]