November 2019 is the month construction begins on Phase 1 of the State Route 132 realignment, otherwise known as a two lane expressway. Sometime in the next 20 years, the plan is to upgrade the expressway to a four lane freeway connecting Freeway 99 and Interstate 580. During the 20 year multi-phase construction project, motorists will experience increasing chronic congestion due to construction, traffic signals, and too many cars using a […]
PG&E: A Casualty of Global Warming?
Amid the power outages and horrific fires caused by downed transmission lines, a growing chorus of politicians is suggesting restructuring Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Although the company operates efficiently with a large economy of scale, San Francisco and other urban areas are looking into breaking off pieces of territory to establish locally owned power companies. Is this a good idea? Climate Change Before 2000, California had longer and wetter […]
Doug Ridenour: Councilman Runs for Mayor
First term City Councilmember Doug Ridenour has announced that he is running for Mayor of Modesto in 2020, when his present term on the council expires. The city was required by a new law to delay elections for one year to make its Election Day match other elections; if he prevails in the next election, Mr. Ridenour will have served on the council five full years when he takes office […]
Trump Supporters in the Valley
The President of the United States has become a politically polarizing leader. Many people in the Valley either love him or hate him. Few are indifferent. President Trump’s supporters can’t be lumped into a “basket of deplorables,” as Hilary Clinton once asserted. Rather, his supporters are a diverse group who do not necessarily link their value systems with those of the president they support. The support of a president may […]
Frohman to DeMartini: “Goodbye and Good Riddance”
Former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman couldn’t suppress a parting shot at Supervisor Jim DeMartini, whose own parting comments about California seemed to many observers both ungrateful and churlish. ed. According to an article appearing in the July 26, 2019 Modesto Bee, Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini plans to move to Reno after his term expires in 2020. The reasons given for the move were his expectation of paying no […]
Shoplifting Out of Control in the Valley
Retail stores in California have been plagued by an epidemic of shoplifting ever since the passage of Proposition 47, in 2014. The problem is especially acute the San Joaquin Valley, where police responses can be slow unless lives are in danger. Below, Bruce Frohman describes the problem and some of its effects. Ed. Given the federal government’s proclamation that the U.S. economy is great, the number of recent retail bankruptcies […]
Will the Valley Run Out of Fresh Water?
With record rain and snowfall in the winter of 2018-2019, many people are no longer worried about the water supply. The drought is over for now and reserves are growing in lakes and reservoirs. Nevertheless, recent concerns about water are no less relevant today than they were before our winter rains. Ron Myers monitors wells for farms throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Although we have plenty of water this year, when […]
Caltrans Can Eliminate Opposition to the 132 Freeway Project
In Modesto, a determined group of citizens has formed to oppose construction of the 132 Freeway. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the group may take legal action to stop or delay the project. The 132 Freeway is opposed for an assortment of reasons. Logically, Caltrans can eliminate the opposition and possible litigation by improving the proposed project to address the known objections. In the 132 Freeway Right of Way, between […]
Strong Economy Means Longer Commute Times
On Friday, December 21, 2018, the 90 mile afternoon drive from Mountain View in Silicon Valley to Modesto took over four hours. The average speed was about 20 miles per hour. A stalled vehicle on Interstate 680 at Andrade Road at the beginning of the commute created a traffic jam that didn’t clear for six hours. Another jam on I-580 from Castro Valley to I-205 cost an hour. Routes I-205/120/99 and […]
California Democratic Supermajority Might not Benefit Valley
Wins by Anna Caballero and Mellissa Hurtado assured a Democratic supermajority in all three branches of California government. Below, former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman argues that the supermajority may not bring much relief to the manifold problems of the San Joaquin Valley. Local Democrats may feel overjoyed about their party’s supermajority in the California State Legislature, but euphoria may end up as disappointment. If legislators don’t deliver, Republicans will […]