Wednesday, July 16th, three Norteno gang members robbed a bank in Stockton. Intercepted by police, they took three hostages and fled in a Ford Explorer belonging to one of the hostages. Stockton Police needed over an hour of pursuit and gunfire to kill two gangsters and capture a third. Two hostages were injured and one was killed. Typical of terrorist events, countless gunshots were fired by the perpetrators. The event […]
Pipeline: No Crazier than the Water Bond
Watching the nightly news in the San Joaquin Valley, one can’t help but notice that Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota presently have an acute surplus of water. Large areas of those states have been flooded because of torrential rains. Meanwhile, California suffers an epic drought. Is there some way the Golden State could use the surplus from back east? The major oil companies have built pipelines all over the United […]
Denham vs Eggman: Round Two
In last month’s primaries, Congressman Jeff Denham trounced newcomer Michael Eggman. Turnout was low but more people are expected to vote in the fall election. Mr. Eggman’s campaign is gearing up and the incumbent, subject to a wave of voter unhappiness, may end up in a real contest to keep his seat. Shortly after the primary concluded, Michael Eggman challenged Jeff Denham to a series of five debates. Whether or not the […]
Caltrans, Toxic Waste, and Highway 132
Caltrans’ June newsletter probably did more harm than good from a public relations standpoint. The newsletter was intended to update stakeholders about the project’s progress. Instead, a front page article in the Modesto Bee claimed the newsletter was misleading. Even worse, the information in the newsletter aggravated critics of the project who believe their comments and suggestions will be totally ignored. The newsletter announced that construction will begin in 2016, […]
Is the MID on the Road to Bankruptcy?
Public utilities are known for financial stability. Without competition, they generally don’t have to worry about remaining financially solvent. However, in the last few decades, technological changes have undermined the bottom line of some public utilities. When American Telephone and Telegraph was exposed to competition via deregulation, it tried to adapt in order to survive. Eventually, because of its weak financial condition and poor competitive structure, the company sold out to Southwestern Bell, […]
Valley Citizens Defy Poll Data
The approval rating of Congress has hovered around nine percent for over a year. Logically, nearly every member of Congress should be turned out of office next election. Yet, Congressman Jeff Denham received a majority of total votes cast in his primary reelection bid. What is the significance of the vote?With about 17 percent of registered voters turning out in the June 3rd primary, an analysis of Jeff Denham’s election victory […]
Election? Who Cares?
Citizen participation seems to be declining in Valley elections. While some states are passing laws to make it more difficult to vote, California’s effort to encourage voting through more liberal laws hasn’t worked; fewer voters are voting in almost every election. Voter registration in conjunction with automobile registration has made it easier to register. Voting by mail has made voting more convenient. But neither initiative has increased turnout percentages. Of Stanislaus County’s 521,000 residents, […]
Committees, Water, and Wood Colony
Over the years, local government s within Stanislaus County have formed countless committees. A committee or a study can be a great smokescreen to hide decision making in government. What a committee accomplishes will depend on what politicians want the outcome to be. Sometimes when Valley politicians want to avoid public input, they form a committee. The committee report may be predetermined when committee members are told what the […]
Firefighter Shortage Costs Modesto
In the week prior to Memorial Day weekend, Modesto experienced two fires that consumed multiple single family residential units. One fire consumed four homes adjacent to the 132 Freeway right-of-way toxic waste piles. The fire started in brush and spread to the nearby homes. Every Modesto firefighter that was on duty at the time had to be called in to fight the blaze. Then, mutual aid had to be requested from other nearby […]
Want Water? Here’s a Better Alternative to Tunnels
Governor Jerry Brown proposes to build two tunnels under the San Joaquin River Delta at a cost of billions of dollars. The tunnels’ sole purpose would be to move water. They would have no effect on storage capacity. We’ve already advocated desalinization plants to make water instead of building tunnels to move water. There’s also a better way to control floods and store water in the Great Valley. In 1846, you could […]