Caltrans has rolled out a plan to extend the 132 Freeway project from Dakota to Gates Roads with an advertisement in the Modesto Bee. Caltrans will hold an event before the November election to get public comments on the new phase. In order for the new phase to proceed, voters must reject Proposition 6 in November. The proposition would repeal the 12 cent per gallon gasoline tax enacted in 2017 by […]
Bruce Frohman on Jeff Denham: Propaganda over Service
Former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman followed Jeff Denham’s long political career well before he won at the federal level and ever since. Although Jeff Denham has not been a good Congressman, he’s a masterful propagandist. He’s even got a billboard praising his failed effort to help promote DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals); that’s real chutzpah. He did not express support for DACA until the law expired and his […]
Not Easy to Dump Denham
Last Friday, at the Gallo Center in Modesto, six Democrats participated in a debate to help voters decide who will be the best candidate to run against Jeff Denham next November. The crowd was enthusiastic about the prospects of unseating Mr. Denham. Whether anyone in the room was aware of how difficult the task will be, at least they enjoyed the moment. The Incumbent Advantage Conventional wisdom in political circles is that […]
132: How Not to Build a Freeway
In the mid-1990’s, I served on the Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Committee for the Stanislaus Area Association of Governments, currently called the Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG). After each meeting, I would corner Dana Cowell, the Caltrans representative appointed to attend our monthly meetings. I always had questions for Mr. Cowell. Very knowledgeable, he patiently answered each one. After one meeting, we discussed Route 132, west of Modesto. I asked Mr. Cowell why a […]
What “Business Friendly” Means in Modesto
The Modesto Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Realtors are powerful interest groups in Modesto. They fiercely represent a privileged group of members of their organizations. For the average citizen, quality of life in Modesto is adversely affected because of their requirement that all elected officials be “business friendly.” As they tried to steer Modesto towards a better quality of life for all citizens, former mayors Peggy Mensinger and Carmen […]
Pay for 132 and Almonds Too
During the first week of March this year, laborers planted almond trees in the right of way of the future 132 Freeway/Expressway near Morse and Kansas Avenues. The new trees are almost completely hidden by tall weeds. Caltrans announced in January 2017 that the new road would be completed by 2020. The almond trees will have to be removed first—after Caltrans pays top dollar for them. Meanwhile, Caltrans says it doesn’t have […]
Jeff Denham’s Voter Avoidance Handbook
Since the November election, Congressman Jeff Denham’s indifference to voters in his own district has become increasingly evident. When his political party was out of power and all that could be done was obstruct, Denham quietly served as a dead weight anchor, accomplishing nothing and stopping others from moving forward to solve problems. Now that Congressman Denham has his preferred president, he’s ducked any leadership role on the issues and […]
Highway 132 Update: More Traffic Coming?
Earlier this month, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) unveiled a new design for the 132 West Freeway Project. The project has a new manager, and all new staff. Most of the previous management personnel involved in the project are retired. The latest iteration of the project is basically the same as the original design considered in 2014. According to Grace Magsayo, the new project manager, the primary change is a […]
Jeff Denham Weasels on Ethics
Stanislaus County Congressman Jeff Denham is the consummate politician; he keeps his constituents informed only about what he wants them to know. When telling folks only what they want to hear, he conceals his support for decisions that hurt his constituents. One important but little-known fact about Congressman Denham is his obstruction of economic development within his district. It’s a subject he dodges, just as he dodges other issues that might undermine […]
Water: “A Pox upon Them All,” says Bruce Frohman
Even though Stanislaus County has suffered only 5 years of drought, citizens of Modesto have been under some form of water rationing for over 20 years. We are permitted to water our yards once a week in winter and twice a week in summer. Many of us allow our lawns to die each summer in order to conserve water “for the good of the community.” Our level of disgust with local […]