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Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
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Bruce Frohman

Stanislaus 2030: Booming Economy or Unattainable Dream?

December 14, 2021 By Bruce Frohman 7 Comments

Tenth Street Place Downtown Modesto

About every ten years, there is a significant turnover of leaders in Stanislaus County.  Each newly elected group lacks the institutional memory of departing incumbents. High staff turnover within city and county government makes understanding what the departing group planned difficult. City managers come and go like shoppers through a revolving door. New leaders often choose to change direction. With the loss of institutional memory, new officeholders tend to make the […]

Filed Under: History

Are Water Sales Delaying Development of Alternative Sources?

August 29, 2021 By Bruce Frohman 5 Comments

If one wants to know how bad a drought is, ask someone whose business it is to plumb the water table and test the effectiveness of wells and pumps. A gentleman in the business told this writer that he is busier than ever. Businesses that rely on well water need to keep the water flowing. Wells need testing to make sure they don’t go dry and to check pumps for […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: California drought, Dry wells San Joaquin Valley, Eastern Stanislaus County groundwater, Oakdale Irrigation District water sales, San Joaquin Delta water, San Joaquin Valley aquifer

Reasons For Low Vaccination Rates in Stanislaus County

August 26, 2021 By Bruce Frohman 17 Comments

Covid-19 emerges

As of this writing, fewer than 50% of Stanislaus County residents have been fully vaccinated.  Statewide, 56% of California residents are fully vaccinated. In Stanislaus County, the number drops to 43.1%. Nearby Bay Area counties are all over 60%, with Marin County leading the way at 74.5%. The county has large groups of folks with different reasons for avoiding Covid inoculation. The reasons are varied and the unvaccinated are difficult […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Covid-19 in the San Joaquin Valley, Covid-19 Stanislaus County, Stanislaus County Covid

Is Amazon the Gift that Keeps on Taking?

May 24, 2021 By Bruce Frohman 4 Comments

Amazon Patterson

Below, Bruce Frohman joins Steve Ringhoff in taking a close look at the consequences when Amazon comes to town. Like Mr. Ringhoff, Frohman believes the reasons Amazon often clouds its arrival in secrecy are not benign.  Politicians operate under the presumption that any business creating new jobs in a community will be a benefit. When a company the size of Amazon comes to town, heaven and earth are moved to approve […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Amazon Turlock

Can New Mayor and Council Reverse Modesto’s Decline?

March 5, 2021 By Bruce Frohman 2 Comments

K Street Modesto November 2020

The new Modesto City Council, headed by Mayor Sue Zwahlen, has a lot of work to do. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the public has been growing less respectful of the law and of other citizens. Ever since I departed from the Modesto City Council in 2003, I’ve noticed a continuous decline in the quality of life within the community. From my narrow viewpoint, determining how fast problems are growing […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Crime in Modesto, Modesto Homelessness

Can the Valley Survive Without Gas-Powered Vehicles?

September 28, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 2 Comments

Lightyear One

September 24, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California will eliminate the internal combustion engine from all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035. The announcement was bold, gutsy, and appears doable. Due to fiscal considerations, the Valley will probably lag urban regions in effecting the change. However, the rules outlined by Governor Newsom will not create undue hardship if the transition is adequately planned.           […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Bruce Frohman, electric vehicles in California

Reviewing California’s Ballot Propositions: When in Doubt, Vote “No”

September 23, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 1 Comment

California Ballot Propositions 2020

Propositions are established via citizen petitions or by order of the State Legislature for an assortment of reasons. Some propositions amend the state constitution, requiring a vote of the citizens. Some proposals intend to undo decisions made by the state legislature or to circumvent the legislative process. Some propositions favor special interests. There are twelve propositions on the California ballot for the November election. Voters will need to wade through […]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Bruce Frohman, California Ballot Propositions 2020

Should A Citizens’ Police Review Board Be Established In Modesto?

August 21, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 31 Comments

Modesto Police Department 20 August 2020

The death of George Floyd at the hands of four officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked a protest movement advocating a thorough examination of police department policies and practices throughout the United States. Now is an appropriate time to take stock of the performance of the Modesto Police Department to determine whether changes need to be made. There has been talk about establishing a Citizens’ Review Board, but thus far, no […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Modesto Police Chief Galen Carroll, Modesto Police Department

Stanislaus Supervisors’ Covid Fail: Worst Ever?

July 22, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 20 Comments

Corona Virus

The old lesson that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is not in the memories of the Stanislaus County Supervisors. As a result, they’ve made decisions that indirectly resulted in loss of life and illnesses that might have been prevented. On May 7, 2020, the Board of Supervisors deliberately sought to override California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommendations for controlling the Corona pandemic by applying for a […]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Coronavirus Modesto, Coronavirus Stanislaus County, Covid-19 Stanislaus County, Stanislaus County Supervisors Covid-19

The Next Wave of Covid-19 Will Hit Stanislaus County Soon

May 24, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 6 Comments

Bruce Frohman

The People’s Republic of China currently has over 100 million citizens in lockdown. A new wave of Covid-19, the Corona Virus, has emerged in Northeast China.  The first wave of the virus hit Stanislaus County about four months after it was first reported in Wuhan China.  What can we now expect? Now that the first wave of the Corona Virus has swept across the world, will another wave come and […]

Filed Under: History

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Off The Wire

?Monster Fracks? Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
“Monster Fracks” Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
A Times analysis shows that increasingly complex oil and gas wells now require astonishing volumes of water to fracture the bedrock and release fossil fuels, threatening America’s fragile aquifers.
www.nytimes.com
Newsom urges SCOTUS to consider encampment ruling that has 'paralyzed' California cities
Newsom urges SCOTUS to consider encampment ruling that has ‘paralyzed’ California cities
The Democratic governor’s intervention lays down a mark in a legal dispute with potentially profound implications for one of California’s most pressing issues.
www.politico.com
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court.
www.propublica.org
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state
How bad is hunger in California? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but now is being reduced.
calmatters.org
Sacramento DA sues city over homeless encampments
Sacramento DA sues city over homeless encampments
Sacramento County had nearly 9,300 homeless people in 2022, based on data from the annual Point in Time count. That was up 67% from 2019. Roughly three-quarters of the county’s homeless population….
www.mercurynews.com
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
After decades of minimal action, Congress passed the largest and most comprehensive piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. Will we make the most of this opportunity?
www.audubon.org
How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
How the fentanyl crisis’ fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
The epidemic’s staggering scale and infiltration of communities is laid bare in a new study.
www.bbc.com
Can licensed tent villages ease California's homelessness epidemic? This nonprofit thinks so
Can licensed tent villages ease California’s homelessness epidemic? This nonprofit thinks so
Taking people off the street and into tents is a new twist on homeless shelter being explored by the San Francisco-based Urban Alchemy in two tent villages operating in Los Angeles and Culver City.
www.latimes.com
Mississippi has problems, but it's handling homelessness better than L.A.
Mississippi has problems, but it’s handling homelessness better than L.A.
The public tends to blame homelessness on poverty, drug use, crime or even warm weather. But other cities don’t have L.A. levels of street homelessness because they have more available housing.
www.latimes.com
Neo-Nazis March Through Florida Park
Neo-Nazis March Through Florida Park
The demonstrators raised “Heil Hitler” salutes and waved flags with swastikas.
www.thedailybeast.com
Families have high hopes for Gavin Newsom's CARE Courts. Providers want to lower expectations
Families have high hopes for Gavin Newsom’s CARE Courts. Providers want to lower expectations
Gov. Gavin Newsom?s experiment to push Californians with mental illness off the streets and into treatment, CARE Court, starts soon.
calmatters.org
Pope says 'backward' U.S. conservatives have replaced faith with ideology
Pope says ‘backward’ U.S. conservatives have replaced faith with ideology
Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church. He says they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.
apnews.com

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The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

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The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
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Email us at:
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