Eric Caine | The Valley Citizen

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Eric Caine formerly taught in the Humanities Department at Merced College. He was an original Community Columnist at the Modesto Bee, and wrote for The Bee for over twelve years.

Homeless man near 9th Street Bridge, Modesto, Ca

History

Why Homeless People don’t Want Help: Part II

September 18, 2024

Help for homeless people must always be understood within the context of a huge deficit. As we’ve noted in Part I, in every category that might be construed as providing help for homeless people, there’s a severe shortage. There are shortages of housing, shortages of treatment facilities, shortages of personnel, and shortages of political will. […]

Why Homeless People don’t Want Help: Part I

Eric Caine -

September 12, 2024

The first thing to understand about help for homeless people is that, for the vast majority, there isn’t any. This is a reality easily established. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, “As of the January 2023 point-in-time count, the total number of people experiencing homelessness was estimated to be 181,399, and the state had […]

History

Cities and Counties Should Call Newsom’s Bluff on Homeless Camps

Eric Caine -

August 20, 2024

Reactions to Governor Gavin Newsom’s July 25th orders to clear homeless camps covered a range from defiance in Los Angeles to promises of fines and jail time for homeless campers in Fresno. What did not happen was a sudden appearance of housing, shelters, or services for the over 180,000 California residents with no place to […]

Politics

Irrigation District and Board Member Win on Anti-SLAPP Suit

Eric Caine -

August 15, 2024

Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board Member Janice Keating’s suit against the District and fellow Board Member Robert Frobose suffered what could be a mortal blow Thursday, August 15, when Stanislaus Superior Court Judge John R Mayne ruled against her claims of gender bias and sexual harassment. From the very beginning, Keating’s claims against Frobose depended […]

Marie Alvarado-Gil’s Curious Political Calculus

Eric Caine -

August 10, 2024

There’s nothing dishonorable about changing one’s mind or political affiliation. In fact, a willingness to change often implies an evidence-based intelligence. When a prominent national figure like J.D.Vance, formerly known as James Donald Bowman, went from referring to Donald Trump as a possible Hitler to becoming his running mate, it’s always possible his motivations were […]

History

Eastern Rarity brings Birders to San Joaquin County to Look and Listen

Eric Caine -

August 4, 2024

Jim Gain knew it was remotely possible that an Eastern Wood-Peewee might appear in San Joaquin County, but since the last reliable sighting had been in 1983, he thought the report he saw on e-bird last Saturday was almost certainly an error. The report was from a person whose name Gain didn’t recognize, which added […]

History

Why Gavin Newsom’s Homeless Orders won’t Work

Eric Caine -

August 3, 2024

Whereas some local authorities have rejoiced at Gavin Newsom’s orders to clear homeless camps, others have seen the California Governor’s edict for what it is: A cynical passing of the buck to cities and counties with far too few beds and services to meet the needs of the state’s 180,000 homeless people. Newsom ordered state […]

Manuel and Joyce Dillard, Modesto, CA 2024

History

More Sweeps? Why California Fails on Homelessness

Eric Caine -

July 26, 2024

Even before Gavin Newsom’s statewide order to clear camps, Modesto’s homeless people were saying Stanislaus County Sheriffs had already started arresting people with no place to go. Whether that’s the case or not, jail time for homeless people is the expected outcome after the Supreme Court ruling on Grants Pass vs Johnson on June 28. […]

Irrigation District files anti-SLAPP suit against Board Member

Eric Caine -

July 17, 2024

Last May, Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board Member Janice Keating filed a suit against the district and fellow board member Robert Frobose alleging gender harassment. The suit claims, among other things, that Frobose sought to intimidate Keating about her opposition to rehiring attorney Ronda Lucas to assist General Counsel Wes Milliband with the district’s legal […]

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