On November 6, Inside Higher Education reported that Higher One, the provider of debit cards on hundreds of college campuses, including Modesto Junior College and Merced College, is in trouble again. As we reported here, Higher One paid $11 million last year as part of deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provide restitution to students who were wrongfully charged for overdraft fees. Now Higher One is in trouble […]
Obamacare in the Great Valley, by Bruce Frohman
Many residents of the Great Valley are not too sophisticated about buying health insurance. The recent losses of coverage attributed to the higher standards of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise referred to as Obamacare, highlight the worthlessness of the health insurance policies that many Valley residents had purchased. Worthless Policies Cancelled Virtually all of the cancelled insurance policies would pay almost nothing towards treatment of a catastrophic illness. For example, this writer saw a Blue Cross policy where the plan only paid $102 […]
Kenoyer’s Win a Big Loss for Growth Boomers
While opponents of Measure X continue to gloat about their narrow victory as though it were a landslide, another narrow victory may in the end prove as significant as the defeat of Measure X. Jenny Kenoyer’s upset of Stephanie Burnside helped bring about a gravitational change in the Modesto City Council, and may well stymie the Chamber of Commerce’s plans for another growth boom in Stanislaus County. Given her trouncing […]
Jeff Denham’s Damage Control, by Bruce Frohman
When California politicians get in trouble, immigration becomes the issue that covers all their sins with a cloud of good intentions that somehow never materialize at election time. Here, Bruce Frohman catches Jeff Denham trying to make voters forget the government shutdown by switching his focus to immigration. A recent editorial in the Modesto Bee roundly criticized Republican Jeff Denham’s October votes on shutting down the federal government and then […]
Stanislaus County Has a New Bird
It was only fitting that Stanislaus Audubon President Sal Salerno and Board member Ralph Baker were along when Harold Reeve added another bird to the Stanislaus County list. Reeve has been counting birds in Stanislaus County for over thirty years. He’s kept meticulous records of species, high and low counts, and rare occurrences. Periodically, the Stanislaus Audubon Society publishes an updated list of Reeve’s additions to the county bird list, […]
Measure X Will Test Modesto
The two most consistent criticisms of Modesto’s Measure X involve distrust of government and concern for the poor and middle class. Both display a willingness to ignore facts. Distrust of government is as old as the Constitution. But when the founding fathers settled on a democratic republic, they emphasized the need for an informed citizenry. In fact, James Madison wrote that, “a popular government without popular information or the means of […]
Three for Modesto City Council
The two highest profile candidates in races for seats on the Modesto City Council are Stephanie Burnside and Bill Zoslocki. While both have extensive political histories, Zoslocki’s hasn’t been explored publicly, mostly because the Modesto Bee would prefer voters forget his role in Village I. District 4 Bill Zoslocki’s role in Village I is well-documented here. We’ve also written about it here. During his 2012 campaign for mayor, he opposed […]
Three For the MID
Prior to the arrival of Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Director Larry Byrd, the MID Board of Directors and General Manager Allen Short represented one of the last bastions of Old Modesto. Immune from public criticism and well connected through social satraps like Tom Van Groningen, the MID operated one of the largest budgets in the region with virtually no citizen oversight. Because of this recent history, there’s one over-arching issue […]
Bee Says No to Modesto, Yes to Developers
The tipoff that the Modesto Bee was going to oppose Measure X came when the Bee suddenly decided to cover the Ridenour administration. Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour’s term ended in 2012. He enjoyed eight years in office that were remarkably free from scrutiny. It was only at the tail-end of his tenure that Ridenour’s administration received any criticism, and that involved the SCAP scandal. And just weeks ago, the Bee […]
Bee Endorsements: Is Judy Sly’s (Freudian) Slip Showing?
One of the more amusing pastimes when reading Modesto Bee political endorsements involves spotting the tortured attempts at “objectivity” and the consistent employment of double standards. When both elements combine, the dedicated reader is rewarded with a “twofer.” And every once in a while, the elements combine for a trifecta, which includes an additional laugh bonus. This season’s trifecta came about with the Bee’s endorsement of Bill Zoslocki, candidate for City Council in District […]