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 […]
San Joaquin Valley Still Heading Toward Unsustainability, By Bruce Frohman
Over the last 25 years, concerned citizens in the San Joaquin Valley have tried to change growth policies in order to build sustainable communities. Citizens from interest groups such as Sierra Club, Audubon, GOAL: Growth, Orderly Affordable, and Livable, and FOOD: Future Options On Development, have had minimal impact on the rate of urban growth policies, the manner in which land is used, or conservation of the environment. Political groups in control of communities tend to oppose the […]
Merced College Students Study Outsourcing Financial Aid
Despite their popularity with college and university administrators, institutions that have been hired to disburse financial aid for students continue to come under scrutiny from federal and state government overseers. On September 6, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 595 (SB 595). The bill stipulates, among other things, b) (1) Each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University shall offer a student the option of […]
All You Need to Know for Yes on X, Part II
In Part I, we argued that anti-government and anti-tax hysteria promoted by the likes of Grover Norquist have resulted in failures to provide the very services governments were formed to deliver, especially public safety. Ultimately, the Norquist arguments have resulted in the kind of madness that has shut down the federal government and threatens democracy altogether. Here, we address much more serious arguments against Measure X. While these arguments are […]
Jeff Denham Sends Misleading Report to Constituents, by Bruce Frohman
Below is a copy of the text of an email sent by Congressman Jeff Denham on October 3rd, 2013, the 3rd day of the government shut down. It is misleading and dishonest. This writer’s comments are highlighted in capitalized bold text at the end of each paragraph of Denham’s message. DENHAM WRITES: Dear friend, Many constituents have contacted my office or spoke with me during my recent tele-town hall regarding current appropriations negotiations, […]
All You Need to Know for Yes On X, Part I
Arguments against Measure X fall into two categories. The first category consists of those who are against taxes and against government, period. Call them the Grover Norquist crowd. Norquist’s wish to reduce government, “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub,” has come true in many places, especially California cities hard hit by the Great Recession. As government continues to shrink, however, many Norquist supporters have […]
Frohman is Right About Outsourcing Police Services, by Ron Swift
Bruce Frohman is right on about jobbing out police services. Whenever municipalities get into a financial pinch, they look for easy solutions—–and this is one of them. And if the service provided by the Sheriff’s Department leaves a little to be desired, a citizen has a devil of a time meeting with the sheriff in Modesto to voice an opinion. Patterson contracted out its law enforcement in 1998 when our […]
Shame on Jeff Denham, by Bruce Frohman
On the eve of the October 1 government shutdown, San Joaquin Valley Republican Congressman Jeff Denham held a one hour telephone town hall meeting to answer questions about his political positions in the House of Representatives. Mr. Denham opened the meeting by reading a prepared statement. The statement featured the exact same language used within the House of Representatives debate, and provided the rationale for obstruction of the Affordable Health Care […]