Supporters of the Willms Ranch parcel split walked away with a victory last Tuesday, when Stanislaus County Supervisors (sort of) approved the proposal. It takes three votes to overrule a planning commission recommendation, and only Jim DeMartini and Vito Chiesa voted against it, so the split was approved. But those who know local land use history immediately realized the current Board of Supervisors is vastly improved over previous boards. Here’s […]
Is the Bee Serious?
There are times when our beloved local newspaper outdoes even itself in high self-mockery. On those increasingly regular occasions, you have to wonder whether you’re reading the Bee or yet another clever send-up by the perpetrators of The Onion. Just consider last Wednesday’s editorial, “Water posturing stifles compromise.” The Bee couldn’t “resist pointing out the irony” when the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) decided to increase river flows for […]
Inside The Modesto City Council: City Employees and CalPERS, by Bruce Frohman
News item from the Modesto Bee: Cost for the City of Modesto to leave CalPERS: $1 Billion plus. A Rosy Prediction of Early Last Decade In the early 2000’s, the Modesto City Council reviewed an analysis of the fiscal integrity of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, otherwise known as CalPERS. The presentation was made in the context of proposals to lower the retirement age of public employees and/or raise […]
Negative News? Try Modesto's Deep Denial Default
In fall, 2010, the Columbia Journalism Review’s report about the dearth of news in Modesto was met with ignorance and denial. Most Valley citizens never heard of the report; of those who did, denial has long been their default reaction to negative news about their beloved home. Sometime during the mid- to late-nineties, when Modesto began ranking last or next to last in various quality of life categories, regional leaders […]
Why is Allen Short Still Working for the MID?
There aren’t many occasions when a resignation isn’t really a resignation, but former Modesto Irrigation District (MID) General Manager Allen Short seems to have accomplished the paradoxical event. When Short submitted his resignation, it wasn’t the end of his tenure at the MID. As has been widely reported, Short will now lead the San Joaquin Tributaries Authority (SJTA), a lobbying organization that is in part subsidized by MID rate […]
Rare Visitors Brighten Audubon Christmas Count
Most people wouldn’t give the shallow pond out near the San Joaquin River west of Modesto a second glance. But from a bird’s eye view, it’s like a table set with a holiday feast. That’s why there were Black-necked Stilts, Greater Yellowlegs, and Long-billed Dowitchers feeding along its margins on December 30, when two participants in Stanislaus Audubon Society’s annual Caswell-Westley Christmas bird count came upon the site in […]
“Bruce Frohman on Guns, Guards, and Schools,” by Bruce Frohman
As a result of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Valley citizens are talking about improving security at public schools. Will we be able to eliminate the possibility of violence that everyone dreads? What Gun Owners Say The consensus among gun owners seems to be that they need guns because the government can’t protect its citizens. Many gun owners live with a fortress mentality. […]
Target Bird: Bald Eagle
Despite Ben Franklin’s preference for the turkey, most U.S. citizens share our forefathers’ enthusiasm for the Bald Eagle as a stirring symbol of many of the nation’s most enduring virtues. Free, strong, and proud, the Bald Eagle represents a people fiercely devoted to preservation of the values upon which the country was founded. Today’s Bald Eagle also symbolizes much of the paradox of our nation’s history. Once on the […]
Audubon Chapter Appeals Willms Ranch Parcel Split
Stanislaus Audubon Society has appealed a decision by the Stanislaus County Planning Commission to allow owners of the historic Willms Ranch to split the 2,384 acre property into 42 parcels without requiring an Environmental Impact Review. The crux of the argument for the Audubon Society is the failure of the Willms’ proposal to address significant environmental issues, especially those involving agriculture and wildlife. The Planning Commission accepted the Willms’ […]
McClatchy’s Dan Walters Slams “The City”: City Doesn’t Blink
McClatchy columnist Dan Walters chased the unicorn yesterday, but didn’t bag it. Walters lit into the city of San Francisco with the purpose of exposing its long record of hypocrisy on the environment. Trouble is, San Francisco, aka “The City,” is as much a product of myth and fantasy as the one-horned white horse, and twice as paradoxical. Supposedly the seat of white-wine drinking lovers of seldom-seen fish and […]