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Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

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Environment

Are Bee Editors and MID Directors Equally Clueless About Future Water Supplies?

July 25, 2012 By Eric Caine 5 Comments

  Sunday, July 22, the Modesto Bee’s big story was on the declining use of irrigation water by local farmers. The story was accompanied by a large photograph of Don Pedro Reservoir, full almost to the point of overflowing. Most of the story seemed to support the Modesto Irrigation District’s (MID) water sale by assuring Bee readers that the District has plenty of water. As is often the case in […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: MID water sale, MID water transfer, SFPUC water transfer, Tuolumne River

How to Kill a River: A Media Guide

July 19, 2012 By Eric Caine 1 Comment

Killing a river is the outcome of a systematic process. The key is strict control of public perception throughout the process. The first and most important principle is to omit any mention of the river except when absolutely necessary. This is the single most important and easily overlooked tactic. While it may be necessary to mention the river, it is imperative that as soon as possible the river be reduced […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: dead river, How to kill a river, river restoration, Salmon

The Godfather Speaks: Bob Hackamack on the Tuolumne River

July 14, 2012 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

  Bob Hackamack is already immortalized with a portion of the Tuolumne River named for him—Hackamack’s Hole, a Class IV rapid. Fortunately for the river, Hackamack, a Control Systems and Chemical Engineer, is as adept with a slide rule as he is with a canoe or kayak paddle. Many of those who know best about protecting rivers credit Hackamack with the unique mix of passion and scientific expertise it took […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Bob Hackamack, MID water sale, Tuolumne River

Petition Introduced To Stop Construction Of Phase One Of Freeway 132, by Bruce Frohman

July 5, 2012 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

  Scott Calkins is a soft spoken gentleman serving as an unpaid volunteer on the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Stanislaus Council of Governments (STANCOG). STANCOG is the lead government agency for the first phase of the Highway 132 Freeway project. The project was initiated at the behest of STANCOG. The agency is comprised of a Board of Directors who are elected public officials from the various cities and districts […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Freeway 132, Highway 132, Highway 132 Construction

River Wars, Episode III: End of the River?

June 29, 2012 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

  When the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) assures its customers there is enough Tuolumne River water to sell 2,000 acre feet per year to the city of San Francisco, knowledgeable citizens can only assume there’s a hidden back story. For one thing, many local farmers have been informed of reduced water allotments. Since their water comes from the Tuolumne River, they can’t help wondering how the claim of excess water […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: MID water sale, MID water sale to San Francisco, Tuolumne River, Tuolumne River water sale

River Wars, Episode II: The King of California and Imperial San Francisco

June 22, 2012 By Eric Caine 5 Comments

Marc Reisner’s, Cadillac Desert, is still the primary text for those who would understand water use in the arid American west, but the recent flap over the proposed sale of Tuolumne River water to the city of San Francisco by the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) is best illuminated by Mark Arax’s, The King of California, and Gray Brechin’s, Imperial San Francisco. In The King of California, Arax and Rick Wartzman […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: MID water sale, Modesto Irrigation District, Tuolumne River

River Wars, Episode I: The San Joaquin

June 16, 2012 By Eric Caine 1 Comment

October 1, 2009, water flowed down a sandy segment of the San Joaquin River that had run dry for more than sixty years. Though it was a major historic event, it was noted mostly by a small group of insiders who follow water policy like an investor follows the stock market. Almost three years later, Valley citizens are scarcely aware of the escalating battle over California’s second largest river, but […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: MID water sale, Modesto Irrigation District Water Sale to San Francisco, San Joaquin River Restoration

Specter of Fish Haunts MID Water Sale

June 1, 2012 By Eric Caine 3 Comments

Shortly after John Mensinger and Larry Byrd blew the wheels off the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) water sale bandwagon and the City of Modesto looked likely to sue to assure its water rights, the Modesto Bee opined that, given the intense controversy surrounding the water sale, it couldn’t hurt to form a citizens’ advisory committee of agricultural and urban customers to help steer the water sale controversy to a reasonable […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: MID water sale, MID water transfer to San Francisco, Modesto Irigation District Water Sale, Tuolumne River

Bruce Frohman on Neighborhood Crime

April 8, 2012 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

The City of Modesto has an informal goal of having 1.8 police officers for every thousand citizens. The goal is based on the national average in 2002. Modesto has not met the goal since it was established. Given the present staffing level, the police need the help and cooperation of citizens. On April 3, 2012, the Woodland West Neighborhood Association held a neighborhood watch meeting to discuss problems and solutions […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Crime in Modesto, neighborhood crime, Neighborhood watch

Will MID Directors Be Fleeced In the New Gold Rush?

March 31, 2012 By Eric Caine 3 Comments

There’s not much of a mystery why the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board of Directors wants to sell water to San Francisco. Faced with a water treatment plant that has become an embarrassing money pit and having failed to raise rates enough to maintain infrastructure, they need the money. San Francisco’s demand for water, on the other hand, is at first glance a bit puzzling. As recently as November 17, […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: MID water transfer, Tuolmne River water transfer, Tuolumne River

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Off The Wire

Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America's largest rainforest
Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America’s largest rainforest
The Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a focus of political battles over old-growth logging and road-building in forests for decades, has received new protection from the Biden administration.
theconversation.com
As California?s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes ? especially on Central Coast
As California’s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes, especially on Central Coast
Because the fungus that causes the disease spreads easily in hot, arid conditions, the number of cases will grow, UC Berkeley study says
www.mercurynews.com
Activists sue to block Newsom's homeless mental illness treatment program
Activists sue to block Newsom’s homeless mental illness treatment program
Gov. Gavin Newsom championed compelled mental health treatment for homeless Californians. Now, activists are trying to stop it before it gets off the ground.
sjvsun.com
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
How an extreme transformation in American religion poses an existential threat to our democracy
newrepublic.com
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Liam Dillon and Ben Oreskes of the L.A. Times interview Mayor Karen Bass about homelessness and housing problems in California.
calmatters.org
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.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
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
The ACLU of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the city of Phoenix over cleanup sweeps of homeless encampments.
www.azcentral.com
'Full-on crisis': Groundwater in California's Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
‘Full-on crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
Excessive groundwater pumping has long been depleting aquifers in California’s Central Valley. Now, scientists say the depletion is accelerating.
www.latimes.com
San Francisco?s homeless sweeps are unlawful ? and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s homeless sweeps are unlawful and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s campaign to remove homeless people from the streets clearly violates…
www.sfchronicle.com
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.'s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here's why
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here’s why
The Cecil Hotel was supposed to be an innovative new model for permanent supportive housing in L.A. Why is it struggling to fill rooms?
news.yahoo.com
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student?s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student’s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Suddenly, Bay Area schools are playing a critical role in combating the alarming rise of fentanyl that is spilling onto high school campuses. But a Bay Area News Group survey found most may not be….
www.mercurynews.com

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

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PO Box 156
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Email us at:
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