Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini is nobody’s patsy. So when Stanislaus County cities presented their growth plans to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) at last July’s meeting, DeMartini smelled a rat. “They weren’t plans at all,” he says. “They may as well have been written by the BIA (Building Industry Association).” As far as DeMartini could tell, none of the cities had established firm boundaries. DeMartini was especially miffed […]
Environment
Denham to Sacrifice Wild and Scenic on an Altar of Houses
Once in office, Congressman Jeff Denham wasted no time introducing legislation all too typical of the far right’s assault on the public interest. HR 869 looks innocuous enough on its surface. Touted as another, “jobs, jobs, jobs,” project, the Bill would raise the height of the Exchequer Dam. Denham claims, The benefits of this law will provide up to 70,000 acre-feet of additional water, which can serve 1,700 homes and […]
CEQA in the San Joaquin Valley: A Boon to Citizens
Shrouded in mystery and misinformation, and once again under intense attack by developer-driven politicians, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is one of the least understood and most powerful weapons Valley citizens have against the negative effects of growth and sprawl. Perhaps because it’s associated with lawyers and litigation, CEQA has never been recognized as the layman’s tool it really is. And mass media have done a poor job characterizing […]