Former Modesto Bee reporter and retired attorney Steve Ringhoff combines his passions for journalism and law in series of investigative reports about Modesto and surrounding areas. Read more of his work HERE. For those who live in the subdivision just east of Highway 99 in southeast Ripon, that sound at night—sirens—was not unusual. But, then, for those awake or awakened in the early hours of February 26, 2017, it changed. […]
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Donor Review for Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors
When Dick Monteith announced his retirement from the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, both Democrat Frank Damrell and Republican Tom Berryhill announced they would run for the vacant seat in Stanislaus County’s District Four. Former Modesto City Councilmember Janice Keating jumped into the race much later. Read more from Steve Ringhoff at Modestoexplained. Frank Damrell III had the most donors through April 21. Tom Berryhill got the most money during that […]
Your Guide to CA-10 Democratic Congressional Candidates
With only a few short weeks until the June 5 Election Day, and with mail-in ballots coming out in early May, here is our rundown of Democratic candidates for congress in California Congressional District 10. By no means an exhaustive study, we’ve tried to highlight consistent observations of the candidates over the time of the campaign, both positive and negative. In the case of the candidates we consider strongest, we’ve […]
County Pays Big for “Limp, Lame, and Lazy” Claim
In the sad story of the late Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace—gunned down by a mentally ill killer at Fox Grove fishing access near Hughson almost two years ago—Stanislaus County may get stuck with a big bill: $1,471,843.95. An order from Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Timothy W. Salter says that’s what Wallace’s attorneys are owed. Wallace may have given his life in service to the same agency that put him […]
Not a Debate, but a Democrat Suicide Pact
Even before Republican Ted Howze jumped into the mix, the campaign for California Congressional District 10 (CA-10) had more monkey wrenches than gears. Last night in Oakdale, Howze joined the five Democrats in the race in a happy chorus of agreement on everything from Jeff Denham’s poor job of representation to opposition to Governor Jerry Brown’s Twin Tunnels proposal. After the debate, an audience member jumped to his feet and […]
California Congressional District 10 Donor Numbers are In
As we did after the year end Federal Election Commission filings, we look past the amount of money given to each candidate to find out how many INDIVIDUALS opened their wallets for their favorites. Methodology: The FEC filings list donations individually but some donors pony up a bit at a time, so there are duplications. So, we created a spread sheet and then filtered the list by unique last name. […]
Arpaio, Bundy, Coulter: The ABCs of Evil in Trump’s Valley
Local Republicans can scarcely suppress their glee as leading figures of Trumpism have made the valley a favored destination. The parade of far-right celebrities began late last April, when Stanislaus County Republicans, led by former Modesto City Councilperson Janice Keating and Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini, brought in Ann Coulter for a fund raiser. The tour continued in September, when Fresno Republicans had their own fundraiser featuring Joe Arpaio, self-designated […]
Decency Rises at Congressional Debate
The “jungle primary” for California’s Congressional District 10 is starting to seem more like a death march. Last night, the five Democrats in the race and Republican Ted Howze seemed at times to be reading from the same script during a debate put on by the League of Women Voters at Modesto’s City Council Chambers. Howze did distinguish himself as a Republican by claiming, “Tax cuts can work if they’re […]
Harder Rolls Big Bucks Over First Quarter
Below, Steve Ringhoff, of Modesto Explained, offers a concise and revealing summary of candidate fund raising for California’s District 10 Congressional Campaign during this year’s first quarter. Democrat Josh Harder out raised all other democratic challengers during the first three months of 2018, including Michael Eggman, who one wag dubbed the “incumbent Democratic challenger.” Harder also brought more into his treasury during that period from individual contributions than the actual […]
Harder Impresses at Town Hall
Congressional candidate Josh Harder impressed an audience of mostly senior citizens at an informal town hall in Modesto yesterday. He fielded tough questions about everything from bombing Syria to California’s proposed bullet train and twin tunnels for water. Probably the most remarkable aspect of his appearance was the lack of equivocation and vague response typical of too many politicians. When asked whether he supported bombing Syria, Harder replied that, “Without […]