Political speech, “should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open.” Justice William Brennan Last Friday, a clerk in the Stanislaus County Registrar’s Office rejected Josh Harder’s official campaign statement on the grounds it used President Donald Trump’s name. The clerk claimed Harder would need written permission from Trump himself if he were to use the president’s name. Harder and some of his staff members were stunned. While it makes sense to obtain […]
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No Way to Sweep Homelessness under the Rug
Years after the explosion of homelessness in Stanislaus County, authorities are still trying to sweep it under the rug. No better example exists of the futility of the “Sweep them Away” policy than Beard Brook Park. Probably because it’s relatively remote and surrounded by industry rather than residences, Beard Brook has long been a favored location for chronically homeless people. Even after the bathrooms were destroyed by vandals and shut […]
Cox Upends CA-10, Switches to CA-21
In a stunning move dictated by political realities in the San Joaquin Valley, TJ Cox has switched his campaign from California’s Congressional District 10 (CA-10) to Congressional District 21 (CA-21). Cox’s move was almost certainly prompted by upheavals in both districts: (1) Michael Eggman’s late entry into the race for CA-10 and (2) Emilio Huerta’s withdrawal from the race for CA-21. Democrats in CA-21 have grown increasingly frustrated by losses […]
Can Democrats Lose CA-10? Let us Count the Ways
“I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” Will Rogers Longtime resident Democrats of California’s Congressional District 10 are haunted. They wake up in the dead of night with nightmares of losing once again to incumbent Republican Jeff Denham. But it’s not Denham who haunts them most, not by a long shot. No, Democrats who want to win—just win—fear their own. They fear Democrats […]
How Governor Brown and California’s Democratic Leadership are Destroying our Community Colleges
Merced College Professor of Philosophy Keith Law has always taken seriously the philosopher’s duty to ask difficult questions and question conventional wisdom. Below, he offers a critique of recent proposals for change in California’s Community College system. According to the California Community College Chancellor’s website, ours is the largest system of higher education in the nation, with 2.1 million students attending 114 colleges. Since opening the first community college in […]
Did Trinitas Leave OID Holding the Bag (Again)?
When the big-time investors from the Bay Area showed up in Oakdale saying they were ready to become farmers, the city swooned. Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) was entranced by their offer to build infrastructure for water deliveries and offered them bargain-basement water rates and a sweet annexation deal, even while it had previously denied many long-term farmers’ applications. When a few local farmers suggested Trinitas Partners was yet another “turn […]
Valley Water: The Big Lie
Of all the mythologies that dominate San Joaquin Valley politics, the mythology of water may be the most powerful and enduring. The basis of the myth consists of a simple fiction that states, unequivocally, that all valley water is, “our water.” Grammarians, of whom there are fewer and fewer, might ask who is meant by “our,” but such a question would be grossly out of order in a region where […]
Michael Eggman’s Gift to Jeff Denham
Now that it appears Michael Eggman may have been paying himself $5,000 a month to manage his “Red to Blue” PAC, the backlash from his late entry into the campaign for California Congressional District 10 (CA-10) is starting to develop some real force. In addition to resentment of Eggman’s late entry, the focus on his PAC has raised questions about how much money he brought in and where it went. […]
Eggman Casts a Long Shadow over the Race for CA-10
Even before he entered the room a little before 2:00 PM Sunday, Michael Eggman had cast a long shadow over the race for California’s Congressional District 10 (CA-10). At that time, the noisy crowd in the Teamster’s building in downtown Modesto was buzzing about several important votes still upcoming for the Democrats’ Pre-Endorsement Conference for Region 4. But talk among candidates and their supporters vying for the nomination in CA-10 […]
Modesto: A City under Siege
“They all ran on the premise that government is the problem, and every one of them has managed to help prove it.” Whenever Modesto appears on those, “Worst Places to Live,” lists—which is often—city leaders object vociferously. “Modesto is a great place to live,” they say, “the people are great people, they’re wonderful.” Visitors get a different impression, especially those who enter the city via I Street and the famed […]