Last Friday, at the Gallo Center in Modesto, six Democrats participated in a debate to help voters decide who will be the best candidate to run against Jeff Denham next November. The crowd was enthusiastic about the prospects of unseating Mr. Denham. Whether anyone in the room was aware of how difficult the task will be, at least they enjoyed the moment. The Incumbent Advantage Conventional wisdom in political circles is that […]
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Democrats Fill the House
There was a time when the only way to get more than twenty local Democrats together was to offer free food, and even then it was hard to tell how many were Democrats and how many had wandered in from the streets. Those days are over. Friday night, Democrats filled Modesto’s 444 seat Foster Family Theater (in the Gallo Center for the Arts) to overflowing for the most recent debate […]
Will TJ Cox’s Momentum Hold?
TJ Cox doesn’t enter a room, he explodes into it, hurled by some mighty force of nature. His arrival is usually accompanied by a loud, “Hey,” uttered when he recognizes someone he knows. Cox was especially buoyant at Wednesday night’s meet-and-greet at Modesto’s Camp 4 Restaurant, where he seemed to know everyone. Cox may be shorter than average, but his positive presence is almost larger than life. He’s both high […]
Damrell Finds Diverse Field of Supporters
On a night when Doug Jones upended history in Alabama, Modesto’s Frank Damrell kicked off a campaign for Stanislaus County Supervisor that could reverse our own long trend of ultra-right conservatives occupying the county’s highest offices. Like Doug Jones, Damrell is a moderate but firm Democrat, comfortable with values that include a belief in helping the less fortunate while emphasizing family, community, and work. Damrell is running for Dick Monteith’s […]
132: How Not to Build a Freeway
In the mid-1990’s, I served on the Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Committee for the Stanislaus Area Association of Governments, currently called the Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG). After each meeting, I would corner Dana Cowell, the Caltrans representative appointed to attend our monthly meetings. I always had questions for Mr. Cowell. Very knowledgeable, he patiently answered each one. After one meeting, we discussed Route 132, west of Modesto. I asked Mr. Cowell why a […]
Faces of the Homeless: Rosario, “Just Checking In”
Those few Valley citizens who get to know homeless people by name always notice when they’re missing. Rosario Quintana goes missing frequently, but because she’s almost always very visible, word gets around among people who know her whenever she turns up, which could be anywhere from Riverbank to Modesto and points beyond. In the late fall of 2015, Rosario was seen on Oakdale Road, south of Briggsmore Avenue. She had […]
November 7: The Valley Citizen Recommends Candidates and Measures
MODESTO CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO: We like Tony Madrigal, but really think the city needs to be energized by a true grassroots progressive with a strong record for pursuing social justice. Jon Rodriguez is already on the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees. That’s enough to keep him busy, assuming he takes the position seriously and realizes all the problems in the community college system. That leaves Homero Mejia, […]
Birder on a Run with 321
These days, Harold Reeve says he’s only running, “12 to 15 miles a week.” He runs more when he’s training for a marathon or shorter race, but no matter how often or how far he runs, he always carries a pair of binoculars. The binoculars are Reeve’s way of combining passions; he loves running, but he also loves birding. Combining the two sports sounds implausible, but in addition to keen […]
Oakdale District Election About More than Water
When the Modesto Bee’s Garth Stapley reported that listeners erupted in laughter after Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) Board member Herman Doornenbal said, “We’re transparent….ask any question, we’ll do our best to give you an answer,” the incident illustrated perfectly the disconnect between long-term OID Board members and the general public. Doornenbal was speaking at a forum sponsored by the Stanislaus League of Women Voters on October 11. Doornenbal’s audience broke […]
Merced College’s Keith Law Sounds Off on “15 to Finish”
For almost thirty years, Merced College’s Keith Law has been a persistent gadfly, contrarian, and thorn in the side of anyone advancing a proposal that hasn’t been subjected to rigorous academic scrutiny. Law teaches philosophy, and has always been willing to model himself after Socrates and other great philosophers who took their discipline and reasoning into the real world, concerned more with truth and justice than popular approval. Below, in […]