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Pursuing truth toward justice

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History

Homeless — Where your Money goes Part II: The Black Hole of Law Enforcement

January 30, 2023 By Eric Caine 14 Comments

Modesto arrest 2022

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s pledge to dedicate $750 million of the state’s 2023-2024 budget to sweeps of homeless camps is only the latest example of the extravagant waste of taxpayer dollars on futile tactics aimed at reducing homelessness. In all, the new budget will devote $15.3 billion to homelessness, even though the state has already spent billions more, only to see a continual rise in numbers of people experiencing homelessness. […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in California, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Homeless — where your money goes, Part I: The Black Hole of Rehab

January 24, 2023 By Eric Caine 15 Comments

Stanislaus Recovery Center 16 Dec 22

No one should have been surprised when the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury found that local attempts to manage homelessness lacked focus, accountability, and positive results, despite the expenditure of millions of dollars.  Like efforts to reduce homelessness most everywhere, Stanislaus County’s bewildering array of nonprofits, government agencies, and volunteer efforts fails for many reasons, but among the most common is the mistaken notion that rehabilitation should be the first […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and drug use, Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Riding the “S”: On the Bus with Tom Portwood

January 24, 2023 By Tom Portwood 17 Comments

Modesto Arch and bus

An icy wind buffeted mushrooming rainclouds in early January as two men sat in wheelchairs by a bus stop on Oakdale Road in Modesto, waiting for the 32 bus. It was running late, all the buses that afternoon likely slowed by the atmospheric river that had swept across the northern San Joaquin Valley that same day. One of the men was clothed in jeans and bright yellow pajama tops. He […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Modesto public transit

Is Modesto’s New Blue Can Worth the Trouble?

January 8, 2023 By Bruce Frohman 24 Comments

Modesto's Blue Recycle Waste Bin

For Modesto residents, the New Year is already more troublesome and more expensive, and it’s only just begun. The new one percent sales tax increase and higher garbage collection rates are bad enough. Then there’s the new recycling program and its complicated disposal system. As the city’s website says, all residences must have three large waste cans — blue, black, and green — even though they may have space enough […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: City of Modesto Blue Waste Can, City of Modesto Recycled Waste Program

Overdoses at the Recovery Center? Yes

December 29, 2022 By Eric Caine 13 Comments

Stanislaus County Recovery Center, December, 2022

On December 8, we asked Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes whether rumors about fentanyl overdoses at the Stanislaus Recovery Center (SRC) were true. SRC is the county facility for treatment of drug addiction and mental illness. We also asked how many residents had been evicted from Stanislaus County’s low barrier shelter since January 1, and how many were denied entry since that time. Finally, we asked how many seriously mentally […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in California, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Homeless: The Saints Who Walk among Us

December 22, 2022 By Debra DeLash 27 Comments

Debra DeLash delivers sleeeping bags to homeless people

Those who frequent the streets, alleys, parks and hideaways of the homeless often encounter humble missionaries of hope and charity. These are the people who feed, clothe and comfort the lost and forlorn on an endless mission of hope and charity. Almost always, they are people of modest means who embody the true spirit of Christmas all year long in humble acts of ministering to the poor. Many are faith-based; […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Homeless: Overdoses at the Recovery Center?

December 17, 2022 By Eric Caine 15 Comments

Stanislaus Recovery Center 16 Dec 22

Rumors among homeless people are like rumors anywhere else — as often unfounded or overblown as not. Nonetheless, persistent rumors that drug use and overdoses have occurred with increasing frequency at the Stanislaus Recovery Center (SRC) in Ceres seemed worth an inquiry, so on December 8 we asked about them via an email to Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes and Supervisor Mani Grewal. As yet, we’ve had no answers. SRC […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: California homelessness, Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley homelessness, Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Report on Homelessness

Homeless: No Shelter from the Storm

December 12, 2022 By Eric Caine 15 Comments

Doobie Doug Harfer's dog

Monday, homeless people in Modesto found no respite from the biggest rainstorm in years as Caltrans continued to sweep them away from encampments along Highway 99 and locations nearby. Governor Gavin Newsom’s ongoing program to get homeless people out of sight now includes pouring concrete along steep slopes under overpasses and erecting sturdy metal fences along highway borders as he attempts to sweep homelessness under the rug while he explores […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Caltrans homeless sweeps, Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Homeless: “Right now, we aren’t managing anything”

December 6, 2022 By Frank Ploof 6 Comments

Downtown Modesto, March 2020

Frank Ploof has served on several committees in Stanislaus County dedicated to homeless and housing issues, and has spent thousands of hours in direct contact with homeless people, trying to help in tangible ways with problems local authorities can’t address. He and Modesto resident Steven Finch are partners in the Stanislaus Homeless Advocacy and Resource Enterprise (SHARE) nonprofit, which is dedicated to serving the urgent needs of people in dire […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: California homelessness, Frank Ploof, Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley, St

Homeless: Why we Fail and What to Do Now

December 2, 2022 By Eric Caine 25 Comments

Cheryl Littlefield

The Stanislaus County’s Civil Grand Jury Report on homelessness could serve as a report card for the entire State of California. Noting that homeless numbers continue to rise despite vast expenditures of money, the Grand Jury concluded that lack of coordination and focus among myriad public and private entities has led to wasted dollars, a lack of accountability, and public distrust in government efforts to reduce homelessness. There are many […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in California, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

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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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