History

Bruce Frohman was on the Modesto City Council when Modesto posted a forty year low unemployment figure. Here he offers some common sense observations on our chronic unemployment problems. The latest 2012 unemployment figures for Modesto show an official rate of 17.1 percent. During the last 40 years, the lowest unemployment rate in the community was  in 2003 at under 9 percent. Following are some of the reasons Modesto has […]

History came alive in Modesto at the February 28 reception for outgoing Mayor Jim Ridenour (pictured left) and incoming Mayor Garrad Marsh. Also present were former mayors Carol Whiteside and Carmen Sabatino. Each mayor represented a fascinating chapter in local political history. Carol Whiteside was Modesto’s last progressive mayor. She served from 1987 to 1991, when moderate Republicans were still permitted to look forward rather than backward. Whiteside was a leader […]

A recent report by the Columbia Journalism Review focused on news in Modesto. It is a must read, especially those sections by former Modestans, including former Modesto Junior College Professor Laura Paull. The report sparked a great deal of commentary, all of it of keen interest to Valley citizens. Our take follows. Many Modesto Bee employees and former employees cried “foul” when the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) released a report that […]

  Many Modesto residents will be surprised to learn that their fair city was not always at or near the bottom in national rankings. The University of California at Davis didn’t always rank our planning at the very lowest “sustainable” level of Central Valley cities. Forbes magazine didn’t always rank Modesto among the twenty worst cities in the U.S.  In fact, if there were ever a case of going backwards, Modesto […]

In what has by now become just another stage in the longest political marathon in local memory, Carmen Sabatino is running again—this time for city council. It is a delicious bit of irony that there could be no better occasion to feature here John Michael Flint’s spiked column, the very column the Modesto Bee refused to run last year, when Sabatino vied for county supervisor. As always, Flint’s take is original, […]

“’We never had control of the process — ever,’” said [Bill] Zoslocki, a member of the Building Industry Association of Central California board who insisted he was only speaking for himself. “’Everybody needs to get off their soap box.’” This was nearly a decade ago, back in September, 2002, when the Village I fees shortfall was hitting the fan. By now, Village I has receded into the mist of dim […]

The Valley Citizen is dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Flint had several careers over his lifetime, including as a local radio talk show host, and a career in the early days of computing. It was as a Community Columnist for the Modesto Bee that people remember him best. A self-confessed political junkie, his brevity, wit, and vast knowledge of local politics were unequalled. As former Bee assistant Opinion […]