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Allen Short’s Golden Parachute

  Did Modesto Irrigation District (MID) General Manager Allen Short resign so he could give himself a raise? According to a recent Modesto Bee report, Short could make more money by leaving the MID than he would have had he stayed—and a significant portion of his income will be provided by the MID. Short was […]

More Jobs Exit Stanislaus County, by Bruce Frohman

  Despite the low wages in the area, jobs continue to leave Stanislaus County. With the real unemployment rate over twenty percent, not many prospects are on the horizon for future job growth. Memorial Medical Center recently announced a reduction of about 114 jobs from skilled nursing to administrative positions. The cuts are attributed to […]

Should MID Ratepayers Fund Another Bureaucracy?

  When Modesto Irrigation District (MID) General Manager announced his resignation, it was reasonable to conclude he’d be off the payroll. But in an odd twist of circumstances, Short’s new job will in part be funded by the MID. Short was a prime mover in the formation of the San Joaquin Tributary Association, which became […]

Allen Short: Still Picking the MID Money Tree

  Even though departing Modesto Irrigation District (MID) General Manager Allen Short has been Executive Director of the San Joaquin Tributaries Authority (SJTA) since May, the Modesto Bee announced his appointment to the job just last Friday. Short will officially begin the new job January 1, one day after he leaves the MID. The SJTA […]

Has the Modesto Bee Become a Follower of the Valley’s New Media?

  To his credit, the Modesto Bee’s Garth Stapley did acknowledge that Emerson Drake provided much of the subject matter of Stapley’s most recent Modesto Irrigation District (MID) report. In fact, Drake, via his Eye on Modesto website, broke the news of MID payouts to “consultants” via the circuitous route of Martino Graphic Design well before the […]

Short and O’Laughlin Flee Rising Tide of Problems at MID

  Six months ago, no one could have guessed the Modesto Irrigation District’s (MID) General Manager and General Counsel would be leaving under a cloud formed by a cascade of Falling Water. Six months ago, no one would have predicted that a slow-talking cowboy from eastern Stanislaus County would take on Allen Short, Tim O’Laughlin, […]

Modesto Police Department Low Staffing Levels of the 1990s Resurface, by Bruce Frohman

  Former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman has an insider’s view of problems with City budgets and police staffing. Here, he offers an up-to-the-minute look at current problems with staffing in the Modesto Police Department. News Item: California Highway Patrol to Help Stockton Police Department Maintain Order The recent decision of the California Highway Patrol to help […]

Bee Scales New Heights of Hypocrisy

  Long-time readers of the Modesto Bee have known that for the last two decades, any time the Bee takes a position on an issue it also abandons objectivity and fair play. Thus, it was no surprise that when the Modesto Irrigation District’s (MID) proposed water sale to San Francisco was rejected, the Bee immediately […]

Coming Soon to the State Theatre: California History

  What better venue than Modesto’s historic  State Theatre to view a documentary film of one of the greatest eras of California history? Edmund G. “Pat” Brown was among the last of California’s larger than life politicians back when it was still possible to be both visionary and progressive. “California State of Mind: The Legacy […]

MID Falling Water Charge: Subsidy or Slush Fund?

  According to Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini, news that local farmers have been receiving subsidies amounting to $89 million over seventeen years was as big a surprise to farmers as to anyone else.“Ninety-nine out of a hundred farmers have never heard of the Falling Water Charge,” said DeMartini last Friday.The Falling Water Charge is […]