Frank Ploof didn’t know it at the time, but while he was offloading cases of water at a homeless camp in triple digit heat, Little Sherry Lopez was half a mile away, slowly growing more disoriented as she tried to escape the battering rays of the sun. Ploof, who’s known Sherry since she began camping in Beard Brook Park almost four years ago, had finished distributing cases of bottled water […]
History
A Foot in Two Worlds and a Dream Fulfilled
For Modesto Realtor Lourdes Bento, it all began by a faraway sea, where time itself seemed suspended in a chuva – a fine mist – of happy childhood memories. Ms. Bento remembers the summers, watching her maternal grandfather, her Vovó, whom she adored, and the quiet sunny days she shared with him as he taught her all he knew about fishing. She remembers that he grew his own tobacco and […]
Stanislaus County: Where Government Fails the People
When incumbent Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow brags about his leadership, he likes to compare the county to the City of Modesto. That’s what he did during an interview with the Modesto Bee when he said, “Look at how the city is doing and ask if you want that kind of leadership for the county.” Withrow is running for office against Tony Madrigal, a current Modesto City Councilmember. Withrow was […]
Valley Drivers Ripped Off by Big Oil — Electric Costs to Rise
Former Modesto City Councilmember Bruce Frohman earned a reputation as a zealous defender of taxpayer dollars when he was in office. He’s still careful with his hard-earned dollars. Like many of us, he’s incensed that oil companies are making huge profits while many of us struggle with rising gas prices. ed As I write this, I am away on business in Colorado. During my trip, I am noticing gasoline prices […]
Valley Farmers: Tiptoeing Past a Graveyard of Trees?
Bringing to mind ageless adages about “putting all your eggs into one basket” and “everything that goes up must come down,” the current almond crisis for Valley agriculture has yet to penetrate the consciousness of most local residents, in part because of the major distraction of war in the Ukraine. Discussion about bulging warehouses and falling prices has mostly been whispered. It’s difficult to talk while holding one’s breath. But […]
Mike Hammond: A Good Cop Makes Good
“A police officer will arrest people when they don’t need to be arrested,” said a homeless man living near a park on Modesto’s troubled West Side, “but a cop only arrests people when they should be arrested. Mike Hammond is a cop and he’s a good cop.” Hammond’s name comes up a lot among homeless people and he’s something of a legend on the West Side, where he once received […]
Homeless: The Cruel Realities of People in Need
When Steve Finch and Frank Ploof founded Stanislaus Homeless Advocacy and Resource Enterprise* (SHARE) early last year, Ploof had already had almost ten years’ experience working to help people experiencing homelessness. Finch was new to the task, but thought his experience with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization that assists abused and needy children, would provide a model he and Ploof could apply to needy homeless people. The CASA […]
Dr. Richard Anderson’s Life Lessons in Citizenship
One of the Valley’s great community leaders, Dr. Richard Anderson took an often-adventurous path in life prior to arriving as a Professor of Microbiology at Modesto Junior College in 1989. Along the way, he experienced things that helped to shape the dedicated and caring activist he is today. Not surprisingly, he has always worked fiercely as an advocate for a wide array of worthy causes – from fighting for social […]
Homeless: When False Narratives Fail
For decades, there were a few stock responses to homelessness: “They don’t want help — it’s the drugs — they’re bums” were among the most popular. “They made bad choices” wasn’t far behind. Though none of these explanations holds up to thoughtful reflection, they comprised the largest part of the conventional wisdom about homeless precisely for that reason — they enabled most of us to avoid thinking about a problem […]
Homeless: The Accountability Papers Number 2
In a city struggling to permit parking for 25 vehicles serving as homes for people priced out of the local housing market, Modesto City Councilmembers managed in January to approve funding for 14 units of “affordable” housing costing out at over $271,000 per unit. Funding for the project will come from California’s Home Key program and is subject to state approval. Costs will include purchase of a building owned by […]