In a stunning move brought about by the tumult resulting from redistricting in California, Josh Harder just announced he will now be running for Congress in California District 9, a slot previously designated for Representative Jerry McNerney, who is stepping down. Harder had only recently announced for District 13, which includes a large swath of Adam Gray’s current Assembly District. Persistent rumors have circulated that Gray was also thought well-suited […]
Politics
City Needs Money? Tax the Poor!
According the United Way’s Real Cost Measure, 31% of Stanislaus County families struggle to meet costs for food, rent, and clothing. Like most households throughout the state, the cost of housing is the primary factor in their inability to make ends meet. Research by the United Way reveals that, “Struggling households in California use over half of their income on housing, more than twice as high a share as households […]
Was the (not) Adam Gray Tweet a Trial Balloon?
It’s no secret that Josh Harder’s successful campaign against Republican Congressman Jeff Denham in 2018 was a blow to Adam Gray’s political hopes. Insiders agree that Gray had planned to run against Denham in 2020, before he was termed out by the “lifetime” California term limits rule of 12 years total in office of any kind. Gray was elected to the 21st Assembly District in 2012, winning office with 58.2% […]
Democracy Threatened in California Congressional District 10
All across this nation, GOP-led states are carving up and contorting congressional districts to dilute and suppress the votes of “socialist” Democrats, and, more specifically, people of color. Officially known as “redistricting,” their aim is clear — to take back control of the House of Representatives in 2022 by any means possible, even if illegal, immoral, or unethical. That’s no surprise to those following politics; the surprise is that our […]
Valley Politics: (Mis)Reading the Recall
There has never been a way Gavin Newsom could win over voters in the bright red San Joaquin Valley. That’s why post-recall commentary from Valley leaders and pundits has thus far missed the mark. In assuming Newsom ever had a chance with highly partisan Valley voters, most everyone has focused on Newsom’s position on water. Water, however, is exactly the issue Newsom has no chance for winning on in the […]
On the Bus with Sue Zwahlen, Vito Chiesa, and Josh Harder
Just after noon on April 6, Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen, Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, and Congressman Josh Harder boarded one of Modesto’s zero emission buses at 1010 10th Street for a ride out to one of the city’s unincorporated “islands” near Hanshaw Middle School, just west of Crows Landing Road in Stanislaus County. They were joined by Modesto City Manager Joe Lopez and several Modesto City and Stanislaus County […]
Rainbow over Modesto Greets New Mayor Zwahlen
Some said the rainbow that arced over Modesto early Tuesday morning touched down at Sue Zwahlen’s residence in the city’s college district, but they must have been looking from an odd perspective. To most observers, the rainbow looked like it had one end just outside the city to the southwest, with the other end touching down in the northeast. February 2 — Tuesday — was the official Election Day for […]
Is David Valadao the Valley’s only Honorable Republican?
There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. Liz Cheney Cynics are saying that when David Valadao voted to impeach Donald Trump — he was one of only ten House Republicans to do so — he was acting on a political calculation. Valadao’s 21st Congressional District is purple — its voting demographic is almost equally […]
Outcry Rises over Supervisor’s Seeming Sympathy with Insurrection
The day after the attempted coup of January 6, Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow published comments on his Facebook page that offered an eerie echo of Donald Trump’s now infamous remarks that there were “good people on both sides” during the demonstrations in Charlottesville. Withrow said that there were “sincere people on both sides” of the coup attempt, and tried to establish equivalence between the demonstrations after the death of […]
Sue Zwahlen Will Put Modesto Back in Business
There was little to learn from Wednesday’s debate between Sue Zwahlen and Modesto City Councilmember Doug Ridenour. Sponsored by the Modesto Bee, the debate stumbled through technical problems and distraction from the tumult in Washington DC. Neither Ridenour nor Zwahlen could muster much passion; they clearly like and respect one another. Ridenour was most animated when questioned about his failures to wear a mask during the earlier stages of the […]