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Why Jeff Denham Must Go: Jose Hernandez for Congress

Jeff Denham must go. There are countless reasons why he must go, but they can be summed up in his unrelenting assault on public values and public resources. Once in Washington D.C., Denham became yet another point man for corporate America—one of his first acts as a newly elected congressman was an attack on the […]

Marsh to Bee: "Get Scott Peterson Off the Front Page"

Making good on one of his campaign promises, Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh held a town hall meeting in west Modesto Saturday, a concrete signal that he intends to be accessible to the entire city. Marsh said he plans to have at least three more such events around town. Marsh acknowledged that Modesto has an image […]

Discontent in the Central Valley: The pilfering of personal wealth by government and large corporations, by Bruce Frohman

The Occupy 99% and Tea Party movements were founded on the perception that the citizens of the United States are being systematically fleeced of their wealth by our country’s major institutions. Over time, these institutions are becoming more efficient and effective in extracting money and reducing personal wealth, impoverishing an ever larger percentage of the […]

99% Spring Movement Comes to Modesto

Saturday, April 28, a plucky band of Valley citizens participated in the “Love Modesto” event by protesting the injustice which enabled big bank executives to haul down millions of dollars in bonuses while their policies punished working people throughout the nation. The demonstrators assembled along the curb in front of the McHenry Avenue Bank of […]

Tragic Death of Sheriff's Deputy Robert Paris Reopens Discussion of Public Safety Budget, by Bruce Frohman

During his tenure as a Modesto City Councilman, Bruce Frohman was a strong supporter of law enforcement. Recent tragic deaths and shootings have focused attention on ongoing cuts to law enforcement services. Here, Frohman continues the dialog about the need for additional officers and staff. The entire community of Stanislaus County was shocked and deeply […]

Valley Leaders and Media AWOL on MID Water Sale

The more you look at the proposed Modesto Irrigation District (MID) water sale to San Francisco, the more apparent it becomes that MID manager Allen Short and his allies on the Board of Directors are engaging in a dangerous game of sleight of hand. The fundamental premise of the sale—that MID has water to sell—is […]

Political Calculus of the MID Water Sale

If there’s anything each of the members of the Modesto Irrigation District Board of Directors (MID) knows for sure, it’s that voters hate rate increases. This fact was painfully evident May 13, 2010, when an angry crowd packed the MID boardroom to protest a five dollar a month rate increase in their electrical bills. And […]

Excess MID water? "No Way," Say Experts

To hear the Modesto Irrigation District tell it, selling 2,000,000 gallons per day of Tuolumne River Water will have no significant impacts on the river. Stanislaus County Supervisor and Westside farmer Jim DeMartini finds such a claim hard to believe. “I just had my water allotment reduced by fifty percent,” said DeMartini recently. “I get […]

From Franklin to Flint, the Library Unites America

Readers of the late John Michael Flint’s Modesto Bee Community Columns were continually impressed with the breadth and depth of his knowledge. Few could have guessed he was mostly self-taught. Flint claimed that when the movie, “Animal House,” was released it was so like his one and only year at college that he researched the […]

Did Garrad Marsh Show Jose Hernandez the Way?

Jeff Denham supporters couldn’t’ suppress their glee when Chad Condit announced his candidacy for the 19th Congressional District a few days ago. Prior to Condit’s announcement, Denham faced a challenge from former astronaut Jose Hernandez, a candidate who offered a clear and unequivocal alternative to the ultra-conservative Denham. Now, Condit has muddied the waters. “It’s […]