“It will probably be some shady deal again.” Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) water attorney Tim O’Laughlin is fond of reminding people he’s one of the best water attorneys in the west. During a recent OID Board meeting, he told Director Linda Santos that he’s also an expert on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It was a bold statement from a man who just last year not only lost OID’s […]
Search Results for: OID
More Court Time for the Water District?
Tuesday morning, by a 3-2 vote, the Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors (OID) approved a proposal to sell $10 million of surplus water outside the district. As usual, the two directors against the proposal were Gail Altieri and Linda Santos, who have the singular distinction of having been sued by their own board, not long after both were elected by overwhelming margins in 2015. Tuesday’s meeting featured the usual […]
November 7: The Valley Citizen Recommends Candidates and Measures
MODESTO CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO: We like Tony Madrigal, but really think the city needs to be energized by a true grassroots progressive with a strong record for pursuing social justice. Jon Rodriguez is already on the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees. That’s enough to keep him busy, assuming he takes the position seriously and realizes all the problems in the community college system. That leaves Homero Mejia, […]
Oakdale District Election About More than Water
When the Modesto Bee’s Garth Stapley reported that listeners erupted in laughter after Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) Board member Herman Doornenbal said, “We’re transparent….ask any question, we’ll do our best to give you an answer,” the incident illustrated perfectly the disconnect between long-term OID Board members and the general public. Doornenbal was speaking at a forum sponsored by the Stanislaus League of Women Voters on October 11. Doornenbal’s audience broke […]
Oakdale Irrigation District: “The public be damned”
“Petitioner has bestowed an important public benefit,” says Judge. Imagine tossing 2130 hundred dollar bills into the Stanislaus River to see how long they will float. Sounds crazy, but the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) did something almost as foolish when it decided to contest a suit brought forward by the Oakdale Groundwater Alliance (OGA). The suit was in response to OID’s failure to provide an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for […]
Reefer Madness: Remembering the Late, Great, John Michael Flint
Way back in 2005, the late, great, John Michael Flint derived considerable amusement from Modesto’s horror at medical marijuana sales on McHenry Avenue. “Omigod, hide the women and the children! Lock the doors, draw the shades and head for the storm cellar,” wrote Flint, in his Community Column for the Modesto Bee. He added, “Suddenly, here it is – the answer to a politician’s prayer, a white horse to mount and a […]
Homeless: Why We Need Casey’s Law
Though still little-publicized, more and more young people are falling victim to the demons of addiction, especially opioids. Law enforcement officials in Oakdale noticed a surge in heroin use among young people in 2013, and attributed it to the availability of cheap “black tar” heroin that has caught a rising number of teen-agers and young adults in the cruel trap of an addiction that drives a host of crimes ranging […]
DJ Jaffe Skewers County’s Laura’s Law Study
People who routinely deal with Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) friends and family overwhelmingly favor Laura’s Law, which makes it possible for a judge to order professional assistance for mentally ill people who otherwise wouldn’t accept help. Many studies have shown that Laura’s Law is both cost-effective and successful in reducing the harm caused when mentally ill people refuse assistance. Given the preponderance of such studies, Stanislaus County’s decision to hire […]
Republicans in the Valley: The Red Menace
“Yet, hear me, people, we have now to deal with another race – small and feeble when our fathers first met them but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possession is a disease with them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor […]
Republican Bill? A lot more than $68,461 for Ann Coulter
Modesto gadfly Emerson Drake’s gifts for political theater were never more apparent than when he presented a bill for $68,461 to Jim DeMartini at the June 13 meeting of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Drake was protesting using tax dollars to pay for security when the Republican Central Committee (DeMartini is committee chairman) sponsored a fundraiser featuring Ann Coulter. Lost in the whirlwind of debate and controversy over the […]