The Valley Citizen has obtained an internal Modesto Irrigation District (MID) memorandum. Almost ten pages long, the memorandum provides legal analysis of possible consequences for the MID of Proposition 26. Proposition 26 was approved by California voters in 2010. Its purpose was to prohibit unjustified fees and costs imposed by entities that provide public services. In 1995, the MID added a “Falling Water Charge” to its bill for […]
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LAFCo Policy More Complicated than Bee Article Implies, by Scott Calkins
Last Wednesday’s LAFCo decision to require mitigation for encroachment onto ag land met with wide approval, but Scott Calkins has an insider’s view that might temper the celebration. No one denies the decision was a big step forward, but parts of the policy are cause for real concern. Here’s Scott with the inside story. I attended the LAFCo meeting on September 26, 2012 and read the article that appeared […]
Restore the San Joaquin River for Jobs, Farms, and Fish
Mike Wade, Executive Director of the Farm Water Coalition, is an outstanding advocate for farmers. He always has a good command of facts and is ever-vigilant for threats to farmers’ water supplies. Recently, however, he’s been too narrowly focused on the needs of a few farmers at the expense of farmers in general, especially those who farm the San Joaquin Delta. Wade’s recent criticism of a study that shows […]
Denny Jackman Named President of Central Valley Farmland Trust
Former Modesto City Councilman and longtime farmland preservation activist Denny Jackman was just named President of the Central Valley Farmland Trust (CVFT). Jackman’s long history of activism includes successful implementation of the Stamp Out Sprawl initiative (with Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh), a long involvement with the Farmland Working Group, and decades of effort to educate and inform local citizens about the value of San Joaquin farmland. Denny was generous […]
Senator Feinstein: Just dropping by? It’s the water, stupid!
Woody Allen has said, “Paranoia is knowing all the facts,” and the more one knows about the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) water sale to San Francisco, the more likely one is to suffer severe attacks of paranoid dementia. Back in March, we alerted readers to one of the compelling factors behind the water sale—proposed legislation by California Senator Dianne Feinstein that would make water transfers less subject to government […]
LAFCo: Your Tax Dollars at Work—For the Asphalt Empire
At every LAFCO meeting they put out a stack of pamphlets entitled “What is LAFCO?” Yeah, it’s a good question. LAFCO has three objectives: “To Encourage the Orderly Formation of Local Government Agencies,” “To PreserveAgricultural Land Resources,” and To Discourage Urban Sprawl.” And so, by their own measure, the Stanislaus LAFCO has been a failure. Our county, one of the top farm producing counties in the nation, has one of […]
Around the Region Box
Valley homeless numbers continue to rise Continuing a Valley-wide trend, homeless numbers in Fresno and Madera Counties showed a seven percent increase from the 2022 Point in Time Count. The 2023 Count registered a total of 4,493 homeless people in the two counties, after counting 4,216 the previous year. Of that total, 1,431 were staying in emergency shelters. Read More California legislators join Congressman Harder in Delta Tunnel opposition Congressman […]
Around the Region
Valley homeless numbers continue to rise Continuing a Valley-wide trend, homeless numbers in Fresno and Madera Counties showed a seven percent increase from the 2022 Point in Time Count. The 2023 Count registered a total of 4,493 homeless people in the two counties, after counting 4,216 the previous year. Of that total, 1,431 were staying in emergency shelters. One-third of the two counties’ homeless population reported struggling with mental illness, […]
How to Kill a River: A Media Guide
Killing a river is the outcome of a systematic process. The key is strict control of public perception throughout the process. The first and most important principle is to omit any mention of the river except when absolutely necessary. This is the single most important and easily overlooked tactic. While it may be necessary to mention the river, it is imperative that as soon as possible the river be reduced […]
Bruce Frohman on Hepatitis C in the Northern San Joaquin Valley
The northern San Joaquin Valley has long been a hot spot for methamphetamine use and addiction, prime risk factors for viral Hepatitis. Nationwide, health experts are increasingly alarmed about what they claim is the hidden epidemic of viral Hepatitis, or Hepatitis C. In Stanislaus County, reports of Hepatitis C fluctuate wildly, from lows of 234 cases in 2007 to 778 cases in 2008. There is at present no systematic way […]