• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Chris Ricci Runs for Modesto City Council

May 28, 2020 By Eric Caine 4 Comments

Chris Ricci familyChris Ricci, the entrepreneur behind the hugely successful and controversial X-Fest concerts that played in downtown Modesto from 2000 through 2016, is running for Modesto’s District 3 City Council seat. Incumbent Kristi Ah You is stepping down.

Ricci says he’s well past the controversies about security and noise that pushed him first to move the X-Fest and then cancel it altogether.

“We’ve got too many serious problems now,” said Ricci last Monday. “We [the city] don’t have any money, and hundreds of businesses might not make it because of the virus.”

Ricci said that ongoing problems in his district include homelessness, tree maintenance and crime, especially vehicle break-ins.

“I’m a consensus builder,” he said, “and we’re going to have to start thinking outside the box.

A good example of this is forestry. We haven’t had the money to properly fund forestry for over ten years. Right now the city can barely keep up with trimming the trees, let alone maintaining them. This isn’t going to change any time soon.

There is a solution out there, a solution that maintains and beautifies the neighborhood but doesn’t break the city financially.”

Well-settled in his home near Modesto Junior College with a teenager heading to Roosevelt Junior High School and a child just learning to walk, Ricci sees cooperation between government, community members, and private enterprise as crucial to making the city work, especially in the near future.

“I see people sitting around arguing about money that’s already spent,” he said of local government. “Almost all the money we have is already allocated, and we can’t expect to have more anytime soon. We’ve got to bring people together to find new ways to get things done with the money we have.”

Recent reports have the City of Modesto facing a $20 million dollar budget shortfall as a result of shutting down the economy in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’ve got to sit down with everyone involved and figure out what to do together,” said Ricci. “One of the problems related to homelessness is a housing shortage. We’ve got to find ways to increase supply. One way is by tinkering with zoning and talking with land owners and developers.”

Chris Ricci and Chris Murphy
Chris Ricci (right)

In addition to his experience with X-Fest promotions, Ricci managed a downtown entertainment venue for 15 years and served for eight years on the City’s Entertainment Commission. He’s especially concerned about the effects of the pandemic on small businesses.

“I build relationships with people and use their strengths to solve problems,” said Ricci, elaborating on his theme of cooperation and consensus. “There aren’t a lot of great ways to increase tax revenue other than supporting local business. It’s not about throwing money at things, it’s about facilitating business, growth, and the energy of the community.”

The city’s current mayor and city council have been characterized as dysfunctional almost from the beginning. Late last year, the Modesto Bee Editorial Board wrote,

“People are tired of the discord, the accusations, the strife. They also know the best way to change this unfortunate pattern is to change the composition of the council, whose members seem unable or unwilling to trust each other.” 

With his many years of business experience downtown, including years of negotiation with city government, Chris Ricci could bring a much-needed change to a council in dire need of cooperation and consensus. 

“Modesto needs somebody who can find solutions and break the logjam on a variety of issues,” said Ricci. “We need better communication throughout the government.” Few observers of local government over the last few years would disagree.

 

 

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Chris Ricci for Modesto City Council, Chris Ricci X-Fest

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bruce Frohman says

    May 29, 2020 at 1:08 pm

    Chris Ricci will make a great city councilman. He is smart, resourceful, and persistent. After years of stunted social activity in the downtown, Mr. Ricci was able to overcome obstacles to X-Fest created by a reluctant City Council. He brought to the community an annual celebration that was enjoyed by tens of thousands and brought countless dollars into the community.

    We need creative leadership to reinvigorate our stagnant economy. Mr. Ricci will make a difference.

    Reply
  2. Bruce Frohman says

    May 29, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    Mr. Ricci is an intelligent, innovative gentleman who will provide leadership that will reinvigorate our local economy. He is persistent and knows how to succeed where others cannot. His creation of X-Fest was masterful, resulting in tens of thousands of visitors who brought millions of dollars into the local economy without taxpayer subsidies.

    Reply
  3. brad johnson says

    May 29, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    Chris Ricci is exactly the progressive type Modesto needs to move forward from it’s dark past.

    Reply
  4. Nick says

    October 30, 2020 at 10:09 am

    Seems legit. I’m down for anybody trying to better our community. We all need to do what we can to better it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

The Facts of Life - The Bulwark
The Facts of Life – The Bulwark
My suggestion last week that perhaps the best way some of us who’ve been conservatives can now help the country is to help the Biden administration succeed, and help the Democratic party move to the center, seems to have stirred up a minor tempest in the conservative teapot. I asked whether one shouldn’t consider allying…
thebulwark.com
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
Texas’s deregulated electricity market left millions in the dark last week. For the past 20 years, its consumers have paid more for their electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities, a WSJ investigation found.
www.wsj.com
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
Cawthorn has emerged as one of the most visible figures among newly arrived House Republicans, who have promoted baseless assertions and pushed a radicalized ideology that has become a driving force in the GOP.
www.washingtonpost.com
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
The colorful community was built in just 13 weeks!
www.housebeautiful.com
California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'
California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: ‘The devil is already here’
California’s coronavirus strain is more transmissible than its predecessors, is more resistant to vaccines and may cause more severe cases of COVID-19.
www.latimes.com
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden's Sweeping COVID Package
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden’s Sweeping COVID Package
More than 150 business leaders from various industries have signed a letter backing President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP's voters
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP’s voters
www.usatoday.com
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
In the growing community of charismatic Christian prophecy, faith in Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House is a new dividing line.
www.politico.com
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
The New York congresswoman said she would travel to Houston to highlight the problems faced by Texans hit by power outages and freezing weather.
www.newsweek.com
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
How the right-wing talk radio icon corrupted the Republican Party, spread hate, racism, and lies, and laid the groundwork for Trumpism
www.rollingstone.com
?I Don?t Trust the People Above Me?: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
Interviews with 19 current and former officers show how failures of leadership and communication put hundreds of Capitol cops at risk and allowed rioters to get dangerously close to members of Congress.
www.propublica.org
Opinion | Trump’s Non-Vindication
Opinion | Trump’s Non-Vindication
He may run again, but he won’t win another national election.
www.wsj.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design