Propositions are established via citizen petitions or by order of the State Legislature for an assortment of reasons. Some propositions amend the state constitution, requiring a vote of the citizens. Some proposals intend to undo decisions made by the state legislature or to circumvent the legislative process. Some propositions favor special interests. There are twelve propositions on the California ballot for the November election. Voters will need to wade through […]
Bruce Frohman
Does the Modesto City Council Really Listen?
The greatest honor of my life was the four years I served on the Modesto City Council, from 1999 to 2003. During my term on the council, I vowed I would do my best to put personal prejudices aside and represent the will of the citizens who elected me. As one of my colleagues liked to remind me, I was naïve and idealistic. While I agreed with his assertion, I hoped that […]
The Even Darker Side of Salida Politics
Emerson Drake caused a minor sensation recently when he reported contents of an email from Bruce Frohman to Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh. In the email, Frohman offered to write an opposition argument to the Stamp Out Sprawl (SOS) ballot initiative. Drake claimed the email was evidence Frohman had gone over to the “Dark Side.” Given the context, “Dark Side” most likely meant “pro-development.” Since Frohman and I communicate frequently, I […]
Jeff Denham Sends Misleading Report to Constituents, by Bruce Frohman
Below is a copy of the text of an email sent by Congressman Jeff Denham on October 3rd, 2013, the 3rd day of the government shut down. It is misleading and dishonest. This writer’s comments are highlighted in capitalized bold text at the end of each paragraph of Denham’s message. DENHAM WRITES: Dear friend, Many constituents have contacted my office or spoke with me during my recent tele-town hall regarding current appropriations negotiations, […]
Home Builders Control City Council, Harm Local Economy, by Bruce Frohman
Nobody at City Hall will ever admit it, but home builders control Modesto’s government. Campaign contributions help elect shills to the City Council. The shills take instruction from those who helped them get elected. Some have even gotten text messages during Council meetings. Former Modesto Mayor Carmen Sabatino has battled special interest groups for years, but the groups’ abundance of money and ambitious citizens willing to work for them is never ending. The reason is simple. There’s financial gain […]
Citizens of Salida Will Decide Their Future, by Bruce Frohman
The City of Modesto has started an effort to annex the small unincorporated town of Salida. In doing so, the citizens of Salida will be forced to decide their town’s future. They have three basic options. They can annex to the City of Modesto, incorporate as their own city, or leave themselves unincorporated. The Annexation Option If Salida annexes to the City of Modesto, residents will get the advantage […]
Salida Probably Will Not Be Annexed To the City Of Modesto, by Bruce Frohman
In 2005, this writer ran for a seat on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. I lost the race to the incumbent, Jeff Grover. During the race, I talked to voters living in Salida, an area I would have represented had I been elected. Many Salida voters did not want to be annexed into the City of Modesto. They thought that if they were annexed, their taxes and fees […]
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 […]