Former Modesto City Councilman Bruce Frohman couldn’t suppress a parting shot at Supervisor Jim DeMartini, whose own parting comments about California seemed to many observers both ungrateful and churlish. ed. According to an article appearing in the July 26, 2019 Modesto Bee, Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini plans to move to Reno after his term expires in 2020. The reasons given for the move were his expectation of paying no […]
Jim DeMartini
Regulate Land, Water, and Crops
When the Lost Angeles Times’ George Skelton proposed government regulation of crops last month, his column sparked a puzzling response from Modesto Bee editors. In, “Our View: Farmers don’t need help deciding what to plant,” the Bee slammed Skelton, saying, “It [Skelton’s column] could only have been written by someone with virtually no knowledge of actual farming.” Skelton may not be an expert on farming, but that’s irrelevant to his […]
Jim DeMartini: The Supervisor on Water, Land Use, and More
Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini farms 1200 acres of prime farmland near the city of Patterson. Much of his land is bordered by the Tuolumne River. Supervisor DeMartini led the way to formation of Stanislaus County’s pioneering agricultural element, which features mitigation for loss of farmland. He has also worked with the Audubon Society to restore native riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat on his property. The Valley Citizen: You finance […]
Supervisors Issue Blank Check to Water Miners
Tuesday, June 10, Stanislaus County Supervisors issued a blank check to water miners. Of those present, only Supervisor Jim DeMartini seemed willing to speak candidly about the process. “This is like squirting water on the outhouse when your house is burning down,” he said. DeMartini was referring to the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee’s (SWAC) seventeen point “action plan.” To many, the plan seems dedicated to avoiding groundwater problems rather than […]
Council to Marsh: Developers Rule!
Supporters of farmland preservation exulted when Garrad Marsh defeated Brad Hawn and Bill Zoslocki in last year’s race for Mayor of Modesto. Marsh’s victory was doubly sweet because it came after Mike Zagaris and George Petrulakis publicly endorsed Hawn. Zagaris and Petrulakis have long been associated with pro-growth policies that resist attempts to protect farmland by mitigation, urban boundaries, or other means. Given Marsh’s long history of work for farmland […]
LAFCo: The Developers’ Best Kept Secret
Ask a Stanislaus County resident what LAFCo is, and there’s a 99% chance you’ll draw a blank look. That same resident may lament the ongoing loss of local farmland and the blighted appearance of empty houses and brown yards but never know that there exists a local government agency charged with preserving farmland and preventing sprawl. Unfortunately, that agency has been the developers’ best kept secret. By the 1950s, the […]
LAFCO: Longest Rehearsal in Regional History Continues
The Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) is a government agency charged with protecting farmland and preventing sprawl. In places like Ventura, Yolo, and Sonoma Counties, LAFCO has played a major role in establishing firm boundaries to protect farmland from urban encroachment. Things are different here in Stanislaus County. “We haven’t done a very good job,” said LAFCO board member Jim DeMartini, who is also a Stanislaus County Supervisor. DeMartini […]
Gerry Kamilos' West Park Starting to Look Like Another Pie in the Sky Scheme
The good news for West Park supporters is that Gerry Kamilos hired the best for his Environmental Impact Review. The bad news is he owes them over a quarter-million dollars. Kamilos’ attorneys, Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley are the platinum standard of California land-use law firms. They literally write the book on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and update it often. They’ve already guided Kamilos through a victorious lawsuit […]