On the day that the citizens of Modesto voted down Measure X, voters in Stockton passed the sales tax increase on their ballot. In fact, of ten cities that had sales tax increases on their ballots, Modesto was the only one whose measure failed to pass. KCRA-TV Channel 3 News reported this week that because of passage of the sales tax increase, Stockton will be able to hire 118 new police […]
Measure X Modesto
Bee Says No to Modesto, Yes to Developers
The tipoff that the Modesto Bee was going to oppose Measure X came when the Bee suddenly decided to cover the Ridenour administration. Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour’s term ended in 2012. He enjoyed eight years in office that were remarkably free from scrutiny. It was only at the tail-end of his tenure that Ridenour’s administration received any criticism, and that involved the SCAP scandal. And just weeks ago, the Bee […]
City Of Modesto Needs To Pass Sales Tax Increase, by Bruce Frohman
Citizens of Modesto have expressed plenty of reasons to vote against Measure X in the November election. However, the city very much needs the revenue of a sales tax increase. Over the past decade, the number of city employees and level of city services have declined substantially. With police department staffing at a historic low for officers per capita, the department is no longer able to effectively fight crime. Response times are inadequate to catch […]