The two best economic indicators last week weren’t in the business section of your daily newspaper. Instead, they came in the form of a political announcement and a little-noticed vote by one of the most obscure committees in county government. The political announcement was Dave Lopez’s formal declaration he would run for Mayor of Modesto against incumbent Garrad Marsh. Citing his opposition to Marsh’s proposal for an increase in the […]
Supervisor Jim DeMartini
Stanislaus County’s Sinking Aquifer: How Low Can We Go?
While everyone was watching salmon, someone robbed the water bank. That’s all we can conclude while watching another silly argument about fish while growers in eastern Stanislaus County drain one of the last great aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley. Not that depleting aquifers is anything new around here. Well over fifty years ago we set a dubious record for subsidence, and by all appearances we’re hell-bent on breaking it […]
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 […]