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

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About

Time for Mayor Marsh to Stand Up for Wood Colony

January 25, 2014 By Eric Caine 6 Comments

Marsh, Hawn, Zoslocki
Marsh, Hawn, Zoslocki

Richard Nixon and Jerry Brown have shown that while politicians don’t have nine lives, they often have at least more than one. The thought must be comforting to Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh, because since taking office he’s seemed intent on political suicide.

Almost simultaneously with being sworn in, he announced he was going annex Salida. There were only two things wrong with the proposal, both of which were toxic: (1) He never offered a good explanation of his reasoning and (2) he didn’t bother to poll the people of Salida, who seemed almost to the person vehemently against the idea.

Marsh’s next move was brave, much needed, and had little chance for success. The proposal for a one percent sales tax was one of the best ideas anyone’s had in years to remedy our problems with public safety and maintenance. Unfortunately, Modesto and Stanislaus County are hot zones of anti-tax hysteria.

It didn’t help when the Modesto Bee, which prefers a growth-inducing road tax, pumped the mistrust for government meme into what amounted to character assassination of a mayor and city council the Bee had endorsed almost all across the board. Even so, the tax proposal lost by only a narrow margin. Credit Marsh for almost pulling it off.

Nonetheless, the loss made Marsh 0 for two. It also made many of his supporters wonder what had happened to the man who had campaigned on smart growth and farmland preservation.

Marsh’s supporters have been even more puzzled by his behavior during the Wood Colony controversy. Instead of taking a strong stand in opposition to including Wood Colony in Modesto’s general plan, Marsh has at times seemed to support the idea.

He’s shown little sympathy for Wood Colony landowners and their way of life, and seems not to recognize the value of the soil under the feet of the people who farm the land their forefathers found and helped turn into one of the best agricultural regions in the world.

During his campaign against Brad Hawn and Bill Zoslocki, Marsh said he believed in “building up, not out.” When Zoslocki, now a member of the City Council, said our greatest need was for “shovel-ready” land, Marsh replied that we already had plenty of “shovel-ready land.”

Based on his campaign promises, Marsh’s supporters had every reason to believe he would be at the forefront of efforts to preserve prime farmland. Wood Colony is a watershed issue and comes at a point in Marsh’s term in office when he urgently needs to rally his base.

Garrad Marsh still has time to take a strong stand in favor of leaving Wood Colony alone. Inclusion of Wood Colony in Modesto’s General Plan is such a bad idea even the Modesto Bee, which ordinarily favors any Chamber of Commerce proposal, has come out against it.

If Mayor Marsh doesn’t take the lead in protecting Wood Colony, he can count on losing a large portion of his political base. He will also increase the likelihood that Modesto’s next mayor will be yet another in a long line of candidates dedicated to growth at any cost.

It’s time for Modesto’s Mayor to make good on his campaign promises and stand up for Wood Colony.

Filed Under: Featured, Politics Tagged With: Garrad Marsh, Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh, Wood Colony Modesto

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jory Taber says

    January 25, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Nice work. Love the phrase, “anti-tax hysteria”

    Reply
  2. Eric Caine says

    January 25, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    Bruce Jones couldn’t make it past the “comment” filter, but did offer the following comment. Here’s Bruce:
    The Mayor surprised many of us with his pattern of supporting the Chamber of Commerce on issues, big and small, and of supporting developers. But I repeat myself. He has missed opportunities to show leadership on creative ideas for improving this town and his administration seems to be a function of maintaining the status quo. We were looking for a new style of advocacy from his office. We await some indicators of progressive leadership.

    Reply
  3. West Sider says

    January 26, 2014 at 3:44 am

    Eric,

    What is supposed to be the mission of a Chamber of Commerce? Seems they ought to be focusing on those businesses and jobs that are currently inside of Modesto. Downtown is half empty. It appears to me the Modesto Chamber of Commerce has been taken over by a few well heeled local development interests. Why does a Chamber of Commerce have a land use function?

    What also boggles my mind is why the City Council even considered the Chamber’s ridiculous map in the first place. My question would be, who is the chamber in the first place that they should get such special consideration? They created their ” Pathway to Sprawl ” behind closed doors. The public wasn’t invited to review and provide input. If the Chamber is given this type of consideration, then the American Farmland Trust, League of Women Voters, and a number of other groups should be allowed to present and submit their own maps. Ridiculous.

    Reply
  4. Eric Caine says

    January 26, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Hello West Sider,
    You’re right that the Chamber has too much influence, as do business interests nationwide. They lobby, they donate to campaigns, they hire people whose only job is to influence legislation, they promote, advertise, and schmooze. The rest of us are usually working and trying to keep up.

    Reply
    • Annette Smith says

      January 26, 2014 at 5:05 pm

      The Chambers role should be to advocate for or against City Council proposals that would have a beneficial or negative impact on their membership. Modesto Chamber of Commerce is now Modesto’s planning authority. Many major metropolitan cities have Chambers that actively weigh in on a General Plan update. In Modesto’s case, the Chamber is the lead agency and the City Council takes direction from them on how to proceed. Perhaps this is a new form of Membership Drive being launched by the Chamber? If you want a say in how the city is governed, get your membership now. There is probably a discount too.

      Reply
    • Gordon Preston says

      January 29, 2014 at 12:20 am

      Hey there City Council & Chamber, you will NOT have voter approval of your “road tax” while land-grabbing Wood Colony

      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

California faces catastrophic flood dangers ? and a need to invest billions in protection
California faces catastrophic flood dangers and a need to invest billions in protection
A new state plan for the Central Valley calls for spending as much as $30 billion over 30 years to prepare for the dangers.
www.latimes.com
Oakland will get millions for the ?inhumane? crisis at one huge homeless encampment. Officials say it?s not enough
Oakland will get millions for the “inhumane” crisis at one huge homeless encampment. Officials say it’s not enough
Gavin Newsom’s administration has awarded Oakland a $4.7 million grant to come up with…
www.sfchronicle.com
Alaska?s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame.
Alaska’s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame.
Mary Peltola won her election by campaigning on a platform to save the state’s prized fisheries. A powerful fishing lobby is standing in her way.
www.politico.com
Jimmy Carter's final foe: A parasitic worm that preyed on millions in Africa and Asia
Jimmy Carter’s final foe: A parasitic worm that preyed on millions in Africa and Asia
One of former President Carter’s biggest hopes is wiping out an infectious parasitic disease that’s plagued humans for millennia. How close is he?
www.latimes.com
Climate Extremes Threaten California?s Central Valley Songbirds - Eos
Climate Extremes Threaten California’s Central Valley Songbirds – Eos
A “nestbox highway” in California’s Central Valley is guiding songbirds to safe nesting sites and giving scientists a peek at fledgling success in a changing climate.
eos.org
Alaska Republican touts benefits of children being abused to death
Alaska Republican touts benefits of children being abused to death
Republican David Eastman suggested the death of child abuse victims could be a “cost savings” to wider society.
www.newsweek.com
Editorial: Newsom's drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
Editorial: Newsom’s drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
Gov. Gavin Newsom has effectively ended environmental regulations protecting California rivers and migratory fish by extending drought-year waivers.
www.latimes.com
Two-thirds of McPherson Square homeless remain on street, D.C. says
Two-thirds of McPherson Square homeless remain on street, D.C. says
As of Thursday, just two of the more than 70 residents of McPherson Square had been placed in permanent D.C. housing.
www.washingtonpost.com
More Building Won?t Make Housing Affordable
More Building Won’t Make Housing Affordable
America’s housing crisis has reached unfathomable proportions. But new construction isn’t enough to solve it.
newrepublic.com
Why YIMBYs are about to sue the daylights out of cities across the Bay Area
Why YIMBYs are about to sue the daylights out of cities across the Bay Area
Housing advocates are about to deliver a message to the Bay Area: Comply with state…
www.sfchronicle.com
At the heart of Colorado River crisis, the mighty 'Law of the River' holds sway
At the heart of Colorado River crisis, the mighty ‘Law of the River’ holds sway
At the heart of tensions over water allotments from the Colorado River is a complex set of agreements and decrees known as the ‘Law of the River.’
www.latimes.com
Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America's largest rainforest
Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America’s largest rainforest
The Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a focus of political battles over old-growth logging and road-building in forests for decades, has received new protection from the Biden administration.
theconversation.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 © 2023 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