Articles by Date

  • Fri, 2012-05-18 10:19

    The annual "Sly Political Network" workshop will meet at 9:00 Saturday morning at the Salida Library, 4835 Sisk Road.  Other meeting places have been the conference room of the Modesto Bee, the Chamber of Commerce and the Modesto Library.  All candidates for office are invited and it is free. 

  • Wed, 2012-05-16 10:26

    Perhaps I am just contrary by nature, but something in the proposed MID water sale debate just strikes me as way off. Monetizing water in an area where supplies are limited is a recipe for disaster. Traditionally, the cost to capture, store, treat and distribute water was the base by which a price was set for water.

    In lean years these costs may rise because it simply cost more to go outside a district to purchase surplus water based on the donors overhead. I would say most people got it, they understood that water was NOT like any other commodity, there are NO substitutes or alternatives to water. Either you have it or you die, period.  

    Prop 218 is an example of limiting the cost of water to actual costs and preventing local governments from overcharging to bolstering their balance sheet.  Put another way, this law limits a governments’ ability to extort money for a necessity.

    Move to today. The debate over a proposed sale of MID water seems to have parties on both sides arguing over price. In my opinion this is nothing but folly and blinding otherwise well intentioned people to the debacle that awaits them in the future.

    Powers within this state know full well what monetizing water will do, it will bring them wealth and power.  These “powers” maybe individuals or governments but the intent is clear. Local utilities and municipalities see only dollar signs and a way out of the financial abyss they have created without ever having to account for their failures. 

  • Mon, 2012-05-14 01:44

     LUNCH WITH THE MAYOR AT NOON

    CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO GO TO THE LIVE STREAM OF THE SHOW

     

    From May 14th -19th John Duarte and Reed Smith, along with other experts will be featured on the Lunch with the Mayor program at 12

    Telephone lines will be open at 846-1814 and the Chat Room will be open all week.

     

     

    You will know

    By former Mayor Carmen Sabatino 

    It's time the Bee publish the truth on the water sale. We will let you know what Johnston, Kieta, and Sly do not know about water.

    In a Sunday editorial Modesto Bee editors Eric Johnston, Joseph Kieta, and Judy Sly have given us their view of the MID water sale to San Francisco.  Their advice to sell is based on false, misleading, and absent information to protect and defend Modesto Irrigation Directors who desire to sell our water asset to pay for their mismanagement of MID finances.

    The editorial pretends to present a reasonable and balanced article. Assumptions are made that

     

  • Fri, 2012-05-11 12:25

     MID PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

    Allan Short 5-10-12

    General Manager

    Modesto Irrigation District

    1231 11th Street

    Modesto, CA 95354

    Subject: Public Records Act Request - COPY

    California Public Records Act

    GOVT. CODE §§ 6250 - 6276.48

     

    Dear Mr. Short:

    The California Legislature has declared that access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state.

    The California Public Records Act (PRA), states that “Public records” include anywriting containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used or retained by DPR regardless of physical form or characteristics. “Writing” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, photocopying, photographing, transmitting by electronic mail or facsimile, and every other means of recording upon any tangible thing, any form of communication or representation, including letters, words, pictures, sounds or symbols or any combination thereof, and any record thereby created, regardless of the manner in which the record has been stored.

  • Mon, 2012-05-07 11:19

    At the Saturday town hall meeting, Mayor Garrad Marsh responded to a question by former Mayor Carmen Sabatino as to whether he was opposed or in favor of the Modesto Irrigation Districts plan to sell water to San Francisco. Marsh said he was uneasy about the Modesto Irrigation District's water sale proposal that could send more than 25,000 acre-feet of water per year to San Francisco.

    He said the initial sale of 2,240 acre-feet was a "drop in the bucket" that wouldn't affect the city, but he was less comfortable with the larger amount.

    "I am not going to say I am absolutely in favor of that," the mayor said.

    When pressed by Sabatino that the 2,200 acre-feet and the 25,000 acre-feet were co-joined, Marsh said, "I need to see that whole analysis. I won't have San Francisco have first rights to our water."

    Mayor Marsh was handed the analysis during the May 1st city council meeting. 

  • Mon, 2012-05-07 11:16

     The public gets five (5) chances to take 3 minutes to make comment tomorrow.  We want to have EVERY person take 15 minutes tomorrow.

     

    Brown /Act cannot require us to ID self

    Time restriction is based upon “reasonableness”

     

     

  • Fri, 2012-05-04 10:10

     Read a citizens letter to MID Board of Directors.

     

    Click Here

  • Thu, 2012-05-03 09:44

     

    The Dirty Secrets

    By Voice of Modesto Staff

    Today May 2, 2012, the Bee is allowing the subject of Sheriff Adam Christianson's ongoing budget temper tantrum to be vetted by a series of sympathetic letters. Yet they miss the real problem. It is not that he mouths off like a spoiled brat (when you look into his youthful crimes and disciplinary past that seems self evident.)

    No, the real outrage is the silent partnership with those who have waged a dirty little war to take out other people in this county so that the salaries and benefits that those people were receiving became "available" for redistribution.

  • Thu, 2012-04-26 00:53

     

    My name is Kurt Abell, and I am the President of the Modesto Golf Club at Dryden Park.  I hold a $960 regular rate annual pass, good for weekday play. Over the past three years, I have purchased an annual pass, and have played between 75-80 rounds per year. I believe my rate of play to be in the average range for annual pass holders.  At 80 rounds per year, I am paying $12 per round. 

     

    In recent months, it has been widely reported that annual pass holders are playing golf for $5-6 per round. For that reported figure to work out, at $6 per round: 

      ~ those paying the senior rate would have to play 134 rounds;

      ~ those paying the regular rate would have to play 160 rounds.

  • Wed, 2012-04-25 00:25

     Stanislaus County has threatened the Patterson City Council that it will demand $6,000 in legal fees if  member Annette Smith does not give up her legal rights.

    Smith announced last night that she has been cleared of a complaint that someone filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. As you recall, it was the Petrulakis lawyers who turned Smith over to the Grand Jury and demanded that $20,000 be spent to go after former Patterson City Attorney George Logan, accusing him of contempt of the jury.  The Logan case was dismissed in court.

     

    EMAIL

    From:     Annette Smith

    To:          Carmen Sabatino

     

     

    Carmen,

     

    When I got to the meeting....there was a letter from the FPPC and a copy of

    the complaint that was filed by.....drum role......Jeff Lustgarten. 

    The complaint was about my legal fees. The FPPC refused to take the

    complaint and cited the reason as it was my legal right. I read the letter