Archive By Section - Local Columns
Getting Manteca’s affordable housing strategy in order
Is the city not making an effort to procure affordable housing in Manteca? Not exactly. Is Manteca doing all it can to promote affordable housing: No. Manteca leaders in a way have paid lip service to affordable housing over the past decade or so. The latest example was when they proclaimed the workforce housing crisis solved when prices started plunging so therefore they shelved recommendations by a committee they appointed to come up with strategies ...
Mothball aerial fire truck to save $1.1M annually
The day of reckoning is about to arrive. April revenue figures together with cost recovery strategies and cuts being put in place will give Manteca municipal leaders a clear picture of the bottom line. Depending upon those figures, Manteca may need to cut anywhere from $2 million to $4 million by July 1 to balance the 2009-10 budget. Unless something gives – employee group wage and benefit concessions at least on a temporary basis – ...
Going from sound walls to inviting travel corridors
The old walled city of Manteca was a forbidding place. It was a place where asphalt and concrete was king as nothing broke up monotonous corridors of asphalt, concrete and masonry walls save for a few stunted trees doing their best to avenge their treatment by having their roots push up nearby sidewalk. The sound walls attracted graffiti, hemmed in dust and debris, and served as a passive reservoir for the oppressive sun of summer ...
HOUSING ELEMENT
To access City Manager Steve Pinkerton's blog go to www.ci.manteca.ca.us/blog/
The Muthart Plan: Ultimate 4 percent mortgage solution
It's too bad President Obama didn't pick Jim Muthart as the architect of his stimulus plan to get the economy rolling again instead of Tim Geithner.
Full disclosure sticker for new home buyers
Transparency is now all the rage at all levels of government. It is easy to understand why. The well is going dry in terms of options on how many ways are left to skin a taxpayer. It's about time transparency is more than mere lip service although a lot of folks in government still have one heck of a ways to go before they are crystal clear about what they are doing with our money. ...
The ‘Stick, the Giants and the perfect seats
A photograph of Candlestick Park is thumb-tacked on the wall facing the desk of reporter Jason Campbell.
More to cost of Almond Court than meets the eye
You've got to love some newspaper reporters. It is against their nature to report on anything unless they can show there is conflict. Such is the case with the Almond Court subsidized low-income senior apartment complex dedicated on Monday on North Union Road in Manteca. The Modesto Bee had to give the story "tension" so they found a real estate agent who brokers apartments in the Northern San Joaquin Valley – 100 complexes in the ...
Whatever happened to landscaping at Yosemite & 99?
What's the name of Manteca's official flower? Apparently it is the weed. Weeds are what grace Manteca's front door at Yosemite Avenue and Highway 99 in a testimonial to the fact government moves at a pace that would put your garden variety snail to sleep waiting for results. The project is more overdue than government spending reform in Sacramento. The landscaping of the areas along the freeway ramps and medians on Yosemite Avenue is part ...
PG&E: The model of American-style hybrid-socialism
If your neighborhood socialist – aka congressmen, senators and legislators – used your tax dollars to prop up AIG while AIG was selling you a commodity that they kept hiking the price on, how would you react? And what if while you're on a fixed income, in a wage freeze or have lost your job and the AIG division that you had no choice but to buy the commodity from gives its CEO a 5 ...
The saga of the lead balloon
The Bible tells us to be slow to anger in Proverbs 14:29. It means that we shouldn't fly off the handle when something or someone rubs us the wrong way. I have obeyed this wise saying this last two weeks. I am referring to the column that our City Manager Steve Pinkerton wrote two weeks ago in response to my "Lead Balloon" column in this newspaper, which appeared, on March 20. He was fairly critical ...
Up illegal cell phone use while driving fine to $1K
Enough is enough. If the California Legislature really wants to eliminate the deficit, they should hike the fine for holding and using your cell phone while driving to $1,000. The state could go from deficit to surplus faster than you can download the theme song to the old TV show "CHiPS." Over the years, I've seen a lot of close calls between motorists and other drivers preoccupied with yakking on a cell and turning into ...
Yes Jack is back with more thoughts
Think you've seen everything? Well how about this one. Some people are really into exercising their pets...On a recent drive through a new subdivision in north Manteca I came upon a gentleman driving his pickup truck down the street with his dog trotting alongside the vehicle. What's different or wrong with that? The driver was holding onto a leash as he drove. The leash was attached to the dog's collar.
Paying the price for board putting ‘wants’ ahead of ‘needs’ in schools
There's one danger in playing chicken. If the other guy doesn't flinch you've got to face the music.
California’s state motto: If it isn’t nailed down, tax it
Let me tell you How it will be. There's one for you, Nineteen for me, 'Cause I'm the taxman. Yeah, I'm the taxman. Should five percent Appear too small, Be thankful I don't Take it all. 'Cause I'm the taxman. Yeah, I'm the taxman. If you drive a car, I'll tax the street. If you drive to city, I'll tax your seat. If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat. If you take a ...
Articles by Section - Local Columns
Shooting a hole in the debate over gun control
Here's a little nugget for those embroiled in the debate over gun control: Young men kill.
Ammo sales & ‘The Obama Effect’
Almost four years ago, I wrote a column entitled "The Obama Effect" in which I described how fear and distrust of our then newly elected President created panic among our citizenry and that there were massive shortages of almost every kind of ammunition imaginable.
Safeguards against PG&E style file browsing at Manteca City Hall
Is the plan PG&E proof?
Tax Internet sales until virtual cops can protect us
The Internet.
Summer heat and keeping dogs safe
DEAR DIDI: It hasn't been all that hot yet but I noticed when I was walking my English Bulldog the other day he refused to stay on the sidewalk. Can you tell me about temperatures for walks and what I should watch for when I take her in the car? -Worried Mommy in Manteca
Taxes you pay go to PG&E & not Headstart
Pundits - and editorial cartoonists - are having a field day over Congress' decision to restore funding for air traffic controllers while letting programs such as Headstart for low-income kids and Meals on Wheels for shut-in senior citizens take federal budget hits.
The Pope and Godless capitalism
"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis.
Cinco de Mayo is as American as you can get
People need to stop having heart palpations over Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Meeting your Ripon neighbors at jury duty, plus an unexpected pleasure over lunch
Meeting a couple of Ripon folks, and one from Linden and another from Tracy was an unexpected pleasure in my brief two days of jury duty this week – especially when four of us just happened to go out to lunch together on Thursday.
Kentucky Derby’s horse tie to French Camp
FRENCH CAMP – It's a funny thing, this horse racing business.
Guns: Being judged by 12 instead of being carried by 6
She's a single mom in her early 30s. She lives in an old farmhouse in an almond orchard five miles east of Manteca. The closest neighbor is a quarter mile of a way but the trees make it impossible to see their home.
Want a safe environment for vacation? Then stay out of Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is not Disneyland.
Perhaps Manteca should work with Wal-Mart to create a homeless park
The aging RV was parked under a stately tree providing relief from the 90-degree midday heat.
Count your blessings that disco didn’t survive the ‘70s
Bell bottom pants. Flare-leg pants. Men's rayon tie scarves. Polyester suits.
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