Truth About Patterson

The Truth Doesn't Hate To Say We Told You So ...

You know how people always say, “I hate to tell you so …”? Why do they say that? When I get to tell that to my husband, I kind of like it. I told him we should wait until spring to plant our yard flowers. He rushed right along. Then the bad weather wiped it out and we have to start again. I told him so!

But that’s not a big deal. The big deal is that the West Park Crows Landing idea has cleared a major hurdle. Here is how the Modesto Bee put it:

The plan to bring short-haul freight trains to Crows Landing got another boost this week with a recommendation for millions of dollars in funding from the California Transportation Commission staff.

The controversial short-haul rail proposal between the Port of Oakland and Crows Landing should get $25 million from the state's $3 billion Trade Corridor Improvement Fund, according to the recommendation.

I guess we can overlook the Journalism 101 cheap shot by the Bee writer who terms the plan “controversial.” Maybe if it wasn’t “controversial” it would have gotten $25 billion?

Anyway, this seems like very good news. Do we need to do a Google search to see if there’s been a lot of other news about Patterson being on the receiving end of $25 million in Trade Corridor Improvement Fund dollars? I don’t think so, because it ain’t been happening.

A good story in the Irrigator also.

Here is a note about this money. My understanding is that this is how the state apportions the dollars from bonds and other projects for transportation. Now California is a big state and our transportation needs are endless. And there is a huge competition for this money. I think Northern California always loses. We’re smaller and more rural that Southern California, and if you line up our representatives in Sacramento against the representatives from down south, we lose most every time.

This is why Becky Campo gets my dander up. I know she’s against it. Everyone knows it. And one of the reasons she is opposed is because she used to say that the project would never qualify for the money. No money, no project. And from that perspective, I have always thought let’s wait and see. If Crows Landing cannot get the money, I say then it looks like it will not happen.

But it now looks like it will get the money! Isn’t that good news? Isn’t that supposed to be a reason to celebrate? Not to Becky. She is as unhappy as ever. Here is a quote that made me the Truth want to scream.

"I still don't think it's a good project," Patterson Mayor Becky Campo said. "We felt we would be able to convince the CTC staff. I'm just disappointed, that's all."

Our esteemed City Attorney did not do much better: “I’m disappointed and surprised,” City Attorney George Logan said shortly after reviewing the recommendations.

Back to Becky. She admits that she lobbied the state NOT to send money to a Patterson project. That’s just swell. She is saying let’s not reform Crows Landing. Let’s just leave it the way it is. Let’s leave it as an eyesore and an embarrassment and covered in graffiti and full of crime. People are being robbed and even killed there. What is she doing about it?

This story of the delivery man robbed of pizza and soda is a topic of conversation in our house. If my son wanted to get a job as a deliveryman at that pizza place, I would tell him no way in this world. And I wonder how many parents would say anything different. I know a lot of jobs like this can be dangerous, and when I waited tables somebody robbed a register where I worked. But Crows Landing is an especially dangerous place. Have we already forgotten the brawling and our town’s first murder since 2004?

I’m getting pretty steamed. I think this is serious. People can choose to live in a lot of different places these days. We should be worried that more and more people will not live around here.

I’m going to end here with a last thought. I do not know if the West Park plan is going to be an amazing thing that makes us all ecstatic and one day brings the Super Bowl to Patterson. We need to hold everyone to their promises. Kamilos says he will get the money, build the project and create new jobs, help air pollution and take cars off the roads. Those are pretty big words. Let’s hold him to his promises, and see if he can deliver. But trying to sabotage the idea is not fair. 

The Truth Shall ... Make One Very Busy

We have been experiencing some technical difficulties.  Maybe our site is being messed with again?

Been some trouble with the blog and posts.  So we are getting up to date.

Whew!  The Truth has been as busy as it can remember.  Kids, family, work and keeping up with all the news.  The springtime is always fully scheduled.  In-laws will soon be visiting with the Easter holiday.

And that last part is where some new posts will be able to be written.  Got to take a break from all running around ...

What To Think About The Environment?

Count all of us at the Truth as a little conflicted about the current wave of environmental issues and all the politics that arises from that issue. On the one hand, we love nature – we are frequent campers (thank goodness for our friends who introduced us to Bodega Bay), we love to visit nature, and have even rafted and skied and biked and hiked all over. We support doing what we can to preserve this and other beautiful areas. If there’s a plan that even calls for a tax or a fee that would really make a difference, we do not reject it willy-nilly.

But we are very skeptical of all the environmental action that seems a bit over-the-top. Global warming? Seems far-fetched to us. And we are not any more convinced when Jerry Brown starts suing people over it. Also, are we the only ones surprised to look up and see that he was first elected governor of California more than 33 years ago?

Anyway, this comes to mind after we read the reports about the latest go-around about the West Park Crows Landing project. This time, City Attorney George Logan got into the act, saying that the plan would be bad for air quality.

Here’s the clip from the Modesto Bee:

Logan revealed a city-commissioned air quality study that he said showed the rail project would create substantial air pollution problems in and around Patterson. The study, by Autumn Wind Associates of Newcastle, said diesel particulate matter from train and truck traffic associated with the project would pose potential health hazards for Patterson residents.

The article also includes the claim by Kamilos and company that the plan would be good for air quality because it would remove some of the truck traffic from our roads.

We at the Truth are not scientists, and certainly not climatologists. But we are troubled by this war of words and what we’re supposed to think about it. We take what Logan said very seriously, but we have to ask some questions. 

Since the city is opposed to Kamilos, isn’t it obvious that a city-commissioned air quality study would support its point of view? This has nothing to do with the straightforwardness of Autumn Wind Associated of Newcastle, but would they have been hired if the city did not know what they might find? Maybe City Attorney George Logan would find himself out of a job if he took a position contradictory to the mayor and city council?

But think of this: We must also be skeptical of any Kamilos-financed study. If he says that John Doe Wind Associates of Newcastle has a report that says his plan is great, don’t we need to think about that?

The Truth is just looking for the truth. Maybe everyone can agree on that?

The Tour De Patterson

A great day for Patterson a few days ago! Our city was once again a featured stage in the annual Tour of California cycling race, particularly Stage 3, which stretched from Stockton to Modesto. A good description is here:

“… a 26-mile section full of twists and turns marked by a series of climbs near Frank Raines Regional Park, leading to a relentless climb over the backside of Mt. Hamilton. With an elevation of 4,360 feet, Mt. Hamilton will be one of the highest elevations ever reached in the Amgen Tour of California. After the descent, the riders will head to Sierra Road, another epic climb. Once the riders crest Sierra Road, the peloton will complete the course with a quick 18-mile run to the finish line in San Jose.”

The Truth and family were out there cheering them on! We have to feel good about this line from the Irrigator story:

Race course director Eric Smith said he was pleased with the third leg of the seven-stage tour. “It was one of the best days we’ve ever had for sprints,” he said, adding that the sound of the cheering children on West Las Palmas Avenue sent a chill through him.

Here is a great map of Stage 3 – and here is a very detailed summary of that section of the race. We liked the reference to the “beasts known as Mt. Hamilton and Sierra Road.” Can you imagine climbing that on a bicycle? Of course, the Irrigator had good photos as well.

Initially, we were somewhat skeptical how it would all turn out, especially with all the students lining the streets. This is not to mention the many scenes we see from the Tour of fans either interfering with riders, or somehow crashing into them. Here is a note we found in USA Today.

But this turned out to be a very good day and a very fun time. We even think local officials did a good job!

All The News That's Fit To ... Depress

This is what I mean by Patterson and our neighboring areas need new and expanded economic development.

Just go to the Patterson Irrigator website:

• Patterson Unified School District’s board this week discussed eliminating 30 positions in a worst-case scenario to cope with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed state budget cuts 

• Frontier Communications, which became Patterson's telecommunications services provider late last year, has gone through a round of local layoffs during the past two weeks 

• Homeowners around Orange and Sycamore avenues are worried that a new city well in their neighborhood might leave them waterless. Patterson City Council sees disaster on the horizon if the city cannot get more water 

• The golf courses and clubhouse in the developing community of Diablo Grande are temporarily closed for general use, golf club members were told this week

• Dwain Sanders, vice president of development for the Diablo Grande, which stands in Oak Flat Valley about eight miles southwest of Patterson, said the closure is for financial reasons

• Patterson’s city staff has been trying to build a skate park for years, but so far, the city has not found the money to do it

• On Tuesday, the council unanimously decided to look for a company to design the park, but members did not say how they planned to pay for the services

And you wonder why fewer people read the paper these days: Cutting education professionals from local schools, our phone company in financial straits, an emerging water crisis even following large rainfall, a beautiful golf course near bankrupt and the embarrassing display of the city saying it is enthusiastic about a skate park and then pleading poverty to the most involvement of young people in City Hall in anyone’s memory.

Above and beyond the debates of right now, Patterson has some hard thinking to do, and it had better decide to move forward with business friendly policy, a commitment to quality of life and the master plan to keep our city’s traditions intact. That should not be dreaming the impossible dream.

We think that may have had something to do with Measure E’s landslide win. People want action. And they don’t trust that politicians won’t give away the store to developers in favor, and shut everyone else out. That’s why term limits are attractive: If we can’t prevent the special interests from staying around forever, we can sure shuffle the deck of politicians they have to deal with.

The worst part of it is that some people in Patterson are getting rich … while educators get laid-off, water systems dry up and skateboard parks get supported but not built. Good grief.

Who Says Term Limits Aren't Popular?

Well, the results are in. And support for term limits in California is as strong as ever.

If you watched any TV at all over the last few weeks, chances are you were bombarded with commercial after commercial in favor of Proposition 93, which would have allowed many legislators currently in office to stay several years longer. Naturally, they were the most enthusiastic supporters of this term limits charade, and raised millions and millions of dollars to convince us of their point of view.

So they flooded the state with ads. They said it was important for our economy. The said it would promote a more effective Legislature. They said it would help the next time we had a serious disaster.

About one-tenth as many television ads told the truth about the initiative.

And the voters figured it out and rejected Proposition 93.

This is why The Truth is closely following the initiative being introduced here in Patterson. We were intrigued by something Bill O’Reilly said once about politics being “a performance business.” Like that analogy.

As we haven’t been getting much in the way of politician performance lately – un-cashed checks forgotten in a drawer, insider developer deals, school riots, worsening housing crisis, etc. – some will of course be thinking that the time is right for term limits here.

Now, this will probably be an uphill fight. While a lot of the people we talk to are frustrated by things here in Patterson, we haven’t yet detected a boiling over level of citizen anger. Mostly nice people live here.

Anyway, looking at the returns from Tuesday night, Stanislaus County voted just barely against Proposition 93 (51% to 49%), while the rest of the state voted 54% to 46%. Isn’t it interesting that San Joaquin County voted almost exactly like the rest of the state?

So it looks as though the local measure will have to wage a heck of a campaign, but that it is certainly  a winnable race. What The Truth is waiting for is how the term limits opponents will campaign. If they follow the same tactics of all the smart and slick people who spent a ton of money and made a ton of money on Proposition 93, then the local officials here had better get out their moving boxes. Because they will soon be living under term limits.

Can You Handle The Truth?

I’m no philosophy expert, but Gandhi once said, “Truth never damages a cause that is just.” As a movie buff, I remember very well the character Jack Nicholson played who screamed “You can’t handle the truth!” at Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men.

That’s why I started this blog. Patterson needs the absolute truth. And if I have to be the one to deliver it, so be it.

So many people I talk to have heated opinions about some of the more controversial things happening in our community. An anonymous video on YouTube that recently took aim at local politician Jim DeMartini who is leading the charge against the Kamilos mega-project in Crows Landing seems to be on everyone's mind. As for Kamilos, he really bears watching. We need to hold him accountable for all the promises he’s making around town if his project ever gets built.

A letter from today’s Modesto Bee about Claude Delphia’s mudslinging makes some good points. I don’t know that I totally agree with all of the letter writer’s conclusions about Mark Geragos, but worth a look, especially the words about this area’s “good-old-boy” network.

Back to the video … by the time I got around to watching it someone had taken it down. Apparently it was full of conflict of interest allegations. If it did not contain the truth, then shame on the video maker.

I don't know DeMartini. And I don't know what's happening.  Other than the article written by Bee reporter Jeff Jardine. Anyway, the Truth is troubled. The real issues to me are the facts, not just the intrigue.

This woman named Donna Worley is an example. She says she’s a political activist for a living, but not for money and she’s trying to become a school teacher. She doesn’t seem too scary to me, but if she wants to teach around here, she better be ready to rumble and break up huge fistfights on campus. I still think that was the single most depressing thing that happened in Patterson last year.

Arguably, the school incident would seem to be a little more important than a YouTube video.

Am I the only one troubled by how this came to light? The papers reported that Whorley bought these videos from local production man Gordon Barbosa.  How did the press find this out? He told them. I don’t know Barbosa, but if I need some videos, he’s one person I WILL NOT be calling. And to all my readers, if you do buy anything from Barbosa, don’t give him your credit card number. He has a habit of giving personal information out.

And, by the way, he alleges only Whorley had access to the videos but a seemingly obvious fact seems to have escaped notice – Barbosa also had them ... interesting, isn't it?

I am also laughing that the Truth has been connected to other local blogs because we are all using the “Domains by Proxy.” I am cracking up!! Did they bother to even check that there must be hundreds of thousands of bloggers who use this same service all over the world? Are they all connected in one big global blogging conspiracy?

This is like saying that because my daughter’s history paper is written in Times New Roman, and the latest John Grisham novel is also written in Times New Roman, both authors must be linked! I think she’s a pretty good writer, but I can keep a secret if you can! ;)

By the way, the reason why people do that with proxy domains is because they want anonymity. Good reason for that. In Patterson, it seems like if you don’t want to be harassed or intimidated you should want to be as anonymous as possible.

I am angry and frankly a little worried because I suspect there is some computer hacking or attempted hacking going on. People just can’t stand that they don’t know my identity and they hate the fact that I am writing the truth about their lies.

With all of this going on, I’ve had to build firewall after firewall to protect myself. Who can you trust in this issue? Kamilos? Hillwood?  DeMartini?  Worley? Barbosa?  The newspapers? Government officials?  Mark Geragos?  Intimidation is one thing, but hacking is I-L-L-E-G-A-L people.

From what I can tell, it looks like the Truth site has been cyber-attacked repeatedly. And hackers, you know who you are.  Friends in the tech business have given me a few tips on how to identify anyone who tries to gain illegal entry on this site.

Just a warning: If you break the law I will go straight to the police and I won't stop until you are in jail.

There's a story that I would hope the Irrigator and the Stockton Record and the Modesto Bee and even the San Francisco Chronicle should be checking into. You reporters can even do it anonymously.

Where in the world is Carmen Sabatino's radio audience?

I’m sort of a morning person – family and kids will do that to you – so by 10:00 a.m. or so, I’m very much awake.  And this is a good thing, because that’s when one of the worst shows on radio hits the airwaves.  I am, of course, talking about the “Morning Mayor Show” on KMPH. 

Everyone seems to know about Carmen Sabatino, local restaurant owner and the former Mayor of Modesto.  I suppose more than a few see him as an engaging and interesting figure.  But he seems more like an embarrassment to me.

He sure has been around for a while, but what has he really achieved?  Is Modesto really better off because of its long association with him?  More like the other way around. And is he even popular? His radio show used to be on during drive time, but the ratings must have warranted a move to the “dead zone” hours later.

In following the Mayor’s somewhat puzzling return to public life, isn’t anyone going to ask the obvious question:  Doesn’t he have anything to say about his criminal trial and the hung jury that kept him out of jail? It may have had a lot to do with his third-place, landslide defeat for re-election in 2003.

Of course, Da Former Mayor is innocent until proven guilty.  But this does not mean that he should have a platform to carp and complain about whatever pops into his head while he’s desperately waiting for someone to call in to his show.

Separated at birth?

Claude Delphia / Community Columnist               

Burl Ives   

Holiday Snowman

 

Are We Better Off Now ...?

One thing I’ve always liked about Patterson is the number of families who call the city home. During the time that my family and I have been here, we have enjoyed many community fairs, parades, school activities, sports events and other gatherings that I think strengthen the fabric of this city.

At least that’s the way I used to think.

Can anyone say with any degree of confidence that things in Patterson are better now, than they were even four years ago?

Is Patterson still the same friendly and welcoming city that it was a couple of years ago?

An interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal describes a very interesting trend: The rise of family-friendly cities. I thought this was worth including because of the very definite decision that many cities have taken to reach out to families and make their towns and neighborhoods places they want to live, work and raise a family.

This line especially got my attention: It’s lifestyle – not lattés – that our most productive workers want.

Some of us already knew this, but it’s always good to read a helpful reminder.

So let me ask you: Do you think that Patterson – with it’s struggling school, stagnant economy and deteriorating infrastructure – promoting the best lifestyle possible?

This article from the Irrigator spells out a very disturbing trend of a housing mess that is negatively affecting our city – and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

As the Irrigator puts it:

Those who question the dire nature of the housing market these days need only take a drive through some of Patterson’s newer housing developments to see its effects. Dead lawns and overgrown brush on many streets mark homes that were vacated after properties were foreclosed or neglected by investor-owners.

Is this the kind of economic and industrial condition that ought to move so many residents of Patterson to try to restrict new developments, create new jobs and raise the standard of living for all of us?