“Terminator” returning to State Fair?

By Zachary Johnson | Published: February 16, 2010 | 0 Comments

The county’s Board of Supervisors today officially declared the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation would be the county’s official representative at the 2010 California State Fair.

Which means the organization will build the county’s fair exhibit. Last year’s exhibit drew a lot of attention. It contained a 15-foot sculpture of a red-eyed robot that bore a resemblance to the killer cyborg made famous by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator during his acting days.

“I think that may be a reference to someone in office in Sacramento,” said Bruce Blodgett, executive manager of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation.

The robot will likely make return appearance this year, Blodgett said. It could be doing something like, say, filling a swimming pool, he said. (The county and the state have been known to differ on water issues.)

“The Terminator may be back,” Blodgett said.

Posted in Supervisors, Uncategorized, Water | 0 Comments

Response to VA rejection

By Zachary Johnson | Published: February 9, 2010 | 0 Comments

At the end of January, San Joaquin County found out the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs had rejected two proposals to build a new medical facility and nursing home by San Joaquin General Hosptial in French Camp.

The county sent this letter to Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki. It refutes the VA’s rejection letters, which cited lack of infrastructure and proximity to amenities as reasons the two county proposals were dropped. Here’s a link to the letter.

The letter is also posted on Supervisor Leroy Ornellas’ home page, where the you can take a look at the county’s proposals and other documents from the years-long pursuit of the new facilities.

Posted in Veterans | 0 Comments

CD11 Republican Candidates

By Zachary Johnson | Published: January 15, 2010 | 0 Comments

Not every photograph taken at an event makes it into the paper the next day. Not by a long shot.

At an event like Monday’s candidate forum hosted by the South San Joaquin Republicans, it would be difficult to include a closeup shot of each of the six candidates and still have room for much else in the paper.

But if you’d like to see a tighter shot of these six candidates, check out photographer Clifford Oto’s blog post on the candidates (and the color red).

Posted in CD11 | 0 Comments

Collection of commissions and committees and a broad bundle of boards

By Zachary Johnson | Published: January 12, 2010 | 0 Comments

A supervisor’s meeting duties don’t begin and end at in Board Chambers every Tuesday. Just how many panels the individual members belong to becomes apparent whenever the annual list of assignments is released.

This year, supervisors were placed on a total of 48 boards, commissions and committees. Water is the raison d’être for 10 of them. (That’s 11 if you count the Port Commission.)

Here’s a link to the assignments: Click here to read the .pdf

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 0 Comments

We’re Number 13!

By Zachary Johnson | Published: December 8, 2009 | 0 Comments

The foreclosure rate in San Joaquin County puts it 13th among the 3,143 counties in the nation. Pretty dismal, but better than No. 1.

It’s one of the statistics in the report in an agenda item approved by the board today to designate the county as a “Recovery Zone.”

Among the state’s 58 counties, San Joaquin ranks fifth in unemployment, the report continues, citing the state Employment Development Department.

Becoming a Recovery Zone allows the county to issue Recovery Zone Bonds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, beter known as the federal stimulus plan.

Posted in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Housing | 0 Comments

Working together

By Zachary Johnson | Published: December 8, 2009 | 0 Comments

Both county and labor officials have said they need to work together to weather the economic storm ravaging state and local budgets.

The sentiment is repeated in a letter Service Employees International Union Local 1021 sent to County Administrator Manuel Lopez. In the letter, the union also notes “it is not a time for excessive alarmist rhetoric. When the County suggests hundreds of its workers will be laid off, it creates fear in the hearts of thousands of hard working folks who are alread struggling to provide for their families.”

Last month county staff projected a budget deficit of $54 million next year that could result in the elimination of more than 600 positions. Lopez posted a message about the budget report on the county intranet, repeating the 600 employee figure.

The SEIU letter continues: “Make no mistake about it, as a Union we will fight with our collective might to protect the essential services we provide.”

UPDATE: I messed up the link to the letter in my original post. Here’s the letter:

Posted in Budget, SEIU | 0 Comments

DA’s Office on Villapudua

By Zachary Johnson | Published: November 23, 2009 | 0 Comments

From a letter sent by Chief Deputy District Attorney Scott A. Fichtner to the county elections office.

“The relevent question … becomes: Was Carllos Villapudua a registered voter of District One, and was he living in District One, thirty days prior to March 7, 2008?

Our investigation has determined ‘Yes.’”

March 7, 2008 was the filing deadline for nomination papers when Villapudua ran for office. Beverly Foster also ran for that office. Last week a judge threw out her lawsuit contesting the results of the election.

Foster also sent a letter to the District Attorney with the caption: “The 2008 Election Scandal in San Joaquin County,” according to Fichtner’s letter.

Click here to read the letter.

Posted in Foster, Villapudua | 0 Comments

Residence ruling

By Zachary Johnson | Published: November 20, 2009 | 0 Comments

A judge ruled in favor of Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, filed a motion to end a lawsuit filed by former political rival Beverly Foster challenging the legitimacy of his election.

Here’s a link to a copy of San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Lesley Holland’s ruling.

Posted in Elections, Foster, Villapudua | 0 Comments

Delta bloc on canal bill

By Zachary Johnson | Published: November 2, 2009 | 0 Comments

The the five Delta counties agreed to support a bill introduced by Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills, that the Legislature would have to vote to approve a peripheral canal before one is built. It was coauthored by two other local lawmakers: Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres.

Here’s a letter to Huber signed by supervisors from the five counties:


Posted in Delta | 0 Comments

Spot heard round the world (or at least in Orlando)

By Zachary Johnson | Published: October 30, 2009 | 0 Comments

An RTD radio ad recently got a top award from a gathering of transit agencies from around the country in Orlando.

There, the American Public Transportation Association awarded the AdWheel Grand Award for Electronic Media to a spot RTD ran to notify riders about a fare increase, according a press release from RTD. RTD has about 5 million annual passenger trips a year and competed against transit systems with between 4 million and 30 million annual passenger trips.The ad was written by employee Shelly Valenton and voiced, in part, by spokesman Paul Rapp.

You can hear it here: www.sanjoaquinRTD.com/media/audio.php.

www.sanjoaquinRTD.com/media/audio.php.

Posted in RTD, Transportation | 0 Comments