Hittle ruling

By Scott Smith | Published: February 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

Read the judge’s ruling on fired Stockton Fire Chief Ron Hittle.

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The sleeping giant

By Scott Smith | Published: January 30, 2012 | 0 Comments

Former Stockton Councilman Jimmy Rishwain demands that his potential candidacy for mayor be taken seriously. Here’s a four-page letter outlining his candidacy, should he decide to run. His letter is entitled “City of Stockton – The Sleeping Giant.”

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Marshall Plan committee

By Scott Smith | Published: January 30, 2012 | 0 Comments

City Manager Bob Deis says he had trouble recruiting for this committee. Those he approached told him they didn’t want to help write yet another report that went on the shelf to collect dust.

Here’s Deis’ staff report in which he rationalizes hiring a consultant to ride herd on the Marshall Plan. He also provides the consultant’s proposal.

The committee:

Mayor Johnston

Councilman Elbert Holman

Deis

Stockton Police Chief

Patti Mazzilli, Chief Probation Officer

David Warner Presiding Judge of the San Joaquin County Superior Court

Sheriff Steve Moore

DA James Willett

Public Defender Peter Fox

Rev. J. Wayne Bibelheimer, Quail Lakes Baptist Church

Pastor Glen Shields, Progressive Community Church

Doug Wilhoit, Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce

Carl Tolliver, Stockton Unified Superintendent

Bobby Bivens, NAACP

Benjamin Saffold, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Downtown Stockton Alliance

Jose Rodriguez, El Concilio

Ralph Womack, Peacekeepers

Mark Martinez, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Ger Vang, Lao Family Community of Stockton

Sovanna Koeurt, Asian Pacific Self-Development and Residential Association

Deis also said there are a lot more who wished to get on the committee to have a say. To that, he says, a larger group would become unwieldy and therefore ineffective.

“As the committee gets larger, and everyone wants to add their voice to the issue, the process drags out, consensus is harder to achieve and project completion becomes more difficult,” Deis wrote. “There also becomes the urge to dilute recommendations to add more people to the consensus position or recommendation.”

Posted in City Hall, crime | Tagged | 0 Comments

A response to Marshals story

By Scott Smith | Published: January 25, 2012 | 0 Comments

Councilman Elbert Holman said he felt obligated to comment on a story about deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service coming to town. His comments came at the close of last night’s City Council meeting:

As a law enforcement officer … for 34 yrs of my life, I want to applaud the Stockton Police Department for bringing in the U.S. Marshals Office and other entities to try to target habitual offenders and violent offenders in our community.

I have been a part of task force. I’ve helped established task force. I’ve supervised task force. I know that when our departments are strapped with the inability to do certain things that they (can no longer do due) to a lack of manpower, or a lack of other resources, having these other entities in our community to target this segment of our community that seems to be doing most of the crime is a positive.

Make no mistake about it: This will help our crime problem to a certain degree. It’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to the successes they are going to have in our community.

Holman thanked City Manager Bob Deis and interim Police Chief Blair Ulring for their foresight.

Posted in crime, Elbert Holman Jr. | Tagged | 0 Comments

AG in Stockton

By Scott Smith | Published: January 25, 2012 | 0 Comments

The state’s Attorney General Kamala Harris breezed into town under the radar one day last week, Councilwoman Susan Eggman said at the close of last night’s City Council meeting.

Harris came to ground zero of the home foreclosure crisis hear the stories of those families hit hardest, Eggman said, adding that Harris spent two or three hours here, but didn’t want any press.

Eggman didn’t give specifics, but she said we should keep an eye out for Harris to launch some “big work” on this topic.

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Council meeting tonight

By Scott Smith | Published: January 24, 2012 | 0 Comments

The City Council will begin its closed session at 3 p.m. with the open session starting at 5:30 p.m. They’ll talk about the city’s lawsuit with its police union and conference with CM Bob Deis about labor negotiations. Thus far, the city and police union have not begun negotiations on their next contract, a union source said.

Under new business, the agenda says the City Council will take its first baby step toward dismantling the city’s Redevelopment Agency. The process involves creating a successor agency and then forming an oversight board. They have then to disperse with some 30 pieces of property the RDA owns, like the Fox Theatre and less choice pieces of property.

“While there is much speculation concerning the future of these publicly-owned properties, the outcome is far from clear,” Economic Development Department Director Wendy Saunders says in her staff report.

Next on the agenda, the Council will approve bulldozing the Land Hotel on California Street between Weber Avenue and Main Street to make way for a parking lot.

Is the Land Hotel to blame? Here’s a story describing the tortured – and expensive – history of the Land Hotel’s demise.

This hotel sits smack dab in the middle of a tough block. To the left is the former Cali Street Grill, a short-lived restaurant that sold fried snickers and hosted live music at night. It now looks pretty much gutted. To the Land’s right is O’Ryleigh’s Tavern, which also appears defunct. That place had some promise and a lively lunch crowd and live music at night, but just couldn’t pull it off.

The agenda’s final item of new business is issuing a request for proposals for a pharmacy benefit manager and making Councilman Paul Canepa a member of the selection committee.

Posted in City Council | 0 Comments

Marshall Plan v. Marshals Service

By Scott Smith | Published: January 24, 2012 | 0 Comments

Today’s story intermixing these two names might have caused some confusion.

But bringing in deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service has nothing to do with the city’s Marshall Plan, which has yet to be developed. Note the difference of one  letter “l.” Of course, they are both efforts to reduce crime in Stockton.

Here’s the memo interim Police Chief Ulring circulated explaining the presents of U.S. Marshals deputies in the office as of Monday.

Posted in Blair Ulring, crime, Police Department | Tagged , | 0 Comments

Says he’s not running

By Scott Smith | Published: January 12, 2012 | 0 Comments

Randy Hatch has decided not to run against Vice Mayor Kathy Miller for a seat on the Stockton City Council.

He gave it lots of thought and prayer, he said. This week, he announced to supporters that this was not his time to mount a campaign.

Hatch said he was recently made a bishop of his LDS ward, the Mormon equivalent to being a church minister. He is responsible for running their meetings, counseling his members struggling with issue and overseeing an assistance program for people out of work and struggling financially.

While studying and thinking about running, Hatch said he felt uneasy and confused.

“Now my mood is sunny and bright,” he said. “I take that as an answer to the prayers. This is not your time.”

He will remain on the city’s Planning Commission and supports Mayor Ann Johnston in her bid for a second terms so she may reappoint him.

Posted in Ann Johnston, Kathy Miller | Tagged | 0 Comments

Violence is down

By Scott Smith | Published: January 12, 2012 | 0 Comments

A reader called to share this story in the Monterey County Herald, which says gun violence in Salinas fell dramatically in 2011. Stockton should look and learn, the caller said.

“This is dragging on and on without some real power punches,” she said of Stockton.

The approach Salinas took was bringing in federal agencies to target trouble makers, according to the Jan. 7 article.

Posted in crime | 0 Comments

Civil Service Commission

By Scott Smith | Published: January 12, 2012 | 0 Comments

The City Council this week appointed by a vote two people to the Stockton Civil Service Commission.

They are: Kathleen Chapman and John Pulver.

The Commission hears and rules on appeals of dismissals, demotions and advises the city manager on problems concerning the personnel administration, according to this staff report.

The three-year terms for Wayne Richardson and Moses Zapient expire Feb. 3. Zapien, who sought another term, sent the city a letter on Tuesday, asking to withdraw. Eight people applied. The Commission meets once a month or more, and each commissioner is paid $25 for each meeting.

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