Author Archives: Michael Fitzgerald

Michael Fitzgerald

Mike Fitzgerald is The Record’s award-winning metro columnist. His column runs in the paper three times a week. Born in San Francisco, he was raised in Stockton. His column covers diverse beats including, sometimes, the offbeat.

Aloha

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 5, 2010 | 0 Comments
I am on vacation the week of March 7. Our regular program of gossip, scooplets and pontification will resume on March 15.
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Wilhoit: vindication!

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 5, 2010 | 0 Comments
I reported Chamber CEO Douglass Wilhoit, the primary foe of state plans to locate new prison facilities here, had sent his resume to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Hypocrisy? Or, as Wilhoit explained, merely his way of establishing his bona fides as a knowledgeable commuity representiative by sharing his background in law enforcement and penology? The latter, [...]
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Stockton deserves free broadband

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 5, 2010 | 0 Comments
That’s the idea of a tech writer with PC World. His rationale: broadband improves the business climate. But Google is deploying broadband in cities with strong economies. That’s coals to Newcastle. If Forbes “Miserable City” ranking means anything, it means cities such as Stockton deserve additional resources. Read him here. I agree with his logic. The appalling series of [...]
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More for the poor-mouthing police

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 5, 2010 | 0 Comments
A reader writes: “Some additional facts (about the item, below). An average officer with 5 yrs of experience is earning about $90K in base pay and at least $15 to $20K in overtime. “In addition, the city is paying $35K per year towards his pension (5 times what they were paying before enhanced pensions became the rage) [...]
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Exchange with a cop

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 4, 2010 | 0 Comments
A law enforcement officer, Holy Cow, responds to my blog post The politics of public unions For the police department to cut the $10,000,000 from their budget, you are asking 365 police officers, to take an approximately $27,000 a year pay cut. Mr. Fitzgerald, could you afford that ? How can you expect anyone else to take that [...]
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Cinda Fox’s frustration

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 4, 2010 | 0 Comments
Superior Court Judge Cinda Fox, who retired on disability after a courtroom attack, is “frustrated by a lack of answers.” Results of the investigation into the attack, and the courtoom killing of her attacker, have not been released. A whole year has passed. “Why is it taking so long to resolve something that in our opinion is really [...]
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What planet are they on?

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 4, 2010 | 0 Comments
It has rained so much — significantly above average — the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for city streams. So of course the Department of Water Resources says the drought is “severe” on its cockamamie drought page. “Preparing for Year 4!” they say.
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Also stuck in Santiago

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 3, 2010 | 0 Comments
John Edman, subject of today’s column, is not the only Stocktonian stuck in Santiago, Chile, by the big quake. A party of at least eight Stocktonians, maybe more, went down to Santiago for a wedding last week and is stuck there. “It was supposed to be a nice, wonderful trip of a lifetime,” says Tami Tuel, a Stockton realtor. [...]
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SJ Film Fest’s expansion a success

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 3, 2010 | 0 Comments
Sophoan Sorn, director of the San Joaquin International Film Festival, writes: “We had a magical moment on Saturday at the 3rd San Joaquin International Film Festival’s presentation of “The Young Victoria” at Modesto’s State Theatre. This is our first year having the festival in centralized locations in two cities (five days at the Empire Theatre in [...]
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Islander relics emerge

By Michael Fitzgerald | Published: March 2, 2010 | 0 Comments
The question about The Islander, Stockton’s ulta-tiki temple 1963-1983, is what happened to all the cool stuff? Readers have been calling and e-mailing answers since Sunday’s tiki article. Everybody from retirees Mike and Barbara Wunderlich, who proudly display five black velvet paintings of nude wahini hanging in their northside home, to Chamber CEO Douglass Wilhoit, who kept [...]
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