“One of the more delicious ironies to Stockton’s fiscal plight pertains to the 10th Amendment. You know, the left’s least favorite constitutional provision, usually invoked by conservatives in order to protect individuals and states from federal jurisdiction. “But today it’s the usually left-leaning unions screaming bloody murder about states’ (and local) rights. Their view: Stockton’s [...]
You could interpret the schtik Mayor Anthony Silva did at his State of the City Address as the sort of attetion-grabber of which Toastmasters would approve. Or you can see it as buffoonery. The New York Daily News plumps for the latter.
That would be the debt per capita in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Where a fiscal watchdog has written a piece called, “Bridgeport is worse off than Stockton.” While it stings to be the bechmark for fiscal catastrophe, it’s worth reading the piece because it highlights Stockton’s strength: it’s not being run (into the ground) by union members [...]
Proving truth is stranger than fiction, Mayor Anthony Silva donned a gladiator helmet and brandished a mace at the conclusion of his State of the City speech yesterday. Clever gimmick or Dukakis tank moment? You decide. Let’s have a caption contest for this photo. To prime the pump, here are a couple suggestions: [...]
The public employee union of San Joaquin County says county leaders are disrespecting them by proposing prudent austerity measures during the worst recession in decades. SEIU Local 1021 members in San Joaquin County object that the county has proposed to (quoting their press release): Take away all floating holidays. Double employee contribution for employee-only Kaiser [...]
USA TODAY lists them: Atwater, Azusa, Compton, and more, inclding some big cites. Misery loves company, so check them out. Of interest is the image USA TODAY used to represent Stockton: the cracked plaque on the steps of City Hall. To photographers, that spot was visual shorthand for Stockton’s collapse. That is why I took steps [...]
Following up on today’s column, here’s the tunnel project’s entire 20,210 page draft environmental review. Knock yourself out. Here’s chapter 17, the dismaying part about the project’s impact on Delta beauty and character. The tunnel alternative under primary consideration is alternative 4. Here’s a map. [...]
Google has an amazing new took that shows timelapse satellite photography of Stockton’s booming growth — and sprawl — from 1984 to 2012. “Earth Engine” uses satellite photos from NASA’s Landsa, U.S. Geological Survey and TIME. It shows how planet earth is changing: cities expanding, farmland going under, rain forests receding. You can type in any geographic location. [...]
Journalists are instinctively skeptical about Public Information Officers. Often they come between us and the primary sources – the people we really want to talk to – without knowing as much as the experts. At worst, some are more like public relations people. They don’t care if something is true or false. They care only if it reflects well [...]
Fresno’s congressman, Rep. Jim Costa, has authored a myopic bill that would prohibit the Delta export pumps from being shut down or curtailed, even if federal experts say the drain on the Delta is slaughtering fish. The sheer effrontery of a bill that would keep the pumps going despite any carnage to the fisheries — well, it’s so [...]
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