Occupy Wall Street — the loose movement decrying corporate greed and government complicity — hasn’t made an appearance in Tracy, to my knowledge. But it has appeared in San Joaquin County.
A smattering of protesters has been sighted in the downtown of county seat Stockton, carrying the now well-known “We are the 99%” signs and trying to convert passers-by to the cause.
Still, some folks seem unsure about what the protesters want. In fact, some of the protesters don’t even seem to know what they want.
In my opinion, they’re standing up for a very American principle — the idea that when power is concentrated in the hands of too few, democracy dies.
Whether in the form of wealth, political influence or a police state, too much power spread among too few is anathema to the republican form of government envisioned in the Constitution. And that’s true whether those few are government officials, businessmen, or anyone else.
I think the protesters are, though maybe not in eloquent terms, giving voice to the simmering sentiment that the American deck is more and more stacked in favor of those with the deepest pockets, biggest microphones and closest connections.
I don’t think these protesters want a hand out. I think they want a level playing field.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
The roots of Tracy's lost courtroom
We all know things don't look good for the county's superior court system. Tracy just lost its courthouse, after all. But according to an article at Law.com, the current underfunding of the San Joaquin County courts is the product of a flaw in how the state decided to originally allocate money for the institutions.
San Joaquin County jurors can't get coffee in the waiting room. There's no bottled water in the courtrooms and no Post-It notes for employees to use. Private security guards have replaced sheriff's deputies at some screening stations and civil courtrooms.
This month court leaders took more drastic action, closing the Tracy courthouse and all but one courtroom in Lodi. Small claims court will be dark most days of the week.
San Joaquin is one of the state's handful of chronically underfunded courts, as calculated by a formula tied to caseload. Its problems stem from its days under county control. State court funding levels were set by matching county allocations to courts in the 1994-95 fiscal year. San Joaquin and other counties were suffering the effects of a recession that year, which effectively put their courts financially behind those in other counties that had fared better.
Part of the remedy, the author writes, is to change how the money for courts is redistributed. Read the rest of the article here.
San Joaquin County jurors can't get coffee in the waiting room. There's no bottled water in the courtrooms and no Post-It notes for employees to use. Private security guards have replaced sheriff's deputies at some screening stations and civil courtrooms.
This month court leaders took more drastic action, closing the Tracy courthouse and all but one courtroom in Lodi. Small claims court will be dark most days of the week.
San Joaquin is one of the state's handful of chronically underfunded courts, as calculated by a formula tied to caseload. Its problems stem from its days under county control. State court funding levels were set by matching county allocations to courts in the 1994-95 fiscal year. San Joaquin and other counties were suffering the effects of a recession that year, which effectively put their courts financially behind those in other counties that had fared better.
Part of the remedy, the author writes, is to change how the money for courts is redistributed. Read the rest of the article here.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Cardoza calls it quits
We called it. Dennis Cardoza, who represented South-Central Stockton, a narrow neck of San Joaquin County, and many parts farther south in Congress, has officially announced its retirement.
As many political observers, it's not a shocker. Redistricting left Cardoza without a natural district to defend, and many strong potential candidates he'd have to wrestle.
Too bad. Cardoza has been one of few people to stand up and demand relief for the thousands of Central Valley homeowners who were flayed by the housing bubble's collapse. If they could get some refinancing help, maybe they could keep their homes and have more money to put back into the economy, the thinking goes.
But so far, observers say the government has been slow to act, and banks have balked.
And in just over a year, one of the few voices calling to change that status quo will leave the halls of Congress. Sigh.
As many political observers, it's not a shocker. Redistricting left Cardoza without a natural district to defend, and many strong potential candidates he'd have to wrestle.
Too bad. Cardoza has been one of few people to stand up and demand relief for the thousands of Central Valley homeowners who were flayed by the housing bubble's collapse. If they could get some refinancing help, maybe they could keep their homes and have more money to put back into the economy, the thinking goes.
But so far, observers say the government has been slow to act, and banks have balked.
And in just over a year, one of the few voices calling to change that status quo will leave the halls of Congress. Sigh.
Out of the shadows
Michelle Brown isn't around to tell her story. That's why two weeks ago, the Women's Center of San Joaquin County told her story for her as part of a message against domestic violence.
The 26-year-old and mother of a 5-year-old daughter was a victim of domestic violence, shot to death by her boyfriend after work while trying to break out of the abusive relationship.
A cardboard cutout in City Hall stood in memory of Michelle, a reminder of the message behind Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is October.
Domestic abuse is often a hidden crime. Though we see it in the police log, folks at the Women's Center say it's a crime that's vastly under-reported. And sometimes, when it becomes apparent, it's too late.
The cardboard figure outside the council chamber was just one more effort to encourage those who are suffering to step out of the shadows, and a reminder to everyone else about what can happen behind closed doors.
The 26-year-old and mother of a 5-year-old daughter was a victim of domestic violence, shot to death by her boyfriend after work while trying to break out of the abusive relationship.
A cardboard cutout in City Hall stood in memory of Michelle, a reminder of the message behind Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is October.
Domestic abuse is often a hidden crime. Though we see it in the police log, folks at the Women's Center say it's a crime that's vastly under-reported. And sometimes, when it becomes apparent, it's too late.
The cardboard figure outside the council chamber was just one more effort to encourage those who are suffering to step out of the shadows, and a reminder to everyone else about what can happen behind closed doors.
Different power plant, same story
This story from the Stockton Record should be pretty familiar to folks in Mountain House and Tracy. Build a power plant in Alameda County, send the smog to the San Joaquin Valley.
By now, this is no random occurence. It's a pattern. We've seen efforts to do this time and again (though not always successfully), and it always seems like San Joaquin County gets the short end of the stick in terms of pollution fallout and lack of tax revenue.
Of course, it isn't counties that approve sites for power plants. That is vested with a state agency, though counties can voice their pleasure or umbrage at a possible location. (I'm guessing Alameda County folks don't mind reaping the economic benefits of a plant when the wind will blow the less-than-desirable side effects into someone else's backyard.)
Mitigation measures extracted from power producers by our local air pollution control district (in the case of this plant, $200,000 worth) undoubtedly help. But that doesn't excuse the trend.
Expect it continue, though, as the area near Mountain House previously targeted for power generators has nearby water supplies and easy hook-ups to electrical infrastructure.
Breathe lightly, my friends.
By now, this is no random occurence. It's a pattern. We've seen efforts to do this time and again (though not always successfully), and it always seems like San Joaquin County gets the short end of the stick in terms of pollution fallout and lack of tax revenue.
Of course, it isn't counties that approve sites for power plants. That is vested with a state agency, though counties can voice their pleasure or umbrage at a possible location. (I'm guessing Alameda County folks don't mind reaping the economic benefits of a plant when the wind will blow the less-than-desirable side effects into someone else's backyard.)
Mitigation measures extracted from power producers by our local air pollution control district (in the case of this plant, $200,000 worth) undoubtedly help. But that doesn't excuse the trend.
Expect it continue, though, as the area near Mountain House previously targeted for power generators has nearby water supplies and easy hook-ups to electrical infrastructure.
Breathe lightly, my friends.
Catch as catch can
Time to catch up on some blogging, as we've been fairly buried recently. Expect sporadic updates in the future, as the Press is on the lookout for a new managing editor, as Kelsy Ramos, who was with the paper for nearly 7 years, has stepped down to pursue other interests.
We'll try to keep you updated.
We'll try to keep you updated.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Don't be part of the news
One of the cardinal rules in journalism is, "Report the news. Don't be part of the news."
Well, today, at the coming-out party for Jose Hernandez's campaign for Congress, my notepad and pen got caught in the action, when at least a dozen kids pressed forward for autographs before I could grab my interview — another crowd member suggested my pen would be better than their pencils, and my pad would make a good writing platform.
Not wanting to disappoint the kids, I temporarily donated the services of my equipment. (Photographic proof below.)
Well, today, at the coming-out party for Jose Hernandez's campaign for Congress, my notepad and pen got caught in the action, when at least a dozen kids pressed forward for autographs before I could grab my interview — another crowd member suggested my pen would be better than their pencils, and my pad would make a good writing platform.
Not wanting to disappoint the kids, I temporarily donated the services of my equipment. (Photographic proof below.)
Darn kids.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
