tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50528012302566572512024-02-24T15:15:14.698-08:00Salida and Wood Colony AnnexationSharing the issues, facts, politics and opinions of the City of Modesto's proposed annexations of Salida and Wood Colony in Stanislaus County, Californiasalidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-52002606127778980632024-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:002024-02-24T15:14:37.475-08:00Development in Salida should mean tax revenue for Salida<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> (NOTE: These comments were shared during public comment by Katherine Borges at the Tuesday, August 8, 2023 Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting.)</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Several
years ago during the time I served as Chair of Salida MAC, I asked
former Public Works Director, Matt Machado for sidewalks in downtown
Salida and his reply was, “If we do it for you, we have to do it
for everyone.” I will note here that the Airport and Robertson Road
communities are now being given sidewalks by Stanislaus County.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's
a <b><a href="https://files.ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/295544-1/attachment/8d6s-gOkO6UvdxjtI6aGMSWXrU56V-O4BJkw8ASHK7jf65HV2TrFErsSprJjlCgGI0USctNZz5r79PZq0" target="_blank">development project currently progressing</a></b> that is slated to be
built on land within the boundaries of the Salida Community Plan. The
<b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article285756391.html" target="_blank">Scannells warehouse project</a></b> which would be built on the northwest
corner of Kiernan and </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEhIwb6HxEmv3gsnO_eYzdx6WgWQCQC0rjE-n_yEWYmb8xQ7fgqZEqJ1T38twifP_KQe03lZeEN_AJ9Eu15bEPL7ILzpid5z7vucfWVLRytthqKK7ZPkKQrj2ttZmPBP2esN7KBFdUvEpnpd1fwJwijN_hnpzkj9we5voRIqxe7zFt7c1WnxvOl_DrylE/s944/image_2024-02-24_151107213.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="944" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEhIwb6HxEmv3gsnO_eYzdx6WgWQCQC0rjE-n_yEWYmb8xQ7fgqZEqJ1T38twifP_KQe03lZeEN_AJ9Eu15bEPL7ILzpid5z7vucfWVLRytthqKK7ZPkKQrj2ttZmPBP2esN7KBFdUvEpnpd1fwJwijN_hnpzkj9we5voRIqxe7zFt7c1WnxvOl_DrylE/w400-h225/image_2024-02-24_151107213.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dale. Another project along Pelandale called
“Kiernan Business Park South”. Dave Romano is the lead on both
projects, and it may have slipped his mind that he signed a
development agreement in 2007 for the Salida Community Plan area
project which is still in force until 2032.</span><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Salida Community Plan requires a programmatic EIR and these are my
supervisor's comments from the March 2022 Supervisor board meeting
regarding the Salida gas station project. To quote Terry: “</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">It's
wrong to treat one applicant and all other applicants one way and all
the people who've come in here and this one a different way. This
initiative requires that a programmatic EIR be prepared prior to the
development within the amendment area. It doesn't say “may”. It
doesn't say the county has the discretion to ignore this in favor of
one developer.</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”
End quote. That needs to apply to Mr. Romano as well.<br /><br />The
development pressure on Salida is strong. There was also a housing
developer who was considering a project within SCP lands. The biggest
sticking point with developing within the Salida Community Plan has
always been the programmatic EIR because at the time the initiative
was passed, it was just one developer who was going to oversee the
whole project. Dave Romano is not going to want to pay for the whole
thing if he's not developing the entire area. So the solution here is
for Stanislaus County to do the EIR in-house just like you did for
the Crows Landing Industrial Business Park. Remember the “<i>If we do
it for you, we have to do it for everyone</i>”?</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Additionally,
Crows Landing Industrial Park and even Kiernan Business Park South
both have Community Services Districts and the county will need to
create one for Salida too because if these projects were only county
developed, then you would be creating another county island like
Beard Industrial Park which will NEVER be annexed into the City of
Modesto. Salida deserves the revenue from any development. If Salida
had the tax sharing from previous lands like Costco that were annexed
out of our districts, then we would have had the funding to keep our
fire department. If we had the tax revenue from Costco, we could
install our own sidewalks and not have to wait years while the county
installs sidewalks everywhere else first. If you want development in
Salida, then do the EIR and CSD. It is what the <a href="https://eyeonmodesto.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/b10ordinance.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Salida Community Plan</b></a>
calls for and it's the right thing to do for the Community of Salida.</span></p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-26604306680497375032022-05-26T07:58:00.000-07:002022-05-26T07:58:28.071-07:00Transparency requests on the Salida Sheriff Substation<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stanislaus Board of Supervisors Public Comment - Tuesday, March 29, 2022</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />I'm here today because I did not receive a reply to an email that I sent to Tom Boze last week requesting the consultant's report on this project. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76NRuf4Tkxp0MGGeZgrK4P1Hn2ut7hDYUf-LmwtlvMIm7ZB92ZK8m0FY_Y5p3Ttk6b2UASygI95TY1UxroASnaVhhYDQKP7Ymayq-eTsRX7cBM2uLXlrPn5j7tEPdcFyWF8WVnyCcCNDC6rlSgEd5Br5g8zEb1kux7Y4VV77EOTBjqVU1FB6JYZ1jHw/s4032/Spare_Salida_Library_space.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76NRuf4Tkxp0MGGeZgrK4P1Hn2ut7hDYUf-LmwtlvMIm7ZB92ZK8m0FY_Y5p3Ttk6b2UASygI95TY1UxroASnaVhhYDQKP7Ymayq-eTsRX7cBM2uLXlrPn5j7tEPdcFyWF8WVnyCcCNDC6rlSgEd5Br5g8zEb1kux7Y4VV77EOTBjqVU1FB6JYZ1jHw/s320/Spare_Salida_Library_space.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6,000 sq ft od space available<br />in Salida Library</td></tr></tbody></table>Having lived in Salida for nearly thirty years, I remember when our sheriff substation was in a modular building in downtown Salida, and then moved into the remodeled Bank of the West building in 2003, which is now La Familia Market. The substation was closed during the recession, a main reason cited was the high cost of rent on the bank building; if I recall correctly, it was $10,000 a month. At the August 2021 Salida MAC meeting, Sheriff Dirkse mentioned the two key options for a substation: the first being the<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RJWlvRKIojat21RmYGhjGNbzTsMd24Vl/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> 6,000 sq feet of unused space in the Salida Library building</a></b>. The remodel of that old Brunners building was $6.3 million back in 2003. Sheriff Dirkse stated that the other site, the Salida Fire Dept Station 12 does not have the square footage needs to occupy further in the future. <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MUUhXQU8BdZ9EWIRRFeaicqrmGzDmdxh/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Sheriff Dirkse stated that the county is in the process of hiring a contractor through GSA to do a site assessment on both facilities. He stated and I quote, “<i>We have to get that estimate before we have an honest conversation</i>.”</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Quite frankly, I did not have much of an opinion on where the substation was located until I received an email on March 15, 2022 that reported an <b><a href="https://www.crimemapping.com/Share/0a0e70e2996e45c7ace69a3f73a6fbbe" target="_blank">arrest for prostitution on March 13, 2022 in the 4900 block of Sisk Road</a></b> which is the site of two hotels. Further online searching turned up a <b><a href="https://www.turlockjournal.com/news/crime/human-trafficking-bust-nets-64-arrests/" target="_blank">bust by Turlock PD of a prostitution ring at the same address in February 2021</a></b>. I asked a sheriff dept employee which hotel had sex trafficking and the reply was, “<i>All of them</i>”. The hotel closest to the library is a 430 foot walk from my house so I have no words for how horrifying what is going on just feet from my neighborhood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4uKEyrktIfkSNszU7gF6ywu73MDB9OYECdF-7x5OfuyovSJs8KSCxr5i9J5xmQ-Q6dP16gaKUwUsJEv58lfl8hrsQmRSGiTQ3JRoLzV0jvvVU5r6luGEMBAOqTffCV8NNK6hD11oWJDyY7LLOQoKxLymC0OSIaVO_s4F2HOQq9ifdtDy1UD0OVzIQA/s4025/Salida_Substation_Library_2022.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="4025" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4uKEyrktIfkSNszU7gF6ywu73MDB9OYECdF-7x5OfuyovSJs8KSCxr5i9J5xmQ-Q6dP16gaKUwUsJEv58lfl8hrsQmRSGiTQ3JRoLzV0jvvVU5r6luGEMBAOqTffCV8NNK6hD11oWJDyY7LLOQoKxLymC0OSIaVO_s4F2HOQq9ifdtDy1UD0OVzIQA/s320/Salida_Substation_Library_2022.heic" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salida Library<br />Sheriff Substation April 2022</td></tr></tbody></table>There's a small substation already built in the Salida Library which even has signage but has never been staffed. Perhaps if it was staffed, <b>THAT</b> could deter </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">human trafficking and prostitution at these two hotels.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both Sheriff Dirkse and Chief Pat Burns stated at Salida MAC at two different times that the lease for the property would be for 99 years yet this agenda item states only a two-year lease with a further option of two years. This <b><a href="https://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2022/20220329/B10.pdf" target="_blank">2-4 year lease</a></b> was never mentioned at Salida MAC nor was there any presentation given by the General Services Agency comparing the two sites. Where is the contractor's report that Sheriff Dirkse mentioned? It's not attached in this <b><a href="https://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2022/20220329/B10.pdf" target="_blank">board item</a></b>. You are using public funds for this and you should be 100% transparent. The Salida Community deserves to know all the aspects of why a leased site is being chosen over a large site already owned by the county? Salida already has a history of having substations closed due to a lease so we should be able to have answers to all of our questions before this item is passed today. The MAC should not be bypassed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This item should be pulled and a presentation given at Salida MAC by GSA and the Sheriff on why this site was chosen and explain the disparities of the lease terms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">_________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stanislaus Board of Supervisors Public Comment - </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tuesday, April 25, 2022<br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's
been a month since I was here and requested the General Services
Agency report on the site locations for the new substation in Salida.
I was going to reserve my opinion on a site until I saw the report,
and since you are using public monies, I still expect a report to be
produced even if you are the ones who put the cart before the horse.
I also expect a response as to why both Sheriff Dirkse and Fire Chief
Pat Burns said the terms of the lease at the fire station was $1 a
year for 99 years but the board item you passed stated $1 a year for
2 years with an option for 4 years. What do you five know about this
lease that the public doesn't? What will happen after 2 years? Is the
lease going to go up? Is the county buying the land? The county also
needs to do better with respect to communication. The dedication of
the substation at the fire department was not announced in the Bee
nor on any county websites other than a new substation page just two
days prior. Notices were not mailed either. Salida MAC did not post
it on their page or to Next Door. The only place I saw it posted to
and it was after the fact, was Terry's campaign website. Appearances
matter so you need to be transparent and produce a General Services
Agency report that addresses all of these issues and <b><i>THE COUNTY</i></b> needs
to improve communication with the community. The onus is on county
employees who are paid to be public servants, not the unpaid
volunteers who serve on MAC councils. Also want to point out that you
need another substation sign or a banner at the back of the fire
station that you can view from the freeway ramp. And have the
deputies park the car there too. Right now, a little brown sign in
the front and hidden cars isn't deterring any criminals from what
they don't see.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">_________________________________________________<br /><br />Stanislaus Board of Supervisors Public Comment - Tuesday, May 24, 2022 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm back for some updates: foremost, it's been two months now since I've requested the consultant's report that the county paid $25 thousand for. I did receive a “I don't think I can give it to you” or “it might be heavily redacted”. I am requesting the redacted version then. When Sheriff Dirkse visited Salida MAC, his words were “when the report comes in, we'll take a look at it” but he did not say, “<i>But not you Salida</i>.” It is preposterous to think that the county is not going to let Salida see what our substation will look like ahead of it being built. Also, the issue of why the county would choose a site they do not own over a site they do own still needs to be addressed. As I mentioned in my last comments, appearances count and it appears that the county is trying to hide something. Besides not releasing a document that public money was spent to produce, the Salida Fire Dept went through and purged people from their agenda subscription list including a current MAC member and when I inquired to the reason why, I was told that we were purged for being “inactive”. The fire department cancels half their meetings and they were the last entity in Salida to have in-person meetings yet we're the “inactive” ones. Put yourself in my shoes: county won't release substation consultant's report and the fire department purges their agenda subscriber lists – it looks like you're colluding to hide something. So if you're not trying to hide something, you can easily demonstrate your transparency by releasing documents that should be public.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I formally request that a substation presentation be given at Salida MAC and that Salida MAC be added to the Planning Department distribution list for Early Referral Consultations if it has not already been done. </span></p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-57613313883182590282022-03-17T17:27:00.008-07:002022-03-24T08:15:24.298-07:00Salida Gas Station Shenanigans Recap<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>My comments to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 during public comment about the <a href="https://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2022/20220315/PH01.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Salida Gas Station project</b></a>. Fortunately, <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article259436024.html" target="_blank">three of the supervisors listened to the residents and voted against the project</a></b>, albeit for varying reasons. Our own District 3 Supervisor was spot on in his comments (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tLCDmxBwbV71bEUFnnracgGRcQMkLGZp/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>watch the video 4:41 minutes</b></a>).<br /><br />"</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Good
evening, I'm presenting a recap of facts you might not have heard -</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>August
2007 </b>– <b><a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2012/09/august-7-2007-momentous-day-in-history.html" target="_blank">The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors pulls the Salida Now</a></b> initiative off of the ballot and passes it by 3 votes thus
making it the new Salida Community Plan. One of those votes is cast
by<b><a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2019/11/when-past-comes-back-to-haunt-you.html" target="_blank"> Jeff Grover, whose 2<sup>nd</sup> cousin owns the land within the
map area of the Plan</a></b> which has brought us here tonight.</span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b></b></i></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXaPRCnx8EfGxQca3ph7cWznKDtWwHdbeLdX72LblspBMfuqiEJxUGslJjAYXfI58dBcyDD-cMoRW1-k0waGIeieruOEWNeYK6o7v8SzVnL2uQyRyx4TkmJrg42hnzFSjOTlagUIztHyUyNeVqfeelWF-6hfwaTrpm_KH-LZaVRKGaGzN347cA5oinJA=s770" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="770" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXaPRCnx8EfGxQca3ph7cWznKDtWwHdbeLdX72LblspBMfuqiEJxUGslJjAYXfI58dBcyDD-cMoRW1-k0waGIeieruOEWNeYK6o7v8SzVnL2uQyRyx4TkmJrg42hnzFSjOTlagUIztHyUyNeVqfeelWF-6hfwaTrpm_KH-LZaVRKGaGzN347cA5oinJA=s320" width="320" /></a></b></i></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>July
31, 2012</b> - At the <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XuiH9uo5XTgoV4xQ1ybNP7_Gf5_rZSks/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Hammett Road Interchange meeting held at Salida Library Community Room one of the consultants of the study</a></b> said, “The
</i></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i></i></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><br />problem is, any significant development around the Hammett Road
Interchange causes the Hammett interchange to fail in it's ability to
service traffic, so it would need to be improved.”</i></span></span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Sometime
between 2013-2017</b> – Water well #299, (Vizcaya's) is shut down
for being over the limit in arsenic.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>December
7, 2018</b> - An <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/08/why-build-gas-station-just-to-tear-it.html" target="_blank">email between Stanislaus County Deputy Director,Miguel Galvez, to Stanislaus County Planner, Kristin Doud</a></b> and copied
to Stanislaus County Planning Director, Angela Freitas, Galvez
writes: "The Grover family is interested in developing their
property by the Hammett Road overcrossing. They would like to develop
a service station on the 9.6 ac. parcel (APN 003-014-007), it would
be temporary until the property is taken for the development of the
new interchange."</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>May
1, 2019</b> – <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11TuBRGQA1uM954H6rO-FtZnK5JJvjtf-/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>Email from Miguel Galvez stating that Baldev Grewal</b></a>
came to the planning counter on April 29, 2019 with a proposal to
develop the Grover property and is considering several options: 1.
Convenience market with gas station 2. commercial parcel map with
speculative highway commercial development on four-five parcels 3.
propose a parcel map and develop all the properties in phases, with
one property to be developed with a hotel. The email also states that
Mr. Grewal wishes to move with the General Plan Amendment ASAP then
go for a building permit for the convenience market.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>September
11, 2019</b> –<b> <a href="https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2019090255/2" target="_blank">Planning files notice with CEQA, mentions the“drafting error</a>”</b> that was unchallenged when the Initiative was
passed and unchallenged in the 12 years since.<br /><br /><b>November 6,
2019</b> – The Modesto Bee points out that City of Modesto approved
water for the project and <a href="https://www.modbee.com/article237035664.html" target="_blank"><b>nowhere in the documents was it mentioned
that there would be a “truck stop” or “travel plaza”</b></a>.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>January
28, 2020</b> - <b><a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2020/02/i-wouldnt-have-bought-house-there-in.html" target="_blank">”I wouldn't have bought a house there” </a></b>words
spoken by a Stanislaus county employee at Salida MAC when asked if he
would want to live near the various developments being planned around
Hammett and Pirrone. At least five Vizcaya residents sold their homes
before this gas station is built. Some disclosed what was going in to
the new owners and some did not. <br /><br /><b>March 3, 2021</b> –
City of Modesto Associate Engineer sends an email to Miguel Galvez
stating that<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JlYTZd6qtgD1sNFLkLIk8b0i7ZiQcoaF/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b> the city has denied water service to Brinca's Lark
Landing Project citing insufficient fire flow</b></a> to serve the property
at full build out. They cite the contaminated well serving the
Vizcaya neighborhood that was shut down.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>March
23, 2021</b> – The <a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-conflicted-mac.html" target="_blank"><b>split vote at Salida MAC</b></a> – a motion is made to
vote against the gas station project and the newest MAC member who
votes nay on the motion does not disclose that he became employed not
even a month prior by the same realty company handling the gas
station land. The other person to vote nay on the motion is a
Stanislaus County employee and it is brought up at the meeting that
<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cy3oMhBAXtPI58sqtJ9Vu508fXex36rB/view" target="_blank">the county will receive a 75% discount purchasing land for a new storm drain basin</a></b> if this project is approved.</span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>May
2021 </b>– Moore Biologics is hired by applicants to do
environmental assessment and says there's<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RBkNR_9nU1VnWND7rD5Ds1MaikRZ6h9e/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b> no evidence of Swainson's
Hawk nor burrows</b></a> for a Burrowing Owl at the site.</i></span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0hi3OGzQp_jPCGHiYCIqzyGRFQWVzxTJXPIMhi5dT3vxCE2_HtT6NDRqcPax1hYLqmViv42lk-E5ROcqkUR1obVQxCNjcwmFheTh3XZ1TDye44vbF7K57Qrb1XT5f-aGQqiF3O-cF_6x4nxU0tfDJkrP63rMc_WX4d8ddTPJw_yWWV9kQenxpdxd_mg=s465" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="441" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0hi3OGzQp_jPCGHiYCIqzyGRFQWVzxTJXPIMhi5dT3vxCE2_HtT6NDRqcPax1hYLqmViv42lk-E5ROcqkUR1obVQxCNjcwmFheTh3XZ1TDye44vbF7K57Qrb1XT5f-aGQqiF3O-cF_6x4nxU0tfDJkrP63rMc_WX4d8ddTPJw_yWWV9kQenxpdxd_mg=w189-h200" title="Burrow at gas station site" width="189" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Burrow at site<br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>June
5, 2021</b> – An amateur ornithologist photographed a Swainson's
Hawk and a nest within one mile of the site.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>July
13, 2021</b> – I sent the Board of Supervisors a photograph of
burrows on the site.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>February
15, 2022</b> – In my<a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2022/02/how-will-stanislaus-county-board-of.html" target="_blank"><b> comments to the Stanislaus County Planning
Commission</b></a>, I refer to sections of the <a href="https://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/documents/gp/i-a-8-salida-cp.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Salida Community Plan</b></a> that
state it cannot be changed and institutes a Community Facilities
District. There may a provision in the plan for piecemeal development
but that does not mean the rest of the plan can be cherry-picked.
Also want to note that potential natural gas fueling has been added
and still no EIR. Planning Commission votes 4-3 to oppose the
project. The applicant gets off easy if he only has to pay 7-8 years
of Mello Roos taxes.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>February
22, 2022</b> – Salida MAC votes unanimously to oppose the project.
After the meeting, the developer says he should just sell the land to
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TravelCenters_of_America" target="_blank">Travel America</a></b> which is a truck stop company bringing us right back
to where we began.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">To sum
up the timeline, I oppose this
piecemeal-development-truck-stop-or-gas-station-with-two-types-of-fuel-not-at-other-gas-stations-in-the-county-but-could-wipe-Vizcaya-from-the-map-like-in-San-Bruno-or-the-hydrogen-station-explosion-in-Norway-still-with-no-EIR-for-the-threatened-status-species.
The county has gone out of it's way to help this project get
approved, whether it's ignoring conflicts of MAC members, not
requiring an EIR or other requirements of the Salida Community Plan,
bypassing Salida MAC before the Planning Commission, and the list
goes on. You have heard many reasons tonight to oppose the project
but if you need more then <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OdQBKaJT_F2TrI9ZQYyBSBxzAlahD3Ut/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>County policy 19 and 20</b></a>, provide you with
the means as well as <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DyATOSUQyR2sa_uqbfI734BRKaH_SRtY/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>Board of Supervisors policy 10.46.020</b></a>."</span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-52168082624961979542022-02-27T08:46:00.007-08:002022-02-28T10:45:31.728-08:00How will the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors vote on piecemeal development in Salida?<span style="font-family: verdana;">On Thursday, February 17, 2022, the Stanislaus County Planning Commission voted 4-2 to deny the proposed <b><a href="https://www.stancounty.com/planning/agenda/2022/02-17-2022/7_D.pdf" target="_blank">Salida gas station project</a></b>. The primary reason cited was the planning department had bypassed the Salida Municipal Advisory Council (Salida MAC) when the project had changed in several ways. The project went back to Salida MAC and was voted against (5-0) on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. It now proceeds to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 6:30 pm. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now that the project title has changed to recognize this would be the first development project of the Salida Community Plan (SCP), I don't think the county realizes how encumbered this project will be by the SCP. The SCP was passed as an initiative; the county does <b>NOT</b> get to cherry-pick what they abide by in it. My comments below to the Planning Commission mention several of these articles in the initiative. </span></div><div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Good
evening Planning Commissioners,</i></b></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>As
reflected in the project title change, the county has now
acknowledged that this project has become the very first development
project under the updated <a href="https://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/documents/gp/i-a-8-salida-cp.pdf" target="_blank">Salida Community Plan, SCP</a> for short. Our
community plan was a 2007 initiative that Salida voters were supposed
to get to vote on, but it was pulled off the ballot and passed by
three county supervisors, including our supervisor at the time, Jeff
Grover. If you ask anyone who lived in Salida in 2007 who planned to
vote on the initiative, most will express resentment that their vote
was taken away from them, including other residents right here in
this room.</i></b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>I was one of them. I barely paid any attention to
local politics until Modesto moved to annex Salida in 2012. But I did
plan to vote no on the SCP – Salida Now as it was called then,
because 2007 was the start of the recession and I had neighbors who
couldn't sell their homes so why did we need a development plan that
included 5,000 new homes to compete against?</i></b></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">In
about 2014, I printed off and read the entire SCP, and I have now
come to appreciate certain aspects of it. For instance, page 4 of
Exhibit B item E states “E</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">nsuring
that the Salida Community Plan Amendment Area is in </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">HARMONY</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">
with existing communities</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">.”
<br /><br />I met with Baldev “Paul” Grewal on April 3, 2021 and I
gave him a list of 4 things that would help his project: 1. Will the
gas station close at night? He asked me if the pumps could stay on
and I said he needed to ask the neighborhood. 2. Safety – crime,
gas, hydrogen. - Now I don't know why this project was approved when
the project next to it was denied based on not having enough water
for fire suppression because Vizcaya's well is shut down for being
over the limit in arsenic. There's much more about water supply
requirements in the SCP ordinance but that's for county counsel and
staff to review as reading and adhering to the SCP is way above what
they pay you to be here tonight. As for hydrogen, there has not been
any communication or community education on the safety of hydrogen
fuel. The closest hydrogen station to us is at Harris Ranch so
there's nothing in this county to base experience or policy on. And
as for crime, the security detail proposed in the project is for the
storage units and not for the 24-hour convenience store. Third – a
Community Facilities District which the Salida Community Plan states
on Article II, Section 2.09 “Funding Districts. Prior to the
recordation of any final map, the Applicant filing such map shall
petition County to form (or annex into, as applicable) community
facilities districts or other such financing districts solely
burdening the applicable portion of the Project Site." But I do not
see any mention of this CFD in the Planning document that is part of
this passed initiative. And lastly, I asked Paul to put it in writing
which obviously, none of it is, or it would be in the Conditions for
Approval. So I feel this lack of harmony shown towards Vizcaya and
the Community of Salida is setting this project up to be another
Larsa Hall or Fruit Yard. The County is a complaint driven system
after all, and it would be so much easier if the applicant would meet
with the community </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">BEFORE</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>
one spade of dirt is overturned since they will be suffering the
ramifications of this <a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/08/why-build-gas-station-just-to-tear-it.html" target="_blank">destined to be torn down gas station.</a><br /></b><br /><b>This
plan should have gone back to Salida MAC after planning dept changed
the title because these and other questions as pertains to the plan
should be addressed ahead of time. The <a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-conflicted-mac.html" target="_blank">two previous MAC members who had conflicts – one a real estate agent that works for the company representing the land, and the other who works for the county which stands to benefit from a 200% discount on a drainage basin, should have conflicted themselves out</a>. The county employee has since
resigned from MAC and two seats were filled in January. If it had
gone back to MAC now, then a legitimate vote could have been taken
and not this nonsense of split votes by conflicted members. One of
you even cited that the MAC vote weighs heavily on their decision
about the project, so I hope you will take these biased machinations
into consideration because the request was denied that the project be
taken back to the MAC </b><u style="font-weight: bold;">BEFORE</u><b> the planning commission meeting. It is
now slated to go to MAC next week, so any vote they make will not be
heard tonight by you. What should have happened is it went to the MAC
next week, then went to Planning Commission's March 3</b></span><sup style="font-weight: bold;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">rd</span></sup><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">
meeting. Because when it comes down to it, who stands to gain the
most from this project besides the landowners? The county does. The
county gets their discount basin and the county gets the tax revenue
from the development. And the county has scheduled the votes in their
favor for you to not to consider an un-conflicted MAC vote.<br /><br />The
SCP has a provision for the Board of Supervisors to consider a range
of land uses intended to allow flexibility, but that loophole does
NOT preclude the applicants from the SCP fee in Exhibit A page 10
section 21.66.110 nor the aforementioned CFD. In fact, Exhibit B item
17A states “</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">adopting
this Ordinance without alteration</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">.”
and just below that in Section B item 1. “T</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">his
initiative will protect the quality of life of the County's citizens
by Discouraging sprawl by locating a mix of land uses adjacent to
existing communitie</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">s.”
And in Exhibit B, section D “</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">Approval
of this initiative does not constitute a part of, or encourage,
piecemeal conversion of a larger agricultural area to
non-agricultural uses.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">”
Simply put, I ask you to put yourself in the shoes of residents of
the Vizcaya neighborhood. Would you want a gas station less than 500
feet from your un-gated neighborhood? Would you want flammable
materials less than 500 ft from your house when water suppression
could be an issue because your well is shut down? I was reminded of
this again when American Recycling burned this week and they had
water suppression issues. How does anything about this gas station
improve the quality of life and harmony of the community?</span></span></i></p><br /></div>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-14993581579433602732021-10-27T12:19:00.023-07:002021-11-02T11:11:40.894-07:00Why build a gas station just to tear it down? Part 2<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KvsQ2USC41uEGr3QCXJo1TfL0UdCk-HE-3ywzQqo0tC5YmY-D06o2-6IQs9xc6mn_gV5GhwIP9jSqUXpAaO7zCbA-PJNdwxEYQ5hc2HWORKLOzpgdbjB9m4HJfMr18zCq4sF2jAuiaT/s2048/Grover-1.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57KvsQ2USC41uEGr3QCXJo1TfL0UdCk-HE-3ywzQqo0tC5YmY-D06o2-6IQs9xc6mn_gV5GhwIP9jSqUXpAaO7zCbA-PJNdwxEYQ5hc2HWORKLOzpgdbjB9m4HJfMr18zCq4sF2jAuiaT/s320/Grover-1.HEIC" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stanislaus County Public Works presented a proposal at the Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Salida Municipal Advisory Council (Salida MAC) for <a href="http://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2021/20211102/C01.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Stanislaus County to purchase 2.2 acres of land for $100K from Grover Family Trust</b></a>. The reason given for purchasing the land by the county employee is it will be, "<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UCQRwPZ3-QwiSBDub3gbqXcRBI8qgfVk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">...<i>maintained by public works as a storm drain basin but it's not going to be allowed to have something built upon it so that it would ultimately have to be torn down at the taxpayers' cost</i></a>."</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wait. WHAT?!? You mean like the <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0079_30_Day.pdf" target="_blank">gas station, storage units and other development</a></b> planned for the parcels adjacent to Pirrone Court also owned by Grover Family Trust and<b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/08/why-build-gas-station-just-to-tear-it.html" target="_blank"> would be torn down when the Hammett Road overpass is improved</a></b>?</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdOmZuvghe1zuG2DvNpIQs7EnOKlDgd6XrFpx9RT61pl2uIYR3ZdQBp6MgUAzyFZjAFBgtr6Ux37zDTCGF1h-U67jjfYmUr427lEvk8RWm7kp2F28iRWPPYwmrnc1WEW3Gu1p0f6lVi-/s2048/Grover-2.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1325" data-original-width="2048" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdOmZuvghe1zuG2DvNpIQs7EnOKlDgd6XrFpx9RT61pl2uIYR3ZdQBp6MgUAzyFZjAFBgtr6Ux37zDTCGF1h-U67jjfYmUr427lEvk8RWm7kp2F28iRWPPYwmrnc1WEW3Gu1p0f6lVi-/w400-h259/Grover-2.HEIC" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the September 2021 Salida MAC meeting, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stanislaus County Planning Department gave an update that the gas station project is on hold while the developer looks for land to mitigate for the threatened status species, Swainson's Hawk, which is currently foraging on the land.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Um....Hello Stanislaus County - how about doing the same for the gas station parcel and leaving it as forage for the hawk for <b><i>THE VERY SAME FREAKING REASON CITED FOR BUYING THOSE OTHER TWO PARCELS?!?</i><br /><br />Updated Nov 2, 2021: </b>The <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzr1Yl1Z_7gYyyslN6K7nQ/videos" target="_blank">Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors</a></b> approved the purchase of the aforementioned 2.2 acres at their Tuesday, November 2, 2021 meeting. </span></p><p><b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/08/why-build-gas-station-just-to-tear-it.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>READ: </i></span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 18px;">Why build a gas station just to tear it down? Part 1</span></a></b></p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-50660744182546647152021-08-05T00:32:00.009-07:002021-10-27T12:14:44.579-07:00Why build a gas station just to tear it down? Part 1<span style="font-family: verdana;">A Public Records Act Request has revealed the shocking information that Stanislaus County planners and leaders know the proposed <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0079_30_Day.pdf" target="_blank">gas station and storage (PLN2019-0079)</a></b> to be built next to the Vizcaya neighborhood would be torn down to make way for the expansion of the <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/publicworks/pdf/hh99/hh99-draft-environmental-doc.pdf" target="_blank">Hammett Road interchange</a></b>. In this <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18l8jc54A8euFWkVht3v_TBe7s4I4NtHU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">email exchange dated December 7, 2018 between former Stanislaus County Deputy Director, Miguel Galvez, to Stanislaus County Planner, Kristin Doud</a></b> and copied to Stanislaus County Planning Director, Angela Freitas, Galvez writes, <br /><blockquote><i>"The Grover family is interested in developing their property by the Hammett Road overcrossing. They would like to develop a service station on the 9.6 ac. parcel (APN 003-014-007), it would be temporary until the property is taken for the development of the new interchange."</i></blockquote></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>NOT ONCE</b> has this information that the development will be demolished for the new interchange been shared at <b>ANY</b> of the county meetings held about the gas station project in Salida! <b>WHY</b> would Stanislaus County proceed with a project that not only would have a gas station, but a mini-storage, and other restaurants when all of it will be torn down for a freeway interchange? Would the business owners and corporations know in advance that their business investments on this land could be short-lived? At the <b><a href="http://stancounty.info/publicworks/pdf/hh99/public-hearing-07-31-2012.pdf" target="_blank">Hammett Road Interchange meeting held at Salida Library Community Room on July 31, 2012</a></b>, one of the hired consultants of the study said at <b><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/g3gt6zvmfw2uwo7/Hammett%20Interchange%20Meeting%207-31-12.aiff?dl=0" target="_blank">7:16 in the recorded meeting</a></b>, </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFftgCoU2SKcx2LpKmUOGBHY7NcoFcuetWhZZayHvzWu2DAnlGWixZT_Au4ByUtItpbxFcacAzaYeOWkETd2JG-hNiae6-VPy2HBlxbCRXxeRCLKgVogUBAUbYheHJhkTDP2-mF3hyphenhyphenrJ_/s931/Hammett+Interchange+Map.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFftgCoU2SKcx2LpKmUOGBHY7NcoFcuetWhZZayHvzWu2DAnlGWixZT_Au4ByUtItpbxFcacAzaYeOWkETd2JG-hNiae6-VPy2HBlxbCRXxeRCLKgVogUBAUbYheHJhkTDP2-mF3hyphenhyphenrJ_/w220-h320/Hammett+Interchange+Map.PNG" title="Outline of new Hammett Interchange" width="220" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><blockquote><i>"The problem is, any development, any significant development around the Hammett Road Interchange <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">causes the Hammett interchange to<b> fail</b> in it's ability to service traffic</span>, so it would need to be improved. The plan that we have done in here tonight, is the least impact way of making a long term interchange improvement to accommodate any development that occurs at the interchange."</i></blockquote><br />At 5:44 in the recording after a discussion on whether the land could be developed or not, a man says, "<i>The land should be acquired at fair market value</i>." In the December 7, 2018 Galvez-Doud email, they discuss the zoning. A-2 is the zoning code for General Agriculture.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">A second development project debuted in early 2020 known as "<b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0131_EC.pdf" target="_blank">Lark Landing PLN2019-0131</a></b>" which includes another gas station, car wash, convenience market, offices, fast food and <b><i>TWO</i></b> hotels on the land in front (west) of the Vizcaya neighborhood. This project is currently on hold, but again, if you look at the layout of the Hammett Road interchange, this land would also be taken for that along with the new Pirrone Rd. alignment. <br /><br />The only reason I can think of as to <b><i>WHY</i></b> Stanislaus County would follow through with these doomed projects is to insure the landowners receive a higher "fair market value" for their land by the state. A General Plan rezone is part of these development applications and built-out commercial land would cost the state more than if it were undeveloped or remained agriculture. <br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-12993833706574171782021-06-06T14:00:00.001-07:002021-06-06T14:00:08.034-07:00A Conflicted MAC Part 2<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On April 6, 2021, I wrote "<b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-conflicted-mac.html" target="_blank">A Conflicted MAC</a></b>" about how Salida Municipal Advisory Council board members had voted <b><i>AGAINST</i></b> our community by supporting the gas station planned within 500 ft of the Vizcaya neighborhood. To briefly recap that post, Salida MAC Chair, Leng Nou is employed by Stanislaus County and Stanislaus County stands to gain a drainage basin at a 200% discount off the price if the project is approved. And new Salida MAC board member, Bob Elliott, became employed as of March 1, 2021 at the very same real estate company handling the transaction of the land. Both voted in favor of the project at the March 2021 Salida MAC meeting. Their votes benefit their employers and are the opposite of what the majority of the community has expressed at that meeting and past ones.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the passing of new Salida MAC board member, <b><a href="https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/19296371/Debra-Nutt/Ripon/California/Deegan-Funeral-Chapel" target="_blank">Debbie Nutt</a></b>, her vacancy was filled by the appointment of Tom Burns to the Salida MAC council. Tom Burns has served on the Salida MAC board previously and also served on the Salida Fire Protection District board.<br /><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg146xqe7m3BCDcTVQjBQOIym572ilRjwJfsFJ0GCOhWYeqQ4kkP-0CYPDEgwC_-HNnPz1Po_V0MtIuIxbQj7vWlLnSQsmLJ5W9cPhBqXqCU3cPZ5cfDqG6cRt6FRdYgXvBU2Ou1SKTy29r/s1587/Salida+MAC+online+mtg+27Apr2021.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1587" data-original-width="1520" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg146xqe7m3BCDcTVQjBQOIym572ilRjwJfsFJ0GCOhWYeqQ4kkP-0CYPDEgwC_-HNnPz1Po_V0MtIuIxbQj7vWlLnSQsmLJ5W9cPhBqXqCU3cPZ5cfDqG6cRt6FRdYgXvBU2Ou1SKTy29r/w383-h400/Salida+MAC+online+mtg+27Apr2021.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Patrick and Tom Burns at April 27, 2021 Salida MAC meeting.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">It will be interesting to see how Tom votes on the gas station re-vote slated for the Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in-person Salida MAC meeting. Tom also brings a conflict-of-interest with him to the table: his son, Patrick, is Chief Engineer of Salida Fire. Patrick has said at a previous Salida MAC meeting that the </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqA5pDPhKoPzGelHoRtvqNdMLx931tY_/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">gas station project is worth the equivalent of 5,000 homes in tax revenue to Salida Fire Dept</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Incidentally, Patrick mentions in the recording that the Salida Fire Dept has been in the red, but I have heard they are now back in the black. This is difficult to verify since the fire board has canceled their last two meetings. Anyhow, I point this out because putting the Fire Dept in the black is not a justification for voting in favor of all development. Development needs to be conducive to nearby neighborhoods.<br /><br />Patrick is a Salida resident and I have always thought it admirable that he doesn't cast a vote in the community poll vote the MAC conducts because as a Salida resident, he has the right to vote. I assume he doesn't because of the conflict-of-interest. But will his father do the same?</span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The purpose of the MAC is to <b><i>represent the community</i></b>, and not their employers or their family members' employers. This is stated in <a href="https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/government-code/gov-sect-31010.html" target="_blank"><b>Government Code section 31010</b></a>: "...</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>a municipal advisory council may<b> represent the community</b> to any state, county, city, special district or school district, agency or commission, or any other organization on any matter concerning the community.</i>"<br /><br />A large number of Salida residents support the Vizcaya neighborhood and have signed the online petition and circulated paper petitions. It's not hard to see why if you put yourself in their shoes; would <b>YOU</b> want a gas station built within 500 ft of <b>YOUR</b> neighborhood? Please support Vizcaya and <b><a href="https://www.change.org/p/no-gas-station-next-to-vizcaya?original_footer_petition_id=&grid_position=&pt=" target="_blank">sign the petition here</a></b>.</span></span></p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-53872489247538868922021-04-13T09:35:00.008-07:002021-04-13T14:28:52.440-07:00Summary of the Vizcaya posts<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I didn't realize just how many times I've addressed the issue of development around Vizcaya until I looked back at past posts. Vizcaya residents especially need to read these posts so they know the history and issues involving the land around their neighborhood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>GROVER FAMILY </b>- Our former Stanislaus County District 3 Supervisor, Jeff Grover, was one of the three votes which passed the <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-now-its-salida-now.html" target="_blank">Salida Community Plan</a></b> in 2007. <b><i>JEFF GROVER WOULD HAVE BEEN CONFLICTED FROM VOTING ON THE PLAN IF HIS COUSIN, MARK GROVER</i></b> (owner of Grover Landscaping) <b><i>HAD SIGNED A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.</i></b> It's <b>NOT</b> a "drafting error" that they just suddenly noticed after 14 years when Mark Grover wants to sell his land for development. The land has <b>NOT SOLD</b> yet as you can see by this out-of-boundary water service agreement that <b><a href="https://agenda.modestogov.com/OnBaseAgendaOnlineCouncil/Documents/ViewDocument/4%20-%200%20PIRRONE%20RD%20OUTSIDE%20SERVICE%20AGREEMENT.PDF.pdf?meetingId=1351&documentType=Agenda&itemId=56540&publishId=71273&isSection=false" target="_blank">Mark and Lorraine Grover</a></b> have requested on the Modesto City Council agenda for <b>TODAY</b>, Tuesday, April 13, 2021.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2019/11/when-past-comes-back-to-haunt-you.html" target="_blank">When the past comes back to haunt you</a></b></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">STANISLAUS COUNTY</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> - A Stanislaus County employee even truthfully stated at a past meeting when asked, that he "<i>Wouldn't have bought a house there</i>" meaning in Vizcaya and knowing what development would be put in by the homes. The county machine is churning like a steamroller towards Vizcaya. A county employee on the Salida Municipal Advisory Council voted in favor of the project despite three meetings where Salida residents were unanimously opposed. Why does the county want this project so much? Besides being a large tax</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInKNwhpmSsUu8-As_3ta5qDQPqD_x_IN-BZ5rsXp05i0HO4Y3Oc1OppO4c10Ad007ePdwuEoBpWno3N2FFu_o7qUYoDFIAD02F2Hsxl_HY8MSE9QDA4lyERncJfGFyv5HYBRJjMv_n49j/s2048/2021+Vizcaya+basin.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInKNwhpmSsUu8-As_3ta5qDQPqD_x_IN-BZ5rsXp05i0HO4Y3Oc1OppO4c10Ad007ePdwuEoBpWno3N2FFu_o7qUYoDFIAD02F2Hsxl_HY8MSE9QDA4lyERncJfGFyv5HYBRJjMv_n49j/w320-h240/2021+Vizcaya+basin.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Current Vizcaya drainage basin in 2021</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">generator, the county will get a new drainage basin for Vizcaya at "75% off" the land price. The highly questionable and extreme lengths the county seems to be going to in order to push this project through include allowing the votes of a county employee and a new MAC member who became a real estate agent on March 1, 2021 <b><i>FOR THE VERY SAME COMPANY HANDLING THE SALE OF THE LAND and he DID NOT DISCLOSE THIS NEW JOB</i></b> publicly at the MAC meeting nor conflict himself out of voting. The county machine is also doing a very poor job of notifying Vizcaya residents of what is transpiring including planning to adopt a Negative CEQA document on the project when it was only announced at the March 2021 Salida MAC meeting that hydrogen fueling tanks have been added to the project. There is no mention of the hydrogen tanks in the <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0079_30_Day.pdf" target="_blank">Salida Gas Station Project</a></b>.</div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Read:<br /></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2020/02/i-wouldnt-have-bought-house-there-in.html" target="_blank">"I wouldn't have bought a house there" in Salida's Vizcaya neighborhood </a><br /><br /><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-conflicted-mac.html" target="_blank">A Conflicted MAC</a><br /><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-due-diligenece-of-transparency-and.html" target="_blank">The due diligence of transparency, taxes, and development</a></h3><div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Salida residents, and especially those in Vizcaya, need to <b>SPEAK UP!</b> You need to write to planning@stancounty.com and contact all five county supervisors. You need to attend meetings when you can, even if it's virtual on Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Call them on the mat for these things. <br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.change.org/p/no-gas-station-next-to-vizcaya" target="_blank">Sign the petition to support Vizcaya</a></b> and share the link. Time is running out.</span></div>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-38701224456171674992021-04-06T18:17:00.029-07:002021-04-06T20:08:53.069-07:00A Conflicted MAC<span style="font-family: verdana;">At the Tuesday, March 23, 2021 vote conducted at the Salida Municipal Advisory Council meeting regarding the <a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0079_30_Day.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Salida Gas Station Project</b></a> bordering the Vizcaya neighborhood; MAC members were conflicted and in more ways than one.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">A straw-poll vote of those attending the meeting, Salida MAC member, <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h18gy36591_mDcJuRcO_5nDLHk0Z6FHV/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">John Martin, made a motion to not approve the gas station</a></b> and Vice-chair Brad Johnson seconded the motion. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0sEw7hzjG9Pi-SYrbrL_vfKYQSvq9wwnSXpf-53SisPWFJdmQ6hG8ciGt6wY8gWhsJ4rmulHPRlvMK-azgAU8Tw47P9qRJNjZKsVzdZaAUYTnc7fPQUVK-AJNE835Xk9Ro6HnQOYbPLo/s2048/PMZ+sign+Grover+Family+land.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0sEw7hzjG9Pi-SYrbrL_vfKYQSvq9wwnSXpf-53SisPWFJdmQ6hG8ciGt6wY8gWhsJ4rmulHPRlvMK-azgAU8Tw47P9qRJNjZKsVzdZaAUYTnc7fPQUVK-AJNE835Xk9Ro6HnQOYbPLo/w320-h240/PMZ+sign+Grover+Family+land.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">New MAC board member, Bob Elliott, who was sworn into office in January 2021, voted against the motion saying, "</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">I'm going to vote nay because I just think there's some information that the public has that may not be totally correct and that's the basis of some of the comments</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">." Mr. Elliott never specifies what the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"some information" is. When he joined the Salida MAC in January he gave a </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KbqycP9Urfhgt3U29jA3S8Fp_tAryE1F/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">brief introduction of himself saying his occupation was "sales for a software company</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">." Mr. Elliott does not announce his new job as of March 1st is in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://www.pmz.com/bio/belliott" target="_blank">real estate for the very same company handling the sale of the land for the gas station</a></b></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Salida MAC Chair, Leng Nou, also voted nay, "<i>...only because there was strong opposition we heard at previous community meetings, and whether it's because of noticing, I don't know but I know that we have community members here tonight with five no's as opposed to a roomful before</i>."<br /><br />Now why Salida MAC can vote "yes" on the <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-taxing-annexation-for-salida-part-1.html" target="_blank">CSA tax annexation with a majority of ten people in favor</a></b> and she votes "no" with a majority of five voting against and many more than that at all the previous meetings is questionable. There weren't any Salida residents who attended the meeting that voted for the project in the straw poll vote. And as to the low turnout of residents at the meeting, there were several issues that impeded attendance like no meeting notice was sent to the Salida MAC e-mail list, two different agendas circulated and the one posted on Facebook did not contain a hyperlink to the meeting, and the county switched platforms from Zoom to Microsoft Teams. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Considering that Bob Elliott is now employed with the real estate company handling the land sale for the Salida Gas Station, that should have conflicted him out of the vote. Should Leng Nou also have been conflicted out of voting because she is an employee of Stanislaus County? <br /><br />John Martin points out that the county really seems to be <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dGG3lhQ1EYaa4_jA-dBiWDIGG2UR0sQy/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">pitching for this project</a></b> because they will get "75% off" the land price for a drainage basin. Stanislaus County Public Works Director, Dave Leamon tries to explain his stance, but it does sound like a pitch in his <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cy3oMhBAXtPI58sqtJ9Vu508fXex36rB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>comments about the basin.</b></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Salida MAC is an advisory board and so is the Stanislaus County Planning Commission. Our<b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/board/district3.shtm" target="_blank"> county supervisor</a></b> is the only one who has a binding vote on this issue. The Salida MAC vote unfortunately split, and if occupational bias was involved, this advisory vote should be reviewed by county counsel. Salida MAC board members are elected to represent the community and not their employers. <br /><br />Please support our Salida neighbors in the Vizcaya community and<a href="https://www.change.org/p/no-gas-station-next-to-vizcaya" target="_blank"> <b>sign the petition here</b>.</a></span></div>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-87978022009059994712020-08-20T11:43:00.001-07:002021-05-10T11:39:21.977-07:00A taxing annexation for Salida<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>If Stanislaus County succeeds in annexing our homes into taxing districts, tax increases are never going to end. Every so often, they will want to raise taxes as they have already been doing to the people in those taxing districts.</b><br /><br />As if 2020 hasn't been a bad enough year already, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with plans to annex all of Salida into taxing districts. They call it a community service "assessment" (CSA) but that's just another word for "tax", and this is why it's subject to a <b><a href="https://lao.ca.gov/1996/120196_prop_218/understanding_prop218_1296.html" target="_blank">Prop 218</a></b> vote. Following are the politics behind this tax and my thoughts on why I am against it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first tax to be voted on is known as CSA 4 and applies only to the Bristol Glen (aka Amberwood) neighborhood for their storm drain maintenance. For the CSA 4 tax to apply to all of Salida, <b><a href="http://www.stanislauslafco.org/" target="_blank">Stanislaus LAFCO</a></b> will have to approve Salida being annexed into Bristol Glen's taxing district and then registered homeowners will vote. The second taxing district that the rest of Salida will be annexed into is CSA 10 which covers park maintenance and the landscaping around the current CSA neighborhoods.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Following are my comments regarding the proposed tax annexation at the August 11, 2020 Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting:<br /><br />"I would like to request that agenda item C-1 be pulled and the following points are taken into consideration. To quote from page 2:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"<i>In November, staff led a second meeting with the community and explained the rate increase process, benefits and costs, and why the increase was needed for CSA 10. County staff performed an informal poll of those that attended using comment cards. Based on 19 comment cards submitted, 10 were for the increase and 9 were against the increase. However, the most notable of responses, both verbally and written, for that meeting was a request that all of Salida pay for their "fair share" of the storm drain maintenance costs before considering raising the rate for CSA 10.</i>"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's begin with that quote "fair share". In 2013, I asked Matt Machado (former Director of Stanislaus County Public Works) how the storm drain maintenance in Salida was funded in neighborhoods like mine which are not covered by a CSA and his reply was "the gas tax". And here we are, seven years later and in the intervening time, we've had <b><a href="http://rebuildingca.ca.gov/" target="_blank">SB-1</a></b> and <b><a href="http://stanislausmeasurel.com/">Measure L</a></b> which are nice hefty increases to gas tax revenue. As was brought up at the Salida MAC meeting and also in the intervening time, the County decided to raid the CSA to pay for storm drain maintenance in my neighborhood as well as others not in CSA Districts, and this you spin as we are not paying our "fair share"??? That section of the agenda item should be stricken because it is nothing more than a biased opinion to further an agenda. If you don't wish to strike it, you can just as easily add my negative comment from the nine that were opposed so it's a more balanced and fair government document. (The Board of Supervisors adopted neither suggestion and <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2020/20200811/C01.pdf" target="_blank">the comment still stands in the document</a></b>. They approved the tax unanimously to proceed onto the annexation process.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My County Supervisor once told me that I was smart for not buying a Mello Roos home. (Mello Roos homes in Salida also have CSA taxes). I replied that it isn't because I'm smart, I did it on purpose because I didn't want the added taxes. When the people in CSA and Mello Roos homes purchase those homes, they agree to pay those taxes. They know what they are getting into. When we bought our home 27 years ago, the real estate agent did not say, "Well, you don't have these additional taxes on your home, but just wait, you will in 27 years."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Personally, the amount you want to tax us with isn't a big deal to me. I'm against this tax in principle. The principle being that we <b>DO</b> pay more than our fair share and we did not sign up for this. Another principle is that I think your timing is horrendous because other than the Great Recession, you're going to push a tax during the second biggest economic downturn of the 21st century. While the amount may not be a big deal to me, you are imposing this tax on low-income areas of Salida - the same sections of Salida you use for <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/documents/gp/i-d-stanislaus-county-disadvantaged-unin-communities-report.pdf" target="_blank">DUC (Disadvantaged Unincorporated Community)</a></b> status in grants so that tax may be a big deal to a lot of other people in Salida." (<b>NOTE:</b> Salida as a whole is not a DUC, but the county obtained the storm drain grant for the Historic neighborhoods by grouping them as a DUC.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can't combat this tax alone so if you wish to help, <b><a href="mailto:salidakat@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mail me</a></b>.</span></p>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-63995521945635007152020-06-17T11:39:00.002-07:002020-06-17T11:40:57.386-07:00Urban Limit Lines; the politics of invisible lines in the sand<font face="georgia">Board members of the Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs) in Salida and Wood Colony, along with members of other local boards like Salida Sanitary District, etc. received letters from the City of Modesto dated June 9, 2020 requesting feedback about their proposed Urban Limit Lines (ULL). So far, the correspondence and social media postings in response to the letter have been a resounding "leave us alone" from Salida and Wood Colony residents.</font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">First, just what is an Urban Limit Line? That's an invisible line in the sand (or in our case, prime agricultural soil called Hanford Sandy Loam) that would prevent the City of Modesto from land-grabbing upon the communities of Salida and Wood Colony. As most local area </span></div><div><font face="georgia"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjrem24aDwrM1DCvKH0pLEQBgnyKfu17EveqHob0e3ATdvitUSD7-TuQLfegGkPEONUXb8w7rHoTQNiiWsFAM-hOvTNWPveS6Ak4YsZgYEV3E2wDNLbO8xtYHUgwFvypwYC_GP0tA9WT-/s990/stapleymap.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Source: https://www.modbee.com/article237666634.html" border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjrem24aDwrM1DCvKH0pLEQBgnyKfu17EveqHob0e3ATdvitUSD7-TuQLfegGkPEONUXb8w7rHoTQNiiWsFAM-hOvTNWPveS6Ak4YsZgYEV3E2wDNLbO8xtYHUgwFvypwYC_GP0tA9WT-/w310-h400/stapleymap.jpg" title="Modesto Bee map - Garth Stapley article" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Modesto Bee map <br /><a href="https://www.modbee.com/article237666634.html">https://www.modbee.com/article237666634.html</a></font></td></tr></tbody></table>residents know, <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-brief-history-of-salida-and-past.html" target="_blank">Salida and Wood Colony have been fighting proposed annexations by Modesto for quite some time now</a></b>. Typically, a ULL would be met with open arms by our unincorporated communities for the protection they offer, so why is this one not?</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Because the ULL does <b>NOT</b> match up to our communities' boundaries which means that Modesto would still have the opportunity to develop and sprawl into Salida and Wood Colony. </font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Politicians in Modesto didn't just wake up one day and decide to implement the ULL, nor did they wake up and decide to go after Salida and Wood Colony once again - they are doing this for two reasons: former Modesto City Councilman, Denny Jackman and landowners in Salida and Wood Colony. </font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Denny Jackman is perhaps the most well-known farmland preservationist in our county. He co-authored with former Modesto mayor, Garrad Marsh, Measure E - a county-wide residential ULL that was passed by voters in 2007. Denny then tried to repeat the success with a City of Modesto ULL initiative in 2015 known as Measure I. The Modesto Chamber of Commerce and local unions poured money into an anti-Measure I campaign and the initiative was narrowly defeated.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Denny is not one to give up so easily. To put it bluntly, he is threatening Modesto with another ULL ballot initiative if they did not implement a ULL on their own. The June 9 letter even says this but much more diplomatically: "<i>Mr. Jackman informed the City Council that he intended to proceed with another attempt to impose the same limitations as he had pursued in 2015</i>." But this new ULL is not exactly the same as the one in 2015. The ULL sacrifices much more of Wood Colony. Salida's lines are pretty much the same as 2015 but they do not follow <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-now-its-salida-now.html" target="_blank">Salida's Community Plan (SCP)</a></b> boundaries. Why? On both counts: landowners.<br /><br />Based on social media posts on NextDoor regarding this topic and a recent Wood Colony MAC meeting, it appears that <b><a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2015/09/out-of-developers-closet-bill-lyons-jr.html" target="_blank">Bill Lyons Jr.</a></b> is affecting the boundaries in Wood Colony. He is the largest landowner there. For Salida, the main chunks of land cut out of our SCP boundaries is everything south of Kiernan and Joe Gallo's land north of Kiernan. Back during the Measure I initiative, (this was told to me by a Wood Colony friend) Denny ran into Dave Romano (who reps for Joe Gallo) and Dave told him they'd fight the initiative if the land wasn't removed from the ULL. That's why it's not a clean line north of Kiernan (west of Dale), even though all that land has been designated for Salida in the SCP with a Development Agreement signed by Mr. Romano. </font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Back to the ULL and my thoughts: the Modesto City Council is in a rock and hard place trying to appease Denny and compromise with powerful families like Lyons and Gallo who want to sell their lands for commercial prices (much higher than ag prices). Additionally, while their lands are in areas designated for Salida and Wood Colony, the land cannot be developed unless City of Modesto agrees to supply water for new development. Historically for Salida, this has meant that Modesto will not supply the water unless they get to annex the land. (That's how Salida lost Costco and Kaiser from it's districts.)</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">I cannot see the residents of Salida and Wood Colony being on board for something that does not fully protect our communities from annexation. We can let the Modesto City Council know what we think of their invisible lines in the sand, but they don't have a history of listening to us since we are not constituents. However, their past votes have proven to be political campaign ammo and have killed re-election bids so I guess we'll see.</font></div>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-65220592234893138022020-05-07T22:11:00.001-07:002020-05-07T22:19:20.219-07:00Indentity and transparency for 95368<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On Monday, April 20, 2020, <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article242157706.html" target="_blank">Stanislaus County opened it's first free COVID-19 testing site</a></b> at the Salida Library. Three days later on April 23, I submitted an email request to the county asking for Salida's COVID-19 cases to be broken out of the county numbers just as Alameda County has done for unincorporated Castro Valley. I copied members of Salida MAC on my request and learned they had also requested the same information. (THANK YOU SALIDA MAC!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">On Monday, April 27, I sent another e-mail request to the county asking for an update and sending a link to a Sacramento Bee article showing that <b><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article242173141.html" target="_blank">Sacramento breaks their COVID-19 cases down by zip code</a></b>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The Modesto Bee Editorial Board joined the call for the breakdown in numbers by zip code in an <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/opinion/editorials/article242328776.html#storylink=cpy" target="_blank">opinion piece on April 28,</a></b> which specifically mentioned Salida</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Reporting by ZIP code would greatly increase clarity, for example, in Salida — the county’s largest unincorporated community, and host of the county’s new drive-up testing clinic. With 14,658 people, Salida actually is larger than three of our cities: Waterford (population 8,823), Hughson (7,370) and Newman (11,119). ZIP code-level reporting would do the trick, as Salida has only one ZIP code."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Unfortunately, the county's solution to our request was to break the numbers out by supervisorial district which doesn't tell anything specifically about Salida. That same day, Salida MAC again made the case for the breakdown of Salida's numbers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">On May 4, the Modesto Bee Op Ed Board <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/opinion/editorials/article242486451.html" target="_blank">announced that the county would soon break down the numbers by zip code</a></b>. </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Perhaps people in Modesto soon will know whether their neighborhoods have had COVID clusters. It will be nice seeing 10 different reports for the 10 ZIP codes in Modesto, rather than just one for the entire city. </i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The same goes for one-ZIP-code Salida. The unincorporated town has 14,658 residents but no clue whether the coronavirus is active there, despite serving as the county’s only testing site before others were added Monday in Patterson and Keyes. </i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>On Sunday, Merced County became more transparent by reporting to email alert subscribers its cases in Delhi (population 11,735) and Winton (11,761), both unincorporated like Salida although both are smaller. Salida also has more people that three actual Stanislaus cities: Waterford (population 8,823), Hughson (7,370) and Newman (11,119), all of which have benefited from specific coronavirus reports."</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFk5bhlmjCBU86gYRABnqK0rs-Whg73buxQHHXz6ttHzGftbXOsdPN3XP6WdIrayv20JZrGWfGG1XO8smoYFoGUOBJFbQNDAfWZchl_IYKExXDm3N7CMiAwoRr6jFGhhbsbP32jkFz3Py/s1600/Salida+COVID-19+map+7May2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="593" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFk5bhlmjCBU86gYRABnqK0rs-Whg73buxQHHXz6ttHzGftbXOsdPN3XP6WdIrayv20JZrGWfGG1XO8smoYFoGUOBJFbQNDAfWZchl_IYKExXDm3N7CMiAwoRr6jFGhhbsbP32jkFz3Py/s320/Salida+COVID-19+map+7May2020.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="309" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">FINALLY! Finally...on Thursday, May 7, 2020, eighteen days after placing the first COVID-19 testing site in Salida, <b><a href="https://gis2.stancounty.com/portal/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/50cb3f0ec1164bde81a21f27364349dc" target="_blank">Stanislaus County debuted the COVID-19 numbers by zip code</a></b>. If the first link doesn't work, click this link and then "<b><a href="http://schsa.org/tabs.shtm#home" target="_blank">Neighborhoods</a></b>" at the top of the page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">District 3 has 20 cases. Salida has 12 of those cases.</span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0Salida, CA 95368, USA37.716932700000008 -121.085101937.666690700000011 -121.1657829 37.767174700000005 -121.0044209tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-20258939201724017462020-03-16T13:50:00.000-07:002020-03-16T13:50:12.092-07:00They Know Not What They Do<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.33px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors has offered public comment on agenda items to be submitted via email before 5 pm on Monday and the comments will be distributed to the board. This was emailed to the Clerk of the Board at 1:20 pm on Monday, March 16, 2020</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3eH8pSv2YCnYxHJ1aVSR4RFJ4CbNrpadtjR6tleGYJ9ehHZif_v975URa94__sdU47j1gnye9nhILtTveKrLNBRtaKJrfJETKipBFnK3s9YJz4GxQlEEXxAeKmDibX2kYBOANZROWLOF/s1600/Castro+Valley+Stepford+MAC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3eH8pSv2YCnYxHJ1aVSR4RFJ4CbNrpadtjR6tleGYJ9ehHZif_v975URa94__sdU47j1gnye9nhILtTveKrLNBRtaKJrfJETKipBFnK3s9YJz4GxQlEEXxAeKmDibX2kYBOANZROWLOF/s200/Castro+Valley+Stepford+MAC.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 1.37rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Public Comment Agenda Item.6.B.11 - Valley Home MAC</span><br /><br />Supervisors,</div>
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I read through the <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/bos/agenda/2020/20200317/B11.pdf" target="_blank">agenda item for changing the Valley Home MAC from elected to appointed</a></b>, and while I understand and sympathize with some of the points you make and the issues surrounding this, I do not agree with the change. As I have shared with you previously, the MACs in Alameda County are all-appointed and <b><a href="https://ebcitizen.com/2015/08/14/miley-wont-add-new-member-to-his-hand-picked-castro-valley-oversight-committee/" target="_blank">the supervisor will only appoint people to the MAC</a></b> <b><i>who follow his views</i></b>. My nickname for the Castro Valley MAC is "The Stepford Wives MAC". And as I said at your January 2019 workshop during public comment, not being able to choose who represents you is about as un-American as you can get.</div>
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I also find it ironic and rather contradictory that Supervisor Olsen said at this same January 2019 meeting that she didn't "understand why the people of (another board) couldn't choose who represents them." I agree with her - the board she was referring to should be chosen by election of the people! And the same goes for Valley Home MAC! (Also, I DO remember the name of the board she mentioned; just choosing not to throw her under a bus by saying it in public comment.)</div>
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I know you are dealing with apathy of getting people to serve - but their time is a valuable commodity. Please consider coming into the 21st century and offering a stipend to serve on MAC boards. The Stanislaus County Planning Commission has a small stipend but it's enough that you never once hear a planning commissioner say, "I'm just a volunteer" as MAC members are. Salida Sanitary District also offers a small stipend and they never lack for board members. Thank you for your consideration.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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Katherine Borges</div>
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Salida</div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-68741208400515265202020-03-03T10:40:00.002-08:002020-03-03T10:53:03.772-08:00The due diligence of transparency, taxes, and development <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My Public Comment to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 9 am:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Good morning, just to quickly address the email request I sent you to cease the practice of private meetings with MAC members: while it may be in compliance to the Brown Act, there's no way for the public to independently gauge the County's due diligence if there's no record via public attendance or minutes to record what transpired. I wrote to all of you because I don't know if this is something new or something that you all do, but I only know it because Salida MAC members have told me and my supervisor mentioned it at the last MAC meeting. The solution should not be that the supervisor stops mentioning it because that makes it all the less transparent; it just would be better to cease the practice and shine the light of transparency on all governmental meetings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I do think, with much thanks going to Salida MAC, that the County <i><b>HAS</b></i> been (with the exception of the closed door meetings) demonstrating appropriate due diligence in regards to the proposed CSA10 tax increase meetings. My honest opinion is that $33 a year is not a big deal, but I am against the tax in principle. The principle being that it seems the County's first solution for any shortfall is to raise taxes on the constituency as opposed to finding another solution. I do know that the County did look at sub-contracting the landscaping work out and that prevailing wage killed that option. However, I don't think the County has exhausted all other options like applying for grants to xeriscape around the developments or reapportioning our property taxes to include more for park maintenance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I take exception to County employees referring to those, like myself, who do not live in CSA 10 tax homes as “freeloaders”. Just because the County decided to raid CSA10 for my neighborhood's storm drain maintenance at some point between 2013 and now, does not turn my neighborhood into “freeloaders”. One of the biggest reasons I chose my house <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu0gha5tTHauwy6dg1UhORPzd1A6hXubBmSy0xLbx1kasUNjbxP9o8uQeqcxbvVpkO2PTmOEHcl5GJgLbm5yfGejiC4N40XLp4cTyzwui6GHyDjtTf4HkkPveYAQyGrQ19E12c534RPsZ/s1600/CSA10+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="628" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu0gha5tTHauwy6dg1UhORPzd1A6hXubBmSy0xLbx1kasUNjbxP9o8uQeqcxbvVpkO2PTmOEHcl5GJgLbm5yfGejiC4N40XLp4cTyzwui6GHyDjtTf4HkkPveYAQyGrQ19E12c534RPsZ/s320/CSA10+2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some CSA10 Parks & Streetscape budget for 2012-2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
is because it <b><i>DID'NT</i></b> have Mello Roos or CSA taxes on it. My realtor didn't say, “Well be prepared because in 27 years, the County is going to put a tax on you that you didn't sign up for, unlike the people in Mello Roos homes. In 2013, I asked Matt Machado what covered my storm drain maintenance and he replied, “the gas tax”. So yes, $33 isn't a big deal right now, but it all adds up in the long run. I think that if anyone deserves a tax increase in Salida, it's our fire department and the County should exhaust every available option including grants before proceeding with this CSA10 increase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now onto the topic of Vizcaya: it's appalling to expect the working people of Salida to plan to attend a neighborhood meeting with only 6-8 days notice which is what you are doing to them since you just announced the date yesterday. Why can't you give them two weeks notice at least? What's the rush? The short notice ensures a low attendance and that is poor due diligence for a county which is “striving to be the best in America”. Give them a second meeting at least for the people who cannot make the first one. And perhaps on a Saturday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was reading the Salida Community Plan (SCP) over the weekend and it struck me what a strange limbo Salida is in with it. It says that “<i>...one of the primary purposes of the Amendment Area is to provide for a mix of land uses that can facilitate the Salida Community's financial and fiscal self-sufficiency</i>” but if you allow these two gas stations and other businesses the loophole of a “drafting error” to not be included in the SCP then that hurts the existing community. I believe that Jeff Grover had good intentions for us with the SCP but I one hundred percent disagree that a man who is a building contractor would have allowed a "drafting error" to proceed for 13 years, especially when it affects his cousins' land. Put yourself in the shoes of the people who live in Vizcaya, which also does include County employees: would <b>YOU</b> choose to buy a home by two gas stations and two hotels? What will that do to their homes' resale value? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can tell you how the potential of a 4-story hotel impacted <b>MY</b> neighborhood: when a home went up for sale across the street, two buyers backed out just from word that a hotel would be built on the lot behind us and this home didn't even border it! No one wants to walk out of their house and see hotels, or live with the noise, air, and light pollution of gas stations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also ask that when Planning does the environmental studies, to do them by a place with at least two gas stations to measure the pollutants that will be influencing the air quality around the homes. Thank you for your consideration."</span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-69140289013336277992020-02-25T10:15:00.001-08:002020-02-25T10:41:26.104-08:00"I wouldn't have bought a house there" in Salida's Vizcaya neighborhood<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My comments during the public comment period at the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors 9 am meeting on February 25, 2020:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>”<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
wouldn't have bought a house there” are words that have haunted me
since the January Salida MAC meeting. They were spoken by a county
employee; an honest answer to a Salida resident who asked him if he
would want to live near the various developments being planned around
Hammett and Pirrone. </span></i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>“<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
wouldn't have bought a house there” begs the question then – is
that because we cannot trust the County to not allow development
conducive to homes? Checking what is to be built in empty lots and
farmers' fields around your home is not something most people think
to do, myself included. When I purchased my home 27 years ago I did
not check the county zoning to see what was going to be built in the
vacant lot behind my home. I was absolutely horrified last year when
plans were circulating for a 4-story hotel and that's not something
that would have surfaced either had I checked then.</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Several
years ago, I had a conversation with Supervisor DeMartini about my
neighborhood and he also honestly remarked, “They should never have
allowed homes to be built there, it should all be industrial and
commercial.” I was surprised when he said it, but the more I think
about it, I have to agree. As I've mentioned in recent public comment
here, I can hear Freeway 99, even with my windows closed – that's
how close I am to it. </i></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>But it
is what it is and there are thousands of homes on the east side of
Salida. We've been pretty fortunate as long as I've lived there with
one or two exceptions, the businesses built along Pirrone have been
pretty quiet and not a nuisance to their neighbors. </i></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>But that
will all change now if you approve the planned developments at
Pirrone and Hammett. And here's why you should not: It is a stupid
use of that land. The developer does not even have a gas station
committed – he's trying to sell it to 7/11 or Circle K. There are
gas stations at Pelandale, Kiernan and Ripon, we do not need one
there too that will cause noise, light and air pollution on the
Vizcaya neighborhood. The other projects include a fast food type
restaurant, two hotels, and a mini-storage. I don't know how close
the hotels are to the homes, but if they are close, that's a
permanent invasion of the homeowners privacy. And a mini-storage on
that prime freeway frontage location is an insane waste of land! We
already have two mini-storage businesses in Salida and one is a ½
mile down on Pirrone. </i></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Modesto
has been complaining for years that they don't have anywhere to build
a business park on 99 and here's this beautiful pristine area that
would be perfect for that or even better, my husband's idea that he
wrote to you in an e-mail about – create tourism with a San Antonio
River Walk-type development. If you haven't already heard, <b><a href="https://abc30.com/business/madera-county-to-get-new-commercial-and-residential-development/5627473/" target="_blank">Madera County is building one along the San Joaquin River</a></b>. A San Antonio
River Walk in Salida would bring much more tourism to the county than
shooting pumpkins out of catapults or the Frank Raines ATV billboard
currently up in Salida.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>And
that's <a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2019/11/when-past-comes-back-to-haunt-you.html" target="_blank"><b>nonsense that it was a “drafting error” </b></a>and not included in the <a href="https://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-now-its-salida-now.html" target="_blank"><b>Salida Community Plan</b></a>. Jeff Grover would not have been able to
vote on the Plan if his cousin's land was included and oh, they just
all of sudden call it a drafting error when after 13 years they
haven't complained nor was it corrected in the County's recent
General Plan update. </i></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i></i><i></i><i></i><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>To sum
it up, the buck stops with you – you are the ones with the binding
votes. Put yourselves in our shoes and don't vote to make Salida just
another ho hum gas station exit next to a neighborhood where you or
your employees wouldn't buy a house there.</i>"</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></blockquote>
</div>
salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com2Salida, CA, USA37.7057623 -121.084936937.655520800000005 -121.1656179 37.7560038 -121.0042559tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-74382658975313510902019-11-09T04:39:00.001-08:002019-11-09T04:39:42.668-08:00SALIDA CSA 10 TAX INCREASE<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you live in Salida and have Mello Roos taxes on your bill, you need to read this. Not only is the board that governs your Mello Roos bond looking to refinance, but Stanislaus County also wants to raise your CSA taxes! CSA is the acronym for "Community Service Assessment" and Salida has two CSA districts: CSA 4 which applies to the Amberwood neighborhood (Finney and Bacon area) and CSA 10 which applies to all the homes built since 1990 (i.e. Gold Valley, Murphy's Ferry) and <b>ALL</b> neighborhoods on the east side of 99 with the exception of Clarendon Woods and Morgan Glen Estates (the homes off Kiernan and Sisk up to Wallasey Way). Mello Roos applies to approximately 2,800 homes in Salida. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The CSA 10 taxes (and it is a tax, but "assessment" sounds more PC to the County) is a tax you will <b><i>ALWAYS</i></b> have to pay. It does not end in 2030 like the Mello Roos does (or is supposed to if the board does not mess with it again.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Stanislaus County wants to increase your CSA 10 tax primarily because they nearly wiped it out when they used it to replace the trees and sidewalks on Pirrone. Whomever put the trees in front of the developments on Pirrone did not put in root boxes to train the roots to grow down and they lifted the sidewalks. So they want <b><i>ALL</i></b> of the CSA taxpayers to pay for that and raise your taxes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1voFkI144P4WUZZQbKLuN_U5XD2321l3dCg4WwHfFnuwklPOZE4ZTleZKB9g-14CUDLzg9bOFzHmq5qwHVG9j84-OP8ePlKtZaRb3nRqqlWPTvjeTQnKy7S6_uUlSIGejl9yCy1rQYvSw/s1600/Fresno+xeriscaping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1voFkI144P4WUZZQbKLuN_U5XD2321l3dCg4WwHfFnuwklPOZE4ZTleZKB9g-14CUDLzg9bOFzHmq5qwHVG9j84-OP8ePlKtZaRb3nRqqlWPTvjeTQnKy7S6_uUlSIGejl9yCy1rQYvSw/s200/Fresno+xeriscaping.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresno xeriscaping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Currently, the CSA assessment primarily goes to pay the County to do the landscaping around the developments, and maintaining every park in Salida except for Salida Park. Why should you pay more for the County to mow the grass around the neighborhoods when they could install xeriscaping that's drought tolerant and does not create green waste from having to be mowed? It's not like children play on the grass; it mostly gets used by dogs to relieve themselves. The City of Fresno used a grant to install xeriscaping on some of their landscaped center islands. Stanislaus County should do the same for Salida.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiji7uqW0grN4cEyUQ0IYR3yfrgn4oyqO1dHDNl63AQwsp7FdqhUc7ZlPpVrUvhS9fHw4luCkGdOWz4_Y6Mv1ehIuRiCmDBQfOhbUizC0FLotSYqGXcCBq3LzBPO4aK4pSAhirjGbWwJLLC/s1600/CSA+10+sign+9Nov2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiji7uqW0grN4cEyUQ0IYR3yfrgn4oyqO1dHDNl63AQwsp7FdqhUc7ZlPpVrUvhS9fHw4luCkGdOWz4_Y6Mv1ehIuRiCmDBQfOhbUizC0FLotSYqGXcCBq3LzBPO4aK4pSAhirjGbWwJLLC/s200/CSA+10+sign+9Nov2019.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Again, have a say in the matter of your taxes and what they are used on. <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B37VO_G2GVEcTTBVM0FacVUzWWZpRkROZ1pGRHpPb0hTS0Rn/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Look at the County's PowerPoint</a></b> they shared at the October Salida Municipal Advisory Council meeting. They put a flashing sign on Sisk Road to notify people of the meeting, but I thought I'd do this post to let people know because really now, who actually knows what "CSA 10" means when they see that sign? And God forbid they spend any money to send you notices - geez!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Attend the upcoming meetings at the Salida Library Community Room to have a say before this tax gets increased on you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 7 pm for a special CSA 10 presentation</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 7 pm at the Salida MAC meeting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 7 pm (last chance to give input at Salida MAC)</span><br />
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<br />salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-12189568410600456502019-11-06T11:31:00.000-08:002019-11-09T03:26:00.730-08:00When the past comes back to haunt you<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">According to Lowell H. Beachler's book, "<i><b><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/wood-colony-district-a-collection-of-records-of-the-old-german-baptist-brethren-church-in-the-wood-colony-community-between-modesto-and-salida-in-stanislaus-county-california-mainly-from-1903-to-1937/oclc/228506720" target="_blank">Wood Colony District</a></b></i>", the first Grovers to settle in Wood Colony were Ira and Maggie Grover, who moved to the area in 1918. They bought a farm on Shoemake and are buried in the Wood Colony Cemetery. Several Grover families descended from Ira and Maggie's four children still live in Wood Colony today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of their descendants, Jeff Grover, served on the very first Salida Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) board when it was formed in 1984. He was then elected to <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/news/politics-government/election/article3122996.html" target="_blank">represent our community on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors</a></b>. In 2007, Jeff Grover pulled the Salida Now initiative off the ballot and was one of three "yes" votes needed to pass it into the new <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/documents/gp/i-a-8-salida-cp.pdf" target="_blank">Salida Community Plan</a></b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Grovers in Salida and Wood Colony are related. Jeff's cousin owns a landscaping business with locations in Salida and Modesto. And the Grover family owns a large tract of property off of Pirrone near Hammett.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And this is where the past has come to haunt us in the present and future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I honestly believe that Jeff Grover tried to improve Salida by replacing the old Salida Community Plan (SCP) with the Salida Now initiative because it expanded Salida's boundaries and called for more beneficial aspects for the community like a recreational riverfront parkway along the Stanislaus River. He didn't know the economic recession was coming that caused the developer to pull out of the project and would result in Salida being frozen in time (2007) ever since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But here's the rub: Jeff Grover would have been conflicted out of voting on the Salida Community Plan if his family was named anywhere in the SCP document - <i><b>if they derived benefit</b></i> - if they signed a Developer Agreement (DA). Oh, they most certainly would benefit if the SCP were activated - they own land in both areas of Salida - by Hammett and the landscaping business on Ladd and Stoddard. So now this is why the Stanislaus County Planning Department is saying it was "<a href="https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2019090255/2" target="_blank"><b>draftman's error</b></a>" that the Grover Family Properties land was included in the SCP map. It's no accident it's there, it's a matter of convenience to now remove it because the Grover family wishes to develop it. It's a free country, so a landowner can sell their land at any time. But the benefit is derived when they can sell their land for commercial land prices, as it's now zoned in the SCP rather than selling for agricultural land prices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And what they plan to sell their land for will create the tenth level of Hades for Salida. The <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/planning/pl/act-proj/PLN2019-0079_EC.pdf" target="_blank">truck stop/travel plaza</a></b> they propose to put there will be a magnet for <b><a href="https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-dark-underbelly-of-truck-stops" target="_blank">crime and <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2RTDkSmWGrruQNWm7UhnzkrJjfCitqF8WMhX1pjTj03YhpLuzgXZCkLB40QSWetFkSPVNfLG0JRtANSmEa30pAP0zfGYVYpoxFotXpa-oZ4D01Er4vUvf4OnG73SEX8_LwGo_b7fTEiF/s1600/Grover+land+Pirrone+Nov+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="640" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2RTDkSmWGrruQNWm7UhnzkrJjfCitqF8WMhX1pjTj03YhpLuzgXZCkLB40QSWetFkSPVNfLG0JRtANSmEa30pAP0zfGYVYpoxFotXpa-oZ4D01Er4vUvf4OnG73SEX8_LwGo_b7fTEiF/s400/Grover+land+Pirrone+Nov+2019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grover Family Properties land with Vizcaya neighborhood<br />
in background. Salida, California - November 2019</td></tr>
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vagrancy</a></b> that Salida does not have the law enforcement coverage to handle. In neighboring Ripon, the police told a Salida resident that 84% of their crime calls result from the truck stops located at Jack Tone Road. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Even worse than the horrendous criminal impact upon Salida is the fact that the truck stop/travel plaza will be located just feet from the Vizcaya residential neighborhood. There is NO BUFFER that could be installed to protect this neighborhood from the 24-hour onslaught of light pollution, noise pollution and air pollution, let alone the criminal element just beyond a cinder block wall with no gate to the neighborhood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Additionally, the water well in Vizcaya was shut down several years ago due to being over the allowed level of arsenic contaminates. The way the well system was explained to me is the water for Vizcaya will be drawn from the next closest well. The only time it brings in surface water from the City of Modesto system is when there is high usage (like during the summer months). A truck stop is generally a high water user so will draw more from the system to the business in addition to creating the possibility of contaminating the water for the Vizcaya neighborhood. I say this because it is <b><a href="https://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/local-news/major-upgrades-store-jimco-truck-plaza/" target="_blank">already happening at the truck stop in Ripon</a></b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which brings up another glaring point on why allowing <b><a href="https://www.modbee.com/opinion/editorials/article237035664.html" target="_blank">this project would be the epitome of bad planning</a></b>: <b>NOWHERE DO YOU FIND TRUCK STOPS BUILT NEXT TO NEIGHBORHOODS!</b> Just look at existing truck stops: Ripon, Madera, everywhere between here and Montana (as a Salida resident pointed out from a recent road trip), municipalities <b>DO NOT</b> build truck stops by neighborhoods for all the aforementioned reasons given. They know to provide the natural buffer of distance to protect the residents from the various pollutants and the criminal elements. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our community needs to continue to oppose this planned atrocity. <b><a href="https://www.change.org/p/stanislaus-county-planning-and-community-development-keep-salida-safe-no-to-truck-stop-travel-center" target="_blank">Sign the petition</a></b>, write letters in opposition and send to the<b> <a href="mailto:planning@stancounty.com" target="_blank">Stanislaus County Planning Department</a></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Grover Family, I implore you - don't do this to Salida. Don't do this to your longtime neighbors. Develop your land for something quiet that will buffer the Vizcaya neighborhood just like all the other businesses currently on Pirrone.</span></div>
salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-56661006116169290482018-12-04T13:29:00.002-08:002018-12-04T14:26:35.724-08:00Stanislaus County plans to rip democracy away from residents<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On Tuesday, November 27, 2018, Patrick Cavanah, who works in Stanislaus County's Chief Executive Office, sent a <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MyqACfcpfFdMOdOmE-iFb4O6Fblq2Fhs" target="_blank">letter</a></b> to all of Stanislaus County's Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs) stating that the county planned to make an "administrative change" which will remove the freedom to choose who represents the people living in the county's unincorporated communities served by MAC councils. (Read the <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MyqACfcpfFdMOdOmE-iFb4O6Fblq2Fhs" target="_blank">letter here</a></b>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Advisory_Council" target="_blank">Municipal Advisory Council (MAC)</a></b> to be established in Stanislaus County was in Knights Ferry in 1983. The second MAC established was Salida in 1984. Salida MAC was founded due to rapid growth and development occurring in Salida in the 1980's. The purpose of the MAC as outlined by state law is to represent the community to the county's Board of Supervisors. At that time, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors had the forethought and vision to establish our county's MACs as elected, as opposed to appointed. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An elected MAC gives the community the right to chose who represents them, just as we vote for county supervisor, school and fire board members, state senators and representatives, federal senators and house congress reps, and even the president. It is the democratic way so why should local representation be any different?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stanislaus County is seeking to change that and rip the democratic process from county residents who have the least amount of local representation already. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Former Salida MAC Chairman, Don Murphy, described the issue succinctly in his Next Door post:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"When full term openings occur however, it is the basis for democracy that we get to pick our representatives. Even though the vote of the MAC is only advisory, the discussions and the actions of the MAC have engendered thoughtful discussion."</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a former Salida MAC member and chairman, I could not agree more with Mr. Murphy. So let's address the reasons why our county would want to make an "administrative change" to remove our right to vote. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mr. Cavanah states the following reasons in his letter:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"<i>First, since 2003, there has been only one instance where there were enough candidates to force the election onto the ballot. This occurred in 2007 when five candidates ran for three open seats on the Keyes MAC. Second, MACs occasionally face issues with reaching a quorum due to a lack of members and/or attendance issues. Having an appointed body will provide a more flexible timeline to appoint members to vacant seats and allow MACs to implement attendance requirements. In addition, staff surveyed 20 counties in California, of which 12 use MACs. Of these 12 counties, 11 appoint members. Appointing members to MACs is in alignment with the long-standing practice of the Board appointing members to advisory boards and commissions.</i>"</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Regarding the perceived apathy of the lack of people applying to serve on a MAC board, I think the fault for this lies with the county. The county does next to nothing to communicate to the communities served by MACs, what a MACs functions are, and how </span><br />
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people can apply to serve on it. I have lived in the unincorporated community of Salida for 25 years and <b>NOT ONCE</b> in a quarter of a century, has my household ever received <b><i>from the county</i></b> a single piece of mail or even an e-mail to educate the community about Salida MAC. Now are all communities treated equally? A resounding "<b>NO</b>!" Because the MAC next door to Salida - Wood Colony MAC - has had the county send snail mail to inform their residents of their MAC. Multiple letters too, the most recent letter was sent to households in May 2018 (see image at left). Do Keyes MAC residents also get letters sent? How about Denair MAC? South Modesto MAC? I don't know but I do know that Salida MAC does not. So how do people know what a MAC is, if there are openings, or that it even exists if it's not communicated to them?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Back to Salida MAC for a moment. Salida MAC has had an opening on their MAC board since August 2018 due to a resignation. The current chairman has announced the board opening at the last several meetings, but it has not been announced on social media or the Salida MAC reminder e-mails that are sent out. And the county has certainly not communicated to the community that there's an opening. Why? I don't know but since I seem to be the only one communicating this outside of the meeting, if you'd like to apply for the open Salida MAC seat, you must be a Salida resident and fill out this <b><a href="http://www.stancounty.com/bos/b&c/on-line-application.pdf" target="_blank">application</a></b>. Follow the instructions and turn it in to our District 3 Supervisor's office. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The second reason Mr. Cavanah cites for the "administrative change" is his survey of MACs in other counties that are all-appointed. But what he fails to mention is how the residents in those counties feel about it. There's a whole movement including a Change.org petition and Facebook frames to change Alameda County's Castro Valley MAC from all-appointed to elected. All appointed MACs can serve as a crystal-ball-turned-cautionary-tale in that they tend to end up being made up of the appointing supervisor's campaign donors as noted in this <b><a href="https://ebcitizen.com/2015/08/14/miley-wont-add-new-member-to-his-hand-picked-castro-valley-oversight-committee/" target="_blank">article by the East Bay Citizen</a></b>. Castro Valley has been battling for more representation for years and transparency in how their MAC council members are selected. Their supervisor <b><a href="http://castrovalleymatters.org/2015/08/13/the-castro-valley-mac-selection-process-has-failed-castro-valley/" target="_blank">finally allowed members of the public to view the interviews</a></b> which is not something that occurs in Stanislaus County when board openings are filled mid-term by appointment. As you will see if you read these articles, their residents feel "failed" by the whole process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Perhaps Mr. Cavanah received some objections to his dictatorial "administrative change" because he sent the following e-mail to the MAC councils on Monday, December 3, 2018:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"<i>I appreciate all of the feedback regarding the proposed switch. In light of this feedback, I am requesting all MACs vote to either support or oppose the proposal at your January meetings. This vote will help inform me how to move forward. Consequently, the resolution requesting the Board of Supervisors switch membership from elected to appointed will no longer be on the Board’s December 18th meeting agenda.<br /><br />I will work with all MAC chairs and/or secretaries on what information should be included on the January agenda.</i>"</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It would also be helpful if the people responsible, meaning the County and the MAC board members, communicated with the community regarding this change. The county should send letters to <b>ALL RESIDENTS</b> in a MAC district's boundary, just as they do for Wood Colony MAC <b>-AND- </b>the current MAC board members should use e-mail and social media to get the topic out and ask for feedback from their community. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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</span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-33131732620928868022017-01-29T12:16:00.003-08:002017-02-01T22:20:28.676-08:00The Assets of Exits<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZtXvkJWsVGyukJcu0FeAcXMw1YXNHewkc6MH4zzdccoB1kY8Nc1RuESLFuzJGKVTHJITTnqRg4nSQzVjbmVTImnapyT7nOE8UAMluqd-eDcwhXyZUwQFmDHxu0nyTQ-8Opb-jEkFV8rO/s1600/Photo+Jan+30%252C+10+21+07+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZtXvkJWsVGyukJcu0FeAcXMw1YXNHewkc6MH4zzdccoB1kY8Nc1RuESLFuzJGKVTHJITTnqRg4nSQzVjbmVTImnapyT7nOE8UAMluqd-eDcwhXyZUwQFmDHxu0nyTQ-8Opb-jEkFV8rO/s400/Photo+Jan+30%252C+10+21+07+PM.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Yes" is same font as the Scottish campaign<br />
for independence in 2014</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I first read of the <b><a href="http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/political-notebook/article129047749.html" target="_blank">growing movement for California to secede from the United States, known as Calexit</a></b>, I was incredulous and I must admit, a bit fearful. Understandably so because the last time that a state seceded from the union, it resulted in full scale civil war and the seceding states lost. My great-grandparents in South Carolina lived through those hellacious times. Born in the mid-1850's, my great-grandparents were children during the Civil War and both of their fathers fought for the Confederacy. One great-great-grandfather sold salt to his neighbors when the Union embargoed salt to the South. His estate was valued in the 1860 U.S. Census at $10,000 and then after the war in 1870, at $1,000. The other great-great-grandfather was a doctor and later became a South Carolina state legislator. Family stories say he was so traumatized from what he saw during the war, that he quit practicing medicine once the war was over. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Did they have any inkling of the misery and suffering that was coming? Would they have left the South if they knew? In looking at the lessons of the Civil War, and if Calexit is approved, should we Californians plan to leave before a similar fate arrives for us?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because if there's one thing I understand and empathize with, it's many of the Calexit reasons for leaving because much it of also applies to our little Salida. One of the primary reasons cited is that California pays more in federal taxes than it gets back and the same is true for Salida. Salida and Denair (and possibly Knights Ferry) are the only unincorporated communities in Stanislaus County that do not have a "disadvantaged" status. Very little of the property and sales taxes generated in Salida goes back into benefiting our community. Oftentimes, when I ask for something to improve Salida, I'm told by the County reps, "<i>If we do it for you, we'll have to do it for everyone</i>". Take speed bumps for example. Many Salidans have asked for speed bumps to be installed in areas where cars are speeding, especially near schools. In response to this, <b><a href="http://www.modbee.com/news/local/article117419278.html" target="_blank">Stanislaus County Public Works created a policy</a></b> that if a community wants a speed bump, we'll have to pay $4,000 for each bump out of our own pockets. Why can't some of the estimated $5 million generated in taxes by Salida pay for that?<br /><br />Which brings up another similar issue between California and Salida - taxation without representation. Now before you go and point out how many U.S. House of Representatives California has - two words for you - Electoral College. We pay a disproportionate amount of taxes as compared to the amount of representation we have in the Electoral College. For example, a single vote in Wyoming is worth 3.5 times more than a Californian's.<br /><br />Salida has a Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), which as it states in the name - is "advisory". No binding powers can be made on behalf of the community by the MAC council. The only one that can make binding decisions on Salida's behalf is our County Supervisor. But unfortunately for Salida, we are a minority population in the district. The City of Modesto has the majority population so when Modesto wanted to annex Salida in 2012, our supervisor supported annexation up until several contentious MAC meetings in 2013. Salida shouldn't have to march out an army of angry residents every time one person makes a decision we don't agree with. Salida should be represented by Salida and for Salida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But perhaps the most significant commonality between the State of California and Salida is we both have assets that our governments won't want to lose, and that's why I think they will fight any attempts to self-govern. Look at how much of the west coast is within California's boundaries. And how many federal military bases are along that coast. The ports and the commerce that goes in and out of those ports. How about Silicon Valley? <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html" target="_blank">What about food</a></b>? There are active silver and diamond mines in California. There's oil. There's natural gas. And there's even salt. There's not much the U.S. could do to California to hurt us in the way of embargo; they will more likely suffer with the loss of our assets. Which is why they won't let us go quietly into the night based on a majority vote. I think history will repeat itself and they will fight to keep us in the Union just as they did with the South.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2016/06/stanislaus-county-could-incorporate.html" target="_blank">If Stanislaus County wanted to, they could incorporate Salida into a city with just a piece of paper called a resolution</a></b>. But they won't. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our county supervisor gave perhaps the most telling quote that the county won't help <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B37VO_G2GVEcUTJJc3BzWVNLUFk" target="_blank">Salida incorporate when he said in 2011</a></b>, "<i>Moreover, we would avoid the expensive and inefficient duplication of services from adding a 10th city to our county, with another expensive city manager and layer of bureaucracy that we cannot afford</i>." Just who is the "<i>we</i>" in that "<i>cannot afford</i>"? He <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFP1dp2VjoV5-T0MP9aq11ydBK7IA_dmVChv5Roj6igBeDIAbpm53qSCot_3uF1djcf9ntLnzWPcBdkY4PSy2mu3wae6jdDOkeRX-tZusqHfhTxb3LQgnRDfif_HvOk8J5wpIyzOaGunW/s1600/StanislausCo_Water_Recharge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFP1dp2VjoV5-T0MP9aq11ydBK7IA_dmVChv5Roj6igBeDIAbpm53qSCot_3uF1djcf9ntLnzWPcBdkY4PSy2mu3wae6jdDOkeRX-tZusqHfhTxb3LQgnRDfif_HvOk8J5wpIyzOaGunW/s320/StanislausCo_Water_Recharge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salida sits over the highest area of aquifer <br />
recharge in Stanislaus County.</td></tr>
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represents the county so assuming "<i>we</i>" is the county, is he saying the county cannot afford to lose the property and sales taxes generated by Salida? Not only that, but how willing do you think the</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> county would be to relinquish control of Salida's assets? We have two major transportation arteries that go through Salida: Highway 99 and Union Pacific Railroad. As he mentioned in his opinion piece, Salida also has several hundred acres of open farmland that the county could develop and receive 100% of the taxes from. Full build out of this land was estimated to generate $22.8 million in a 2011 consulting study. But the asset that is worth more than gold is water. Salida is poised over the highest area of aquifer recharge in the county and our northern border is on the Stanislaus River. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />Salida may mean "exit" in Spanish, but like our state, our assets will complicate any exit to future self governance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-62957427736471304992016-07-12T10:15:00.000-07:002016-07-12T10:15:17.842-07:00The Inequity of Stanislaus County's Invisible Lines<i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">My public comments to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on July 12, 2016:</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Good morning Gentlemen, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A long time ago, Modesto's “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health” arch marked the city's entrance. As we know, the city has grown way past the arch in all directions. Some of the city's limits are marked by signs, but for the most part, all the city limits really are, are lines drawn on paper indicating invisible lines on the ground. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Salida has it's own invisible lines denoted on paper called the “Salida Community Plan”. But Salida's invisible lines are not as strong as city lines. Salida's community plan lines are consistently ignored by the City of Modesto. And while Salida's invisible lines are supposed to give credence to Salida as being a “Community of Interest”, there's no guarantee that any designation other than being a city will protect land within our lines from being taken away from us. Everything but a city's boundaries can be ignored.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was discussing Salida with a Ripon resident last week and he said that he would've thought that Stanislaus County would care more about Salida than it appears you do because it's the first impression that people get when they cross the river into the county. If you look to the left, it's not too bad. The businesses along Pirrone are well kept, but on the right, there's a big ugly pile of dirt in the world's worst location for a drainage basin, then a nice firehouse, then an ugly patchwork painted wall (albeit a graffiti-free one) then a dilapidated fence surrounding an unsightly wrecking yard, then a bunch of billboards with trash and refuse all along the railroad tracks. That's the first impression people get as they enter the county if they look to the right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You the County have many more big problems to tackle than the aesthetics of Salida. Spending money on the thousands of gallons of paint it would take to make our soundwalls all one color is not even on your list of things to fix in this county. But its on Salida's list. We hate that ugliness; of course we do, we see it every day of our lives. And if we were a city, we could do something about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If Salida were a city, we could be like Escalon and install wayside horns to diminish the blaring train horns that pass through town around every 20 minutes. Again, not something that's even on your radar but is important to us and would improve the quality of life in Salida. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The thing I consistently hear from You the County anytime I ask for anything to improve the quality of life in Salida is that “If we do it for you, we have to do it for everyone” or “If you want it, you have to pay for it yourselves”. If you want speedbumps, pay for it yourselves, if you want a traffic light, pay for it yourselves. After hearing those replies so many times, I feel pretty confident in saying that the majority of Salida's tax dollars are not spent in Salida. And while I won't delve into the politics behind this in the few seconds I have remaining of Public Comment, You the County and I both know that Salida is at the back of the line for any grant funding for many years to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only way I can see to improve the quality of life in Salida is to incorporate as a city. The only way I know of where our tax dollars will be spent in our own community is to become a city. The only way I know of to improve the northern gateway to Stanislaus County is to become a city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You the County can't protect our invisible lines from being taken from Salida, but you could help us change the status of our invisible lines so they can never be ignored again. Thank you for your consideration.</span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-53583225110045191672016-06-28T11:00:00.000-07:002016-06-28T11:54:08.567-07:00Stanislaus County could incorporate Salida into a city<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>My public comments to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on June 28,2016:</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Good morning Gentlemen, </span></div>
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I think this current Board of Supervisors has enacted some very proactive and visionary things for the future of Stanislaus County. Like Focus on Prevention, or the pay increases for a future Board that might not ever apply to any of you. </div>
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So today, I want to share what I think is a huge problem that lies in our future and ask you to decide if you want to be proactive and visionary about it and that huge problem is the future of Salida. On Thursday, June 9th, I received a call from the Planning Department at the <b><a href="http://www.modbee.com/news/article84018632.html" target="_blank">City of Modesto to inform me that the City plans to revert to their 1995 General Plan boundaries</a>.</b> While that doesn't appear to be much different than the way things are as Salida is still within the City's General Plan boundaries, I was also told that this does call for a change in their Sphere of Influence and they plan to apply to LAFCO for an SOI that includes Salida Community Plan land. The City of Modesto currently has over 11,000 acres in their sphere of influence, yet they consistently go after the land that You the County set aside for us in the Salida Community Plan. I think it goes without saying, but no one in Salida is going to be ok with this. And the worst part of it is, even if every Salida resident showed up to protest it, that may not be enough for us to stop it from happening.</div>
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Modesto tried to annex Salida in 1997 and it was voted down by one vote at LAFCO. In the meantime, they cherry-picked Salida's tax base and annexed in the land that Costco and Kaiser are on. Then Modesto planned to annex us again in 2013 and were met with a resounding “No”. And here we are only three years later and they are back to cherry-picking the open farmland which is all they really want anyway. It's proof positive that Modesto is never going to relent until they get what they want; and all they want is Salida's tax base of undeveloped land.</div>
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The future for Salida is dismal. If allowed to, Modesto will take all the Salida Community Plan land that's north and south of Kiernan. We will be walled in by Modesto on the East, which only leaves growth to the west which is NOT what the majority of residents of Salida and our neighboring Wood Colony want. I see this future as the death of Salida. It will have no where to grow which is a requirement for incorporation as a city. Nowhere to grow was one of the reasons cited as a denial of East L.A.'s incorporation. Salida will age and stagnate; and next thing that will happen is we will end up a disadvantaged county island that Modesto will be forced to annex before they can grow further west under SB 244 requirements.</div>
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There's only one way to stop the destruction of Salida and the sprawl of Modesto westward, and that's to incorporate Salida as a city. An online poll last year showed that 70% of Salida residents supported incorporation. But incorporating Salida is easier said than done. Trying to do it ourselves has the odds stacked against us. You the County, has all the resources we don't have. You the County, has our $150,000 set aside by landowners for our incorporation studies. You the County, would be the ones to negotiate tax-sharing so Salida can have it's tax revenue go to the new city. You the County, as shocking as this might be to you, can incorporate Salida into a city. </div>
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On Page 2 in section 2 of <b><a href="http://www.stanislauslafco.org/info/PDF/forms/Incorporation.pdf" target="_blank">Stanislaus LAFCO's Citizen's Guide to the Incorporation Process</a></b>, it states:</div>
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“After meeting the basic legal requirements for incorporation, the proposal can be initiated in one of two ways. One way is through a public agency. A resolution of application can be adopted by the legislative body of an affected agency, which is defined as any city, district or <b><i>county</i></b> that contains territory within the proposed incorporation boundaries.”</div>
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Salida will never be the town that David Curtis dreamed of when he founded it in 1908 calling it “A Model Town”. It will always be the poor man's Ripon of Stanislaus County unless we can incorporate. We will never get grants to build a city hall like Waterford did. We will never have the police coverage that Hughson does and they are 6,000 people smaller than Salida. Hughson City Councilwoman Jill Silva told me the best thing Hughson ever did was to incorporate. </div>
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Incorporation would be the best thing Salida ever did too. It would have a chance to be a charming city like Ripon. It would have a chance to be a safe city like Hughson. Its borders would be set to prevent the slide into poverty. A green belt could be put between Salida and Wood Colony. Salida would have a chance to be the city David Curtis dreamed of and the present residents want. Please consider giving Salida that chance. You have the ability and the funds to make it a reality. Thank you.</div>
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salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-55307314802226278352015-10-19T23:56:00.000-07:002015-10-20T07:25:34.721-07:00The Semantics of Sprawl<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you like new development, its called "growth". When you don't like it, its called "sprawl".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Where you really hear the word "sprawl" used a lot is in reference to the "<b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl" target="_blank">urban sprawl</a></b>" that has overtaken nearly all available open space in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. "Sprawl" is not a word that I ever used in reference to cities or communities in Stanislaus County. Once you've seen how all the cities in the Los Angeles </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">basin have sprawled together to where you cannot distinguish one city from the next, they make Stanislaus County look like a wilderness trek.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So when I heard Modesto City Councilman, Bill Zoslocki, use the term "<i>county sprawl</i>" during the June 2, 2015 (see video) Modesto City Council meeting, I was taken aback for a moment and then I laughed. The word "sprawl" uttered by a real estate developer/broker? Really? You're going to call something that puts the roof over your head a term that has a negative connotation? He works for Prudential Real Estate. So if someone comes to him with a project anywhere in the county, is Bill Zoslocki going to say, "<i>No, I'm sorry, I can't represent you, that's just more county sprawl. No sprawl for me! I'm 110% against sprawl</i>!"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2po3oGSoCMOcF6jnh-K8qgDkgfahmCevJ9l-zfoObQf8P1uo8Qvi2_EKtUW0IL9DIhcMn6pt6kwSF7z4fbkxUjxfjan3WtatgIm6nAsYgQWms5Ln4Q-jvw9LuXj56rdeXTsR1qVyVf9sO/s1600/County_sprawl_Gunderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2po3oGSoCMOcF6jnh-K8qgDkgfahmCevJ9l-zfoObQf8P1uo8Qvi2_EKtUW0IL9DIhcMn6pt6kwSF7z4fbkxUjxfjan3WtatgIm6nAsYgQWms5Ln4Q-jvw9LuXj56rdeXTsR1qVyVf9sO/s400/County_sprawl_Gunderson.jpg" width="257" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mr. Zoslocki is not the only one prone to uttering "county sprawl". His fellow council members, Garrad Marsh and John Lane Gunderson have both used the term "county sprawl" on numerous occasions. Councilman Gunderson posted about it on his Facebook wall and included maps in an effort to support his stance. The irony of the maps is that it really only shows how much sprawling that Modesto has done, not Stanislaus County. The yellow on the bottom map at left shows Modesto's annexations over the years. And there's <b>A LOT</b> of yellow!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yet once again, the term "urban sprawl" raises is ugly head. Gene Richards, whom I met several months ago at <b><a href="http://www.miclonline.org/" target="_blank">MJC's MICL</a></b> politics class,<b> <a href="http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article40374312.html" target="_blank">wrote a letter to the Modesto Bee recommending a no vote on Measure I</a></b>. His flawed arguments include:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"<i>But Wood Colony is not under siege. There is no law on the books that require farmers to give up their land – and the next generation might have different ideas. Wood Colony is excellent farm land – but Wood Colony is on a freeway. Freeways mean business</i>." </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wood Colony <b><i>IS</i></b> under siege. This is the second time in the last 20 years that the farmers of Wood Colony have had to fight off annexation by Modesto. Twenty years ago, their sons who were small children and are now grown, are farming their family farms. Just ask the <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/us/rural-spot-settled-by-religious-group-in-california-fears-a-citys-encroachment.html" target="_blank">Covers, the Heinrichs, the Wengers</a></b> if they think the next generation will follow the last as they've done over the past 100 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Richards acknowledges that "<i>Wood Colony is excellent farm land</i>" but tries to justify paving it over by chalking it up to </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"<i>...the city fathers are trying to do is plan for the inevitable growth of Modesto.</i>" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, Modesto will inevitably grow, but it hasn't grown into Wood Colony in the last 145 years (since its founding) and it doesn't have to. The annexation attempt of 20 years ago was driven by politicians, developers, and <b><a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2015/09/out-of-developers-closet-bill-lyons-jr.html" target="_blank">Bill Lyons Jr</a></b>. and nothing has changed between then and now. The overwhelming majority of the farmers in Wood Colony </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>DON'T</i></b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> want to sell their land for development and it shouldn't be forced upon them by annexation. And there <b><i>IS</i></b> a law that will "<i>...require farmers to give up their land</i>". It's called eminent domain. At a meeting in early January 2014 with city leaders and staff, former Prudential Real Estate owner, Craig Lewis said, "We are going to have to eminent domain Beckwith". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It should a</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">lso be pointed out that <b><a href="http://www.modbee.com/opinion/article3159080.html" target="_blank">Gene Richards wrote another letter in support of annexing Wood Colony to the Modesto Bee on January 11, 2014</a></b> that nullifies his own argument that farmers would not have to give up their land saying, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"If the city annexes the land it wants, the area will not be developed for at least 10 or 15 years</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Richards additionally tries to rationalize the loss of prime farmland by replacing it with"...<i>Tall buildings with hydroponic farming that produce six crops per year on a tenth of the water</i>". First off, hydroponic farming is not what's being proposed to be built in Wood Colony. And if it were to be built, just how would tall buildings that use a tenth of the water be able to recharge the aquifer that lies under Wood Colony?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Simply put, Measure I takes the annexations of Wood Colony and Salida out of the hands of politicians and puts it into the hands of Modesto voters at the ballot box. If you're a Modesto voter, please support your neighbors in Wood Colony and Salida and vote "<b><a href="http://www.stampoutsprawl.com/" target="_blank">Yes on Measure I</a></b>".</span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-77711896086546529662015-10-11T14:28:00.000-07:002015-10-11T14:42:53.142-07:00Tokyo Rose Russell's campaign against Modesto's Measure I<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZad0lXVw-miy6F-TjE2jN-KsGMnv4nmcM3WaLIgY2DwfCbCJYNkjd1LcjCG3CymQrYOPL630pqjDMlaXB1yTXGVrigXKbBbZYl2LMIeVDlf1BrZtRIse1l8nJCv9-HnKNZcf4hJ01ulS/s1600/CR_CL_JR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZad0lXVw-miy6F-TjE2jN-KsGMnv4nmcM3WaLIgY2DwfCbCJYNkjd1LcjCG3CymQrYOPL630pqjDMlaXB1yTXGVrigXKbBbZYl2LMIeVDlf1BrZtRIse1l8nJCv9-HnKNZcf4hJ01ulS/s200/CR_CL_JR.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modesto Chamber of Commerce<br />
CEO, Cecil Russell left. Craig Lewis<br />
and Jon Rodriguez seated behind at <br />
June 2015 Modesto City Council <br />
meeting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the last week of January 2013, I received a tip that the Modesto Chamber of Commerce was planning a mailer campaign to try and promote the Salida Annexation to Salida residents. The first thing I did was call the Modesto Chamber of Commerce to verify the tip. Modesto Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer, Cecil Russell, returned my call. I told him about the tip and asked whether it was accurate. His response was, "Well Ms. Borges, you have received a very unreliable tip. We are planning nothing of the sort." My reply to that was, "Oh good, because if you were, we would have to counter it."<br /><br />Two months later at a Salida Annexation Ad Hoc Committee meeting, I relayed that story to a county official who responded, "Oh, I think Craig Lewis and the Chamber have been <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6Cn11Iczts3Na2yQfZzFpxXWlLSHujWVdz-TdYCfjC0APMwIovvUsovi2qLDkYZpwGyWNW9HRHGmsB3yiKbOUcsT-c5S9AlrGBgbK5TBrFA1T4l5wMftfXxU7gFwx_rSFnROoCMexrgk/s1600/Tokyo_Rose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6Cn11Iczts3Na2yQfZzFpxXWlLSHujWVdz-TdYCfjC0APMwIovvUsovi2qLDkYZpwGyWNW9HRHGmsB3yiKbOUcsT-c5S9AlrGBgbK5TBrFA1T4l5wMftfXxU7gFwx_rSFnROoCMexrgk/s320/Tokyo_Rose.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: forejustice.org - Tokyo Rose was<br />
later pardoned.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
talked out of that now." That was the first time I had ever heard Craig Lewis' name but I must admit, I was a bit shocked that Cecil Russell had so blatantly lied to me. As the daughter of a WWII veteran who fought the Japanese in Leyte Gulf, this potential propaganda campaign by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce to manipulate the minds of Salidans reminded me of the<b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Rose" target="_blank">famous WWII Japanese propagandists known as "Tokyo Rose.</a></b>" </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I began thinking of Cecil as "Tokyo Rose Russell".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tokyo Rose Russell and Craig Lewis are at it again with their propaganda campaigns. Mailers hit homes on Friday, October 9, 2015 claiming "<i>Your Modesto Police Officers & Firefighters Urge You Vote NO on Measure I - Measure I will Make Modesto Residents LESS Safe</i>". So let's dissect that statement on the rationale of how urban limits could make Modesto residents "less safe". First off, they are trying to capitalize on a fear factor that Modesto residents might have because the city has <b><a href="http://www.homesecurityshield.org/news/most-dangerous-cities-in-california/" target="_blank">high crime rates</a></b>. That's something that the Modesto City Council has tried to sell Measure G (a sales tax hike) to the voters by calling </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXwvG9uVd86qE_6llPSuMWhV5WKmFL1-fRZpZNSbbjLXTgMIGVOnswxN5xfTU8zEnqyfUCerOyFnyNHgcC5mvNz9Oi8wNPRBZkBUaozcVF-8UpznEbZHNiTUt02oxQhm067kmBoxeTPtt/s1600/No_on_I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXwvG9uVd86qE_6llPSuMWhV5WKmFL1-fRZpZNSbbjLXTgMIGVOnswxN5xfTU8zEnqyfUCerOyFnyNHgcC5mvNz9Oi8wNPRBZkBUaozcVF-8UpznEbZHNiTUt02oxQhm067kmBoxeTPtt/s320/No_on_I.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">it "Safer Neighborhoods Initiative". But how can a measure that imposes urban limits on developers make Modesto "less safe"? The thinking may go something like this: if Modesto politicians and developers are restricted from being able to <b><u><i style="background-color: yellow;">easily</i></u></b> annex and build in the communities of Wood Colony and Salida, then that means less tax revenue for the city which is what funds their police and fire. Notice that I highlighted and emphasized the word "<b><i><u style="background-color: yellow;">easily</u></i></b>" - because technically, if Measure I passes, Modesto politicians and developers can still annex and develop in Wood Colony and Salida <b><i><u>but not without first sending it to Modesto's registered voters for approval</u></i></b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now let's address the mailer piece claim that Modesto police officers and firefighters urge a no vote. Do all Modesto police and firefighters really think this? No, it was a small number who voted for this on their union boards; the general membership wasn't polled. There are Modesto firefighters who live in Wood Colony and Salida. Do you think they think its better for Modesto's politicians to decide the fate of their communities as opposed to themselves and their neighbors? And I've had a Modesto policeman tell me personally he thought Salida should decide it's own future. Self-determination is all we want. But the money and power wrought against us by the Modesto City Council and Modesto Chamber of Commerce makes this difficult to achieve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The most important thing to note on the mailer is the most innocuous, but definitely wordy: the return address. Tokyo Rose Russell and friends have gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like the entire population of Modesto is against Measure I. Even going so far <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VuKUOiNc9gAYFVXMVB_H9wus6i2yBJkT9F2ZF6STz18EyhtgMhlx4DVLCwjCfc6v6xMkjNAmMv842vYmmMueBzJdUEe2ZVQsyOsT0y8IXDvgDxrzCAY3IMm0TCB57fgi-qGbw_RFiPvb/s1600/Return_address.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VuKUOiNc9gAYFVXMVB_H9wus6i2yBJkT9F2ZF6STz18EyhtgMhlx4DVLCwjCfc6v6xMkjNAmMv842vYmmMueBzJdUEe2ZVQsyOsT0y8IXDvgDxrzCAY3IMm0TCB57fgi-qGbw_RFiPvb/s1600/Return_address.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easier just to write:<br />
"All of Modesto"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
as to double cover the bases by listing "Modesto Taxpayers" and "Residents" as if those are two separate groups. Ok, maybe you can count children as being residents and not taxpayers but its not like they can vote on it nor have any children's groups come out in opposition against Measure I. Additionally, the return address is either a misprint or the Modesto Chamber is using a criminal law attorney, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/law-offices-of-earl-carter-and-associates-modesto-4" target="_blank"><b>Earl Carter</b></a>, as a front for their organization. The chamber's address is listed on their original <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/recallmodgov/photos/pcb.506385882857692/506385772857703/" target="_blank">Form 410</a></b> filing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Modesto Chamber of Commerce is garnering some big donations from their members to fight Measure I. The Modesto Chamber's president, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/recallmodgov/photos/pcb.506385882857692/506385586191055/" target="_blank">Dave Gianelli donated $1,000</a></b> and Craig Lewis, (former owner of Prudential Real Estate) has donated $3,000 under the guise of <b><a href="http://www.manta.com/c/mmyk922/sylvan-property-management" target="_blank">Sylvan Property Management</a></b>. Tokyo Rose Russell donated $1,000 and the Modesto Chamber donated another $3,000.<br /><br />Just as our G.I.'s saw through Tokyo Rose's propaganda, Salida and Wood Colony residents hope City of Modesto voters will see through this charade and vote <b><a href="http://www.stampoutsprawl.com/" target="_blank">'Yes on Measure I'</a></b>. Please help give the ability for your neighbors to the north and the west to decide our own futures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-56856412624379718082015-09-07T17:10:00.000-07:002015-09-07T17:16:26.214-07:00Out of the developers' closet - Bill Lyons Jr.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ahhhh Councilman John Gunderson, how I've missed you so! You've been so quiet lately and then you drop this Labor Day gift in our laps - you just outed Bill Lyons as one of the key drivers of the City of Modesto's Wood Colony annexation quest!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dhig0_uY0Jf05xkA7fH0DFZ7w0nIXNoD8sjZoHrwF3nFv6sjwoaQUqq_NXS8Af0NOCtWaZ-0RTT7nBYOW7w53xV5ub8dRPWIB9ep4UIPzSx1ofKE_tqJRRzYeHETFaD8Ez9QKIxEVy4o/s1600/Bill_Lyons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dhig0_uY0Jf05xkA7fH0DFZ7w0nIXNoD8sjZoHrwF3nFv6sjwoaQUqq_NXS8Af0NOCtWaZ-0RTT7nBYOW7w53xV5ub8dRPWIB9ep4UIPzSx1ofKE_tqJRRzYeHETFaD8Ez9QKIxEVy4o/s1600/Bill_Lyons.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former California Secretary of Agriculture<br />
and local Modesto-area developer, <br />
Bill Lyons Jr.<br />
<a href="http://www.producepedia.com/farmer/bill-lyons" target="_blank">Photo source</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You see, it is already well known in Wood Colony that the former California State Secretary of <b>AGRICULTURE</b> is the <b><a href="http://sbtapp1.co.stanislaus.ca.us/AssessorWeb/public/PublicView.jsp?asmt=076032012000" target="_blank">largest landowner in the Beckwith Triangle</a></b> area of Wood Colony and that he wants his land annexed into the city for development. Bill Lyons is already well established as a developer; he owns the shopping center on the southeast corner of Standiford and Sisk Roads and the Wood Colony shopping center at Pelandale and Sisk. But he's <b><i>NEVER BEFORE</i></b> been outed publicly or in print as being one of the key drivers and proponents of the City of Modesto's plans to annex Wood Colony. In fact, when asked directly by Modesto Bee reporter, Kevin Valine as to whether he was seeking annexation for his Wood Colony property, he denied it saying, "...not aware of any talks between his family and the city". (Quote from March 20, 2014 Modesto Bee article "<a href="http://salidaannex.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><b>Was microphone left on after Modesto City Council meeting?</b></a>")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not only did Councilman Gunderson out Bill Lyons as a fibber, but Mr. Lyons apparently wields all of the City of Modesto's annexation decision-making power as well. Councilman Gunderson wrote in the comments section of the September 7, 2015 Modesto Bee article "<b><a href="http://www.modbee.com/news/article34284648.html" target="_blank">Wood Colony meeting on proposed urban growth limit</a></b>"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>"... if the realignment was out of the picture <b>and Bill Lyons wanted to withdraw the commercial color on the map for Beckwith Triangle</b> I would totally support SOS."</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So Bill Lyons gets to decide the colors on the city's General Plan map? Bill Lyons gets to decide what is zoned commercial or industrial for the City of Modesto? WOW! For not being a city employee, council member, city planner, or even on the planning commission, Mr. Lyons sure has a lot of power over the city!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How can Mr. Lyons deny it now? When a sitting Modesto City councilman names you in writing, it is pretty-much beyond the "not aware of talks" point. Whether inadvertently or not, Councilman Gunderson is the most transparent council member, I'll give him that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since Councilman Gunderson may edit or delete his post on the Bee, a screenshot is provided below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBki21f4JwnH7N2pahnpd6aPStI3LtLBA6uDALg9qz_75usJECGvI4vIrtL0rzy0G_ftQoKT7k164CZPs5ok-9ryqex-omWvd5LH0ZxdTFUq3Z936TitGDmL9686PX3zN6Kk0pFGv0xnRe/s1600/Fullscreen+capture+972015+33816+PM-Bill+Lyons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBki21f4JwnH7N2pahnpd6aPStI3LtLBA6uDALg9qz_75usJECGvI4vIrtL0rzy0G_ftQoKT7k164CZPs5ok-9ryqex-omWvd5LH0ZxdTFUq3Z936TitGDmL9686PX3zN6Kk0pFGv0xnRe/s1600/Fullscreen+capture+972015+33816+PM-Bill+Lyons.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5052801230256657251.post-47235717332340590342015-06-04T00:34:00.001-07:002015-06-04T00:34:18.583-07:00Of Law and Land Grabs<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've had a couple of phone calls about the Modesto Bee article, "<b><a href="http://www.modbee.com/news/article22830678.html" target="_blank">Modesto considers urban growth boundary, budget</a></b>" and I can see why the callers are concerned. Some of the wording of the article sounds like Modesto has launched a fresh annexation attack. But its actually quite the opposite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For those residents who lived in Salida in 2007, the acronym "SOS" or "<b><a href="http://www.stampoutsprawl.com/" target="_blank">Stamp Out Sprawl</a></b>" should ring a bell. It was the same name for a residential urban limits growth initiative passed by voters that year known as Measure E. Same name, same author, which is former Modesto City Councilman, Denny Jackman. Well...one author is the same at least. The other, Garrad Marsh, is now the Mayor of Modesto. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To give you a little background on just what a "residential urban limits" initiative is, its proponents gathered the required number of signatures to place it on the ballot. Once passed, it means that any time a developer wishes to build residential housing in the county (not cities, just county areas) that it goes to ballot for voter approval first. In all county areas...except Salida. The reason it doesn't apply to Salida is because the Salida Community Plan was placed on the same ballot, in the same year - BUT - the Board of Supervisors pulled the initiative off the ballot and passed it so it would supersede Measure E (aka SOS). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But Modesto really blew it when they crossed Denny Jackman's ag line in the sand and went after Wood Colony. He capitalized on the huge public outcry against <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/us/rural-spot-settled-by-religious-group-in-california-fears-a-citys-encroachment.html?_r=0" target="_blank">pushing generational farmers and a gentle non-political religious community from their lands</a></b> to slap up commercial and industrial development on some of the best farmland in the county. So Denny decided to do for Modesto what he had already done for the county and introduce an urban limits initiative. This new SOS includes different boundaries for both residential and non-residential development. Proponents easily gathered the needed signatures for the initiative to be placed on the November 2015 ballot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WAf7uOskv3Kb6uB-XlgiRtIRuXA_KcXQpuMpKVx7YaZgWf3RWhPwtdC3Fj_k0MYjNm2qNtbtwNg__6ZOAAdIhSMpO71V3LxnGHfqwHvCP9a8-Ek9x9olyi6EYO1WK9Ydwh_Yk4pmrpmF/s1600/council_2Jun2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WAf7uOskv3Kb6uB-XlgiRtIRuXA_KcXQpuMpKVx7YaZgWf3RWhPwtdC3Fj_k0MYjNm2qNtbtwNg__6ZOAAdIhSMpO71V3LxnGHfqwHvCP9a8-Ek9x9olyi6EYO1WK9Ydwh_Yk4pmrpmF/s1600/council_2Jun2015.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modesto City Council voting on SOS initiative - June 2, 2015</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that is what the article was about in the Modesto Bee. Its all part of the process to place SOS on the ballot. <b>BY LAW</b>, the Modesto City Council <b>HAS TO VOTE YES</b> to place it on the ballot. They have <b>NO CHOICE</b> but to vote yes as they are required to do so by law. I witnessed this vote and the look on their faces pretty much says it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now I will say that I do support SOS and I hope it passes. It will offer a layer of protection against Modesto's land grabs on Wood Colony and Salida. Except for one area: Denny carved out some land south of Pirrone, east of Sisk and west of Dale. This was in part to appease a developer, Dave Romano, because he did not want Romano to fight the SOS initiative. Of course I'm unhappy this area was excluded because its part of the Salida Community Plan. Being that the land is included in the Salida Community Plan, and being that Mr. Romano, along with other landowners who signed a development agreement for the Salida Community Plan, I think that if they want to develop it, they need to talk to Salida and not Modesto. Salida is done with Modesto's land grabs - no more!</span>salidakathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109591488252902865noreply@blogger.com0