The Modesto City Council propaganda machine is still cranking them out, and Councilwoman Kenoyer is the latest to spread the spin. In the August 6, 2014 Modesto Bee article, "Recall effort against Modesto councilwoman revived", Councilwoman Kenoyer is quoted as saying, "...the land the city is setting aside in the general plan is not part of
the colony, an assertion colony residents dispute". Now why do you suppose Wood Colony residents dispute it? Maybe because its true? Stanislaus County placed "Welcome to Wood Colony" signs on the very land in question. Does Councilwoman Kenoyer want to dispute with the county that the land is not really Wood Colony where they've placed "Welcome to Wood Colony" signs?
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| On Beckwith Road |
And the spin doesn't end there, but continues on in the very next sentence, "Kenoyer said that as part of the general plan update she voted to return hundreds of acres of land designated for development elsewhere back to agriculture." Now this is where the sage lesson that Cookie Monster taught us as youngsters really comes into play. The land "elsewhere" that Councilwoman Kenoyer claims to have voted to "return" to agriculture belongs to the Gallo family and is not located within Wood Colony. Yes, that's right, "Gallo" as in Gallo wine. So when Councilwoman Kenoyer claims to preserve the farmland of the local area billionaires, is that really equal to not saving farmland in Wood Colony? Is there anyone who believes for one second that the City of Modesto would actually develop land owned by the Gallos? Needless to say, if the Gallos want any of their land developed, they do the decision making on it.
Agreed, and it bothers me to no end when Council Member Kenoyer, other Council Members and City Staff use the word "returned". I have seem them all do it on numerous occasions. It is not true whether they are referring to the Gallo land that was returned in a minute without a single public comment or the now white rectangle in the center of Wood Colony. The Wood Colony land was not "returned" it was pried back out of their hands after public outrage and pressure at meeting after meeting. Another problem with the word "returned" is that it implies something was yours for some period of time, and that is factually untrue in every sense of the word. To keep going with the use of "returned" is that is also implies some sense of honor, and that is just disrespectful of all the facts associated with this issue. The land to the South of the center rectangle is still Wood Colony land and houses an almond hulling business. The Beckwith Triangle area is Wood Colony land and contains the historic Wood Colony Cemetery. Both of these pieces of property should be re-zoned to their original status. The spin put out there is completely and utterly factually false and given the history of this community is borderline ludicrous! I will shake my head in bewilderment over this issue for as long as I walk this planet and wish with all of my heart that my fellow Modesto citizens were doing the same.
ReplyDeleteKatherine I love how you put everything into words that all can understand.
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