Clods at the wheel
The California Transportation Commission distributed $975 million of the fund, created when voters approved Proposition 1B in November. San Joaquin County received $282.4 million...San Joaquin County's share is the biggest. Among regions through which Highway 99 runs, only Merced County landed nearly as much, with $248.3 million. -- Stockton Record, 3-16-07
They haven't even learned yet how to project in public anything but blind greed by fleecing the people. It is their only tune.
Merced Sun-Star editorialists opine that if Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, had only supported Measure G -- to raise our sales taxes to pay for the UC Campus Parkway, Highway 99,and maybe some other things (in that order) -- she would have a better chance to get funds for a G Street underpass beneath the railroad tracks on the north side of Merced. The clods then go on to analyse Galgiani's inner mind, claiming she opposed Measure G not to appear to be a "tax and spend liberal" while facing a "weak" Republican opponent. The only problem with that critical link in their argument is that Gerry Machado was an unexpectedly strong opponent. He worked hard, campaigned intensely and was a credible candidate.
I've reconsidered what I earlier wrote about this editorial, which strikes me as nothing but sour grapes and refried Gingrich babble. Three measures on this subject have failed. The last one, Measure G, failed more than a month before the Board of Supervisors passed the Riverside Motorsports Park project, designed to bring in up to 50,000 spectators from 100 miles around for major auto-racing events. Maybe business, political and media leaders who supported it at crucial times should not have approved it without a better grip on where the funds for transportation improvements would come from. It's like building subdivisions all over the state without checking to see if there really is enough water or not.
Bill Hatch
---------------------
4-21-07
Merced Sun-Star
Fighting an uphill battle...Our View
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/opinion/story/13508896p-14115138c.html
Newly minted Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, has spent a good portion of her time in Sacramento fighting tooth and nail for funding for a railroad underpass at G Street in Merced. But we can't help but wonder: Where was Galgiani on this issue last year? Instead of fighting for passage of Measure G, which would have just about paid for an underpass, Galgiani was opposing it out of fear her weak Republican challenger would brand her a tax-and-spend liberal. We didn't understand the wisdom of Galgiani's thinking on the Measure G topic back then -- and we still don't today... doubly puzzling given most prominent area Republicans were solidly behind Measure G. Its narrow and devastating defeat possibly could have been averted if political leaders like Galgiani had galvanized behind it. Now, she's fighting an uphill battle for funds that are more likely to go to counties that have passed their own self-help tax increases like Measure G would have done for us. For our sake, let's hope Galgiani is successful. If so, she will have taken a step to redeem herself among the vocal Measure G supporters who were angered by her opposition.
3-16-07
Stockton Record
Transit bond funds approved
The county's bid for more than a quarter of the $1 billion bond fund dedicated to improvements on Highway 99 was approved Thursday.
The California Transportation Commission distributed $975 million of the fund, created when voters approved Proposition 1B in November. San Joaquin County received $282.4 million...San Joaquin County's share is the biggest. Among regions through which Highway 99 runs, only Merced County landed nearly as much, with $248.3 million.