Facing at least a $4.8 million shortfall in the 2010-2011 General Fund budget, the City of Turlock set about the hard work of identifying possible cuts during a budget subcommittee meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors cut 10 more positions Tuesday morning - nine of which were filled - in their ongoing efforts to eliminate a $10 million budget deficit. But those being eliminated argue that the cutbacks will cost the county more than the move will save.
The State of California is one step closer to a balanced budget, but the state's solvency will come - in part - at the Turlock Redevelopment Agency's expense.
A number of potential problems face the City of Turlock's drinking water supply in the year to come, according to a report delivered Tuesday by Michael Cooke, Turlock Regulatory Affairs manager.
Where wastewater flows, food could grow.
The Stanislaus County Library is the target of the latest round of county budget cuts, falling to service levels not seen since before the 1995 adoption of a one-eighth cent library sales tax.
The date has been set; all that's left is to figure out how the Hughson City Council recall election will be funded.
In front of a somber crowd, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure Tuesday morning to trim the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department budget by $6.4 million, effectively forcing the lay off of 52 full-time sheriff's department employees and deleting 16 vacant positions.
The future of Turlock's drinking water supply will take center stage at the Turlock City Council's Tuesday meeting, as councilmembers will receive a long-requested report on water issues in the City of Turlock.
The Turlock City Council adopted a plan on April 13 that calls for the city to investigate a two-year budgetary cycle - a change in practice from the year-by-year budgets of the past - but stopped short of deciding how a committee will meet to work out that budget.
Local businessman Daniel Aydenian grew up hearing stories of his father's survival of the darkest time in Armenian history.
Citizens of Turlock weren't bow-wowed by proposals for new dog parks. Residents packed City Hall for Wednesday's meeting of the Turlock Parks, Recreation and Community Commission to oppose two proposed sites for new dog parks. The suggested sites, a greenbelt off Country Walk Lane, near East Taylor Road, and a storm basin at the corner of East Hawkeye Avenue and North Quincy Road, drew near-universal opposition. Of more than 30 public speakers, only four supported ...
Attempts by the Hughson City Council to fire the city clerk and to gain more control over city hiring practices went unnoticed by many Hughson residents at Monday night's council meeting. Residents were more interested in making their opinions known about the three council members recently reprimanded by the Civil Grand Jury. A crowd flooded the community center on Monday night and some meeting attendees held up signs reading "Resign Now" to show the three ...
In 2005, an arson fire destroyed Turlock's Carnegie Arts Center. By the end of May, nearly five years after its destruction, ground will be broken on a new, expanded Carnegie Arts Center, following a unanimous Turlock City Council decision Tuesday evening.
The three Hughson City Council members found to be violation of the Brown Act, the Hughson Municipal Code and the Fair Political Practices Commission are now in trouble for not responding to the Civil Grand Jury.
Just days into 2012, the effort to pass a state budget has already begun. Governor Jerry Brown fired the first salvo of the budget year with a proposal combining cuts to welfare and child care with tax increases on the wealthy to balance the budget. "The budget that I am submitting today keeps the cuts made last year and adds new ones," Brown wrote in his ...
The search for a new police chief to take the helm of the Turlock Police Department has been narrowed down to six prospects. The final candidates will begin interviews next week, said City Manager Roy Wasden. They will be meeting with panelists representing the community, city departments, labor, and professional law enforcement before meeting with the City Council. Interim Police Chief Dave Young has been leading the department since July when Gary ...
As the clock strikes midnight, hundreds of new laws will take effect in the State of California, governing tanning beds and concussions in youth sports, among countless other topics. But perhaps the highest-profile law for 2012 is a provision requiring all children under age 8 – unless they stand at least 4-foot 9-inches tall – to be secured in a car seat or a booster seat in the rear seat. That's more stringent ...
Journal: What successes did Turlock have in 2011? John Lazar: Turlock had many successes this past year. I believe the main success has been not having to use $2.5 in reserves to balance our general fund this year. Through internal cuts, voluntary salary reductions by our staff, and better sales and property tax assessment revenue this year, our government books are in the black. I'm very proud of the team spirit of our community! ...
The future of redevelopment – a statewide program which devotes a share of property tax to reducing blight and increasing property values – now appears to be non-existent. The death of redevelopment follows a long-awaited Wednesday State Supreme Court decision which upheld the State Legislature's right to eliminate redevelopment agencies across California, but ruled unconstitutional a measure which would have allowed those agencies to remain open should they make annual payments to the ...
Stanislaus County District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa shares his views on 2011, 2012: Journal: What successes did Stanislaus County have in 2011? Chiesa: Success is measured incrementally in these times, Chiesa said, listing the following successes: The Kenwood Lighting District was established, providing much-needed infrastructure to a small county island within Turlock city limits;Completed the Stanislaus County Animal Shelter, and established a Joint Powers Authority to operate the facility;Broke ground ...
More than a year and a half after Turlock first approved its new Housing Element Update – a document which describes how the City of Turlock will meet housing needs through 2014 – the California Department of Housing and Community Development certified the document last week. "The primary delay was the fact that they wanted us to actually tell them what we were going to do to comply with (Senate Bill 2)," said ...
Requirements for non-agriculture uses in county ag-zoned land will in most cases be reduced or eliminated, following Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors action Tuesday evening. New construction in county agricultural land will no longer require vegetative screening and solid fencing, low people intensive uses will no longer require buffers, and adjacent non-agricultural uses in ag-zoned land may be considered part of a buffer. The old setback rules, intended to provide a buffer ...
The Turlock City Council recognized the retirement of City Clerk Rhonda Greenlee on Tuesday night. Greenlee has been working for the City of Turlock since 1991, and her retirement will be effective on Dec. 29. A reception was held at City Hall in Greenlee's honor.
On Tuesday, the Turlock City Council is expected to:
Turlock's long been known as the heart of the Central Valley. On Friday, the city lived up to its billing, hosting a Valley-wide meeting of leaders for a daylong discussion of the most pressing issues facing Valley governments, citizens, and businesses. The meeting represented the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley's– a joint effort between state, local, and business leaders from eight Valley counties to promote the economy, environment, and equality ...
For the first time in six years, Stanislaus County has updated its Transportation Guide. The document, available at local libraries, chambers of commerce, and some government offices, offers a reference manual to all of the public and private transportation available in Stanislaus County, from bikeways to airports and carpools. By using the document, individuals can plot a route anywhere in the county – and beyond, to neighboring San Joaquin ...
A new law, championed by U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Atwater) through the House of Representatives, will aim to put thousands of unemployed veterans back to work. The VOW to Hire Heroes act, a bipartisan, bicameral measure signed into law by President Barack Obama this week, will offer additional training, transition assistance, and tax credits to veterans. "With thousands of troops returning home before the end of the year and hundreds of thousands ...
The Turlock-based California Farmers Union and the California Dairy Campaign have come out against the Dairy Security Act of 2011 (H.R. 3062). CDC President Joe Augusto and CFU President Joaquin Contente have been urging lawmakers to oppose the Dairy Security Act. The Dairy Security Act was brought forward by Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Mike Simpson, (R-Idaho) under the belief that the DSA would reduce dairy subsidies by $131 over 10 years. Supporters of ...
Last year didn't just go well for the City of Turlock – it blew away even the most optimistic projections. Though Turlock had planned to operate at a $2.2 million deficit in 2010-2011, the City of Turlock instead came in under budget, actually adding $50,000 to its reserves. Traditionally, the City of Turlock "lives within its means," City Manager Roy Wasden said, under-spending the budget by between $300,000 and $500,000. But a ...