Governor vetoes university foundation public records bill

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday vetoed a bill which would have required university foundations – nonprofit auxiliaries intertwined with public universities that oversee private gifts to colleges – to comply with the Public Records Act.

Auditors find ‘deficiencies’ at Hughson City Hall

After a long and detailed audit for the 2008/2009 fiscal year, Hughson City Council members were presented with results and suggestions from auditors on Monday, who brought some not so pleasant news.

Council thanks unions for their support

The Turlock City Council unanimously agreed to citywide union concessions on Tuesday, dropping the city's deficit by $864,319 to $2.7 million.

City Council to consider union concessions

When the City of Turlock began considering the 2010-2011 budget earlier this year, the city faced a budget deficit in excess of $5 million. Through a series of budget cuts, that deficit dropped to $3.6 million in the adopted budget.

Millions spent to help county residents

The Stanislaus County Community Development Block Grant Consortium – consisting of Stanislaus County and Cities of Ceres, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, and Waterford – received $2.6 million in state and federal funds last year.

Hughson council balances city budget

After a second budget study workshop on Thursday, the Hughson City Council can finally rest easy knowing they have a balanced and healthy budget to work with for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Turlock City Council briefs

The Turlock City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to:

City to take bids on Public Safety Facility construction

After a four month delay, plans for Turlock's new, $35 million Public Safety Facility are back on track, following a unanimous Turlock City Council decision Tuesday evening.

Hughson council moves forward with city business

Monday's Hughson City Council meeting was filled with positive recognitions and the approval of many actions to help the city move in the right direction, which is a big change from the time during recall efforts to remove three council members.

County to cut services, employees in coming year

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors adopted a $918.8 million final budget for 2010-2011 on Tuesday morning, containing even more cutbacks than included in the initially proposed budget and forecasting more dire cuts in the years to come.

Police department complex could be sold to finance new Public Safety Facility

Plans to build a new $35 million Public Safety Facility for Turlock's Police and Fire departments – previously stymied by the state's May take of redevelopment funding – are back on the Turlock City Council agenda Tuesday, with a new funding mechanism in place.

Hughson looks to fill $70,000 gap in city budget

Hughson city staff brought a balanced budget to the City Council budget study session on Tuesday night, and left with a $70,000 deficit after council made suggestions in an effort to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Planning questions City Council’s big box store directive

The Turlock Planning Commission, tasked with reexamining the city's anti-big box store ordinance by the Turlock City Council, decided Thursday to solicit community feedback on the measure before taking any action.

Claims of harassment surround in-home care fraud investigations

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved expanding a program intended to catch those defrauding the system that pays people who provide in-home care for the elderly or disabled, though providers say the fraud investigators have traumatized patients.

Assembly approves bill to staff high-speed rail project office

California's effort to establish a high-speed rail system received a boost Tuesday, as the state legislature approved a bill to hire additional staff and prepare a plan to spend a recent influx of stimulus funds.

More affordable housing needed, finds report

While housing prices have dropped, California still needs more affordable housing, according to a new state Department of Housing and Community Development report. "Prior to the foreclosure crisis and current economic downturn (also known as the Great Recession), California had experienced decades of undersupply, contributing to significant price escalation and the affordability crisis," the report reads. "... While the recession of the early 1990s was most devastating with regard to poverty and unemployment, ...

Failing water meters to get upgrade

City expects no changes for skate park when police offices move

The future of Turlock's popular skate park, located adjacent to the current Turlock Police Department, is in question given the construction of the new Public Safety Facility several blocks away. Turlock Parks, Recreation, and Community commissioners posed the question a month ago: without the close police presence, would the park – home to some acts of crime throughout the years – continue? But commissioners learned Tuesday that the skate park will remain ...

Voters to decide library tax on June ballot

A voter supported one-eighth cent sales tax has been the lifeblood of the Stanislaus County Library since its 1995 inception. But the fate of that sales tax, due to expire in 2013, will be up to voters once again in the June 5, 2012 Primary Election, following the Board of Supervisors' Tuesday action to place the issue on the ballot for renewal. The county's dedicated library sales tax was the first such ...

Council looks at replacing failing water meters

The Turlock City Council will consider a $495,225 upgrade to the city's failing automated water meter reading system at their next meeting on Tuesday.

Planning passes on regional ag map

A countywide initiative intended to preserve agricultural land, driven by local mayors, was shot down by the Turlock Planning Commission on Thursday for sidestepping existing planning efforts and failing to truly protect farmland. The initiative, known as the Agricultural Preservation Plan Map 2050, asks cities to clearly define their borders as of the year 2050. By doing so, the areas outside of the 2050 boundaries would be preserved for agriculture. The plan ...

City balks at proposed storm drain regulations

Washing your own car or having sprinklers that splash onto the sidewalk could soon be illegal, due to a proposed new state storm water permit. The new permit, drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, is based on a concept of "only rain down the drain." Planners say they're attempting to meet federal regulations, but local officials say they've gone far beyond the realm of reason. "The requirements are so prescriptive, ...

What should come first, money or a plan?

Should Turlock be practical, given budgetary constraints, or should it aim for the stars? The question was front and center at a special meeting of the Turlock City Council on Tuesday, where council members went to work updating the city's strategic plan. The plan, a conceptual long-term planning document which will guide Turlock policy through 2013, has been in the works since March. Before that effort, the document had lain dormant since ...

Stanislaus County receives federal grant for preventative health programs

A federal grant aimed at getting to the root causes of chronic diseases was recently awarded to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The Capacity Building Grant of $293,899 was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a block of Community Transformation grants. The Capacity Building Grant money is to be used for laying the foundation for sustainable community prevention programs and practices that tackle smoking, ...

Ag secretary lauds Obama’s jobs plan in California

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the state this week, lauding the positive impacts President Barack Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would have on Californians. "The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," Vilsack said to attendees at a business roundtable in Sacramento. The ...

Council votes to keep RDA options open

With the fate of redevelopment agencies statewide still hazy at best, a split Turlock City Council decided to keep its options open Tuesday, approving a resolution which will allow Turlock to decide whether or not to retain its agency at a later date. The move effectively informed the state that Turlock may eventually decide to issue a large "ransom" payment to the state in exchange for the right to keep its agency active, ...

Council to plan the future of Turlock

It's time for some long term planning, says Turlock City Hall.

City reports successful summer for rec programs

Turlock Parks and Recreation wrapped up a successful year of summer programming earlier this month. They saw high participation numbers across the board, and they received grant funding to offer summer programming to ACES after school program participants. "Our numbers were high from youth to adults. Summer went very well," said Erik Schulze, recreation senior supervisor. Turlock Recreation ran a special summer clinic for students who participated in the ACES after-school program ...

Council hires firm to recruit new police chief

The search for Turlock's next full-time police chief kicked off Tuesday, when the Turlock City Council approved hiring Teri Black and Co. to conduct an executive recruitment process. The recruiter will be tasked with finding a successor to former Chief Gary Hampton, who left to head the Tracy Police Department on July 31. Since then, Dave Young has served as the Interim Chief of Police. The use of an outside recruiter drew ...

Council awaits decision on RDA take legality

The future of redevelopment remains hazy, but the City of Turlock is attempting to plan for whatever fate may befall redevelopment agencies statewide. The Turlock City Council held a special workshop Tuesday specifically to discuss the city's options following the state's action to force all redevelopment agencies to either close their doors, or pay large fees to the state. "I think it's just a wait and see for me right now," said ...