Badlands Journal

 It was exciting for a moment, even for a whole Easter weekend because the judge created suspense beyond the well-known events – Crucifixion, Sepulcher, Ascension. Stockton could go bankrupt! We would know on Monday.

Sure enough, by mid-Monday morning we knew that the judge had ruled that the municipal government of Stockton could do what it had desired to do and been obstructed from doing by its creditors and their insurers: declare bankruptcy and weasel out of paying whatever debts it could.

This was News, we thought. We opined at the end of last week that if Stockton were allowed to Do This, other cities would soon follow in its footsteps. We shivered slightly at the chilling notion that Stockton should lead anyone anywhere, but at least it was clear, straightforward governmental action against Wall Street. The other cities mentioned included San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto and Merced. These are seats of the California counties worst affected by the Great Pop of the housing bubble.

California High Speed Rail -- A boondoggle in search of a Pork Barrel 

There is a railroad boom going on right now in the San Joaquin Valley. At least there is a boom going on in the newspapers about railroads, fast and not so fast.

Lloyd Carter, at the indispensible Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood website, has produced a masterful portrait of Norman Brownstein, one of the nation's top water and oil lawyer/lobbyists, and his crooked sons. Although the story takes place in Denver, Washington and Wall Street, what makes it local is that Brownstein's firm lobbies for Westlands Water District and recently lost a lawsuit brought by the district against the US Bureau of Reclamation, and that Kirk Kerkorian, Fresno billionaire, was allegedly swindled in an oil deal involving business associates of Brownstein. 

As government and capital begin to try to mix oil and water along the San Andreas Fault, this story take on significance even beyond its ostensible borders. 

Badlands Journal editorial board

3-11-13

In its annual article of self-congratulation called "Sunshine Week," the McClatchy Co. local outlet, the Merced Sun-Star finished with the following errant graphs:

Acknowledging local efforts

In Merced County, government agencies generally do a good job of getting out the word about public meetings and posting agendas on websites, even making printed copies available in a timely way.

Law enforcement agencies also make a solid effort to get out information about crime and other incidents in the various communities, especially if they deem such information important for public safety. The district attorney's office goes the extra mile to honor requests for public records about court cases.

When it comes to public records requests, government agencies generally respond within the allotted time -- often, but not always, providing the desired documents or records.