The nuclear option for Stockton’s police tax
Last year I predicted that Stockton’s thorniest problem in 2023 would be hiring enough police. Well, things aren’t as bad as I predicted — they’re worse. Time to discuss a radical response. First, let me set the table. The city’s main police union posted an update on its Facebook Page last week. “…Our staffing levels…
The man in the flood
On Airport Court near the south-county line, homes normally stand a stone’s throw from the San Joaquin River. Currently they stand in the river. Even so, some residents refuse to evacuate. The road is closed, barred by a sheriff’s employee, but the law admits reporters. I rumbled along a levee, past a half-flooded alfalfa field…
Tell Noah it’s still a drought
The drought is over, though California officials say it’s not, entirely. And the U.S. Drought Monitor still has approximately 90% of San Joaquin County in “abnormally dry” conditions. Abnormally dry … after a seemingly never-ending parade of 11 atmospheric rivers, Donner Party snows, floods, evacuations, power outages and reservoir levels so high that dam operators…