Patterson Irrigator

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written by XXX , August 20, 2008

Who do you speak to about one of the canidates running for city council. May not be the right choice for Patterson.

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written by CountryDweller , August 20, 2008

Interesting. I would disagree with Becky Campo and Annette Smith on their approach to growth. But they do get high fives for their fight against Gerry Kamilos and West Park. Luis Molina seems like a nice guy, don't know where he stands on growth except I suspect he probably in line with BC and AS. Farinha is a good pick. The Council should have at least one member who was born and raised in Patterson. Not sure what this Realini person is all about. He has only lived in Patterson for two years and is from San Bruno which is nothing like Patterson. I wonder what is motivating this guy.

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written by CountryDweller , August 22, 2008

I got a -1 vote, cool. I must have ruffled some feathers. It appears Mr. Realini finally turned up. He commented on the West Park plan. Good for him. Mr. Realini, if you read this, the Patterson to the Bay Area ACE commuter line is dead. It was the one component in the CTC application the CTC did not fund. They dropped this so it is unlikely this rail plan will becoming this way anytime soon. I guess the CTC does not care much for pa*senger rail.

http://www.ws-pace.org/CEQAcomments/E.Message Pa*senger Rail Services.pdf

Campaign
written by Joseph , August 25, 2008

Hello Country Dweller and other readers,

Personally, I am not here to rustle feathers but to share my views on the upcoming election. I have not made a final choice on the mayor race but do have a few comments regarding the matter that I will make later. As for the City Council, I know who I am going to vote for. Based on their current performance, longevity of being a citizen in Patterson and their bold stance towards the incredibly large (and ridiculous) project in Crows Landing, I am going to vote for Dominic Farinha and Annette Smith. I know Country Dweller may have some issues with Annette Smith and I certainly respect that, but we need people in decision making positions whom we have come to know and we can trust. She (Ms. Smith) is an intelligent, well-spoken, sometimes quite bold individual, but she still very dedicated to Patterson. Speaking collectively, both Mr. Farinha and Mrs. Smith are clearly qualified and are very upstanding and decent people.

The other two people running,…uh, I am sure they mean well, but they are not quite ready for the City Council. Plus, I am a little afraid of the guy who had a prior felony conviction. Anyone with a current or prior major conviction should not run for a decision making position. That is just common sense. As for Mayor, Mr. Molina is a nice, well-mannered man. Mrs. Campo has done a great job being a mayor and is well liked by a lot of people –very, very important. I suppose what could cause me to lean one way or another is their decision of this huge project coming very close to Patterson (in Crows Landing). Since the entire council has effectively expressed their concern over it, you need to have a mayor, the leader of the City, to feel the same way. Mr. Molina has given good answers to Westside issues, but has not been forthright on the industrial issue. I am a land owner on the Westside (Westley, Crows Landing and Patterson) and industrial projects are just not compatible with ag. I do not know how many of those Calif. Condors are left out there, but I feel as if farmers and ranchers may join them soon. Well, I hope I have informed some people out there. Thank you for reading my post here.

Why most don't have college education
written by Walker Rancher , August 25, 2008

I am not holding it against them...but why neither Campo, Smith, have under grad college degrees?

Campo has an AA (probably community college)
Smith has no higher education at all.
Farhina - has a degree.
Convicted follen - does not have college edu.

Just some random thoughts what kind of people running or want to run Pattterson. Maybe it's normal for a small rural town to have "local" people on board rather than those who have wealth of experience and education.

Answers to comments and concerns
written by Jeff Realini , August 25, 2008

Thank you Country Dweller, Joseph, and Walker Ranch on bringing up some important points.

To address some of these comments and concerns as to why I am running:

Why – I want to see a better level of service for the entire city in a Police Department, Emergency Hospital and more community activities. I would like to see the projects on the drawing board that supposedly have been funded be built within the next two years including the senior center, bike trail, and recreation facility. I also want to be able to see a revitalization of the downtown to include restaurants and entertainment venues and to encourage new commercial activities that benefit the entire city. None of these are being well addressed by the current administration.
What is my motivation – I don’t believe our current council is actually behind a “small town” with the amount of growth that has been approved without the infrastructure to support it. I believe the true reason the council is against West Park is not the size or damage it will cause the region, but for financial or political reasons.
Connection to the community – Yes I am new to Patterson, but my family started as farmers outside of Hollister and we were in the business of building cold storage. My family was one of the prime contractors on the Patterson Frozen Foods and I have visited and worked in the area before deciding to move here. I intend to stay here and raise my family here.
I also intend to fight for the small farmers that have been incorporated into the city and wish to continue farming. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANY EMINENT DOMAIN acquisitions on private individuals.
I also intend to see commuter rail at least revisited. The West Valley is growing, and we would all love to work in Patterson, but this is not feasible to all.
As for Crows Landing – this is a no-go, and I have my theory on what is the real motivation. It is not commerce and jobs for the West Valley.
As for my career, I was mis-quoted. I have been in accounting for the past 12 years in some capacity. I am currently a Financial Analyst with Robert Half International working at San Joaquin County General Hospital where I have been for the past five months.
This is a shortened comment of what I would like to say to the voters. Please contact me at my email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) if you have any comments, questions or wish to read my full position.

To Country Dweller:
written by Jeff Realini , August 25, 2008

I was not the one who put up the negative comment. I would like to find out more of what you know on why CTC dropped the line through the West Valley for ACE.

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written by CountryDweller , August 25, 2008

Jeff,

Great responses. I did not mean to imply that you put the negative comment. It could have been anyone and it does not bother me. I have taken my share of hits for my criticism of the GPAC committee and its chairman and the way growth has been handled by the city. I couldn't tell you what political or financial motives the current mayor and council have against West Park. But they are fighting this plan and should be commended for it. It is a bad plan. I am not sure how long you have followed the planning of the airbase, but the mayor and current and past council members were part of the Steering Committee a*signed by the county to analyze and recommend a developer for the airbase. The steering committee voted 7-2 to support another developer whose proposal was contained to the original footprint. West Park's initial proposal was double the current proposal and contained thousands of new homes from highway 33 to I5. The plans for homes will come back once Kamilos gets the green light. I am glad you realized that the jobs West Park will create will not pay the kind of wages that will allow people to buy homes in Patterson and/or quit their commutes.

I don't know why the CTC failed to fund a pa*senger train to Crows Landing. I, along with alot of others, was very disappointed that the CTC gave West Park $25 million and really did not pay attention to why the CTC did not fund the pa*senger rail component. Goes to show what political connections can do. If you go to the CTC website, the minutes of the meetings are there and they may contain comments as to why this was not funded.

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written by CountryDweller , August 25, 2008

Walker Rancher,

I think you should look a little closer. Farinha is the only Patteson native running. Molina, Smith, and Slonkis are from the Bay Area and moved to Patterson as adults. Becky Campo moved here from Tracy.

I work with a lot of people over the years who have degrees even advanced degrees who lack almost any common sense. I know people who don't have degrees and are brilliant. I have a four year degree and advanced degree so I am not biased against those with degrees. But I don't put much stock in degrees alone. I don't think it has any bearing on how good a council person will be.

Joseph
written by CountryDweller , August 25, 2008

Joseph,

Great comments. I don't know Annette Smith personally but I am sure she is a very nice person. I think she was wrong to appoint John Ramos to the GPAC committee. People have accused me of Ramos bashing which is fine, but I personally don't believe in appointing any developers to committees responsible for developing General Plan guidelines, particulary those that have been involved in major annexations before the city.

I share your concerns about industrial growth in Patterson. I am concerned not only about Patterson but for our region in general. I understand the need to create jobs and improving the economy. But I don't want to see this area become the retail distribution center of California. Companies will move to the area for cheap land and labor. But these retail distribution centers are the worst jobs to acre producers and they result in low paying jobs. Nothing is being manufactured or created. No research. They are just giant storage bins for other areas. I would hate to see all of the area's prime farmland paved over to acommate distribution centers. It seems over the past few years that is where Keystone Park is headed.

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written by Jeff Realini , August 26, 2008

Country Dweller and Joseph:
I know when I need to ask others for help. Since I am new to the community I don’t really know what was “sold” to the community in regards to the business parks. When all this area was annexed by the city, what was said about the development of Keystone Business Park? Did the owner(s) sell the land or did the city use eminent domain to acquire the land? Also, was anything said about what was going to move into the area?
The West Valley lacks enough clean water and does not have the transportation infrastructure to support major manufacturing, otherwise we would not be having the discussion on Crow's Landing aka West Park. Apparantly the city planned on warehousing being the largest industry in the business park because it is zoned light industrial.
We could have manufacturing or R&D, but Patterson would have to bring in more water and change the zoning if I read the maps correctly. Additionally the utilities to the area would probably need to be upgraded including sewage. I am not going to promise bringing a huge number of new employers to the city, but I can say that I will try to bring a few quality employers that will draw others here.

Look who's making judgements..
written by Penelope , August 26, 2008

Hey Walker Ranch,look who's calling the kettle Black...before you start knocking down the Candidates education try to retrieve one for yourself because I had a heck of time trying to read your post..
Your grammar and spelling leaves much to be desired!!
Back to the books for you

Mr. Realini.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! let's review your statement:

I don’t believe our current Council is actually behind a “small town” with the amount of growth that has been approved without the infrastructure to support it. I believe the true reason the council is against West Park is not the size or damage it will cause the region, but for financial or political reasons.

Mr. Realini would you be so kind to explain to us what "financial or political reasons" you are refering to....this statement makes no sense!!
Precisely, what project was approved that didn't have the infrastructure in place?
On the eminent domain comment I can a*sure you that I attend 95% of all Council meetings and no seating Council members, past or present have ever taken land from private individuals...you are so off base and out of touch, the only suggestion I can make to you is to actually start attending Council meetings to educate yourself....

Hey Dweller...
written by Andrew , August 26, 2008

For the love of goodness....is Realini for real? Eminent domain? What is this guys dilemma? He wants to run for public office in a community that he knows nothing about? As for his West Park rantings...I trust not the guy that wants to run even more trains down the center of our fair city. Thanks Country Dweller for the heads up on his comments to West Park's notice of preparation(aka; PCCP Marketing Brochure). Sounds to me like a Gerry loving, West Park stooge or maybe this guy is just not that intelligent. Either way you slice it, we better stick with the current folks, at least they know what the heck is going on and have no problem defending the City against those that would ruin it.

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written by sillyme , August 26, 2008

Mr. Realini...who sent you?

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written by Jeff Realini , August 27, 2008

Nobody "sent" me, and I have no relationship with any developers let alone Gerry K. As for eminent domain, the potential use of it was brought to my attention by a couple of long time residents. I never stated it was actually used.
The comment on "financial or political reasons" was the fact West Park will be in direct competition with Westridge Business Park and Keystone Business Park. If the full development goes through at Crow’s Landing, West Park will be outside of Patterson tax zone, but we will still be responsible for supporting a large part of the labor force who will live in the city. I just want to see this fact actually brought up, not just the fact we will have more traffic/pollution and the town will be divided by the rail line. Also, has anyone noted that the letter from California DOT Division of Aeronautics (http://www.ws-pace.org/CEQAcom...autics.pdf). Is there any doubt that this will become an air hub?
Last, on the commuter rail inquiry that seems to have been taken as an endorsement of West Park, I was simply questioning if this had ever been studied. If the community does not want it, it would not be financially feasible to even consider it, but we do have a large percentage of the population that commutes into the Bay Area to work. For the record I would not benefit from a rail line as I work near Stockton away from any transportation routes.
My goal is not to serve as someone who wants to keep the status quo. The current administration can do that just fine. I want to see slow growth that will not over extend the cities and regions resources, and benefits those who call Patterson home. This includes those born and raised here and those that have recently moved here. I also would push for a moratorium on building west of I-5.
I also want to see those projects that were financed by the Mello-Roos bonds and other bond obligations started and completed within the original scope of the bond. For this reason I am against any new bonds to supplement the short falls of previous bonds including those proposed by the Patterson Unified School District. I would support bonds for new projects on a case-by-case basis.
Just a question to the other participants of this discussion - Do all of you live in the City of Patterson and why don't I see anything positive towards what is happening in the city? I guess any of us could be working for Gerry...

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written by fred ross , August 30, 2008

Can anyone name one major accomplishment by the city council over the past 4 years?

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written by Looking Forward , September 01, 2008

Personally, I would like to see everyone leave out the sarcastic comments, the attack on personal character, and the grammar and spelling criticism. Everyone benefits from hearing the concerns and ideas of fellow residents. I understand this is a political campaign, but don't you think people will be educated by reading a conversation without all of the negative emotion? You are more likely to attract valuable feedback if people aren't afraid being attacked or criticized.

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written by Looking Forward , September 01, 2008

see I already have a typo: end of last sentence, I left out the word "of" after afraid. OOPS.

To Looking Forward
written by Jeff Realini , September 02, 2008

THANK YOU.
And to Fred Ross, that is why I am running for council. If I were happy with our current situation, I would not be running.

Tell me how come
written by fred ross , September 03, 2008

1. Tell me how come, M Street crossing is still not fixed. Has been a safety issue since Patterson eclipsed 6,000 residents.

2. Tell me how come, the Regional Park was never completed.
3. Tell me how come, one community center for 20,000 residents.
4. Tell me how come, downtown revitalization has been swept under the rug during current leadership's watch. At least Keller sought to infuse life into downtown by wanting to purchase the theater. That furniture store is remarkable.
5. Gang meetings were prevalent during our "lockdown", can anyone tell me how come not one sole tangible action was taken by leadership to address the issue? Nope, leadership welcomed the opportunity to get behind a microphone and TELL parents what do about gangs, but they failed to do something far more important, LISTEN.
6. Tell me how come, we plan for growth accross I-5 but don't know where the water will come from.
7. Tell me how come, the GPAC is filled with opportunistic landowners.
8. Tell me how come, the city council continues to violate the Brown Act.
9. Tell me how come, Patterson grow so much, yet gets so little.

Tell me how come, we don't get rid of all them.

If it were up to me, I mean if I were a powerful or influential politico, I would draft people who are capable of leading to take over city hall.

Mayor - John Azevedo
Vice Mayor - Rob Cozart
Councilwoman - Tori Scoles
Councilman - Keep Sam Cuellar
Councilman - Birdie Rodriguez

Some may think that a few of these folks are too young, or too old, but there is one common trait that each of these individuals possess, they can motivate community members to rally around their goals and initiatives.