5/29/10
By Louise Taylor
It’s Saturday morning, May 29, 2010. I have some serious concerns about the Modesto Bee this morning.First, we have only ten days left until the June 8th elections. Surprisingly, there are no letters to the editor concerning the election in today’s paper. Hmm, seems like there were only two yesterday and they were very generic, suggesting we vote out the incumbents, but not supporting any particular candidate by name.
I know several people who have submitted letters, but they have not been published. They are not on the on-line version of the Bee, either. Maybe it’s because these letters are supportive of Rob Jackson and/or Carmen Sabatino.
The Bee has endorsed Sheriff Adam Christianson over his challenger Rob Jackson. They have done this, even though they have had in their possession for five months, a letter from a law firm ordering Sheriff Christianson to “cease and desist” violating several state and federal laws. They did not consider that letter “newsworthy”. They have endorsed him, even though they have stated that the race for sheriff is “all about the budget”, knowing that Sheriff Christianson’s poor handling of employee issues has resulted in numerous complaints/lawsuits that have cost the county millions of dollars so far.
There are more lawsuits that will go to trail in the near future, including a $10 million wrongful death suit.On Friday, May 28th, the Modesto Bee printed a story about yet another lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department (LAWSUIT NAMES SHERIFF, OPPONENT). In this article, the Bee reported that the lawsuit also named Rob Jackson, who at the time was the Police Chief of Waterford. Today, Saturday, May 29th, the Bee has printed a “correction” to the story (setting it straight, page A2).
It seems that Mr. Jackson’s name was removed from the lawsuit (by mutual consent of both sides) last September. Yet, eight months later the Bee is reporting incorrect information concerning this lawsuit? Could it be that they wanted to throw dirt on Mr. Jackson’s campaign?The Bee has also made clear their dislike for Carmen Sabatino.
You may remember that Mr. Sabatino produced a balanced budget for the city for each of the four years he was Mayor. The Bee even printed an opinion piece on Mayor Sabatino (April 9, 2000) indicating that they were impressed with his accomplishments during his first 100 days in office. They reported that during these first 100 days, he had made significant progress on his three campaign promises: repair crumbling roads, stabilize the city’s budget and refocus the City Council on open government.
Perhaps what soured the Modesto Bee on Mr. Sabatino is the fact that he managed to reduce what the city was paying the Modesto Bee from $41.00 per column inch to $21.50 per column inch. That reduction saved the city $90,000 per year. He also exposed $100 million in uncollected fees in Village 1, approved by councils controlled by developer Mike Zagaris. Unfortunately, developers still control the City Council and apparently the Modesto Bee.
Now, to be fair, I can understand why the editors of the Bee aren’t printing any letters that support Rob Jackson’s campaign for sheriff. It would be intimidating to have someone in uniform, carrying a gun, standing in front of your desk and demanding that you print only what he wants you to print. Unfortunately, for the citizens of Stanislaus County, the editors have succumbed to this intimidation. The citizens of this county deserve a newspaper that will publish ALL pertinent information to every story, and that isn’t happening at the Modesto Bee.
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VOTE FOR CARMEN SABATINO, DISTRICT 4
VOTE FOR ROB JACKSON FOR SHERIFF
