 I.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning and welcome to Modesto’s historic
State Theatre. I am pleased to be here today. The State is a wonderful example
of community effort and partnership. This beautiful theater was renovated
through the generous efforts of community members and a renovation team led by
Mike Zagaris. This cultural amenity was restored and operates today supported by
private donations and ticket sales.
In a moment, I will introduce the vice mayor and council members present. Before
I do so, I would first like to recognize my wife and best friend Renee. From
her, our faith and our family, I draw my strength and support. In a way, it is
because of them that I serve this community – to give back for all that I have
received from my family and this wonderful town we call home.
I would now like to introduce this years Vice Mayor, Brad Hawn and the council
members who are with us today. Would you all please stand and be recognized?
Please join me in thanking them for their service to this community.
We have a number of our managers, key staff and department heads in attendance.
They are the folks who run the day-to-day operations of the city and I thank
them for the job they do for Modesto.
II. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2006 was a year of progress for Modesto. I want to briefly highlight the
accomplishments made because it is important to celebrate the progress and
results that have been achieved so that we can see where we have been and
continue to work towards a better community.
Some of our accomplishments for 2006 include:
- Adding two major employers to the community
as a result of the collaborative effort among the City, the Alliance and the
Beard Industrial Tract. Placing our community in a State Enterprise Zone is
paying dividends as employers receive tax breaks on needed buildings,
equipment upgrades and a portion of employee costs.
One company, Plastipak - leased 180,000 square feet with an option on 20 acres
in the Beard District. This facility is a plastic blow and injection molding
manufacturing operation. This is the first plant for the company in the West
and in California. The company is headquartered in Wisconsin and will begin
with 75 employees, growing to 150-200 in the first 3 years.
The second business, Fastenal - purchased a 300,000 square foot facility in
the Beard District and are moving to Modesto from Fresno. This distribution
center and fabrication operation will generate over 100 jobs.
Linking business to the world and expanding our
economic reach is an important objective for the city. This morning I want to
again share some good news about our airport, which is a vital tool in our
overall economic strategy.
- The Modesto City-County Airport secured a
$550,000 grant to enhance additional commercial flight service to and from
Modesto. In June 2006 we commenced four daily flights from Modesto to Los
Angeles and added an additional flight from Modesto to San Francisco. This
service reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality by decreasing
multiple car trips to the Bay Area and Sacramento. Citizens also save money
since free parking is provided at our terminal. Continued support by all
Modesto is essential to maintaining and expanding this transportation service.
In June 2006 the remodeled and greatly expanded
Maddux Youth Center reopened with community-based programming including a
state-of-the-art computer lab, reading room, gym, fitness room and and Police
Activities League Boxing Ring, as well as a Community Room.
Additionally,
- The City of Modesto completed a Wastewater
Collection System and Treatment Master Plan that gives us the “roadmap” to
rehabilitate and expand the City’s sewer and wastewater treatment systems
through the year 2030 and protect the area’s rivers and streams.
For the community’s safety:
- The fire department added 12 firefighter
positions and an additional ladder truck company to Station 11, which opened
last year. The addition of the truck company augments firefighting capability
in north Modesto and the ability of the fire department to perform specialized
rescue operations is enhanced.
- The fire department also added paramedic
response to Station 2 serving west Modesto. In partnership with American
Medical Response, the fire department strategically located this unit to speed
the delivery of advanced life support care to those in need.
III. CULTURAL AMENITIES
Our community is undergoing both a renaissance in the performing arts and
development of new facilities. Last February, we saw the renovation and
reopening of this theatre.
Presently, the auditorium at Modesto Junior College is undergoing a complete
remodel. Once completed, this facility will have improved sound-proofing,
enhanced seating and new and improved technology. Along with these improvements,
the facility will boast additional performing arts classroom space, and in house
studio facilities for producing recordings.
The Gallo Center for the Arts is scheduled to open this September. This
state-of-the-art complex will feature two theaters, meeting facilities, and will
be a top-notch venue for music, theatre and all that the performing arts have to
offer. Because of the Center’s strategic presence in downtown Modesto, we
anticipate increased activity to downtown restaurants and nightclubs. We are
delighted to have this important cultural arts amenity as a Modesto attraction.
For the second year in a row the Downtown Arts Festival was held in the plaza at
Tenth Street Place. We saw more interest and nearly double the number of
exhibitors in 2006. The festival combines art work with a day of music and
performances. It provides a venue for local artists to display their work and
wares and links the event to the Mistlin Art Gallery at Tenth Street Place. The
annual event provides Modesto with a weekend snapshot of what is available in
the community. My hope is that the event will generate additional community
support for the arts and draw visitors to the Mistlin Art Gallery and other
local studios.
Increased performing arts venues and increased awareness of local artists is
indicative of the potential we have in Modesto to enhance our standing as a
community that embraces the arts. While art may not be for everyone, I encourage
that as a community, we support fine arts and the performing arts in Modesto.
IV. YOUTH
At this time, I would also like to thank the members of the Coalition for After
School Programs in Stanislaus County. The Coalition has embraced after school
programs expanding their interest countywide and have been successful in
bringing key stakeholders from education, public safety, the faith based
community and private sector to collaborate in providing quality after school
programs.
They are shining the light on the need for after school programs and have been
very active in helping change legislation at the State level to provide quality
after school programs in Stanislaus County.
V. CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR OF ROADS
One of my goals for last year was to increase
the construction and repair of roads. Although, there is still much to be done,
a tremendous amount of work was completed.
In all, over 71 lane miles of roadway were either repaved, rehabilitated or
added to our roadway system.
Over 11 lane miles of roadway were repaved which included:
- Oakdale Road between Sylvan and Hashem
- Pelandale Avenue between Bluebird and Gagos
- Dale Road at the Snyder intersection
- And Prescott Road between Rumble and Kit
Additionally, a significant amount of road
improvements were completed as a result of development. For instance the Dale
Road and Pelandale Avenue intersection was enlarged to improve traffic flows and
Pelandale Avenue between Sisk and Dale Roads now boasts three lanes in each
direction. Another significant project was the widening of Floyd Avenue from 2
to 4-lanes between Roselle and Oakdale Road.
VI. QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES
One area we must continue to improve is the quality of life in Modesto. Our
residents are a pretty understanding and resilient bunch. They know that when
the big things don’t work well that there is usually a reason. An example of
this is a water pressure decrease during a water main break or road blockages
due to some incident. But there are lots of other things that tend to bother
people when it affects what they consider to be a quality of life issue.
A case in point is the maintenance of our parks and open space. The city staff
previously assigned to maintain the parks were good and skilled people.
Municipal finances being what they are, we saw this as an area where we could
improve the condition of our parks for our residents and visitors. Far too often
I heard complaints about the condition of parks and the lack of maintenance. As
a council we accepted that the city could not provide an acceptable level of
maintenance at the costs incurred using city employees to do the work. Through
managed competition and contracting we have been able to almost double the
schedule of maintenance for our parks. In doing so, we have provided additional
employment opportunities in the private sector and we were fortunate to absorb
displaced city employees into other available city jobs. Now, instead of
complaints, I receive compliments.
But I’m still not satisfied that our parks are used to the fullest extent by
citizens and visitors. My view is that parks should be a sanctuary for people to
play, rest, view sports activities and to enjoy the outdoors. This is why in
order to stimulate even more use of our parks I intend to recommend to our
public safety committee chair Will O’Bryant that his committee move ahead to
explore the opportunity to create specialized park security forces to patrol and
monitor our parks. The model I prefer is a program in Southern California that
uses city park rangers to patrol parks. These rangers enforce park rules and
regulations and learn the uniqueness of each of their parks. They also possess
specialized medical training to become first responders to medical emergencies
in and around the parks.
Another area affecting the quality of life in Modesto relates to the illegal
dumping of trash and appliances, graffiti, roadside vendors, roadside car sales
and other forms of blight. Here, I will propose increasing the number of code
enforcement officers to handle business and neighborhood complaints quickly and
effectively. I will also ask staff to look at the duties of our code enforcement
officers to determine if some of their workload could be absorbed by other
departments. For example, we have 14 mobile pieces of fire apparatus on duty in
the city each day. I wonder if the fire department could effectively handle weed
abatement and free-up our code enforcement officers to work on other community
quality of life issues. I worked 30 years for a man named Parky Simon, for whom
I still have a great deal of respect. Sadly, he passed away last year. If there
is one virtue that Parky instilled in me, it is the notion that if you take care
of the little things, the big things will fall into place. Increasing code
enforcement activity will help provide a clean, safe and attractive community.
VII. RECENT CRIME ESCALATION AND VIOLENT EVENTS
Modesto does face challenges:
Like many of you, I am concerned about the recent escalation in violent crimes
in the City of Modesto. I can assure you that crime and safety continue to be
major priorities for the City Council. In fact, over the past year we were able
to add 10 additional police officers to increase police presence and work
towards a safer community.
Crime, drugs and gangs are not issues isolated to Modesto, but are concerns
throughout the Central Valley. While there is a countywide gang task force to
address the increase in gang activity and crime, I should tell you that these
issues cannot be resolved by law enforcement alone. Solutions will require the
hard work of the entire community. I am convinced that an involved, healthy and
economically vibrant community is a big part of responding to criminal activity.
It is very important that we begin addressing core issues such as education,
mental health, crisis treatment and substance abuse intervention, including
preventive measures. A band-aid approach is not enough; long-term solutions are
essential.
I propose the formation of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Crime Prevention Committee.
This committee will be comprised of concerned citizens, faith based
organizations, youth representatives, school district representatives, mental
health professionals, law enforcement agencies, parole and probation offices,
the district attorney’s office, and the chamber of commerce. This committee will
examine issues related to violent crime in Modesto, make recommendations, and be
part of this community-based effort to address crime and violence.
VIII. VISION FOR THE FUTURE
As your Mayor, I do not intend to stand in the way of growth, but I will
continue to hold development accountable for impacts to the community. During my
business life running a busy ambulance service I watched as calls for service
increased, each year. This occurred not because we found ways to increase calls
for service, but because more lives came into this world than were leaving;
because people chose to live in our community and because people moved back to
Modesto after attending school or simply chose to come back home. My point is,
the community will continue to grow whether some of us like it or not; and
whether as a city we plan for it or not. It always happens.
My colleagues and I have worked over the past several years to address important
infrastructure issues. As a city, we have accomplished a great deal in
addressing water and sewer needs, preparing master plans for each of our
utilities, significantly increasing pavement maintenance and providing
additional road capacity in the City of Modesto. If we want to remain an
economically viable community and continue to provide attractive amenities for
residents, we ought to embrace the opportunities that continue to come our way.
Because of our commitment to hold development accountable for the impacts to the
community, I will work with staff and the council to continue regularly
addressing and updating developer impact fees. Whether it is new shopping
center, medical facility or residential development, I believe through proper
and effective planning and financing of our needs that we can insure there are
continuous improvements taking place to make Modesto a better place to live.
This is why after addressing infrastructure needs and fees, we are now
undertaking the initiative to improve city planning and community development
services. Although development takes the blame for a lot of things, it is
imperative that the city must and will do a better job in the planning and
development process.
It will take time to effect the changes and get the system working more
smoothly, but the result will be better planning, better management of projects,
better adherence to standards and constant improvement of city practices as they
relate to managing development. We are also focusing on improving community
building and design standards, the adequacy of city infrastructure and assuring
proper levels of municipal services.
Along with the reorganization of the city planning and infrastructure financing
functions, we must update our general plan. The general plan is, if you will,
the city’s constitution when it comes to land use. We need to develop a
comprehensive document that addresses future growth needs, assures well-financed
infrastructure and includes high standards to guide attractive development in
our community. Without a quality update to the general plan, reorganizing our
development processes is futile. In addition, we are almost out of land for
business parks, office complexes and other uses that generate jobs in our
community. Updating the general plan will allow the community to address its
future needs for economic development.
Modesto is not an island and growth affects the region around Modesto. The
mayors of the nine cities and members of the Board of Supervisors are currently
involved in the process of defining our approach to growth and creating a
strategy to address regional needs for roads, services, and utilities.
The work of this group will address community issues by reliance upon good
technical data and modeling that develops a regional approach and the systems to
address future growth. Key to this initiative is preservation of primary
agricultural lands and maintenance of environmentally sensitive areas, while at
the same time being realistic about growth and respectful of the growth goals of
each community.
The process won’t be perfect and I am sure the outcome will not satisfy
everyone, however this is an important step and healthy discussion for our
county and cities and a process to which I am deeply committed
Last year during his State of the State address Governor Schwarzenegger decried
the lack of planning in California and the resulting lack of critical
infrastructure. He pointed out that the failure to address these issues did not
make them less severe or go away. He and the legislature acted by placing bond
measures on the ballot in order to finance roads, levees, schools, courtrooms
and other needed facilities. In 2006 Stanislaus voters rejected a transportation
sales tax measure. Some say the voters didn’t trust their government to wisely
spend the money. Others simply didn’t see the need. A more cynical group saw the
opportunity to prevent progress, without an alternative to what was being
proposed. Perhaps we could have made a better case to the voters and the
opportunity exists to learn from what turned voters off. But I am convinced that
after years of neglect we cannot get in front of the burden to maintain and
expand our roadways unless the community financially supports the effort.
Without this support, we will consign ourselves to poor air quality, poor roads
and in the future if nothing is done, decreased economic opportunities as we
attempt to compete with the Bay Area, Madera and San Joaquin, areas which have
approved or renewed transportation measures.
We now boast three major full service hospitals in Modesto. Modesto is a
regional hub for advanced medical, trauma and hospital care. Our neighbors at UC
Merced are considering making a recommendation to the Regents to establish a
medical school at the university. I want to do everything possible to position
Modesto to benefit from this important educational, medical research and health
care opportunity. As I said in my book when I ran for office, there is no reason
why we should not locate a medical school here. I will work to encourage the
local business and medical communities, as well as personally work to persuade
state and local elected officials to help position Modesto for the opportunity
to participate in the training of physicians.
What’s in it for Modesto lies not only in an improved health care presence, but
the opportunity for local jobs supporting the medical school. Agriculture and
manufacturing are a great foundation for our economy, but we must diversify in
order to provide more for current and future generations if we want our children
and grandchildren to learn, live and work locally.
I may be considered a “Pollyanna” about the medical school, but I believe we
need to think big in order to promote good paying jobs and bring quality
employers to Modesto. For too long we have been satisfied with the status quo.
Granted, as a region we are better off today than we were even five years ago,
but “better off” is not good enough.
Before I move on, I want to mention one more thing about jobs in our community.
While I am convinced we recognize the need to emphasize education and encourage
our youth to take college entrance exams, we need to also be honest with each
other - college isn’t for everyone.
We must encourage vocational education and place more emphasis on job training
programs. Governor Schwarzenegger has this issue right and his administration is
looking to place more money into vocational education. As a community, we need
to strengthen our focus upon quality job training and vocational education
because the current model is not working. Along with our efforts to attract
higher quality employers we have to demonstrate the ability to supply the
skilled workers capable of fulfilling the positions offered by the employers we
endeavor to attract.
IX. CLOSING
I want to thank you for joining me this morning to discuss the state of the city
and to allow me the opportunity to present some ideas about how we can make
Modesto a better place to live and work.
Modesto’s future is bright!!! I am encouraged with the results we have achieved
together. We must continue to set the bar higher each year so that we continue
to focus upon what is important and move forward. We also need to be persistent
about monitoring the progress and reporting the results.
This is a great community. Great communities recognize there is wisdom in
community goal setting and community involvement. The priorities I set out to
achieve in the early days of my administration are not those of my own making.
They are your ideas, your desire to make Modesto better and your ability to
present what is important to you. I view my role as a servant-leader. I cherish
the opportunity to fulfill this role and thank you for your confidence in
allowing me to do so.
May God bless you and God bless the City of Modesto.
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P.O. Box 642, Modesto, CA 95353