Dorothy H. Andersen
“I would like to request from our legal staff that to place on our next agenda a performance evaluation of Mr. Combs. I appreciate the efforts made by Mr. Combs to date to assist Merced County with our administrative duties, but I have a number of very real concerns regarding inadequate communication between the CEO and the board members and our admin team, especially the department heads.
We share many of the concerns raised by Supervisor Kelsey, and we were pleased to hear these concerns raised. And we disagree with the comment that it should have been handled in Closed Session. When there is this much going on without anyone being consulted, it needs to be brought into the light of day. Mr. Combs attempts to alter provisions that have been bargained is very troublesome. The law requires that the employer act in good faith regarding issues that must be bargained and it’s good to know that at least one on the Board of Supervisors recognizes that fact and wants to see the law followed. It’s unbelievable that there is still no budget information coming out from the CEO’s office, and it’s unacceptable that requests for budget information from the people elected to oversee the operations of this County have been ignored. This County has tremendous problems, and keeping information from the people who are charged with the responsibility of decision making can only lead to greater problems. It’s our understanding that a lot of the issues are modeled on practices from Sutter County. Well, we’re not Sutter County. Just because things were done a certain way in another County does not mean that it’s appropriate to apply those ways to Merced County.
The Merced Police Department's Internal Affairs Division is investigating a complaint alleging that an officer twice used a Taser against an unarmed, wheelchair-bound man with no legs.
Washington, Dec 29 - Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) today released the following statement regarding his decision to not seek re-election in 2010:
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Snow could come down for a rare appearance on the Valley floor.
On Monday at Friant Dam, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the centerpiece of the just-passed five-bill water package — an $11.14 billion general obligation bond scheduled to go before voters on Nov. 2, 2010.
ATWATER -- For Merced High, it was onederful. For Atwater, meanwhile, it was a nightmare with Keith Jackson on play-by-play. Three Falcon turnovers in the first quarter led to two Merced touchdowns, allowing the Bears to roll to a 48-12 win in Santa Fe Bowl XXI. A crowd estimated at 8,000, including Congressman Gary Condit, squeezed into the nooks and crannies few knew existed at Falcon Field Friday night to see the Bears win its third consecutive Central California Conference title, 24th straight game and the 39th in the last 40. The Bears will host Lodi, the runner-up in the San Joaquin Athletic Association, in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs next Friday night at Stadium '76. The Bears entered the game ranked No. 2 in the state by CalHiSports, but are a mortal lock to move into the No. 1 spot after Rialto Eisenhower's 16-7 win over previous No. 1 Fontana Friday night. "I'm most excited with the fact that we get to play at home through the playoffs," said Bears coach Mark Speckman. "The playoffs are a whole new ballgame. We just want to play well and get going." Atwater, ranked 10th in the state fell to 9-1 on the season and faces a rematch of its 1989 first-round game last year with Monticello Empire League runner-up Vacaville on the road. The game's momentum went the Bears' way early. Atwater took the opening kickoff and closed as near as the Bears' 28-yard line, when D.D. Lawson took the ball and FUMBLLLLE, and Merced's David Holt recovered it. The teams exchanged punts, with Atwater's Robert Padilla fumbling the ball near the line of scrimmage. Holt again recovered, with the Bears needing just one play to get into the end zone on Jhay Roland's 33-yard run with 2:02 remaining in the opening period. Atwater took possession again on the 20, but Padilla's second fumble was recovered this time by Steven Evans. It took the Bears three pla...
ATWATER -- Three Dog Night once sang that "one" was the loneliest number; that "two" could be as bad as one; and "three" was the saddest experience you'd ever know. But for Merced High, "three" is the gladdest experience it has ever known. The Bears wrapped up their third straight 10-0 regular season by defeating their rival of rivals to become "three-peat" champions of the Central California Conference. Before the 1990 season began, the Bears declared that the theme of their season was "three-peat." And, with their 48-12 victory over Atwater Friday, Merced accomplished the first part of their season long mission. Now the Bears can focus on the second part of that quest -- defending their Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title. With just over three minutes left in the ballgame, the Bears learned that Fontana, the state's top ranked team, was defeated by Rialto Eisenhower 16-7. Merced fans and players knew that the Fontana loss opened the door to California's top ranking and the chants of "We're No. 1" began. "I hope the kids are more excited about beating Atwater than Fontana losing," Speckman said. "You never know how the polls will go. They may pick someone else from Southern California to be ranked first. Tonight we played hard, hit hard and came through with a total team effort." Merced's Ray Gonzalez summed up his feelings after the game with one simple statement. "I'm excited about winning. I'm excited about the chance to be No. 1...I'm excited about everything." Gonzalez, a 5-8, 175-pound junior, improved his record as the Bears' starting quarterback to 24-0. Gonzalez led the Bears to a 14-0 season and the section title last season and is on course for an encore performance. But Mercedmay not be finished with the Falcons this season. If Merced and Atwater are each victorious in their first round playoff games, a second Bears-Falcons showdown would be played at Merced's ...
