Jan

5

The South Merced Initiative for Community Improvement: An Opportunity

Filed Under City of Merced | Leave a Comment

Tonight, as the Governor was giving his State of the State Address, I, with at least 25 other people, crowded into a small room at the Merced Boys and Girls Club for the South Merced Initiative for Community Improvement (SMICI) Inaugural Meeting, sponsored by the Community Partnership Alliance (CPA).

Dr. Stergios Roussos, President of the CPA, welcomed the crowd to event and outline the following five major meeting outcomes: introduce CPA and SMICI; begin/continue trusting relationships and appreciate all our voices; understand the consequences of inaction; commit to and jointly launch the initiative; and identify next steps for action and meeting dates.

Gene Barrera, Project Planner, further explained the SMICI through a power point presentation which defined what South Merced is, and mention the following six plan outcomes: employment opportunities; affordable housing; educational activities; community development; business enhancement; and maintaining ethnic diversity.

Following the presentation, the audience was segmented into four small groups and they generally discussed issues facing South Merced and what is being done and what can be done to address to such issues.

It was an inspiring meeting. The room was filled with people who want to make a difference and it’s simply impressing to see such community involvement and activism.

Moreover, it was clear from the meeting that even more people, especially residents from South Merced, need to get involved because this initiative is centered on their community.

The initiative is an opportunity, one of those once-in-a-lifetime ones, and more people should seize it. And they will, if I have anything to say about it. ;-)

Dec

10

“Tax measure badly needed”

Filed Under City of Merced, Letter to the Editor | Leave a Comment

I wrote the following letter to the Merced Sun-Star Editor on 12/7 and it appeared in today’s (12/10) newspaper. :-)

Editor: I was pleased to read in the Wednesday edition of the Merced Sun-Star that the Merced County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to put the Transportation Sales Tax plan, a half-cent sales tax measure, on the June 2006 ballot.

Specifically, I have come to better understand and recognize the vast need for the measure by attending Merced County Association of Governments meetings, reading reports in the Merced Sun-Star regarding transportation, personally driving on the roads and highways, and talking with people who feel something must be done to improve the transportation infrastructure of the county.

Even though transportation is not the only issue facing residents, it’s an important one and it’s vital for people to support the measure.

I encourage people to visit http://www.mcag.cog.ca.us/measure.htm to learn more about the measure and read how it will directly affect them and their community.

Seeing individuals and organizations taking proactive steps to solve tomorrow’s problems today, I am inspired to do the same.

Looking forward to the future of the county and the Central Valley, I am excited. This place is undergoing an amazing metamorphosis and I am grateful to the people for their hospitality and genuine effort in making me, and other students, feel at home. Simply put, it’s great to be here!

I have filed this post under the new “Letter to the Editor” category. ;-)

Dec

4

An Article on Blogging

Filed Under City of Merced | 1 Comment

The Los Angeles Times recently posted an article on blogging and how it can contribute to a person’s sense of place. Through blogging, a person allows the world to enter their mind and gain a unique perspective on a particular place. This furthering redefine the place in which a person lives and therefore leads to a greater appreciation for the environment around them.

Specifically, the article examines how blogging can change outsiders’ understanding of Los Angeles: it’s not all glitz and glamour, but rather a place where millions of people eat, sleep, work, live and love. Interestingly enough, reading through the article and visiting the featured blogs, I find it incredibly fulfilling to know the people are unique, in all respects, to other people.

The principle of blogging in developing a sense of place can be applied to other places, such as Merced. I’ll continue to work on the idea, but I think it would be awesome to create a Merced Community Blog and encourage people to talk about their life, experiences in town, and their thoughts on the future.

Dec

4

Almost Freezing

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Almost Freezing

I am from Southern California. It never gets this cold in Southern California! However, regardless of how cold it gets, I will continue to wear shorts. :-P

UPDATE: It just went down another degree to 34. Visit Weather.com for just how cold… how cold can it go… can it go down cold?