Merced, CA
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56 ºF Low
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Sunrise : 6:58 AM
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Sunset : 5:35 PM
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Merced, CA \par
56 ºF Low \par
Sunrise : 6:58 AM \par
Sunset : 5:35 PM \par
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City Council creates citizens\rquote committee to advise if homeless campground is warranted\par \par \par\par\par \par \par \par \par \par \par \par \parDec 10, 2009 \par
\par BY: Beverly Barela \par \tab “I’ll pay for them!” exclaimed Renee Davenport, as she advocated for the homeless on the coldest night of the year during Monday night’s Merced City Council meeting. \parShe was addressing Councilman Joshua Pedrozo at his first meeting as a Council member since being installed on November 30th. \par
Pedrozo, during the debate over whether two portable toilets for the homeless should be provided at their present campsite on Black Rascal Creek near Santa Fe in Merced, had asked, pointedly, “Where is the money going to come from?” \par
Davenport, who had initiated the request for the two toilets and hand washing facilities and had submitted a cost estimate of $270 per month per toilet, stepped up to the podium indignantly. \par
After her offer to pay, a 4 to 3 vote in favor of allowing the porta-potties as long as the faith-based community would pay ended the lengthy discussion in which some Council members acknowledged that homeless people at the campsite are using Black Rascal Creek as a bathroom but expressed opposing viewpoints about providing toilets. \par
Running until almost midnight, Monday night’s Merced City Council meeting also decided several other issues involving the city’s homeless: (1) A citizens advisory committee will discuss homeless issues brought up in the staff report and make recommendations to Council within 120 days on these issues and whether the creation of a homeless campground in Merced is warranted; (2) a previously-proposed site for a homeless campground at Mission Avenue and Tyler Road will no longer be considered by the Council; and (3) $25,000 in CDBG funds will be used for professional services to prepare the 2009 Continuum of Care Plan which will request a $579,947 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for homeless programs. The HUD offers funds to help the homeless transition to permanency, and the city has contributed $25,000 in the past for a homeless tracking system currently in place. There are two new projects being requested: A permanent supportive housing project for six chronically homeless adults with supportive services by Turning Point, and supportive services for a transitional housing project for homeless women and children to be operated by Community Social Model Advocates. \par
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\par Sponsor of Mid Valley Publications' 2009 Bridal Directory "Red Bow Weddings" \par \par \par | \par
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County Chambers demand greater role in business development\parDec 10, 2009 \par
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\tab Recently a letter, signed by six different Merced County chamber of commerces was presented to the Merced County Board of Supervisors which demanded a more aggressive approach to business development in the county and stated that there was a “lack of confidence” in the county’s efforts to bring in new business. Read More...\par \par \par\par \par
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The governor comes to town\parMar 19, 2009 \par
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I was pretty excited when Mayor Wooten whispered in my ear on Sunday that "his highness" the governor was coming to town on Tuesday. \parI figured we could get the story in for this week's edition of the County Times. \parBut later, on Monday, Candice Steelman of the Merced County Association of Governments sent me word that the time was changed to Wednesday. \parSo I figured I'd let our blog readers in on what happened. \par
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