Opinion
Letter to the Editor: No weeds in the garden
Martinez is getting seduced into the marijuana business. It’s most apparent motive is that we need the “money”. As in taxes, fees and whatever. It’s almost as if panic has set in at city hall and we the people must comply with this emergency. The emergency is not our fault. This is the city council’s […]
Letter to the Editor: Why I’m supporting Measure X
I was part of the Citizens for Measure H, a $30,000,000 bond that the citizens of Martinez approved to rebuild our pool, upgrade our library, and renovate our parks. One of the concerns was that once this work was accomplished, would the city be able to provide proper maintenance. When serving on the Park, Recreation, […]
Gipner: Measure X critical to Martinez’s future
Today I would like to talk about the half-cent sales tax measure that the City Council placed on the November 6 ballot. It is called Measure X – the City of Martinez Quality of Life/Essential Services Measure. In November, the citizens of Martinez will be asked to decide whether or not to pass Measure X. […]
Letter to the Editor: Keep dispensaries out of downtown Martinez
For ten years Martinez has been struggling with marijuana dispensaries. Wasting valuable time in futile efforts to locate the perfect area in Martinez for such a thing. Areas where there are no schools, no hospitals, no churches, no youth centers or places of business which do not want such things. It’s a hard find because […]
Message from the Mayor: Upcoming elections
By ROB SCHRODER Mayor of Martinez Many of you, like my wife and I, recently received a letter from the Contra Costa County Elections Department advising you that your precinct no longer has a polling place and you will be voting by mail, whether you signed up for it or not. I have received many […]
Column 1: John McCain
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist JOHN MCCAIN, military hero, national statesman with accolades pouring in from all across the nation and around the globe, with so many accounts of his storied life, and tragic years in enemy hands. A life none of us would care to have lived, but a life lived fully […]
Letter to the Editor: Don’t like vote by mail
Dear Editor, I am one of those persons directly affected by the change to districted elections in our city. I received the letter from Joe Cancimilla stating that my family is being switched to mail- in balloting because our precinct is too small for a polling place. I don’t like it one bit. I did […]
Contra Costa County Elections Department wrongly blames Martinez School Board, City for voting confusion
by Jonathan T Wright and Rob Schroder In a recent letter to voters, the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, advised an unknown number of voters residing in both the City of Martinez and the Martinez Unified School District that their voting precinct had been eliminated and they would be permitted only to vote […]
Vote Yes on X
Despite past missteps, both imagined and real, City Staff and Council should be recognized for being responsive in an attempt to hire and retain quality staff for police and other public services. Rising pension costs are killing cities all over the state. Measure X funds will be independently audited to ensure compliance with state and […]
Column 1: Italy
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist ITALY had ‘Il Duce’. Germany had ‘Der Fuehrer’. The United States has ‘The Donald’. The first two took over their countries with a terribly cruel hand with proclamations, edicts and executive orders. Then they destroyed their nations in World War Two. Their inhumanity to man, their citizens and […]
