Alex Breitler
Recordnet
Stockton, CA, United States
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Past articles by Alex:
Nine years later, family still aches
STOCKTON — The chemotherapy that Melecio Arquines endured to treat his leukemia meant he would never be able to have his own children.Instead, he became a father figure to four younger brothers and sisters.“If we were hurt, he’d always want to find out what happened,” said his sister, Edith Arquines Reyes. “Anytime we needed help, he was there.”And so it still hurts, more than nine years after… → Read More
Critic’s ‘hobby’ is getting costly, flood agency says
STOCKTON — Flood control officials are asking a judge to impose sanctions against an outspoken critic who they say has forced them to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars of public money on litigation the critic referred to as his “hobby.”Dominick Gulli says his battle against a proposed flood control gate near the mouth of Smith Canal in central Stockton is legitimate, and that when he used… → Read More
‘It’s time’: SJ women’s commission seeks recognition from government
STOCKTON — Feminist Beverly Fitch McCarthy was in her 60s the last time a local women’s commission sought formal government recognition. → Read More
Bill would require coroner change; ‘This is about confidence in our justice system’
While San Joaquin County leaders consider whether to switch to an independent medical examiner’s office, legislation introduced this week at the state Capitol would basically take the decision out of their hands. The bill, brought by Democratic Sens. Richard Pan and Cathleen Galgiani, would require counties with a population of greater than 500,000 people to replace their coroner’s office with… → Read More
Not much snow, but a full water supply
The Sierra snowpack may be next to nothing, but the Stockton area is set to receive another full supply of water from New Melones Lake, and there’s no reason to expect a shortage here this year, officials said.While the lack of snow is a big concern for the state as a whole, most reservoirs still are in healthy shape for the moment thanks to last winter’s floods. New Melones probably is in the… → Read More
SJ water users, cut off during drought, win a round in court
Thousands of water-right holders who were told to cease diversions during the last drought were deprived of due process, a judge found Wednesday, raising → Read More
Tunnels hearing lunges forward
State officials declined again Wednesday to delay a hearing that could lead to the issuance of a critical permit to build the governor’s $17 billion Delta tunnels.Opponents had tried to stop the process, arguing that the recent announcement that the tunnels might be built in phases over a longer period of time means the project has changed and requires additional review and scrutiny.But the… → Read More
Tumult in SJ Coroner’s Office leads to higher costs
The announced resignation of two San Joaquin County pathologists has cost the county more than $170,000 in fees to private consultants who have been conducting autopsies ever since, public records show. The costs were detailed in invoices obtained by The Record for the months of December and January. The county has long maintained contracts with private autopsy providers, who are supposed to act… → Read More
County's expert has strong track record
The expert who San Joaquin County has hired to help consider the future of its coroner’s office has performed more than 1,300 autopsies and is credited with helping stabilize the medical examiner’s office in Washington, D.C.Roger A. Mitchell Jr., is one of the youngest chief medical examiners overseeing a morgue in a major city, The Washington Post reported in a 2016 profile. He is in his early… → Read More
'All lies': Men capitalizing on women's death, her family says
Tariqa Ann Hammond died three days after Christmas from severe asthma. Her grieving family held a memorial service on Feb. 7 in Fresno, where Tariqa lived. → Read More
State: Delta tunnels a good investment
Long-awaited economic study disputed by opponents Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer @Alexbreitler More than six years after critics began calling for a full economic study of the Delta tunnels plan, the Brown administration released one on Tuesday, finding that the benefits outweigh the costs — albeit by a slim margin in some cases. The new study looks only at the first of the two tunnels, which… → Read More
‘Crucial’ vote for north SJ farmers
For years, farmers along the south bank of the Mokelumne River east of Lodi could only watch as all that cold and frothy snowmelt washed past them toward → Read More
Watch out for these swamp rats
As if the Delta didn’t have enough problems, the South American swamp rats known as nutria may be about to stage an invasion.Wildlife officials said this week that more than 20 nutria have been found over the past 10 months or so in the San Joaquin Valley upstream of the Delta. This includes the San Joaquin River near Grayson, the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, and Salt Slough.Apparently… → Read More
'Twin' tunnels reduced to a single shaft — for now
It’s been the subject of months of speculation, but today Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is making it official: the $17 billion Delta tunnels will be scaled back to a single tunnel.At least, initially. The administration could decide to add the second tunnel later if San Joaquin Valley farmers decide they want to chip in for the full cost.The single tunnel will deliver up to 6,000 cubic feet… → Read More
It’s official: The $16 billion Delta tunnels will be scaled back to a single tunnel — for now
After months of speculation, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration on Wednesday made it official: the $16 billion Delta tunnels will be scaled back to a single tunnel.At least, initially. The state could add the second tunnel later if San Joaquin Valley farmers decide they want to chip in for the full cost.The single tunnel will deliver up to 6,000 cubic feet of water per second, down from the 9,000… → Read More
‘Extraordinary’ river deserves protection, state says
With rapids crashing against house-sized boulders, under a backdrop of thick forest and rugged cliffs, the upper Mokelumne River is worthy of special designation as a wild and scenic river, state officials have concluded. What’s more, they say it can be done without causing major problems for people.The new report from the state’s Natural Resources Agency gives river advocates a stronger case… → Read More
Vandals force Van Buskirk Golf Course closure
STOCKTON — While a legitimate debate continues over whether Swenson Park and Van Buskirk golf courses have a place in Stockton’s future, criminals have forced a temporary closure of the latter course on the city’s south side.The city has closed nine of the 18 holes at Van Buskirk after “repeated acts of vandalism and theft,” according to a Jan. 25 memo from John Alita, the city’s director of… → Read More
City, advocates win grant for disadvantaged neighborhoods
STOCKTON — We haven’t won the race. But we’ve got our running shoes on.City officials and advocacy groups earned a small state grant this week that may help position them for a much larger award as soon as 2019 — a chance for serious money that would at least begin to address some of Stockton’s most glaring environmental inequities.More than 90,000 residents — close to one-third of the city’s… → Read More
Tackling Stockton’s numerous needs
STOCKTON — Asked to select six broad priorities for the city of Stockton to focus on in the year to come, the City Council on Monday came up with eight.Such is the level of need in Stockton, where it might seem like all of the problems one might scribble on a whiteboard are equally significant.The council’s action Monday after nearly six hours of discussion does give some direction to city staff… → Read More
An early look at new City Hall
STOCKTON — When Stockton City Council members took their seats for a special meeting on Monday morning, they could turn around in their chairs and gaze out over the downtown waterfront, all the way to the outfield grass at Stockton Ballpark. “Welcome to your new home,” City Manager Kurt Wilson told them.The city’s $13.6 million purchase of the Waterfront Towers on West Weber Avenue closed escrow… → Read More