Thumbs up and down for people, places, things

Thumbs up and thumbs down — we offer up a handful of both on this final Saturday in September.

THUMBS UP: To Modesto city officials for finding a way to reopen park restrooms. To help close a massive budget gap, the city earlier had moved to close restrooms in smaller parks on weekdays. As you'll recall, there was quite an uproar. But thanks to residents helping defer other costs of park upkeep, the restrooms are open. So, if you're at a park and gotta go, you'll be able to — but in a restroom rather than behind a bush.

THUMBS UP: To Yosemite, which will be one of the first national parks featured on a new quarter to be issued by the U.S. Mint. Beginning in April, the "America the Beautiful" quarters program will produce coins with designs showcasing a national park or other federally preserved area from each state and U.S. territory. The coins will be issued in the order in which the featured location was placed under Uncle Sam's care. Yosemite will be on the third coin in the series.

THUMBS DOWN: To Modesto Irrigation Director Mike Serpa for abstaining on the board's difficult vote Tuesday on the commercial solar power incentive. OK, it was a tough decision, but tough decisions come with the job, and the public wasn't served by a director taking the easy way out. Serpa had peppered the staff with questions at the meeting, so he clearly was interested. But when it came time to vote ... well, it is an election year ...

THUMBS UP: To the various groups holding election forums — and to the candidates and voters attending them. The Nov. 3 election is only five weeks away, with scores of offices and issues to be decided. The deadline for registering to vote is Oct. 19; for details on that, as well as a full list of the various races and and other info, check out www.stanvote.com, or call the county elections office at 525-5200.

THUMBS UP: To Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, for hosting a town hall meeting on health care reform in Oakdale last week. We don't always see eye to eye with Radanovich, but he's the only one of our reps who held a meeting to give citizens a chance to offer their views, express their concerns and ask questions.

THUMBS DOWN: To acting Riverbank Mayor Dave White, who was less than honest about his participation in an organization that countered a recall effort against him and his grandson, Councilman Jesse James White. It turns out Dave White contributed $2,500 to Citizens of Riverbank a couple of weeks before he told people at a council meeting that he wasn't behind the anti-recall group. By any definition, a donation of that size, the largest made to the group, constitutes serious involvement.

THUMBS UP: To Modesto's Certified Farmers Market, which runs through November. As the season changes, so do the offerings from local farms, orchards and kitchens. And today, as is the practice the last Saturday of each month, vendors will donate much of their excess to InterFaith Ministries' food program. If you're heading to the market today — it's open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 16th Street between H and I street — bring along a can or two of food from your home to donate to InterFaith's pantry.