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Sound Off! calls published March 21, 2012
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• Judgement Day awaits

I think it's pretty sad when you've got a loved one who is really old and wrinkled up and they don't have a mind and they're spending time at home and you think someone's a friend and they walk in and take whatever that person has in savings and just wipes them out. Someday you're going to be judged.

• Yard sale thief will be caught up to

I just want to talk to the Hispanic lady, the proud Latina, who was driving a blue mini van. We got a nice clear picture on our phone, who stole my wife's purse she was trying to sell at a yard sale. Everybody could tell me what they want. Lady, we will find you.

• Not all stations have three person staffs

I am writing in response to the Measure H article in your newspaper dated March 7 in which Mr. Benziger may have printed some misinformation and I urge him to recheck his statistics and publish any discrepancies he finds.

I am a citizen of Ceres, college and fire academy graduate and currently testing for jobs in the fire service. I have been very diligent not only in visiting many fire departments within Stanislaus County, but in learning about each departments' history and current status. The article implies that Ceres has three-person staffing at all four stations and can adequately protect the city. According to the information I have obtained, Ceres only has one station with three-person staffing; the other three stations have only two-person staffing.

Most state and federal standards encourage 1.5 firefighters per 1,000 residents. Ceres Fire only offers less than 0.6 per 1,000 residents. It is without question that they need three-person staffing at all stations to properly protect our city. Of course, that is up to the city officials and the citizens to fight for.

(Editor's note: The city has three-person staffing at Ceres Fire Station #1 in downtown only. Per the proposed spending plan, the City Council is scheduled to hire three more fire positions during fiscal year 2012-13 which would allow for another station to function with three firefighters on each shift.)

• Only Brett Jolley benefits from 'Citizens'

There's one and only person benefitting by this foolishness of using our legal system to slow the inevitable building of a new Walmart. And that is the attorney representing this so-called group of Citizens for Ceres. We want democracy, or at least that's what our forefathers fought for and the vast majority of Ceres residents want the Walmart Supercenter to be built. After all the legal ploys are exhausted, Walmart will build and life in Ceres will get a little better.

As for this attorney, he will move to the next city and try these same tactics again while filling his pockets over and over. Does anyone really believe that he has any concerns about our city as the money is paid? We've all heard of ambulance chasers. What we have here is a Walmart chaser. Will the Citizens for Ceres get over it and swallow their pride and move on to the important issues that plaque our city?

• City missed a meter on Chahlis Way

I'm calling in about water meters. I think it's ridiculous the city has this fancy system sitting over in Smyrna Park that can tell how much water is used from the water meters. But yet they can't tell who doesn't have water meters. If the system is that great it ought to be able to tell what houses do not have water meters installed. There's a house on Chahalis Way that does not have a water meter installed and the people are just laughing at the city. What I'd like to know is what do they get charged for water? If they don't have a water meter that this fancy system at Smyrna Park can read, how can they charge them for water.

I called the water department and the woman who answered the phone said, "As far as I know, everybody has meters." So what's going?

• Jesse James White a piece of work

How did Jesse James White get elected? The people of Riverbank need to get together, with torches and pitchforks, and demand that this loser get out of town. The guy obviously has mental issues as well a a serious drug/alcohol problem. To get in an accident while drunk is bad enough, but to leave his injured and bleeding son in the car is just too much.