Last week’s Ceres City Council discussion about declaring downtown parcels as surplus property serves as a reminder of a lack of vision and foresight among Ceres leaders past, present and future.
The Clinton Whitmore Mansion is an historic property that dominates the lot bounded by Magnolia to North streets and Fifth to Sixth streets. A few years back the city put an unsightly well on a prominent corner of this historic lot. Water is important but did it have to go there?
City leadership wants to see housing – read that as apartments – built on the adjoining parcel to the south. Their line of thinking is boost downtown’s economy by sticking apartment dwellers down there.
Why the city wants to get rid of the two acres when it could be used for community function is beyond me. How about being creative with it? Instead of building apartments, why not build something that would draw folks off the freeway for as it stands now there is no real reason to get off Highway 99 and stop in downtown, other than fill up at Shell or grab a bite to eat at Sam’s Café in the morning or Loza’s Wine and Crepes in the evening.
Maybe those two acres could be used for something touristy that could pique the interest of 99 travelers.
How about using the property to compliment the Clinton Whitmore Mansion with static outdoor historical exhibits with farm implements that could tell the story of how Ceres came to be? A mixture of Casa de Fruta and San Juan Bautista maybe that could serve as a venue for a regular farmer’s market? How about a small scale mock western town like Dobie’s in Alliance, Nebraska or what used to grace Pollardville near Stockton on 99? What about a cute little mini antique center?
How about a botanical garden that would complement the wedding setting?
Judging by the way the city has neglected the largest landmark in the area – the historic water tower – city leaders have not shown much pride or imagination for downtown.
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Speaking of poor planning, Vice Mayor Bret Silveira – he seems to be the real leader on the council – called the city out for the misalignment between the entrances of Walmart and the Ceres Gateway Center and how dangerous traffic has become because of it.
How did this happen anyway? According to one former city leader, Walmart did not want to put their southern driveway where it was approved and they got authorization from then City Manager Tom Westbrook to build it where it is today, which is not what the approved plans show.
With engineering and signalized intersections costing around $500,000, it’s a costly mistake to be sure.
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Election interference is at a zenith.
Democrats and some progressive Republicans are quaking in their boots that Donald Trump will cream Joe Biden that they’ve gone the extra step of trying to prevent his name from being on the ballot in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary. Thankfully New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan knows the law. At the news conference, called in part to address legal efforts by some Republicans in New Hampshire to prevent Trump from getting his name on the 2024 ballot, Scanlan said as long as Trump “submits his declaration of candidacy and signs it under the penalties of perjury, pays the $1,000 filing fee, his name will appear on the presidential primary ballot.”
Democrats keep pressing this insane assertion that Trump is guilty of insurrection because he questioned the results of the election and asked his supporters to go to the Capitol to “peacefully protest.” Dems want to invoke the 14th Amendment that disqualifies those who’ve taken an oath to support the Constitution from holding office again if they’ve “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. “or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
For those of you too young to remember, Al Gore put up a protracted legal battle to overturn the Florida vote that went to George W. Bush. You probably don’t remember that when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election, she insisted that Trump stole the election and that he was an “illegitimate president.” Apparently Democrats can protest the results of an election but not Trump. Instead he gets indicted.
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Grocery Outlet Bargain Market might prove to be a popular place to shop for groceries in Ceres.
I was in Save Mart the other day and saw a price of $8.49 for a 6.3 ounce box of Special K cereal! I just about choked. This was with zero sugar, which seems should make the price even cheaper than the sugary cereals.
If this continues, obesity will be a thing of the past because people will be starving to death for lack of enough money to keep up with the inflation in this Biden economy.
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It’s a real shame that Gov. Newsom is allowed to trample on the constitutional rights of Californians to protect themselves with concealed weapons through the permit process.
Sheriffs in this state – including our own Sheriff Jeff Dirkse – routinely give concealed weapons permits for those who just want to carry them for protection as prove of a “good cause.” Of course, there is training involved as well as a background check. But no matter, the rights of those citizens carrying a concealed weapon (CCW) by permit are being destroyed by the Democrat controlled state Legislature and Gov. Newsom.
Senate Bill 2 (SB2) would ban CCW holders from carrying weapons in just about any venue you can think of, including:
• A preschool or childcare facility;
• Courts and court parking lots;
• local government property;
• hospital, mental health facility, nursing home, medical office and an urgent care facility;
• a bus, train, or other form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds;
• A liquor store or bar;
• Any public gathering or special event conducted on property open to the public that requires the issuance of a permit from government;
• A playground or public or private youth center, a park, athletic area, or athletic facility that is open to the public and the adjoining street or sidewalk;
• Any property under the control of the Department of Parks and Recreation or Department of Fish and Wildlife;
• Any public or private college or university and parking lots;
• All banks and financial institutions;
• Any polling places that haven’t been destroyed already by Democrats pushing the vote by mail scheme;
• Gambling establishment including casinos, horse racing arena and bingo parlors;
• Any stadium, public library, amusement parks, zoo, museums, a church (unless it’s posted with a sign indicating that license holders are permitted to carry firearms on the property.
Oh and not in ANY privately owned commercial establishment open to the public, unless the operator of the establishment clearly and conspicuously posts a sign at the entrance of the building or on the premises indicating that license holders are permitted to carry firearms on the property.
Did they leave any place out? Talk about defeating the whole purpose of having a concealed weapon!
CCW permit holders are not the problem in society, they are part of a solution, yet Democrats are usurping constitutional rights of even CCW permit holders. Anyone voting to violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution should face impeachment.
So the next time someone who could stop a mass shooting in a shopping mall with his gun he is not legally allowed to carry, blood is on the hands of these extreme leftist office holders.
It’s too bad somebody with a concealed wasn’t present on the campus of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 to put one right between the eyes of Adam Lanza to save 26 persons, 20 of which were children.
Elections have consequences, folks. Wake up!
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Have you noticed how terms that we all grew up with have been changed by the politically correct crowd?
Illegal aliens are now called undocumented workers (even though they may not even be working).
In the 1940s vagrants were called bums and hobos and some were thrown in the slammer.
Since “bum” seemed offensive to some, we started calling them “homeless.”
But some were even offended by that and now they are the “unhoused.” As if the only problem is these gainfully employed and clean lifestyle residents can’t find a place to rent. I’d bet, however, than 95 percent of the homeless who trash our cities are actually drug or alcohol addicted and no longer function the way productive folks do.
Things are getting so bad with the “unhoused” in Independence Park that Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra wants a surveillance camera installed there. She noted that on a police ride-along she was surprised by the numbers in that park.
Mayor Javier Lopez asked which council district the park is located in (as if that matters) and was told the one behind dd’s discounts to which it finally dawned on him “close to where I live.”
No camera was initially ordered for that park, said Ceres Police Captain Chris Perry, because there wasn’t a problem there. He theorized that since some other parks have been equipped with cameras, the homeless have gravitated to areas not under surveillance like Independence Park.
Apparently the “unhoused” have something to hide. I’m guessing maybe drugs or maybe warrants?
At any rate, I’m sure they are tending to all the recycling mandates enacted by the Democrats in Sacramento.
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Free condoms in high school? Apparently Gov. Newsom thinks our tax money should be spent to encourage kids to have sex. Great.
As typically is the case with Democrats, they’ve worked their magic catch phrase “equity” into SB 541. They call it the “Youth Health Equity and Safety Act.” It would mandate public high schools and charter schools in California to provide free condoms to all students starting in the 2024-25 school year. The bill will also deny retailers from asking for proof of identification when purchasing condoms.
Instead of teaching abstinence from a moral base, our state is officially sanctioning promiscuity.
And I love how the university elite try hornswaggle us with their world view. This comes from Maura Decker, an associate professor at the Institute for Health and Policy Studies at UC San Francisco: “Sexually active teens face significant barriers to accessing contraceptives, including stigma, judgmental providers, limited transportation and cost.”
Hold on just a minute. Significant barriers? What she is really saying is we need to save kids from embarrassment at a store because condoms are cheap and they are in every convenience store.
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I find it humorous that the Biden White House is suggesting that the impeachment inquiry is only orchestrated by “Republican extremists.” Last week at a McLean, Virginia fundraiser Biden claimed he doesn’t know why they want to impeach him and that “they want to shut down the government.” Nice try. He knows why and that’s because of possible corruption and influence peddling.
I seem to remember a one Rep. Maxine Waters who on the day after Donald Trump took the oath she started her “Impeach 45, Impeach 45” mantra like some batty loon. President Trump hadn’t done anything and she was calling for impeachment. I call that extremism.
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Heard on the news yesterday about two teens killed Friday night in a Highway 43 car crash in Fresno County. Officials say marijuana drug use by the two teens is suspected. So much for marijuana being completely harmless.
Government has sold our soul to the devil.
Marijuana induced psychosis is a major mental health problem with young people today. And if I were a betting man, I’d say Kevin Cataneo Salazar, the 30-year-old who assassinated Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer on Saturday has drug-related mental disorders. The slaying was eerily similar to the slayings of Ceres Police Sgt. Howard Stevenson in 2005 and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace in 2016 by mental cases.
We need to have a serious re-evaluation of drug legalization policies. Too many lives are being destroyed.
This column is the opinion of Jeff Benziger, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Ceres Courier or 209 Multimedia Corporation. How do you feel about this? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com
