Melanie Casas voiced her concern to the Ceres City Council last week about the appearance of Ceres. She addressed the overgrown weeds in parks, along sidewalks, bike paths, and landscaped areas in the Eastgate area. She noted Goat’s head thorns that can puncture bicycle tires.
The city manager will be announcing the maintenance schedules of parks in light of the drastic cuts that had to be made to the city budget which took effect July 1.
This is what it looks like when services are cut. And they are cut because of how cities are funded in California and how expenses escalate, pensions being one of them.
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Some people would complain if you handed them a gold bar on a silver platter.
At last week’s meeting, a resident complained that Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez was tooting his own horn on his Facebook post about how he and his son took the initiative to clean up the abandoned Triple R gas station at the corner of Whitmore and Mitchell. She chided him for not focusing his energy on community parks instead of an eyesore at privately owned business.
She then went on to say it was an eyesore that has been twice cleaned up by private citizens with Black Diamond Junk Removal & Hauling.
Her criticism is not deserved. Martinez and his son spent personal time and effort cleaning up an obvious eyesore at a key intersection in town. Good for them. The complainer would be more productive if she volunteered to clean up a park herself.
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If you think things are bad in Ceres with the City Council have you heard about what’s been going on in Avenal, which is about 115 miles from Ceres as the crow flies?
In April voters in the tiny city voted to recall four members of the Avenal City Council in an 80.8 percent majority. The Kings County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution placing the four Avenal City Council seats up for election in November, saying the move would restore representation after months of turmoil stemming from the city’s explosive recall battle.
But instead of stepping down in accordance with voters’ wishes, the recalled officials – David Reynoso, Leticia Gamez, Pablo Hernandez and Alvaro Preciado – voted to reject the election results and stay in office, arguing Kings County lacked the authority to administer the recall because the city never formally authorized it. They are also ignoring the cease-and-desist order from the Kings County District Attorney and a ruling by the California Court of Appeal.
Then the sole surviving Councilmember Ricardo Verdugo, appointed himself mayor!
State Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo has called on Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber to step in to “resolve an unprecedented breakdown of constitutional governance and the rule of law within the City of Avenal.”
She urged the state officials to remove the four as “most urgent as it is foundational to our democracy.”
The two state officials intervened in a similar recall in Orosi in January 2025.
Assemblywoman Macedo said “local police authority answers to a city administration currently shielding the recalled members, leaving county election and law enforcement officials at an absolute standstill.”
Wow. I do not understand the arrogance of four people who were soundly thrashed by the voters willing to impose their will over the rule of law. Sounds like a good time to make some arrests.
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TV host and commentator Bill Maher came across my YouTube feed signaling alarms about the rise of communists in the Democratic Party veiled as socialists. I was surprised to see the face of Congressman Adam Gray as well as Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York who released an open pledge that they wanted fellow Democrats to sign. The statement was: “We are capitalist, not socialist. We want safety, now lawlessness. We are proud, not ashamed of America.”
Maher went on to say: “These should not be hard words for a congressional Democrat to sign onto.” He explained that only eight of 212 Democrats signed it. Maher concluded: “Guys, really, there’s gotta be an easier way to lose the swing states.”
Gray was one of only six House Democrats to support the SAVE America Act and that didn’t sit well with MoveOn, a progressive liberal group.
Maher is a liberal and has increasingly criticized what he views as the Democratic Party’s drift toward radical leftism, arguing it alienates mainstream voters. He now says that his vote is “in play” for the 2028 presidential election.
It’s nice to see folks waking up.
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I received a strange request over the weekend from a gentleman who was a bit miffed that our website graphic about the 20 citations for illegal fireworks being “glamorized” with beautiful aerial fireworks.
He said: “I was glad to see how many people got tickets and how much. Maybe we could add how many dogs were killed, how many ran away, how many PTSD veterans were affected, even if it was a guess and we made it up, and how much fire and property damage on top of it, and maybe a black and white skull and crossbones and red outline.” He said the graphic “made it look fun.”
We don’t make up stuff and certainly don’t think any dogs were killed by aerial fireworks. But the man’s comments underscore the very reason that people risk doing illegal fireworks – they are beautiful to look at. That’s why they are willing to risk a fine of $2,500 but do it anyway. I’d say our graphic isn’t going to have an effect on next year’s use of illegal fireworks.
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
