The implosion of the Eric Swalwell candidacy and is causing issues for Ceres’ own Congressman Adam Gray who was wholeheartedly behind the embattled fellow congressman months ago.

The Republican Party of Stanislaus County has called on Gray to resign and “out of respect for his constituents” in the 13th Congressional District, to publicly denounce Eric Swalwell.

There’s a better chance of a snowball in hell than Gray to step down, but this political theater does call into question Gray’s judgment. After all, Gray, who co-chaired the Swalwell for Governor campaign, said of the candidate just months ago: “Eric Swalwell is a leader with integrity and a man of his word.”

Gray had the audacity to praise him even after Swalwell was tarnished with the widely publicized story that he slept with a Chinese spy named Christine “Fang Fang” Fang between 2011 and 2015.

Rumors about Swalwell’s private life have been swirling for years and I believe the Democrats knew it but were willing to take a chance since Katie Porter was shown to be a raging you-know-what in that video of her berating a staff member using obscenities. But as we get closer to the gubernatorial primary the Democrats recognized too many Democrats are running and splitting the votes, thereby possibly allowing Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton to finish as the top two. So they threw Swalwell under the bus. They might, at some point, try to jettison some other Democrat but Swalwell being out may guarantee at least one Democrat goes onto the general and would thereby win in a state where Dems outnumber Republicans by two-to-one.

You know the feigned outrage of Democrats is phony when they call for him to drop out as a gubernatorial candidate but not resign from Congress, which he ultimately did on Monday. They didn’t want want to lose one Democrat in the House where the GOP has a very slim majority.

Gray himself won his seat in a very slim 187 vote advantage. Will Kevin Lincoln be able to wrestle the seat from him? Depends on how many Republicans turn out to vote.

* * * * *

A bunch of Democrats and/or Latinos holding local office signed a statement that seems to suggest that ICE unjustly shot an alleged gang member in Patterson last week.

ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was shot during a traffic stop and he “weaponized” his vehicle during the stop by attempting to run over an officer.

ICE described Mendoza Hernandez as a gang member wanted for questioning in El Salvador in connection with a murder. His attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, naturally challenged that claim, saying his client has no legal immigration status but has never been involved in a gang and was previously acquitted of murder. But he also said it was a case of mistaken identity.

If that is the case, why did the subject attempt to flee, back up into a pickup and then drive over the center divider? Do innocent people do that?

Had he complied he wouldn’t have been shot – it’s that simple. If the public didn’t learn from the Minneapolis shooting of Renee Good that you don’t move your car to collide into ICE then there is no hope for the lawless.

Mendoza Hernandez, it might be added, was not killed in the shooting.

Among those who signed were Daniel Martinez and Rosalinda Vierra, members of the Ceres City Council and county Supervisors Mani Grewal and Channce Condit and Chris Ricci. It was Ricci, the Bay Area progressive transplant serving on the Modesto City Council, who brought the statement to social media, making me wonder if he authored it.

The signatories expressed gratefulness that the man fleeing law enforcement – they called him by his first name of Carlos – and wished him well in a “long but hopeful road to recovery.” The outpouring of sympathy for this dumb a * * is astounding.

The signatories also suggest “this incident has heightened fear and anxiety across Stanislaus County, particularly among Latino residents.”

Really? Why? Those who aren’t breaking the law have nothing to fear. I suppose if you consume a steady diet of MSNBC biases you might think all Latinos are fair game for deportation.

The signatories want to “address misinformation and ensure public safety.” And they want “information shared consistently and in accordance with state law.” What misinformation? And isn’t ICE targeting criminal aliens all about public safety?

The Democrats in Sacramento partially to blame for ordering local police and sheriffs to NOT cooperate with ICE officials with respect to rounding up and deporting illegal aliens. Now they want full cooperation the other direction?

While we all want to know that ICE is lawfully operating – and I don’t believe they are acting unlawfully – why are these officials rushing to portray this man as a victim?

When law enforcement officials pull you over, cooperate. PERIOD. You turn off your engine, you don’t run.

If you’re arrested, call an attorney and fight it out in the courts, not in the streets. Otherwise feel free to get shot or killed.

* * * * *

The dig was subtle but I caught it.

At last week’s Planning Commission meeting Ceres resident John Warren stood up to note that the POW flag and American flag were placed in the wrong positions behind the commission panel. Warren is a veteran and pointed out that Old Glory belongs on the far right.

Commission Chairman Gary Condit replied, “Let’s get that fixed. I think this is the mayor’s chambers, so…”

* * * * *

What is the deal with Whitmore Ranch? The Alvernaz family wants to get going with building homes and God knows we need more housing. But the process of approval has been stymied by high city turnover in city staff.

Whitmore Ranch was first reviewed by the Ceres City Council in 2017. The council sent it back to the drawing board for design changes, specifically to grant better access to the La Rosa Elementary and Cesar Chavez Junior High schools.

Last week Grant Alvernaz won approval for a third extension on Phase 2 while Phase 1 is hung up in more red tape, specifically over a subdivision improvement agreement.

Alvernaz seemed short with the commission when Chairman Gary Condit asked him, “Do you believe this will be your last time extension for this phase?” He replied, “so many city managers we’ve had, get it? There’s been four or five so we’re doing our best.”

It’s time for this issue to be over so Alvernaz can get busy hiring a builder.

There may be a reason why Hughson is able to build houses like crazy while Ceres seems to be in the delay mode.

* * * * *

I bumped into a former planner in a store and he shared with me, “Ceres has lots of problems – lots of problems.”

I’d say so. They cannot keep – maybe it’s afford – a Community Development director. Leah Simvoulakis was a breath of fresh air and she walked not a year into her service. Planners are hard to find.

The city lost its administrative planning secretary in Ann Montgomery but has created a position planning technician.

Now Julian Aguirre, who was not hired in February 2024 as a planner but as the redevelopment and economic development manager, is giving staff reports at public meetings in lieu of a planner.

The longevity of staff and department heads under the reign of Mayor Javier Lopez has never been so short. Is it just coincidence or a result of leadership run amok? I recall the days of Joe Hollstein who was public works director for a long time. I’ve lost count the turnover in that position ever since.

* * * * *

Attorney General Rob Bonta has been asleep on the job, finally reacting to citizen whistleblowers’ expose that millions has been fraudulently stolen from California taxpayers in the guise of hospice care providers. He came out last week to explain that 21 suspects have stolen $267 million regarding 14 fake hospice companies. Five were arrested.

Funny how Bonta suggested his department has been looking into fraud in hospice and Medi-Cal for years. I don’t recall him calling a press conference to announce prior efforts to combat such fraud. Or did he this time because Nick Shirley exposed this obscene fraud – not Bonta, giving the Newsom administration a huge black eye? Bonta is in reactive mode and likely got a cue from Newsom who whispered in his ear to say: “Better go after these guys because it’s going to give my presidential ambitions a bruising.”

Reacting to the presser was Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora who issued the following statement calling for a special session on fraud across state programs: “Let’s be honest. This latest announcement from the Attorney General is not proactive. It shows how large this problem became before it was stopped.

“I’m calling for a special session on fraud in California’s state programs. Enough of the announcements while California lags behind and lets the federal government take the lead.

“The question is simple: why did it take so long to get here?

“This is not limited to one program. We’ve seen serious concerns in hospice, Medi-Cal, high-speed rail, homelessness spending, and in-home health services, to name a few. Same pattern every time. Money goes out. Oversight doesn’t keep up.

“If we are finally taking this seriously, then do it right. Call a special session. Put real funding behind enforcement and bring every department in and get answers.

“Californians deserve to know how much was lost, who was supposed to be watching, and what is being done to make sure it never happens again.”

Tulare Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra M. Macedo claims she spearheaded the discovery of the rampant fraud at “ground zero” of hospice care fraud. On Thursday after Bonta held his presser, Macedo said Bonta’s raids: “are the direct result of our relentless push for accountability. But let’s not mistake a single enforcement action for a mission accomplished. One crackdown is not enough.

“It is unacceptable that Governor Newsom is playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with criminals when we should be locking the front door. Every day the governor delays implementing strict regulatory guardrails is another day that taxpayers’ money is diverted from dying patients into the pockets of fraudsters.”

* * * * *

James Casey is a good hearted man.

He’s not necessarily leaving the Ceres City Council at the end of the year because he wants to but he’s so driven to serve those in his family who need help that it’s the priority. That’s a rare thing these days.

His wife has had health issues and his aging aunt and uncle often need to be transported to and from medical appointments. Casey has stepped up to help out. I can identify with his sense of obligation as when my mother was aging and ailing, I got little help so it all fell on me.

Casey is a man of faith and believes in serving others. He’s never been a ruthless individual. Here’s an example: My daughter works for Grace Moving Company in south Modesto and when they won a national award, Casey sent his congratulations despite being in the same business. He told them that he doesn’t see them as competition and that wasn’t said in a derogatory way either.

James Casey also is spending his own money to run the ads that you see in the Courier of late drawing attention to an April 21 budget workshop. He has put his money where his mouth as he has repeatedly preached about the city’s need to improve communication with its residents. As far as I know, no other councilmember has done that in the history of Ceres.

He’s a stark contrast to the new generation of councilmembers who seem to be about their incessant self-promotion on social media.

* * * * *

I’ve always been impressed with the Ceres Police Department and its officers. My interactions with them have always been positive and they seem to be top quality officers that Ceres should be proud of.

Ceres has an amazing police chief in Trenton Johnson as well and it’s too bad he will be retiring in about two or three years because I think he has restored confidence among his officers and many in the community have respected him over his many years of service. He is a homegrown product and vested in the community as a resident too.

I was especially touched at Thursday evening’s ceremony when he thanked his beautiful wife, a former CPD dispatcher, for not only supporting him but stepping in when the department was at its lowest in dispatcher availability. He lamented her loss as dispatch supervisor when he took the police chief position as it wouldn’t be appropriate.

That’s called integrity, folks.

* * * * *

When I was a kid, Election Day was just that – a day to vote. One day to vote. One.

There was something called the absentee ballot for those who were going to be out of the area, overseas or in the military. Eventually the politicos decided everyone should have the convenience of voting by mail. And these are sent out early to give voters a whole month to fill those little circles and lick the envelope and break a sweat by marching it to the mailbox. Tough work, huh?

Apparently the Democratic Party doesn’t think giving voters 30 days to return ballots is enough time. (Who is that picking busy?)

Now they are pushing for further shenangigans. They want to say it’s okay for a ballot without a postmark to be counted, assuming the postal service was negligent in stamping it with a postmark.

No chances for fraudulent voting there, eh?

U.S. Supreme Court justices may be poised to overturn state laws that allow late-arriving mail-in ballots to be counted. California and Mississippi allow this. This needs to happen because those on the right question election integrity.

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