Page 13 - Mid Valley Times 12-31-20 E-edition

Thursday, December 31, 2020
Change in leadership part of Sanger highlights in '20
| A13 |
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Ontiveros elected mayor, Garner becomes city's newest sheriff
MVT Staff Report
Change in leadership was the order of the day in Sanger in 2020, with a new mayor and new sheriff taking the reins of their
respective
positions
in the lat-
ter half of
the year.
First on Aug. 17, Greg Garner was sworn
Eli Ontiveros
Contributed Photo
Greg Garner, left, was sworn in to his position as Sanger's new police chief by Becky Padron, city clerk, on Aug. 17. In the Nov. 3 general election, Council Member Eli Onti- veros won a two-year term as Sanger mayor, defeating incumbent Frank Gonzalez.
in as the city's newest po- lice chief after serving as Selma's chief for a brief period following a 34-year law enforcement career in Fresno. He succeeded interim chief Gerald Gal- vin, who filled in after the retirement in January of longtime Chief Silver Ro- driguez.
Then in the Nov. 3 gen- eral election, sitting Coun- cil Member Eli Ontiveros completed a successful challenge of incumbent Mayor Frank Gonzalez by capturing nearly 54 percent of the vote. He moved into his new role on Dec. 3.
In the same election, Sanger voters returned incumbent council mem- bers Esmeralda Hurtado and Daniel Martinez to their respective district seats. However, voters, overwhelmingly rejected a measure to extend the mayor's term in office from two to four years.
Voters also approved an important educational goal with the passage of Measure C, a bond mea- sure to fund future edu- cation projects. Needing 55 percent to pass, voters approved the measure by a margin of nearly three percentage points.
While COVID-19 wiped out on-campus instruction for the Sanger Unified School District, there still was virtual graduation ceremonies and distance learning among students in the district. The com- munity also has the new Sanger Education Center at the northeast corner of Fowler and Jensen av- enues ready for the return of students.
On the SUSD board, incumbent Tammy Wolfe retained her seat while Rick Duran was defeated
by challenger Va Pao Her in the November election. When it came to bat- tling COVID-19, Sanger has struggled along with other county cities. The community led Mid Val- ley Times circulation are at cities in Fresno County with 1,786 total positive cases through Dec. 10. Updated tabula- tions aren't available the Fresno County dashboard page is replaced in the
first week of January. Looking to the future, Sanger is continuing plans to develop infra- structure along North Academy Avenue up to Highway 180. It will be another business con- nector for the city to the highway, which also com- pleted a widening project east to past Minkler and
Reed Avenue.
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(Name & Shop) ________________________________
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Best Mechanic ____________________ (Name & Shop)
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Best Car Salesperson_______________ (Name & Shop)
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One of the additions to Dinuba's business nucleus in 2020 was the opening in August of the United Health Centers facility on Westgate Way .
GROWTH Continued from page A1
while Cutler has surpassed 500 at 518. The past week, numbers in rural ar- eas outside Reedley and Orange Cove also have experienced
noticeable bumps.
On the political scene,
the City Council saw the
departure of member
Emilio "Joey" Morales in
Ward 1, as he opted not
to run for another term.
That left two newcomers,
Rachel Nerio-Guerrero
and Joshua Huerta, to vie
for the seat. Nerio-Guerrero prevailed by a 54 to 46 percent cushion.
Earning re-election in Ward 5 was Linda Launer, who defeated two other candidates to earn a second term on the council. She then was appointed to a two-term as mayor, succeeding current Ward 4 member Kuldip Thusu. Ward 2
Member Maribel Reynosa was appoint- ed as vice mayor.
There was one spot open on the Di- nuba Unified School District Board for 2020. Mary Helen Villarreal pulled in 72 percent of the vote to defeat Joe T. Ri- vera Sr. in Area 4.
Dinuba schools converted to online distance learning once the COVID pan- demic arrived in March, and the high school held an online virtual gradua- tion ceremony where graduates pre-re- corded their commencement. Distance learning has continued through the fall, and students aren't likely to return to campus until Tulare County can exit the purple tier category.
While COVID-19 took away Dinuba's annual Raisin Days weekend for 2020, the city was able to host a "reverse drive" Electric Light Christmas parade through downtown Dinuba earlier this month. The public drove their vehicles along East Tulare Street and West Ven- tura Street.
Linda Launer
Contributed Photo
006403