Page 3 - Sanger Herald 4-25-19 E-edition

By Dick Sheppard
It’s looking more and more like you can wave goodbye to the Measure S grant program for nonprof- its that provide programs intended to keep at-risk youth out of gangs and off drugs.
Dick Sheppard
spite of a brief but ineffective attempt to res- cue it by the Fresno County Grand Jury.
City staff, with no input from the oversight committee revised the policy for funding nonprofits and removed money from the grant program to pay for a G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education And Training) police officer who teaches a curricula based on gang and drug intervention tactics to 4th and 6th grade students in elementary schools in Sanger.
Mayor Frank Gonzalez, with the city coun- cil’s approval, appointed Michael Montelongo to the Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee.
Montelongo has not been shy about mak- ing his position known. He is not in favor of the nonprofit grant program because, "It's not what we voted for when Measure S was approved in 2008."
Montelongo, a former mayor, is well known for his assertive style on the dais.
After the April 15 oversight meeting, Melissa Griggs resigned from the commit- tee citing, among other things, Montelongo’s behavior. Jerry Valadez, CEO of SAM Academy, speaking to the city council at its April 18 meeting, referring to Montelongo, decried the "bullying" that took place at the oversight meeting.
It's easy to believe that's exactly what the mayor, city manager and city staff expected and wanted to happen as the next step in the dismantling of the nonprofit grant program - and maybe the oversight committee.
SAM Academy, one of the nonprofits that received a Measure S grant in the past, has been excluded from the program by the city staff – along with other nonprofits that received Measure S grants.
The following wording was included by staff without input from the oversight com- mittee in 2019 instructions for grant appli- cants, "... staff will not recommend funding to past grant recipients."
The amount of money available to non- profit applicants was cut by staff, without input from the oversight committee, from $125,000 to $50,000.
It's apparently morphed into the staff oversight committee instead of the citizen's
oversight committee.
While the administration might deny that
it's in the process of rescinding Resolution 4361 without officially rescinding it, I would have to agree with a comment by Griggs before she resigned from the committee, "This just doesn't smell right."
There is no doubt the apparent process
of dismantling the grant program could and should have been handled differently. There is also no doubt that the city’s general fund could benefit right now from access to money that would have gone to the nonprofits.
However, whether or not there is any justification for the unilateral and arbitrary actions of the city manager and his staff and the mayor and the city council – and
Montelongo - will be for voters to decide. Everything about Measure S, the over-
sight committee and the grant program - in my opinion - has intentionally been made so vague and ambiguous - so muddy - that it's almost impossible to sort right from wrong and good from bad. Hardly anything passes the smell test any more.
We'll see how voters feel about it when the next council election rolls around in November.
But, as I've said before, it seems like many Sanger voters have the attention span and memory of a gnat on crack.
Please direct your questions or comments to sangerherald@gmail.com.
Random thoughts It will be up to voters to decide ... right or wrong ... good or bad ...
Measure S will probably
continue to fund at least one police depart- ment gang and drug prevention/intervention program. Just not the programs provided by nonprofits like SAM Academy, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club.
There are some who will probably cheer the demise of the nonprofit program because, "It's not what we voted for when Measure
S was approved in 2008." They are correct, it's not. The Measure S grants for nonprofits evolved from Resolution 4361 which was approved by the city council in 2012.
When the three-quarter cent sales tax for public safety purposes was first approved
in February 2008 the only ballot mention of gangs and drugs said,"... maintain special anti- gang/anti drug police units."
However, when Measure S was renewed by voters in November 2016 - after approval of Resolution 4361 in 2012 - the ballot word- ing had changed and was more vague. It
just said. ... provide gang/drug prevention programs ..." It no longer said anything about "police units." But neither did it say anything about nonprofits.
Did the renewal of Measure S in 2016 trump Resolution 4361? That's apparently what the current city hall administration seems to think. Nonprofits disagree.
However, recent actions by the mayor, council and city staff have pretty much deliv- ered the coup de grâce to the grant program and,forthatmatter, tothelongsuffering Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee. "Coup de grace," by the way, literally means
a "stroke of grace" or "blow of mercy" which originally referred to a mercy killing or the act of putting to death a person or animal – or in this case, a committee - that has been severely injured and is unlikely to recover in
In my OPINION
Liberal politics prevent immigration reform
SANGER HERALD 3A THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 EDITORIAL & OPINION
GUEST local commentary
Inappropriate and offensive - or not?
uncle was an early supporter of a Sanger youth program. The place was called the “wigwam” and he figured “Apaches” was okay because western books were all the rage back in those days.
What to do?
Hell if I know.
I’d suggest the new school superintendent
contact the various Apache bands, explain the situation and ask for guidance. I don’t really know how to stop the mixing of various sacred stuff either. I do believe
that disrespecting any religious symbol denigrates all religious symbols. I’ve noticed a religion column in the paper. Perhaps a contributor to that might have an answer.
It could be that I’m just “blowing smoke” another term I could take offense from, but I won’t today.
I reckon disrespect is a legacy not easily stopped. I also reckon I’ve had my say.
I’ll eventually get a copy of this to one or more bands of the Apache Nation. They may or may not care.
After all, I’ve yet to hear an Apache or any other Native complain about folk calling out for Geronimo as they fall through the sky.
Vic Yellow Hawk White is a founding member of the Fresno and Selma American Indian Education Parent Committees; a past president and life member of the California Indian Education Association; co-founder and co-coordinator of the Youth & Elders gathering at D-Q University; coordinator of the American Indian Program and assistant regional director (Pacific Mountain Region) of the American Friends Service Committee. E-mail yellhawk@hotmail.com
An award winning 2019 member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association
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By Fred Hall
The United States of America has the most dys- functional immigration sys- tem in the entire world!
that, although there is a huge hue and cry from the political class for “immigration reform,” the simplest beginning to a solution would be to observe the laws that are already inplace. Officialportsofentryshouldbethe the only permissible way to legally enter this country!
History is replete with examples of cor- rupt and devoid of rationale immigration poli- cy has been in the hands of our political class. Native Americans were denied naturalization while, according to the Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo which resulted in The United States acquiring Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Nevada from Mexico, the Mexicans who remained were granted citi- zenship.
It was not uncommon for politicians,
such as William “Boss” Tweed to manipulate the naturalization process to win elections. Tweed was successful in getting approxi- mately 30,000 Irish American voters natural- izedinthesixweekrun-uptoanelection. As a reminder, Tweed was a part of the infamous Tammany Hall political mess that ruled New York during that time period.
In 1980 Jimmy Carter, in an attempt to repair and restore relations with the Cuban government opened the floodgates for an influx of Cuban refugees into the United States. Foryearspriortohismove,Cubans fled that Communist country in small boats and rafts with many being lost at sea.
The125,000refugeesinvolvedinthe Carter deal sailed from the small town of Marielandacquiredthetagof“Marielitos.” Fidel Castro repaid Carter's generous human- itarian act by emptying jails and mental institutions in Cuba and including them in theboatlift. Itbecameobviousthattheges- ture of friendship was being abused and the movement ended in about five months.
Throughout history our handling of immi- gration and foreigners has really been a “mixed-bag.” Ourcountryhas,throughthe years, been extremely benevolent in sharing the freedoms and bounty this country has to offer with so many people from distant lands. Many decisions were made that may seem cruel under today's standards but, in fairness, shouldbeexaminedinthecontextofthe times which they occurred.
Space here does not provide us the luxury of being able to truly examine the happenings and what was in the heart of Americans when theeventsofthepastoccurred. Theone thing, of which we are sure, is that we cannot continue to provide an increasingly socialistic societyandleavethedoorwideopen. Put yourselfintheirshoes. Sneakinginispretty easy, especially with the border as open as itcurrentlyis;potentialpunitiveactionfor getting caught is minimal; and the rewards include lots of free stuff, especially if one comes to California.
But, as always, that's only one man's opin- ion.
In addition to the Sanger Herald, Publisher Fred Hall oversees two other Mid Valley Publishing newspapers - Reedley Exponent, and Dinuba Sentinel. He can be contacted by phone at (559) 638-2244 or by email at fred@ midvalleypublishing.com.
We've managed to strip
away all of the mandates
that new arrivals in this
country be self-sustaining
by providing them access
to tax payer largesse in this country which features more and more socialistic offerings. No longer are they asked to, or required, to assimilate into the American culture nor is learning the English language a requirement. Anyone who has ever read the Bible is aware of what happened to the Tower of Babel.
A study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform found that
by providing education, health care, law enforcement and social and government ser- vices to illegal aliens and their dependents costsCalifornians$25.3billionperyear. That means the state's approximately three million illegal aliens and their 1.1 million U.S.-born children cost the average California house- hold, headed by a U.S. Citizen, $2,370 annu- ally.
Funding the K-12 education for children whothemselvesareillegalaliensaswellas the children of illegal aliens accounts for the largest share of the cost to taxpayers at $14.4 billion. Theseservicesincludestandard public school education and supplemental Englishlanguageinstruction. Despitefederal funding, the average per pupil expenditure is $10,450 every year.
Justice and law enforcement costs - polic- ing,court,andincarceration-associatedwith illegal aliens soared to more than $4.4 billion.
Medical services cost taxpayers approxi- mately $4 billion, including $388 million asso- ciated with 68,000 births to illegal alien moth- ers.
Public assistance - low-cost meal pro- grams, free immunizations, etc - are available toresidentsregardlessoflegalstatus. The $792 million price tag for these services is borne by California taxpayers.
Thereportconcludedbysaying, "Despite overwhelming evidence that illegal immi- gration represents an unsustainable fiscal burden to the state, the California legislature and local governments across the state con- tinuetoprovidenewbenefits,newservices and new privileges to illegal aliens, even as the state neglects the needs and concerns ofotherCalifornians." Thecostswillcon- tinuetogrowsolongasthestatecontinues to reward illegal immigration and impedes immigrationenforcement. Californiatax- payers will continue to be the losers in this unhappy scenario.
In complete fairness, we do understand that illegals do pay taxes and proponents of illegal immigration are quick to point that out. Theunvarnishedtruthisthatthetaxes collected from illegals amount to about $3.5 billionannually. Thatstillleavesadeficit well north of the $20 plus billion mark which this costs all of us every year!
It would appear to the average observer
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Fred Hall
By Vic Yellow Hawk White
Tom Flores and Geronimo are both famous.
For Mr. Flores it’s as a former Apache, at least in Sanger. Most of the rest of the sports world knows him as a former Raider.
Geronimo will always be known as an Apache who fought the raiders. Listen to the song “Billy the Kid and Geronimo” on the album Downey to Lubbock by Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore.
When I first returned home - I was born and spent part of my early life in Sanger
- I told myself, “You’re not Apache or Choinumni. This isn’t your issue.”
Then I went to a football game and saw
a large banner that said, “Apaches on the Warpath” and the Herald sports writer
told me that “Warpath” is not generally considered to be derogatory. I’d say he missed the point of my last letter but he said he didn’t even read it. Mr. Sheppard might consider improving communication at the Herald.
The Silver Spur was lost at that game. Geronimo might have said, “What warpath?” I also listened to what I call the “Surround the Wagon Train” song, previously heard only in B westerns. I heard the public address announcer talk about the Apaches running out of the “longhouse” and at later games I observed the “tomahawk chop.” In fairness, there must be something addictive about the “tomahawk chop” because even Hanoi Jane has been seen doing it.
I have also been told the local high school has a “totem pole.”
Partial disclosure, my eldest German
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