Sanger Herald 10-25-18 E-edition

Sweet little killers & old lace
Looking for a home
Mistakes sink Apaches against Tigers
page 8A
Lifestyles 2B Sports 1B
WeeklyNewspaper Sanger(FresnoCounty)CA93657 50¢ (taxincluded)
Council upholds decision of planning commission
Power company gets to increase hours of operation
Getting back on their feet - thanks to
Mike Nemeth/Sanger Herald
Cathy and Fabian Lopez stand with their children Precious, 15, Emily, 6, and Fabian Jr., 5, in front of HOPE Sanger's Sanger facility where they lived for about six months. The couple's rented house was sold last winter, and they couldn't find another home due a series of events and little savings.
Vincent Wall
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
The city council took only about five min- utes Monday evening to discuss the almost two hours of testimony it heard and then
vote unanimously to uphold a planning com- mission decision granting a conditional use permit to Algonquin Power LLC.
The commission, at its Sept. 13 meeting, approved by a 3-1 vote, a conditional use permit that would allow the power company to increase its hours of operation. Algonquin is a Sanger based company that uses gas to generate electricity which it provides to the power grid.
Commissioners Johnny Perez, Ken Garcia and Monica Yamada voted to approve the permit.
Commissioner Vincent Wall cast the lone dissenting vote and later filed an appeal with the city challenging the planning commis- sion decision. He was joined on the appeal by Joseph Villalobos, Donna Bailey, Efren Rubio, Melissa Beasley and Henry Provost.
Algonquin would be increasing its number of hours of operation and therefore it would
See APPEAL, page 6A Candidates keep it positive
Juanita Adame
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
You could tell they were local candidates because, unlike what's been going on at the state and national levels, not even one nega- tive word about an opponent was spoken during the almost two-hour candidate forum
on Oct. 20, sponsored by the Sanger Womans Club.
Mid Valley Publishing's Juanita Adame, who moderated the event, didn't have to shoosh the audience or frown at someone who forgot to turn off a cell phone - that hap- pened at last year's forum.
Everyone was on their best behavior this year.
The event attracted about 60 people, including candidates, press and members of the Womans Club, said club president Jeanne Adams.
City councilmembers Humberto Garza and Eli Ontiveros face opposition.
Melissa Beasely is challenging Garza in council district No. 2 and David Sulenta and Michael Montelongo are running against mayor pro tem Eli Ontiveros in council dis- trict No. 4.
Gina Lynn Olson-Cuevas and Jesse Solorio, are vying for the district No. 6 school board seat being vacated by retiring boardmember
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
A little more than a year ago, a visitor knocked on Cathy Lopez's door bearing news that hardly fit with the holiday theme of good cheer.
The news was bad. The house she and Fabian, her husband of 22 years, had been renting with six of their seven children was to be sold, and they had 30 days to get their belongings and find another place.
"I was angry and confused," Lopez said. "I didn't know what to do. I felt just helpless."
The Lopez family moved out without finding another place. Lopez said getting one in her price range that could accommodate their large family proved impossible. So
they found themselves a motel, spending far more than they would on rent. The bill for 21 days came to more than $2,000. The option proved unaffordable, and their situation grew increasingly desperate.
Eventually, they wound up at HOPE Sanger, cramming into a room at the non- profit's converted motel at 502 L St. in Sanger using air mattresses. She said they felt like refugees.
Julie Mendoza, HOPE Sanger president, said the Lopez family's story is all too com- mon as families living paycheck to paycheck encounter setbacks that can derail their stability and send them into the uncertainty of homelessness. And she said that need appears to grow as winter approaches and seasonal jobs dry up.
But HOPE Sanger can only do as much as its financial resources allow, and Mendoza said small fundraisers only go so far. The op- eration seeks donations of all sizes, she said.
"The need is tremendous," she said. "We have 18 school-aged children still living here and several families."
returning to the world of paid bills and steady paychecks. Mendoza and her volunteer staff work with each family to follow a specific plan meant to return them to solvency and their place. Cathy and Fabian Lopez followed their plan and finally found a place.
Their daughter, 16-year-old Precious who attends Kings River High School in Sanger, said she is happy her family stuck together.
"It's good because we have our own space in the house," she said.
Precious is helping out by babysitting after school. Older brother Jose, 19, put his plans to join the military on hold to go to work at the Del Monte plant at North and Academy avenues to help his family recover. His girlfriend Cristal also helps out when she can.
But Cathy Lopez said she owes it all to "Sister Julie" and others who helped her put together a budget and deal with her family's other challenges. Mendoza helped the Lopez family access other social services, and she said HOPE Sanger also provides its clients job services, a food pantry and tutoring.
"We try to keep this place safe," Mendoza said.
HOPE Sanger coordinates various resourc- es to maximize what it can do for those who seek assistance. The Lopez family moved
out of the HOPE Sanger facility in June and received housing assistance from the Fresno County Housing Authority for six months until they were able to fully pay their bills.
"We got a home," Cathy Lopez said. "We got blessed. You have to keep your faith in God. Everything is in his time, and everything will work out for you if you just have faith."
Their struggle proved difficult, especially when they first lost their home. Fabian was a field worker and had to go on unemployment when the winter season reduced available work. He said depression set in.
See HOPE Sanger, page 6A SANGER HERALD: A MID VALLEY PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER • (559) 875-2511 • www.thesangerherald.com
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 25, 2018
VOL 129 NO. 43
2 sections, 14 pages
CLASSIFIED 3B LEGALS 4,5B BUSINESS DIRECTORY 6B LIFE STYLES 2B OBITUARIES 2A OPINION 3A SPORTS 1B POLICE LOG 2A WEATHER 8A
Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sanger High School
Tom Flores will be back in Sanger this Saturday for the 14th annual Raider Nation Blood Drive.
Tom will tour the annual Raider Nation Blood Drives in Sanger, Visalia and Fresno.
The Sanger drive will be held at the high school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. That's usually Tom's last stop, arriving from Visalia around 2 p.m.
See CANDIDATES page 7A
Tom, who was inducted into the new Sanger High School Athletic Hall of Fame last year, was the first Latino quarterback and first Latino coach of a Super Bowl cham- pion.
During his 11 years coach- ing the Raiders in Oakland and in Los Angeles, Tom led the team to wins in Super Bowls XV and XVIII.
• Oct. 25 - SUSD Education Complex ground breaking, 10:30 a.m., 1778 S. Fowler Ave., Fresno
•Oct.27-SangerLibraryreopening-10:30a.m.-4p.m., 18127thSt.
• Oct. 27 - Local artists display, 9 a.m. - noon, Harding School/Hall of Fame Museum,
Those families continue to work through the process of regaining self sufficiency,
between the Depot Museum and the library.