The PRSRT STDECRU.S. POSTAGE PAIDMADERA, CA.PERMIT NO. 61

Volume 14 Issue 4 2018 The Official Publication of Southeastern Madera County 50¢

RanchosIndependent

In This Issue Editorial • Page 6 / Aunt Jean’s Ranchos Recipes • Page 8Classifieds • Page 26 / Fun Pages • Pages 30 & 31

Inside: TheCandidates in

Their Own Words

Click on “Local News” at

Page 2

Every election cycle, the Ranchos Independent turns its pages over to the local candidates running for local office. Weput no restrictions on either the length or content of their submissions. This year we have statements from three can-didates running for Madera County District Attorney and two who are running for Madera County Superior CourtJudge. Read their reasons why they think you should vote for them and then you decide. -- Editor

I have been proud to lead the Madera County Dis-trict Attorney’s Office as your District Attorney for thepast three years. I have been described by many com-munity leaders and citizens as the “Most effective andbest District Attorney in Madera County History.” Upuntil approximately seven months ago, I was consid-ered by many to be the “most popular” elected officialin the Central Valley. In November of 2017, theMadera County Board of Supervisors decided I was athreat to their exclusive power overMadera County and

Integrity, decisiveness, loyalty and motivatingothers to test their limitations, is the meaning of lead-ership and this is what I will bring to the Madera Dis-trict Attorney’s office. Upon returning from protectingmy country as an Army Officer in Desert Storm, andwhile serving as a police officer in L.A., I believed Icould be a successful prosecutor. In 1992, I enrolledat the San Joaquin College of Law for the sole purposeto become a prosecutor. Since graduating and passingthe bar in 1995, I successfully achieved my goal and

I am Paul Hornick, 39 years old. I was raised inCentral New York. My father is a retired electrician;mymother is a retired lunch-lady who began her careeronly after my younger brother and I started school. Iam the first member of my family to obtain a bache-lor's degree, and the first to attend law school. Mylovely wife, Amber, and I have been married for eightyears. In order to be together, she resigned her job inSan Jose so we could purchase our home in the Ran-chos and begin to build our family. Our intention is to

My name is Carol Moses. I am running for Madera County Superior Court Judge,Seat #2. Judge CharlesWieland is retiring from this position at the end of August and I amhoping to take his place.

I am passionate about justice and committed to the Rule of Law. I believe everyone is entitled to due process and fair treatment under the law.I have the endorsement of Judge Wieland, Sheriff Jay Varney, all members of the Madera County Board of Supervisors and all members of

the Madera City Council. Members of the Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the MaderaPolice Officers’ Association, community leaders, educators and business owners andmany others have also

Voting for judge is one of themost important voting decisionswe canmake.At this level,a judgewill be taskedwith following the law. If elected, Iwill do this fairly, equitably andwillmaintain an expeditious court calendar.

This does not answer the question ofwhy judge is so important of a vote. Judges have the ability tomove on to higher courts. On a higher court level,judges may interpret the Constitution in many cases, rather than just applying the law.

At a higher level, it is my opinion, wewant judges who share our values and our interpretation of the Con-stitution. The Constitution is a well-crafted document which clearly explains our forefathers’ intent and cannot

David Linn -- Candidate forMadera County District Attorney

Carol Moses -- Candidate forMadera County Superior Court Judge

Brian Austin -- Candidate forMadera County Superior Court Judge

Paul Hornick -- Candidate forMadera County District Attorney

Sally Orme-Moreno -- Candidate forMadera County District Attorney

Please see LINN on p. 7 Please see HORNICK on p. 13

Please see AUSTIN on p. 28

Please see MOSES on p. 22

Please see MORENO on p. 7

Page 3

www.The Ranchos.com

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Page 4 Letters

Dear Editor:This is in support of Sally Orme Moreno

in her bid for Madera County District Attor-ney.

Sally and her family not only live, butsupport the county of Madera. Sally workedmany years as a Madera County Deputy Dis-trict Attorney, prosecuting crimes from bur-glary to homicide. Not only was she asuccessful prosecutor, but she was well likedand respected for her work and professional-ism. Sally understands that sometimes goodpeople can do bad things; she takes that intoaccount during her continued daily life as aprosecutor. Not all convicted people haveearned the maximum sentence for a crime,and Sally’s unique position and understand-ing of that fact serve well the community inwhich she lives.

In fact, Sally’s compassion for the peoplein the Central Valley generally, and MaderaCounty specifically, can be seen in her familydynamics. She has raised her children well.They are individual, independent souls, butshow the common good sense and disciplinethat their mother has instilled in them. Eachof Sally’s children exhibit good manners andan open mind to new experiences. They arehappy and healthy, and enjoy meeting newpeople.

Not only Sally, but her whole family par-ticipates in various charity events. Whetherthey are seen participating in the recent Walk-a-Mile put on by Community Action Partner-ship of Madera County to bring the issue ofDomestic Violence to light, or supportingMadera Sunrise Rotary’s Trees for Charitieswhere the proceeds of that event benefit localand international charities, Sally and her fam-ily are a force to be reckoned with. They havealso served meals and handed out clothingitems at our local Holy Family Table.

Sally is a real, well-rounded, down-to-earth person. She makes herself available tothose who wish to talk with her and exchangeideas or knowledge. She knows the commu-nity in which she lives. She understands andhas seen the good and bad in her fellow man.Sally is a perfect fit for the position of MaderaCounty District Attorney. She has and willcontinue to keep our community safe throughher partnership and mutual respect with lawenforcement and the judicial system. MaderaCounty can do no better than one of our own– Sally Orme Moreno.

Phil and Rebecca JanzenMadera

Dear Editor:Two front-runners have emerged in the

June 5 election for District Attorney: Paul

Hornick and Sally Moreno. As a Deputy Dis-trict Attorney in Madera, I know both. Bothare veterans. Both are experienced prosecu-tors. Both are aggressive trial attorneys. Bothhave important law enforcement endorse-ments. Both have ruffled the feathers of morethan a few defense attorneys. Both are also in-tense competitors, and in a close race like this,expect fireworks.

I have good news for the People ofMadera. Both Paul Hornick and Sally Morenoare capable prosecutors. But we cannot havetwo District Attorneys. Only one can win.Like my fellow prosecutors, I support PaulHornick. I will give you one reason today:Sally left us when we needed her most.

By 2014, political chaos had drivennearly every experienced prosecutor out ofMadera. Within months of the 2014 election,Sally was our last homicide prosecutor. ThenSally left for Fresno, leaving the County ofMadera with a docket full of murders and nota single murder prosecutor. By luck andgrace, several prosecutors stepped up to chal-lenges far beyond their experience, and noneof these murderers escaped justice. Others fol-lowed suit, and together we filled the gapingholes in our ranks. Sally left us in a legalmelee, to fend for ourselves. We learned thehard way, with lost sleep and long hours. Welearned more in the last four years than manyprosecutors learn in a career.

When we needed experience and leader-ship most, Sally left for Fresno. I understandwhy. The new administration was no fan ofhers. I am sure they made her job here thor-oughly unpleasant. In her shoes, I do notknow what I would have done. But hard timesare when leaders persevere, and when thingsgot hard, she left.

Paul Hornick joined our office duringthose hard years. He fought alongside us inthe legal trenches every day. A year of expe-rience in Madera during that time is worth 10in Fresno. Paul leapt into this battle head-firstand never looked back — he tried cases thatno one else would, and even now while othercandidates are off shaking hands and kissingbabies, Paul is right alongside us where he hasbeen the whole time.

Like you, I have a lot at stake in this elec-tion. One of these two will be my boss, and Iknow speaking my mind could have a heavycost. It’s worth the risk. I want the next Dis-trict Attorney to be the one who has stoodwith me in the trenches during the hard times.I’d follow Paul Hornick anywhere, and forwhatever my opinion is worth, I hope you’llvote for him.

Cavan CoxFresno

Please see LETTERS on P. 12

www.The Ranchos.com

Page 54/

18

Click on “Local News” at

The Ranchos Independent is published by Five and Two Publishing.All contents of this publication are copyright 2018, all rights reserved.Reprintingwithout the permission of the

copyright holder is forbidden by law.All articles are submitted as the opinion of the author, who remains solely responsible for the content. The in-

formation gathered for this publication is from sources that are considered to be reliable, but are not guaranteed.Opinions expressed in advertisements or articles remain the opinion of the writer.

Randy Bailey............Publisher/EditorJean Briner -- Columnist, Advertising Sales

RanchosIndependentThe

559-645-0634 37167 Ave. 12, Suite 5C • Madera, CA 93636ranchosnews@yahoo.com

By Randy Bailey

Being busy is not the same as doingsomething. There are people who actuallysay they’re so busy they never get any-thing done.

Let that sink in for a minute.I fear that we are moving toward a pe-

riod of human development where the ap-pearance of activity is being accepted asactual activity. I fear the computer and theinternet are the prime suspects.

I have a Facebook account for theRanchos Independent. Since the paperonly comes out once a month, I needed away to get timely information about theRanchos, and other topics, out to my read-ers. Now, if I see something of interest, Ican post it on my Facebook page and any-one who is linked up to it can get that in-formation right now. Of course, this is atwo-way street. Not only do they see whatI want them to see, now I get to see whatthey want ME to see. Which leads totoday’s editorial.

A few weeks ago someone had postedon Facebook about one of the many god-awful drivers barrelling down Avenue 12.After describing the driver and his on-roadbehavior, and the sorrowful lack of a po-lice presence in the Ranchos, the postended with something along the lines of,“Someone sure needs to do something.”

That’s when it struck me: All of thesepeople merrily chatting about this driverand sharing their stories of having con-

fronted a similar (or worse) situation onAvenue 12, or Road 36, or that time onBerkshire ... it went on and on. And aftereach horrific story there was the obliga-tory confession that there never was a coparound when you needed one and howcome they don’t patrol out here moreoften and virtually each story was neatlywrapped up with: “Someone sure needs todo something.”

That was when I weighed in.I explained that “someone” is you.

You need to call the Highway Patrol. Youneed to get ahold of your Supervisor,Brett Frazier. You need to be the squeakywheel. You need to get some grease. Youneed to make so much noise that they’lldo something just to shut you up. Youneed to get ahold of the whole Board ofSupervisors, if necessary. You need to talkto Sheriff Varney. You need to call As-semblyman Frank Bigelow’s office inSacramento and State Senator AnthonyCannella up there while you’re at it. Andunderstand that although picking up thephone or emailing or writing a letter is ahuge leap that 99.9 percent of the peoplecommiserating with you right now onFacebook won’t ever do, you still haven’tdone anything. You’ve sat there in thecomfort of your home and taken a fewminutes away from Dancing with theStars and The View and Facebook to ba-sically leave a few messages and make avery limited introduction of yourself andyour problem.

Get Up and Off Your ... Keyboard

“ TheWashington

Establishmentis not the

answer.It's the

problem. ”

The doing something part of the equa-tion is what happens next. That’s the partwhere you don’t stop until, by god, some-thing gets done. This is where everyonewho got a call now gets an email andeveryone who got an email know gets aletter and after they get a letter -- youguessed it -- they get a new phone call. Justlike the simple instruction on the shampoobottle: “Repeat.”

Unrelentingly.You have to be on a mission if you

want to get something done ... unless ofcourse you’re all talk.

But here’s the magic: Imagine ifeveryone in that little Facebook chat didthe same thing. Heck, if only half the peo-ple did, there would be a movement in theRanchos. We would be on everyone’s(who could do something about it) radar.

The other choice is simply wait untilsomeone gets killed. That always serves asa good motivator. Then the Facebook chatwill be, “See? I told you someone neededto do something!”

Editorial

Page 6

www.The Ranchos.com

Page 74/

18

its people. Because I was investigating themfor wrongdoing and illegal practices, theydecided to publicly humiliate my wife and I.The allegations they used against me wereabsolutely untrue and came from a disgrun-tled employee who had previously been ter-minated from other District Attorney’sOffices for bizarre behavior.Following the Board of Supervisors’

claims against me and largely due to the factthat they illegally prevented me from de-fending myself, I now face two challengersin the upcoming election. Neither of thechallengers are qualified to be MaderaCounty District Attorney.Ms.Moreno has had her license to prac-

tice law in California revoked on two sepa-rate occasions; she also has, during her life,gone by 20 different aliases and has resided,if at all, for a very brief period of time inMadera County. Her campaign is largelyfunded by company businesses and govern-ment agencies from Fresno County. In short,she is just not one of us.The other candidate running against me,

a recent hire by my office, is totally unqual-ified to be District Attorney. He has onlybeen licensed to practice law in the State ofCalifornia for a brief period of time, a littleover four years. Up until a year ago, we usedto joke about who was going to “hold his

hand and take him to the Courthouse.” Elect-ing someone as naïve and inexperienced ashim will allow him to become a pawn of theBoard of Supervisors and destroy justice inMadera County.Ms. Moreno, who claims to be a former

police officer, intentionally fails to tellcounty residents that she never finished herPeace Officer Standard and Training (POST)qualifications and therefore could not be apolice officer now. When asked why shedidn’t continue to be a police officer shereplied, “I never really liked it very much.”Both of my competitors claim to be vet-

erans, but really only in the technical sense.Ms.Moreno helped to guard one of theWestCoast Ports sometime during OperationDesert Storm. Mr. Hornick’s service historyreveals that he has primarily been an ArmyLawyer. Neither has ever been stationed ina war zone, nor have they seen hostile fire.On the other hand, I am a highly decoratedcombat veteran of Viet Nam and still carrybattle scars from that conflict.Although my opponents claim that the

Madera County District Attorney’s Office iscurrently in a state of confusion, nothingcould be further from the truth. We havewon nine significant jury trials in a row,without a loss, and increased andmaintaineda larger DA staff of attorneys, investigatorsand clerical personnel.Madera County has one of the best, if

not the best, record of any county in sendingindividuals to state prison rather than countyjail, keeping violent individuals such as the“Chowchilla School Bus kidnapper” and the“Yosemite Lakes Park arsonists” in prisonwhile we have fought against Proposition 57.With the cooperation of the Sheriff’s

Office, I created a jail policy so that MaderaCounty could cooperate with Immigrationsand Customs Enforcement (ICE), deportingdangerous criminals after they have servedtheir jail time and before they could be re-leased into our communities. My ICE policyprevented community ICE sweeps, hospitalsweeps, or the disruption of farm labor.I have handled, and I am personally

continuing to prosecute, the largest watertheft case in the State of California. As a re-sult of my prosecution, I believe that wehave prevented “water bandits” from invad-ing our portion of the Central Valley. Thebiggest threat to our water resources inMadera County is our Supervisors.I have made the Madera County Supe-

rior Court – Sierra Division in Bass Lake afull-time courthouse again, opened a fulltime District Attorney’s Office in Oakhurst,created a Veteran’s Court for our county’sveterans, and prevented arson fires in themountains and throughout the county withmy highly praised “Youthful OffendersArson Program.”I have brought transparency to Madera

County Government, and I will continue tofight for the people.Please vote for me so that I can finish

the job, drain the Supervisor Swamp, andmakeMadera County the best place to live inCalifornia.

LINN cont. from p. 2

Moreno cont. from p. 2have proudly served my community.I have prosecuted arsonists, sex offend-

ers, murderers and gangs and other criminalsthat believe they can prey on law abiding cit-izens. Candidly, I feel good when I am ableto deliver serial arsonists, who terrorize com-munities, long prison sentences. I mustadmit, particularly as a mom who worriesabout the safety of my own children, it feelsgood knowing that a child molester I sent toprison for life will not have the opportunityto harm another child. I believe it is my dutyto keep my community safe by sending vio-lent criminals to prison. Unfortunately, ourState Legislature doesn’t agree.As Sacramento passes law after law re-

ducing penalties and limiting sentences andencouraging early releases, our county jailsare now over capacity. Something must bedone to stop these failed laws and it’s timefor the conservative heart of California tostart pushing back. We can do this in many

Please seeMoreno on p. 13

Page 8

by Jean Briner

As I’ve told you before, lots oftimes I sit down at my computer to dothis article without a clue as to whatI’m going to write about. That was thecase a few weeks ago when I was try-ing to think of something that would beof interest to you and would be some-what easy for me to write about. Thenthe phone rang and it was my nieceSara calling. She wanted to know aboutan ancestor that had been in the CivilWar because her son Sam was doing aspeech on a family member that was inthat war. After we finished with the in-formation she needed, she told meabout her daughter who had entered acake in the Big Fresno Fair (junior ex-hibit) and had won Best in Class inbaking. Georgia will be 10 years old inAugust and according to her mothermay justbecome abaker. Con-gratulationsGeorgia!

G e o r -gia Grace isthe grand-daughter ofmy brotherand sisterin law; andshe got herM e y e rl e m o n sfrom theirorchard.

Here is her winning cake recipe:Meyer Lemon Bundt CakeCake3 C all-purpose flour1 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt1 C unsalted butter – ***2 C granulated sugar1/8 C Meyer lemon zest – about 3

lemons4 large eggs – ***1 tsp. vanilla¾ C milk - ***½ C sour cream - ***2 T Mayer lemon juice – 1 lemon

*** These ingredients should be atroom temperature

Syrup¼ C Mayer lemon juice – approx.

two lemons¼ C granulated sugarGlaze1 C powder sugar3 T heavy whipping cream1 tsp. vanillaInstructionsCakePreheat oven to 350 and grease and

flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Be sure to getin all the cracks of the bundt pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder,baking soda and salt together, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer,beat butter until smooth. Add sugar andlemon zest and beat until light andfluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, fully in-corporating after each addition.

Add vanilla.Add flour and milk alternately, be-

ginning and ending with the flour. (3additions of flour and 2 of milk) Fullyincorporating after each addition.

Add sour cream and lemon juiceand mix until combined.

Add some batter into your preparedbundt pan and press it into the cracks

of the panwith asmall spat-ula. Add re-m a i n i n gbatter untilpan is nomore thanthree quar-ters full.Smooth thetop with aspatula andwhack thepan againstthe counter

to evenly distribute.Bake for 50 minutes or until a

toothpick inserted into center comesout mostly clean.

Place cake on wire rack to cool for10 minutes. Whack the pan on thecounter to loosen the cake and turn outonto wire rack.

SyrupPlace lemon juice and sugar in a

small sauce pan. Cook over mediumheat, stirring often, until simmering andall sugar is dissolved. While the cake isstill hot poke it with holes, using atoothpick or skewer and immediately

Please see RECIPE on P. 9

All in the Family

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It must run in the family. My great-niece Georgia and heraward-winning Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake.

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Page 9

www.The Ranchos.com

brush with the syrup. Allow cake to coolcompletely.

GlazePlace powdered sugar, cream and

vanilla into a two-cup measuring cup.Stir with a fork until fully combined.Drizzle over cake. Garnish with freshlygrated lemon zest.

Thank you, Georgia, for sharingyour winning recipe and giving me theinspiration for the rest of this article.Love you! P.S. Sara and I agreed to keepthis a secret from Georgia, grandma andgrandpa until they read this article –SURPRISE!

The other evening, I was watchingthe TV show Martha (Stewart) Bakes.She was using lemons in all her bakedgoods that evening and she said howmuch she loved desserts made withlemons; I knew there was a good rea-son I liked her.

My favorite pie is LemonMeringue, but really I would be just ashappy without the pie crust and themeringue. Just a bowl of lemon curd …I could eat the whole bowl (if only Icould). Doesn’t cost anything to dream.You can put this on vanilla ice cream,or how about on a slice of pound cake?Yummy.

Lemon Curd½ C fresh lemon juice2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest½ C sugar3 large eggs¾ C stick (6 T.) unsalted butter, cut

into bitsWhisk together juice, zest, sugar

and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan.Stir in butter and cook over moderatelylow heat, whisking frequently untilcurd is thick enough to hold marks ofwhisk and first bubble appears on sur-face, about 6 minutes. Transfer to abowl and chill, covering surface withplastic wrap until cold, at least onehour.

The powers that be always suggestthat when life gives you lemons, youshould make lemonade. Why don’t youtry this instead?

Lemon Cheesecake Souffles12 lemons1 1/2 C lemon juice3/4 C water, chilled1 1/2 T gelatin1 1/2 C sugar1 pinch salt3 C heavy cream, chilledBlueberries, to garnishMint leaves, to garnishUsing a melon baller and a paring

knife, hollow out the lemons, reserving

the insides in a large bowl. Cut a smallpiece off the bottom of each hollowedlemon to allow it to sit flat, and placethe lemons on a sheet tray.

Pour the reserved lemon slices andpith into a mesh strainer placed over amedium bowl. Press gently with a spat-ula to press the juice out of the lemonpieces.

To the lemon juice, add the chilledwater and sprinkle the gelatin over thetop. Allow to sit for a few minutes thentransfer the mixture to a heavy-bot-tomed saucepan. Add the sugar and saltand cook over medium-low heat untilthe sugar is completely dissolved. Setaside and allow mixture to cool to roomtemperature.

In a medium bowl, whip heavycream until it reaches soft peaks. Addthe lemon juice mixture and use a handmixer to combine. Transfer filling to apastry bag, and pipe some into eachhollowed out lemon.

Garnish with blueberries and mint,and enjoy.

And while we’re on the topic oflemons, how about a lemon dessert thattakes just 5 minutes to make? Give thisone a try.

Lemon Pineapple Can-CanDessert

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple,drained

1 15 3/4 oz. can lemon flavor in-stant pudding and pie filling

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensedmilk

1 8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawedLemon slice (to garnish)In a medium bowl, combine first

three ingredients then fold in CoolWhip.

Spoon into individual dessertbowls, then refrigerate for at least 2hours.

Before serving, garnish with lemonslices, if desired.

Do you have a child that likes tocook – maybe has a specialty at whichthey are good? Boy or girl, child orgrandchild, niece or nephew or neigh-bor, doesn’t matter. I love kids and Iwould love to dedicate a whole articlejust to future chefs. Call me at 645-0634, e-mail me at ranchosnews@yahoo.com or come into the office at37167 Ave. 12 #5C in the heart of theRanchos in Maywood Center. Randylikes to say we’re in the perfect loca-tion for a newspaper: Halfway be-tween the library and a liquor store.I’m usually there Monday throughWednesday from about 10:30 a.m. toaround 3 p.m. I’m looking forward tohearing from you.

RECIPE cont. from P. 8

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F o r a n y o n e w h o h a s l o s tt h e i r m om , Mo t h e r ’ s D a y c a nb e a r o u g h t im e . I t ’ s d e f i -n i t e l y o n e o f t h e h a r d e s t d a y so f t h e y e a r f o r m e . My momwa s my b e s t f r i e n d . We t a l k e dn e a r l y e v e r y d a y e v e n t h o u g hw e l i v e d n e a r l y a t h o u s a n dm i l e s a p a r t . I w o u l d c a l l h e ra n d t e l l h e r s i l l y s t o r i e s a b o u tm y d a y o r r e c o u n t s om er i d i c u l o u s d i s p l a y o f c l um s i -n e s s t h a t w o u l d m a k e h e rl a u g h a n d c a l l m e h e r l i t t l ea c c i d e n t w a i t i n g t o h a p p e n .Wh e n w e wo u l d g o t o o l o n gw i t h o u t t a l k i n g , wh i c h a t mo s tw a s m a y b e t w o d a y s , s h ewou l d c a l l m e a n d t e l l m e s h en e e d e d h e r b a b y f i x . I m i s sh e r s o mu c h i th u r t s . B u tr a t h e r t h a nw r i t e a s a p p ya n d t e a r -f i l l e d h om a g et o t h e g r e a t -e s t m o t h e r o nt h e p l a n e t , Iw o u l d r a t h e rd e v o t e m yt im e a n d k e y -b o a r d t o s omeo f my f a v o r i t eMo t h e r ’ s D a ymemo r i e s .

M a m al o v e d a g o o d s p a d a y . I c a ns t i l l r em emb e r t h e f i r s t t i m es h e t o o k me t o a s p a wh e r e w es p e n t t h e e n t i r e d a y a c t i n gl i k e K a r d a s h i a n s . W e l l , K a r -d a s h i a n s w i t h h a l f t h em a k e u p , t w i c e t h e i n t e l l i -g e n c e , a n d n o n e o f t h et a n t r um s , b u t y o u g e t t h ep o i n t . M y mom wa s r e a l l ym o r e o f a l ow ma i n t e n a n c e ,d own - h ome k i n d o f woman bu ts h e d i d l o v e l o u n g i n g a r o u n di n a f l u f f y r o b e o n c e o r tw i c ea y e a r . Wh e n e v e r w e wou l d d os om e t h i n g l u x u r i o u s l i k e t h a ti t w a s Mama who wa s u s u a l l yt h e b a n k r o l l ; s h e l o v e d t os p o i l m e . I r em emb e r t h e f i r s tt im e I a c t u a l l y t r e a t e d h e r t o as p a d a y . S h e h a p p e n e d t o b ev i s i t i n g m e o n Mo t h e r ’ s D a ya n d I s u r p r i s e d h e r w i t h a d a yf u l l o f p amp e r i n g . S h e c r i e d

Thankful Mama Memories

wh e n I t o l d h e r w h e r e I w a st a k i n g h e r . H e r s i s t e r a n d mya u n t ’ s d a u g h t e r - i n - l aw c am ew i t h u s a n d w e a l l s p e n t t h ed a y w r a p p e d i n f l u f f y c l o u d so f s u p p l e c o t t o n a n d l o u n g i n gb y t h e p o o l i n - b e t w e e n s p at r e a tm e n t s . I t w i l l a l w a y s b eo n e o f t h o s e d a y s I w i l l n e v e r

f o r g e t .I n e v e r g o t

t o t a k e h e r t oD i s n e y l a n df o r Mo t h e r ’ sD a y , w h i c h Iw i l l a l w a y sr e g r e t , b u ts h e d i d t a k em e a n d af r i e n d o f m i n et o S i x F l a g sMa r i n e Wo r l do n e y e a r wh e nI w a s at e e n a g e r . S h el o v e d a l l a n i -

m a l s , b u t w a t c h i n g t h e d o l -p h i n s a n d w a l r u s e s p e r f o rmt h e i r t r i c k s m a d e h e r g i g g l ea n d l i g h t u p l i k e a l i t t l e g i r l .T h e w h a l e w a s h e r f a v o r i t ea n d s h e n e v e r m i s s e d a s h ow .I ’m r e l a t i v e l y c e r t a i n s h ew o u l d h a v e s t i l l b e e n s q u e a l -i n g w i t h d e l i g h t e v e n i f t h eo r c a sw a l l ow e d h e r wh o l e l i k ea f ema l e P i n o c c h i o . S h e h a t e dr o l l e r c o a s t e r s , b u t I m a n a g e dt o g e t h e r t o r i d e o n e t h a tw h i p p e d h e r u p , d ow n , s i d e -w a y s , a n d ( i f y o u b e l i e v e h e r )r i p p e d h e r s o u l o u t o f h e rb o d y mome n t a r i l y i n a n e a rd e a t h e x p e r i e n c e . S h e s u r -v i v e d , b u t t h a t w a s t h e l a s tt im e I e v e r g o t h e r o n o n e o u t -s i d e o f t h e mu l t i p l e c o a s t e r“ l i g h t ” r i d e s a t t h e H a p p i e s t

Please see GEN WHY on P. 14

I c a n ’t ma k e an y n ewMo t h e r ’s Day memo r i e sw i t h h e r wh i c h i s wh y Iho l d so t i gh t l y t o t h e pa s t ,b u t t h e memo r i e s I h a v eare o f a wonder fu l l i f e w i tht h e mos t amaz i ng , s e l f l e s s ,s u p po r t i v e mo t h e r f o rwhom anyon e c ou l d e v e rhope .

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4/18

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AND ACCUMULATION OF WEEDS IN THE UNINCORPORATEDAREAS OF THE COUNTY POSES A FIRE SAFETY AND PUBLICHEALTH RISK AND THEREFORE HAS DECLARED WEEDS ASEASONAL AND RECURRING NUISANCE. THE RESPONSIBILITYTO ABATE SUCH NUISANCE LIES WITH THE INDIVIDUALPROPERTY OWNER. THIS YEAR THIS NUISANCE MUST BEABATED ON OR BEFORE MAY 1, 2018.”

Due to theweed regrowth and the continual hazard throughout the summerHAZARDABATEMENTMUSTBEMAINTAINEDTHROUGHOUTTHEFIRE SEASON. This may require REDISCING/HAZARD ABATEMENTMORE THANONCE ASWEEDS ANDHAZARDSMAY RETURN.

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4/18

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4/18

Dear Editor:Election season is upon us. The position

of District Attorney is critically important tothe safety and security of all Madera Countyresidents.

It is clear to me there is only one real op-tion: Sally Moreno.

Sally was born and raised in the SanJoaquin Valley. She worked as a police offi-cer for the Los Angeles Police Departmentand is a decorated Desert Storm Army Mili-tary Police veteran. This background givesher an understanding of law enforcement,leadership, and management that no othercandidate possesses.

She went to law school here at SanJoaquin College of Law, and has been a pros-ecutor and raised her children in this Valley

ever since. For over 20 years she has sharedour Valley values.

We have all seen the totally inappropriateconduct of the current office holder (if youhave not, a search for the report on the Countywebsite will confirm that 10 of his own attor-neys, under oath, detail his inappropriate com-ments in the office – racial, personal, sexual,threatening. Not OK.).

What hides in the background is the ter-rible management of the office. According tothe third candidate, the office is in almostcomplete disarray and the incumbent's vileconduct continues. And the third candidatewas appointed by the incumbent to clean it upover two years ago! What has he done?

When the incumbent came in, he madeit clear, he didn't want Sally around, cut herout of supervision and any decision making,and removed her from critical cases. Unable

to effect any change from within, she movedto Fresno where she learned new skills andlearned in detail how a well-run office func-tions. (That she was able to move into a sen-ior prosecutor position in another office soeasily is a testament to her prosecutorialprowess!)

The fact that her heart has always re-mained in Madera is patently clear. As all usof who know her have seen, she has remainedinvolved in local Rotary, the Parish Councilof her Church, and coaches Mock trial at aMadera High School, just for starters. She isan involvedmember of our community, seek-ing to make it better, and a proven prosecutorand leader.

Sally Moreno has my vote.

Gary GilbertSupervisor District 5, Madera County, Ret.

Dear Editor:This is why I like and support Paul Hor-

nick for Madera DA. I have had two MaderaDA candidates come to my door. Paul Hor-nick was polite, answered all my questions,let me knowwhat he would bring to the tableif elected asMaderaDA. SallyOrmeMorenocame to my door, didn't say anything aboutwhat she would do for Madera. She did saythat Paul Hornick was too young. That is adiscriminating remark. (the unjust or prejudi-cial treatment of different categories of peopleor things, especially on the grounds of race,age, or sex.) That is also against the law. Shesaid she would mentor him if SHE waselected so he could be the next DA after her.Hmmm isn't this an elected position? There isno picking your successor. She also said that

LETTERS cont. from P. 4

Please see LETTERS on P. 25

Page 12

Page 13

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4/18

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ways and I can help lead us in this direction.The Keep California Safe initiative is

one solution. I am honored to be part of theprocess of putting this law together. If thisinitiative passes and becomes law, I am par-ticularly proud of my directive in the initia-tive to make sure that serial arsonists will nolonger be eligible for early release. It addsnumerous crimes to the list of those ineligi-ble for early release including: domestic vi-olence, rape of an unconscious person,human trafficking and other heinous crimes.It creates a felony theft offense for repeatthieves who steal items valued at over $250.It also increases the number of arrestees fromwhom we take DNA samples and runthrough our “cold case” databases.

Locally, it is critical that the local pub-lic safety community joins forces and workstogether to develop new ways to solvechronic crime problems. No one person hasthe resources to develop and sponsor newideas, but, “all of us” are always smarter than“any of us.” This is something I learned as anofficer in the United States Army and I willuse it as your next District Attorney. This iswhy I have the support of our Sheriff JayVarney and the vast majority of law en-forcement officers in Madera County.

Together, with the support and partici-pation of other public safety leaders in thecommunity, we can develop and implementnew safety strategies. “OLIVE,” a new en-tity inMadera, is developing a dynamic newparadigm to rescue women and childrenfrom the clutches of human traffickers andget them on the path to recovering. I’mproud to say I have lent them my skills tohelp them get established.

We have also developed new collabora-tive courts. I worked with a team of peopleled by Superior Court Judge Dale Blea to im-plement a behavioral health court. It is fo-cused on using intensive supervision andcommunity resources on our diagnosed se-riously mentally ill. We must get them offstreet drugs, on their proper medications (ifnecessary), back to work and into stablehousing. Veterans’ court is following a sim-ilar program.

Furthermore, as a community we must

continue to address repeat drunk drivers.They are a danger to every family and I willnot tolerate excuses for bad behavior.

Our District Attorney’s office needsgood management. I have worked as a com-pany commander in the United States Army.I have successfully overseen the training,budgeting, pay, performance, promotion,and general management of approximately100 soldiers.

I have also successfully managed withinthe Madera District Attorney’s office. As asupervisor for over a year, I worked with allof the special team attorneys that includedgangs, sex offenses, narcotics, juvenile crimeand serious DUI cases.

By all accounts, the current District At-torney’s office is consumed by controversyand in disarray. I have the knowledge, expe-rience, work ethic and commitment to giveus a District Attorney’s office we expect anddeserve. I would appreciate your vote onTuesday, June 5th.

grow old together in this wonderful commu-nity.

I am licensed to practice law in bothFlorida and California; I am also qualified topractice before any authorized militarycourt-martial. I was first admitted to practicelaw in 2005 in Florida, where I worked as aprosecutor for the Broward County State At-torney's Office. During my time in Florida, Ihandled cases which ranged from traffic in-fractions up to first-degree felonies. In 2009,I felt a personal calling to join the UnitedStates Army, and I did. At the age of 31, Iattended basic training and went on to attendOfficer Candidate School. In 2010, I wascommissioned as a Second Lieutenant andassigned to the Transportation Corps. Dur-ing my time in the Army, I served in variousleadership positions, including those of Pla-toon Leader, BattalionMaintenance ControlOfficer, and Battalion Adjutant. I credit myactive duty experience with significantlypreparing me to serve as District Attorney.As an Officer, I was directly responsible for

Moreno cont. from p. 7

Hornick cont. from p. 2

Please see Hornick on p. 22

Click on “Local News” at

4/1

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P l a c e o n E a r t h . S h e s p e n t t h ee n t i r e Mo t h e r ’ s D a y d o t i n g o nme a n d my f r i e n d i n s t e a d o f meo n h e r . T h a t w a s t h e k i n d o fmo t h e r s h e w a s . E v e n t h o u g h Il o o k b a c k a n d w i s h I w a s n ’ t s os e l f i s h a t t h a t p o i n t i n my l i f e ,I w i l l a l w a y s c h e r i s h t h e m em -o r y o f h e r tw i r l i n g t h r o u g h t h ea i r s c r e am i n g s om e t h i n g a b o u th ow b r i n g i n g m e i n t o t h i sw o r l d g i v e s h e r p e rm i s s i o n t ot a k e me o u t o f i t .

On e y e a r I g a v e my mo t h e r ap i e c e o f j ew e l r y t h a t t o o k m emo n t h s t o p i c k o u t . I t w a s an e c k l a c e w i t h a s i l v e r h e a r tw i t h a n i n l a i d c r o s s a n d a n i n -s c r i p t i o n o n t h e b a c k o f my f a -v o r i t e s c r i p t u r e . I c o u l d n ’ t b ew i t h h e r t h a t p a r t i c u l a rMo t h e r ’ s D a y a n d I w a n t e d t od o s ome t h i n g s p e c i a l f o r h e r . Ih a d a l r e a d y d o n e t h e f l ow e r d e -l i v e r y t h i n g , t h e e d i b l ea r r a n g eme n t t h i n g , a n d t h e r a n -d om DVD - I - t h i n k - s h e -m i g h t -l i k e t h i n g . I r e a l l y w a n t e d t h a ty e a r t o b e s p e c i a l . I t t u r n e d o u tt o b e h e r f a v o r i t e p i e c e o f j ew -

e l r y . S h e wo r e i t t o e v e r y ma j o re v e n t i n h e r l i f e f r om t h a t p o i n to n u n t i l s h e p a s s e d aw a y . N owi t ’ s d i r t y a n d s l i g h t l y t a r n i s h e df r om a l l o f t h a t w e a r b u t I c a n ’ tb r i n g my s e l f t o h a v e i t c l e a n e db e c a u s e i t s e r v e s t o r em i n d meo f h ow mu c h s h e l o v e d i t a n dh ow c l o s e s h e k e p t i t .

I t h i n k wh a t ma k e s t h i s t im eo f y e a r s o h a r d f o r m e i s n o tj u s t t h a t I d o n ’ t g e t t o s e e mymom o r h e a r h e r v o i c e o r h u gh e r ; s h e g a v e t h e b e s t h u g s i nt h e who l e wo r l d . Wh a t m a k e s i th a r d i s t h a t a l l t h o s e e x p e r i -e n c e s a r e b e h i n d m e n ow .L o o k i n g b a c k , I d o n ’ t t h i n k Id e s e r v e d h a l f t h e t h i n g s s h e d i df o r m e a n d I p r a y s h e d i d n ’ tp a s s w i t h o u t k n ow i n g h owde e p l y I l o v e d h e r . I c a n ’ t mak ea n y n ew Mo t h e r ’ s D a y m emo -r i e s w i t h h e r w h i c h i s w h y Ih o l d s o t i g h t l y t o t h e p a s t , b u tt h e m emo r i e s I h a v e a r e o f aw o n d e r f u l l i f e w i t h t h e mo s tam a z i n g , s e l f l e s s , s u p p o r t i v emo t h e r f o r w h om a n y o n e c o u l de v e r h o p e . I m i s s y o u Mamaa n d I h o p e y o u h a v e a wo n d e r -f u l Mo t h e r ’ s D a y w i t h J e s u s .

GEN WHY cont. from P. 10

Elder AbuseAwareness Day

Reaching the golden years shouldbe a time to enjoy life with family andfriends and not a time of fear or worry.Financial exploitation -- by a familymember, caregiver, or scammer -- is acommon way that our older familymembers are taken advantage of: unpaidbills, new credit cards or unusual pur-chases by a caregiver might be signs offinancial abuse. If you believe you or aloved one might be a victim, please callMadera County Adult Protective Serv-ices at 559-675-7839 or Fresno CountyAdult Protective Services at 559-600-3383. If you suspect abuse of an elder re-siding in a licensed care facility, pleasecall the Fresno-Madera Long Term CareOmbudsman Program at 559-224-9177.

To learn more about the effects ofelder abuse in Fresno and Madera Coun-ties, please plan on attending the WorldElder Abuse Awareness event on Friday,June 15 from 10 a.m. to noon at theHilton Double Tree at the Fresno Con-vention Center at 2233 Ventura Street inFresno. Tickets are free but seating islimited. Go to www.eventbrite.com andenter “world elder abuse.”

Page 14

Page 15

Senior Report

New Center Members, New Senior FriendsByMargaret Tynan

A big THANK YOU to all who partici-pated in the Ranchos/Hills Seniors Home andGardenFestival. It’s great to live in suchanen-gaged vibrant community. The next fun com-munity event is the Madera RanchosFlatlandersDayParade tobeheldMay12withthe parade starting at 10 a.m. In discussionswithGoldenValleyChamber of Commerce’sSecretary Virginia Vick and Chamber Presi-dent BillWhyman, I learned a little of the his-tory of the event. It was originally called theHarvest Festival and was started through theefforts of theFriendsof theLi-brary. In 1996the newlyformed GoldenValley Chamberof Commercetook over the pa-rade while theLibrary contin-ued to overseethe rest of theday’s activities.Many local busi-nesses and or-ganizations areinvolved in theevent and thepa-rade includingMadera Volunteer Fire Station19 and Boy Scout Troop 118. The Ran-chos/Hills Seniors have participated in Flat-landers almost since theevent’s inception.Thisyear theCenterwill haveabooth togive infor-mation and give the community the opportu-nity to get in on a great raffle. Look for Centermembers wearing wild and crazy hats min-gling in the crowd with tickets available. Theprizes this year are: 1stPrize --FishBoxChar-ter Shaver Lake fishing trip donated by theSantoro family; 2ndPrize -- a largepizzaeverymonth for a year from Pizza Factory; and 3rdPrize -- ATaste of theRanchos gift fromVal-ley Propane. Be sure to get your tickets andgood luck.

Don’t forget the Bake and Boutique andTreasure House sale Saturday, May 5 from 8a.m. to noon. Also, there’s still time to sign upat theCenter (37330BerkshireDr.) for the freeImprov classes to be held on four consecutiveMondays: April 30, May 7, 14, and 21 from4:30 to 6 p.m.Classes are open to adults in thecommunity.

Welcome to the new members whojoined the Ranchos/Hills Seniors so far thisyear. I’vehad thepleasureofvisitingwith fourof them to learn a little more about them. Iquickly learned thatMargoConklehas a sense

of humor. She answeredmyphone call sayingshe was outside “harvesting” weeds. She andher husband Jerry built their home in the com-munity about 40 years ago.Margo laughinglyshared that her job title during the constructionwas “gopher.” She and Jerry spend part of theyear in their secondhome inArizonaandenjoytravel. She says Jerrywould travel all the timebut she is more of a homebody and likes tospend time gardening (harvesting weeds?).Margo says she finds the Ranchos/Hills Sen-iorsCenter tobea“realgem.”She is impressedthat the Center is self-funded and offers manyopportunities formembers and community.

Ano t h e rlongtime resi-dent of the com-munity tobecome a Cen-ter member isCynthia Mald-ing. She and herhusband Ken-neth moved totheir home on 2½ acres in 1975where theyraised their twochildren. Shesays that at thetime it took ayear to get a

phone installed.Theyhavewatched thegrowthand development of the area over these manyyears. Cynthia enjoys gardening and loves tosee the kit foxes play on the property. She re-tired from the IRS 10 years ago and Kennethserved as PostMaster atNorth Fork before hisretirement.

Leonard “Bud” Page moved into thecommunity about three years ago to be closeto his daughter, son-in-lawand twograndchil-dren.Budwas in theconstructionbusinesswithhis son in the Bay Area before he retired. Hevisits his son, daughter-in-law and two grand-children there as often as he can. Bud told methat he used to race motorcycles and enjoyedcamping.Heespecially rememberswith fond-ness a road trip of nearly 10,000 miles whichincluded attending the Winter Olympics atLakePlacid in1980.Hecurrently enjoys read-ing and playing cards.

It is great to have such interesting newmembers join the Ranchos/Hills Seniors. Welook forward to our times together. I hope tovisitwith andget toknow theothernewmem-bers soon.

Thought forMay:“Since there is nothingsoworthhavingas friends,never loseachancetomake them.”

-- FrancescoGuicciardini

New member Bud Page visits with longtime Ran-chos/Hills Seniors member Juanita Williams at the Thurs-day evening potluck.

4/18

www.The Ranchos.com

Click on “Local News” at

Page 16

The 28th AnnualFlatlanders Dayis Almost Here!

The 28th Annual Flatlanders Day Parade, spon-sored by the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce, iscoming Saturday, May 12 beginning at 10 a.m. and willshowcase local groups, businesses and individuals fromthe Ranchos and beyond. There’s also a food and craftsfair at the Maywood Center sponsored by the Friends ofthe Ranchos Library that will last into the afternoon.

An entry form for the parade is to the right and ap-plications for booths at the food and crafts fair are avail-able at the Ranchos Library.

The Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce would love to see you at our nextmeeting, always the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., 37167 Ave.12 Suite 5C in the Maywood Center. Come join us on May 9 and help plan fu-ture events for the Ranchos. Call us at 645-4001.

Gold

enV

alley

Cham

ber

2018 Flatlander’s DayParade Day: Saturday,May 12, 2018 • $10 Entry FeeGroup Individual Business

Parade begins at 10 a.m. sharp!Registration of entries begins at 8:30 a.m.

Parade route: Ave. 12 from Topper to KensingtonThe undersigned entrant and all participants agree to abideby all parade rules, follow the directions of parade officialsand agree to release parade officials from any and allresponsibility from loss, damage, and/or injury to any

person or property as a result of participation in the parade.

Group or Business NameIndividual Entry orResponsible Person’s Name

Address:

Theme of Entry:

Will youngsters walk with the entry? Yes NoApprox. number of participants Approx. length ft.EntryCategory (selectONEmostcloselysuitingyourentry):Horses (Single) Horses (Group) Explain:Band/Music Name:Floats (Non-profit) Name:Floats (Business) Name:Floats (Church) Name:Children’s Groups Name:Dance Groups Name:Single Entry (Children) Name:Single Entry (Adult) Name:Novelty Name:Addtional information:

Phone:

Bring, fax or mail this form by May 7 to: Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce37167 Ave. 12 Ste. 5C • Madera, CA 93636 • Fax 645-4002 • Call 645-4001

Flatlanders is sponsored by the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce, Ranchos Kiwanis and Friends of the Ranchos Library.

Signature: Date:

4/18

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BE THROWN FROM YOUR

FLOATTOSPECTATORS•IFYOU

HAVEGIVEAWAYSYOUMUSTWALK

THEPARADEROUTE•ABSOLUTELYNOTHINGCANBETHROWNFROMYOUR

FLOA

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GIVE

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““WWhhyy sshhoouulldd II jjooiinn tthhee CChhaammbbeerr ooff CCoommmmeerrccee??””

1. Because the Golden Valley Chamber ofCommerce carries the reputation of being aleader of business integrity in the Ranchos andmy affiliation lends my business credibility.

2. Because the Golden Valley Chamberof Commerce is a close-knit organizationin which members support each other’sbusinesses.

3. Because the Golden Valley Chamber ofCommerce requires financial support in orderto perform its job of increasing the economicprosperity of the Ranchos.

4. Because the Golden Valley Chamber ofCommerce unifies the public spirit of the Ran-chos and directs it into useful and constructivechannels that are not limited to business.

5. Because I feel a sense of personal obli-gation to improve the quality of life in theRanchos.

www.The Ranchos.com

Page 17

4/18

Page 18

Click on “Local News” at

Hello 93636,It’s that time of year again. The 28th

Annual Flatlanders Day Parade & CraftFair is coming to the Maywood Center onSaturday, May 12. The parade begins at 10a.m. but the craft fair begins at 8 a.m. andruns till 3 p.m. I would like you to stop bymy booth at the Craft Fair and introduceyourself. You can talk about your favoriteIn GoodHands article, ask a question abouta pesky problem with your car, or just say“Hi.” We’ll be in spaces 27 and 28 on thesoutheast corner. I hope to see you there.

Spring and summer is upon us. Forme,that means lots of cool automotive trainingclasses. For you guys it means travel andvacations. I wish Iwas traveling withyou.

Since I'm not, Ithought I wouldgive you a few pre-trip vehicle inspec-tion tips that willhelp keep yoursummer travel safe,comfortable and en-joyable. Every inspection or test may not beapplicable to every vehicle.

Let's start with a vehicle walk around.Is the vehicle flat and level? Are there anyfluid leaks under the vehicle? While stand-ing in front and then the rear of the vehicle,have an assistant turn on each set of lights(high and low beam headlights, emergencyflashers, turn signals, brake lights, etc.) oneat a time. Have the assistant look at the in-strument cluster and make sure each indi-cator lamp illuminates. Make sure the sidemirrors are adjusted correctly.

Next, let's inspect all wheels and tires,including the spare. A flashlight will behelpful. Take the palm of your hand and rubit around the circumference of each tire,bottom front to bottom back. Roll the vehi-cle forward to expose the bottom of the tireand do it again. It should feel even andsmooth. If you feel rolling hills (cupping),it's an indicator the wheel is bouncing.Using your flashlight, look inward at thetop of the shock absorber or strut shellwhere the plunger extends upward. Itshould be oil and dust free. A collection ofdust is an indicator of a leaking component.Bounce on the front and rear bumpers of thevehicle. It should cycle (rebound and recoil)

Travel Prep Your Car

one time maximum after you jump off. Irecommend shocks and/or struts be re-placed in pairs, front and rear. If the shockabsorbers and/or struts pass your inspec-tion, have the wheels balanced and ro-tated. At this time, you should also beinspecting for hazards such as nails orscrews.

Turn the steering wheel all the wayleft and then right to expose the front tiresfor easier inspection. Is the tire treaddepth even across the tire? If the center ismore worn, the tire is likely over-inflated.If both edges are more worn, likely thetire is under-inflated. All vehicles shouldhave a tire pressure label on the driver’sside door jam. TECH TIP: For many ve-hicles, the front, rear and spare tire pres-sures are different.

If one of the above wear patterns ispresent, let's first attempt to correct it bysetting the tire air pressure correctly androtate its position on the vehicle. If morecorrection is needed later, adjust the airpressure accordingly in increments of 3

pounds per squareinch (psi). Thereshould be a maxi-mum tire pressurestamped on theside wall of eachtire. Don't exceed.

If either theinside or outside ofthe tread is moreworn, that's an in-

dicator of worn suspension, steering com-ponent(s) or misalignment. Do the samething for the rear tires except for the steer-ing wheel thing.

Tires have several "wear bars" be-tween each tread. The "wear bar" heightis 3/32. If the "wear bar" is even with thetread height, it's time to replace the tires.

It's a good idea to replace all tires to-gether. The smaller circumference tires(used) will spin faster than the larger cir-cumference tires (new). The differentwheel speeds (via wheel speed sensors)can confuse the transmission, antilockand/or vehicle stability modules resultingin reduced performance and/or falsewarning indicator lamps set. If your ve-hicle is a fulltime 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, you MUST replace all fourtires together. You CANNOT MIX tireswith different circumferences. The dif-ferent wheel speeds will cause theclutches in the transfer case to slip andoverheat. VERY DISTRUCTIVE!

OK, wash your hands and jump intothe driver’s seat. Turn the ignition key tothe "ON" position but do not start the en-

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Page 19

www.The Ranchos.com

gine. This test is called a "Bulb Check." Allmonitored systems warning lamps (checkengine, oil pressure, coolant temperature,battery, brakes, drive restraint, vehicle sta-bility, etc.) should be glowing unless thatsystem is monitored by a gauge. If a warn-ing lamp bulb is out, the vehicle will not beable to warn you in the event of a systemfailure. Fix it immediately.

Briefly start the engine. Every warninglamp should be turned off, indicating eachsystem passed its monitor. Honk the horn.Activate the windshield washers andwipers. Apply the parking brake to checkfor proper adjustment. Turn on the HVAC(heating, ventilation, air conditioning) sys-tem and check the blower motor, mode,temperature and recirculation functions.You never know when you may need thewindshield washed or defogged.

Time to raise the hood. The engineshould be cool before performing the fol-lowing inspections. Check the engine oil,engine coolant, power steering, windshieldwasher and brake fluid levels. Check boththe radiator and coolant reservoir levels ifpossible. Everything should be full. If not,there is a leak. Turn the radiator cap overand inspect the two rubber seals for cracks.Replace as necessary. Top off the coolingsystem with distilled water or the correctcoolant only.

The same is not necessarily true of thebrake fluid. If the brake fluid level is low,that's an indicator the brake pad linings arelow. It's not necessary to add brake fluid un-less it's below the minimum level markedon the brake master cylinder reservoir. Ifyou need to add, there is a leak.

Some vehicles, like BMW, do nothave an engine or transmission oil dipstick. That information should be availableon the driver information display. Scrollthrough the menu and check your fluidconditions.

Start the engine and bring it up to fulloperating temperature. The following testsshould be performedwith the engine at idle.Set the HVAC blower speed and tempera-ture functions as high as possible. TECHTIP: If the heater is NOT TOASTY HOT,the engine coolant level in the radiator islikely low.

With the cooling system now pressur-ized, inspect the radiator, radiator andheater hoses for swelling, leaks or other de-fects. DONOTTOUCH any plastic coolantcomponent or hoses connected to a plasticcomponent. Several times in my career Ihave been scalded from a plastic compo-nent that under stress exploded from just thetouch ofmy finger. Very painful.Watch theelectric cooling fan(s) cycle.When the fans

are spinning, place your fingers through thevehicle’s grill and you should feel the am-bient air passing by.

Turn every electrical load to high (AC,high beams, radio, flashers, etc.) so the al-ternator and air conditioning compressorloads will stress the serpentine belt. Haveyour assistant turn the steering wheel backand forth. The belt should remain steadyand true. If it vibrates or is sloppy, time toreplace it including the belt tensioner.

If your vehicle has a transmission dipstick, check the fluid level, color and smell.It should not be brown, dark or smell burnt.If so, or the transmission fluid has 100,000miles or more of use, my advice is tochange the fluid even if it is life time fluid.Better to change the fluid and extend thetransmission’s life.

Check the battery cable ends for cor-rosion and/or looseness.Wiggle the cables.They should be tight. If there is corrosionon the battery posts or cable ends, a littlebaking sodamixed with water will dissolvethe acid corrosion. By the way, 7 Upworksgreat also.

Let's remove the air filter cover and in-spect the air filter. Next, using your gardenhose and spray nozzle, spray water throughthe front grill and through all the heat ex-changers (power steering and transmissioncoolers, AC condenser, radiator, etc.). Letthem soak for 5 minutes to allow the debristo soften. Spray again at high pressure untilthey look clean and the nozzle water freelyflows through each core. Your air condi-tioning and other affected systemswill per-form so much better.

Finally, drive the vehicle to an emptyparking lot and safely turn tight circles atmedium speed, forward and reverse, whilebraking. This test loads the wheels, axlebearings, constant velocity joints, differen-tial, steering linkage, suspension and brak-ing components. Listen for odd noises(clunks, rattles, popping, etc.) and/or thefeel of driving over bumps. If one of thoseconditions is present have your shop ofchoice diagnosis the problem.

OK guys, that's all for now. Have ahappy and safe motoring summer. Sendmepictures, including pictures of your vehicle.If you have any questions or need help,come on by or send me an email or text. Iwill be glad to help. Don’t forget to stop byon Flatlanders Day.

I’m always looking for interesting andinformative automotive topics to writeabout. Please email me at completecar-care@hotmail.com or text me at 907-7661with any suggestions or questions.

God Bless America and God Bless93636

Warren Parr, ASE Master, AdvancedLevel and Hybrid Certified Technician

GOOD cont. from P. 18

4/18

Room Additions & General Contracting • Commercial & ResidentialDiscount Steel Buildings: Sales & Erecting

Concrete Foundations & Flatwork 4/18

Say you saw it inthe Ranchos Independent

Page 20

Click on “Local News” at

By Jerrica Edmundson

This month at the library, preparations

for the Flatlanders Day Craft Fair are in full

swing andwe are headed straight for an epic

event. We can’t wait to see the community

come together tomake this one of the great-

est fairs to date.

The following week after the craft fair

we will be holding our first ever “Game

Night at the Library” where people of all

ages can come and learn to play some new

board games in a family friendly environ-

ment — all in collaboration with the Crazy

Squirrel Game Store out of Fresno.

Even though we have a lot of fun

events coming up, your faithful librarians of

course still make time to read and want to

share with you what’s on our shelves this

week:

Jerrica’s Shelf:Oryx and Crake

by Margaret At-

wood.

This book is

one of my all-time

favorites and

manages to show

off Atwood’s

amazing ability

to weave a tale

that mixes current-day sce-

narios with a future that is both daunting

and realistic. The story begins with a man

named Snowmanwaking up on a beach and

proceeding to tell his story to a group of

weirdly ethereal humanoid creatures that

seem to be the last “people” on Earth.

Lo and behold there has been some cat-

aclysmic event that has apparently de-

stroyed society as we know it, and

Snowman is the last one— and of course is

the onewho knows thewhole story too. The

book revolves around his telling of the story

beginning with his childhood and showing

how he grew up with a friend, fell in love

with a girl, and then witnessed the destruc-

tion of it all.

I love the way this book is plausible

while being fantastic all at the same time,

and it is the beginning of the Maddaddam

Trilogy which continues to delve into this

world from different points of view but all

resulting in the same, horrible ending.

Spencer’s Shelf:Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card.In Pathfinder, the

first book in the

Pathfinder Series,Orson Scott Card

masterfully blends

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

to create an incred-

ibly compelling

setting for one of

the most unique

time-travel sto-

ries ever written. Rigg, the

protagonist of this story, is an exceptionally

bright young man. He has spent most of his

life traveling the wilderness with his Father

trapping furs to sell to the nearby town. His

father has raised him to be a very knowl-

edgeable person, teaching him everything

from hunting and trapping, to advanced cal-

culus, biology and physics. Rigg is not an

ordinary boy, however. He has the ability to

see the paths that every living thing makes

through space and time. Although he does-

n’t know it yet, Rigg’s ability makes him a

very important person, tied irrevocably to

the future and the past of the world in which

he lives. The Pathfinder Series is a must

read for any Ender’s Game fans or fans ofOrson Scott Card in general.

The Bookshelf

FlatlandersCraft FairAlmostHere

TheMadera Ranchos

Library37167 Ave. 12 • 645-1214

Sun-Mon ClosedTue 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Wed - Thu 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.Fri-Sat 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

www.MaderaCountyLibrary.org

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4/18

4/18

Say you saw it inthe Ranchos Independent

EngineeringHope

“Isn’t it time for you to leave yet?” I’velearned not to take it personally when myclients say that. And some of my favoriteclientsdosay that. I’mapleasantperson,but todomyjobImust, at times,holdmyclients’ feetto the fire. This comes in the form of keeping

themon task andaskingmanyquestions.Ques-tionswith predetermined answers that are chal-lengedwithmore questions.

Me:Do you need this?Client: Yes.Me: How long has it been since you used

it?Client: I don’t remember.Me: Describe for me a scenario in which

youwill use it.Client: Hmm…Clients don’t hire me because they want

things to stay the same, but that doesn’t meanthey’re excited about making changes. Evenwith obvious benefits like being able to findthings,nothavinga roomfullofboxes,orwalk-ing into a walk-in closet, change doesn’t comeeasily.Thereareobstacles that they,andperhapsyou, face in the process of change. Do any ofthese resonatewith you?

“My identity is connected to my stuff.”This is one of the hardest things for teachers.

You’ve poured your life, energy, time andmoney intocreatingandpreparing teachingma-terials. Teaching is farmore than a job. It’swhoyouare.Andnow, in retirement youhave to getridof it all?Well, no.Howabout snappingpho-tos for a photo book, or creating a scrapbookwith a few pages from your favorite units?Check with your neighborhood school, privateschools, or Home School Groups to see whatmaterialsmight be useful to them. Join a retiredteachers Facebook group and ask for ideas.Make room for a new identity to form as youpursue your retirement goals and dreams.

Maybe you weren’t a teacher, but you’restoring books, binders, andmiscellaneous para-phernalia from a former job. Keep a small por-tion for reference or remembrance sake, passalong resources of value, and recycle the rest.Allow your legacy to be based on the peopleyourgoodsandserviceshelped, rather thanhowmuch stuff you’ve saved to showwhat you did.

“I don’t want to go there.” One of my

clients had lost all the members of her immedi-ate family.As she andher husbandprepared foramove, sheknewshecouldn’t sell thehousebe-fore reducinga lot.With tearswesorted throughher parents’ and sister’s belongings as well as

many of her own. It was a painful and dreadedprocess for her. After many months, we com-pleted the job. Her house looked great and soldquickly. As we said our goodbyes she told me,

Please see CHOICE on P. 23

If you’re facing a daunting task,the key is giving yourself scheduledtime, accountability (someone thatcan help you reach your goal withoutmaking it worse), and grace.

Click on “Local News” at

4/18

the health, safety, welfare, and morale of mysoldiers, as well as equipment valued at morethan $10 million. I also received experiencein budgeting, resource allocation, and per-sonnel matters.

In 2010, I discharged from active duty,but continued to serve in the Army Reserveas a JAG Officer, drilling monthly. I cur-rently hold the rank of Captain.

I was admitted to practice law in Cali-fornia in 2013. I have been blessed in that Isuccessfully completed both of my BarExams on my first effort. I presently serveMadera County as a Senior Deputy DistrictAttorney, and I am maintaining full-timeemployment throughout this campaign. As aSenior Deputy D.A., I appear in court daily,and handle everything from traffic infrac-tions to murder; I am presently responsiblefor one attempted-murder and three murdercases.

I am distinguished from my opponentsbecause I am endorsed by the MaderaCounty Prosecutors’ Association, an organ-ization that is composed of my peers. Thesefolks opted to endorse me over both Mr.David Linn andMs. SallyMoreno. Notably,these people are the only people who haveworked with all three candidates fromwithinthe DA’s office, and, as such, they are in thebest position to weigh our strengths andweaknesses and opine on who should holdthis critically important office. Again, theychose me over the others.

Second, it is worth noting that Ms.Moreno’s endorsement from the DeputySheriff’s Association was issued well beforemy entrance into this race and was not theresult of a vote by the membership at large.Whereas both of my endorsements were is-sued following meetings, question/answerinterviews, and a vote by all members.

I am also endorsed by the men andwomen of the Madera Police Officers’ As-sociation. I am honored to have the supportof police officers from an agency that I workwith every day. It should also be noted thatseveral individual D.A. Investigators andDeputy Sheriffs also support me.

Third, the role and function of the Dis-trict Attorney is as much, if not more, one ofan administrator. Of the three of us, I submitthat I am the best suited for this role as well.Mr. Linn is simply not present for duty. And,in Ms. Moreno’s career, she has establisheda historical record of failing to pay attentionto important details.

The Jackson/Waterman arsonist casewhich Ms. Moreno completed in 2014 iscurrently pending direct appeal for prosecu-torial misconduct. The alleged misconductinvolvedMs.Moreno failing to turn over ev-idence to the Defense. Notably, this evidencewas known to her and in her possession. Be-

cause of her inattention to detail, we may beforced to re-do a six-month trial that shouldhave been done correctly the first time.

The murder case of Frank WilliamHogan, which Ms. Moreno completed in2013, has already been returned from theAppellate Courts for a re-do because of cu-mulative error. This was a horrific murder,where the victim was also sodomized by theDefendant. In sum, we now must re-do thiscase because the Defendant did not receive afair trial because of cumulative errors com-mitted during the trial. Prosecutors share inthe responsibility for ensuring that those whoare accused of crimes receive a fair trial.Here again, Sally Moreno has demonstratedan inattention to detail therefore causing ad-ditional time, taxpayer expense, and delay tojustice.

Ms. Moreno has also twice lost her eli-gibility to practice law. As lawyers, we havevery few obligations imposed upon us tomaintain eligibility to practice law. In sum,we are required to pay an annual fee, and weare required to complete continuing legal ed-ucation and timely submit records of atten-dance/completion of that education. Ms.Moreno has failed to complete each of theserequirements on two separate occasions.This is public record and can be verified byvisiting her profile on the California Barwebsite. Plainly, Ms. Moreno is hardlysomeone who should be controlling the of-fice's $4.2 million budget.

I have handled thousands of casesthroughout the course of my career, and notone has ever been returned for prosecutorialmisconduct, failing to turn over evidence, orcumulative error. I maintain two separatelaw licenses; never once have I failed to paymy annual membership fees or failed tocomplete my required legal education.

Very simply, the people of MaderaCounty deserve a District Attorney with ademonstrated track record of honesty and in-tegrity; this person also needs to be detailorientated. I am this person, and I would behonored for your support and vote duringthis June 5th primary election.

I can be contacted through my cam-paign website: www.hornick4da.com, orthrough Facebook at "@hornick4DA".Thank you for considering me.

Hornick cont. from p. 13

Moses cont. from p. 2

Page 22

endorsed me. (For a complete list, pleasevisit: MosesforJudge.org.)

As I have met with individuals andgroups, I share information about my twodecades as a Yosemite National Park law en-forcement and protection ranger and my 25years as a practicing attorney as well as my

Please seeMoses on p. 28

Page 23

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“You gavememy house back— no, you gave

me my life back.” As she pushed through the

purging process, she cleared the clutter fromher

physical space,aswellashermindandemotions.

Shewas readynowtomoveon toanewandful-

filling place and purpose.

If you’re facing a daunting task, the key is

giving yourself scheduled time, accountability

(someone thatcanhelpyoureachyourgoalwith-

outmaking itworse), andgrace.Keep the things

that bring you the most joyful remembrances.

Bear in mind that it’s not the quantity of keep-

sakes that honors your lovedones. Saving fewer

things that are used and displayed gives value to

the items and the people they represent.

“It will never work.” You’re convinced

you’ll never finish, never get it just theway you

want,orneverkeep it thatway.Recentlymyson-

in-law was working with my 4-year-old twin

granddaughters and their baby sister, rehearsing

their getting-ready-for bed routine. Remember-

ing all the steps can be overwhelming, so they

use a chart with pictures. In addition, he talked

with them about taking it just one step at a time,

like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. Now,

when it’s time for bed baby sister says, “Eat ele-

phant!”

Whenlearning toski there’sabunnyhill for

beginners.When learning to play the piano, you

don’t sit down with the score of Beethoven’s

SymphonyNo. 5. Likewise, when beginning to

organize don’t bite offmore than you can chew.

Start small.Chooseone flat surface, onedrawer,

or one shelf. Purge, organize and create routines

tokeep it thatway.Onceyouenjoysuccesswith

that area, take the next bite.

In their book Switch,Chip and Dan Heathsay, “When you engineer early successes, what

you’re really doing is engineeringhope.Hope is

precious to a change effort.”Whatever your or-

ganizingproject is, I encourageyoutostart small.

Succeed.Moveonandkeepyourbitesmanage-

able.Eat elephant!

Contact Organized by Choice (becausethings don’t always fall into place) atP.O. Box 26152, Fresno, CA 93729, call559-871-3314 or email info@ organ-ized bychoice.com. You can also visitwww. organizedbychoice.com.

CHOICE cont. from P. 21

By SEMCU Members

TakeaStandbySitting In

Sit inwithSEMCU

SEMCU is a non-profit organization that

represents the voices of the people of Southeast

Madera County. As a resident of the SEMCU

area, we all share common interests. By sitting

down with SEMCU, you become part of a

group working for the benefit of our commu-

nity. You can now have a say in how issues in

our community are handled.

So, the question is:

As a landowner within the community,

shouldn’t you be aware of the current and future

issues that will affect you?

As a homeowner or resident within the

community, shouldn’t you be aware of subjects

now and not too far off that will affect you and

your family?

As a business owner within the commu-

nity, shouldn’t you be aware of the problems

and solutions facing your business daily and in

the future that will ultimately affect your in-

vestment?

SEMCU provides a platform for all of us

to learn what’s going on in our community.

From subjects as broad and diverse aswater and

development, to schools and roadways and be-

yond, we all need to be informed about

what’s going on in our community.

SEMCUmeetings are held at 6 pm

on the third Monday of each month at

the Madera Ranchos Pizza Factory at

37184 Ave. 12 in the Madera Ranchos.

Call 559-363-9095 for more informa-

tion.

The SEMCU Area covers all of

southeastern Madera County with

boundaries on the north provided by

Highway 145, on the south by the San

Joaquin River, on the east by Highway

41, and on the west by the Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway tracks

where it intersects with Avenue 32 1/2.

SEMCU is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

charity that seeks grant-funding for com-

munity projects. The "SEMCU Founda-

tion" makes donations to, and sponsors,

activities in and for the community.

Click on “Local News” at

Page 24

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ANSWERS

if she wasn't elected then she would stay inFresno as the Homicide DA. If you are asgreat a DA as you say you are then why don'tyou work in Madera prosecuting the crimi-nals and putting them behind bars? Again,hmmm, if you live in the Ranchos and arecampaigning for theMadera DA, whywouldyou not want to work in Madera keepingyour county safe? You will only work inMadera if you get everything your way???!!!Is this a case of, “If I don't get what I want Iam going to take my marbles and gohome.”?

I didn't appreciate her acting like a po-litical candidate and bashing one of the can-didates. She didn't even mention the otherone. Paul Hornick didn't bash her. He wasvery up front on his dedication to theMaderaDA office. Yes, he actually does work in theMadera Office. She stated she was a DesertStorm veteran and then discredited all otheractive military and veterans. From start tofinish, Desert Storm only lasted 43 days,from Jan. 17 to Feb. 28, 1991. In fact, theland campaign is infamously known as the“100-hour ground war” for obvious reasons– that’s about as long as it lasted. Paul Hor-nick is still in the military, still giving hisservice to this wonderful country. After afew more negative comments from DA can-didate Moreno and the way she was talkingto me, I could very well believe she wouldcreate a hostile workplace.

She never did say what she would giveto the Madera DA office if elected. Is shejust another political candidate only out forherself? That was a wasted conversation. Ihope she doesn't come back to my door andwaste any more of my time!!! I was open tolistening to both. I didn't appreciate the con-descending tone from Sally Moreno. Afterthat conversation I did a little research onher. She isn't the great American Hero sheportrays herself to be. Yes, my vote goes toPaul Hornick. There were so many wrongs

in the conversation with Moreno. I justnamed a few. I hope the public does their re-search and picks the candidate that is best forour county.

Becky GribbleMadera Ranchos

Dear Editor:Sally Orme Moreno has my vote to be

the next district attorney forMadera County.As a resident of the Madera Ranchos, I havewitnessed Sally demonstrate sincere com-passion for our community by participatingin events and taking action on issues such ashuman trafficking.With over 20 years of ex-perience as a career prosecutor, Sally has thequalifications to prioritize the needs ofMadera along with character values to bringpeople together. Sally will bring her experi-ence of being a soldier in the United StatesArmy and serving as a police officer to herrole as District Attorney of Madera.

Jose RodriguezMadera Ranchos

Dear Editor:With all the revelations circulating

around the District Attorney's office, it istime we bring in someone who can clean itup. That someone is Sally Orme Moreno.

Sally has the most experience as a pros-ecutor and has worked in the DA's officewhen there was civility and respect. Cur-rently, the DA's office is mired in contro-versy and dysfunction. Now the insider, Mr.Hornick, says he wants to clean it up! Ilearned he has only worked in the office for2 1/2 years. And he is in charge of cleaningup the office that whole time. Is this true? Ifso, why didn't he clean it up? Instead, he andthe prosecutors' association endorsed the in-

cumbent, Mr. Linn; said Linn was doing justfine last June! Really, that's not what the at-torneys who work there said in the thecounty report!

Mr.Hornick is from New York and hasbeen a resident of Madera less than twoyears. Makes you wonder, how long hasMr.Hornick been practicing law in California?Madera is not NewYork.Maybe it's just pol-itics or with Mr. Hornick "the more thingschange the more they stay the same."

Sally Orme Moreno is from here andwill hit the ground running, I'm for SallyOrme Moreno for District Attorney.

Cindy Chidlaw DiazMadera

Dear Editor:As individuals run for public office and

place themselves under the microscope, un-fortunately, we look for what they have donepoorly vs. concentrating on what they havedone well.

In the race for District Attorney, Iwanted to share my vote for Sally Morenoand one particular case I worked with Ms.Moreno during her career inMadera County.She was very diligent and consistently keptthe discussion to what were the facts pre-senting. With her recommendation andstrength of how the case was presented, theissue was resolved, andmy employer was re-imbursed for the damages that were incurred.

On a personal level, I have seen the pos-itive effect that Ms. Moreno also has in thecommunity. She has been a volunteer Aca-demic Decathlon coach at St. JoachimSchool over seven years. She has workedwith Madera Unified with the Mock Trialteam over three years. She has also volun-teered as a Parish Council member with St.Joachim's Church.

With a background in the military, fol-lowed by law enforcement and now, as an

attorney, Ms. Moreno has held herself to thehighest standards in doing things correctly.

A vote for Sally Moreno returns back aquality attorney to work for the county.

Jim MonrealMadera

Dear Editor:Madera County is moving toward the

future, but we must maintain our rural val-ues and protect our way of life. I have beenhonored to serve as your county Supervisorthe last four years.

I am unanimously supported by theMadera County Deputy Sheriff’s Associa-tion, the District Attorney Investigators, andour county firefighters (CalFire 2881). I willcontinue to work closely with our publicsafety leadership to ensure we devote the re-sources necessary to protect lives, our neigh-borhoods and schools.

We must preserve our precious naturalresources. I believe we must develop self-sustaining local water banking facilities sothat future generations can prosper and weare not reliant on the State and Federal gov-ernment for our water.

We must attract and retain family wagejobs so that our economywill grow, our chil-dren will have more opportunities and vitalservices will be adequately funded, like pub-lic safety and education.

Lastly, our government should be openand transparent. I promise to be accessible,and responsive to your needs.

Working together, we will makeMadera County a better place to live, work,and raise a family. On June 5th, vote BrettFrazier for County Supervisor. I would behonored by your support.

Brett FrazierSupervisor District 1Madera Ranchos

LETTERS cont. from P. 12

Page 26

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Page 27

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ByEdwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.

Those who pay attention to the news areused to hearing a litany of problems. Andthey’re used to hearing something else:Calls tospend more taxpayer money on some federalprogram to fix those problems.

Federal programs have their uses, but weseemtoforget that theUnitedStates is thehomeof innovation.Nearlyevery typeofproduct thathas improved the quality of life the world over—frommedicine tocomputers toentertainment—has its roots in theUnited States.

Thefreedomweenjoy todream, toactandto thinkhasbroughtaboutcures fordiseases, aidto the disabled and the elderly, and the wide-spreaddistributionofnecessities thatoncewereluxuries.

Henry Ford created the assembly line thatmade the automobile affordable to all Ameri-cans.Dr. JonasSalkcreatedavaccine forpolio,the plague of the early 20th century. Bill Gatescreated the operating system for computers that

made themusable and accessible to all the peo-ples of the world. Americans were the first toreach the moon, invent air conditioning, trans-plantorgans, anddevelopmanyother technolo-gies and advancements.

Bycontrast, innationswhere liberty iscur-tailed or controlled by government, innovationis stymied.What innovations or inventions thatwe use today came from the old SovietUnion?FromCuba?OrNorthKorea?

It’s not out of line to say that the UnitedStates has directed the course of human historymoresignificantlyandpositively thananyothernation in thehistoryof theworld.Thekey tooursuccess is, alwayshasbeen, andalwayswill be,our liberty.The libertyweenjoyunshackles themind and nourishes creativity.

Theabilitytothinkandtoquestionthestatusquo should also characterize our attitude towardgovernment. Sadly, though, many Americanshave come to regard the growing reach of BigGovernment as anecessityofmodern life.

TheFoundershadaburningfaithintheabil-ity of ordinary people to accomplish extraordi-nary thingsonce theywere freed from the fettersofBigGovernment.But today, toomanyAmer-icans—whogrewupinawelfarestateandhavebecomeaccustomed todelegatingmanyof life’staskstoagiganticbureaucracy—aren’tsuretheycan takeup the slackon their own.

In the absence of Big Government, theyask,whowouldhelp thepoor?Whowouldpro-tect theenvironment?Whowouldsee to theed-

ucational needs of our children? Who wouldguaranteeanadequate levelofhealthcare?Whowould provide a decent living for the old, thesick and the disadvantaged? Who, in short,would serve as his brother’s keeper, if not BigBrother himself?

The answer, of course, is us. “We thepeo-ple.”Notwe, thehelpless, ignorantmasses,whocling desperately to our “guns or religion” andanxiously await the arrival of a messiah-presi-dent to deliver us from our frustrated, bewil-dered and embittered selves.

WeAmericans need to regain a senseof our own power, ingenuity and creativ-ity. We need to realize that many of thetasks the public sector performs so poorlytoday could be performed far better by theprivate sector tomorrow.

Weneed tounderstand that there aremorecompassionatewaysofhelping thepoor; more enlightened ways of pro-tecting theenvironment;andmoreef-fective ways of educating ourchildren, healingour sick, and tendingto our elderly than relying on the “invisi-ble foot,” asMiltonFriedmancalled it, of adistant,muscle-bound bureaucracy.

In short, we Americans need to openour minds to the untapped potential of free-dom, to thehiddenstrengthsofcivil society, andto the limitless power of theAmerican spirit.

Edwin J. Feulner is the founder and for-

mer president of TheHeritageFoundation.This piece originally appeared in the

Washington Times.Visit theCentralValleyTeaParty website

at www.centralvalleyteaparty. com for moreinformation.

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community activities. I would like to share alittle of that information with you.

While working as a law enforcement of-ficer in Yosemite, I also served on search andrescue andwildland firefighting teams, was apark medic and wrote environmental com-pliance documents for the resource managerin the Park. I was on front country horse pa-trol, ski patrol, road patrol and backcountrypatrol. I was a criminal investigator, collectedfees, was an emergency dispatcher.

During this time, I attended classes atFresno State and earned an agricultural busi-ness degree with honors. I continued my ed-ucation at San Joaquin College of Law inFresno where I earned a law degree.

I was sworn into the California Bar As-sociation in 1993 and have operated my ownsmall business, a law firm, since 1998. Mostof my work is in Madera, Mariposa andFresno counties as well as in Yosemite.

I am passionate about education andhave chaired a Federal Bar Association pro-gram, Law Day Yosemite, in Yosemite Na-tional Park for the past five years. Our sixthevent will be on May 4th. We are expectingmore than 300 eighth graders to attend theevent this year along with many judges fromthroughout the area.

Other community activities that I’m in-

volved with include the boards of directorsof theMadera CountyArts Council (of whichI’m treasurer), the Federal Bar Associationand the San Joaquin River Parkway and Con-servation Trust.

In my spare time, I’m an avid back-packer and runner and have completed morethan 30marathons. Each summer for the past27 years, I have completed a one-day hikethat takes me from Tuolumne Meadows inYosemite to Devil’s Postpile.

To quote Judge Wieland from a recentletter to the editor, “This election is aboutwhat each candidate for judge has demon-strated to judges, watchful lawyers, law en-forcement officers, and others in ourcommunity during the past 20 years regard-ing their character, demeanor, ethics, fairness,honesty, courtroom experience, success,work ethic, leadership skills, ability to workwell with others, common sense and com-munity service. Lawyer Carol Moses hasproven herself to be clearly qualified to beour next judge. That opinion is shared over-whelmingly by those who know her.”

I hope you will join Judge Wieland andmy other supporters by voting for me on theJune 5th ballot.

Thank you.

Moses cont. from p. 22Page 28

AUSTIN cont. from p. 2

be infringed upon by the States.As an Attorney with 22 years of experi-

ence, I have worked for multimillion dollarcorporations in areas such as contracts, litiga-tion, property and gaming law. My privatepractice experience has included criminal,bankruptcy, business and child protective law.

As aMedicallyRetiredMilitarymember,my life experience has involved being trainedas a leader in hazardous situations and findingsolutions while under extreme pressure. I waspromotedmeritoriously three timeswhile serv-ing in theMarines.

Having served as both a Police Officerand Deputy Sheriff, I obtained my Basic andIntermediate POST Certificate. My law en-forcement career was in some of the roughestareas of San Diego County and involved ex-

treme danger to deputies. We handled violentcrime daily, many times with back up milesaway.

Born and raised right here, I grew upspending summers working cattle at BeasoreMeadows,working in agriculture on theWest-side, or just being a kid. This is my home andit is supported by agriculture.

An active member of VFW, AmericanLegion, Elks, YMI and Disabled Veterans, Ibelieve keeping your family safe is your prior-ity and it will be mine.

I am a past officer of the Madera CountyRepublicanCentral Committee and aMemberof the NRA. I stand for the flag and kneel forthe cross.

My decisions will be fair and unbiasedand based on law, not political emotions.

By Randy Bailey

California’s five-year drought hasbrought lasting and continued conse-quences. The massive loss of trees in theSierra Nevada and wells that have gone dryare just two examples. Although the lasttwo rain seasons have helped, water con-servation is still important.

If you’re a swimming pool owner, youknow there comes a time when you justmight have to drain your pool. Draining apool will require a couple of days to com-plete, possibly requiring a permit. Fifteento 25,000 gallons of water, possibly more,will be wasted. There is a chance that thepool surface could be damaged and there’sthe cost of refilling the pool. In the Ran-chos that usually means trucking the waterin, and the quality of that water will not bethe same as what you just wasted.

There is a better way.NuWater ReSource is a service now

provided by Backyard Spa and Leisure.This process allows homeowners to filtertheir pool water rather than drain and refillwhen their water becomes too dense anddifficult to keep balanced.

In 2015, Backyard Spa and Leisureowner Tom Verduzco learned about a

water conservation process for pools calledthe Puripool process. It is a multi-filter sys-tem that uses UV light and reverse osmosisto clean and purify pool water, all in a mo-bile filtration system. The system reducesthe levels of calcium hardness, cyanuricacid, total dissolved solids, bacteria andviruses, plus the water going back into thepool is of drinking water quality.

The process results in an approximate15 percent loss of water, thereby produc-ing a net savings of about 85 percent ofwater over draining your pool. That’s waterthat doesn’t have to come out of your Ran-chos well.

The process usually takes less than aday to fully filter your pool’s water. Thefiltration process results in cleaner, saferand healthier pool water. The process doesnot eliminate the need to keep your poolwater sanitized, but it does give you thevery best water with which to work.

Whether you’re a pool person or not,no one in the Ranchos has to be told thevalue of saving water. If you are a poolowner, this process could help save a veryvaluable resource.

You can get more information aboutthe entire process by calling Backyard Spaand Leisure at 559-276-0494.

DON’T Drain Your Ranchos Pool!

Page 29

www.The Ranchos.com

ARIES (March 21 toApril 19)Don't waste your time and energy fretting over remarks you considerunnecessary or unkind. Best advice: Ignore them, and just keep doing your usual good job.

TAURUS (April 20 toMay 20) Getting that new perspective on a workplace situation could leadto a solution everyonewill accept.Meanwhile,make time to keep upwith your creative pursuits.

GEMINI (May21 to June 20)Those changes you planned to implement in early summermight needto be reassessed. But don't make any moves until you've discussed this with someone you trust.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Your aspects favor harmony, making this a good time to work outproblems in relationships --whether personal or professional, big or small.Anold friend comes back.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) While you're still riding that high-powered beam, you might beginto lose focus by week's end. Could be that you'll need to do a little cat-napping to restore yourspent energies.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) An unexpected development creates a lot of excitement.Where it takes you is your decision. Check out the possibilities, then decide if youwant to gowithit or not.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Although your supporters help you squash an unfair claimagainst you, don't let this go unchallenged. You need to learn more about the motives of thosebehind it.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) There still are some tasks to clear up by midweek. Thenyou canwelcome the newmonth on a high note. A friend brings surprising but verywelcome news.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 toDecember 21)Youmightwant to changeyour plans before they'reset in cement. Consider advice from colleagues. But remember that, ultimately, it's your choice.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A difficult situation is working itself out. Lingeringproblems should be resolvedbyweek's end, allowing theGoat to enjoy a calmer, less stressful period.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Be careful not to move so quickly that youmiss possiblewarning signs that could upset your plans. Slow down. Your supporters will continue to stand byyou.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your generosity in sharing your time and wisdom withothers leads to an intriguing development that could have you considering some interestingchoices.

© 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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1. INVENTIONS: Who invented the firstsuccessful electric razor?2. U.S. STATES: What is Ohio's officialgemstone?3. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the GriffithObservatory located?4. ORGANIZATIONS: What volunteerorganization celebrated its 50th anniversaryin 2011?5. MEASUREMENTS: How many gillsare in a pint?6. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which presidentwas the heaviest?7. LITERATURE: Who popularized theterm "The Jazz Age" in a book title?8. MUSIC: Who had a 1961 hit with thesong "Hit the Road Jack"?9. GEOLOGY: The terms "carrara" and"calacatta" refer to what type of stone?10. PROVERBS: What is the end of theproverb that begins, "What's good for thegoose ... "?

1.JacobSchick2.Flint3.LosAngeles4.ThePeaceCorps5.Four6.WilliamTaftweighed332pounds7.F.ScottFitzgerald8.RayCharles9.Marble10."...isgoodforthegander."

Answers

TRIVIA TESTBy Fifi Rodriguez

© 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.

© 2018 King Features Synd., Inc. © 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.

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