By Keith Pendleton
The Madera Tribune

OAKHURST — The Madera Tribune asked Oakhurst shoppers their opinions about ballot measure C, which would create a town government for approximately 4,100 residents in the Oakhurst basin.

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— Tony Diaz, restaurant manager
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? Against
What issues concern you the most? “I am concerned about duplication of government services between the city and county and the proposed city raising taxes to cover cost of inevitable expanded services.”

— Tammy B., grocery store clerk
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? Against
What issues concern you the most? “I am concerned about polution from over-development if the area grows because it becomes a city.”

— Chris Avina, drywall contractor
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? Against
What issues concern you the most? “We have enough layers of bureaucracy!”

— David Linn, attorney
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? In favor
What issues concern you the most? “Healthcare. This valley needs provision for 24-hour healthcare emergencies.”

— Damian Espinoza
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? Against
What issues concern you the most? “I was born and raised in Oakhurst. This is not a city. Oakhurst is a rural town. We need more opportunity if Oakhurst were to become a city. Taxes would go up.”

— Sue Hocker, piano teacher
Are you inside or outside the proposed city limits? Inside
Are you in favor of, or against, incorporation Measure C? In favor
What issues concern you the most? “We need more services, like a new sewer system, a bike lane behind Road 426, a U-turn lane at the new 41/49 intersection and a road circling the town starting above Raleys on State Route 49 to take traffic away from that intersection.”

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Other points of view were stated besides those above. One respondant said: “Madera has different ideas than up here!” Another proponent mentioned that the promoters of this initiative are not getting their message across that the financial feasibility is strong for the proposed city. “Local control is long overdue” was mentioned twice.

“Taxes and fees will not need to be raised since residents currently pay more in taxes to the county than the cost of services this area uses.” That remark was made by a local shop-keeper worried that listing her identification would bring harsh response by people opposed to cityhood.

Gabriela Cox, another local business owner, was upset that her home was included inside the proposed city limits without her approval. She further opined that it is unfair that Oakhurst area residents outside the city could not vote on the measure even though it will affect them too. She is also worried about the rise in the cost of doing business in the city.

One respondant said he has gotten so much press over the issue it was someone else’s turn, but added that the fiscal viability of the proposed town is reported to be among the strongest among the proposals studied by the consulting firm doing the Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA).

The July 31st issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as the rising foreclosures, a Madera bank robber pleading guilty, a plan to improve Road 222 in North Fork, an upcoming walk to promote breastfeeding, a fire truck nearly flipping, a man pulling a gun in a fast food drive-thru, pollution found in valley waterways, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

The July 24th issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as the Madera County Taxpayers Association’s efforts to protect the San Joaquin River, the city and county’s concerns with flood control, a planned battle of the bands to raise funds for literacy, the Madera Aquatic Team’s struggle to find practice times, a local elderly woman found dead in her backyard, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

The July 21st issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as a 17-year-old being hit by a train, the increase in Alzheimer’s incidents, a formal complaint filed against a county official, the latest farm bill’s possible impact on the valley, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

All calls are edited for length and content. Due to content some calls may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.

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A woman called “about the Madera South High School median strip and the weeds 2 to 4 feet high.” She also mentioned “the high school’s architecture looks like a prison. If the city or county can’t take care of it (the median), why can’t you have school kids or school parents come out and pull those weeds. It’s disgraceful.”

A man said, “Mr. Emo came up short in his congratulations to the parks department for a great 4th of July spectacular fireworks. He did not acknowledge the golf course crew that did the majority of the setup.” (Editor’s note: The Golf Course is a division of the parks department.)

What sounded like the same male voice later left a message concerning the fireworks show. “Security and City PD left before the fireworks show ended.”

“Why hasn’t the Tribune mentioned our kids going to the Special Olympics?” asked a lady. “We’ve got some real good kids going there on the volleyball team and swimming. Get on the ball you guys,” she suggested.

A man wondered, “When are they going to have a traffic cop at the corner of Paintbrush and Doubletree Lane? People don’t seem to obey the stop sign and drive like maniacs down Doubletree.” He also asked, “What is going to be done about the garbage being thrown into the canal on Riverview? Do we have an ordinance for that?”

A gentleman asked, “Why did they even paint the lines on Howard Road? They are already so smudged and faded you can’t make them out. Especially near Taco Bell heading toward Pine and the railroad tracks.”

A male caller wanted to know why the developers are not responsible for at least “putting the roads (they tear up) back to their original condition.” He said, they are worse than ever after they have completed development and wanted to know if they would “pay for his (car’s) front end.”

A man called and referenced a “letter from Joe Galleano (July 10) running for the MID board.” He noted “when this land was bought, Joe’s son, Roger, was on the board and he voted to fund the water bank, including the purchase of the land. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Galleano has to say about that.”

A woman was upset about “the police department changing its phone number. They not only changed their phone number, they don’t even transfer you to the new one and you have to call back. It was very dumb,” she said and added, “they don’t respond to calls half the time anyway.”

A man called, but cell phone, road and wind noise (it seemed) made the message garbled. He mentioned the lady who called about the downtown and business colors “referring it to little Tijuana.” After saying things about the overall condition of the city of Madera, he concluded, “there are a lot more beautiful cities in Mexico that are more attractive than Madera.”

Another man called about illegal immigrants and said, “They should start (prosecuting) the people who hired them and the contractors. They’re the ones making money off the illegal immigrants.” He also said “we wouldn’t be eating (several produce items) if it were not for the illegal immigrants.”

“That lady, last week, who called in about unmarried people having children hit the nail right on the head,” said a gentleman.

A man noticed the Red Line call last week about “a person involved in an accident with someone who had no insurance.” He had also been involved in a similar situation having been “t-boned by a woman with no license, no insurance and spoke no English. Again, they (the police) released her. Now,” he said, “they can’t find her, the phone’s been disconnected, and they don’t live at the address anymore.” He said a friend of his had a solution to “send the bills to the government of our friends south of the border to pay for the accident caused by their people here illegally.”

A gentleman called about the spay-neuter bill and said of the letter from Carrie Tuttle. “She is absolutely right on. The people who are running around saying they have a right not to spay or neuter their animal have not read the bill. They do not understand the bill.” He suggested they volunteer at the animal shelter for a few hours and see how “puppy mills and indiscriminate breeding of animals” leads to thousands being euthanized.

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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24-hours a day by calling 674-4478.