Highlights from "The Week in Review" (TWIR)

You can access the entire TWIR by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

Fire
Emergency Incidents: We had a total of 80 incidents this week, which included 5 that were fire related: 2-Structure Fires, 1-Cooking Fire, and 2-Outside/
Trash Fires. The remaining calls this week were: EMS-54, Vehicle Accidents-6, Service Calls-7 and Other Emergencies-8.

Fire Prevention: This week’s Fire Prevention activities included: Business Inspections-46, New Construction Inspections-5, Plan Checks-6, Certification of Occupanies-1, Business License Inspections-2, and Fire System Checks-8.

Engine companies visited local schools this past week as part of the Fire Awareness in the Schools “FAITS” curriculum. This month’s sections focused on life-safety techniques for second graders.

Police
Robbery: On January 8 at 7:23 a.m., a robbery occurred at the Pacific Motel, 453 Moffat Blvd. The victim was alone in the room, asleep, when the suspect entered. The suspect had a hammer and struck the victim on the back and arms. The suspect took the victim’s wallet and fled. The victim sustained scrapes and bruises, but refused medical treatment. The suspect was not located.

Robbery Arrest: A strong-arm robbery occurred on the Tidewater bike path just north of Center Street at 1:00 p.m. on January 8. Four suspects approached the victim and told him to give over his guitar and wallet. The victim refused and was punched in the side of the head. He fell to the ground and was kicked by the suspects. Taken from the victim were his guitar and case, wallet, MP-3 player and a memory stick. Officers responded to the area. Detectives located four subjects, including two of the suspects, at Sequoia and Virginia. When officers approached them, all of the suspects ran. Detectives took one of the suspects to the ground at the scene and the others fled on foot. They were later apprehended, and all of the stolen property was recovered. The victim sustained a cut lip and refused medical treatment. The following suspects were arrested: Clarence Odell Jorme Cortez, 18, of Mountain House, and a male juvenile resident of Manteca. They were arrested for Robbery, Conspiracy, Resisting Arrest, and Participating in a Gang Crime.

Stabbing: On January 11 at 5:30 p.m., Patrol officers were dispatched to Shasta Park at 955 E. Edison Ave. for a report of a fight involving approximately 30 subjects. Dispatch then gave additional information that a possible stabbing had just occurred at that location. Upon arrival, Patrol units were unable to find any victims or any subjects who were involved in the incident. While units were still checking the area, Dispatch advised that a stabbing victim had just arrived at Doctor’s Hospital in Manteca. Kenneth Jones arrived at the hospital with a stab wound to the side of his torso. Jones said he arrived at Shasta Park with several other subjects to watch two females who were planning to fight each other. According to Jones, the crowd grew to nearly 80 people. During the gathering, Jones’ friend was jumped by several unknown male subjects. Jones attempted to help his friend when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his torso. Jones said someone stabbed him from behind and he did not see who stabbed him. As soon as the stabbing occurred, the crowd quickly dispersed.

School Stabbing: On January 14 at approximately 7:30 a.m., a fight broke out in one of the halls at Manteca High School. The School Resource Officer radioed to Dispatch, saying an ambulance was needed for a victim of a stabbing. The 15-year-old female victim was stabbed in the upper right arm, with a cut about 8 inches long. She was transported to Doctor’s Hospital in Manteca in stable condition. A 15-year-old female suspect is in custody; however, the weapon was dropped and not found. It is believed someone picked up the knife or blade. Apparently the victim and suspect have disliked each other for a very long time, and there have been fights between them in the past. This time, words were spoken, punches were made, and the end result was the victim being stabbed. The suspect was charged with Assault with a Deadly Weapon and transported to Juvenile Hall.

Community Development
Building Safety Activities: The City’s Building Safety Division conducted a total of 370 inspections during this past week. The Division issued 41 building permits, which included 1 Single-Family Dwelling, 5 Changes to Existing Plans, 1 Commercial Coach, 2 Commercial Remodels, 1 Fire Alarm, 2 Fire Sprinklers, 1 Miscellaneous Electrical, 3 Miscellaneous Mechanical, 2 Miscellaneous Plumbing, 10 Photovoltaic, 3 Power Poles, 1 Residential Demolition, 1 Residential Fire Repair, 2 Residential Remodels, 4 Roofs, 1 Sign and 1 Storage Rack. A total of 10 new project applications were submitted for plan check services, which included 1 Commercial Remodel, 1 Fire Alarm, 1 Hood and Duct, 1 Residential Master, 1 Residential Remodel, 1 Storage Rack, 2 Swimming Pools, 1 Commercial HVAC and 1 Vanilla Tenant Infill out at Promenade.

Public Works
Payment for WQCF Peak Energy Savings: The practice of shedding electrical loads during peak energy demand periods – known as demand response – is a beneficial activity to the public. This practice helps to minimize or eliminate brownouts and blackouts. Demand response also has beneficial impacts on energy costs and air quality, in that it reduces the need for utility companies to turn on peak energy generation facilities, which are often more costly to run and contribute the most to air pollution. This past summer, PG&E issued two separate energy curtailment bulletins to its various commercial and industrial customers, including the City of Manteca, requesting they reduce energy usage to take pressure off of the Statewide electric grid. WQCF (Wastewater Quality Control Facility) staff responded to both bulletins by successfully curtailing 1,287 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of peak energy use. In return for these efforts, the City recently received payment in the amount of $8,169.38 from PG&E’s peak energy curtailment program. The WQCF’s efforts, along with numerous other agencies and businesses, helped protect communities from blackouts, and helped the environment by providing a clean alternative to fossil-fuel-burning peaking power plants.

Manteca’s Solid Waste Rates Fare Well Against Others: The Tracy Press reported this week that the City of Tracy's garbage collection operations lost approximately $1.1 million last fiscal year. The article explained that the deficit was due to decreases in revenue from recycling, residential customers and commercial collection. Manteca has experienced similar decreases in revenue, but has been able to reduce costs to offset the loss of revenue. It is interesting to compare the two operations. The City of Tracy charges $4 more per month for comparable residential service than Manteca, and commercial rates are also significantly higher. Tracy’s total Solid Waste budget is reported at $17 million, compared to $8.8 million for Manteca. Tracy’s Finance Director said there is really nothing that Tracy can do to reduce their costs, because the garbage operation is contracted out to private companies and the contract costs cannot be adjusted. This is in sharp contrast to Manteca, where the City employees who manage and execute our solid waste operations have cut costs through operational efficiencies and negotiated compensation adjustments. Manteca’s Solid Waste employees should be commended for continuing to provide better service at a lower price than all our neighboring cities who contract out this service.