Local firefighters helping battle ‘chaotic’ wildfires in Northern California

Everyone knows about the wildfires that have devastated much of Northern California’s forested areas. But you may not know that Lodi fire crews have been there assisting almost from the beginning. Lodi firefighter Anthony “Tony” Moore is one of the strike team members returning home. He says there was “lots of chaos down there,” especially when the winds would kick up. He recalls one day when the winds reached 40 mph and blew the fire to Oroville. “The wind event changed everything,” he says. Moore and his team were assigned to structure protection, among other things. Capt. Steve Bender, Engineer Craig McCamant, and Engineer Grant Gibson were also on his team, which spent two weeks at the fires, working 12-hour days. This was not the first wildfire Moore has helped fight. He was also called into action two years ago to assist with the Carr Fire in Shasta and Trinity counties. That fire consumed 229,651 acres and killed three firefighters, among others. The feds, through FEMA, reimburse the city for the costs to send personnel to the fire lines, says Moore.

MOMS ON THE MOVE:

A group of Lodi moms are planning a “rally to reopen Lodi schools” at the next school board meeting, slated for Oct. 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. Monica Fritz, one of the organizers, says, “With no plans to get any of our kids back in class, it’s time we speak up.” The moms are asking the school board to apply for school waivers, saying, “Kids are struggling! Distance learning is not working. Kids deserve a real education. Socialization over isolation. Our children, our choice.”

UNMASKED:

Heather Stewart was at the local Sprouts store the other day, doing her weekly shopping. She and her two children were all masked up, per store policy. But Heather’s mask didn’t cover her nose because she says she can’t breathe right when it’s covered. When she got to the check-out line with a loaded shopping cart, the checker, who wore a mask and stood behind a pane of plexiglass, asked Heather to scoot the mask up over her nose. She politely refused, saying she couldn’t breathe if she did that. The checker wouldn’t check her groceries until the mask covered her nose. Not wanting to make a scene, Heather waited outside in her car, leaving her two kids to pay for everything. When the kids got back to the car with their groceries, they told her mom that Mr. Friendly even refused to bag their groceries. Heather says, “I have literally never pulled my mask above my nose in any store. And I have never had anyone act like this.”

PUMPKINS PAST:

With Halloween just a couple weeks away, it brings back memories of the giant pumpkin patch that used to be at Phillips Farms on Highway 12 (now Michael David Winery). Kids and families would come from all over the region for pumpkins, hayrides, and home-baked pies. It was one of the most anticipated events of fall, and perhaps the most excited about it was Jeanne Phillips, matriarch of the Phillips Family Farm. Jeanne would dress up as the “Good Witch,” red socks and all. She would host thousands of school kids during the whole month of October. Visitors could also buy some of Jeanne’s homemade pies in the café. Want the recipe? No problem. Jeanne photocopied many of her recipes, collecting them in a looseleaf cookbook that she gave away free to customers. The typewritten pages included freezing hints as well as methods for making such things as zucchini pancakes, fresh corn casserole, “Excellent Peach Pie,” honey melon topping, “Easy Mayonnaise,” “Grandpa Carr’s Pickles,” baked tomatoes, apple (or peach) dumplings and peach crisp. Some parts of the cookbook were handwritten by Jeanne, including a complete list of everything they grew at the time — some 50 different items, from cabbage to cauliflower, beets to boysenberries. Jeanne died last year, just shy of her 93rd birthday. If you have one of her cookbooks, hang on to it. Her son Dave Phillips says he’s heard that some of the remaining copies have been sold on eBay.

GOOD GOURD:

Holy jack-o-lanterns! Lodi resident Jeff McLain says he grew a giant pumpkin this year, weighing in at 1,1171⁄2 pounds, which he promptly entered in the annual Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin contest. The beast of a pumpkin came in 11th place, he says, losing out to some coastal competition. “Growers from Napa have a distinct weather advantage,” he explains. But there’s always next year. “I really want to put Lodi on the map. We grow amazing grapes. Why not pumpkins?” suggests McLain. Before grapes, Lodi used to be known as the watermelon capital of the world. So why not pumpkins, indeed? McLain’s giant pumpkin is on display at Bokisch Winery in Lockeford.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU:

What do our city council candidates do for a living? In District 4, Joanne Mounce lists herself as a businesswoman, in addition to being the incumbent. She’s wrapping up her fourth term and is going for a fifth. Ramon Yepez says he is a data scientist. Shak Khan describes himself as a local business owner. Natalie Bowman says she is a paralegal and director of a local nonprofit. Bowman is also quite the athlete. Seven years ago, she was a 17year old high school student competing in the U.S. Youth National Championships, winning her second straight U.S. Youth National title in the modern pentathlon. Over in District 5, Mikey Hothi lists himself as a member of the Measure L oversight committee. He’s also an aide to state Assemblyman Jim Cooper, whose district includes Lodi. Michael McKnight is a local business owner and former morning show host at KJOY radio station. Hector Madrigal says he’s a student and service worker. … The real battle this election seems to be over campaign signs. Joanne Mounce reports a bunch of her signs were defaced over the weekend. She says this election is “unlike any other” she’s experienced. Sign of the times?

RE-FUNDING:

With news that the city’s general fund isn’t headed over a cliff after all, thanks to better than expected sales tax revenues, it could be good news for the police department. You’ll recall that the city passed it’s 2019-20 budget in June. It was light about seven police positions that went unfunded. The COVID cuts were made out of fear the local sales tax revenues would dry up after businesses were forced to close. But we reported last week that the revenue reduction wasn’t as severe as predicted, at least not yet. This December the city council will re-examine its budget and possibly make adjustments. The council could choose to restore police staffing, or not. City Manager Steve Schwabauer says it is a council decision, not his. Call it “re-funding” the police?

LAST LAUGH:

Someone asked, “Why is Bill Gates (super-rich founder of Microsoft) considered an authority on virus vaccines?” Someone else responded, “I believe him. The man has been dealing with viruses since Windows 95.”

Steve Mann is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays in the NewsSentinel. Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com.