Lodi: A Central Valley island in the vineyards

“You guys need to get out of California.”

I’ve heard that plea from family and friends living in states from Nevada to North Carolina many times over the past couple of years.

“Why are you still living there?”

Sure we’ve got a few issues in our state: crazy high taxes, homelessness, a state government that ... OK, my wife just told me I have to stop there. But hey, we have Yosemite and more Nobel Prize winners than any other state in the union. So we’ve got that going for us.

I was running in Elk Grove a few days ago and saw someone had a brand new California state flag hanging in front of their house. There it was, flapping in the breeze, bright white with a red stripe and that determined little bear marching towards the future. “That’s cool,” I thought.

Then it dawned on me that if the same person hung that flag in front of their home in, say, Texas or Tennessee, the folks born in that state would stomp the ex-Californian’s kale garden and light their Prius on fire. That pretty much sums up what people think of us now.

A couple of things keep us from renting the last available U-Haul headed for Arizona. First and foremost, our children are here. End of story. Until they leave the state, mom and dad are here to stay. Second of all, we live in Lodi. Lodi really isn’t California. Let that sink in. It’s an island in the middle of the whirlwind we call the Central Valley. How do you feel when you’ve spent the day tooling along I-5 or Highway 99, then take the Lodi off-ramp? Relief ?

Or when you’ve been in a larger city to the north or the south of us for a couple of hours and now you’re back in town headed for home? The lush green vineyards outside of town sort of filter out the bad juju from the rest of the state as you cross back into the city limits. Life is so hectic we rarely take time to appreciate the good things about our town. We kind of take it all for granted.

Never mind the wineries in our area. For goodness sake, we have three strawberry stands in the city. Then there’s the indoor public pool at Hutchins Street Square. Indoor. You can pick up real doughnuts, not the grocery store kind, at four places in town. Amtrak has a stop here within a block of another local gem, the World of Wonders Museum. You can buy an old fashioned frosty at two places and we have a scone shop and a pie shop. And check this out. I have personal knowledge there are three psychic mediums working their magic in Lodi. Come on, man.

It’s reassuring that your children can attend elementary school, middle school, and high school all within a few blocks of each other. Our city council actually listens to what you have to say and the police department shows up when you call them. What other city in our area other than Lodi can you feel safe walking the streets just about anywhere in town day or night? Yes, my perspective on this issue is a little different than most since I’ve been a member of the police department for 30 years but it’s true. No matter what the local blogs say, Lodi is a pretty safe town.

Take a walk around the shady neighborhood near City Hall and Hutchins Street Square on a warm evening. Pause in the garden at St. Anne’s to find your center. Grab a frozen yogurt and take a peaceful hike through the wilderness area at Lodi Lake. Just don’t feed the geese or sit inappropriately on one of the benches. Those are city code violations.

It’s good to remind ourselves once in a while that Lodi is a special place. Sure, there still might come a time when we pack up and head to Idaho. But just not yet. The kids are still here and believe it or not, there’s no Grape Festival in Boise.