More real constructive city building was done at the meeting of the city trustees Monday than at any meeting in a long time. A resolution was passed empowering the city attorney and city engineer to at once proceed to get the necessary data for a bond issue of $15,000 or $20,000 for public improvements.

Rain which first began falling Sunday afternoon marked the end of the longest drought in the history of the state. The rain Sunday was very light, but since that time, showers have been falling intermittently until this morning the rain guage at the Spreckels Sugar plant showed a total of .45 inches for the season, compared to 3.68 inches to the same date last year.

The attractive colored lights which were strung over the three main intersections of the city last year will be used again during the coming Christmas holiday season. The work of stringing the lights will be done again by members of the Manteca Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Chief Sam Hanna will be in charge.

A criticism of the police protection in the business district by John Mendosa, local merchant, brought forth a rousing discussion between Mendosa and Mayor John McFall at Monday night’s council meeting. Mendosa asked for better protection against robberies of business houses, citing the recent smashing of a Yosemite Avenue window as an example of the laxity in law enforcement.

Because a mortgage holder has not signed a deed of easement for a right of way for the Manteca sewer outfall line, the council was unable to award the contract for the project at Monday night’s meeting. Faced with a Friday deadline, the council planned to meet in an adjourned session last night, when all necessary signatures are expected to have been obtained.

John Iribarren of Manteca has been elected president of the San Joaquin County Chamber of Commerce and will preside at the first meeting of 1970 to be held in Tracy. Iribarren, who succeeds Cole Hackley of Stockton, was named to the post at a recent dinner meeting in Lodi.

With 22 take-out and drive-in eateries dressing the streets of Manteca and three more under construction, the bedroom community of 22,000 population is attracting big-name fast food chains like bees to honey, Phil Sanguinetti, city Planning Department Director said. “Certainly, we have had our share of increase in fast food establishments in the last four or five years.”

Stating his belief that Manteca Unified School District has “painted itself into a corner”, Board of Education trustee Robert Wahl pulled the proposed  high school dress code out of a consent agenda slot during Tuesday evening’s board meeting, allowing nearly 30 minutes of discussion before the measure was voted 6-1 for final approval on its second reading. “I do believe that the district needs a dress code but I don’t think this one fills the bill,” Wahl declared.

Seasonal slowdowns in agriculture and construction bumped Manteca’s unemployment for November up to 6.4 percent. Manteca’s jobless rate translates into 1,420 people out of work. The growing influx of commuters to high-tech jobs west of the Altamont Pass continues to slash the unemployment rate in long-term comparisons by supporting additional retail, service and government jobs.