Jake with State Farm does wear khakis.
Jacob Naven — wearing khakis just like the Jake referenced in the State Farm Insurance commercial when a wife catches her husband getting information over the phone with a company representative in the wee hours of the morning — spoke Thursday before the Manteca Rotary Club meeting at Ernie’s Rendezvous Room about making yourself less vulnerable to auto theft and vehicle burglaries plaguing Manteca.
Given that seven of the worst cities for auto theft in the United States during 2014 based on FBI statistics are California cities. The common sense advice that Naven passes on to clients is wise to head especially given Manteca is sandwiched between Stockton (No. 3 on the list with 4,245 thefts) and Modesto (No. 5 on the list with 3,047 thefts).
His advice:
Don’t leave keys in the ignition. Lock the car and lock the garage.
Park in well-lit areas. More than two thirds of auto thefts happen after dark.
Use a steering wheel lock. Install a car alarm with a kill switch.
Never leave a wallet, package, or other valuables within plain sight.
CDs and other audio/video media may attract thieves, so keep them out of site.
Park with the front wheels turned sharply to the right or left, and apply the emergency brake to prevent an easy tow.
Naven noted that people who have routines such as going out in the morning and warming their car while going back inside for a cup of coffee are setting themselves up to become a victim. He noted criminals often case neighborhoods before stealing vehicles. And if you give them a reliable pattern they will return and steal your vehicle.
The top 10 theft cars in descending order are the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Camry, Dodge Ram, Dodge Caravan, Nissan Altima, Acura Integra, and Nissan Maxima.
Naven also says he advises clients against posting anything on social media while they are on trip such as photos and messages about how much fun they’re having or posting news that they’re leaving on a vacation.
“It’s like posting, ‘hey I’m gone for six days so come rob my house,” Naven said.
Haven said what happens on open Facebook sites and such are friends of friends that you don’t know will troll for such information.
Naven’s office is at 1509 W. Yosemite Ave., Suite A2, in Manteca.

$13,000 in scholarships
for high schools seniors
are going begging
There are $13,000 in scholarships available to gradating seniors from Manteca, East Union, Sierra and Calla high schools  — including  one $4,000 scholarship — that as of Thursday only had a half dozen applicants.
Information and applications how to apply for the Manteca Noon Rotary Club scholarships are at the various schools’ counseling offices. The deadline requires the application to be postmarked by this Saturday.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com