Manteca apparently has a new Pick and Pull operation just a stone’s throw from downtown.
A black Honda Accord — which probably had been stolen — has been parked along the Tidewater Bike Way section that parallels Moffat Boulevard for more than a week.
It was there last Friday while the Manteca City Council conducted their mid-year budget review just a short jaunt down Moffat at the $7.5 million Manteca Transit Center that doubles at times as covered parking for daytime snoozing by the homeless that have vehicles.
Last Friday the car had missing license plates, most of its windows broken, hood missing, and assorted damage.
By this Thursday, there was more glass damage including several chunks of concrete inside the car that weren’t there before.  Someone did a number on the side panels repeatedly putting deep scratches in place.
An enterprising thief either used the inflatable emergency spare tire from the Accord’s trunk, their own emergency tire, or possibly stole one to allow them to steal all four tires off the Accord that appeared almost new plus the nice looking rims.
Readers report other similar abandoned cars with slashed tires and windows smashed being found in high profile places such as Target as well as along vacant lots on highly traveled Yosemite Avenue that had — or have been —  sitting for weeks.
A long suffering neighbor to the malicious mischief and crime along the fairly well-traveled Moffat Boulevard walked up as photos were being snapped on Thursday off the black Honda Accord and volunteered his low opinion of Manteca’s code enforcement effort. He suggested Manteca might want to learn a thing or two from Lathrop about making sure older sections of towns don’t get trashed.
His bottom line: Manteca does a very poor job at the day-to-day quality of life issues. He pointed to the nearby Manteca Veterans Center praising the city for the $1.1 million investment for veterans and them slamming city for not taking promised remedial steps to protect the facility that’s on a long-term lease to the Manteca VFW from copper thieves while spending $30,000 for a fancy roof above an outside mechanical area to deter copper thieves at the transit center.
Perhaps a week from now the Honda Accord — which is becoming a fitting symbol for the city’s seemingly inability to sweat the little stuff — might be further damaged.
Northing says Family City and that Manteca is open for business more effectively than allowing the heart of the city to be used as a dumping ground for stolen vehicles that are then stripped.
Kind of reminds you a bit of the early days of South Stockton if you think about it.

Manteca’s pent house
 for the homeless crowd
If you read Glenn Kahl’s story above about the homeless taking over a building just over a block from Manteca’s heart at Yosemite Avenue and Main Street, it might bring to mind an incident a few years back at the Manteca Marketplace on West Yosemite Avenue that’s anchored by SaveMart.
Police rousted three homeless who had been living on top of the shopping center roof where they had plugged into electricity to power a TV seat and microwave. They also had other comforts of homes such as an easy chair.

Manteca’s growing
pot and crack problem
Are Manteca’s roads getting so bad you’re thinking about trading in your wheels for a monster truck or an off-road vehicle due to potholes multiplying like rabbits, some relief is coming.
The Manteca City Council on Tuesday is being asked to OK the 2017 annual pavement maintenance  project that will take place this summer.
While it won’t address Manteca’s growing crack and pot problem as in cracked pavement and potholes, the $1.9 million endeavor is designed to prevent 48 lane miles of residential streets from deteriorating to that point.
The project includes the placement of micro-surfacing on approximately 33 lane miles of streets, and placement of cape seal on approximately 15 lane miles of streets. The project areas are:
uGenerally bounded by Airport Way on the west, Union Road on the east, Louise Avenue on the north, and Crom Street on the south.
uThe Sherwood Forest Subdivision, Units No. 1 and No. 2, north and northeast of East Union High and Neil Hafley School.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com