Manteca Fire has responded to another campaign sign on fire — this time it belonged to Mike Morowit.
Police alerted the incumbent Division 4 council member that someone lit his re-election campaign on fire Wednesday night that is attached to a fence along Daniels Street across from the Starbucks.
Unlike the burning of one of three signs of Mayor Gary Singh that were lit on fire in August, the fire this time around did not spread to nearby dry vegetation and trees.
“I don’t now if it was random or targeted,” Morowit said.
Morowit also stressed it was “irresponsible” behavior to put property and possibly people in jeopardy.
“If you’re doing your job (as a council member) you’re not going to make everyone happy,” Morowit said.
Manteca Police are investing the Aug. 27 and most recent incidents.
A TikTok video of the fire that resulted from burning Singh’s 4-by 8 sign in August shows flames shooting 30 to 40 feet skyward on the north side of Daniels Street across from the Stadium Retail Center before Manteca Fire arrived on scene.
The sign — that cost in excess of $100 — did not completely burn.
Burning pieces of the sign, however, dropped to the dry brush below igniting it.
The fire then spread northward through the brush and into a nearby stand of trees.
It was the third Singh sign to be set on fire.
The others were at Daniels Street closer to Starbucks and at Fishback Road and Yosemite Avenue across from Kaiser Hospital.
That sign — just like the one on Daniels — only partially burned. It did not extend to nearby dry brush. The sign showed signs of being charred by fire with some ash on the ground below.
This is not the first time political signs have been burned in Manteca municipal elections.
Back in 2018, during Jose Nuno’s successful campaign for council, one of his large signs that was located on the southwest corner of Daniels Street and Fishback Road adjacent to the AM/PM gas station, was burned.
The person who caught the late night vandalism on his smartphone being committed by what appeared to be four young men in hoodies that were riding bicycles, managed to get the blaze out before Manteca Fire arrived to prevent additional damage.
Perhaps even more disturbing is the video of another young man caught via smartphone tearing apart another large Nuno sign on Union Road just south of the city’s main fire station during the same election cycle.
In that instance, as he’s capturing the vandalism on his smartphone, the witness can be heard asking the young man why he tore down the sign.
His response: “I just did, so what.”
Larson pledges council
pay to District 3 parks
Lei Ann Larson during Thursday’s Manteca Chamber of Commerce candidates forum indicated if she is elected to the District 3 City Council seat Nov. 3 she will donate her council pay to help upgrade city parks in the district.
Based on $1,900 a month, that comes to $22,800 a month or $91,200 over the course of four years.
Larson at a City Council meeting brought up the issue of aging crushed rubber placed at the base of various park playgrounds after a family visit to Shasta Park where her son got headaches.
After research and talking with some other parents, Larson said there is a possibility the material in place could be causing headaches.
The parks department has a multiple year schedule in place to update general fund parks that has a limited scope of work each year based on available funding.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
