Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
 Congratulations to the Manteca Bulletin on its reporting of the first Manteca’s State of the City Address. And, a worthy profile of our Mayor Stephen DeBrum’s accomplishments and where he wants to take our city, but I must say the paper forgot to mention the two businesses that most likely were chose to represent our past and commitment, and our present and legacy. As a volunteer for several organizations, including Vice Chairman of the City of Manteca Citizens Water Conservation Committee, I must write to remind the paper that without businesses like the honorees, our Mayor’s plan or volunteers’ contribution to our community, all we do will be in vain.
I had the privilege, as a volunteer, to present both, Sunnyvalley Smoke Meats and Creative Arts Zone, with a Certificate from the California State Assembly on behalf of Assembly Member, the Hon. Heath Flora. San Joaquin County Supervisors who represent our city,  the Hon. Tom Patty, and the Hon. Bob Elliott, presented each their respective Certificates to both businesses as well as Mike Anderson, representing Congress Member, the Hon. Jeff Denham, and Christina Carrillo representing California State Senator, the Hon. Cathleen Galgiani.
Sunnyvalley Smoke Meats is a large employer in our city and represents a commitment from a small business owner to our community; its longevity in our city invites other businesses like Creative Arts Zone to choose Manteca as their headquarters and the place to start new dreams of prosperity and productivity, our legacy.
What I took away from the State of the City Address, is the commitment of Mayor DeBrum and City Council to strive for a better future for our city and its residents, but none of those could ever be accomplished without the loyal contribution of businesses like Sunnyvalley Smoke Meats and Creative Arts Zone. And, yes, Manteca does need larger employers to fill in the vacancies we have at Orchard Valley, but like former SBA Administrator Hector Barreto once wrote, the small business is “the engine of America,” and I could not agree more. Sunnyvalley Smoke Meats and Creative Arts Zone are core ingredients of our city’s plan into the 21st Century. I commend both of them and thank them for their contribution to our city, and thanks to the Manteca Chamber of Commerce for a job well done.

Al Moncada
Manteca