Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
Manteca has had homeless for decades and we will continue to have homeless into the future.
But then Mayor Willie Weatherford’s response to the matter, “Hell no to a homeless shelter” eight years ago has not worked, nor has the subsequent policing actions. Harassing the homeless has simply moved them from the parks and other visibly public areas to private properties. The truth is that responsibility for managing the problem has been surreptitiously shifted to the residents.
The Council members cannot continue to ignore or harass the problem away as it has attempted during the past eight years. Today there is apparently some discussion about providing a “Resource Center” for the homeless (A code word for shelter.) I am not surprised, that was the same approach I suggested eight years ago.
My point is that Manteca had the problem eight years ago but the Council took the traditional and cut-rate approach to addressing a situation, hoping that it would go away in time. As I see it, eight years has been wasted by the Council, for we have finally reached the point that should have been implemented eight years ago.

Ben Cantu
Manteca