September is National Preparedness Month! Disaster preparedness can prevent an unexpected emergency situation from becoming worse. Public Health officials urge you to know about risks, be informed, make a plan, build a kit and get prepared for disasters that may occur in your area. Plan for and use the all-hazards approach to be READY for any event.

Today, Elinor Banks, Candace Gonzales, Edith Villapudua and Guadalupe Zapien-Aguilera filed formal Claims for Damage or Injury against San Joaquin County after suffering sexual discrimination, harassment and retaliation at the hands of their supervisor, Christopher Bruno, and his male cohorts for nearly two years.

Pete Morales, longtime Manteca resident and barber, passed away on Aug. 12, 2017.  He was born Dec. 30, 1930 in Denver, Colorado.

At a recent meeting of my staff, the topic of diabetes came up. When we went around the table, it turned out that 25 percent of them have problems with blood sugar. That figure exactly matches the percentage of Americans 65 years old and older who have diabetes or a condition called pre-diabetes.

California is number one, but it’s not a ranking that makes anyone proud.  According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Golden State had a national record 4,521 drug overdose deaths, the bulk of those attributed to opioids.  In fact, more Californians now die from drug poisoning each year than car accidents.

San Joaquin Delta College will award over $206,000 in scholarships to 172 students at its annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony, Wednesday, August 16, 4 p.m. at Atherton Auditorium. A reception to honor the recipients will follow in Danner Hall. The public is welcome.

Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library System today announced public availability of thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks and comics, all available for mobile and online access through a new partnership with hoopla digital (hoopladigital.com).

What is a Peacekeeper?  Who are they?  What do they do?  These are questions frequently asked of the City of Stockton Office of Violence Prevention.  To highlight the Peacekeepers and the work they do, the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) has developed a series of videos to help answer these questions.

The Code Enforcement Symposium will bring together  advocates and professionals from across the San Joaquin Valley to explore current code enforcement strategies being used throughout the San Joaquin Valley, and the resources available to support and grow its work. The Symposium will be held on Wednesday, July 26 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the University of the Pacific Vereschagin Alumni House in Stockton, CA. It is co-hosted by the San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative, Office of Community and Economic Development at Fresno State, and the California Coalition for Rural Housing.

A couple of years ago, my father, well into his 70s, finally bought himself a high-performance automobile.