www.thepress.net Your Hometown Website
ward Winning News al A pa
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 11, No. 13
Controversy swirls around pastor by Ruth Roberts and Rick Lemyre Staff Writers
A local pastor with a history of lawsuits, tax liens and bankruptcy is under fire from parishioners for questionable financial dealings, and has been operating illegally since his church’s nonprofit corporation was suspended in 2009 for failure to pay taxes. On Monday, members of Pastor Jerry Hanoum’s Mountain View Christian Center (MVCC) staff removed supplies and materials as Oakley Union Elementary School District (OUESD) workers changed the locks on seven rooms at Almond Grove School, which is currently being leased by MVCC and Trinity Christian School. Superintendent Rick Rogers said the church had violated a promise made in January to vacate the rooms as part of a deal to reduce the monthly rent from $19,250 to $12,000. Church officials ignored an e-mail from Rogers in early March, and a 48-hour notice to vacate the rooms that was e-mailed Friday, Rogers said. About 75 students were relocated to other rooms as the result of the
Press file photo
The sprawling Hanoum Estate in Oakley – leased by Jerry Hanoum pastor of the Mountain View Christian Center – has gone into foreclosure. room closures. “Unfortunately, this is just another example of Mountain View violating the terms of their lease agreement,” said Rogers. MVCC and Trinity have occupied Almond Grove School since 2008. Their lease expires in June. Rogers said there had been no request
by MVCC to extend the original lease agreement. “With only three months left on the lease, our best course of action is to simply let the lease runs its natural course so the students at Mountain View are not harmed.” MVCC has frequently fallen behind in rent payments, reaching
a maximum of $156,000 in arrears last year. After making several promises to pay, Hanoum sent a letter to Rogers on Oct. 5 apologizing for another delay, but assuring him the money was in hand. “Since our last meeting our funds have been deposited and are in our bank,” Hanoum wrote. “They are going through USA and international bank regulation checks, which is required by the security exchange commission (sic) along with other federal regulations.” He closed, “Please be patient as we are subject to these regulation checks, but our funds have been deposited.” But the following day, Hanoum sent a letter to the congregation saying the church was still in “a crisis situation” and in “dire need” of contributions to pay the rent. Many construction workers had been laid off, his letter said, and “This has affected us to the place that the city school board (sic) is threatening to take our facility. We need to raise $400,000 to catch up this year and take care of next year’s facility cost.” This week, Hanoum declined see Pastor page 10A
City council to chime in on chickens by Samie Hartley Staff Writer
At its next meeting, the Oakley City Council will decide whether or not to amend the municipal code to adjust the number of small animals allowed per home in residential districts. The council was to discuss the matter at last week’s meeting, but it was determined that the public hearing notice was released prior to the final draft of proposed revisions, so the council advised staff to re-notice the hearing, which is now scheduled for April 12.
Online Now!
“ A chicken doesn’t bark aggressively when you go to take your garbage out. They don’t have beer parties and blast loud music all summer long.”
”
Oakley resident Cheryl Metzler While the council didn’t comment on the matter as the hearing was postponed, members of the public were invited to speak at the March 22 meeting in case they’re unable to make the next meeting. The three residents who spoke
www.thepress.net Your Hometown Website
before the council supported the amendment that would allow up to three chickens, chinchillas, hamsters or rabbits in all residential districts. Roosters, however, will be prohibited. Cheryl Metzler said she was
Wood wizard
go to news/WebExtras! A woodworking instructor was honored for his service to the county’s youth.
unaware of the ordinance and allowed her son Kyle to raise three chickens at their Oakley home. While Kyle treated the chickens as pets, a neighbor’s dog dug under the fence in January and “murdered” two of his “babies.” As a result, the other chicken was removed from the property. According to Metzler, chickens are quiet, easy to care for, and make good pets. Her son learned a lot about responsibility by caring for the birds, and she urged the council to allow her family to get a see Chickens page 17A
Green clean
go to news/press releases Environmental awareness puts the emphasis on “clean” in spring cleaning.
rs
Na t
pe
ion
April 1, 2011
Remote oversight
Off-campus coaches are going high-tech to keep their athletes focused on academics. Page 1B
Get ready to recreate Capt. Jon Bloom offers tips on how to prepare for opening day on the Delta. Page 5A
Growing pains reign
The Falcons softball squad took the final game of a recent tournament to leave a good taste in their mouths. Page 23A Business ............................... 4B Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 13B Cop Logs ............................19A East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 9B Food .................................... 10B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Milestones ........................12A Opinion ..............................18A Outdoors ............................. 5A Sports .................................21A
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Odyssey oddities go to multimedia/videos Students put their academic and creative mettle to the ultimate test.