Farming Roots
I came to
the Tracy area as a child when my family moved to Vernalis from Newark in the late 1950's. I had the benefit of
growing up in a rural environment and participating in the family
farming operation. In the early years my father, Tony
Maciel, and his brother Manuel farmed as Maciel Brothers
under the watchful eye of my retired grand-father, Joe
Maciel.
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This photo of Tony Maciel
operating a Caterpillar D-4 was taken for an
advertisement in the October, 1949 edition of
California Fruit and Grape Grower magazine. |
The same D-4 is
still in the family and continues to be used.
Grand-kids love tractors! |
After graduation from high
school in 1968, I joined the U.S. Air Force, serving 6 ½ years, including a tour in
Viet Nam. After my military service, I returned home
and joined my father and brother as part of Maciel Farms,
producing tomatoes, beans and sugar beets in the
Tracy and Vernalis areas. The properties we farmed
included what is now the Hidden Lake development.
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Mike with grandchildren
Katlin, Conner, Nicholas
and Michael at Hidden Lake,
property formerly cultivated by Maciel Farms. |
The years I spent
farming are a vital part of who I am. I value the
lessons and work ethic I learned raising and harvesting
crops. One of the best parts of my years in
agriculture was the relationships with our farming
neighbors. The spirit of cooperation and willingness
to help one another was truly special. To this day I
welcome the opportunity to talk crops or tractors with those
still farming. The use of
agricultural land is a subject that frequently comes up in
conjunction with growth considerations. For many
farmers, their land is their "401K." I cannot blame
them for wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to
develop farm land that may be worth $5,000 an acre to grow
crops on, but $50,000 an acre for commercial or residential
development.
At the same time, I
know farmers who just want to continue farming, often on
land that has been in their family for generations. I
believe government, including local government, should not
enact regulations or policies that make life more difficult
for those who choose to continue to till the soil for a
living in our community.
It is ironic when
those who say they are opposed to losing ag land to
development are the same who oppose developments like Tracy
Hills, which involves land that is virtually useless for
farming. They then support other proposed development
on viable farm ground.
As a community, Tracy
celebrates our agricultural history with the annual Dry Bean
Festival. We should continue to honor the men and
women who farm today.
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Family
Marjorie,
my wife of twenty-two years, and I have a blended family of
six daughters (Yes. All girls!) and eight grand-children,
all of whom live in the region. Marjorie and I have lived
in Tracy for nearly all of our marriage and my police career,
with some of the children attending local public schools.
We are very much involved in the lives of our extended family,
at times caring for grand-children and attending their school or
sporting events, and providing moral support and occasional
advise to our daughters.
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Marjorie and the girls on a
1983 family
trip to Bodie State Historic
Park. |
A more current picture of
our daughters. |
As parents and
grand-parents, we know the challenges faced by Tracy residents
raising families - concerns over job security and financial
stability, finding the best housing you can afford, having children in quality schools and living in safe neighborhoods.
We believe Tracy is a
great city to raise a family and
has the potential to become
even better.
A Career in Law Enforcement
In 1981, I
became a volunteer Reserve Police Officer with the Tracy Police
Department, and in 1983 made the decision to leave agriculture
for a career in law enforcement. I became a full time
Tracy Police officer and over the next 23 years held every rank
in the Department except that of Police Chief.
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Much of my
police career was spent in patrol operations, which I believe is
the foundation of police service. I have driven the
streets of Tracy in the uniform of an officer working a beat, a
sergeant supervising a patrol team and a lieutenant watch
commander.
During my career I had the opportunity to play key roles in
technological and organizational developments, dating back to
the transition from revolvers to semi-automatic pistols and the
creation of the SWAT Team. I was the first Street Crimes
Unit supervisor and participated in the organizational evolution
the department underwent, including the creation and execution
of the strategic plan.
Throughout my career I
received leadership and management training which led me to the
command staff and helped me develop the problem-solving and
decision -making skills I employed on the street.
I am proud that I was able to work with
the men and women of the Tracy Police Department to make our
community one if the safest in the state. As we move
forward, we must focus on further reducing crime rates in Tracy.
No matter what my role with the Police
Department, I always held firmly to the principle that as police
officers we were in the business of serving the public.
The trust of the community was our most prized possession and we
would never do anything to compromise the faith placed in us.
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Mike going out on patrol during his
first year
with Tracy PD. |
I retired in July of 2006, with my final
assignment being Captain of the Patrol Operations Bureau.
After my retirement from Tracy, I was asked to serve as an
interim captain with the Turlock Police Department, as that
organization recruited, selected and trained new employees,
including members of its command staff.
My employment with Turlock PD ended in
December of 2007, but I retain the friendship of many of the
fine men and women of that organization.
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