Anger spurs write-in campaign for Felix Delgadillo

For many east Hanford residents, anger over a proposed prisoner re-entry facility near the corner of East Lacey Boulevard and Highway 43 has accomplished its purpose: Getting county officials to withdraw the idea, which they did after public outcry. But the anger of resident Felix Delgadillo -- who led much of the opposition -- lives on. Delgadillo is joining Richard Fagundes to challenge incumbent Alene Taylor for the District 5 county supervisor's seat.

Taylor and Fagundes' names will appear on the November ballot for District 5 residents. Delgadillo's won't.

But if people want to write in his name, they can, and he could theoretically win the election.

Delgadillo is hoping for a groundswell of opposition to Taylor, who took a beating from neighborhood residents for her initial support for the re-entry facility.

After one angry constituent after another attacked the idea at a packed meeting on Sept. 4, Taylor reversed her position.

On Sept. 9, county supervisors unanimously voted the idea down, and it passed into history.

History that sticks in Delgadillo's craw.

"The thing that really ticked me off ... was the fact that the sitting district representative, which would be Alene Taylor, none of the constituency was actually notified (about the proposed site) ... we had to find out in a roundabout way," Delgadillo said.

Taylor said that she sent out a letter notifying residents within a mile of the proposed site shortly after state corrections officials indicated their approval of the location.

"I don't know what more I could have done," Taylor said.

Delgadillo isn't happy with Fagundes either.

By Delgadillo's reckoning, Fagundes should have been at the Kit Carson meeting.

"We were going to back Richard Fagundes all the way ... (but he) didn't even think it was important to him to find out what was going on," Delgadillo said.

Fagundes said that if had gone to the Kit Carson meeting, it would only have been as another person in opposition to the re-entry facility site.

"The thing is, I'm not going to go to a meeting like that ... I would have been criticized because I was using their anger against Alene Taylor for my candidacy. I'd like to do this as a clean thing," said Fagundes, a 66-year-old retired farm foreman who has never held public office.

Speaking about Delgadillo's candidacy, Fagundes said, "Right now, I think he's just speaking out of anger."

Delgadillo, a welder with no previous political experience, thinks that east Hanford has been "totally neglected" by Taylor.

"It's a lie. I have probably been more active in that area then any place in Home Garden," said Taylor, referring to the impoverished county area south of the Kings Fairgrounds.

Taylor cited her support for a water project in the El Rancho housing subdivision on East Lacey Boulevard.

Delgadillo is the only local write-in candidate in this election, according to Ed Rose, Kings County elections manager.

"I think there's anger at government. There's anger out there I haven't seen before," Taylor said when asked why she thinks Delgadillo is in the race.