This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the race for Salt Lake City mayor heats up, there is one candidate you shouldn't expect to see at any joint appearances or debates. He'll be spending his time at the Salt Lake County metro jail instead.
Candidate John Renteria, who is president of the Latino support organization Centro Civico Mexicano, was sent to jail Friday by 3rd District Judge Sheila McCleve for 365 days.
He appeared in McCleve's court to show cause why he shouldn't have his probation on DUI-related convictions revoked. Despite his pleas that he is needed in the community, McCleve had him handcuffed and taken directly to jail.
Renteria, who has run several times for public office, including for the City Council and the Legislature, violated the conditions of his probation by driving on a revoked license, consuming alcohol and not reporting to his probation officer when he was supposed to, according to the court file.
He also did not fully comply with the judge's orders requiring him to wear an electronic ankle device during his probation, the judge found.
Renteria was considered a second-tier candidate and not given much of a chance to win. The last campaign finance disclosure indicated he had raised no money.
Perils of youth sports: Last February, I referred to an incident at the end of a freshman basketball game between Highland High and Murray ninth-graders at Riverview Junior High, reporting the Highland coach threw a basketball at the Murray coach, then "called out" the Murray fans.
The coach acknowledges he threw the basketball, but denies calling out the Murray fans. He says they confronted him and he just stood his ground.
Beyond the call: Government employees often are the brunt of criticism, including some jabs in this column, because they are the buffer between a bureaucracy and frustrated citizens.
But there are times when they are called on to do something for which they just don't get paid enough. Take the case of the female clerk at the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
She was helping Ed Reeve of Hyde Park, who was asking why the department had revoked his personalized license plate that said "69Gold," which he had gotten to hype his '69 gold Corvette.
The woman didn't know why. But when she looked up the code on her computer screen, she just couldn't utter the explanation. She let Reeve look at the computer screen to see that his plate "referred to sexual acts . . ."
Robbing the cradle: Ashley May of Salt Lake City received a membership application from AARP, urging her to join and "get the most out of life over 50."
Ashley is 19 years old and a student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
prolly
@sltrib.com