Mandarin Mayor: Shipment of Loomis Oranges Should Be in La Mesa Soon

Mayor Art Madrid should have some mandarin oranges in hand soon—his winnings in a wager over the Helix-Del Oro football game Saturday.

Rhonda Morillas, until recently the mayor of Loomis in Placer County, said she ordered the mandarins Tuesday from Loomis farmer Jim Struble—a member of the Del Oro High School football team in the early 1960s. The Golden Eagles fell to the Highlanders 35-24 at Carson.

“He was ahead of me in school a couple of years,” Morillas said of Struble, who grows Owari Satsuma mandarins as well as navel oranges and Lisbon lemons.

The mandarins were to be shipped Wednesday—about 14 pounds per box, she said. They’ll cost her $40, which includes shipping.  

“You can go to their site—the Struble Ranch in Loomis,” she said.  “Jim and his wife are lifelong residents and Jim’s family has been here several generations.”

Although Morillas couldn’t attend the state Division II bowl at the Home Depot Center, “We enjoyed the game. Our boys played a great game, and we are very proud of them.  Helix is just a little faster than we were and hard to catch—but [it was] an exciting game, especially the fourth quarter.”

Helix Charter High School officials, meanwhile, are making plans for a celebration of the Scotties and their first state football championship.

School spokeswoman Jennifer Osborn says: “We have a preliminary plan” and will share details when available.

Mayor Madrid, who had bet a box of avocados, won’t have to ask neighbors for their fruit, as he hinted in announcing the friendly wager.  It’s not yet known what he’ll do with the Loomis mandarins.