Thursday’s top stories: Soccer stadium doubts, embezzlement restitution and more

A Modesto City Council member declared a downtown pro soccer stadium “dead on arrival,” a beloved Stanislaus County taco truck found a permanent home and a federal judge ordered restitution in a Patterson school district embezzlement case.

Here are key takeaways:

• Soccer stadium in doubt: Modesto City Councilmember Nick Bavaro said a proposed $125 million downtown professional soccer stadium is “dead on arrival” after a public survey ranked it last among priorities for spending from an increased hotel tax, though other council members said it’s too early to abandon negotiations with the United Soccer League.

• Tony’s Tacos gets a permanent spot: After nearly 30 years in business and five different parking spots in Salida, Tony’s Tacos owners Emerita Panduro and Efren Montes opened La Plazita Montes at 4800 Elm St., giving the popular taco truck a permanent location with a grand opening set for Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

• $750K restitution ordered in school embezzlement: A federal judge ordered former Patterson Joint Unified School District assistant superintendent Jeffrey Menge to pay $550,000 and former IT director Eric Drabert to pay $200,000 after their convictions in a $1.5 million embezzlement scheme that operated between 2018 and 2022.

•UC Merced license plate reader data shared: A Public Records Act request revealed the data is being shared with federal law enforcement agencies despite a California law prohibiting information sharing outside the state.