Morillas, serving 28 years on Loomis Council, still involved

As she steps down after seven terms —28 years — on the Loomis Town Council, one of Rhonda Nelthorpe Morillas' proudest moments is saving the library. The Placer County Board of Supervisors' decision in 2016 to close it galvanized the town. Morillas, who was mayor that year, recalled the council meeting that discussed the issue before a standing-room-only crowd. "We had the Sheriff's Office and fire there because the room was above capacity with people who didn't want to see the library close," she said. "There were people standing outside the building listening through open windows." It was also a cause very personal to Morillas. As an avid reader, she had spent many hours in that library, beginning in childhood. Morillas fondly recalls how the council and the community worked to save the library, holding fundraisers and passing a quarter-cent sales tax measure. "In less than a year, we pulled it all together," she said. Morillas is a fourth-generation Loomis resident. Her family's appliance store, Nelthorpe & Son, has been in Loomis since 1915. The business was sold in 2008 but retains the family name. She attended Loomis Grammar School, graduated from Del Oro High School in 1968 and went on to Sierra College. Her involvement with the city began when Morillas was appointed town clerk in 1989 to serve out a term after a vacancy arose. When she ran for a seat on the 1992 Town Council, it was at the urging of friends and acquaintances who wanted to see local small business represented, according to Morillas. "Then I got in and got interested in doing things to help the community," she said. "I Just kind of fell into it." For years, Morillas said, she was the only business owner on the Town Council and she applied that knowledge as a public official. "Even though (the council) is a public entity, you have to run it like a business," Morillas said. "You have employees. We have a small staff. You have to remember the needs of your staff. I've always had good rapport with staff." The individuals she has worked with over the decades have become lifelong friends. That includes longtime town clerk Crickett Strock. "Through the years, Rhonda has always been kind to staff, treated everyone with respect and has been delightful to work with. She will be greatly missed," Strock said. "She never forgets a name and has been a valuable resource with a wealth of knowledge on the history of Loomis." Serving on the council has been a joy for Morillas, a self-described people person who thrives on interaction with the community. But there have also been negative aspects, most recently during discussions on The Village at Loomis development project (defeated in two ballot measures in 2019). "That almost destroyed the town, people fighting against each other," Morillas said. "There was so much social media about it and a lot of the information was not totally correct. There were a lot of mean and vicious things said about people, council members and staff." What does she see in her future after stepping down from political life? Morillas is looking forward to spending more time with her granddaughter. "(Being a councilwoman) does take a lot of time away from family and business," Morillas said. "You have to have a family that understands what you like to do. My husband (Bill Morillas) was always there when the kids were young. He passed away in 2006. He was there when the kids were growing up. Without his support, I could not have gone to meetings, workshops and to conferences where you learn how to be a better council member. You have to have a good family to support you and a lot of support from the community." Morillas will continue her involvement with the Loomis Basin Soroptimist Club, which she has been a member since 1974. "I'll probably get on some (town of Loomis) committees," Morillas said. "I haven't signed up for any yet. … I do have the knowledge of what has been happening all these 28 years. Sometimes, it just clicks out of my brain. One of the staff members told me, 'We're going to miss your history of what's happened' because I can remember things we did."