I live in California and have no idea where Mendota is. In fact never heard of it till this post.
I’d heard of it but never looked it up.
Looks like it has a Burger King, an Dollar General and a Latino Market. I also saw a couple of gas stations.
Went there around late 90s, husband wanted to look at a Slideback he saw advertised, about halfway between I 5 and 99 somewhere around chowchilla, drove through it and right back out never even stopped. It was a hell hole then so can imagine now.
Mendota is near Tranquillity...
It bills it’s self as the cantelope capital of the world. But it’s also out in bfe. Waaay off the beaten path. But it’s right on I5, so that makes the town prime for illegal activity.