Valley Voice Issue 118 (7 June, 2018)

Valley Voice

Volume XXXVIII No. 11 7 June, 2018 ourvalleyvoice.com

Tulare citizens erupt in protest at council meeting

Former District Director sues Assemblyman Devon Mathis

NANCY VIGRAN

CATHERINE DOE

In the first Tulare City Council meeting following Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones igniting the Ag community on social media, and subsequent attempt to hose down the flames by hosting a private town hall meeting last week, hundreds of Tulare citizens and members of the Ag community showed up to make their voices heard Tuesday night.

The council chambers overflowed with the 104 audience seats taken, an additional 40 temporary seats filled in the lobby and 80 in the Olympic Room.

Beyond seating, numerous interested parties stood alongside the walls and in the halls. Sound was piped into the lobby and overflow room. And, for those unable to attend, the meeting was live streamed to the Valley Voice’s Facebook page with 766 concurrent viewers at one time and more than 2,400 comments made during the meeting.

The original comments made by the mayor on a private Facebook page, and reproduced on My Job Depends on Ag’s page on May 18, claimed such things as agriculture “strips the natural resources and contaminates our

Janie Sustaita, a former Visalia staffer for Assemblyman Devon Mathis, filed suit May 21 in the Sacramento County Superior Court against the State Assembly, the Assembly Rules Committee, Chief of Staff Justin Turner, Assemblyman Mathis, and Tosha Cherry, who works for the Rules Committee.

She is suing for wrongful termination, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Sustaita was hired by former Chief of Staff Sean Doherty and worked in Mathis’ Visalia district office as a field representative starting in October 2017.

Doherty promoted Sustaita to interim district director in January or February of 2017.

nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com

TULARE COUNCIL continued on 11 »

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

Andrew Janz speaks at his primary night party. Manny Oldenbourg/Valley Voice

Election night brings surprises for candidates STAFF REPORTS While Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward won a convincing race as the incumbent, Assembly Member Devon Mathis is in a fight too close to call.

But the most surprising result of the evening was School Board President Eddie Valero’s victory for Tulare County Supervisor District 4 over the well-funded Dinuba Vice Mayor Kuldip Thusu. The final results came in at 56% of the vote for Valero, which means there will be no run off in November.

Valero becomes the first Hispanic elected to the Tulare County Board of

Tulare mayor hosts townhall forum after controversy TONY MALDONADO

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com

Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones had a chance to explain his controversial social media comments on Thursday night -- and hoped to ignite a wider conversation in the community through a privately-held town hall forum. He hopes to hold more, and encouraged the audience to host their own and invite him.

Jones told the public that his Facebook comments were taken out of the context of a larger conversation -- described as a chess match -- but said he was “totally wrong” in the way that he expressed his views.

“There’s three things: there’s what was said, who was saying it, and the way it was said,” Jones said. “I was totally wrong in the way I was saying it.

I was totally wrong in having a chess match with another dude -- I don’t even think we were focusing on the information, we were just taking shots at each other. And the goal was: oh, you took a shot at me, I took a shot at you.

“Now, what was said is what I would love to get an understanding of here today. If I said something that anyone disagrees with, that’s what we can talk about, and explain these concerns. Now -- who was saying it, some people have an issue with me saying

those things. And that I’ll never apologize for.”

He had invited Tulare residents and farmers to come to the forum to ask him questions and debate and discuss agriculture in the Central Valley.

Approximately eighty to one hundred people attended the forum.

“You’re having a conversation with someone in your head. Ag depends on the people. Ag strips the natural resources and contaminates our ground water and air. Ag causes asthma and valley fever, cancer and kills bees. You can’t educate me,” the mayor wrote one of the controversial Facebook comments. “You can share with me what you’ve been trained to think.

We can debate the difference between what you think and what I think.”

Jones’ comments were then reposted on the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook group by Erik Wilson, whom he was having the conversation with.

Wilson is a co-founder of the My Job Depends on Ag group, and his post sparked intense interest in the agricultural community. More than 500 concurrent viewers watched the Voice’s live stream of the forum, and his comments were a focus of the group’s posts since they were originally revealed.

Jones spoke at the Tulare Senior Center to a gathering of farmers, farm-

CONTROVERSY continued on 8 »

Supervisors.

22nd Congressional District

It is the California primaries and the party for Andrew Janz’ foray into getting a congressional seat is lively.

The atmosphere here is understandably boisterous, the feeling here is not if Janz will win but by how much. And that is the crux of the matter tonight, the percentage Janz will gain. The magic number being thrown around here is 35%. With that confident margin Janz can look confidently to the

During Sustaita’s time working at the district office in Visalia she claims that Mathis and current Chief of Staff Justin Turner sexually harassed and bullied her. Her suit also claims that she was paid less than her male counterparts because she was a female and “had a rich boyfriend.”

PRIMARY continued on 7 »

MATHIS LAWSUIT continued on 10 »

Claims of Sexual Harassment and Bullying

Pot business brings changes — for the better — to Woodlake DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

It’s been a scant handful of weeks since Valley Pure--the first licensed recreational cannabis shop doing business in the Central Valley--opened on Valencia Boulevard in downtown Woodlake.

Already, the boutique storefront and delivery service is altering the nature of that small foothill community. By all accounts, the new direction is positive for everyone.

So Far, So Good

Things seem to be going well in downtown Woodlake. Businesses--Valley Pure, as well as Munchies, the new coffee shop next door, the pair of taco restaurants, and the walk-up doughnut shop--stay open late. Even on a weeknight customers come and go in number.

But how much new revenue Valley Pure will generate remains to be seen, says Woodlake’s Community Development Director, Jason Waters, who was instrumental in setting a mood designed to attract cannabis businesses to that town of about 7,300 people.

Since Valley Pure opened so recently, it has yet to make a payment to City Hall. Waters has no idea how much to expect when the first check arrives after July 1.

“Honestly, I don’t have a clue,” he said. “Every quarter, they’ll report to us what their gross receipts were, how much they made, and we get 5%. A little bit after July 1st I’ll be able to give you an exact number.”

Like Hotcakes

Over at Valley Pure, the parade of customers is steady and business is better than brisk.

“The market is great,” said Wes Hardin, manager of Valley Pure. “Obviously, we live in Woodlake, where it might be a small city that lies in the middle of a bigger metropolitan area where there’s a lot of cities and towns around that we can pull from.”

“I think it’s going to draw quite a few more people to main street,” said Woodlake resident Dana Garcia.

Garcia was waiting in the coffee shop next door, minding her grandson as her son-in-law visited Valley Pure.

She’s very comfortable having the Valley’s first recreational cannabis store in her town, she said. She likes the look from outside, but hasn’t be in yet.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with it,” Garcia said. “They’re very controlled on who goes in.”

Valley Pure co-manager Tony Caudle agrees with Garcia’s assessment.

“It’s a regular business,” he said. “It’s

WOODLAKE continued on 12 »

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

2

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESK

Riddle Me This —

How, technically, did Emperor Jones take control of Tulare?

He wasn’t elected mayor; in fact, he’s claimed the office is purely ceremonial.

But that’s not how he behaves.

He holds court. He hosts private forums.

“This isn’t a public event,” Jones said of his May 31 “town hall” meeting.

“This is money that I took out of my own pocket to pay for this event.”

The intent being that he could be selective of attendees at the door.

We’re talking about a control freak.

So much so that four times he has thwarted Councilman Jose Sigala’s attempt to reorganize the city council by stripping Jones of his title.

According to our own Nancy Vigran: This is the fourth time Sigala has approached the subject. The last time he made the request to former city manager Joe Carlini who placed it on the agenda, but it was omitted by the Mayor Carlton Jones. Sigala subsequently asked council to vote on having the item placed on the agenda – it was shot down 3-2.

Riddle me this--How is it that Jones is even allowed to vote on anything concerning himself? I’m aware that with his abstention there could be a hung tally at 2-2. Ideally, there should be some mechanism to resolve this-because recusal would be the decent thing.

I’ve written this before: Ask yourself if Jones is a decent individual.

Just wait. It gets worse.

Sigala successfully petitioned City Manager Willard Epps to agendize a council reorganization for its June 5 meeting. But that item is not actually on the agenda.

Why? Because Carlton Jones removed it.

Riddle me this--how is the mayor allowed to cherry pick agenda items?

I mean, such an action is more than purely ceremonial. It’s an abuse of power that amounts to an obstruction of the will of the people. Remember--he can always, as he has previously, vote against a council reorganization.

And I was under the impression that agendizing items was within the purview of the city manager’s job description.

But I’m only a matador with a toothpick.

So riddle me this, Tulareans--what sort of city do you have, and what sort of city do you want?

What you currently have is a city dominated by an apparently addled mayor who perhaps has suffered too many blows to the head. A mayor who so jealously guards his “purely ceremonial” power that he would go behind the back of the people to remove an agenda item when he so easily could just vote it down.

Publicly.

— Joseph Oldenbourg

gofundme.com/TheValleyVoice CATHERINE DOE

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

On May 15 I participated in the League of Women Voter’s panel discussion on how the Fourth Estate affects Democracy. At the end of the event we all agreed there would be no Democracy without a free press.

Afterwards, several readers approached me asking how they could financially support the Valley Voice.

Because subscriptions had proven to cost the newspaper more than they made, the idea of a GoFundMe ac-

count came up.

If you feel the Valley Voice has made a difference in your community or a particular article touched you, now you can help ensure the future of our paper. We are the only locally owned paper covering Tulare, Visalia, and Hanford. We are only one call or email away from hearing your concerns or printing your Letter to the Editor.

Donations will be used to defray printing costs and hopefully hire more writers so we can provide the coverage that Tulare and Kings County deserve.

Valley Voice

The Valley Voice is your newspaper, published by The Valley Voice, LLC.

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Use your voice: send letters, concerns, or corrections to editor@ourvalleyvoice.com PO Box 44064, Lemon Cove, CA 93244

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Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

POLITICAL FIX Is it time for a Third Political Party?

When Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest president at 39 years old he did so in typical youthful style, with a brand new political party. Mr. Macron was not voted in as a part of the Socialist Party or the National Front. He was voted in using his own newly minted En March! which means Forward.

Mr. Macron describes his movement as neither right, left nor center, thus winning over traditional center-left and center-right voters.

Is it time for California to do the same?

New voter registration numbers have just revealed that Republicans have dropped to third party status in California behind No Party Preference (NPP).

Numbers for the Democratic Party have changed little over the years.

The breakdown is: 44.36% Democrat , 25.07% Republican, 25.51% No Party Preference.

Could some of the NPP registrants form their own party?

The registration trend has been even more pronounced with teenagers. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that 100,000 pre-registrations of 16- and 17-year- olds show a split of 37.42% Democrat, 9.44% Republican, and 44.69% No Party Preference.

It’s no surprise to see more California teenagers register as Democrat over Republican. What is surprising is that in conservative counties such as Kern, Kings and Tulare the trend held, and in Kings and Kern Counties the numbers were double in favor of Democrats.

While the trend doesn’t bode well for the Republican brand, it doesn’t mean all that much politically. It just means that voters are becoming more independent which has been made possible with the top-two primary.

The numbers show that most of the newly minted registrants of NPP are Republican defectors, but there are plenty of Democrats in the mix also.

Meaning extremism has forced out centrist Republican, and elitism has forced out centrist Democrats.

So what would California’s third political party look like?

Democrat Ruben Macareno, who is currently running for State Senate District 14, has been frustrated for years. He said, “Many people are tired of the partisan politics. There is a growing disconnection.. . and people just don’t want any part of it. The bickering within, the exclusion of groups from decision making positions.”

Republican Xavier Avila, active on many local boards, said, “I’m skeptical of third parties. Most independent registered people are tired of party politics. So why would they form a party?

“I know many (people who have) voted for Reagan and Clinton and then Obama and Trump. With a pattern like that how could a third party ever form?”

Mr. Macareno feels differently, saying, “When I talked about starting a third party I wasn’t kidding. For me the most important part about getting away from the current partisan politics is the backroom politics in hand picking candidates. The Platform would be not too much to the left or right and have a real focus on family issues.

“It would be a true people’s party focused on true representation and how that can be achieved.”

An opinion piece in the New York Times said that California Republicans now have a chance to help break the dysfunctional duopoly that is the American political system, and suggested they should take it.

And if any state could, it would be California.

What’s in a Sign?

For the first time after many elections Congressman Devin Nunes has put up campaign signs. He put road signs up in 2014, but only when juxtaposed to candidate Rudy Mendoza’s Assembly District 26 campaign signs, but none stood alone.

Facing a well-funded challenger for the first time since he was elected in 2002, Mr. Nunes’ campaign signs for the 2018 election went up months ago. But a strange thing happened. Huge black hammer and sickles are showing up painted across his name.

In fact, Mr. Nunes’ sign on Ben Maddox and Tulare has been vandalized so often in various ways that it has had to be replaced four times.

Why would someone paint the internationally recognized symbol of communism on the sign of a congressman who is known as a hawk on Russia? In addition to the vandalism, opponents have erected billboards on Highways 198 and 99 inquiring why Mr. Nunes is putting so much of his focus on Russia instead of his district.

But Mr. Nunes has a proven track record of being tough on Russia, and excluding his relationship with Mr. Trump, that hasn’t changed.

In 2014 he wrote, a typical for him, critical editorial about Russia to the Washington Times that criticized Russia’s aggression against Georgia, its invasion of the Ukraine, the seizure of Crimea, blamed the Russians for the downed Malaysian Airlines flight, and complained about Mr. Putin’s suppression of the press.

He lamented their propaganda network Russia Today or RT. –“ these are all part of Putin’s attempt to reassert Russian hegemony over the former Soviet Republics. Viewing the United States as a central obstacle to achieving this goal, Putin’s international propaganda machine denounces America as the principal enemy of world peace.”

Mr. Nunes released the following February of this year, “The Putin regime presents a pressing threat to American interests, including through Moscow’s long-running influence operations against the United States. The House Intelligence Committee has been investigating these threats for many years: in 2014—the year the Russians began their operation targeting the 2016 elections—I warned about Russia’s worldwide influence operations. In April 2016 I stated that the United States’ failure to predict Putin’s plans and intentions is ‘the biggest intelligence failure that we’ve had since 9/11.’ Although the Obama Administration failed to act on the Committee’s warnings, it’s gratifying to see that Russian agents involved in these operations have now been identified and indicted.”

But Mr. Nunes’ defense of Mr. Trump, who is enmeshed in Russia, has muddied the waters.

Mr. Trump has a financial relationship with several Russians identified as part of the Mafia, had to be forced to impose sanctions on Russia by the House, and often compliments Russia’s dictator Vladamir Putin.

But most puzzling of all, Mr. Nunes has tried to delegitimize the Russia probe at the same time as the United States Intelligence Community has confirmed that Russia meddled in our elections in favor of Mr. Trump.

If Mr. Trump was Russia’s choice for president, why is he Nunes’ also?

Smug pundits think they know the answer to that very intriguing question, but they do not.

Even though I am 3000 miles away from Washington DC, and don’t exactly have my ear to the ground, I do know why it’s not.

It’s not because Mr. Nunes wants to be appointed to Trump’s cabinet. Credible scuttlebutt says he was already offered

3 a column by CATHERINE DOE — catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com a position but that Mr. Nunes wants to remain our congressman and declined the offer.

It’s not because Mr. Nunes is now pro-Russia.

It’s not because he uses Mr. Trump as a fundraising tool, because Mr. Nunes was a prodigious fundraiser before he ever met Mr. Trump.

My theory is because Mr. Nunes and Mr. Trump hold a special kinship that they discovered on the 2016 campaign trail – they are both conspiracy theorists.

There is a powerful bond between people who believe in conspiracy theories. They tend to feel biased against and a little bit persecuted. Conspiracies also tend to bond people who may otherwise have nothing else morally in common.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Nunes both believe there was a massive Obama cover up in the Benghazi attack even through nine investigations over two years and seven million dollars found no wrongdoing

by Hilary Clinton or the administration.

They believe that the CIA suppressed the release of documents concerning Al Qaeda and Iran.

Most importantly, they both believe in the “deep state” whatever that is.

The bottom line is that Mr. Nunes is not pro-Russia, he is pro-Trump.

A vote for Mr. Nunes in November will be a vote for Trump, and a vote for Congressional Candidate Andrew Janz will be a vote for his impeachment. It’s that simple.

And Finally….

When a conservative Christian Republican called a few weeks ago from Texas wanting to submit a Letter to the Editor I was intrigued. Why were people from Texas reading the Valley Voice? It was a light bulb moment when he stated that the 170,000 votes for Mr. Nunes in 2016 cast by the people in poor rural counties affected his life.

The writer was not complimentary to our area and only knew of Mr. Nunes in the context of his defending Mr. Trump.

But if this is how he sees us, how many other conservative Americans see us in the same way?

In his letter he says, “As a Texan, I have been reading the Valley Voice to stay abreast of your local politics because I want to understand how any place could have elected Nunes more than one term. I’m interested in seeing if District 22 is such a pathetic place, or not, in the great state of California, to have elected such an apparent unresponsive and ‘loose cannon” representative as Nunes appears.

“Politics is NO LONGER LOCAL when your lone “renegade” attacks all of our American Justice and Judicial System to cover up the Russian infiltration and possible involvement by U.S citizens. Russia infiltrating America-mind you-this is big; Russia-our biggest enemy.”

The entire letter can be read on our website under Opinions.

Our readers didn’t share my enthusiasm about an outsider’s view of Congressional District 22. Some of their Facebook comments were, “Fake news (along with a bogus letter from a “conservative”). Valley Voice you aren’t worth your sale price (free).” “sounds fishy to me!”

My favorite was, “Valley Voice strikes me as a little to the left.”

Congressman Devin Nunes was the cover story on our inaugural issue in 2013, Assemblywoman Connie Conway was the cover story on our second issue, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Congressman David Valadao are pictured on the front on our last cover. The only Democrat we write about is Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones, and though sourced and documented, that re-

porting hasn’t exactly been flattering.

I’d like to ask, a little to the left of what?

But back to the Texan’s letter.

Xavier Avila commented, “I’m very surprised the VV posted this. Not worth reading.”

So I asked him to expand.

He said, “Wow where do I start? It was almost comical to read. A Texas conservative telling us to vote for liberal democrats. Really?

“We support Devin because we know him. So the opinion of an outsider is worthless. I don’t believe this guy is a conservative in the first place. If he is then he is a sad excuse for one. … No conservative would call a conservative stronghold ‘pathetic’. Most of us Devin supporters voted for Trump and the Russians had nothing to do with it. We believe the whole Russian interference is a joke…. I know the efforts Devin has done first hand to get us water.

He didn’t fail. Boxer is the reason and other Democrats. I think the whole thing insulted our intelligence.”

Mr. Nunes used to cut a low profile in Congress but not anymore. Americans are weighing in over his actions in Washington not only in letters but with their dollars.

Of the more than $1 million Mr. Nunes raised this year from individual donors, roughly $19,000, or two percent, came from people in his district, The same is true for Democrats. When the “Nunes memo” drama broke out exonerating the president from Russian collusion, Mr. Janz raised $600,000 that month from people all over the country.

They say all politics is local, and that may be true for you, me, and Xavier. But it’s not true for people like the gentleman from Texas.

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7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

4

Tulare hospital board declares emergency, gets RFP, financial updates TONY MALDONADO

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com The Tulare Local Healthcare District has an emergency on its hands.

Residents within the district’s boundaries are likely well aware of that — but the board voted on May 30 to make it official and declare an emergency and disaster.

The idea came from Assemblyman Devon Mathis, multiple board members said, and if their plan is successful it could result in emergency funding from the governor’s office, even after a funding proposal from Mathis fell on deaf ears in Sacramento.

“It’s not irrational to think that this is an emergency that deserves some recognition,” Kevin Northcraft, the district board’s chairman, said.

California’s Government Code section dealing with local emergencies states that a local emergency is defined as “the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions as air pollution [..] or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat.”

The move brings about a series of firsts, according to one of the district’s attorneys, Todd Wynkoop.

While the code specifically states cities and counties, and research did not find a case where a district had declared a local emergency, it did not appear that the board would be barred from declaring a state of emergency, he told the board.

“Typically in legislation that covers the district it is not named, but it is a political subdivision of the State of California, so while there’s no precedent of a district having done so, it appears to be within the authority of the district to declare an emergency,” Wynkoop said.

While no precedent existed for an emergency declared for financial reasons, and no law specifically cited it as a reason to declare one — again, there was nothing specifically prohibiting it, Wynkoop told the board.

“To use a very simple legal term — the worst that can happen is that [the governor] can say no,” he said.

The City of Tulare or County of Tulare would still need to endorse the

resolution for it to be sent to the governor’s office, Northcraft said.

Northcraft told the public that he met with Pete Vander Poel, the Tulare County Supervisor representing Tulare, and was interested in bringing the proposal to the next meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

“He’s anxious to talk to the county director of emergency management, and possibly put it on the county board agenda as early as next Tuesday,” Northcraft said. “It may be an off the wall kind of idea, but I think it has some legs.”

If the governor approved funding based off of the district’s declaration, it would be a clear first — something that all on the board seemed to understand.

“If it goes through, we set a precedent, right?” Xavier Avila, a board member, asked.

Wynkoop said it would.

A letter-writing campaign for funding from the state still continues, Jan Smith, the Executive Director of the Tulare Hospital Foundation, said; however, letter writers are now being encouraged to reach out to the governor directly.

RFP Process Targets Identified, Committee Members Named

Dignity Health, Adventist Health, Community Medical Centers and the Kaweah Delta Healthcare District were identified as four targets of the “targeted RFP” process discussed at the board’s prior meeting.

An “RFP,” or Request for Proposals, would give each medical group the chance to submit their vision for partnerships and terms for each agreement.

The board previously voted to begin the process of a targeted RFP that would pin-point partners that met a variety of criteria.

“What we’re trying to do is expedite the process so that those credible entities who are interested will be contacted,” Larry Blitz, the hospital’s interim CEO, previously said. “They will be vetted through a public process — an ad-hoc committee, first — the adhoc committee will then submit to the board their finalists. Those finalists will then come before the citizens.”

Blitz told the board on May 30 that those organizations have received the RFP. “We’ve got confirmation that all four of the potential organizations that we can be compatible with have received the RFP and are working

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on it,” he.

Board members expressed determination that the hospital remain just that — and not absorbed into a network of clinics or turned into another non-acute care facility.

“We want this to be a hospital and nothing less than that. They [the bidders] have to understand that,” Avila said.

The board did not move to put such a restriction into its RFP. It was instead advised to place such conditions in a potential contract or lease agreement.

Board members did move to name their picks for an ad-hoc committee that would provide recommendations during the RFP process.

Those picked were: • Dr. Ed Henry, chosen by Steve Harrell, • Victor Gonzalez, chosen by Mike Jamaica, • Jennifer Burcham, chosen by Senovia Gutierrez, • Derek Jackson, chosen by Xavier Avila, • Ken Nunes, chosen by Kevin Northcraft.

“All those of you that were afraid you were going to get appointed,” Northcraft said, “you can relax now.”

Interviews would be held during the weeks of June 10 and June 17 with the ad-hoc committee, which would include two board members. At the end of the process, the committee would make its recommendations to the board for final consideration and public presentation, with a final Letter of Intent to be signed by the first week of July.

Community Medical Centers and Adventist Health have previously stepped foot on the hospital grounds, Blitz told the Voice at the district’s May 23 meeting.

Lawsuits Nearing Settlement

After the board came back from its closed session deliberations, Wynkoop announced that the board had reached a final resolution of a lawsuit brought by the Tulare Regional Medical Center’s former medical staff and medical executive committee.

The committee had filed suit against the district after it was ousted by former board members and HCCA in January 2016 in favor of a new medical staff, with an executive committee including one former board member and his wife.

John Harwell, an attorney representing the MEC, previously called the staff’s ouster unprecedented.

“I’ve been doing this for 37 years, and not only I have I never seen this, I’ve never heard of it in the United States,” he told the Voice in March, 2016.

The settlement agreement would not be available until it was signed by the other party, Wynkoop said.

“The MEC case is very important towards the reopening process, because it brings us back a doctors’ group that represents them — the medical executive committee,” Northcraft said after Wynkoop’s announcement. “It re-establishes them so we can start working with our doctors and get them on board to be part of the reopening process.”

A resolution “in principle” was also reached in a case brought against the district by Senovia Gutierrez in September 2017, Wynkoop said.

Gutierrez’ case was filed the same day — September 27, 2017 — that Healthcare Conglomerate Associates

(HCCA), the hospital’s former management company, and the district’s attorney recognized her as being part of the district’s board.

Between July 26 and September 27, Gutierrez was considered by HCCA and the district’s attorney — which concurrently represented HCCA — to not be a board member, though her election was certified and she was sworn in.

HCCA and its attorney were joined in that opinion by former board members Linda Wilbourn and Richard Torrez.

Gutierrez’ suit alleges that Torrez’ and HCCA’s intransigence — Wilbourn was not named in the suit, as it was filed after she abruptly resigned her seat — caused injury to the people of her district since she was unable to represent them on the district’s board.

She sought a declaration to be made by the district that she was a board member as of July 25, when her Oath of Office was administered.

The full suit is available at ourvalleyvoice.com.

Financial, Status Update

Blitz and his team have had conversations with California’s congressional delegation — including Senators Feinstein and Harris, and Congressman Devin Nunes — to connect them to resources and agencies, Blitz told the board at the May 23 meeting. “[Devin Nunes’] office basically communicates with us on a daily basis,” he said.

Blitz said he was “pretty amazed” at the response of the representatives.

“We’re very selective of when we contact them, because we try to negotiate on administrative means initially and not use the congressmen; but, if we get to a dead end, and we need pressure, or we need access, congresspeople have been very helpful in getting calls returned and getting access to the right people,” he said.

Blitz stated that the hospital was recently assisted by Roseville-based Adventist Health, which operates multiple hospitals in the Central Valley. The company paid the district $275,000 for its inventory of pharmaceuticals, which state officials said could no longer be kept by the district.

“If we didn’t get those drugs out of the pharmacy by that date, our license would have been in jeopardy,” he said.

In his financial report, Daniel Heckathorne, the hospital’s interim CFO and a Wipfli consultant, said that some payments are being withheld from the state due to a $2.4m debt.

The hospital has multiple payments coming in that he expects will still come through, he added.

“We literally rework the cash budget every single day, based on the latest information we receive,” he said.

He told the Voice the state is demanding the amount after a Disproportionate Share Hospital program audit was ignored by the prior management company.

“We were told by our consultant that the state told them they were not going to send us this money because we owe this $2.4m for the 13-14 year. The money that was supposed to come to us from another program, AB13, they were going to hold because we owe $2.4m from the 13-14 year,” Heckathorne said.

Under the program, hospitals which serve a large number of low-income patients are eligible to receive payments for treating uninsured pa-

TRMC continued on 5 »

Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

Visalia Medical Clinic announces urgent care clinic changes STAFF REPORTS Sequoia Prompt Care on Ben Maddox Way has new nursing and medical staff and slightly different operating hours.

Visalia Medical Clinic’s Bruce Hall, MD, now serves as medical director for Sequoia Prompt Care, located at 1110 S. Ben Maddox Way, with Barbara Uichanco, RN, FNP, leading the nursing staff.

The operating hours for both Sequoia Prompt Care and QuickCare, 5400 W. Hillsdale, are now 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. The two locations provide convenient access to care on both the western and eastern sides of Visalia.

“The ER is impacted and there is

5

great need for urgent care clinics to take care of the community,” Uichanco said. “We also provide occupational health care, helping people recover from work-related injuries and get back to work. We have a fabulous nursing staff with great clinical and customer service skills. I am truly excited to be a part of this team.”

Visalia Medical Clinic offers the expertise of more than 50 providers. VMC also offers a lab, imaging including CT and MRI, a Sleep Disorders Center and a physical therapy department, all in one location at 5400 W. Hillsdale, Visalia. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; with extended and weekend hours at the two urgent care locations. For information, call 739-2000 or visit www.vmchealth.com.

Tulare PD investigation closed: captain, lieutenant return to work NANCY VIGRAN

nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com Two members of the Tulare Police Department’s command staff returned to work on May 29.

Tulare Police Captain Fred Ynclan and Lieutenant Jerod Boatman are back on the job after being placed on paid administrative leave November 7 of last year.

While they were under formal investigation, the reason for their being placed on leave and reinstated remains a private, personnel-related manner.

In a press release, Interim TPD Chief Barry Jones stated the investigation into the officers to be complete.

“The last eight months have been very challenging for all of us, I would hope that we can move forward in a positive manner as a team for a common good,” he said. “There is an earnest commitment for improvement and better communications, but only as a team will this be accomplished.”

Cpt. Ynclan is to oversee patrol and investigation; Lt. Boatman is in charge of patrol shifts, Jones said.

A positive or negative?

Not everyone is pleased with the decision.

One TPD officer told the Tulare Police Officers Union attorney, Roger Wilson, that morale is the lowest this officer has seen in more than 10 years, Wilson told the Valley Voice.

“Rank and file are concerned about accountability,” Wilson said.

“They are concerned about the system, as it works in Tulare.”

Since the department learned of the impending reinstatement of Ynclan and Boatman late last week, some officers have quit and others are looking for employment elsewhere, Wil-

TRMC

continued from 4 tients. Federal regulations require that states audit the hospitals that receive such payments, a declaration attached to the claim states.

A bankruptcy claim lodged by the Department of Healthcare Services states that because officials at the time did not comply with an audit of the hospital’s services between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, the state wants all of the money paid under the program paid back.

son added. “There’s an exodus now.”

Wilson spoke at a December, 2017 council meeting while Ynclan, Boatman and former police chief, Wes Hensley, were all on administrative leave.

He spoke of a recent poll taken through private emails of Tulare police officers, which was not an official department survey.

“The results of the poll showed the union members are in favor of the city manager’s decision to place the command staff members on paid administrative leave and to continue with his investigation of those staff members’ conduct,” Wilson said at the time. “Further, the results of the poll show that the union members have no confidence in the leadership abilities of Chief Hensley.”

Wilson had presented a press release as an extension of his comments.

Ynclan and Boatman’s leave commenced one month and one week following that of their former chief.

At the time, then-city manager Joe Carlini said he and Interim Chief Jones discussed the situation surrounding Ynclan and Boatman, with Carlini deciding Jones should place the two on leave status.

Carlini was also the official who placed Hensley on leave on September 27 – and the official who fired him on March 20.

That firing was just a few hours prior to receiving his own pink slip from the Tulare City Council.

Both Hensley and Carlini worked as at-will employees and, according to their contracts, their employment could be terminated at any time with reason or for no reason at all.

Investigator John McGinness, a former Sacramento County Sheriff, was hired to investigate the three police command staff officers on January

19 at $150/hour.

McGinness’ hours and the total expense of the investigation has not yet been made public.

Based on the captain and lieutenant’s pay and benefits in 2016, Tulare has spent $23,290 per month for the two, equaling roughly $157,208 for the approximate six months and three weeks they have been on paid administrative leave.

It should be noted that Hensley was fired with the premise of not having anything to do with the investigation, two months into it.

Just why he had been on paid leave for six months and the city paid for an investigation into him for two months, while the former city manager ruminated over the decision of firing him, is not clear.

“DHCS, Myers & Stauffer, and the District Hospital Leadership Forum reached out to Tulare several times asking for the data and Tulare finally sent a few support files to Myers & Stauffer on June 22, 2017. The data that was submitted was incomplete and insufficient for the DSH audit. We again reached out to Tulare asking for the proper data and there was never a response received,” Jillian Mongetta, with DHCS, writes in an attached declaration.

“Since Tulare did not respond to requests to submit Medicaid Cost Settlement support, the Uncompen-

sated Care Costs (UCC) were adjusted to zero for inpatient Fee for Service due to lack of support,” Mongetta writes. “Similarly, since Tulare did not respond to requests to submit Rate Range payments support, their UCC were adjusted to zero for Managed Care due to lack of support. Due to Tulare having UCC well in excess of their DSH payment, Tulare must return the entire amount of DSH funds that they received for payment year 2013/14.”

The hospital’s leadership is hoping for a do-over. They’d like the chance to submit the reports that the prior management didn’t.

Why was Hensley fired?

In Carlini’s written words, Hensley was fired “to further the goals of this Organization, due to a loss of confidence in your ability to lead the Police Department in a manner that is consistent with the goals of this Organization; having management style that is incompatible with this Organization’s/Administration’s goals and the philosophies of leadership upon which they are based.”

Hensley was not fired for any reason of misconduct, his termination letter read. In a response to the Voice’s public information request, there is no written set of goals or philosophies for the police department.

With the reinstatement of Ynclan and Boatman, the firing of Hensley remains suspect. While a technicality of being fired without reason is permissible, the city council having fired Carlini just hours following his act of terminating the chief, is not consistent

with their not having faith in Carlini’s leadership as city manager which includes that termination.

Hensley hired attorney Michael Lampe shortly following his paid administrative leave status. Following his permanent termination, they are still at work.

On May 1, Hensley, through his attorney, filed a Petition of Writ of Mandate with the Superior Court of California asking: 1. A peremptory writ of mandate pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure 13 §1094.5, directing Respondent City of Tulare to provide Hensley an administrative appeal of his termination as Chief of Police, conducted in compliance with Government Code §11513(b) and the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (Government Code §§3300-3312). In the alternative, Hensley seeks a peremptory writ of mandate directing the City to set aside its March 20, 2018, Notice of Termination of Hensley’s employment with the City.

2. For multiple civil penalties as set forth in Government Code §3309.5(e).

3. For costs of suit and attorneys’ fees incurred in bringing this action.

4. For such other relief as this court may consider proper.

The Tulare PD has just hired a recent graduate of the police academy as well as two more entry-level officers pending their background investigations, Jones said. The department is holding more interviews on Monday being down six to eight officers, he added.

Dave Adalian’s reporting contributed to this article.

“We’re going to talk to our state senator to ask them to speak with the DHS to ask us to be given another opportunity to file the data that was requested for that 13-14 DSH audit,” Heckathorne said.

“We believe we can produce that data that the auditors have requested and if we can produce that and the state were to accept that information, we’re trusting that they would take away the claim for the $2.4m.

“We are hopeful that the state would consider these unusual circumstances and that they would give us an unusual exception,” he said.

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

6

AGRICULTURE

Psyllid numbers drop, but threat remains Disease Prevention Program at CDFA, The number of citrus trees found said no psyllids infected with the fatal plant disease trapped outside huanglongbing continues to rise in Southern CaliforSouthern California—but in the state’s nia counties have prime citrus-production area, fewer tested positive for potentially disease-spreading insects the HLB bacterium. are being trapped.

Condos said Pest experts offer a number of pos- a total of 592 resisible reasons fewer Asian citrus psyl- dential citrus trees lids have been identified in the sticky in Southern Caliyellow traps set throughout the San fornia have tested Joaquin Valley to monitor populations. positive for HLB. Nick Condos of the California De- With high psyllid partment of Food and Agriculture said numbers in many strict rules now in place for moving parts of Orange, bulk citrus might be playing a part in Los Angeles, Riverthe lower numbers. Jim Gorden, chair- side and San Berman of the California Citrus Pest and nardino counties, Disease Prevention Committee, said he said officials extime of the year could also be a factor. pect more infected David Kendall, an insect trapper for Tulare County, removes a yellow sticky trap from a residential citrus tree in Tulare. The trap Condos, Gorden and Beth Graf- trees to be found. will be checked for presence of Asian citrus psyllid, an insect that can carry a fatal plant disease. So far this year, the number of ton-Cardwell, director of the UniverIn Orange psyllids trapped in the San Joaquin Valley has been lower. Cecilia Parsons/CFBF sity of California Lindcove Research County, the current Gorden said the number of psyllids Citrus fruit inside quarantine arStation, all stressed that despite the hot spots for HLB-infected trees are the trapped in citrus groves, packinghous- eas and destined for Central Valley current low numbers, the psyllid still Anaheim and Garden Grove areas, Cones and along travel routes in Tulare and packinghouses must be treated priposes a serious threat to California cit- dos said. On May 24, CDFA expanded Kern counties has been very low since or to harvest. Grafton-Cardwell said rus production. the Orange County quarantine bound- the beginning of the year. anyone moving fruit, equipment or A highly mobile insect, the Asian ary to restrict movement of citrus fruit The Tulare County agricultural crews between citrus-growing regions citrus psyllid can carry huanglong- or plant material from additional sites. commissioner’s office reports a total should take precautions against psylbing, or HLB, a slow-moving, bacterial A couple of different strains of HLB of five psyllids trapped since January. lid movement. disease that reduces citrus fruit pro- have also been identified in infected Last year, 32 were counted in traps, Grower assessments and both duction and eventually kills the tree. trees. Genetic analysis of the bacteria down considerably from 2016 when 322 state and federal funding are being inThe only current defense against showed HLB strains found in residenwere trapped. The first population was vested to control psyllid populations, HLB is to control the psyllid, citrus or- tial citrus growing in Hacienda Heights found in 2013 in Dinuba, where 212 psyl- for detection and removal of HLB-inganization leaders assert, noting that differed from infected trees growing lids were identified. fected trees and for urban outreach to the organizations and UC researchers in the San Gabriel area. The difference Still, Gorden said, concern remains make residents aware of the impact continue work on biological control could be a genetic mutation or a sepahigh among citrus growers due to the the pest and disease can have on citrus and early detection of the disease. rate introduction of infected plant ma- highly infested Southern California production.

HLB has caused widespread losses terial, Condos said. counties and the rising number of Alyssa Houtby of the grower orgaof citrus acreage in Florida, but has not The state has been removing resi- HLB-infected trees. nization California Citrus Mutual said been found in commercial citrus pro- dential citrus trees that test positive for Enforced tarping rules for moving the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention duction in California. It was first detect- HLB, and was treating psyllid-infested bulk citrus, new regional quarantine Program is funded primarily by growed in Los Angeles County in 2012. Asian residential areas with pesticide applizones and pesticide treatments are er assessments. The program receives citrus psyllids were found in California cations, until halted by a court injuncmeant to keep psyllid levels low in the federal funds each year through a in 2008 and have infested seven south- tion. An appeals court lifted the injuncSan Joaquin Valley citrus belt. nationwide program funded by Conern counties. tion last week. Condos said a California In order to move bulk citrus from gress. In fiscal year 2017-18, California Thousands of the yellow sticky Environmental Quality Act exemption a regional psyllid quarantine zone or received $14 million of the total protraps have been placed in citrus trees allowed the state to continue treating an HLB quarantine area, a set of rules gram funding. to detect the psyllid. Victoria Hornbak- an 800-meter area surrounding any citmust be followed. They include comState funding this fiscal year toer, who manages the Citrus Pest and rus tree identified as HLB-positive. plete coverage while in transit and taled $10 million. Legislative budget delivery only to a program-approved committees have approved the same packinghouse or processor. Depending funding level for the next fiscal year. on the origin of the shipment and its Areas of funding priority include destination, a preharvest treatment or detection and eradication of HLB-infield cleaning is required. fected trees, controlling movement of Since active enforcement of the psyllids, suppressing the insect’s popuService You Can Count On! tarping rule by county agricultural in- lations through methods including biFamily Run and Honest Dealings since 1926! spectors, Gorden said, compliance has ological control, and public education been good. This measure, he said, may and outreach. be slowing the psyllids’ spread—or at This article reprinted with the perleast halting their distribution along mission of the California Farm Bureau travel routes.

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Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

7

Elder abuse on the rise; no-cost training available STAFF REPORTS Tulare County Adult Protective Services invites community members to take part in a no-cost training to increase awareness and honor those senior community members who have suffered as victims of elder abuse.

“Here in California, Adult Protective Services (APS) receives more than 196,000 reports of elder and dependent adult abuse per year, and reports are increasing. It is estimated that only one in 24 cases is reported, and for financial abuse, only one in 44 cases is reported,” notes John Mauro, L.C.S.W., Deputy Director for Adult Services at the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency. “But together we can

PRIMARY continued from 1

daunting task of taking on incumbent Devin Nunes come November.

Because, as one voter put it, “Nunes is god king around here.” But with a strong enough voter turnout, Janz can turn what would seem an obvious rout into a real competition.

With the eyes of the nation locked on Nunes’ recent maneuvers they are focused on tonight’s primary as a litmus test on how the midterms will play out. And to Dave and his wife, Bev, they hope it plays out in Janz’ favor.

They both are part of a grassroots movement in Fresno called the Every Tuesday Vigil and they found Janz’ sincerity and determination completely simpatico with their own views. “More importantly, we wanted someone with a moral code!” exclaimed Dave while speaking at the podium. Explaining why this grassroots movement and others joined Janz in his campaign for the congressional seat of district 22.

Mr. Shelton, another of the supporters at the party, said “The biggest thing about Janz is that he is willing to listen about ecological issues, especially about water.” Shelton is a biologist and ecologist who works closely with Valley groundwater. “Nunes won’t even open an ear and they are

make a difference and help take care of those who have taken care of us.

Through education, recognition, and reporting, we can improve the lives of elders and dependent adults in our community.”

In Tulare County in 2016–2017, there were 2,820 reports—a 1% increase from the 2,737 reports in 2015–2016.

Tulare County Adult Protective Services receives an average of seven reports of elder abuse every day.

During June, World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, each report of abuse during 2016–2017 will be represented by one purple flag placed on the front lawn at Visalia’s Government Plaza on South Mooney Boulevard, in addition to a banner to encourage the

community to report elder abuse.

Elder and dependent adult abuse can involve neglect, self-neglect, and physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse.

It affects seniors across all cultures, races, and socioeconomic groups.

Each year, older adults lose billions of dollars in telemarketing fraud, mail scams, and fake lotto schemes.

Dates for the no-cost training are as follows: • June 11 - Woodlake Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 564-3251 • June 14 - Goshen Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 651-1030 • June 18 - Earlimart Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (661) 849-2232 • June 20 - Porterville Senior Cen-

ter, 11:00 a.m., (559) 782-4725 June 21 - Lindsay Senior Center, 11:00 a.m., (559) 562-5859 Tulare County Adult Protective Services aims to “Protect older and dependent adults from abuse and provide excellent public service to the community.”

Partnerships with the Tulare County Sheriff, Tulare County District Attorney, local hospitals and medical practitioners, and other law enforcement agencies make investigations of elder abuse possible.

Your reporting call is completely confidential; please call (559) 623-0650 if you suspect a family member, friend, or neighbor is being abused.

•

real issues.”

Understandably so, as the economic backbone of the Valley is the agricultural sector and water is the lifeblood that pumps through it.

“The damage we’ve done in aquifer subsidence, some of it is irreversible.” It turns out that parts of the Valley have sunk over 10 feet in the last century due to shrinking aquifers from over dependence of ground water.

This among many other issues are what Janz Warren Gubler celebrates as election results are released. Catherine Doe/Valley Voice hopes to bring to a speech. When asked how he plans on Attorney candidate Matt Darby held a debate with Nunes. “The voters in this convincing Nunes to join a debate he results watch party at the Valley Oaks district deserve a debate for whose vi- answered with, “If you’ve been follow- golf course in Visalia. sion is best for the central valley,” Janz ing our race you know we have been Darby arrived at the event at 6pm answered after being asked what his calling Nunes out and moving for- and had been meeting with supportnext step is. ward we will just have to keep poking ers until the very end. He was very op“This is a victory for immigra- and prodding.” timistic about his chances; after being tion, this country was built off of imAs it stands, Nunes walked away asked if he was nervous by multiple migrants and we should be proud with 57.5% of the voters going for him. supporters, his answer remained the of that,” expounded Janz during his Which leaves Janz in a predicament, same: he was looking forward to the with 32.5% of the vote, allowing for results regardless of the outcome. a best case scenario where everyone Two television screens were anwho did not vote for either candidate nouncing the election results on the joining Janz’ cause would still only national, state, and local levels. The leave him with 42.5%. election results were coming in on the “Well, we all know that democratic local news and on the Tulare County showing during primaries are weak,” elections website. said Janz when confronted with this.

One challenge presented to the “We are hoping to hit the pavement group was that the Tulare County elecand reaching the rest of the democrat- tion website had crashed multiple ic population.” times, to the dismay of everyone in the With the primary over Janz and room. The room stayed quiet when the his campaign look to November and first results came in with Tim Ward, they definitely have their work cut out who was predicted to win, took an earfor them. ly lead in the results.

The room that was once filled with 50-plus people started to empty as the Assembly District 26 night went on.

With almost 94% of the vote counted, it was a nearly a three-way tie between Tulare Councilmember Jose Sigala, Visalia Mayor Warren Gubler, hovering at 29% and incumbent Devon Mathis pulling in 30%. Kern County cattle rancher Jack Lavers came in a distant fourth with 11.5%.

According to the Gubler Campaign, the final results may take up to 30 days. Provisional ballots still need to be counted and the registrars’ offices allow up to three days after the primary to receive ballots by mail. The final results may also end in a recount.

Tulare County District Attorney Matt Darby poses for a photo with kids at his election night party. Brendon Alexander/Valley Voice

On June 5, Tulare County District

Congressional District 21

Even with the threat of the “blue wave,” Congressman David Valadao form District 21 won the primary with his largest margin ever over challenger TJ Cox. Valadao sent out a statement saying, “I am incredibly humbled to have received the support and confidence of so many voters from California’s Twenty-First District. As we head into November, we will continue focusing on the issues that impact our families most: creating jobs, strengthening the economy, and ensuring our children have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

8

CONTROVERSY continued from 1

workers, and community members.

He invited Xavier Avila, a Land O’ Lakes Board of Directors member -- and member of the Tulare Local Healthcare District and Tulare Cemetery District boards -- to speak as a counterpoint from the agricultural community.

“This isn’t a public event. This is money that I took out of my own pocket to pay for this event. I took off of work because I really wanted to give people an opportunity to hear what my truth is and to answer any of your concerns as your representative,” Jones said.

An emailed RSVP was required to attend the event, but Jones noted that he hadn’t turned away any attendees who emailed him.

“Anyone who sent me an email -- I didn’t turn you away, you’re more than welcome. I asked you how many people you wanted to bring,” Jones said. “My only concern is they told me I could only fit so many people in here.”

According to the Tulare Park and Recreation department, the Senior Center can host a maximum capacity of 400 people.

Avila’s Take

Avila grew up on a dairy farm in Tipton, has worked as a fieldworker, and is a minor partner in a Fresno County dairy, he told the audience.

“I don’t have any issues personally with the mayor. I read all those comments and I understand it’s a private conversation -- I’ve had those conversations not too much different than the mayor himself. I’ll admit that,” he said.

He said that Jones, as the “spokesman for the town,” had an outsized

impact with his comments, given Tulare’s reputation as an agriculture-focused town.

“I’m not going to judge the mayor on his intent -- I don’t know what’s in his heart, and he seems like he as a good heart, but I want to tell him and you that when you say those comments, and when people here ‘ag causes cancer’ -- think about the person making ice cream, or making cheese, or the person hauling a load of beef, or the silage truck, or the guy pruning some trees, or the guy hoeing the weeds, or spraying herbicide.

“When he hears a spokesman of the town say that, it hurts. It’s almost like being indicted personally -- like my job is causing cancer, like my job is causing pain and suffering and even death,” Avila said. “It doesn’t feel good.”

All human activity involves some level of pollution, but the ag industry is actively looking for ways to reduce its environmental footprint through research and innovation, Avila said.

Jones agreed -- stating that improvement could never come “if you say you’re perfect.”

Avila told the crowd that “agriculture is under attack” from “extreme” environmentalists that would like to see agriculture taken out of the Central Valley -- and Jones’ comments may have added fuel to the fire “Probably, the mayor didn’t realize that his comments were almost on the same talking points as those people.

Now, I’m not saying he wants to get rid of ag like they do, I’m just trying to tell you what struck the nerve and got this thing blown up -- is [that] we are under attack,” he said.

Impact on Tulare

Lionel Pires, the owner of TF Tire & Service -- which has locations in Tu-

lare, Visalia, Exeter, and Porterville, amongst others -- noted that his clientele told him they would take his business away from Tulare and to his other locations in the wake of Jones’ comments.

“I have two farmers that farm on the west side, and one that farms on the east side of Tulare. They aren’t going to do business in Tulare. They’ve told me that,” Pires said. “They told me that they would go to my other locations. They just won’t come to Tulare.”

Pires noted that he’s not the only one being told that.

“If Sturgeon & Beck doesn’t mind, I’ll make comment about them.

They’ve had customers call and say the same thing, that they aren’t going to buy their vehicles in Tulare,” Pires said.

“You’re talking 50, 60 thousand dollars in sales tax revenue lost.”

Jones admonished those that would take business away simply because of his comments.

“That’s more of a slap to your face and to their connection to this community. That is such a horrible thing to say or do. I apologize that you guys would even have to go through that,” Jones said. “I wish they would have came here, just to get a better understanding. We have questions on both sides of this argument.”

Pires said that those two examples weren’t isolated cases either -- that farmers were organizing, saying they wouldn’t support Tulare through their tax revenue.

“I hope everyone here hears that.

Because they disagree with one person or disagree with my conversation, the context of my conversation, and they have every opportunity to come talk to me about that or be here to get a better understanding, as we all are,” Jones said. “The answer isn’t to say, my intent is to show you that you depend on me, and by doing that I’m going to try to destroy you. That’s such a bad way to operate.

“We will survive. I hope people know that we are a beautiful city with beautiful businesses, and if someone wants to leave or not do business with us, then that’s just -- what a sad tactic.”

The Ag Perspective

Tony Correia, president of Western Milling in Goshen, told the public that farmers have the most interest in protecting their land and conserving resources, noting that many Central Valley farmers come from a long lineage of agriculturalists.

“There’s nobody that has more of a desire to protect the dirt on which they farm than the farmer himself,” he said. “It’s his livelihood and the legacy of his family, and maybe his future children or grandchildren.”

He added that farmers had no desire to use “one drop more water than the minimum required to produce an optimum crop” -- because of the price of water.

Brendan Black, a Tulare Western High School student, also hosts a podcast called “Talk Ag to Me.” He told Jones that one of the largest issues is “agriculture literacy” -helping the public understand where their food comes from.

“This tends to lead to large logic gaps in arguments,” he said. “You have people saying that farmers are intentionally using pesticides that cause cancer, and it makes no sense to say that farmers are trying to hurt the consumer, when the farmer relies on the consumer for their living.”

A US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance survey found that 72% of consumers know “little to nothing about farming or anything,” he told Jones.

Black interviewed Wilson on his podcast. He told Black that if Jones’ original statements were rephrased, they wouldn’t have been nearly as bad.

“It more should have been phrased in the sense that -- yeah, these are the issues agriculture’s facing, but my farmers back in my hometown are the ones trying to fix them,” Black said, to applause from Avila and the crowd.

Jones said what Black saw was a small portion of his larger conversation with Wilson, noting that he defended California farmers by stating that agriculture in the state wasn’t “obliterated”.

“Obliterated means totally gone,” Jones said. “I defended that statement.

I get it -- they were going after one elected official, and that’s fine, but my defense was don’t throw ag under the bus to go after your one political official.”

“You’re definitely the future of ag,” Jones added.

Jones’ Supporters

While Jones has had many detractors since his comments were revealed, multiple Tulare residents spoke up to support and defend him.

One of them was his second grade teacher, Ethel Shaver.

“I came to this meeting because I just found out about it -- I’ve been extremely busy this week; but, however, I didn’t come here to go against the mayor, because I think he’s doing a very good job,” she said. “He’s a young man who’s trying to learn some things, and he’s still learning. But he’s on top of his solutions and what he’s trying to do.

“At the end of the day, I’m not going to accept you trying to oust out our mayor, because he’s a very, very good man. And you know what -- we all are in a learning situation. I support the ag, and I support the mayor,” she said. “He has a right to speak out what he feels. I wouldn’t dare put down the ag, but I have some concerns about the ag as well.”

She said that many in agriculture were doing good things -- but that there were some issues, like food waste, that were concerning. Previously during the forum, an attendee had brought up the issue of nearly 40% of food being wasted.

Jones also noted that he had received an email from a beekeeper praising his remarks.

“I am a commercial beekeeper, and you are 100% that ag is killing bees,” Jones said, reading from the email, noting that his comments had said ‘ag is killing bees.’ “They want them to pollinate, but they spray them at will.

Keep up the good fight.”

Jones said he told the beekeeper that he was not “going against ag,” but that there were issues that shouldn’t be ignored.

Avila noted that part of that surplus is because government needs to ensure more than enough food is available for all of the country’s citizens and a growing population “There’s a reason why government is involved in agriculture, and that’s because people need to eat -- and the government needs to make sure that there is more than enough food, because when food gets scarce, prices go up,” Avila said. “Wars have been started over food -- the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution. Wars have literally been started over food.”

He added that he was a hobbyist beekeeper, and that the Tulare County Ag Commissioner went so far as to warn him when fields were being sprayed to ensure that bees were not

CONTROVERSY continued on 9 »

Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

Southern Inyo Healthcare District sues HCCA TONY MALDONADO

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) has been hit with another lawsuit — this time, from the Southern Inyo Healthcare District.

While the district is repeating many of its officials’ prior allegations, this is the first time that the Southern Inyo district has filed suit against HCCA. It also included Vi Healthcare Finance, a healthcare financing company owned by HCCA’s CEO, Dr. Benny Benzeevi.

Those include allegations of financial mismanagement, commingling of supplies and funds with the Tulare Local Healthcare District, and purposefully hidden or withheld financial records belonging to the district.

Those allegations later led the Tulare County District Attorney’s office to search the Southern Inyo Hospital, the Tulare Regional Medical Center, and Dr. Benny Benzeevi’s personal residence.

HCCA’s attorneys have previously denied the Inyo district’s claims. “[Jaque Hickman, a Southern Inyo board member] is free to say anything to the media, but just wait until she is

CONTROVERSY continued from 8

affected by pesticides.

“There’s a coordinated effort. The fact is, there’s accidents, just like cars get in wrecks,” Avila said. He added that pesticides help save bees from varroa mites, a parasitic mite that can destroy bee colonies.

Critics Unsatisfied

Jones’ words at the meeting weren’t enough for many of his critics.

Frank Lorenzo, an 83-year old retired farmer, said he’s lived in Tulare for 12 years, before that working 55 years on a family farm six miles west of Tulare.

“After reading and hearing the comments that Mr. Jones made about farmers, my soul is still bleeding. For those reasons, I am asking the City Council, city officials of Tulare, and whomelse it takes to do exactly what I would do if anyone that I had hired made the comments that he made and say anything contradictive to the farmers and the farming community of Tulare,” Lorenzo said. “That would be to fire him immediately and send

e

Th

put under oath,” Grossman said about accusations previously made by a district board member. “Our comments will be made at that time.”

The Southern Inyo district turned to HCCA after its CEO and board had resigned; the board members that signed the contract with HCCA were appointed by the Inyo County Board of Supervisors.

At the time, HCCA’s work in Tulare — turning a failing hospital into a profitable one — appeared to be just the magic touch that Southern Inyo needed.

The Inyo board brought HCCA in to run the hospital and filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy to manage the hospital’s debts.

Part of HCCA’s contract included a provision that the company would provide Southern Inyo with bankruptcy advice and consultation; additionally, the district’s contract had other key differences from the company’s contract with Tulare, including a lower management fee, no longterm partnership provisions, and no option to buy the district’s Southern Inyo Hospital.

Southern Inyo’s attorneys argue that even with those provisions, its contract with HCCA was “grossly unfa-

vorable,” “one-sided and oppressive,” and presented to the Southern Inyo board under duress.

They point to provisions that made HCCA the district’s “exclusive special power of attorney,” the contract’s termination fee, and provisions that required the district to “indemnify, defend and hold [HCCA] harmless from and against any and all claims” yet agree to not hold it “liable to the District for any loss of use, goodwill, revenue or profits […] or any damage or expense.”

The district also makes new claims that it set up a revolving unsecured line of credit with HCCA at a 10% interest rate to ensure smooth operations and fund the district’s ongoing bankruptcy case — before HCCA started drawing on that line of credit unilaterally.

In March 2017, the district said, Benzeevi “contended that the line of credit should be paid as an administrative claim in the bankruptcy case,” which would give its debt priority over other debtors.

At the same time, district officials found out that HCCA had “failed in its duties to collect accounts receivable to fund its operations” and that its line of credit had ballooned to over $1m.

Eventually, Benzeevi offered to roll the $1m+ in debt into a new line of credit with his Vi Healthcare Finance company at the 10% rate, and provide the district with a 20% interest rate on new transactions. The shift was made “under the threat of not making payroll,” the district claims.

In order to receive the new line of credit, the district’s board had to redirect its tax revenues to Vi Healthcare Finance.

In one instance, prior to the Vi line of credit, the district claims HCCA transferred $700,000 to the Tulare Local Healthcare District under the guise of repaying HCCA’s line of credit. The district alleges that according to bank records, the line of credit was actually at $0 — the money instead went to repay past due management fees.

The district is seeking claims against HCCA for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and concealment, amongst others.

A status conference is scheduled to be held on August 1 at 2pm in Courtroom 11 of the Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno.

Attorneys for HCCA did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

him down the street, out of the business immediately.”

Lorenzo’s remarks received some applause from the crowd.

Jones said he had to be “more responsive, and less reactive” as a representative, a remark that some in the crowd seized on later.

Heather Warwick Christiansen, a Tulare resident, praised Jones’ efforts to hold the forum, but said Jones has “spoke off the cuff” on many different topics.

“To me, I’m a manager of my store.

I am the head of my store. I have to watch what I say and think about what I say before I say it out in the community, on social media, or wherever else. My comment to you is -- please think before you say,” she said. “I understand he might have taken a jab at you, but you’re the mayor. You should be above that.”

Art Cabello, a Tulare resident, agreed.

“You, as the mayor, should be the most apologetic -- you, as the mayor, should show the most humility, and be humble, and say: ‘hey, look, I made a mistake,’” he said. “‘Now I want to try to fix it through these conversations.’

And I hope the conversations go on

and that there’s dialogue.

“But I hope you’re not missing the underlying message. You are the mayor. You are Tulare; and, as that position, you will represent all of us. Doesn’t matter rich, poor, farmer, businessman, whoever. You’re still the representative of this community.”

Avila attempted to bring up comments previously posted by Jones and shared to the My Job Depends on Ag group by Raquel Garcia Joaquin.

“I’m gonna challenge you a little bit -- this is not from Erik Wilson, this is from a screenshot taken not quite a year ago from a Raquel Garcia,” Avila said.

Jones stopped him.

“She just left. If they want to -- see, you’re doing the let me count the punches that you’ve thrown at people, I’m gonna add them up -- if someone wants to comment on something I’ve said, let them do that,” Jones told Avila.

“If you have an issue with something I said to you, let’s answer that.”

nior Center, multiple men had Recall Carlton Jones signs and handed out stickers.

One of the men, Mike Mezyck, said that he was spurred to action after Jones’ comments.

“We’re a farming community, and being our mayor, he’s supposed to speak for us -- and then when he speaks about farmers, which is our community, I’m going to voice my opinion,” Mezyk said.

He added that the town hall was private.

“This is an invite by Carlton himself only -- you have to email him personally to get invited to this. People I know emailed and he denied them, so we decided to stand on public property and do our thing,” he said.

There are residents working on a recall petition, he said, but the legalities are still being explored.

“Attorneys are getting involved first right now to make sure everything is on the up and up, and we should be starting by next week,” he said.

He encouraged citizens to vote.

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7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

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MATHIS LAWSUIT continued from 1

“Turner regularly called Sustaita a ‘bitch,’ ‘c***,’ and other derogatory terms and parroted Mathis’ behavior that a man “…would be better suited for the job than Sustaita, even though Sustaita was initially hired due to her knowledge of the district and her experience working with the agricultural community…,” the suit said.

A former Mathis campaign worker partially corroborated Sustaita’s claims, saying, “I’ve heard them call her names like that, although never to her face. She’s the one that Doherty always bragged about trying to sleep with since he got her the job.”

Sustaita said that work problems worsened when District Director Trevor Lewis quit in January or February of 2017. Lewis was her direct supervisor for four months. Sustaita says in the suit she was promoted to take Lewis’ place.

She said that over the next few months Mathis threatened to fire her several times and rose a fist to her in a threatening manner during a public event. She also claimed that Mathis refused to increase her pay to reflect her new position as district director.

Sustaita described Mathis in her suit as an alcoholic who she was expected to babysit during events “to minimize embarrassment to Mathis and those who worked for him.”

Sustaita insinuates in her suit that it was this same behavior of harassment and drinking by Mathis and Turner that precipitated Lewis’ resignation as district director.

Lewis was Mathis’ District Director from September 2015 to February 2017 and says it was quite the opposite.

“I could not work with Janie or Sean any longer.” He said that Sustaita was “lazy, sloppy and would sit in her

ONLY

office, shut the door, and do nothing.”

Lewis said that Doherty was “absolutely an alcoholic” and that if one reads Doherty’s lawsuit he is describing his own bad behavior and not Mathis’.

Lewis has returned to work as Mathis’ district director since Sustaita’s departure.

Same Office, Different View

Tara Adams has been Mathis’ field representative since March 2016 to the present and worked with Sustaita.

The one issue Adams and Sustaita agree on is that the toxic work environment got worse after Lewis quit.

Adams, a self described friendly person, says she tried to be nice to the newly employed Sustaita and help her learn the ropes. Sustaita would in turn spread lies about Adams and write emails to the Assembly Rules Committee to report on Adams so-called bad attitude.

After Lewis quit, Sustaita was appointed as the interim district director and became Adams’ supervisor. Adams said that Sustaita was a bully and that every day she came to work sick to her stomach.

“I carried the weight of that office on my shoulders,” said Adams. She said if she refused to do anything Sustaita would call Doherty complaining and say Adams needed to be fired. Sustaita, in turn, would spend her time in her office on the phone, talking to friends, or watching Netflix, according to Adams.

“It was the worst work experience of my life and I have worked retail at Toys R Us during the holidays,” said Adams.

Stripped of all Duties

According to the lawsuit, Sustaita reported the verbal abuse and physical threats to Tosha Cherry, Human Resource Director of the Assembly Rules

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Committee.

According to Sustaita, Cherry advised Sustaita to resign.

Because of Cherry’s disregard for the emotional distress she caused Sustaita and the toxic work environment, Sustaita took a medical leave of absence starting around May 13.

“The actions of Mathis, Turner, and Cherry, under these circumstances, created so much stress for Sustaita that she had to take a medical leave of absence,” said the lawsuit.

Adams said that it was no coincidence that Sustaita took her medical leave of absence soon after Doherty was fired by Assembly Rules in May of 2017.

Adams said that the weekend that Sustaita took her leave she took her daughter to a dance competition in Southern California and went to several theme parks. Sustaita then got married and she and her new husband enjoyed an extended honeymoon in Europe.

Sustaita returned from medical leave at the end of July of 2017. According to the lawsuit, “Mathis first action was to retaliate against her for the medical leave by striping her of all duties and responsibilities…… That day Sustaita gave up further attempts at obtaining equal treatment at Mathis’ office and left assembly employment.”

Sustaita said in her lawsuit that concerning Assembly Rules, “it was better to force harassed and bullied employees into resignation rather than conduct an investigation that might embarrass Assemblyman Mathis or the institution of the assembly.”

Adams countered, saying that Doherty never filed the paperwork with Assembly Rules that Sustaita was district director and her position dissolved after Doherty was fired.

Assembly Rules allegedly disagreed with Sustita that she had been stripped of her duties and wasn’t receiving fair compensation because they never saw her as a district director.

A Coordinated Effort

Adams and Lewis feel strongly that Sustaita and Doherty coordinated their legal efforts against Mathis to coincide with the 2018 election.

“There is not a doubt in my mind that they are working together and have had these lawsuits planned since Sean was fired,” said Adams.

Doherty, who was Mathis’ Chief of Staff from April 16, 2015, received a letter from the Assembly Rules Committee May 8, 2017 that he had been fired.

Sustaita went on an extended medical leave of absence on approximately May 15, 2017. She returned for one day late in July before quitting permanently.

A former Mathis campaign worker said of Sustaita, “She’s held this in her back pocket for some time. I’m certain the Republican establishment is quite happy with her timing.”

Sustaita’s suit bears a striking resemblance to former Chief of Staff’s Sean Doherty’s lawsuit filed April 14.

Doherty is also suing Mathis and the Assembly for wrongful termination and infliction of emotional distress.

Parts of Sustaita’s lawsuit seem to be directly lifted from Doherty’s suit.

Adams recalled that Sustaita de-

scribed her relationship with Doherty as only professional but says their relationship went well beyond that. Adams said that Sustaita and Doherty were “best buddies” and would talk on the phone several times a day about personal matters.

Lewis reported that when Sustaita got married while on medical leave that Doherty not only attended her wedding but gave a speech.

Both Sustaita and Doherty are using lawyer Chad Morgan to represent them in their suits. From 2010 to 2014 Morgan was a campaign consultant and Chief of Staff for former Assemblyman Allan Monsoor (R Costa Mesa.)

Morgan started practicing law four years ago but still maintains his consulting business, Visteva, alongside his law office in Riverside County.

In a twist of fate, both Morgan and Doherty both used their consulting companies to make money off their bosses’ campaigns while also serving as Chiefs of staff.

Getting a Piece of the Action

There was also an economic bond between Doherty and Sustaita.

On separate occasions, Sustaita told Lewis and Adams that for every donation she procured she would get a cut. Allegedly both Doherty and his wife Thanne, who was Mathis’ campaign chairperson in 2016, discussed the special arrangement with Sustaita.

In fact, Sustaita originally caught the attention of Doherty because of her lucrative contacts with the Tulare and Kings County agriculture community. According to Lewis, Sustaita was willing to hand over her ag contacts to Doherty upon employment.

“She liked to brag about stuff like that and didn’t know when to keep her mouth shut,” said Lewis.

Lewis said that Doherty also demanded his Rotary contacts for fundraising purposes but he refused. He said his job was to work for the constituents of the 26th district and not to fundraise.

Current Office Environment

Since her resignation Sustaita states in her suit that, in addition to financial hardship and difficulty in supporting her family, she has suffered from “anguish, nervousness, grief, anxiety, worry, shock, humiliation, and more.”

Adams said that her experience working with Doherty and Sustaita left her with such an emotional scar that it is difficult to talk about.

“She is a liar and a bully, plain and simple,” said Adams. “She doesn’t deserve to win one cent from her suit.”

Adams said that now that they are gone the toxic environment has cleansed itself. “I don’t have to go to work sick to my stomach fearing I might catch a knife in my back.”

Lewis and other staff members have returned to work in Mathis’ Visalia office since Doherty and Sustaita’s departure. Lewis said he returned as district director to support Mathis.

“No one has a bigger heart for the district than him,” said Lewis.

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Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

TULARE COUNCIL continued from 1

ground water and air” and “causes asthma and valley fever, cancer and kills bees.”

Adding to Tulare citizens’ ire is that the mayor had removed an item from the council meeting’s agenda – that of restructuring of the mayoral position within council, which was asked to be placed on the agenda by Councilman Jose Sigala. According to Interim City Manager Willard Epps, he was placing the item on the agenda last week. However, at some point it was omitted prior to formal publication of the meeting.

During a K-TIP radio interview on June 4, Jones said: “He [Councilman Sigala] did submit it again for the fourth time and just in the sake of the way we flow at our meetings, if Jose would like his opportunity to grandstand in front of the crowd that’s gonna be there Tuesday night he can make that request, and if the council decides they want to put it on, they can put it on. And then once that happens, there’s nothing the mayor or one council member can do to remove it.

“It’s one of those issues where we’re gonna keep beating this dead horse, and the council in the past have not wanted to deal with that. My term ends in November.

If they change their mind, they have every right to do that, at the end of the council meeting where we go over the topics of interest from each council member, if that’s something that Jose wants to bring up and request from the council, and put on our next agenda, that’s how they’ll do that. But for Jose to just kind of want to tell the interim city manager, here, this is what I want you to do and we’re gonna do it in the wake of what’s happening, that’s just not how we do it.”

So aggravated are some citizens, they have recently formed a recall group working to pull Jones from city council altogether. Many citizens met the night of Jones’ town hall handing out recall stickers on the street corner of the hall where the forum took place.

They were also in attendance at the council meeting.

Council attendees were offered

11 all time limit on public comments, allowing all interested the opportunity to speak while retaining the regular three minute per speaker time limit.

Citizens’ comments

One of the first to speak, John Parreira, said he has lived in Tulare most all of his life and admitted this was his first time to attend a council meeting. He said he found what the mayor had wrote to “be appalling.

The mayor needs to go out to the farm and see what goes on, and learn about what happens.”

To applause, Parreira said, “Mayor, please do us a favor, step down!”

Xavier Avila, a Land O’Lakes board member, said he “echoed” the mayor should resign as mayor, “and not only as mayor, but I think you should resign from city council.”

In speaking to the other three council members in attendance, he referred to the fact that there is now a boycott to stop buying things in Tulare.

“You should look into how much farmers and dairyman buy in this town.”

The other towns are going to get the tax dollars from their purchases, not Tulare, he added. “The wound is so deep, it’s not going to heal, it’s going to fester. At this point, it’s a financial burden on the city and I think you have a fiduciary duty to look out for that.”

Dr. Edward Henry, a retired veterinarian who took care of dairy cows in both Tulare and Kings Counties, submitted the Tulare County Crop and Livestock report from 2016, one copy for public record and one for the mayor, for review. Tulare County’s total production of crop and livestock for that year was $6.3 billion, with milk and dairy totaling $1.6 billion, he read. He also shared that Tulare County ships to 75 different countries in the world and he read the top 10 off.

“Now tell me that these countries would be accepting our food products, if they were so toxic, causing cancer – these countries could not do that,” he said.

Tulare Ag teacher, David Caetano, told council he gave his students an assignment to write a letter to the

One Tulare resident asked everyone to stand, saying “Congratulations Carlton, you’ve got the city’s attention now. It’s time to step down, Carlton. It’s time to step down.” Nancy Vigran/Valley Voice

“My Job Depends on Ag” yard signs and barbeque beef sandwiches across from the Tulare Library, where council meetings are held, just prior to the council meeting.

Following the customary flag salute and invocation, public comments began. Councilman Sigala asked what happened to the restructuring of the mayor agenda item and whether it was the mayor who had taken it off. He also asked that the public comment period be extended and that each comment be reduced from a normal three minutes to one minute per speaker, as it appeared numerous individuals wanted to comment.

After being reprimanded for speaking out of turn, the mayor admitted it was he who pulled the item off the agenda. Jones also stated that he was going to suggest waiving any over-

mayor in response to his Facebook comments. Students were allowed to agree or disagree, but had to justify everything they said. He brought 42 of the letters with him, giving them to the city clerk. He was joined by six Tulare FFA members, one of whom, Macy Wilbourn, read her letter.

“Open-mindedness, honesty and communication skills are all qualities that make a good leader,” she said.

“You were definitely honest in your message, and you definitely communicated your opinion and got your point across with this post, however you have proven to be extremely close-minded which can be detrimental to our town with you as our leader. . . You now have to deal with the consequences that come with attacking the majority of our town. Drive through your town Mr. Jones and what do you

Across the street from the Tulare council chambers, GAR Tootelian, Inc — assisted by volunteers — gave “My Job Depends on Ag” yard signs and barbecue sandwiches for free, in addition to other items for donations. Nancy Vigran/Valley Voice

see? Agriculture. Agriculture that feeds the population of not just our county, but of the entire world.”

Wilbourn pointed out that 60% of Tulare’s tax revenue comes from agriculture. “I’ve been educated, not trained, to know that agriculture benefits the community,” she said, referring to the mayor’s Facebook comments that he could not be educated.

She pointed out the diseases the mayor attributed to Ag were not actually caused by Ag, but rather genetics, fungus and so forth. “Agriculture is the heart of Tulare,” she concluded.

Numerous others spoke including Dennis Mederos, who grew up on a dairy, and has practiced law in Tulare for 40 years. Mederos wanted to make it clear that being conservative or liberal has nothing to do with the conflict at hand.

“In the community I grew up in, we respected the views of others, and the political positions that they had,” he said. But, that wasn’t the issue.

“The situation has gone on long enough,” he said, “we have turmoil . . . it’s time for you to act and deal with this.” He asked the council members to following what Councilman Sigala had requested to reorganize.

The public comment period lasted 1 ½ hours.

“I just don’t understand how you can be the mayor of Tulare and hate agriculture. You’re literally biting the hands that feed you.”

“I don’t hate anything,” Jones wrote.

“Ag depends on the people. I know you agree with that but. Thats the way it is.

Our Military protects your right to Farm.

Our Government, “The People” Subsidizes your industry. I love Ag. I don’t like people who claim to hate California, while taking so much from California. If you don’t like it leave.”

“Like all the people that make the statements have been fed an agenda, environmentally, socially and financially, they write articles, create restrictions, enforce sanctions and yet make absolutely zero effort to go visit family farms to gain a better understanding. So all that tells me is we have a bunch of “educated” fools that would rather stay ignorant and complacent in their agendas to get votes than to be educated in their understanding of Agriculture. I’m in education and my job without a doubt depends on Agriculture. Every rural community I serve, the children I teach, the entire infrastructure if [of] those towns depend on Ag,” Kayla Wilson responded.

What started the Ag community fury?

Later in the council meeting, during council reports, Councilman Greg Nunley requested discussion of the restructure of the mayor position be placed on the next meeting’s agenda. He did make it clear that he did not think Jones intended to say anything negative about Tulare. Discussion ensued with Sigala stating that the mayor could resign.

“I think the right thing to do tonight, Mr. Mayor, is for you to resign as mayor.”

After mentioning that he had defended Sigala from some criticism after intense opposition to Sigala’s sanctuary city proposal, Jones said, “Don’t ever quit. I was voted into this position and I’m not quitting on the people who voted me here. That will never happen and I hope you don’t think that’s an option.”

Sigala said, he was not asking Jones to quit the council, just the position as mayor.

The city attorney Heather Phillips intervened, “I am going to break in at this point, OK, you guys are getting way off track.”

A consensus was made with Nunley, Sigala and Vice Mayor Maritsa Castellanoz for a reorganization of the council and the mayor’s position to be placed on the June 19 agenda.

The original Facebook comment was screenshotted in by Erik Wilson of Dos Palos, from a conversation taking place on his sister’s Facebook page.

Subsequently, it had also started Tulare talking.

“Here’s your mayor Tulare. Tulare, Ca home to the World Ag Expo. The most productive agricultural county in the entire USA. Tulare Ag generates more dollars alone than some states do. And this is your mayor? What a complete moron,” Wilson said with the post.

The mayor had written: “You’re having a conversation in your head. Ag depends on the people. Ag strips the natural resources and contaminates our ground water and air. Ag causes asthma and valley fever, cancer and kills bees.

You can’t educate me. You’re trained.

You can share with me what you’ve been trained to think. We can debate the difference between what you think and what I think.”

To put this in context, a conversation had evolved on Wilson’s sister’s personal Facebook page regarding thoughts as to whether Governor Jerry Brown and the state government are restricting agriculture and limiting water supplies to Valley farmers. The posts just prior to Jones’ read.

Restructuring of the council and mayor will be on the next council agenda

12

WOODLAKE continued from 1

probably one of the safest place to be in the city.”

The preparation City Hall did to ready the city for an industry that still carries a slight stigma--much like alcohol sales did in the wake of the repeal of Prohibition--helped ease her mind, Garcia said.

“They city gave us the choice,” she said. “They sent out fliers and asked a questionnaire for two months.”

Businesses Doing Business

Valley Pure isn’t just attracting potential customers for neighboring businesses along Valencia Boulevard. It’s also bringing its business partners along.

“I came to see these guys (Hardin and Caudle),” said Imran Akhund, owner of Love Trees Plant Nutrients, a Visalia-based plant food manufacturer. “We just touched base with them and we’re talking about helping them increase their yields, while basically saving them some money.”

Akhund and his companion also picked up coffee at Munchies on their way out of town.

If Waters gets his way, Woodlake residents can expect more cannabis businesses will find their way to town as word spreads. Central to the plan to attract more like Valley Pure is a tax rate that sits squarely in the middle of what other towns are charging.

“We did a rate study. We looked at what the different rates were across the state, presented it to (the City) Council, let them know, ‘Hey, this is what other cities are doing,’ kind of asked them to give us some input on what they thought would be competitive,” Waters

said. “They split the difference and went in the middle.

We wanted to make sure it was something that worked for both parties. If it’s too high and they don’t get business, that’s not going to be good for the city.”

7 June, 2018

Valley Voice

Welcome to Woodlake

The attitude of accommodation at Woodlake City Hall is not to be found anywhere else in Tulare County, and it was key to getting Valley Pure to settle there.

“We have roots in Woodlake,” said Hardin. “But, also, they were first out of the gate. They were very forward thinking and when it came time to pass the muster, as it were, Woodlake was right on the ball and they’ve been great partners the whole time.”

In the long run, that could mean very big things for little Woodlake and its new business partners.

“Our agenda is elevated to the point we are really excited about expansion in the future in the state of California,” Hardin said. “We envision ourselves as a statewide, and eventually once the feds come around, a nationwide company.”

Blazing an Ethical Trail

Even though Valley Pure attracts attention as a novelty and due to its newness, it also offers quality products at reasonable prices, Hardin said, and that will give it staying power in the long-term.

“We’re doing good,” Hardin said.

“We like to think we’re providing a good service for the community.”

They’re also going out of their way to be good to the town that’s being very good to them. So far, they’ve become cosponsors of the Woodlake Rodeo and they donated a K-9 officer to the Woodlake Police Department. It’s not a publicity move, Hardin insists, but rather just how everyone should behave.

“I feel we feel we need to do that as humans,” he said.

Still, he realizes cannabis merchants and manufacturers are not universally welcome, even in Woodlake.

“We realize this is a fringe industry, and to some people from an ideology perspective they might be a little bit scary, so it’s our job, my and Tony’s main goal when we go into new cities and new markets is to make sure we bring our best and brightest,” Hardin said.

“That means we bring our ethics and our values and our responsibilities as a company.”

“We hope to be the model for people coming up,” Caudle added.

So Far, So Good

No major problems have arisen for Valley Pure as it gets its start, and the people of Woodlake seem satisfied.

“We haven’t had any complaints,” said Waters at City Hall. “I’ll take that.”

He’ll also take the added traffic Valley Pure is bringing to town. He welcomes it in fact. So, too, will owners of businesses surrounding the cannabis shop, as they see increases in sales.

“Anytime you can get traffic in a downtown, it usually lifts all tides,” Waters said. “So, we hope other businesses benefit from this as well, (as) people come from other places and maybe get a cup of coffee or tacos across the street.”

If all goes according to plan, Woodlake can expect continuing growth in a thriving downtown, mainly thanks to its cannabis-friendly attitude. That, in turn, should mean a stronger and wealthier Woodlake for everyone.

“Downtown, especially in a small community, that’s the backbone,” Waters said. “So, if we can have an active downtown, that’s a win for us.”

7 June, 2018

VALLEYSCENE

ourvalleyvoice.com

“A Few Good Men” to close out Visalia Players season STAFF REPORTS

‘Do-Gooders’ Mark 20 Years Helping Students DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com This summer, Assistance League Visalia--the most helpful organization you’ve never heard of--will mark 20 years of clothing, educating and making life better for Tulare County’s children, and they’re doing it by ensuring hundreds of students begin school this year a little more ready to learn.

Operation School Bell

At 8am on September 23 and again on October 28, hundreds of kids about to start another season of K-12 education will have the run of the JCPenny department store in Visalia.

The younger ones will have $100 to spend on clothes and shoes. The older ones get $125.

The money, all of which is raised and distributed locally, comes from Assistance League Visalia (ALV), the

Tulare County branch of another philanthropic group most people have never heard of, the National Assistance League.

Each local League runs and pays for its own work, and in Visalia ALV is helped by JCPenny, which opens early and staffs the ALV events.

“Penny’s has been fabulous with us,” said Donna Nottingham, ALV board member and the group’s first president when it started back in 1998.

“Penny’s allows us to go in at 8 o’clock in the morning. They don’t open until 11, so we’re in there alone with these kids and their families.”

The money ALV provides the children is theirs to spend any way they see fit.

“Some kids need shoes, because they’re thinking that’s what I need to feel good at school that day,” Nottingham said. “They make the call. We

ASSISTANCE continued on B7 »

Portuguese 105th Anniversary Celebrating Queen’s Charity STAFF REPORTS Pentecostal Park Association of Visalia (PPAV) will be celebrating its 105th anniversary of Festa do Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit Celebration) beginning the week of June 4rd through Sunday, June 10th, 2019.

“It is an event to celebrate and to thank God for all he has given us and in turn to give back to those in need. PPAV has graciously held this event in honor of the Holy Spirit and our Portuguese heritage,” said Stacy Broderick, the mother of this year’s Festa queen.

In 1911, The Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit (I.D.E.S.), Flor Branco Council #89 was organized as an Azorean fraternity in Visalia, CA. It consisted of a group of men of Portuguese-American descent.

The fraternal name was derived from the historical fact that Queen Isabel of Portugal, who was deeply devoted to the teachings of Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit, centuries ago took great risks to feed the poor against the wishes of her husband, King Dinis of Portugal. She chose

Pentecost Sunday to provide this feast, henceforth, the name--Pentecostal Park Association of Visalia was originated.

It was not until 1913 that our first Festa do Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit Celebration) was formed and the three day event began on Sat., May 31, 1913.

Our first queen was Marie Bettencourt Reis; her attendants were her sisters; Anna and Mabel Bettencourt.

Today, our annual Festa is traditionally scheduled on the 10th Sunday after Easter. Visalia is part of Area 8 of the Southern San Joaquin Valley that incorporates 15 other communities all of whom each have their own Festas on rotating weekends throughout the state. Our main focus is honoring the Holy Spirit and Queen Isabel of Portugal.

History says that she carried bread under her cloak to feed the poor and when the king confronted her as to what she was hiding, she told him she was carrying roses.

When he demanded her to display them, a shower of roses miraculously

PPAV continued on B7 »

The Visalia Players close their 201718 season with the iconic courtroom drama “A Few Good Men.” The issues at the heart of the story are those we still struggle with as a nation: power, authority, racism, and sexism. How much power can we relinquish to authority and still retain our freedom?

Marines under the command of Lt. Kendrick (Patrick Greer) are involved in a “Code Red” hazing which results in the death of Pfc. Santiago. Who is to blame? Why did the hazing occur? Was it a decision made by those involved in the hazing or was it ordered through the chain of command?

The JAG corps has decided that the

two young marines - Lance Cpl. Dawson (Bryce Huckabay) and Pfc. Downey (Ricky Herrera) - on trial for the murder are to be defended by a Lt. j.g.

Kaffee (Joseph Troncozo) despite the availability of a more senior female attorney, Lt. Cmdr. Galloway (Leiana Petlewski).

Rather than back away after being passed over, Galloway pushes Kaffee to provide a strong defense instead of a plea bargain. Petlewski sees Galloway “as the catalyst for the trial. She believes that the problem of hazing is rooted in the system rather than in the morals of the recruits.”

Lt. Ross (Evan Huckabay) assigned to prosecute the case is tasked with

FEW GOOD MEN continued on B6 »

Left to right: Joseph Troncozo, Leiana Petlewski, Aaron Johnson, and David Peden.

Courtesy/Nancy Holley

Sequoia Shuttle opens for the 2018 summer season

STAFF REPORTS The Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau is excited to announce that the Sequoia Shuttle will begin its 2018 season on May 24, 2018 and continue through the summer to September 9.

This popular seasonal shuttle offers travelers convenient and affordable transportation to Sequoia National Park from the gateway city of Visalia. The shuttle picks up visitors from most Visalia area hotels as well as the Transit Center in downtown for the trip to the park and continues to the Giant Forest Museum where it connects to free in-park shuttle routes that travel throughout the Gi-

ant Forest.

‘This is an excellent travel resource for visitors who wish to maximize their visit to the park’ said Suzanne Bianco, Tourism Manager for the Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau. Many parks see an increase in visitation in the summer months and parking is at a premium. By leaving their car behind and taking the shuttle, no time is wasted searching for parking spots or paying park entry fees.

The Sequoia Shuttle is $15 roundtrip and includes park admission.

Reservations are required and there are multiple departure and return times throughout the day from which

SHUTTLE continued on B6 »

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

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‘You-pick’ lavender harvest set for June Ten Kern County families become is overseen by Kathy Lewis, a develSTAFF REPORTS opmental disability specialist, who homeowners with Self-Help Enterprises Herbs and More in Farmersville, a horticultural-based day program for developmentally disabled adults, will hold a “you-pick” day during lavender harvest in June.

The “you-pick” harvest will be Saturday, June 9, from 8am to 1pm.

The Herbs and More program allows developmentally disabled adults from the Central Valley Regional Center to take part in planting and harvesting a wide variety of herbs and the production and packaging of products such as soaps, massage oils, soothing snugglers, warming slippers, shoe fresheners and lavender eye packs.

All funds raised go toward salaries for the individuals and product development.

The Herbs and More program

operates three care homes for the SELF-HELP ENTERPRISES mentally disabled along with partner After twelve months of construcJody Graves. tion and hard work, 10 families came “The goal of Herbs and More is to together to celebrate the completion focus on each individual’s abilities of their new homes in the rural Kern and not on their disabilities,” Lewis County community of Wasco. noted. “They put care and pride into Among the group are Edgar and each product.”

Isabel Cedillo, who achieved what for Products many families is a lifetime goal - owncan be puring their own home.

The Cedillos previchased at the ously rented a room in Bakersfield from Herbs and Edgar’s parents and today are proud More location at 226 E. Front homeowners of a four-bedroom home.

Street in Farm- “This program gave us the opportunity ersville; Roots to have our own home and now we get Floral and Sa- to start our family”, said Isabel.

As part of the Mutual Self-Help lon in Exeter; Contact: For Immediate Release Housing program, the families worked Ciara Castellanoz June 3, 2018 Brooklyn FlowMarketing Manager together on nearly every aspect of the ers and Gifts 559-498-5936 (office) homes from pouring foundations to 559-303-9286 (cell) in Lindsay; LaCCastellanoz@fresnochaffeezoo.org framing walls with direction from an Belle Winery in Terra Bella; Meridian Wellness Cen- onsite construction supervisor. Each a minimum ZOO CAMP homeowner STARTS ON JUNE contributes 11 ter in Visalia; and on lineSUMMER at herbsandof 40 hours per week (over 65% moreca.com.

Fresno, CA – Summer break is quickly approaching! Are you looking for something exciting and of the construction labor) constructing their educational for your children to do?

Send them to Fresno Chaffee Zoo for Summer Zoo Camp!

The program members also show own homes and those of their neightheir handcrafted products atinfestiZoo Camp attendees can participate a variety of educational activities. With camp topics like bors.for These hours, as “Animal Extremes” and “Action Animals”, labor campers can learn all known about vals and“Global artsAdventures”, and crafts shows.

For animals from throughout the world and what they“sweat can do to help conserveare endangered species. equity”, used as the down product information call 747-1101, or Summer Zoo Campat is offered childrenSt., ages 3 through 17 andon willtheir take place from June 11 resulting to payment new home, stop by the program 226 E.toFront August 17. Early drop off and late pick up optionsin areaffordable available. All sessions foster an monthly payments with Farmersville. appreciation and understanding of animals and nature through live animal interactions, animal

assistance from low-interest mortgage financing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

During the construction phase, participants learned a variety of construction skills. “The process was rewarding, but we had to overcome some challenges,” said Isabel. “I’ve never done construction work. Now, I know how to work on electrical.” Edgar shared, “My wife and I also had to balance building with our full-time jobs, but we did it and accomplished something incredible.”

The energy-efficient three- and four-bedroom homes range from 1,210 to 1,361 square feet and feature two baths, covered patios, and twocar garages.

This recent group of families is the second of three groups in the Wasco subdivision located on Ventura Court and Solano Street. The completion of the ten homes brings a total of 123 homes to Wasco since the first self-help houses were constructed in 1971. The first ten families completed and occupied their homes in November 2017 and the final group is expected to be completed later this year.

observations, games, arts and crafts, and other exciting activities. For more information, and to register, please visit www.fresnochaffeezoo.org.

Chaffee Zoo’s Summer Zoo Camp starts on June 11 STAFF REPORTS Summer break is quickly approaching! Are you looking for something exciting and educational for your children to do? Send them to Fresno Chaffee Zoo for Summer Zoo Camp!

Zoo Camp attendees can partic-

ipate in a variety conserve endanof educational acgered species. tivities. With camp Summer Zoo topics like “Global Camp is offered Adventures”, “Animal to children ages 3 Extremes” and “Action through 17 and will for Animals”, campers can learn all take place from June 11 to August 17.

"Fresno Chaffee Zoo inspires wonder of our natural provides an engagingoff learning environment, creates about animals from throughout theworld,Early drop and late and pick up oppassion for conservation." world and what they can do toa help tions are available. ###

All sessions foster an appreciation and understanding of animals and nature through live animal interactions, animal observations, games, arts and crafts, and other exciting activities.

For more information, and to register, please visit www.fresnochaffeezoo.org.

Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

Visalia Parks & Rec sites host free Tulare school district once again offers summer meal program to kids summer lunch program STAFF REPORTS With summer just around the corner, it’s time to think about keeping children healthy while school is out.

The City of Visalia Parks & Recreation Department is partnering with Food Link to provide free meals to children all summer.

Summer is an exciting time for children to enjoy playtime with friends, a week at camp, a family vacation or time at the pool, but for many children who receive free and reduced-price meals at school, summer can mean hunger.

“Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child’s need for good nutrition,” stated Jeannie Greenwood, Director of Visalia Parks & Recreation Department.

Visalia Parks & Recreation is pleased to provide free meals to children during the summer as part of the USDA Summer Food Service Program. From June 4th through August 10th, a FREE lunch will be served at the Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob Street), Manuel F. Hernandez Community Center (247 W. Ferguson Avenue) and the Whitendale Community Center (630 W. Beech Avenue) Monday through Friday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. There are no income requirements or registration. Any child 18 years and under is eligible to attend and eat lunch on site.

For more information on the lunch program, please contact Visalia Parks and Recreation Department at (559) 713-4365 or email recreation@ visalia.city.

STAFF REPORTS For more than 20 years, the Tulare Joint Union High School District has offered summer meals to Tulare students. Starting June 3, it will again offer this program in coordination with CA Meals for Kids and the US Department of Agriculture.

What started as a three-year pilot grant program, Special Food Service Program for Children, has continued to blossom offering breakfast and lunch through various school districts throughout the state. Last year, Tulare turned out approximately 1,000 meals per day.

“The Tulare Joint Union High School District is proud to be able to serve free meals for all students during the summer programs since

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so many come from low socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Tony Rodriguez, TJUSHD superintendent.”

Meals will be offered from 9:3010am and 12-12:30pm, June 13 – July 12, except for July 4, at Tulare Union High School, 755 E. Tulare Ave. Breakfast will be offered from 7:30-8am, and lunch from 12:45-1:15pm at the Maple Development Center, 509 W. Maple from June 18 – July 12.

The Center will be closed on June 29 and July 4-6.

Any child, 18 or younger may receive breakfast and/or lunch free through this program.

For those in other areas, download the CA Meals for Kids app to find the location closest to you, or call your local school district office.

2018 firewood permits available in Kings Canyon National Park STAFF REPORTS Surplus wood in Kings Canyon National Park will be made available by permit to the public beginning Thursday, May 31, 2018. Firewood permits are free, and must be obtained before wood can be removed. There is a limit of six cords per family per year. Approximately 200 cords (50 cords in Grant Grove and 150 cords in Cedar Grove) will be available on a first-come firstserved basis until the supply is gone.

The cutting and removal of wood is permitted seven days a week, but

only during daylight hours. Permits are only valid for what can be hauled, as wood cannot be reserved. Once a permit is obtained, permit holder must stop at the Kings Canyon Visitor Center to request that a ranger unlock the gate to the wood lot. Permits must be displayed at all times.

Visitor safety and the protection of park resources during woodcutting operations is the priority of the National Park Service. Cutting or collection of any trees or wood other than identified in the permit and located in approved woodlots is prohibited. All equipment

needs to be in good working order, and the use of proper personal protective equipment, such as leather gloves, eye protection, and chaps is strongly encouraged. It is recommended that an additional person be present while permit holder is cutting wood in order to act as a spotter and to assist in loading wood. Each chainsaw needs to be equipped with a spark arrester, and exhaust systems need to be in good repair. Permit holders are required to keep a serviceable round point shovel at least 46 inches long and a UL-approved fire extinguisher (two-pound

dry chemical or one-pound foam type – ABC or greater) within 25 feet of where saws are being operated.

This wood is a result of tree mortality, and were trees deemed to be a potential hazard to visitors or property within the park.

Please contact Renee Smith for more information about wood permits and availability at 559-565-4331 or renee_smith@nps.gov.

Permits are only valid in Kings Canyon National Park, not in Sequoia National Forest or Giant Sequoia National Monument.

with the writing of A Wrinkle in Time—a work initially rejected by twenty-six different publishers.

Even after its publication by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 1962, her fantasy tale was assailed by conservative Christians as promoting the occult or mystical elements.

She countered by affirming her own beliefs as a devout Christian, noting that her work contained numerous scriptural references.

She further reflected on her

own religiosity as expressed in her book: “If I have ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe, this is it…my psalm of praise to life, my stand for life against death.”

L’Engle was ultimately vindicated. A Wrinkle in Time received the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1963—an annual award given to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Although intended for a younger audience, A Wrinkle in Time has appealed to older readers as well.

Also, it has stood the test of time, remaining in print from its initial publication down to the present.

Newell G. Bringhurst, a retired COS Professor of History and Political Science welcomes responses and comments at newellgb@ hotmail.com

Book Notes

A Wrinkle in Time NEWELL BRINGHURST newellgb@hotmail.com

Madeleine L’Engle’s classic 1962 tale A Wrinkle in Time is worth revisiting given the recent release of the Walt Disney motion picture of the same name directed by Ava DuVrnay and starring Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon.

L‘Engle’s science fiction fantasy focuses on the shy, awkward adolescent Meg Murry who along with her gifted younger brother, Charles Wallace, and high school friend, Calvin O’Keefe, travel across the barriers of time and space to find and rescue the Murry’s missing father—a physicist who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

They are aided by a trio of supernatural beings called Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.

The travelers discover that the entire universe is under attack by an evil disembodied being called IT, who possesses a malevolent force that has existed for millenia.

Meg is faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of both locating and rescuing her missing father and saving the universe from the evil threatening its existence.

Like protagonist Meg Murry, Madeleine L’Engle, herself, faced major obstacles throughout her own eventful life.

A native New Yorker, born in 1918, her childhood was disrupt-

ed by frequent moves. Physically tall and awkward, she was a subpar student labeled “stupid” by her teachers.

Young Madeleine thus sought escape through books.

As a prodigious reader she harbored aspirations of being a writer, herself.

Ultimately, she redeemed herself, excelling in her studies, graduating Cum Laude from prestigious Smith College in 1941.

Over the following two decades L’Engle struggled to fulfill the dual roles of devoted mother to her three children—having married shortly after graduation—and as an aspiring author.

On more than one occasion she considered abandoning writing altogether, particularly when confronted with publisher rejections.

She managed to secure publication of three semiautobiographical novels, albeit with mixed results.

L’Engle’s most severe test came

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Calendar

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

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Through June 29th: Faces and Figures Art League Membership Exhibition 10am-3pm - In June 2018, Arts Visalia presents the annual Visalia Art League membership exhibition entitled Faces and Figures. On display will be art pieces by a number of Art League artists, in a variety of media, including oil and acrylic painting, watercolor, photography, drawing, and sculpture. Awards will be distributed during the reception including, Best of Show and People’s Choice awards.

This exhibition runs from May 30th through June 29th and is on display at the Arts Consortium, 300 E. Oak Ave, Visalia.

June 7: For the Love of Color!

Paintings by Betty Berk 5-8pm - New paintings by Betty Berk, an award winning local artist, will be exhibited at Community Media Access Collaborative, CMAC, for the month of June, 2018.

Come join her at First Thursday Art Hop in Fresno on June 7. Berk’s works are filled with exciting color compositions that celebrate life through bright color and expressive brush work.

Betty Berk lives in Visalia where she finds inspirtation in hills, mountatins and the countryside of orange crops and wild flowers. Often carting home pots of flowers from the local nursery’s, she sets up still life subjects to paint in free spirited oil paintings.

June 8: Mens, Womens, Co-Ed & 50 Mens Softball Registration Deadline 5pm deadline - The deadline to register for the Visalia Parks & Recreation’s softball program has been extended. The Visalia Parks & Rec’s softball program offers an excellent recreational opportunity for adults to socialize and get some exercise at the same time. Leagues are organized and administered by professional staff with expertise in league formation and maintaining competitive divisions.

Registration deadline is Friday, June 8th by 5 pm at the Anthony Community Center. Leagues starts Tuesday, June 26th and games are played on Tuesdays for 50 Mens, Tuesdays-Fridays for Mens & CoEd and Thursdays for Womens leagues. Cost is $420 for Mens, CoEd and Womens leagues and $350 for 50 league. Register in person at the Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob Street). Sports league registration will only be accepted with a completed roster and full payment. Registration increases $25 after deadline, as space allows.

Team packets are available now.

For more information, call (559) 713-4365 or email recreation@visalia.city.

June 8, 9: Landscape Photography Workshop A two-part workshop hosted by Alvarez Photography Studio.

First class to be held June 8 from 6-7:30pm at the Visalia Senior Center. The day of photography will be June 9 from 9am-1pm.

Discover the best techniques used in landscape photography with professional photographer Michael Alvarez. Participants will learn about the Sunny 16 Rule and depth of field tools that will bring landscapes to life. This workshop will provide information on what equipment is needed for a photographer’s gear bag including lenses, filters and tripods. Participants must bring their own single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.

Registration is at 345 North Jacob Street in Visalia or dial 559-713-4365 to register. The cost of this workshop is $60.00.

June 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23: Vintage Hitchcock At the Porterville Barn Theater.

Opens June 8 followed by 7 more weekend performances.

Spies, murder, love, and other trademarks of Alfred Hitchcock’s writing come to life in Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play. Styled in the form of a 1940’s radio broadcast featuring 3 of the master of suspense’s earlier films, “The Lodger”, “Sabotage” and “The 39 Steps” this live radio play comes complete with vintage commercials, the recreation of a daring train chase, a serial killer’s ominous presence, and a devastating explosion, all through the magic of live sound effects and musical underscoring.

For more information and tickets, call 559-310-7046.

June 9: Reading Takes You Everywhere & Beyond 10am-2pm - The kick-off of Tulare Public Library’s Summer Reading Program includes E & M’s Reptile Family in council chambers, cartoon shorts in the computer lab, free carnival games in the Kid’s Space & Non-Fiction Alcove, face painting in the magazine area, and kids crafts in the Olympic Room.

For more information, dial the Tulare Public Library at 559-685-4500.

June 9: Neurological Educational Seminar 1-2pm - Featuring guest speaker Perminder Bhatia, M.D., Board Certified Neurologist. Dr. Bhatia will be sharing the results of Alzheimer’s and Dementia clinical trials for agitation, seizures, hallucinations and delusions, using non-psychotic medications.

Quail Park Memory Care Residences and The Alzheimer’s Foundation of Central California will be hosting this free event. The workshop will be held at the Lifestyle Center located at 5105 W. Cypress Ave., Visalia. For additional information or to RSVP call the Quail Park Community Relations office at 559-6243503.

June 9: 559 Fights #65 6-10pm - At the Visalia Convention

Center. In the main event, Albert Gonzales takes on Ryan Hamilton for the vacant 559 Fights Middleweight Title. Doors open at 6pm; for tickets or more information, visit visaliatix.com.

June 10: Brian Regan returns to the Visalia Fox 7pm - Returning to Visalia after sold out shows in 2012, 2014 and 2016, Rainmaker Productions presents Brian Regan. Brian Regan has distinguished himself as one of the premier comedians in the country.

The perfect balance of sophisticated writing and physicality, Brian fills theaters nationwide with fervent fans that span generations.

“Brian Regan is one of my favorite comedians ever. He is unbelievably funny.” – Jimmy Fallon Tickets on sale now - $45 & $55 at the Visalia Fox Theatre office, 308 W. Main St., Visalia; (559) 625-1369.

June 11-15: La Sierra Summer Military Camp 8am-12pm daily - Many students express an interest in entering the military, but lack information on what that choice entails. To help young people make more informed decisions for their futures, La Sierra Military Academy is offering a weeklong Summer Military Camp June 11-15.

The La Sierra Summer Military Camp will take place daily, June 11-15, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The program is open to all students in grades 7-12. Cost for the weeklong camp is $100 and scholarships are available. To learn more, call La Sierra Military Academy at (559) 7336963.

June 13, 20, 27: Concert in the Park 7:30-9pm - A free concert series hosted by the City of Tulare’s Parks and Recreation Department. Bring your lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy!

June 14: State Payroll Tax Workshop 9:30am-3:30pm - Located at the Tulare County Employment Connection office, 4025 W. Noble Ave, Suite B. Those who would benefit include people seeking hand-on experience in calculating taxes or completing payroll tax forms, and those who would like additional practice. There is no charge for this seminar. To make reservations, visit the EDD website at www.edd. ca.gov/Payroll_tax_seminars/ or call 866-873-6083.

June 14: Tulare Chamber Business After Hours 5:30-7pm - Hosted by Elements Design Center, 1462 S. Blackstone, Tulare.

June 14: Visalia Veterans’ Flag Retirement Ceremony 7-8pm - At the Visalia Convention Center.

June 15: Visalia Host Lions Club Murder Mystery Fundraiser 6pm - The evening will feature a three-course meal catered by Sue Sa’s Creative Catering and entertainment with The Murder Mystery Company of Los Angeles. Attendees in the dinner theater become par-

ticipants in the murder mystery and interact with cast members to solve a fictitious murder scene.

Mardi Gras masks, evening wear and ball gowns are encouraged.

Cocktails begin at 6pm, and dinner at 7. Tickets are $75 per person. For tickets and information, call Lauri Aguilar at 936-5712 or email laguilar@thelockwoodagency.net.

June 15: Salute to Dairy & Dairy Princess Coronation 2018 6-10pm - The Tulare Country Dairywomen and the Tulare Chamber of Commerce will host the 33rd Annual Tulare County Dairy Princess Coronation. It is a collaboration between the Tulare County Dairywomen, the California Milk Advisory Board and, the Tulare Chamber of Commerce to Salute the Dairy Industry.

The evening will start at 6 pm with a social hour, followed by dinner at 7 pm. The new dairy princess will serve as a dairy ambassador for next year.

Included in the program, the Tulare County Dairywomen and the Tulare Chamber of Commerce will also be presenting scholarship awards to local high school students, as well as presenting the 2018-19 Dairy Family of the Year.

Tickets are available for $45 June 15, 22, 29; July 6, 13, 20: Visalia Parks & Rec Presents Movies in the Park 8pm - Come to the only place in Visalia where the stars in the sky will be rivaled by those on the screen! Movies in the Park is back for the Summer 2018 season.

Films are shown on our giant inflatable movie screen at dusk. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and sit back and enjoy the show! Guests are welcome to bring picnic dinner and snacks. (No alcohol allowed.)

Thor Ragnarok will be shown on June 15, The Lego Ninjago Movie on June 22, The Lion King on June 29.

Wonder will be shown on July 6, Jumanji on July 13th, and Coco on July 20th.

June 15: Mens Basketball Registration Deadline 5pm deadline - Get back into the game with the City of Visalia’s 4-on4 basketball league. Our league offers novice through advanced divisions for players of all skill levels. Grab some friends and jump on the court in this fast paced, fun league for adults.

Registration deadline is Friday, June 15th by 5 pm at the Anthony Community Center. League starts Thursday, June 28th with games played on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Cost is $325.

Register in person at the Anthony Community Center (345 N. Jacob Street). Sports league registration will only be accepted with a completed roster and full payment.

Registration increases $25 after deadline, as space allows. Team packets are available now.

June 16: Make & Take Workshops 9am-5pm - At the Lemoore Senior Citizens’ Center, 789 S. Lemoore

Valley Voice 7 June, 2018 Ave. Free admission and parking, co-sponsored by the Lemoore Seniors and Sarah Mooney Museum.

Pre-registration recommended as workshop spaces are limited; for more information, call 559-3813844 or email llahodny@lahodny. org.

Includes vendor booths, kids’ zone at $5/hr/child, food consessions, and BBQ Tri-Tip dinners. BBQ tickets must be purchased in advance & meals picked up between 3-5pm; call the number above for BBQ tickets. Workshops cost varying amounts, call for more detail.

June 16: Civil Discourse in the Public Arena 9:30am-1pm - The League of Women Voters of Tulare County will present a team from the San Luis Obispo League who will teach a workshop on “Civil Discourse in the Public Arena”.

The event will be in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 120 N. Hall, Visalia.

This is free to the public and light refreshments will be served. The team will expand understanding of civil discourse, share ideas on how to promote it and explore why it is essential for a thriving democracy. RSVP to phoebet8@att.net or 732-5061.

June 16, 23; July 14, 28: Visalia Parks & Rec Community Pool Party Series 12-3pm - The 2018 Community Pool Party series is full of fun and adventure. We’re inviting everyone to jump in and enjoy the water for free during this lifeguard supervised pool time.

June 16 sponsored by Financial Credit Network, June 23 sponsored

by McAuliff & Wood Orthodontics; July 14 sponsored by Visalia Parks & Rec, July 28 sponsored by Carver Pump Service.

June 20: Visalia Economic Development Corporation Annual Meeting 7am - At the Visalia Convention Center. Outgoing chairman Carlos Garcia, manager of Airgas in Visalia, will be recognized, along with incoming chairman Carrie Groover, general manager of the Visalia Marriott.

Audience members will be able to pose questions to the panelists,

B5 with the focus on how they might apply techniques ranging from inhouse gyms to training and events to help build morale and improve retention. Panelists represent VWR, Hilti, Electric Motor Shop and California Dairies.

Tickets are $35 per person in advance; $45 per person at the door (cash and checks only at the door) for a full breakfast and the program. The major sponsor for the Annual Meeting is Southern California Edison. For information on how to participate, contact Nancy Lockwood, executive director, at 733-3737 or nlockwood@thelockwoodagency.net.

June 22: Rainmaker Productions Presents LeAnn Rimes 7:30pm - LeAnn Rimes is an internationally multi-platinum selling acclaimed singer and ASCAP award-winning songwriter.

Globally, she has sold more than 44 million units, won two Grammy® Awards; 12 Billboard Music Awards; two World Music Awards; three Academy of Country Music Awards; one Country Music Association Award and one Dove Award.

At 14, Rimes won “Best New Artist” making her the youngest recipient of a Grammy® Award.

At the Visalia Fox Theatre. A portion of the proceeds from this event benefits The Creative Center Foundation. Tickets on sale, Friday, April 20 - $30-$60.

June 23: Visalia Municipal Airport Appreciation Day 10-4pm - Visalia Municipal Airport is opening its doors to the community for the first ever Airport Appreciation Day! Veterans receive early admission from 8-10am; general admission at 10am.

The event is hosted by Vets with Wings at the Visalia Municipal Airport, 9501 W. Airport Drive, and is open to aviation enthusiasts and families alike.

Enjoy a tour of the airport, and peek at unique aircraft of all sizes. Bounce houses will be on hand for children; music, craft and local food vendors, and a Sequoia Brewing Company beer garden will also be available.

Vets with Wings will offer aircraft rides for free on a first come, first

serve basis as well.

June 23: Mighty Oak Chorus Annual Spaghetti Feed 12-6pm - All you can eat.. and lots of music! Hosted at the 1st Presbyterian Church at the corner of Oak and Locust in Visalia. For tickets -- adults $10, kids 12 and under $5 -call Bud Case at 559-901-4615 or Dee Baughman at 559-280-5715 June 24: Visalia Health and Fitness Expo 11am-4pm - At the Visalia Convention Center. The Visalia Health and Fitness Expo on June 24, 2018 will feature health, fitness and wellness experts displaying and selling products and services.classes, plus cooking and fitness demonstrations and a kids zone for your little tikes fitness needs. Meet instructors and experts in their field and ask questions right here at the Visalia Health and Fitness Expo.

General admission tickets are $5; 12 and under are free. VIP Fitness Passes are available in a limited quantity and include entrance to the expo, four 30 minute workouts led by local trainers and studios, with complimentary treats and prizes for each class. For tickets, visit visaliatix.com June 26: Visalia Economic Development Corporation Job Fair 8-11am - The VEDC is hosting its third job fair Tuesday, June 26, at California Dairies. Employers are seeking to fill various openings from entry level to skilled level employees.

On-site interviews are not guaranteed for all applicants; however, all job seekers are encouraged to come prepared with hard copies of resume. Follow us on Facebook @ Visaliaedc for more updates!

If you are a member of the VEDC and are interested in participating as an employer, please contact Julie Ebert, 733-3737 or email jebert@ thelockwoodagency.net.

If you are not yet a member, please contact VEDC executive director Nancy Lockwood at 733-3737 or by email at Nlockwood@thelockwoodagency.net.

Every Tuesday/Friday: Visalia Duplicate Bridge Club 12pm Tuesdays, 7pm Fridays - $6 on Tuesdays, including lunch. $7 on

Senior Calendar The Visalia Senior Center is located at 310 N Locust, Visalia, and available by telephone at 559-7134381. Lunch is served daily at 12pm; reservations are required by 11am the day before by dialing (559) 713-4481.

The Tulare Senior Center is located at 201 N F St, Tulare, and available by telephone at 559-685-2330.

Lunch is served daily at 11:30am; reservations MUST be made by 12:30 PM the business day before

by calling (559) 685-2330. $3 do- days: June 11, 18, 25 nation is requested.

11am — Corn Hole The Tulare Senior Center calen- 1-4pm — Pinochle dar of activities was not avail- 1-4pm — Tables Tennis able at publication time.

Visalia Senior Center, TuesVisalia Senior Center, Saturdays: June 12, 19, 26 days: June 9, 16, 23, 30 11am — Darts 12-4:15pm — Senior Pride Bingo 1-4pm — Penny Bingo Visalia Senior Center, SunVisalia Senior Center, days: June 10, 17, 24 Wednesdays: June 13, 20, 27 1-4pm — Contract Bridge.

12-3:30pm — Poker Visalia Senior Center, Mon-

Fridays. At First Christian Church, 1023 N. Chinowth St. http://www.acbldistrict22.com/548/ Mondays: National Alliance on Mental Illness, 5:45pm Education Meeting: 7pm Support Group St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Visalia, 120 N. Hall, Corner of Center and Hall. For more information call: (559) 627-1306 Mondays: Bridge Club, 9:30am2pm 210 W Center Street Visalia. Admission is free. For additional information call: Joan Dinwiddie, (559) 732-0855 Mondays: Knitters, 10am12:30pm 210 W Center Street Visalia. Everyone is welcome.

Mondays: Monday Karaoke at Barmageddon, 9pm-1am Karaoke Jockey Miss Sammi will be hosting from 9pm - 1am. No Cover.

3rd Monday, Monthly: Tulare Republican Women Federated (TRWF), 5pm Apple Annie’s in Tulare - no meeting in July or August.

Tuesdays: Barmageddon Trivia Thunderdome, 9pm-1am Challenge your friends to the ultimate trivia throwdown.

Earn some bragging rights in categories ranging from Saturday morning cartoons, classic video games, and pop culture films. Free sign ups at 9:30pm.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7am Healing Hearts Walks Walk a 1 mile loop on the paved roads inside the Visalia Cemetery after raising of the flag, pledge of allegiance and moment of silence.

No charge or sign up.

Free coffee after walk. Meet at the Veteran’s Memorial Wall. For more information call 734-6181.

2nd Tuesday, Monthly: Yappy Hour, 5-9pm Well-mannered, leashed pets are welcome on the patio at the Planing Mill Artisan Pizzeria, 514 East Main Street, Suite A, in Visalia.

A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Valley Oak SPCA. For more information, call (559) 651-1111.

12:45-4pm — Contract Bridge Visalia Senior Center, Thursdays: June 7, 14, 21, 28 10am-12pm — Chess Club 11am — Darts 11am — Brain Teasers 1-2pm — Typing Club 1-4pm — Penny Bingo Visalia Senior Center, Fridays, June 8, 15, 22, 29 1pm — Friday Movie 1pm — Scrabble Club 1:30pm — Garden Club 1-4pm — Table Tennis

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

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Burn injured children head off to Champ Camp this summer

STAFF REPORTS Champ Camp, the nation’s largest and longest running camp for burn-injured children in the nation, will be held at Wonder Valley Ranch in Central California on June 9-16, 2018.

The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation’s 33rd Annual Champ Camp provides a free, safe and fun summer camp environment for children ages 5 to 17 facing one of life’s toughest and most painful challenges: severe burn injuries. More than 2,200 children have been through the program since its inception in 1985, with no cost to them thanks to our generous supporters throughout California.

“We are so excited for this year’s Champ Camp,” said Jennifer Radics-Johnson, Executive Director for the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.

“Champ Camp provides burn-injured children an opportunity to meet other children who have been through a similar experience and be part of new and challenging activities together, while feeling confident and having fun.”

Founded in 1986, Champ Camp is the nation’s largest and longest running camp for burn injured children.

Shuttle

Continued from B1 to choose. The shuttle operates 7 days a week. Reservations can be made at http://www.sequoiashuttle.com or by calling (877) 287-4453.

Visit Visalia and Come Play in our Backyard. Visalia is the Gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The city welcomes visitors

Few Good Men Continued from B1

keeping the ranking officers – Col. Jessup (John Olmos), Lt. Col. Markinson (Brent Amos) and Lt. Kendrick – from being involved in the trial. However, ignoring their culpability becomes impossible.

Olmos identifies Jessup’s motto as “unit, corps, God, and country. When people don’t fall in line, they have to be disciplined.” Jessup believes he has acted in accordance with the military code, but as the trial progresses, Markinson begins to have doubts.

“Markinson is very conflicted,” notes Amos. “He is not the man he wants to be nor is he the man he thought he was. He is the personification of the wrongness of what happened to Santiago, but he fails in so many ways.”

Director Leeni Mitchell commented, “There is a scene in the play between Jessup and Cmdr. Stone (Tom

Champ Camp provides a safe place for burn-injured children to get away from stares and unwanted attention associated with their burn injuries.

Champ Camp introduces the children to new and challenging physical activities and allows a burn-injured child to have fun and just be a kid.

“Champ Camp is important for me and other burn survivors because it gives us a week to be normal, have

fun and it feels good not to hide your burns.” said 11-year-old, Sam C., a burn survivor who has attended Champ Camp since 2012.

Campers come from all over California and the world to attend Champ Camp. In addition, more than 75 Camp Counselors from all over the state of California and beyond, volunteer to provide a unique summer experience for child burn survivors, many of

which are fire service members from around the state. At Champ Camp, campers enjoy go-kart races, a day at the water park, pool parties, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, a chili cook-off from local fire departments, zip lining and so much more. This year’s theme will be Champ Camp: Champy Palooza.

The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF) was founded in 1971 after the tragic death of Alisa Ann in a backyard barbeque accident. Its mission is to significantly reduce the number of burn injuries through prevention education, and to enhance the quality of life of those affected by burn injuries in California.

AARBF’s burn survivor services programs engage them in a community of peers and support networks to help build confidence and provide social opportunities, connects them with resources for coping with their injuries, and supports burn survivors’ immediate basic human needs.

To learn more about the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation or Champ Camp, call 1 (800) 242-BURN or visit the agency’s website, www.aarbf.org.

year-round with our farm-fresh cuisine, our vibrant Downtown district, rich history, and plentiful outdoor adventures. The Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit organization charged with increasing awareness about the opportunities in Visalia for convention, business and leisure travel. More information about Visalia can be found at http:// www.visitvisalia.org or by calling 559-334-0141.

Nance) that is not in the movie. Jessup coerces Stone to lie about the cause of Santiago’s death. Jessup is shown for the villain he is.”

Many of the actors are new to the Ice House though they have performed in other local venues such as COS, the Enchanted Playhouse, TCOE, the Encore Theatre in Tulare, and the Barn Theatre in Porterville to name a few. Mitchell is very pleased with her talented cast.

The Players are grateful to Season Sponsors: Family Healthcare Network, Graham & Associates, Lansdowne, Inc., and Martin Enterprises.

“A Few Good Men” runs for three weekends at the Ice House Theatre at Race and Santa Fe in Visalia. Evening performances are at 7:30pm on 6/15, 6/16, 6/22, 6/23, 6/29, and 6/30, and matinees are at 2pm on 6/17, 6/24, and 7/1.

To purchase tickets go to the Visalia Players’ website at www.visaliaplayers. org, their Facebook page “Visalia Community Players”, or call 734-3900.

La Sierra creates weeklong Summer Military Camp, June 11-15 TULARE COUNTY OFFICE OF ED. Many students express an interest in entering the military, but lack information on what that choice entails.

To help young people make more informed decisions for their futures, La Sierra Military Academy is offering a weeklong Summer Military Camp June 11-15.

The goal of the camp is to give students, grades 7-12, a snapshot experience of some of the expectations that they will face when entering a military basic training program.

The boot camp-style training program will have recruits participating in group physical training, marching, formations, military etiquette and teambuilding exercises. “We hope the participants will get a sense of what

to expect from a military basic training program,” says Anjelica Zermeño, La Sierra principal/administrator. “We will explain how etiquette – including customs and courtesies – is an integral part of the military structure. Participants will get a sense of how teamwork and unit integrity are key to accomplishing tasks.”

Students will learn about general skills not specific to a particular job, but military career opportunities will be discussed.

The La Sierra Summer Military Camp will take place daily, June 11-15, from 8am to noon.

The program is open to all students in grades 7-12. Cost for the weeklong camp is $100 and scholarships are available. To learn more, call La Sierra Military Academy at (559) 733-6963.

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Valley Voice 7 June, 2018

Summertime is a perfect time to learn at Boys & Girls Club STAFF REPORTS School is out, but summer vacation doesn’t mean that learning must come to an end. In fact, there’s no better time to challenge your kids, and one of the best ways is through the many educational and social programs available at your local Boys & Girls Club.

Programs are starting now that focus on reading, arts and crafts, sports and fitness, community service, and the science-packed STEAM activities.

STEAM is an acronym that encompasses the study of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,

and it’s very popular with kids.

“Kids can learn computer science and how to code, without the pressure of grades,” Carri Chambers, Director of Operations for the clubs, said. “It’s a perfect bridge during the summer to keep kids engaged and using their minds.”

Programs begin this week and continue through the summer. Exeter and Visalia programs begin at 7:30 a.m. daily and continue through 6 p.m. Cost is $60 per week for the morning program, plus a $15 annual membership fee per child. Existing members can drop by the club

daily between 1-6 p.m. to enjoy regularly scheduled Boys & Girls Clubs activities.

Programs in Farmersville, Ivanhoe and Tulare begin at 1 p.m. and run through 6 p.m. Strathmore runs noon to 4 p.m.

Activities vary from club to club, so call your local Boys & Girls Club to learn more about what is being offered this summer. Free lunch and snacks are offered at the Club during the summer as well.

The Boys & Girls Clubs have always provided opportunities for kids to develop leadership skills and demon-

B7

strate support to their communities, and summer is a great time for kids to work on service projects together. These projects typically consist of writing letters to active-duty military members serving overseas, sending CARE packages, doing community service work, and raising money for families in need following natural or other disasters.

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias, go online to www.bgcsequoias.org or call your local Club. There are clubs in Visalia, Exeter, Farmersville, Strathmore, Tulare, Ivanhoe and Porterville.

TWHS “Wall of Famer” contributing musician in Portuguese exhibit STAFF REPORTS Tulare Western High School “Wall of Fame” recipient, Dr. Bernard Scherr will be one of the contributing artists in a scheduled art exhibition in Hayward, Ca. in the Sun Gallery on June 9, 2018. “Life to Art: A Portuguese American Story in Art and Music will feature artists Nathan Oliveira, Mel Ramos, Jerald Silva, Joao de Brito, David King, Maxine Olson, and Richard Silva.

The exhibit is part of the celebration of the week of Portugal in the

Diaspora also known as Portugal Day, which celebrates Portuguese Communities Around the World.

The June 9th Opening Reception from 3-7pm features a special music performance from 5-6pm inside the main gallery.

A concert of Portuguese-themed music for string quartet arranged

by Scherr is a result of his extended study of Portuguese folksong in Lisbon, Portugal and the Universidade de Evora in 2007.

Also included in the concert will

be four pieces for piano by Francisco de Lacerda, arranged by Scherr.

Music in Colors for piano, the final selections arranged for string quartet, share with the audience, Scherr’s musical interpretation of the vivid colors of Joao de Brito’s paintings. The music conveys a powerful sense of warmth and energy that Bernard felt when he first saw Joao’s paintings in 2010.

Scherr is the head of the Department of Music Theory and Composition at HardinSimmons University

in Abilene, Texas. Scherr has written works performed across the United States and overseas. His orchestral composition “Victimae Paschali S” was performed by the Moravian Philharmonic in the Czech Republic and recorded on the Vienna Modern Masters label.

The Sun Gallery, celebrating its 43rct year in the community, is a 501c3 non-profit, its sole mission being “creating community through creativity.” The Gallery is located at 1015 E St. in Hayward, CA, 94541.

This year’s senior queen is Alexis Moniz (15), daughter of Sonia Mendes of Tulare. She is a sophomore at Tulare Western High School; she will be attended by MacKenzie Simmons (16), daughter of Kimberly Simmons and Denny Simmons both of Tulare and Jamie Villaobos (15), daughter of Cathy Silva of Tulare. MacKenzie is a Sophomore at Tulare Union High School in Tulare and Jamie is a Freshman at Tulare Union High School.

Junior queen will be Kaylee Greeson (9), daughter of Brett & Melissa Greeson of Visalia.

She is a 3rd grader at Elbow Creek Elementary School; she will be attended

by Presley Blanchard (8), daughter of Jeff & Shannon Blanchard of Visalia and Caitlin Werner (9), daughter of John & Cindy Werner of Visalia. Presley is a 3rd grader at Linwood Elementary School and Caitlin is a 3rd grader at Elbow Creek Elementary.

Traditionally, PPAV expects to feed a meal of Portuguese sopas to about 5000 people. The head cook is Joe I. Mendonca, Jr. of Visalia who has steered the kitchen for the last 26 years.

This 105th year of PPAV Festa committee is comprised of Kevin Correa of Visalia, president; Richard Matta of Visalia, vice president; Nelson Silveira of Tulare, treasurer; and Tony Valenzuela of Visalia, secretary.

cause the various local chapters not only plan and organize their own assistance programs, they also raise the money needed to fund them. In Tulare County, that means coming up with enough cash for ALV’s five programs, of which putting new clothes on hundreds of kids’ backs is just one.

Lack of name recognition makes that more difficult. It’s only recently, after 20 years of working quietly, that ALV has decided to put on a more public face.

“We are so freakin’ awesome, and nobody knows,” Nottingham said.

Members of the ALV and the National Assistance League have no club or church affiliation, or any other shared common background. They’re just like-minded “do-gooders” who Nottingham says saw a need at home and decided to satisfy it. More attention will help the group as it works to expand the reach of its giving, she said.

ALV, emphasizing the personal nature of the group’s work when she talks about the organization and the students it helps with four other programs besides Operation School Bell.

Le Bag provides hygiene packs for every student who participates in Operation School Bell, and makes them available to school nurses and to students visiting SCICON, Tulare County’s summer-camp-like outdoor campus, visited en masse by sixth-graders each year. Rainbow Reading, another ALV program, allows grade-school teachers the chance to pick a book, read it to their classes, then send all of their students home with their own copy.

Rainbow Reading is a particular favorite of Nottingham.

“The kids get to take a copy for their home libraries. Some of them don’t even have home libraries,” she said. “That gave me goosebumps.

That’s so cool.”

what the students it helps are taught, just making sure they’re ready to learn. It does make an exception with Kids on the Block, a puppet show intended to teach fourth-graders about the nation’s diverse population. The show also touches on tolerance and avoiding bullying.

Fifty Sense is ALV’s art-focuses project, which helps students create a playground-size map of the United States on the blacktop at their school. Again, the intent is to create awareness.

“We don’t tell them what to do,” Nottingham said. “The kids play on it however they want to play on it.”

The members of ALV, who are all volunteers, work on a shoestring budget. With no paid employees or facilities, ALV manages to complete its work on about $100,000 a year. More, of course, would be welcome.

Those interested in learning more about ALV, making a donation or volunteering can reach the group at (559) 737-1907, or visit them online at assistanceleague.org/visalia.

PPAV

Continued from B1 fell upon the ground in front of the king. He never questioned her again about her dedication to the poor.

On Pentecost Sunday 1296, Queen Isabel invited the poor who lived in the vicinity of the royal castle to join her for the celebration of a solemn High Mass where at the end of mass, the poorest of the poor was led to the altar and crowned with the royal crown.

It bore an image of a dove, the ancient Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove at the baptism of Christ. They then went in procession to a large dining hall, where the tables were set for a huge feast.

PPAV has traditionally honored this celebration for 105 years now by following the acts that Queen Isabel proposed.

Assistance Continued from B1

don’t decide for them.”

Back-to-School Backpacks

Each of the kids participating in Operation School Bell also receives a new backpack filled with school supplies. With such a massive give-away planned, ALV board members are already prepping for the August backpack-stuffing event. As always, they are looking for volunteers and donors.

But, if those who decide help shouldn’t expect much glory. Nottingham says the group has had trouble grabbing media attention in the past.

“We gave out 1,500 backpacks last year, filled with supplies,” she said.

“Did you hear about it? Hell no!”

Local Help Funded Locally

Getting the word out about ALV’s work is critical, Nottingham says, be-

Personal Giving

Nottingham is passionate about

‘However They Want’

ALV concerns itself very little with

7 June, 2018 Valley Voice

B8

Succulent Sedums suitable for sustainable gardens SUE RIDEOUT UCCE MASTER GARDENER Sedum is a versatile workhorse genus of plants well-suited to our climate. From the plant family Crassulaceae, this succulent encompasses over 300 varieties, many suited to hot, dry conditions but also resistant to frost. Most varieties have small star-like flowers, borne in clusters in yellow, pink, red, or white.

The best known sedums are ground covers. Sedum acre (commonly referred to as goldmoss sedum) is so fast-growing that it can easily cover an acre and become a problem. I have mine between my driveway and garage, surrounded by concrete, and it makes a lovely green carpet, with yellow flowers in the spring. It also smothers all weeds, definitely a plus! Other sedums, such as spurium, album, anglicum, and lineare, are not so aggressive and make great ground covers.

As their common name “stonecrop” would indicate, many sedums are good rock garden selections, requiring little soil or water. Small sedums can be planted in crevices in stone walls, miniature gardens, and dish gardens. In England, sedum is sometimes used for green roofs.

Sierra Stonecrop and Pacific Stonecrop are native wild plants growing in the rocky foothills. Another native California sedum is S. spathulifolium, which grows in the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada.

Its leaves form rosettes on trailing stems and range in color from blue-

green to deep purple. This variety is also a prized rock garden specimen.

Not all sedums are low-growing plants. Sedum spectabile grows to eighteen inches and features large clusters of flowers much beloved by bees and hummingbirds. As its name implies, this flower is a spectacle when in full bloom. Good varieties include atropurpureum, a deep pink; ruby glow, a deep red; and autumn joy, a rosy salmon. Sedum spectabile flowers over a long season and the blooms can be cut and dried for further enjoyment. These sedums are also easy to propagate from stem cuttings taken before the blooming stage.

Several varieties of sedum have migrated to our homes and patios as prized house plants. Burro tail (S. morganianum) grows its leaves in long thick tendrils which have a braided look. It grows best in a hanging pot or wall pot because of its long drooping stems. Burro tail loves the patio in the summer but needs some protection in the coldest months.

Another lovely plant for hanging pots is S. sieboldii with its long unbranched stems bearing round, flat fleshy leaves in threes and dusty pink flowers in the autumn. The variegated variety has a cream colored blotch in the center of each leaf. This sedum grows well in the rock garden but may die to the ground in the winter if planted outdoors and reappear in spring. Stem cuttings are best taken in the spring.

Pork and beans sedum (S. rubrotinctum) with its bean-like leaves,

Sedum spectabile brillant is one beautiful variety of sedum.

green at the base and rosy red at the tips, doubles as a houseplant and a rock garden specimen. It will survive our winters outside. Children seem to like this jaunty little plant. Sedums are a good first houseplant for children because these plants don’t mind a little neglect and are easy to propagate.

Sedum is very easy to propagate by leaf or stem cuttings or by plant division. Generally you can place a stem in a damp medium or even a glass of water and it will root. So if you or your neighbor have some sedum, it is really easy to make a lot more!

Tree sedums (S. frutescens) are a good natural bonsai. Indoors this

plant will grow to about a foot tall and as it gets older it sheds its lower branches for a trunk-like appearance. It bears tiny white flowers in the spring.

Sedum spurium which is a ground cover can be used as a living liner for wire hanging baskets. Just cut a mat of the sedum from a nursery flat, place it upside down in the basket, add potting soil, and plant other plants on top in the basket. It looks particularly nice with other succulents such as hens and chickens (Echeveria elegans) and burro tail.

For an adventure in fun and easy gardening, try a few sedums from the nursery or beg some cuttings from a friend and plant!