Valley Voice
Testimony reveals upset at Tulare City Hall
Fight against planned AM/PM continues DAVE ADALIAN
DAVE ADALIAN
dave@ourvalleyvoice.com
dave@ourvalleyvoice.com
The battle to stop construction of an AM/PM gas station at Caldwell Avenue and West Street in Visalia isn’t over yet, but the opposition appears to be slowing down.
Evidence gathering in the ongoing wrongful dismissal case of Tulare’s former police chief is revealing yet more behind-the-scenes tumult at Tulare City Hall.
Not Quite Dead
Lying Liars
Again at the center of the controversy are problem-plagued councilmen Carlton Jones and Greg Nunley. During sworn testimony taken in mid-December as part of the investigation into the events leading to the firing of former Chief of Police Wes Hensley, Jones defamed several city staff members, as well as members of the City Council. The one-time mayor ranked two of his colleagues and a handful staff members by their supposed propensity for lying. Jones testified under oath he, too, had also lied repeatedly, through he was not specific about what lies he had told and when, or whether his lack of veracity related to his conduct of city business. “I’ve lied tons of times,” Jones told Mike Lampe, Hensley’s attorney, who was conducting the deposition at his Visalia office.
‘Off the Rails’
Lampe is the lead attorney in both the Hensley case and in David Frost’s case against Nunley, which accuses Nunley of using his office for personal benefit. In a letter to the Tulare city attorney, Lampe TULARE continued on 12 »
Volume XXXIX No. 1 3 January, 2019 ourvalleyvoice.com
Dr. Wayne Wundrum heads a line of public commenters mostly opposed to the temporary shelter. Martin Velasco-Ramos
Visalia Planning Commission hears from public on warming center MARTIN VELASCO-RAMOS martin@ourvalleyvoice.com
The Visalia Planning Commission recently held a special meeting regarding the temporary warming center planned to open at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 120 N. Hall after an appeal made by Dr. Wayne Wundrum. Wundrum and other neighbors had concerns regarding safety and sanitation in the surrounding area, a consequence of last year’s warming center. Despite many emotional testimonials and over two hours of public comment, the planning commission denied the appeal. The Warming Center is open until March 1. Concerned community members attempted to file into City Hall and extra chairs were brought from storage. Many were still forced to stand or stand outside. The planning commission began by explaining the purpose of the
warming center as a place for homeless to stay the night. The shelter would not have beds or full meals, but blankets and snacks would be provided. The warming center is considered a “low barrier” shelter, meaning drug tests would not be required and anyone could stay the night as long as they were not a threat to themselves or others. Families, couples, and pets would also be welcome. The commission laid out the conditions pertaining to the temporary use permit. The most worrying of the conditions for those in favor of the center was the temperature restriction. The restriction only allows the warming center to operate on nights forecasted to be 35 degrees or below. This makes it difficult to determine when the warming center would be open. However, as the meeting shifted to public comments, it became clear that many members of the community
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Residents of the south Visalia neighborhood hoped the project was stalled by their earlier fight against the construction. There were no signs the project was moving forward until a notice of an alcohol sales license transfer appeared on a for-sale sign still standing in the open field where an ARCO filling station may yet appear. While the notice lists the applicant as El Centro Corner, Inc., that company is owned by the same individuals who own and operate Chandi Group USA. Calls to the phone number for El Centro Corner reroute to Chandi Group USA. “These guys won’t quit,” said resident Bill Reeser, whose family home is across the street from the site. “They’re insidious.”
Big Concessions
Last autumn, residents of the south Visalia neighborhood were shocked to learn Southern California real estate developer Chandi Group USA planned to build what would have been the city’s largest gas station in the midst of some of the Visalia’s most expensive residential real estate. Banding together in their upset, the neighbors managed to win several concessions from Chandi and City
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Visalia reopens winter homeless shelter, pushes for permanent site MARTIN VELASCO-RAMOS martin@ourvalleyvoice.com
The warming center at Visalia’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1415 W. Center opened December 26 at 9pm. About a dozen homeless seeking shelter from the cold were served. Last year’s opening night served one person but eventually grew to around 90 people on the coldest nights. Staff member Christy Bergen claimed that volunteer numbers were low, a consequence of late recruiting. Typically the link used to gather volunteers would have been up and running a month before the warming center opened. However, the appeal made by Dr. Wayne Wundrum last week delayed the link from going up. Although this was a point of concern, staff members like Bergen were more concerned about being “neighbor friendly.” The special meeting held December 19 for the appeal against the warming center
demonstrated a significantly negative sentiment from the community living in the area. In an attempt to prevent further grievances, CSET will be providing clean-up services in the block surrounding the warming center and security will be patrolling areas where neighbors have filed complaints. As the warming center’s doors opened, those seeking shelter entered the church and lined up at the volunteer desk. Homeless turned in their things and were given a wristband that correlated with their belongings. They were then given mats and blankets to keep them comfortable. Homeless grabbed a cup of hot coffee or snacks and settled themselves in for the night. Empty dog crates lined one of the walls in case anyone brought their furry companions.
Tracy Allen had gone through Suzy Ward’s warming center once before and tried a local men’s shelter as well. He prefers the environment provided by Ward, stating that the men’s shelter was “intense” and “stressful”. Rescue missions like the men’s shelter Allen participated in are notorious for their long list of strict
rules. Such establishments can be frustrating for someone struggling with homelessness. “Suzy and her husband are very nice for opening up their doors,” Allen said. “And they’re giving us mats, blankets, and snacks. It’s very nice. The atmosphere is not intense. Very relaxed. [I] feel comfortable here.”
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