Valley Voice Issue 132 (3 January, 2019)

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

HOMELESS continued on 16 »

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

AM/PM continued on 12 »

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.”

WARMING continued on 13 »

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

2

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESK

What Am I Missing Here?

On January 22 a two-week long evidentiary hearing will commence during which Dr. Benny Benzeevi, CEO of Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) and former chief of Tulare Regional Medical Center, will attempt to recover property and bank accounts seized by the Tulare County District Attorney.

The Valley Voice has been granted permission to photograph the proceedings, case number VSW013487.

HCCA allegedly sold some assets of Tulare Regional Medical Center and deposited the $3m proceeds into an account belonging to “Tulare Asset Management,” a company wholly owned by Benzeevi.

After that deposit, the District Attorney’s office alleges that Benzeevi later shuffled the funds through HCCA’s bank account and into one shared by him and his wife.

According to the DA’s filings, Benzeevi transferred $2.4m to his personal bank account. The money was also used to pay $499,727.93 to Baker Hostetler, HCCA’s former law firm, and $133,563.38 was paid for a loan application fee to another lender for a similar leaseback the company was researching.

Benzeevi had items seized from his home in early April of last year. At least one hearing in August focused on the seizure of his personal property--computers and thumb drives; subsequently, a warrant was approved that froze his personal Chase Bank account and two HCCA accounts.

Attorneys for Benzeevi and HCCA claim that, under the broad Management Services Agreement (MSA)--the contract by which HCCA managed the daily operation of the hospital--Benzeevi was granted a wide latitude in financial doings.

Superior Court Judge John Bianco cleared two weeks for the hearing.

“You’ll have my full calendar,” he said. “From 8:30am to 4:30pm.”

What am I missing here?

If the DA has had the authority to hold property and bank accounts from Benzeevi for the better part of a year, why not charge him with something?

If the DA has enough against Benzeevi to merit a two-week, full-calendar evidentiary hearing, why not charge him with something?

Of course, it’s entirely possible I don’t properly appreciate how these things work.

But I can make predictions.

The start of the year is a good time for them.

Early last year the DA predicted the case against Benzeevi and HCCA would be the most wide-ranging in Tulare County history. And it’s my understanding that, financially at least, the DA has carte blanche regarding investigations.

I think, therefore, after two weeks’ worth of evidence, that charges will be forthcoming.

“I can’t rule that as a matter of law a crime hasn’t been committed,” Bianco said during a November hearing last year.

If the DA can establish to the judge that Benzeevi did indeed commit some kind of fraud then charges would have to be in the offing. Right? Otherwise, how could his property and accounts continue to be withheld?

Without charges, the seized assets cease to become evidence against Benzeevi. This is what the hearing is all about. Right?

Having sat in on a prior hearing, it seems to me that the DA will be successful. The attorneys for Benzeevi and HCCA appear to cling to the letter of the MSA--a contract the hospital was legally let out of.

So I’d be gobsmacked if the DA failed.

I’d also be gobsmacked if, when the DA prevails, no charges follow.

Joseph Oldenbourg

Valley Voice

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Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

POLITICAL FIX Valley Voice’s Top Ten Stories Online and Facebook

Top ten stories from our website for 2018: 1. Former Exeter officer identified as Golden State Killer, Visalia Ransacker suspect 2. Both Tulare police chief & city manager fired in one day 3. Tulare Mayor takes on the Ag community 4. Tulare Councilman Accused of Fraud, Threatening Employees 5. Tulare citizens erupt in protest at council meeting 6. HCCA CEO served with search warrant at house 7. District attorney provides update on HCCA investigation 8. Tulare County DA candidate forum gets heated 9. Top Dog Kennel accused of being a puppy mill 10. Tulare hospital’s creditors lining up in court Top ten stories and videos on Facebook for 2018 1. June 19 Tulare City Council Meeting - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/videos/1804833142886390/ 2. Carlton Jones Town Hall Forum - https://www.facebook. com/ourvalleyvoice/videos/1780045405365164/ 3. June 5 Tulare City Council Meeting - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/videos/1785569084812796/ 4. Tulare City Manager and police chief fired in one day - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/1700417113327994 5. Carlton Jones “liars” video clip - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/2084420878260947 6. Tulare citizens erupt in protest at council meeting - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/1786531204716584 7. Carlton Jones full depo clip - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/2084465904923111 8. Tulare Mayor takes on the Ag community - https://www. facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/1765914746778230 9. Tulare councilman accused of fraud - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/1881634045206299 10. Nunes flees coffee shop confrontation - https://www.facebook.com/ourvalleyvoice/ posts/1996921513677551 So it took a serial killer to squeeze past Tulare to get on the Valley Voice top ten list. The Visalia Ransacker actually made CNN’s top 10 crime stories, which shows how high the bar was to compete with Tulare.

Technically, our number 8 story of the year, “Tulare County DA candidate forum gets heated” was also not about Tulare, but county-wide. Normally, forum articles are a big yawn, but this event was complete with yelling, wild accusations, door slamming, and people stomping out of the room.

The best quote of 2018 happened during this forum when Xavier Avila, Tulare Hospital Board Director, said to Assistant DA Dave Alavezos:

“What we are seeing in this town (Tulare) is, you can have experience, you can have a doctor manage a hospital, but if you aren’t pure of heart or don’t have a thirst for justice, your experience doesn’t mean anything.”

A real unexpected Christmas treat that made our top ten was Tulare City Council Member Carlton Jones’ December 20 deposition. The videos took 5th and 7th place on our facebook list and were of Lawyer Mike Lampe questioning Mr. Jones about sharing possible confidential information about former Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley.

I don’t know Mr. Jones personally, so am not familiar with his current state of mental health, but his Facebook posts were crazy.

I got back to work on the 26th and immediately saw that Mr. Jones spent Jesus’ birthday posting irrelevant links about police corruption, copying old website comments, and calling people names.

Taking into consideration he is a gospel quoting, bible thumping Christian, I thought it a bit hypocritical.

During his deposition and on facebook, Mr. Jones called people “pigs,” “liars” and “pieces of sh**.”

But the piece de resistance was when he called another Tularean a “home wrecker.” Though his philandering is only rumor, I do know through court records and personal testimonies that he had a restraining order against a man whose wife he was shtupping.

Intriguing questions surfaced as a result of Mr. Jones’ deposition.

Seeing as former city lawyer Heather Phillips charged $30,000 a month, how much does Mr. Zamora cost and why was the allegedly unqualified Ms. Phillips hired in the first place?

Was the report about Mr. Hensley, and shared to the press and on social media by Mr. Jones, actually confidential? The position of chief of police is exempted from the Police Bill of Rights that makes personnel information confidential.

Can Mr. Zamora represent Mr. Jones in his legal problems with the city? Or does Mr. Jones have to get his own lawyer on his own dime? Would it be a conflict of interest for Council Member Greg Nunley to pay Mr. Jones legal bills?

The good news is that since the 2018 election, Tulareans seem to have taken back their city. Because of this, I predict that Tulare doesn’t dominate our top ten list for 2019.

Election 2018

Facebook had the only top ten 2018 election related article, “Nunes flees coffee shop confrontation.” In hindsight, the article foreshadowed the Republican experience in November.

For the first time since my husband and I have run the paper the Democrats actually showed up at the polls.

Until November 6 no one really believed the “Blue Wave” would happen.

Happen it did, and all seven of California’s targeted Republicans got flipped. Mr. Nunes only won by 5.6% against a previously no-name candidate. His small margin of victory tied in shock value to Congress Member Valadao and State Senator Andy Vidak’s losses.

In a column by Washington Post writer and conservative political pundit George Will, he wrote, “In the next Congress, 31 Democrats will represent

3 a column by CATHERINE DOE — catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com districts Trump carried. In 2018, 40 Democrats flipped districts from red to blue – 41 if the Democrat wins the North Carolina race.”

If you love your pure bred puppy, then why don’t you love the puppy’s mother?

The only other top ten story that was not about the Tulare City Council or the hospital concerned Ron Abbott’s Top Dog Kennel. The commercial breeding kennel is accused of being a puppy mill.

It’s uncertain what finally woke everyone up to the fact that their purebred Labradoodle is the product of animal abuse. But public opinion, state laws, and county ordinances are finally catching up to the problem of large scale commercial dog breeders.

What exactly is the problem with Mr. Abbott’s kennel if it is legal and operates mostly within county codes?

I’ll let his customers speak for themselves. “you could see the bones in her face and hips. She was covered in ticks, fleas and feces. We took turns sleeping with her in the barn. Our dog did not move for 5 days” “They (the moms) were so skinny you could see their ribs. Their teats were out of proportion to their body. I recall thinking that one teat was almost the size of the mama’s paw. Her puppies were playing and rolling in feces. I saw a pup with fees on his head then put his head in the water bucket to drink then another pup went to drink from the same water.”

“She was 10 years old and had had a litter about six months ago. She had scratches and facial scars. She was very hand shy which is a symptom of being hit. ….. Absolutely everything is overwhelming to her. Windows, mirrors, normal house noises, moving too quickly, the sound of a TV, water running, etc. A quiet environment is what she needs for a while and a lot of patience and to understand humans can actually be good too.”

“Rowdy had a severe seizure in July of 2015 and quit breathing…..We took him to a veterinarian who wanted to wait until Rowdy was 2 years old to put him on an anti-seizure medication. We asked what caused Rowdy to have seizures and the vet said it is almost always bad breeding techniques. He told us to watch Rowdy and to bring him back if he had another seizure. Shortly before Rowdy’s 2nd birthday we lost him to another massive seizure.”

“The filth and stench was hard to overcome. I’ve been to many animal shelters and I know what to expect. ….What I saw was an emaciated woeful mama with severe hair loss, not mange, and possibly a yellow lab/or weim…..

Several kennels in that area were full of various sizes and kinds of dogs. Filthy labradoodles, doxies., labs and a black shepherd. These animals were cold and wet and begging for some socialization.

This place needs to be shut down.”

As a result of nearly five years of complaints, investigations, and work sessions, Tulare County Animal Services has revised their commercial kennel standards.

Under the new ordinance a dame can only be bred once a year and not before the dog is 12 months old. Also a dame will be considered too old to breed when she turns seven. Kennel owners will need to get a breeding permit for each unaltered dog and get them microchipped. Each chip will contain the dog’s vitals, breeding life,

and veterinary record. Most important, the maximum number of dogs a kennel can own will go from 45 to 25.

The new ordinance will be presented to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors in February for approval.

In addition, Tulare County has banned the sale of all animals at swap meets and starting in 2019 California passed a law that pet stores can no longer sell puppies from breeders.

But are kennel owners like Mr. Abbott really going to just walk away from $300,000 plus a year?

A rescue operation person involved in protesting Top Dog Kennel has hypothesized that Mr. Abbott plans on spreading his alleged100-plus dogs over his eight or more properties in Tulare and Porterville. “I guarantee you he has been planning his strategy for a long time to continue his business.”

But how will he sell them after the new ordinance is passed? Unfortunately with the help of the Fresno Bee and the Visalia Times-Delta (VTD,) Though both papers have been informed since September of Mr. Abbotts practices, they refuse to stop advertising his puppies.

In one issue the VTD and Fresno Bee classifieds advertised: Dachshund piebald pups, Dachshund Chocolate pups, Dachshund black and tan pups, Toy Poodles, German Pointer Short hair pointer pups, German shepherd pup, Labradoodle minis, Labradoodles, Standard red and apricot pups, Labradors Chocolate pups, Labrador yellow pups, Labrador Black pups.

The definition of a puppy mill is when a breeder sells two or more different breeds or litters at one time.

Mr. Abbott has 12 litters for sale at one time. That’s almost 100 litters a year being sold with the help of our local newspapers.

After sending the Fresno Bee a handful of emails concerning Top Dog Kennel I got this response from writer Carmen George: “Are you aware of any criminal complaints against him or his business?”

I encourage everyone to run out and get a subscription to the Fresno Bee and VTD, but while you are at it, tell them to quit advertising the sale of puppies from puppy mills. Just because there are no criminal complaints doesn’t make it right.

Because Mr. Abbott runs a commercial kennel, meaning his dogs are not pets, he can shoot them all in the head and throw them on a bonfire.

That’s legal too, Ms. George.

I took a break from writing my column on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop on Time Square and see the revelers sing to Frank Sinatra’s New York New York. Bunbun burrowed under the blanket covering my legs and laid her head on my feet completely oblivious to the fact that her brethren lay shivering in their kennels on a 28-degree Central Valley night.

Looking back over 2018 there was much for which to be grateful: St. Paul’s Church getting their conditional use permit to open a warming center, the opening of Tulare’s Hospital, the passage of Measure H, and karma catching up to Mr. Jones and Mr. Nunley.

This time next year I hope we will also be grateful for the closing of all puppy mills in Tulare and Kings Counties. In the mean time, maybe St. Paul’s Church could open a warming center for Mr. Abbott’s dogs.

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

4

AGRICULTURE

Retaliatory tariffs continue to hurt state’s exports CHING LEE

California Farm Bureau Federation

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture begins making payments on the second round of trade-aid funding to farmers hurt by ongoing trade disputes, California agricultural exporters and marketers assess the impact retaliatory tariffs have had on key foreign markets.

China, Canada, Mexico and other nations placed tariffs on U.S. agricultural products earlier this year, in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. With no resolution to the trade conflicts, USDA will now implement the second and final round of payments under its Market Facilitation Program to eligible producers of almonds, cotton, corn, dairy, pork, soybeans, sorghum, sweet cherries and wheat.

Producer payments make up the largest portion of the $12 billion aid package, including nearly $4.9 billion in this current round and $4.7 billion in the first round. Another one-time payment of $1.2 billion is being used to make government purchases of specialty crops, beef, pork and dairy products, and $200 million has been allocated to help expand export markets for U.S. farm products.

Aubrey Bettencourt, California executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, which administers the MFP program, said the office expects 2,000 to 3,000 California farmers to apply, with more than 1,500 applications already received. Producers have until Jan. 15 to sign up, but they have until May 1 to certify their 2018 production.

Those who have already applied for the first round of payments will not need to do anything else.

The largest bulk of California MFP applications will come from almond farmers, with some 1,500 to 2,000 expected to sign up, said Elaine Trevino, president and CEO of the Almond Alliance of California. Out of approximately 6,800 almond farms in the state, those that produce larger volumes won’t qualify, she said, due to program eligibility requirements.

MFP payments to dairy farmers have been made “almost instantly,” Bettencourt said, because they are based on a three-year production average, unlike crops that had to wait for harvest to be complete. She noted her office so far has received more than 700 dairy applications. At last count, the state had 1,331 dairies in 2017, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Bettencourt described the MFP application process as “straightforward,” noting the application form is “literally one piece of paper front and back,” available on farmers.gov.

For companies such as Meridian Growers in Fresno, which exports pistachios, almonds, walnuts and pecans, managing partner Jim Zion said the biggest benefit from the aid package will come from the Agricultural Trade Promotion program. USDA said it has received requests for more than $600 million in activities from more than 70 organizations, and plans to announce funding awards in early January.

Though the U.S. and China called a temporary truce on raising more tariffs, Zion said Chinese importers

remain “cautious” and are doing only short-term buying at this point.

“I’m also being a little cautious,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen. The last thing I want to do is ship a lot of product to China, and then the tariff takes hold, and suddenly I’ve got containers stuck in China that I need to remove.”

Richard Matoian, executive director of American Pistachio Growers, said his organization had applied for $15 million to $20 million in funding from the ATP program. If awarded, he said, the group plans to use the money to promote pistachios in newer markets such as India, Vietnam and South Korea, as well as boost marketing activities in the European Union.

Bob Carroll, vice president of business development for the California Milk Advisory Board, said the U.S. Dairy Export Council has applied for ATP funding. Should that be awarded, Carroll said he hopes the group will be able to expand marketing programs in China, South Korea and Mexico that focus on culinary uses of dairy products, particularly getting “young chefs engaged with California and U.S. cheeses.”

Julie Adams, vice president of global technical, regulatory and government affairs for the Almond Board of California, which also applied for ATP funding, said the group wants to boost existing investment in markets such as India while expanding new markets in Mexico and Italy (see story).

Matoian said pistachio suppliers also are participating in the federal food-purchasing program, which has committed $85.2 million to the crop.

USDA is scheduled to make its first pistachio purchase in January, with a second round in April.

USDA has already bought more than $10 million worth of California table grapes, according to the California Table Grape Commission. Commission President Kathleen Nave described the 2018 season as “a tough one” for growers, with shipments to China down 41.2 percent in value compared to 2017.

“The tariffs on table grapes have been painful, but the real harm has been caused by the fact that tariffs on multiple competing commodities, such as cherries, stone fruits and apples, caused more fruit of all kinds to be sold in the domestic market,” she said.

California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen said the government buying program, which concluded its first round of orange purchases this month and will begin soliciting more bids in January, will help move some small fruit off the market.

“But nothing is going to supplant the tonnage that we lost so far this year in exports to China,” he said, noting that in December, exports to China have been off about 80 percent.

California’s orange season typically runs until April or May, so there’s still time to do business, Nelsen said, but he noted California exporters have already missed out on the Chinese New Year buying period, “a significant marketing opportunity,” due to higher tariffs.

(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@ cfbf.com.)

Grape harvest image earns top prize in Farm Bureau photo contest STAFF REPORTS An intimate portrait of a man harvesting merlot winegrapes in the Napa Valley earned the Grand Prize in the 37th annual California Farm Bureau Federation photo contest.

The photographer, Andrew Lincoln of Napa, received $1,000 in prize money. He said he especially enjoys taking pictures of harvest and hopes his photos draw attention to the important work people do on California farms and ranches. Lincoln also won the contest’s Grand Prize in 2016.

This year’s CFBF Photo Contest attracted hundreds of entries from amateur photographers who are

members of county Farm Bureaus or supporters of the California Bountiful Foundation.

Andrea Traphagan of Ravendale garnered First Place and $500 for a photo of her tractor-driving husband preparing a Lassen County field at sunset. Second Place and $250 went to Angels Camp resident Mindy Rasmussen for her action shot of a late-summer cattle drive. Lincoln also earned Third Place and an additional $100 for a photo that captured two snowy egrets in flight.

Six photos earned Honorable Mentions and $50 each, submitted by Celeste Alonzo of La Quinta, Chelsea

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Davis of Fresno, James Durst of Esparto, Nicole Andreini of Orland, Wendy Sylvester of San Luis Obispo and Traphagan.

In the Budding Artists category for photographers ages 13 and younger, 10-year-old Dottie Davis of Orland claimed First Place and $250 for a serene landscape of her family’s hay farm. A curious goat peered closely

into the lens of Kyle Radich’s camera to earn the 13-year-old Point Arena resident the Second Place prize of $100.

Both awards were presented by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.

All 12 prize-winning photos were published this week in the California Farm Bureau newspaper, Ag Alert.

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Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

5

AGRICULTURE

Water projects agree to update operations pact CHRISTINE SOUZA

California Farm Bureau Federation

Intending to create immediate environmental improvement and long-term collaboration, operators of state and federal water projects have updated a longstanding agreement that defines how they share water-quality and environmental-flow obligations imposed by regulatory agencies.

The California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced they resolved differences in an agreement known as the Coordinated Operation Agreement, or COA, approving updates to how the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project operate to meet environmental regulations and downstream obligations.

“The state and federal projects are intertwined, and we have a joint interest and responsibility to ensure our water system meets California’s needs, especially as conditions change,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said.

After completing a joint review process, DWR and the bureau reported they agreed to an addendum to the 1986 COA to reflect water quality regulations, biological opinions and hydrology updates. DWR and the bureau noted that they also approved a

formula so costs are shared equitably between the two projects, to meet joint responsibilities under the federal Endangered Species Act, including monitoring and habitat restoration.

The project operators said they updated the longstanding agreement to address shifts in regulatory responsibilities during the past 32 years and to incorporate newly added facilities.

With support from public water agencies, the bureau and DWR said they had engaged in discussions since August, to address contributions from the CVP, the State Water Project and the public water agencies they serve, to reach voluntary agreements to resolve conflicts over proposed amendments to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan Update and to revise sharing formulas under the agreement.

Curtis Creel, general manager at the Kern County Water Agency—the second-largest State Water Project contractor—described the agreement as “a water rights settlement between the CVP and SWP” that focuses on how the two would share responsibilities jointly placed on the two projects.

“Consider the evolution of all of the requirements since 1986 to today,” Creel said. “Just working through that certainly has been a challenging process, and we now have a way of

looking into the future and saying, ‘This is how we want to investigate these things and bring them into the analysis.’ The agreement provides us with a little bit better roadmap into the future.”

The agreement, which calls for periodic review and adjustments on new criteria, has been challenging to accomplish until now, Creel said.

In applying the new agreement, he said, he “wouldn’t expect much difference” in operation of the two water projects.

“Reclamation and DWR have a long history of working together to operate those two massive projects,” Creel said. “In terms of water supply, it will have probably a bearing on how much water supply one project vs. another project may have expected to receive. DWR has been estimating over a long-term basis there’s probably a shift of around 100,000 acre-feet of water supply from SWP to the CVP, as a result of the changes.”

Thad Bettner, general manager for the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, which holds a Sacramento Valley settlement contract under the CVP, said the update to the Coordinated Operation Agreement is really about how the two projects share responsibility and share available water.

“There was a need for that agree-

ment to be updated and revised, based on changing requirements on both of the state and federal water projects, and the addendum to the agreement will create some certainty, so both projects can move forward and continue to build on other actions and tools to benefit each project,” Bettner said. “While it potentially could be the same or less water available, and there’s going to be impacts from that, the trade-off is you are getting some certainty of what the path looks like going forward.”

Absent the updated COA, Bettner said, “The world could look very chaotic and uncertain.”

Water agencies served by the CVP—including GCID, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Westlands Water District, Central California Irrigation District, Friant Water Authority, Reclamation District 108, San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors and Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority—said they supported the agreement, calling it “a paradigm shift in how water will be managed for human and environmental needs and how decisions will be made about the use of the state’s most precious resource.”

(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

Commentary: Shorthand terms miss diversity of California farms DAVE KRANZ

California Farm Bureau Federation

As a news consumer and, for many years, as a writer and editor of print and broadcast news copy, I take an interest in the shorthand writers use to describe—and, often, to cast aspersions on—their subjects.

Take, for example, “dusty.” In news stories, “dusty” is used generally to describe any community west of the Mississippi that is smaller than the community where the writer lives. Just in the past month, for example, the San Francisco Chronicle described “the dusty towns of the Salinas Valley” in a story about visiting Monterey County.

As a native of Amarillo, Texas, I remember a long-ago article in the Sacramento Bee, focused on the legendary poker player Amarillo Slim, which described Amarillo as a “dusty west Texas town.” Somebody—not me—later wrote to the Bee to point out that Amarillo receives about twice as much annual precipitation as Sacramento does. Who’s dusty now?

When you read news stories, opinion articles or blogs about California agriculture, you’ll see recurring terms such as Big Ag (it’s almost always capital “B,” capital “A”), corporate agriculture, factory farm, industrial agriculture.

Sometimes, the writer will put those terms in copy or a headline (Big Ag is particularly attractive to headline writers). Often, though, the terms come in quotes from representatives of environmental groups or others who don’t like some aspect of current agricultural production. Almost always, the terms are left undefined or unchallenged—presumably because writers and editors assume their readers know and understand the terms.

In a couple of recent examples, the

news website Undark described the San Joaquin Valley as “the land of Big Agriculture” in a lengthy story about the region’s air quality, and the Sierra Club magazine criticized the new federal farm bill as providing “subsidies for Big Ag.” In the national news context, Big Ag often serves as a shorthand reference to companies that provide agricultural-related products or services, rather than about farms. Here in California, it tends to be defined mainly as “large, corporate, industrial” farms that the writer doesn’t like. For most users of those terms, and their readers, their definitions remain just as amorphous as the definition of Big Ag. But some of those terms do have actual definitions, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Let’s take “corporate.”

In its Census of Agriculture, USDA lists the number and proportion of farms owned by families or individuals, partnerships and corporations.

It further breaks down corporate farms as family held or other than family held.

At the time of the most recent census, 2012, about 8 percent of California farms were owned by corporations and the great majority of those were family-held corporations. Only 1.1 percent of California farms were owned by nonfamily corporations.

In the 2012 census, nearly 77 percent of California farms were held by families or individuals and about 11 percent by partnerships, and another 3 or 4 percent by cooperatives, estates, trusts or other types of owners. When the latest census figures come out, we’d expect the proportions to remain close to that.

As to “big”: That, too, remains in the eye of the beholder.

Census data and other USDA reports show California farms and ranches remain smaller, on average, than their counterparts nationwide.

The most recent USDA “Farms and Land in Farms” report put the average California farm at 328 acres and the national average at 444 acres.

Earlier this month, USDA published an updated version of a report titled “America’s Diverse Family Farms,” which looks at farm organization on a national scale, based on a survey of farmers and ranchers. Among its key findings: • Farming remains “overwhelmingly” a family business nationwide, the report said, with 98 percent of farms defined as family farms, accounting for 87 percent of farm production.

• Small farms, as measured by gross cash farm income, make up 89 percent of the number of farms and operate half of the farmland. On the other hand, the largest share of farm production, 39 percent, comes from large-scale family farms.

• Small-farm households rely heavily on off-farm income sources. According to USDA, that means general economic policies, such as tax or ecoSALES, SERVICE, RENTAL AG EQUIPMENT & TRUCK REPAIR

nomic development policy, can be as important to them as traditional farm policy.

• Seventy percent of all farms received no farm-related government payments in 2017, the year the survey was conducted. Payments for participation in working-lands conservation programs were evenly divided among largescale, midsized and small family farms.

The second word of the report title says it all: “diverse.” Trying to paint California—or an individual region of California—as the home of Big Ag misses the amazing diversity of farmers, ranchers, crops, commodities and production practices employed here.

Lest we fall into the same trap, it’s also good for people in agriculture to remember that there are many nuances among the reporters, bloggers, interest groups and others who discuss and write about the topics important to us.

Let’s hope we all do a better job of talking about, and to, each other during 2019.

(Dave Kranz manages the California Farm Bureau Federation Communications/News Division and edits Ag Alert. He may be contacted at dkranz@cfbf.com.)

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6

The Source LGBT+ center named non-profit of the year STAFF REPORTS The Source LGBT+ Center, serving Tulare and Kings County, was honored to be chosen as Non-Profit of the Year by the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in a ceremony held on Friday, November 30, 2018, in Visalia.

Other finalist were CASA of Tulare County and Amvets Dept. of California. The winner was selected by a vote of the Chamber membership and committees.

“It is my privilege and my honor to accept this award on behalf of The Source LGBT+ Center. It is our promise

to continue our work and be worthy every day of this recognition,” Nick Vargas, Co-founder, past President of the Board of Directors, and Director of Development at The Source LGBT+ Center, said.

The Source LGBT+ Center was presented the award by TKHCC President Carlos Mendoza and Vice President Olga Duran during Friday’s ceremony.

“We have the satisfaction of helping people. We have seen over 3,000 people come through our doors” in 2 ½ years of operations,” Vargas said.

The Source LGBT+ Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

(l-r) Bradley Rutledge, Board Member. Brian Poth, co-founder and Executive Director. Eva Monfort, Treasurer. Nick Vargas, co-founder and Director of Development. Olga Duran, Vice-President of TKHCC. Dean Jackson, HIV program manager. Carlos Mendoza, President of TKHCC. Courtesy photo

TCOE announces free, reduced-price meal guidelines for 2018-19 year STAFF REPORTS Tulare County Office of Education announces its policy to serve nutritious meals every school day under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and/or Afterschool Snack Program. Effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals if the household income is less

than or equal to the federal guidelines.

Households do not need to turn in an application when the household receives a notification letter saying that all children automatically qualify for free meals when any household member receives benefits from CalFresh, CalWORKs, or FDPIR. Children who meet the definition of foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway, and children enrolled in their school’s Head Start pro-

gram are eligible for free meals. Contact school officials if any child in the household is not on the notification letter. The household must let school officials know if they do not want to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Applications will be sent to the household with a letter about the free and reduced-price meal program.

Households that want to apply for meal benefits, must fill out one appli-

cation for all children in the household and give it to the Education Options office at 2101 N. Shirk Road in Visalia, California. For a simple and secure method to apply, use our online application at tcoe.org/ParentTeacherResources.

Contact Nicole Rocha at (559) 651-2904 for help filling out the application. The school will let you know if your application is approved or denied for free or reduced-price meals.

Farm Credit West approves increase in cash dividends to borrowers in 2018 STAFF REPORTS Farm Credit West, ACA, one of the nation’s largest agricultural lending cooperatives, is proud to announce they will once again be distributing patronage dividends to qualifying member-stockholders as a return on their equity from robust 2018 earnings. The Board of Directors approved at their meeting on December 13, 2018

an increase of 25 basis points (.25%) over the prior years’ rate, totaling an overall payout of 1.00% of average outstanding loan balances.

“Our ability to offer a 1.00% patronage dividend payment to customers is a testament to the strength and stability our association has always maintained,” said Joey Airoso, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Farm Credit West. “As a member-owned coopera-

tive, we take great pride in being able to provide a predictable and durable dividend and in rewarding our member-stockholders for their loyalty.”

As owners of a financial cooperative, Farm Credit West’s customers have the opportunity to share in the financial success of the organization through patronage distributions.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, Farm Credit West has distributed more than $590 million in patronage dividends to member-stockholders.

“Farm Credit West’s financial success comes from the financial strength of its customers and a highly efficient customer-focused business model,” added Mark Littlefield, CEO of Farm

Credit West. “As stewards of our customers’ resources, our patronage program provides an added-value return to our customer-owners and is reflective of the efficient operation of their association.”

The cash patronage distribution is paid in addition to the highly competitive loan rates that Farm Credit West already provides. This unique program reduces the cost of doing business with Farm Credit West, indirectly lowering borrowers’ effective interest rate.

Farm Credit West will begin patronage distributions to customers for 2018 in February 2019.

USDA announces no actions under feedstock flexibility program STAFF REPORTS The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announced today that it does not expect to purchase and sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for crop year 2018, which runs from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019.

The CCC is required by law each quarter to announce estimates of sugar to be purchased and sold under the Feedstock Flexibility Program based on crop and consumption forecasts.

Federal law allows sugar processors to obtain loans from USDA with maturities of up to nine months

when the sugarcane or sugar beet harvest begins. Upon loan maturity, the sugar processor may repay the loan in full or forfeit the collateral (sugar) to USDA to satisfy the loan.

The Feedstock Flexibility Program was reauthorized by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill as an option to avoid sugar forfeitures. USDA’s December 11, 2018, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde) projects that fiscal year 2019 U.S. ending sugar stocks are unlikely to lead to forfeitures next year.

Therefore, currently, USDA does not expect to purchase and sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for crop year 2018.

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3 January, 2019

VALLEYSCENE

Bad art sought in Porterville STAFF REPORTS

Janka, the story of a holocaust survivor, opens January 11 NANCY HOLLEY The intimacy of the Ice House Theatre lobby is the perfect venue for the Visalia Players’ production of Janka, which opens January 11, 2019. Janka is a one-woman show based on the life of a holocaust survivor.

Oscar Speace, the playwright, is an unassuming man who has a talent for bringing people alive thorough words.

Speace had always wanted to write something about his mother’s life, but she was never able to talk to him about her experiences. After her death, he learned that she had sent a letter regarding the war years to an uncle in the U.S. shortly after her release from Auschwitz.

Speace anticipated reading his mother’s words. It was a setback to learn that the letter was in Hungarian,

ourvalleyvoice.com

the official language in Sighet, Romania, his mother’s home town. Undaunted, Speace found a woman who was able to translate for him, and Janka was the result.

Janka weaves together the four lives that Janka Festinger defined for herself. “My life in Romania before Hitler… My life because of Hitler… My life with my husband, Bob… My life after Bob died.” As a Romania Jew, Festinger lost 63 members of her family in one year.

Festinger was grateful when her uncle asked her about her experience.

She felt she was no longer alone, and wrote an extensive letter (30 pages front and back). I had the honor and privilege of seeing the original document when I interviewed Speace for this article. Speace noted, “Since the

Janka continued on 10 »

The Porterville Art Association is sponsoring its Third Annual “Bad Art “ Show Jan.16 to March 8 , 2019. It is hard to say what bad art is, but one thing it is not is the usual exhibit people expect to find at a prestigious gallery. It is fun, it is creative, and it is definitely memorable.

Inspired by the Museum of Bad Art ( MOBA) in Massachusetts, the event features terrible subjects done well, and great subjects done terribly. Who says what art is anyway?

There are three categories: 1.Work rejected by a regular show or by the artist him or herself. 2. Bad art done tongue-in cheek for a laugh 3.Bad stuff in poor taste which was once sold in stores ( “Someone actually paid good money for this?”)

Because no one can agree what bad art should be, everyone who enters is a winner. Fees are : $8. for the first entry in each class, and $ 3.00 each each additional entry in that class. Artists may enter up to four items in each of the three classes. Student art is free, and encouraged.

The reception ( Friday Jan. 18 , 5-7 PM ) will feature unhealthy junk food and what might be called “ bad” music for listening of dancing, such as “Surfing Bird” or “Wooly Bully.” Live music will also be on tap from the famous Eaton-Pyles String Band .

Entries are accepted from 1- 5:30 PM at the PAA Gallery , 151 North Main St. in Porterville on Saturday, January 12.. The show will be open from 10 4 PM Wednesday through Saturday from January 16 through March 8.

Is your art bad enough to be featured in the Porterville Art Association’s “Bad Art Show?” Courtesy photo

Cal Ripken Major 60 World Series coming to Visalia STAFF REPORTS Visalia Youth Baseball, Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau, the City of Visalia and Babe Ruth League Inc. are excited to announce that the 2019 Cal Ripken Major 60 World Series is coming to Visalia. The best 12-year-olds from around the country will come together to play ball at Riverway Sports Park in a 10-day tournament Aug. 2, 2019- Aug. 9, 2019, all vying for the World Series title.

Visalia’s Riverway Sports Park features four lighted baseball fields, restroom facilities, ample parking, playgrounds and more. The sports park has also been home to Visalia Youth Baseball since 2011. Visalia Youth Baseball first chartered with Babe Ruth League Inc. in 1998, and in just 20 years they doubled their enrollment from 600 in 1998 to 1,300 in 2018.

According to Frank Durazo, Lifetime Board Member and Majors Manager with Visalia Youth Baseball and Sponsorships & Programs Coordinator for the 2019 World Series, Visalia Youth Baseball is known today as one of the top Cal Ripken programs.

“We have sent 10 teams to either the 10 [year-old] or 12 [year-old] World Series,” he said, “and we have been champions five times!”

Visalia Youth Baseball has host-

ed a number of district, state and regional tournaments as well as the Cal Ripken Major 60 World Series, which first came to Visalia in 2011. During the championship game between Visalia, CA and South Lexington, KY, as many as 7,000 attendees were root-

ing for their favorite team. History was in the making as the Visalia Blue All Stars became the first host team to win a World Series title.

In 2019, Visalia Youth Baseball expects to host twelve Cal Ripken Baseball teams including eight regional

winners, the Central California State champion, two Visalia host teams and Guam by special invitation for their 60th year chartering with the Babe Ruth League.

“We try to put on first class events

Baseball continued on 10 »

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

8

Begin reserving Porterville Pool for summer fun starting now STAFF REPORTS Reservations for private parties at the Porterville City Pool were opened on January 2, 2019 at 8:00 am.

The City Pool is a great venue to host any summer event, from your child’s birthday party, a graduation, end of the school year activity or even a family reunion. Have a splashin’ great time by reserving it for exclusive use for your summer event.

The City Pool is fun for all ages,

affordable, and requires little to no set up. It has the capacity for 280 swimmers and features a modern zero depth entry design with play equipment, a lap swim area, dive tank, diving board, and 137 foot water slide. It is conveniently located inside Murry Park at 97 N. Park Drive.

The facility also includes a new ADA accessible viewing deck with shade, picnic tables, and a BBQ. The new amenities can all be used at no additional cost during the rental time.

Reservations for school events can be made between May 16 and May 31. The bookings are not to exceed six hours in one day and schools must have a 30 minute break in between parties.

The general public can make reservations for private parties on Saturdays and Sundays between May 25 and September 1. Hourly rates for use of the facility begin at $85 and vary based on the number of guests.

Reservations for the general pub-

lic can be made online or by visiting the Heritage Center, 256 E. Orange Avenue. Reservations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

Early booking is advised as available time slots are limited. Visit the City of Porterville website or call (559) 791-7695 for more details. Stay up to date on all services and programs by following Parks & Leisure on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Fresno Yosemite Int’l Airport sets record passenger growth in 3Q 2018 STAFF REPORTS Fresno Yosemite International Airport served over 480,000 passengers in the third quarter of 2018, a 21 percent increase in domestic and international passenger traffic over the same period in 2017. With consistent growth throughout the year, the Airport is on pace to set a passenger volume milestone in 2018.

Third quarter domestic passenger traffic increased by 22 percent compared to the same quarter in 2017, while international passenger traffic grew by 9 percent. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is currently ranked fourth in the nation for carrying passengers between Fresno and Guadalajara, Mexico.

“We appreciate Central Valley travelers for choosing Fresno Yosemite International Airport as well as our airline partners for continued efforts to provide a diverse mix of market choices and added seat capacity,” said Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle. “Fresno Yosemite International’s planned expansion program to accommodate current and future growth will

ensure the Airport continues to be a viable global transportation gateway and a resource to the region’s vibrant economy.”

The recent installation of a new passenger boarding bridge and Gate 6/8 remodel are the first of many expansion projects the Airport has initiated to accommodate current and future growth. The remodeled gate area provides new seating, charging outlets and dynamic signage in an open space setting complemented by a new passenger bridge for quick and easy boarding.

Record passenger growth in 2018 is expected to push Fresno Yosemite International’s annual economic impact for the region to $900 million with continued job growth. Citing strong financial performance and record passenger levels, in June the Airport received a two notch upgrade from S&P Global Ratings from ‘BBB+’ to ‘A’, with a Stable Outlook.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport - Fresno Yosemite International Airport currently offers Valley passengers daily nonstop flights to Chicago

Fresno Yosemite International Airport’s remodeled Gate 6/8. Courtesy photo

(Seasonal- resumes March 2019), Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Guadalajara and Morelia, Mexico on domestic and international carriers. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a municipally owned entity operating as a self-supporting en-

terprise. No City of Fresno general funds are used to operate Fresno Yosemite International Airport or Fresno Chandler Executive Airport.

Like us on facebook.com/FresnoYosemiteInternational or follow us on Twitter @FresnoAirport and Instagram @ iFlyFresno .

Visalia Unified announces head El Diamante football coach STAFF REPORTS Visalia Unified School District is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Christopher Frankland as head varsity football coach for El Diamante High School.

Mr. Frankland is currently a mathematics teacher and head football coach for Monache High School. He will begin his new position with Visalia Unified School District on July 1, 2019.

Mr. Frankland has many years of experience both in teaching and coaching. He is completing his second year at Monache High School. Prior to working at Monache, Mr. Frankland coached and taught at Kerman High School, Mount Whitney High School, and Exeter Union High School. Mr. Frankland also brings experience from

Mountain View High School in Tucson, Arizona, where he taught mathematics and was an assistant varsity football coach.

Mr. Frankland’s teams qualified for postseason play four times in his five years as a head coach. Mr. Frankland was the head coach of the East team in the 49th Annual Tulare-Kings AllStar Football Game in summer of 2016.

Mr. Frankland earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree in Mathematics and Spanish from University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona and his Master of Science in Educational Administration from National University.

El Diamante is very excited to have Chris Frankland join the El Diamante Miner family! He joins a great math department and terrific coaching staff.

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Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

Calendar

Now through second week of January: Ice Skate Visalia!

The Visalia Parks and Recreation Department has brought the Central Valley’s only outdoor skating rink. located in Downtown Visalia at the Garden Street Plaza. For info on private rentals; public skate times; Breakfast with Santa events; Adult Skate Night events and movie night events, visit www.iceskatevisalia.com or call (559) 713-4365.

January 4-25: Arts Visalia Photography Exhibition Reception Dr. Dean Hsu and Opening Reception for Dr. Dean Hsu. Gallery Hours Noon-5:30pm, Wednesdays-Saturdays. Opening Reception is First Friday, January 4th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm 214 E. Oak Ave. info: Janelle Howard 739-0905, artsvisalia@sbcglobal.net January 5: Gigantic Indoor Yard Sale Visalia Convention Center 8am to 2pm Admission $3.00 and $5.00 for two people, with a reduced admission after 12pm, cash only. Gently used items including household items, Cinnamon Roll Shack food truck and Sequoia Brewing Company selling breakfast burritos, grilled wraps. Info on how to become a vendor, contact Kathy Fraga at (559) 713-4456 and kathy.fraga@visalia.city.

January 5: Winter Trout Derby Plaza Park Pond, 9 AM – 11 AM, Hosted by Visalia Parks and Recreation, Children ages 15 and under compete. Prizes go to the top three total stringer weights in each division. Participants need to bring their own fishing poles, bait, tackle and fish stringer. This event sells so register your child today! $10 per child in advance or $12 per child day. Register online at www.liveandplayvisalia.com or in person at the Anthony Community Center 345 N. Jacob Street. Info -713-4365 January 7: Oath of Office Ceremony, Tim Hire Tulare County Superintendent of Schools.11:00am Reception to follow, Redwood Conference Center, 6200 South Mooney, Visalia January 12: Sequoia Symphony Orchestra presents “Winter Wonders” Visalia Fox Theatre 300 W. Main St. 7:30pm Two classic symphonies from the “Great North”; Tchaikovsky’s short, sweet “Winter Daydreams.” Tickets are $10-$45 at sequoiasymphonyorchestra.com.

January 12: Tulare County Auduban Society Bird Watching Field Trip Terminus Dam Forebay and Kaweah Lake Area, Bring binoculars, bird book, lunch, water, layered clothing. Leaders: Joan Parker & Linda Wentz, 1st Meeting place: McDonald’s parking lot at Mary’s Vineyard 1401 E Noble Visalia, 7:15, 2nd Meeting place: Lake Kaweah Park Headquarters, wait at the entrance gate for the group to arrive

9 at 8am.

January 16 to March 8: Porterville Art Association Third Annual “Bad Art “ Show, Inspired by the Museum of Bad Art, Massachusetts, the event features terrible subjects done well, and great subjects done terribly.

Reception Jan. 18 , 5-7 PM, Show from 10 - 4 PM Wednesday - Saturday from January 16 through March 8. Information: Frances539 3243, Uncle Bill- 782 9265.

January 19–20: Exeter Gem and Rock Show Veterans Memorial Building, 324 N. Kaweah Ave. Gems, jewelry, rocks, fossils, beads and more, including demonstrations in faceting, beading and polishing. 10am to 5pm on Saturday, 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

Free. For more information, email Laura Manser at ldriggs5@gmail. com.

January 19 and January 21: Rose Pruning Demonstration Winter is the best time to prune roses! The UC Master Gardeners of Tulare/Kings Counties will demonstrate best practices in rose care and pruning. Bring your pruners.

Tulare County Courthouse corner of Mooney and Burrel Ave. 11:00 to 2:00 and Ralph Moore Rose Garden W. Main and Hall St. January 21 site is Old Grangeville Church 14060 Hackett St., Grangeville 11:00 to 2:00. Info - 684-3343.

January 20 :A Bridal Odyssey Wyndham Hotel, 9000 W. Airport Dr. in Visalia from 11am to 4pm info, go to abridalodyssey.com.

January 23:The African Children’s Choir Visalia Nazarene Church, 3333 W. Caldwell Ave. in Visalia, 7:00pm.

The choir is a nonprofit humanitarian and relief organization dedicated to helping Africa’s most vulnerable children. No tickets.

Donations appreciated.

January 25: Comedy Blast with comedian Ken Davis and ventriloquist David Pendleton.

Visalia First, on Akers and Caldwell.

A night of side-splitting hilarity for the whole family, 8:00pm Tickets are $25–$30 at hnconline.org.

January 25: Family Night at Visalia Adventure Park, On Hwy 198 and Akers St., 9 12:30am $18 wristband gets you unlimited go karts, bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages, and laser tag. Karaoke mic. Info, visit adventurepark.com/family-fun.

February 2: Arts Consortium presents 1st Saturday in Three Rivers Start at Three Rivers Historical Museum for a map of venues 42268 Sierra Hwy, 11am to 5pm Art studios, restaurants and merchants open their doors. Info, 1stsaturdaytr. com or 561-3463.

February 12-14: 52nd Annual World Ag Expo International Agri-Center Tuesday, Wednesday 9 - 5pm Thursday 9am to 4pm General admission $15; children 6 and under, free. Info, visit www.worldagexpo.com.

February 22: Family Night at Visalia Adventure Park 9pm to 12:30am $18 wristband unlimited access to go karts, bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages, and laser tag. Karaoke mic, Hwy 198 and Akers St., Info, visit adventurepark.com/family-fun.

Tues-Wed: 3PM-7PM; Thu-Sat: 11AM-2PM Tulare Public Library, Veterans Resource Center, Referral services to all veterans and their families. Saturday 10:00 – Tuesday through Thursday: Homework Help Tulare Public Library Homework Help 4:00 - 7:00pm, grades K-12th in our Learning Center, Every other Wednesday: Knitting Club Tulare Public Library 5:30pm; September 26th in the Olympic Room. All ages welcome!

To register for book clubs or computer classes call 559-685-4503 or stop by the research and information desk.

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

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, Free coffee. 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 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. (559) 651-1111.

Wednesdays: Barmageddon Game Night Come blow off some steam at our game night. Happy hour from 6-8pm.

1st Thursday Monthly through October: Diabetes Support Group, 5:30-7pm Kaweah Delta Health Care District offers a free diabetes support group through October from on the first Thursday of the month at the Kaweah Delta Chronic Disease Management Center, 325 Willis St., Visalia. Information: (559) 6242416.

1st Thursday, Monthly: Veterans Support Group, 5:30-7pm Free support group for global war on terrorism & post 9-11 (Veterans Only) at the Tulare Public Library, 475 North M Street in Tulare. Facilitated by: Dr. Lance Zimmerman, PhD of Veterans Counseling Clinic.

1st and 3rd Thursdays, Monthly: Central Valley Tea Party Meetings, 6pm 819 West Visalia Rd, Farmersville.

3rd Thursday Monthly through October: Diabetes Support Group, 5:30-7pm Kaweah Delta Health Care District offers a free diabetes support group through October on the third Thursday of the month at 200 E. Sierra Ave., Woodlake. Information: (559) 624-2416.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Gathering At the Oval, 12:30-1pm Lifting up the needs and concerns of Visalia through individual prayer and meditation at Oval Park, 808 North Court Street in Visalia.(559) 967-4065.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Board Game Night, 6-7:45pm Ages 10+ at the Visalia Library, 200 West Oak Street. Sign-ups are not required.(559) 713-2703.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Ladies’ Night, 6-10pm At the Clay Cafe in Visalia, 1018 E. Mineral King Ave. $10 studio fee with ceramic purchase. Includes complimentary margarita, dinner and dessert. Door prizes too! Reservations required: (559) 733-2022.

Fridays: Women’s Morning Bible Study, 9am-Noon 210 W Center Street Visalia.Information call: (559) 739-9010 1st Saturday, Monthly: AGLOW, Visalia Speaker Meeting at Christian Faith Fellowship Freedom Hall, 506 N. Court Street, Visalia. Live music and finger food.

Saturdays: Cup of Jazz, 10amNoon At Cafe 210, Visalia. Free. Richard Garoogian. (559) 730-0910.

Every Tuesday at 10 am Weekly Toddler Storytime Visalia Library, 10:00am Ideal for parents with babies and toddlers, ages 0-2, you and your little ones can enjoy stories, songs, bounces and plenty of play time. Free. For more information (559) 713-2700.

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

10

Brighten your winter garden CECILE GARRISON

UCCE Master Gardener

The kids deserted the swimming pool months ago and the recent freezing weather has reduced the Cannas, Cosmos and Zinnias to almost nothing. However, you can still have a colorful, interesting landscape using evergreens, succulents, perennials, and carefully placed garden art.

We discovered how perfect succulents are for this valley of hot, dry summers and cold, foggy winters about five years ago. It’s amazing to watch a seemingly fragile Sempervivum such as ‘Hens and Chicks’ thrive whether it’s foggy and thirty degrees or one hundred in the shade. I place most containers of succulents in winter protected areas, but succulents of all stripes and sizes are doing well in the ground with no protection from the elements.

Evergreen trees, shrubs, ground covers and vines contribute a variety of textures and a wide range of color in shades of blue and green. Many

have berries for the birds to enjoy.

There are many selections of evergreen trees available now. Seasonal live Christmas trees can be planted in the ground if they are properly watered and not subjected to excessive temperatures inside the house. Look for bargains in the garden centers between Christmas and New Year’s.

One of our favorite ground covers is Cerastium or Snow-in-Summer. It quickly spread to five feet, provides a silver glow during all seasons, and produces thousands of fragrant white flowers in spring and summer. The list of flowers that bloom in winter is long, but I will tell you about three especially lovely specimens. The first is commonly known as wallflower and is from the genus Erysimum. I have yellow, purple, orange and brown blooming profusely despite the 28-degree temperature this morning. The perky green foliage is a bright spot in the landscape and the blooms are a definite bonus.

Nemesia is another fragile looking flower that scoffs at the frost. It

has tiny snapdragon-shape flowers in a wide range of colors. All Nemesia must have afternoon shade in our hot summers. I grow ‘Aromatica True Blue’ and like its light fragrance. I purchased a four-inch pot at a coastal nursery as an experiment knowing that Nemesia prefer cool weather. It has expanded to a three-foot square area in two year’s, so I think it likes it here.

The most reliable winter color we have is the orange and yellow Calendula. An evergreen herb it acts as a perennial in our gardens. It blooms profusely during the fall, winter and spring, is stressed in the summer but bounces back again in the fall. When the plant gets about two feet in diameter it usually loses its shape. By then it has re-seeded itself many times, so we discard the entire plant to make room for the new ones.

Garden art at every turn in the yard adds interest and cheer to an otherwise dreary, foggy day. Garden fairies and gnomes, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other assorted garden

statuary blend into the foliage and flowers in the other three seasons but are more noticeable and appreciated when the leaves have fallen, and the rose bushes are pruned. So, if you need gift ideas for the gardener in your life, head to the nursery or garden center and pick up a succulent, an evergreen, or some colorful perennials. And, don’t forget to leave room in the garden for the fairies to dance and the gnomes to roam!

We love to talk plants. Come ask us your gardening questions!

For answers to all your home gardening questions, call the Master Gardeners in Tulare County at (559) 852-3325. Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:30 and 11:30am; or in Kings County at (559) 852-2736, Thursdays only, 9:30-11:30am; or visit our website to search past articles, find links to UC gardening information, or to email us with your questions: http://ucanr. edu/sites/UC_Master_Gardeneers/

Four new slot machines unveiled at Eagle Mountain Casino STAFF REPORTS Guests can enjoy four new slots at the Peoples Casino.

On November 28th, the Slot Department installed two Fu Lai Cai Lai Stack Wild Luxury machines and two Fu Lai Cai Lai Triple Festival machines.

Experience the enriching variety of gameplay and wonderment of riches on both Fu Lai Cai Lai Stack Wild

Luxury and Fu Lai Cai Lai Triple Festival machines. Players can improve several elements of gameplay by increasing the bet level and credits per play, such as adding a wild to an expanding number of reels. More reels will become wilds in free games which then will boost the players play table for the top combination wins. This will give access to increased jackpot levels and provide mystery chance to

win jackpots.

Bonus symbols appearing on three or more consecutive reels beginning with the leftmost reel trigger the free games feature. The jackpot feature can be triggered when playing bet level 2,3, 4 or 5 only. There is also a chance the wild coin bonus may occur when one or more special symbols appear on the reels in a bought game or free game.

Visit the People Casino soon and try your luck on one of these four machines. Good luck to all!

Eagle Mountain Casino is an 18+ full service casino and is owned and operated by the Tule River Tribe. It features 1200 slot machines and 11 table games. Eagle Mountain Casino is a short drive from Bakersfield or Visalia.

Tulare County Office of Education to conduct HeartSaver CPR classes STAFF REPORTS On January 24, credentialed school nurses from TCOE’s School Health Programs will conduct an American Heart Association Basic HeartSaver CPR class.

The class is open to TCOE and school

Janka

continued from 7 letter was written shortly after the war ended, the dates, places, and facts are extremely accurate.”

Being at Auschwitz, Festinger was well aware of the experiments being conducted on twins. When she and her U.S. soldier husband Bob had beautiful, healthy twin boys, she felt she had beat-

Baseball

continued from 7 and Visalia has always been recognized as going above and beyond in making sure that we put in the hard work and resources to make it a fun and successful event for the teams and families that travel to Visalia,” said Durazo.

Those gathering for the 2019 World Series will find themselves just a few minutes away from Visalia’s charming downtown. Downtown Visalia is home to over 60 restaurants, more than 100 boutique shops and services and self-guided tours such as the “Art on Fire Hydrant Walk.”

district employees for a fee of $60 per person.

“Each year, thousands of people, including youth, die of sudden cardiac arrest,” said Nan Arnold, program manager for School Health Programs.

“Statistics show that the odds of sav-

ing a life improve if you are able to recognize cardiac arrest, get emergency care on the way quickly, and help the person until more advanced care arrives to take over.”

Additional classes are offered in 2019 on February 21, March 21, April 25,

and May 16. Classes are limited to 12 individuals and registration is required.

Please contact Margarita Quintana by e-mail at mquintana@tcoe.org or call (559) 651-0130, Ext. 3730 for more information.

en Hitler.

Fortunately, Speace is married to a talented actress, Janice Noga, so he did not have to search for the “right person” to portray his mother.

Speace explained that one of the benefits of research and writing the play has been the discovery of cousins in Canada, Australia, and many parts of the U.S. who he never knew existed.

When Speace and Noga took Janka to New York for an off-Broadway run, the

experience was made especially memorable by a closing night performance where seventy-five percent of the audience was Janka’s family members.

The performances at the Ice House are dedicated to Clara Notovitz, Janka’s family’s last holocaust survivor who died in the fall of 2018.

Janka runs for one weekend at the Ice House Theatre at Race and Santa Fe in Visalia. Evening performances are at 7:30pm on 1/11 and 1/12, at 6:00pm

on 1/13, and the single matinee is at 2:00pm on 1/13.

NOTE: THIS SHOW RUNS FOR ONE WEEKEND ONLY AND THE EVENING PERFORMANCE TIMES ARE DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE DAY (see above).

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

Visalia is overflowing with events and activities that World Series participants and fans can enjoy.

Whether they revel in outdoor adventures, such as taking a walk through Mooney Grove Park; or perhaps they’d like to catch a baseball game at Rawhide Stadium; or maybe they appreciate indoor activities such as browsing through the local museums and shopping centers, Visalia has something for everyone.

For the families, Visalia is bursting with opportunities for making memories. A visit to Quantum Leap Extreme Air Sports is sure to be EXTREME FUN; or perhaps they’d like to lace up their skates and take a whirl

around Roller Towne; or maybe they grab the gang and head to Bowlero Visalia for a fun night of bowling, arcade games and billiards. At Imagine U Children’s Museum, the little ones can enjoy painting the walls, playing music, picking fruit and working on cars in a fun, exciting environment.

However, the older kids may find that Visalia Adventure Park is the place to be. At Adventure Park they can play at the batting cages, bumper boats, miniature golf, go karts and, opening summer of 2019, a water feature including 4 water slides.

When visiting Visalia, take a day to check out the giant trees. Just 40 minutes East of Visalia is the entrance

to Sequoia National Park, home of the world’s largest tree, the General Sherman. In the park, everyone can explore giant sequoia groves, climb the rocks, ride horseback through nature and much more. Visit the Giant Forest Museum to learn all about the history of the park and giant sequoia trees.

For more information please visit the Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitvisalia.org.

We’re very excited to share our city once again with this fantastic organization and the wonderful participants and their families. We hope you enjoy your time in sunny Visalia, California!

Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

Fresno State program mentors high school students on ag careers STAFF REPORTS Anarely Flores has farming in her DNA. Her grandfather was a farmer in Mexico, and when her family visited him during the summer as a child, she would be put to work. But she didn’t like farm work and her mother is employed in agriculture so she decided at an early age that she would go in a different direction.

Then came her freshman year in high school in Tulare.

“I took one ag class that year because I wanted to get off campus for an hour, and I fell in love with agriculture all over again,” said the senior agricultural education major at California State University, Fresno. “My teacher had a huge influence on me.”

That teacher played a huge role in Flores’ senior year, when a technical glitch prevented schools from receiving her transcripts, so she was turned down by Fresno State and other colleges she applied to.

“I felt really crushed when I didn’t get in anywhere, but she said, ‘You have potential – you can’t give up.’ We appealed, and I was accepted. She helped change my life, and I want to offer that to other kids,” Flores said.

To pay that debt forward, Flores plans on becoming an ag teacher in the Central Valley. In the meantime, she has been part of Fresno State’s innovative Multicultural Scholars in Agriculture program, which provides support for students who reach out to middle and high school students who believe college is out of their reach to encourage them to attend college and consider careers in agriculture.

The program was established by four members of the Farm Credit System – American AgCredit, CoBank, Farm Credit West and Fresno Madera Farm Credit. Since the program’s inception in 2013, they, along with Golden State Farm Credit, have donated $450,000 of the $660,500 raised to launch the program, and have supported 18 students at the university’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

Leili Ghazi, Western Region President for CoBank, said the program has already proven to be a success.

“This program has enabled Fresno State to reach out to students in farming communities who might never have considered going to college and get them interested in both college and in careers in agriculture,” Ghazi said. “I know the student

e

Th

ambassadors feel a real sense of accomplishment when they later see the students they have contacted on campus. We’re proud to have been a part of this effort.”

Dr. Steven Rocca, who runs the program, said the personal contact from minority college students with their middle and high school peers can make a big difference.

“In many of these families, agriculture has a negative connotation because of their association with field work,” Rocca said. “It can be a hard sell to convince a family that there’s a future for their child studying agriculture at a university.”

He noted many jobs for college graduates pay well, even six figures, but many high school students would never think of them, such as representatives for agricultural chemical companies, dieticians, food safety experts, crop advisors and teachers.

Ambassador Liliana Reyes Solorio, a junior from Livingston, also comes from a farmworker family and said it’s important to increase diversity in higher-paying agricultural jobs.

“My town is a small, Hispanic town where kids might see their parents do the farm labor work, but we also want to showcase the wide variety of job opportunities available in ag,” she said.

She said she plans to become an ag teacher, perhaps in an urban area where she can educate students about where their food comes from and the importance of farming.

While some of the ambassadors meet with hometown high school students during winter break, it can be difficult for them to travel to farming communities to meet with students during the school year. So this year Rocca said Fresno State is hosting groups from several high schools on the university campus. Students will tour the campus farm, learn about careers in agriculture and witness, first hand, what college life is like. They will also have the opportunity to learn how to apply for college, financial aid and scholarships.

The first of these sessions took place on December 4, when a group of more than 20 students from Parlier High School visited the school.

One of the participants, junior Johnathan Rangel, said it was very helpful hearing from students about the programs and their experiences.

“We’re going to be in their po-

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sition. (It’s good) just to see how they experience things, their type of schedule and how they get to work around with it,” Rangel said. “They were giving us lots of tips and pointers about college life.”

He also said that he was encouraged by hearing from one of the mul-

ticultural scholars who came from a similar background.

“I picked up that I can pretty much do it myself. He came from a little town far away but he can still come and accomplish big things.

I think I really would like to come here,” he said.

UTILITY BILL CHANGES ARE COMING! LOCAL SERVICE, LOCAL STAFF Effective January 1, 2019, your utility bill (for trash, sewer, groundwater and storm drain services) will come directly from the City of Visalia and payments will be made to the City.

This change will allow for enhanced customer service delivered by City of Visalia staff members.

Please note these important aspects of the change: 1 Your utility bill account number and the mailing

address for your payment will change.

2 If you pay your utility bill through your bank’s bill

pay, you will need to change your account number and the payment mailing address after Jan. 1, 2019.

3 If you pay your utility bill through automated

payment (ACH), you will need to sign up again with the City of Visalia after Jan. 1, 2019.

4 In-person payments will continue to be accepted at:

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Thank you for your understanding as we make this important transition to local service and local staff.

Please contact the City of Visalia Utility Billing Center at 713-4499 if you have any questions, or visit www.visalia.city/utilitybilling.

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

12

TULARE

continued from 1 urged staff to encourage Jones to hire an attorney. The letter included a portion of Jones’s sworn testimony Lampe found to be particularly unsettling.

“Although the transcript has not yet been certified, I am including portions of the draft in this correspondence to highlight just how far off the rails the councilman (Jones) seems to have have gone,” Lampe wrote.

Full Video Released

Lampe said he was so concerned over the nature of Jones’s comments he made video of the entire twohour deposition available publicly.

The video is available for viewing at ourvalleyvoice.com.

“I must say that in 40 years of taking depositions, I have never had a witness so proudly and defiantly proclaim under oath that ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve lied a ton of times,’” Lampe wrote. “If there is a strategy here, I’m missing it.”

Jones’s deposition testimony relates largely to the recent revelation the councilman may have shared confidential personnel information about Hensley with individuals as well as via social media. Jones claims during his testimony to have the permission of City Attorney Mario Zamora to share the information; however, Lampe denies Zamora would have given such advice.

Jones additionally claimed that former Tulare City Attorney Heather Phillips provided him with the document.

“In his December 20 deposition, Carlton Jones testified that City Attorney Mario Zamora indicated it was OK for Jones to distributed confidential information to third parties. The testimony begins at 14:35:50 and continues through 14:39,” a statement from Lampe to the Voice reads. “I have known Mr. Zamora for many years. Mr. Zamora is a highly intelligent, ethical lawyer. There is no possibility that Mr. Zamora gave the advice that Councilman Jones

AM/PM

continued from 1 Hall. A scaled-down plan calls for a gas station with just 12 hoses that may not operate around the clock.

Also missing from the original plan are a car wash and drive-through restaurant. The size of the convenience store was also reduced to 3,700 square feet.

For Robin Hernandez, a resident of the area who led the fight against Chandi’s plans, the concessions were a victory.

“I feel like we fought and we won,” she said. “We knocked it down from a monster to something doable.”

Down But Not Out

A rumor seemed to make the neighbors’ apparent victory even more complete. ARCO--the parent company of AM/PM--wouldn’t allow its franchisees to operate a site if it could

claims to have received.”

Rank-a-Liar

Jones ranking a list of liars at Tulare City Hall was triggered by the revelation at least five members of the staff have sworn former City Manager Joe Carlini said “he had (Jones) on credit card fraud” while discussing Jones’s alleged use of a city credit card while on personal business.

While Jones’s condemnation was mainly fo- Carlton Jones’ full deposition is available at ourvalleyvoice.com. Video courtesy attorney Mike Lampe cused on staff at Phillips gave bad advice in the Hens- accusing him of using his position City Hall, he also called Councilman ley matter. Phillips recommend- on the Council for personal benefit.

David Macedo a liar--giving him ed the former chief be fired after He has also been accused of verbally a liar’s ranking of 5 out of 10--and learning an investigation into his abusing city staff. awarding newly selected Mayor conduct had found no grounds, the According to a letter to several Jose Sigala a 9. Jones also described suit alleges. members of the City Hall staff from Sigala as a “POS,” an acronym for Phillips was hired by Jones after Community and Economic Devel“piece of shit.” the one-time mayor was allowed by opment Director Josh McDonnell, The only veteran member of the the City Council to make the selec- the move to place a buffer between Council of whom Jones did not have tion without advertising the posi- Nunley and employees of the city an judgment was Nunley. tion or consulting with the rest of became necessary after a recent on“Oh my gosh. I don’t know. I the Council regarding his choice. site inspection of a Nunley property. don’t know,” Jones said when asked Phillips, who has no municipal law “The interim city manager has if Nunley had ever lied. “I don’t have experience, was at one time coun- directed that building inspectors an opinion on Greg (Nunley).” sel for the Fresno area firefighters and the Building Official refrain

Hensley Connection

While the issue of veracity and the possible lack thereof at Tulare City Hall became a main topic during Jones’s testimony, it was his connection to the firing of the city’s chief of police that had him under examination.

When Hensley was fired, it appears to have been at the direction of the former city attorney who Jones had hired, Heather Phillips.

Phillips and the firm for which she works, Goyette and Associates, are now being sued by the city. Among the issues the new city attorney would like to see a jury decide is if

not remain continuously open, or so the rumor ran.

Now, it looks as if that was wishful thinking.

And Hernandez is done fighting.

“If somebody wants to do it, that’s wonderful,” she said of possible opposition to the gas station’s construction.

“Somebody else needs to do this. I’m going to work toward a grocery store.”

Hernandez would like to see an ALDI Market constructed there or nearby, and fighting the AM/PM’s liquor license would, she says, be “counterproductive.”

‘Ground Zero’

Reeser, however, isn’t ready to give up the battle.

“I’m like at ground zero,” he said.

His home is just yards away from where the AM/PM may stand someday very soon. He plans to keep struggling against it.

While plans for construction have been scaled back considerably, the

union to which Jones belongs and which he once led.

Jones refused to discuss his statements and his the nature of his relationship with Phillips. When reached by telephone, Jones hung up after learning he was speaking with a reporter for the Valley Voice.

Buffer Zone

In another revelation, Lampe has discovered an outside engineering firm has been hired to act as a go-between for the city’s planning department and Nunley. Nunley, who is a real estate developer, is currently subject to a civil lawsuit

market and gas station will still be open 20 hours a day.

Even with no plans for a car wash and drive through restaurant, Reeser is still concerned about traffic, noise and reduced property values.

“In that 4-hour time frame (when the store will be closed) is when they’re going to be doing deliveries,” he said.

The city has placed limits on the time when deliveries may be made to the store.

Too Much Booze

Reeser says he intends to file a protest against the issuing of a liquor sales license for the site. There is already an excessive number of such licenses nearby, he said.

“One of the problems is there’s like 19 liquor licenses in a one-mile radius,” he said. “I don’t want to add to a situation.”

According to the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board, that number may actually be higher. The

from interacting with Mr. Nunley in any manner from this point forward,” the letter reads. “All plan checks and inspections related to Mr. Nunley’s projects are going to be performed by an outside consultant, Interwest.”

An investigation into the accusations Nunley has mistreated city employees has so far cost the city more than $6,500. Previously, the city had threatened to have a restraining order placed against Nunley to prevent interactions with planning staff.

It is not clear if the city or Nunley will pay Interwest’s consultant fees.

ABC’s guidelines call for two to three licenses per square mile.

The nearest alcohol sales point to the proposed AM/PM is across the street to the north, at a convenience store where gas is also sold.

The site is also less than one mile from the city’s busiest shopping district on Mooney Boulevard, where dozens of locations sell alcohol.

Currently, Visalia businesses have 133 liquor license--one for every 1,000 residents of the city--an average of four per square mile.

Consumption of alcohol may lead to problems that concern Reeser and which he would rather not have in his otherwise fairly calm area of Visalia.

“Liquor has a tendency to create violence and drunk drivers,” he said.

Those who wish to protest the issuance of the liquor license have 30 days from the date the notice was posted. It appeared in mid-December.

Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

13

Self-Help Enteprises breaks ground on Goshen project STAFF REPORTS On December 28, SHE will began construction for the new Sequoia Commons –a 66-unit affordable rental community in Goshen.

The rental project is phase I of a two-phase project located on the 6.85-acre multifamily parcel at the southwest corner of Riggin and west of Road 76, and will include 22 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units, and 22 three-bedroom units.

Its’ amenities will consist of a community building of nearly 3,072 square feet, and an outdoor common area with a playground, barbecue pit and picnic tables.

The community building will include a large community room with a kitchen and bathrooms, a laundry facility, computer lab, and a separate management office.

The project will serve working

Renderings of the Sequoia Commons project.

families at or below 50% AMI with rents ranging between $248 and $810. In addition, Sequoia Commons will include 100% solar PV to offset common area and resident loads, and water conservation/efficiency measures.

Self-Help Enterprises will offer a robust program of on-site Resident Services, including job training, health and medical services, financial training and homebuyer education.

This project is being financed through a combination of Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program funds via California’s Cap-and-Trade proceeds, HOME Investment Partnership Program funding from the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), private equity raised through the federal low-income housing tax credit program, Affordable Housing Program (AHP) funds through the San Francisco

Federal Home Loan Bank, sponsored

by Central Valley Community Bank and a Valley Air Loan through the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

The AHSC program is administered through a partnership between the Strategic Growth Council and HCD. Construction loan financing is provided by Pacific Western Bank. Tax credit equity is being provided through Red Stone Equity Partners.

New Visalia elementary school named STAFF REPORTS Visalia Unified School District’s newest school has a name: Denton Elementary School.

A committee of students, parents, community members, and Board members worked together to make recommendations on school

names, mascots, and colors. The committee worked from a list of potential names and mascots developed from a survey of hundreds of community members. The school name, mascot, and colors were confirmed by the Visalia Unified Board of Trustees by a 4-1 vote at their November 13, 2018, meeting

The opinion of students was particularly important in the selection of the new school’s name, mascot, and colors. Among the most popular mascots during the selection process was the “Dragons,” which was confirmed by the Board.

The Board selected green and gold as the school colors.

Denton Elementary School is the twenty-sixth elementary school in Visalia Unified. It is located in the northwest section of Visalia, at the corner of Ferguson Avenue and Denton Street. The school will open to students in August 2019.

WARMING

homeless with mental health issues are released back onto the streets from hospitals without treatment because hospital mental health wards refuse to admit patients who are under the influence. A system she described as “broken” that has lead to the death of homeless individuals like Linda Mae Mudge, 45, a schizophrenic who was shot in the back one night while she was alone on the streets.

The warming center anticipated a need for such individuals and has mental health services and crisis workers at hand to aid incoming participants. Other services on hand will include flu shots, medical aid, and permanent housing navigators through the Kings-Tulare Homeless Alliance.

Luckily, there was no need for any serious intervention the opening night and everyone slept relatively undisturbed. The sun eventually rose, participants were asked to leave, and everyone, including the volunteers, went on their groggy way.

The warming center is a temporary solution and is expected to run

until March 1st. A more permanent site is underway at a location yet to be determined.

If the community wants to help make the nights a little smoother for the participants add earplugs to

your list of donations. To volunteer go to https://timecounts.org/ktha/ events/10463 For questions about donations call Christy Bergen: (559) 356-9526 or contact Suzy Ward (559) 967-4065

continued from 1

As 10:30pm rolled around, the front doors closed and participants were no longer allowed to exit the warming center. Participants could still enter, but no one was allowed to leave until morning.

Despite the coffee and sugary snacks given to the participants, Ward’s warming center quickly grew silent, except for the cacophony of snoring. As the night progressed however, it became clear that some had underlying conditions such as sleep apnea and mental health disorders that made it difficult to sleep.

Late into the night, a man broke the relative peace by tossing a bar of soap across the room for no apparent reason. One woman by the name of Sonya, went through a period where she would abruptly break into laughter. She wore a hospital bracelet and carried paperwork with her personal belongings implying that she may have recently been admitted at a medical institution.

Bergen stated that some of the

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VOICES & OPINIONS

3 January, 2019 Valley Voice

Use your voice by commenting at ourvalleyvoice.com or email editor@ourvalleyvoice.com

Re: “Our Criminal President” MARK BILINSKI Mr. Oldenburg, As I read your piece in the Valley Voice of December 20, it’s quite obvious that you are convinced that President Trump is a criminal, though he has yet to be charged and convicted of any crimes, even after well over two years of a relentless assault of his character.

Let me begin with the fact that President Trump does not rank high on my list of people that I admire for their tact or ability to speak eloquently. But tact, eloquence and the ability to speak in a calm, soothing manner is not why I voted for him. We have been down that road time and time again and what have we gained? Every principle that our Founding Fathers have based this great country on has been sold down the river for the gain of career politicians, in one form or another.

But let’s get back to the point. In your mind, Trump is a tried and true criminal, yet who has charged and convicted him? The left-leaning press?

Yes, these are the folks, many of which use the public airwaves to not-so-subtly attack Trump and continuously accuse him of colluding with the Russians to affect the outcome of the election. Could it be not considered criminal activity to influence the American people and to persuade them to vote for the candidate of the press’s choice by disguising so many stories as news, when in fact they are written as opinion. Am I saying that the left-leaning media should not be able to voice their opinion? Absolutely not. I am a staunch supporter of the Constitution beginning with the First Amendment.

But don’t lie to the American public and sway their opinion by disguising opinion as news, and then use the public airwaves to convey that message.

IMO, not only is that collusion, but it is even more criminal, because it is happening from within, yet you don’t seem to be accusing the press of being criminals. Foreign operatives have

“

been trying to influence the outcome of our elections long before Trump or Putin have existed, and that includes we, the U.S., trying to do the same in foreign elections. That certainly doesn’t make it right, but I find it even more treasonous and disrespectful to our citizens when our own free press uses our airwaves to report the “news” when in reality it is opinion, therefore persuading voters to cast their ballot for the candidate the press chooses to endorse.

The two primary reasons that I voted for Donald Trump was 1)He being the first viable candidate to have the guts to address the issue of securing our borders, and 2)His willingness to address the “swamp” in Washington D.C. I am a California native, and was born at a time when this state was truly “Golden”. Over the years, I have watched this state turn into, if I may borrow a Trumpism, a third-world s-thole. I am sorry, but that is the truth, and the truth is often very hard to swallow. I am convinced, because of what I have witnessed for a long period of time, that the biggest contributor of, not just the decline of California, but the nation in general, is illegal immigration.

The primary reason the Federal Government exists is to protect our homeland, and that is something that in recent years, all three branches of government have not only failed to do, but have accellerated at an extremely rapid pace. Now before you accuse me of being a racist and/or bigot, let me ask you a question. If you don’t believe that our borders require security, then do you have locks on the doors of your house or automobile? Do you protect your finances in a bank or maybe even a locked safe at home? If you believe that it’s OK to leave our nation’s borders wide open and not question anyone that enters this country legally or illegally, then why not let me enter your home, help myself to anything and everything, including your finances, then I will gripe because I don’t like

of government, as well as state and local. I firmly believe that the majority of politicians have fought this president tooth and nail because they feel threatened. They feel that their way of life and their ability to get away with years of scandalous behavior is threatened. The fact that these people are supposed to be working for us, yet consistently come out far ahead of the citizens they are representing, both financially and in terms of power is criminal, but that’s another volume for another year.

Back to Trump. Am I proud of the fact that the man shows little tact? No. Am I proud of his belligerence and being obnoxious? No. I voted for the man because I wanted our country to be secure. I wanted the swamp drained.

While I don’t like some of the things I see going on in the current administration, and at times it appears that the swamp has gotten worse, I still have even less faith in career politicians, of which the swamp is composed, and for the most part, government employees in general, who often appear to milk the system for all it’s worth. While that may not necessarily be criminal, it is morally wrong. I have an even lower opinion of the media. The media can’t even report a lousy weather report without lies and deception, so who am I to believe? As a late friend of mine used to consistently remind me: “Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see”. All I have left is half-a-visual, and I don’t like what that is.

You may not like Trump, and while you are certainly entitled to your opinion, if you are going to label him as being a criminal before he has been tried and convicted, please don’t close a blind eye to all of the other criminals in office and the press that consistently lies to us, deceive us, and do everything in their power to protect their self interest.

While you may find yourself too busy to respond, I would like to hear from you, your thoughts.

Your comments from Facebook

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I’ve always said, he is his own worst enemy. Gotta keep talking and talking. With all the posts about dirty cops, it just shows his contempt for law enforcement and playing into Mr. Lampe’s hands. Take Mr. Lampe’s advice, seek legal representation, you are going to need it. Defamation lawsuits are going to haunt you for years to come.

And your fellow council memebers, how in the world will we have a functioning city council after they are deposed? Well, except for Nunley...but that’s another story. Keep talking Mr. Ex-Mayor, keep talking. You’re making Mr. Lampe’s job so much easier.

— Suellen Mendonsa on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

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your choices of food you have made or how you have decorated your house.

After I have worn out my welcome and refuse to leave, now you have to pay for my legal assistance to defend myself.

If I lose in court, a judge then rules in my favor and overturns that decision, allowing me to stay in your dwelling for an unlimited period of time. If you disagree, then I will label you as a racist or a bigot. If you believe that I am singling out certain individuals based on race or religion, then try this.

If you come home and find a snake in your bed, and are not quite sure if it is or isn’t venomous and could possibly cause bodily harm to you or your family, are you going to allow that snake to remain in your house or bed? If you choose to rid the house of that snake simply based on your lack of knowledge or fear and simply protecting the health and well being of you and your family, then you now have become a mean-spirited intolerant hater of all animals.

Not a very pleasant thought, is it? Yet that is what not just our three branches of government, but many of our local elected officials have been getting away with for many years. This, my friend is criminal. This is allowing anyone into our country, unchecked, not knowing who they are or what their background or motivation is, feeding them, educating them, providing them with unlimited benefits without any bit of allegiance to this country whatsoever, and in extreme cases a willingness to cause harm and destruction to this country and it’s citizens, all in trade for a vote or cheap labor. That is criminal. And an extraordinary number of our elected and appointed officials in all branches of government have blood on their hands, yet there seems to be no accountability, or criminal charges being filed.

Why does the press not bring this to light and run these people through the ringer like they have with Trump?

When it comes to financial accountability, the numbers increase exponentially for all three branches

If you can’t convince them, then confuse them. An idiot will always be an idiot.......you’re posts are just acknowledging what kind of person you truly are, attacking others to get the attention away from you is not working......Failure of Tulare Carlton Jones

— Margie Avila on Full deposition of Carlton Jones we’ve seen Carlton lie up close and personal........and just about the whole town has been called a liar....cuz you are if you don’t agree with king Carlton.....disgusting

— Michele Moore on “Liars” clip from Jones deposition Why is he sowing so much hate and discontent? if he was in grade school, I could see this conversation, but this is an adult male!!!! I feel so sorry for Tulare.

— Irene Muller on “Liars” clip from Jones deposition

Carlton Jones speaks the truth and that’s what they dont like

— Rebeca Ozzy Sanchez on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

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Pointing out corruption and other cases by posting links doesn’t make the other party in your situation wrong. You can’t distract people. Anyone can post links.

— Mario Christopher Carrasco on Full deposition of Carlton Jones my point is none of this is why Wes was fired. They never asked about Wes investigating if I miss used my credit card. Because that’s not what it’s all about. Tulare Officers were suffering and the CM fixed it.

— Carlton Jones on Full deposition of Carlton Jones I think just this little snippet of what’s to come was to get to the point of you being a liar and leaking confidential documents.

— Mario Christopher Carrasco on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

Lampe and Wes said that I used the card to buy dinner for my family.

They are the liars.

He didn’t get fired for investigating my credit card. He didn’t get fired because of this deposition. You just want to be part of the conversation but deep down inside you can’t ignore what officers said about what was happening to them.

— Carlton Jones on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

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Valley Voice 3 January, 2019

15

VOICES & OPINIONS

“At least two people have died [...] as a result of criminals in this country illegally” MARK A. BILINSKI Mr. Oldenbourg, I recently sent you a letter responding to your editorial in the 12/20/18 issue of the Valley Voice referring to our President as a criminal and who also “can’t be bothered to defend us against ongoing Russian interference in our elections because he’s in the Russian mafia”. Are you now prepared to accuse Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and countless other members of our Congress of being members of the Washington mafia?

We just recently lost an innocent victim in Visalia who was shot and killed, a farmworker wounded by a shooting, several others that were shot at as well as a store being robbed, all by an illegal alien who reportedly had been deported on at least two previous occasions, and who was finally thankfully killed in a multiple vehicle t/c but unfortunately injured at least one more victim in the process.

Once again we learn that a police officer from Newman was killed by, what a surprise, another illegal immigrant. Officer Ronil Singh was an individual that did everything correctly.

He entered this country legally, then chose a career to protect our citizens.

Yet what was his reward? Being shot

dead in cold blood by some worthless bag of excrement, who was protected

by Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Kamela Harris, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, Xavier Becerra and numerous others from DC all the way down to our local politicians who are securely protected behind walls, locked doors, armed security and countless other measures, yet fail, and worse, refuse to protect the legal citizens of this country, their primary responsibility, so they can remain in lifelong political power.

Mr. Oldenbourg, can this activity also not be considered criminal?

While you responded with a document indicating that Donald Trump may have been involved with some collusion with the Russians, I have yet to see charges filed and Trump being tried and convicted. Yet in the last two weeks, at least two people have died, and several others injured as a result of criminals that are in these country illegally.

Who is going to explain to a five month old child years from now why that child was forced to grow up without a father they will never know? A father who was a decent law-abiding citizen and who dedicated his life to protecting fellow citizens. Meanwhile we have a laundry list of politicians,

Federal, State and local, who take an oath to protect us yet don’t give a rat’s ass about living up to that oath. Again, who are the criminals here?

In case I haven’t made it clear enough, I am FED UP with this invasion of illegal aliens. They are criminals by default and should be treated as such. You accuse President Trump of collusion and of being a criminal, but I have yet to see a trial and conviction.

But day after day, innocent citizens all across this country have become the victims of crimes ranging from identity theft to rape and murder. Victims who many times, are never allowed to witness a trial of the criminals because the victim is dead, or the criminals flee the country, only to return again to commit more crime. These same criminals have been given protection by politicians such as Chuck Schumer, whose response to a president that is trying to do something to stop this rampage is rewarded with a government shutdown because Schumer and his cohorts refuse to fund a border wall. These same politicians that are protected by walls and security that they refuse to give the citizens that they are sworn by oath to protect.

Why are you not accusing Schumer, Pelosi, Harris, Brown, Newsom, Bercerra and every other politician that

is protecting criminal illegal aliens of collusion and being criminals? It was not a Russian that killed Corporal Ronil Singh in Newman. It was not a Russian that killed Rocky Paul Jones in Visalia and injured numerous others on a two day rampage in Tulare County. It was not a Russian that killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco. It was not a Russian that killed LASD Deputy David March. It was not a Russian that killed Mollie Tibbets in Iowa. It was not Russians that flew planes into the WTC and the Pentagon killing 3000+ victims. Yet you accuse President Trump of being a criminal? There is a much greater number of politicians with real blood on their hands that have aided and abetted criminals long before Donald Trump ever considered running for president.

It is time we focus on the real issues with real evidence and real repercussions that we are witnessing in real time. If Donald Trump is found to be guilty of colluding with Russians to win the 2016 Presidential election, then I will deal with outcome. But in the meantime, my support stays with a President that is willing to stop an invasion of criminals that is, and has been creating havoc in this country for too damn long.

Your comments from Facebook and ourvalleyvoice.com

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QUOTE: “These homeless people that ya’ll have compassion for, they’re criminals. They’re drug addicts…“ They are also living, breathing human beings. They are former neighbors who are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and children that are in desperate need of protection from the harsh winter elements. They are not going away. It is so easy to be judgmental and to denounce them for undermining ones sense of comfort and sensibilities. Why not be proactive and help the church out with the cost of providing comfort and human kindness.

Start a Go Fund Page for those who wish to donate money; private security companies donate a guard for a night once a week; police department assign a patrol car to be regularly checking the premises while patrolling the surrounding area; porta potties companies donate your services; nearby grocery stores and restaurants donate food items that do not need cooking (sandwich makings, pies, microwavable coffee and hot chocolate, water bottles, canned juices, etc. as people rest better when their stomach isn’t aching from hunger.

Salvation Army and all Thrift Stores donate blankets, pillows, all different sizes of warm clothing that you have taking up space in your stores. AMVETS members gather up all the army cots you can find to donate for beds (would be perfect for folding up and storing during the day and pulling out at night). Parents and their children could donate gently used stuffed toys for these children to hug and cuddle up to (can be so soothing to a hungry, tired and scared child). So much time, money, and personal energy is spent during the holidays and beyond. So many professed Christians should ask themselves “what would Jesus do?” or better yet ask themselves “what would Jesus say?” to those who turn away because they think that “these people” aren’t worthy of human kindness, human caring, and a helping hand. To everyone…..” There but for the grace of God go I”……any one of us can become homeless, desperate and in need of some human kindness in our lifetime. How would you want society to treat you?

Perhaps we can view help as a “Pay It Forward” act. Remember, what goes around comes around.

— Barbara on Warming center opens

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Not only has Nunley cost the city consulting fees for his own personal gain, we must not forget he still has not paid over $400,000 he owes the city for fees on his projects. I challenge the new council members along with Mayor Sigala to investigate their power to force the resignation of both Nunley and Jones. Tulare will not be able to move forward with these two lingering on Council. If you know any of them, please join me in encouraging them to stand up against these two “POS”.

— Melissa on Former Tulare Mayor allegedly leaks report

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Watching the deposition today was truly alarming. Everyone that works for the city is a liar and they got a 1-10 ranking? You have no opinion of Nunley? C’mon man, you have an opinion on everything and everybody…… it’s a good plan though, trying to keep the co-conspiracy on the down low. The ironic thing about it is ol’CJ flipped and flopped on questions, answered one way then another, moments later for the same question. He actually admitted to lying “tons” of times? That’s a great answer during a recorded official deposition where your swear to tell the truth. So pretty much everything after that would or could be a lie. Everybody is lying on Carlton….amazing there must be a conspiracy…. most likely due to some race based theory? It wouldn’t be because your arrogance, violent tendencies, biased belief system, your hand in destroying the police department, the fact that you throw people away when they are no longer any use to you, hypocracy or lack of a morale compass. Now you bring things up from past councils as if you came in with some sort of fix it plan?

You said it yourself people don’t want to hear the truth, because it’s you who is telling it? Well under sworn deposition you said you lie (tons of times). So the “truth” from you is some what objective I guess. There are certain things the body does when you lie…..things that the person who is telling the lie has no idea is going on….it’s not something you can’t defeat….. it’s really neat if you know what to look for during an interview, deposition or interrogation. Mr. Jones you exhibited some of these things. Tisk Tisk……fibber.

I just hope that those officers who believed that you’d be the messiah of change bet on the wrong fighter. I hope none of their confidential internal documents were “leaked”. I mean hey….. you didn’t know any better…… I wonder what that lack of that knowledge will cost the city? I guess the bashing of the AG community that pulled you off the mayor seat wasn’t enough. At any rate here we go into 2019 nothing settled and only more garbage to come. Keep up the good work buddy your love for the City is that of legend.

— Filo Beto on Former Tulare Mayor allegedly leaks report I was raised by a strong black woman. I love standing up for Tulare Officers against bad managers. Very proud to do so. Can you think of another police department where the officers lost confidence in the chief?

— Carlton Jones on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

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You think I’m going to fall for a debate regarding other Police Departments? SMH I will speak for myself-I’m sure there is plenty of Tulare citizens who will agree-I have no confidence in a self admitted liar, who will cut down others to deflect any wrong doing off himself! So with that said-I’m going to go enjoy my day with holiday spirits, family & friends! Merry Christmas!

— Carlton Jones on Full deposition of Carlton Jones

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16

Valley Voice

3 January, 2019

Kaweah Delta welcomes New Year baby CATHERINE DOE Kaweah Delta Medical Center has welcomed its first baby of 2019.

Santiago Gonzalez was born at 12:05am on Tuesday, Jan. 1, at Kaweah Delta Medical Center.

Santiago weighed in at 8 pounds,

3 ounces and was 20.5 inches in length. His parents are Nallely and Rene Gonzalez.

For being the New Year baby at Kaweah Delta Medical Center, Santiago received a New Year’s diaper cake from nurses at the hospital and a blanket in celebration of a new ad-

dition to the Kaweah Delta family – a new Baby & Me app.

The app, now available for download on iTunes and Android devices, allows expectant moms to track important pregnancy milestones, keep track of appointments and other lists, track baby’s kicks, contractions

and more.

In 2018, approximately 4,800 babies were delivered at Kaweah Delta and the hospital had a record number of births in a month back in August when there were 459 births (including seven sets of twins).

HOMELESS

mental illness, deserve a safe and warm environment during the coldest time of the year. He described St. Paul’s as a “boon” to the homeless and that it has helped people survive the extreme cold and prevent illness caused by said drop in temperature.

In addition to Mudge’s plea, there were a couple of success stories from former homeless persons who went through St. Paul’s and eventually found permanent housing. According to one of the staff members at the warming center, the shelter finds housing for around 10 homeless each month of operation.

Reverend Suzy Ward, who is helping open the shelter, passionately defended the work St. Paul’s has done and explained how the homeless issue was not going away.

“I’m sorry that it’s in your backyard. I live in Santa Fe Trail. It’s in my backyard too. But we all have to face the reality that this is an issue we have to deal with. And this is the best solution that we have…Yeah, we made mistakes. But we made a safe place for a lot people…These were mothers with children. We had a grandmother and a daughter and their child. We had husbands and wives that would’ve been separated in a regular shelter.”

Ward stated that she tried other locations, but they were either too expensive or they simply would not help. And she said that when she approached other faith-based communities, “nobody else stepped up”.

She also replied to the amendment requested by Dr. Wandrum about extra security, stating that most of her budget goes towards paying the one security guard’s salary. Ward emphasized that she’s done the best she could with her limited resources and asked when the city would start to take responsibility: “I’m a small little church and I’m trying to take your responsibility. And I think you need to take responsibility too…I turn to you because if you don’t start answering some of these questions like Michelle said, your jurisdiction is at risk.”

Ward was referring to a statement made earlier in the public comment

by Michelle Smith of the Kings-Tulare Homeless Alliance. Smith mentioned how other jurisdictions like Orange County have faced federal lawsuits for their poor treatment of the homeless population and that warming centers like the one at St. Paul’s help protect the city from these costly consequences.

Vice-Chair Liz Wynn and commission Marvin Hansen both denied the appeal with commissioner Bret Taylor voting in favor. Commissioners Chris Gomez and Sarrah Peariso were absent.

Wynn in particular began by stating that it was a heartrending and awful decision to make. She claimed she was on both sides of the fence, but that the homeless issue was a national problem and that she would support the shelter: “We need to try all methods possible to reach this population because we have four H.O.P.E. officers plus a mental health, and it’s not enough.”

Chairperson Brett Taylor was the

only member of the commission to vote against the shelter. His biggest issue was the way in which the warming center was asking for its permits, claiming that the shelter should not be applying for temporary permits typically used for tree lots or haunted houses, when the homeless issue is clearly a permanent one and requires a more permanent solution.

The homeless task force made up of city and county officials is currently working on developing a more permanent site. The temporary shelter at St. Paul’s is just a “stop-gap” used as a response to the drop in temperature.

The appeal made by Dr. Wundrum was denied 2-1 and the warming center will officially open the day after Christmas with a few amendments including no temperature restrictions and

a mandatory 1 to 25 staff-to-homeless ratio. Security times will also be extended an hour on each end. And St. Paul’s may be liable for any sanitation issues in the city block surrounding the church.

The battle is far from over.

The shelter’s temporary permit can still be appealed by the public for a $500 fee and the appeal must be sent

by December 31st at 5pm. If an appeal is filed there will likely be another vote in January to determine the warming center’s fate once again. The appeal would be heard by the Visalia City Council.

Ward is actively accepting donations and volunteers. For now, she’ll have to make the best of what she gets: “We’re operating on a lot of faith.”

continued from 1

were more concerned about preventing the warming center opening at all.

Wundrum, whose office is directly across from St. Paul’s, summed up the neighbors’ concerns.

He stated that he was sympathetic to the homeless community, but was more concerned about the sanitation and safety impacts the warming center would have on the immediate area. Wundrum listed suggestions that would lessen that impact of a shelter such as additional trash bins with locks to prevent dumpster diving, 24-hour security to the premises, and relocating the warming to center to a different location.

One by one, other concerned neighbors shared personal stories pertaining to last year’s warming center.

The complaints ranged from nonviolent transgressions such as public defecation and house/car break ins, to altercations with the police and even murder.

Steven Montion, a military veteran and life-long resident of the area, held up a photo of his neighbor Darrell James Heinrichs who was shot dead last year by a homeless person—50 ft. from Montion’s house. Heinrichs was described as a man with a heart of gold, who was kind, fed people, and gave money out of his own pocket.

Montion went on to condemn the warming center for what it’s done to his neighborhood.

“These homeless people that ya’ll have compassion for, they’re criminals. They’re drug addicts…And the police department’s hands are tied…

We didn’t have these problems until last year.”

One of his biggest concerns was the safety of his children, who were less than 100 ft. away when his neighbor was shot multiple times. Montion said the warming center closes its doors around the same time children go off to school in the morning, which he claims poses a major threat to kids in the neighborhood.

Mothers, fathers, worried businessman, and outraged community members who all shared personal stories and negative encounters as a consequence of the warming center’s presence. More than once, chairperson Brett Taylor was forced to cut a speaker short in order to make time for the growing line of discontented commenters.

Gary Mudge took the microphone and changed the tune. A husband and father, Mudge spoke of his deceased daughter, Linda Mae Mudge. He spoke of her mental illness, how she became homeless, and of her untimely death.

“My daughter was murdered. Shot in the back with a shotgun in the middle of the night. She was vulnerable of course. And defenseless, especially as a woman, alone…My original intention here, and still is, is to give an impassioned plea for help and services towards the homeless.”

Mudge explained how all homeless, whether or not they suffer from

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