Valley Voice Issue 50 (6 August 2015)

Volume XXXV No. 15 • 6 August, 2015

www.ourvalleyvoice.com

Mathis Satisfies Constituents at July 31 Town Hall Meeting Joseph Oldenbourg On July 31 Assemblyman Devon Mathis kept a crowd of about 50 constituents waiting nearly 20 minutes after the scheduled 5pm start of his town hall meeting. With good reason. After waiting roadside for nearly three hours, having suffered a tire blowout near Selma, Mathis finally got a ride from the CHP to make the meeting.

And after ensuring that anyone who wanted it had water--the temperature that afternoon hit about 106--he begin speaking.

The crowd--mostly seniors--nearly doubled during the course of his 15-minute talk, which he concluded by mentioning the location of his new district office, 405 Willow Plaza in Visalia. Then he turned the microphone over to those with concerns.

“I don’t believe in pulling ideas out of you know where,” Mathis said, gesturing toward his posterior. “I don’t think it’s my right.”

People began the conversation by referring to specific bills, and Mathis was sometimes stymied when a bill was referred to by its number alone. Some 300-400 bills are “thrown at” him daily, he said.

The topic of water came up almost immediately. Regarding water policy, Mathis said, “Tulare County is becoming the guinea pig.”

When the discussion on water turned to fracking--and the enormous amounts of waste water involved--Mathis said that some companies are using reverse osmosis to treat the waste water before selling it for agricultural use. When asked directly, “Where’d the toxins go?” Mathis responded by saying, “They’re basically using salt water.”

Continuing the theme of recycling water, Mathis mentioned AB 956--a bill he introduced--saying, “The idea of the bill is let’s get this environmental stuff out of the way.” It is not fair, he said, for some projects to be mired in red tape while the environmental impact report for others, such as sports stadiums, are waived.

Constituents also voiced concern about future groundwater monitoring.

“SB 88,” Mathis said, “gives the State Water Control Board police powers.”

When the discussion turned toward the police, in particular the topic of body cameras, Mathis seemed favorably dis-

Devon Mathis at his July 31 town hall meeting.

posed. “The question is,” he said, “how long do you store that data, and is it secure?”

General applause broke out when one constituent shouted that everyone should have a gun. Yet by a nearly unanimous show of hands the crowd agreed that the Arts are important in the state’s K-12 curriculum.

Responding to efforts to repeal SB277, the mandatory vaccination of the state’s K-12 public school students, Mathis said, “We’re trying to protect your kids’ Constitutional rights.”

Mathis defused concerns over the required installation of solar pan-

els in new construction. According to one expert, he said, “farms work better than individual rooftops.”

When asked by one constituent whether anything was being done to prevent businesses “from having this marriage nonsense forced on them,” Mathis responded, saying, “It’s ridiculous.” “Marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “It’s the way I grew up. It’s the Good Word.”

Mathis will be the keynote speaker at a meeting sponsored by Central Valley Tea Party at 6pm on August 20, 135 W. Tulare Avenue in Tulare.

Hanford Council Mulls HSR Grant, Approves Downtown Changes

“Taking all things into consideration, how would you rate the overall quality of life in Visalia?”

Public Opinion Survey Shows Visalians Happy Catherine Doe Every year the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) conducts a public opinion survey to gage how Visalians feel about their city. This year’s survey was conducted in April and results have recently been made available. The Citizens Advisory Committee uses an all-volunteer force to collect the approximately 300 responses.

According to Eric Frost, deputy city manager, not a lot changed since last year’s survey, but there were some interesting results and a few changes. Participation in the survey by Hispanics increased from 25 to 38 percent and better reflects the 2010 Census which showed 46 percent of the City’s population as Hispanic.

Another point of interest was that residents living in the southwest quadrant of the city, and who earned $40,000 or more, were the most satisfied with living in Visalia. Frost also said that the survey showed that residents see Visalia better as they age, and that

Visalians are more satisfied than ever with the police and fire departments.

The major take away was that Visalia provides a safe place to live and offers quality services based on the following responses.

When residents were asked about their quality of life, 98 percent rated the overall quality of life in Visalia as average to very high, with 61 percent of those respondents answering high or very high. This was a 2 percent increase from 2014. No one in the income groups of $40,000 or more stated Visalia’s quality of life was low or very low.

In regard to providing a safe community, 50 percent rated the city’s efforts as high or very high, which was an increase of 5 percent. The southeast residents gave Visalia the highest rating with 56 percent.

The northeast quadrant of Visalia ranked community safety services the lowest.

Although the annual survey mostly asks the same questions, the CAC does come up with two new questions each

SURVEY continued on 4 »

Before settling in to hear from representatives of local agencies pulling for the construction of the California HighSpeed Rail (HSR) project, the Hanford City Council got an earful of local opinion on the matter from both sides.

The HSR project includes a 27mile stretch through Kings County and has met with some vocal resistance locally, including a lawsuit brought by the Kings County Board of Supervisors. At a study session held July 21, the City Council met to gather information from experts and to hear what residents had to say. The meeting was planned ahead of an upcoming vote to decide whether the city should commit $200,000 in matching funds in order

Dave Adalian to receive $600,000 from state and federal sources that would allow city agencies to plan for the local HSR stop. The city would also incur some $50,000 in office costs should it accept the grant.

Strong feelings on HSR

Emotions ran high among those who addressed the council at the meeting’s start. Glenda Dwyer, a strong opponent of the project, framed the HSR project as a criminal enterprise, calling it “a lie.”

“You’re going to be complicit,” she told those gathered at the session, “going against the

HSR continued on 16 »

A SeaPort plane taxiing into the Visalia Municipal Airport.

Visalia, SeaPort Happy With First Six Months Six months ago, SeaPort Airlines started daily service from Visalia to Sacramento and Burbank. The results have been very good with many flights full or near capacity.

Some locals have actually had trouble getting tickets for their preferred flights.

“It’s an interesting problem to have,” said Mario Cifuentez, Visalia airport manager.

Nancy Vigran SeaPort flies four flights daily each way on weekdays, with fewer flights on Saturday and Sunday. The Burbank flight actually extends to San Diego, which many flyers find appealing.

Prior to SeaPort’s service, “we had been saying, maybe air service has run

SEAPORT continued on 9 »

2 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015 FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

I Hope He Stays There

www.quailparkofvisalia.com/valleyvoice

I can’t not write about the murder of Cecil, the 13-year-old famously blackmaned lion lured out of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park and shot by an American hunter, Dr. Walter James Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota.

Yes--I meant murder. The shooting was the final act in this grisly drama, after Palmer first shot Cecil with a crossbow then tracked the wounded beast for 40 hours. In a sense, then, the shooting was an act of mercy--but none of this was necessary.

Big game hunting never is--especially when the numbers of some of these animals are in decline--and it should be totally disallowed. I have read claims that only vegetarians should be granted a measure of disgust regarding this, but vegetarianism and the abhorrence of big game hunting make for a false equivalency. In Africa, hunting the “Big Five” (elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, lion and leopard) is big business--and the hunters, “a large number of whom are well-to-do Americans,” according to The New York Times, do not eat their prey.

Of course they don’t. It’s murder, pure and simple.

Again, from The New York Times: “In one particularly dreadful practice called ‘canned’ hunting, private ranches raise lions purely to trot them out to be killed by ‘hunters’ for trophies.”

This kind of thing is in part why, if aliens ever visit our planet, they’ll give us a wide berth. In being our own worst enemy, we may have inoculated ourselves against invasion.

I’m not against killings lions, per se. In Maasai culture, for instance, killing a lion is the direct route to manhood for a boy. But the Maasai have to contend with lions on a daily basis--and they do so with club and blade. I very much doubt that if a Maasai boy used a high-powered rifle he would be welcomed as a man by the tribe.

How much of a man is he who goes thousands of miles out of his way and for no communal benefit uses modern firepower to claim a mere trophy?

Methinks he’s over-compensating for something.

Before you start thinking this is a first-world problem, many “Big Five” populations are dwindling--which is a problem for us all. And while Palmer’s inglorious junket may have cost him somewhere around $50,000--shared among a small number of “guides”--Cecil’s eco-tourism worth was estimated by wildlife officials as at least $100,000 annually. That’s money which went to the whole of Zimbabwe. It might not sound like much, but in a country that has been in an economic meltdown for the past several years it certainly doesn’t hurt.

It is, ironically, just this sort of poverty which makes illegal “guiding” attractive. If we want to stop poaching, we will first have to stop poverty. Zimbabwe is battling shortages of water and electricity, and there is no definitive measure of how many are working in the informal sector--described as the “dark side” of the economy. There may always be people like Palmer, but nobody doing well enough financially would be willing to “guide” him on his aims.

At the time of this writing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to contact Palmer, who was convicted by the service for lying about a bear kill in Wisconsin in 2009. Now, his actions might have violated the Lacey Act, which is connected with a United Nations treaty and is concerned with the activities of Americans abroad who violate the laws of foreign governments. And while investigators for the service have been to Palmer’s dental practice and place of residence, the State Department is investigating his actions in Zimbabwe.

On July 28, amidst an ever-widening global outrage, Palmer said, “I deeply regret killing a known, local favorite.” Then he promptly blamed his “guides,” who he said he had trusted. But the fact that they used a goat carcass to lure Cecil out of the park--wherein he was protected, and where his killing would clearly have been illegal--makes a mockery of Palmer’s assertion that the hunt was legal. Still, there remains some question, technically speaking, of the legal status of his actions.

Meanwhile, Palmer has gone into hiding. He deserves a good hiding. I hope he stays there.

— Joseph Oldenbourg

The Valley Voice is your newspaper Published by The Valley Voice, LLC. Publisher/Editor: Joseph Oldenbourg joseph@ourvalleyvoice.com Staff:

Catherine Doe, writer (catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com) Tony Maldonado, webmaster (tony@ourvalleyvoice.com) Nancy Vigran, advertising (nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com) Stefan Barros, sports (stefan@ourvalleyvoice.com) Dave Adalian, writer (dave@ourvalleyvoice.com)

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“God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” - Mark Twain

6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 3

Political Fix Separated At Birth

In 2004, Visalia City Councilmember Phil Cox declared that he was going to run for Tulare County Supervisor District 3 because, among other things, he was seeking to improve communication between the county and Visalia.

Sound familiar?

At the end of July, Visalia City Councilmember Amy Shuklian declared that she was going to run for Tulare County Supervisor District 3 Supervisor’s seat opposing Mr. Cox. Why? One of her reasons was that she has noticed a lack of alliance between the county and Visalia.

According to the Visalia Times Delta, Ms. Shuklian said, “I don’t think Visalia is being represented as well as it can be — the other cities also.”

She continued, “And I don’t feel like Supervisor Cox has really stood up for the city of Visalia at those times,” Shuklian said. “I know he’s a county representative also, but he also represents the city of Visalia.”

So, were Ms. Shuklian and Mr. Cox political twins separated at birth? Not quite. The similarities stop there.

While Ms. Shuklian has been a huge advocate for animal services, and recently voted to allow Visalia residents to have pet chickens, Mr. Cox has advocated for the clearing out of all animals from Mooney Grove Park. He has ardently defended Neil Pilegard, manager of Tulare County Parks, who hunted geese in Mooney Grove with a bow and arrow, injuring one that took days to die. When Ms. Shuklian thinks of parks she thinks of people and animals. When Mr. Cox

Catherine Doe

thinks of parks, it’s a mystery what he is thinking because Mooney Grove is an embarrassment to the county.

Another difference is that Ms. Shuklian is an ardent supporter of High -Speed Rail. Officially, Mr. Cox supports Tulare County cooperating with the High-Speed Rail Authority, but he has never really supported the cost of constructing a High-Speed Rail in California.

One huge philosophical difference is their views on Gay Rights. On May 21, 2005, then Assemblyman Bill Maze and Supervisor Phil Cox joined with the anti-gay Reverend Louis P. Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition to hold a rally against same-sex marriage. On the other hand, as Mayor of Visalia, Ms. Shuklian put forth a proclamation recognizing June as LGBT Pride month, an action the city council supported again unanimously in 2013.

Mr. Cox has one accomplishment that Ms. Shuklian can’t match. Mr. Cox said during his state of the county address in January of 2014, “so I extend a challenge to all within the sound of my voice to join with us to show our faith and ask God to send rain.” He along with his church devoted a few hours one Saturday to pray for rain.

And you know what? It rained for the first time in 60 days.

Ms. Shuklian may need a small miracle herself to unseat the entrenched Mr. Cox, and may want to get some campaign advice from Lali Moheno, who lost to Mr. Cox in 2004. Ms. Moheno was appointed to Tulare County Board of Supervisor District 3 by Governor

Davis in 2003 to serve the remainder of Bill Maze’s term after he was elected to the California Assembly. When Ms. Moheno was predicted to win the supervisor’s seat, Mr. Maze took time out of his busy schedule and joined forces with Mr. Cox to aggressively campaign against her. Ms. Moheno and Sup. Cox have since formed a friendly working relationship, but right after the election, Ms. Moheno felt ganged-up on by the good ‘Ole Boys Club.’

Ms. Shuklian told the Visalia Times -Delta (VTD), “I would like to see less arrogance on the board. I would like to see more openness.” Now it may be time for Ms. Shuklian to put a crack in that good ‘Ole Boys Club.’

The Chicken Initiative

After a pas de deux between Gingi Freeman and Jerrod Jensen in the VTD, the initiative to legalize mini goats and chickens inside Visalia’s city limits is well on its way. The Urban Farmers for Food Freedom (UFFF) started collecting signatures to get the initiative on the ballot at the Downtown Thursday Farmers Market in the last week of July.

Mr. Jensen wrote an editorial in the VTD against the initiative pointing out, among many things, what a waste this is of tax payer money. If the initiative is put on the June 2016 ballot, it could cost Visalia $120,000. Ms. Freeman countered with her own editorial a week later saying that if the city had negotiated with the pro-goat and pro-chicken advocates there would be no need for the city to pay for an initiative.

This is true. If the city had taken the

UFFF’s original proposal and negotiated a compromise, there would be no initiative. But the compromise would have legalized allowing a few chickens and goats in residential areas.

Who is to say that is the will of the people?

It seems that the majority of Visalians want to allow small farm animals inside the city limits. That would make the cost of the initiative unnecessary. But maybe the UFFF is louder than it is numerous. I would have bet my husband’s life that Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza was going to beat Devon Mathis for California State Assembly. But Mr. Mendoza ended up losing by a near landslide.

Will the majority of citizens vote in favor of the initiative? Visalia’s city staff was not willing to speak for all of Visalia and would rather let the process take its course. If that means paying for an initiative, then that is the price of democracy. Putting the initiative on the ballot is still not a done deal. The UFFF needs to collect 7,000 legitimate signatures before it even qualifies to go on the June ballot.

Ms. Freeman and Mr. Jensen’s editorials in the VTD set off quite an entertaining online fight. Jim Reeves, an LGBT equal rights activist and blogger, wrote a response in favor of Mr. Jensen’s editorial. He said, “Tulare County is 4,800 square miles. Visalia is 32. Pick a spot in the county to raise your goats and chickens, and leave those of us who don’t want farm animals over our back fence in peace!” His response set off a firestorm of retorts more impassioned than any

POLITICAL FIX continued on 4 »

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4 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015

Lake Patrol to Shift to Sheriff Deputies Staff Reports Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to put sheriff deputies on Lake Patrol at Lake Kaweah and Lake Success.

Kern and Tulare are the only counties in the state to patrol their lakes by civilians.

Currently, the Lake Patrol unit is under the county’s General Services Department. The civilian attendants are represented by Service Employees International Union Local 521.

After the board of supervisor’s vote, it was decided to move this function over to

Political Fix

the Sheriff’s Department. For the next few months sheriff deputies will shadow and work with the Lake Patrol members.

Neil Pilegard, head of Parks and Recreation, said that patrol boats are on the lakes 12 months out of the year from sunrise to sunset.

Right now, civilian boat patrol employees are in charge of keeping boaters and swimmers safe and helping those in trouble.

But they cannot make arrests and find it difficult to curtail disruptive or dangerous behavior or get violators off the lakes.

The employees have badges and uniforms but are not sworn officers and lack the equipment to protect themselves.

After a trial period, sheriff deputies should be taking over lake patrol fulltime.

The move was supported by SEIU spokesperson Jose Sigala who said that the county employees had been concerned for their safety.

agrees.

controversial statements. But concerning the Republican debate, the populace isn’t sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the next time Gov. Scott Walker mentions he is an Eagle Scout and how that qualifies him to run the country. We are all going to watch, Democrats and Republicans, to hear the latest rant from Mr. Trump.

Last weekend, while visiting with a founding member of the Tea Party Patriots, I was enlightened as to why Mr. Trump is so popular. She said that it really bugs Tea Party members when candidates only make statements that are politically correct, which means they must spend most of their lives being annoyed. In a recent The Fresno Bee article, a local Trump supporter says, “I like that he says what he thinks and doesn’t really care what people say about him. In my opinion, that’s something we need.”

Given how the Tea Party feels, one can understand why just hearing the name Hilary Clinton must make them cringe as she is the consummate politically correct animal. Being politically correct is also why Sarah Palin lost some of her

The Dream Team

Continued from p. 3

anti-gay rhetoric he has received.

In Mr. Reeves Alternating Currents blog he quoted Ms. Freeman as saying, “You advocate controlling what others may do on their private property? Should we also create kid-free zones (some don’t like kids) or Christian free zones or dog free zones…?” At the end of a long day most adults would vote yes on all three counts, but that is a separate initiative.

Mr. Reeves quoted Ms. Freeman again, “for someone who crusades for LGBT rights, you are crazy intolerant of people and lifestyles different than your own.”

Is it mandatory that a gay rights activist be pro-goat?

Mr. Reeves pointed out that equal rights, and where you can raise chickens and goats, are two different things.

If, however, everyone could own chickens except left-handed people, then Mr. Reeves would join the fight. Until that time comes, he wants farm animals out of the city. We will see if the rest of Visalia

A few weeks ago I was wondering if I was more excited about the Pope’s speech to Congress or the Republican debate. The Pope will be presenting his encyclical to Congress in September and it will be interesting to watch Catholic Republicans squirm in their seats while the Vicar of Christ tells them that climate change is man-made. But, the bloom is off, as his encyclical has been published and the Republicans have already lodged their disapproval. It is interesting to note that while the Pope advances an environmental document, whose sole purpose is to save Earth, his popularity dives in the polls among Republicans. Yet, When Mr. Trump declares Senator McCain is not a war hero, and calls undocumented Mexicans rapists and criminals, his numbers sky rocket. In many polls he is leading by a large margin all other Republicans for the presidential nomination.

Should this or any other paper give Mr. Trump more ink? Probably not because it appears that is the goal of his

Survey

Continued from p. 1

post-game

fireworks Fri Aug 7th - 7pm game

year. One of those questions was, “What telephone types do you have?”

Ninety-five percent have a cell phone.

Sixty-eight percent of 18- to 35-year-olds no longer have a landline. This national trend has hampered the ability of all phone surveys to get a random sample as this age group.

The second new question was if the respondent preferred to take the survey online or in per-

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luster during the McCain presidential campaign, because the Tea Party felt she was no longer speaking her mind and was muzzled.

The Tea Party’s dream ticket would be Trump/Cruz. When I protested that putting those two on one ticket would not be balanced she countered saying that, “Ted Cruz has the political experience of how to deal with Washington that Trump does not have, and that Donald Trump has the business experience Cruz does not have.”

So the Republican debate wins over the Pope’s speech. When this newspaper hits the stands on Thursday, families across America will be eating pizza and watching the show. Just discovering who has to sit at the kiddy table and who gets to be part of the real debate makes it worth watching. One thing is almost certain though. Ted Cruz has been riding Mr. Trump’s coattails up the polls and might have secured himself a place at the adult’s table. We may not see either of them on the ballot in the California Primary - but we certainly will hear from them.

son. Two-thirds of Visalians preferred to be interviewed in person.

At the end of the survey was an open ended question, “What is the most important thing that the City should be working on to make Visalia better?”

The homeless problem showed up as the most prevalent and most often mentioned area of concern by residents. Roads, parks, traffic and streets were also mentioned.

Councilmember Greg Collins commented that the homeless problem in Visalia is more pronounced than in years past.

He did say that the Oval in North Visalia was looking better, but that the homeless have just moved from there to Recreation Park.

He plans on making the homeless problem a subject of conversation during the city council’s next retreat in January.

Gangs were mentioned by the survey respondents, but not as much as compared to years past. Jason Salazar, Visalia’s chief of police, said that because of prevention and stricter enforcement, gang activity in Visalia has been in decline.

He concurred that homelessness has been very visible throughout the city.

Kristi Bruce, a member of the CAC who was in charge of running the survey, said, “In talking to people during the Public Opinion Survey, people expressed how much they really liked our city; happy to be living here and believed the city was headed in a good direction. Yes, there were comments about things that people would like to change yet overall, it was a good vibe. “

6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 5

Tulare County Health and Human Services Updates Animal Control Ordinance Catherine Doe The Tulare County Board of Supervisors (BOS) was briefed at their July 28 meeting on the new Animal Control Ordinance.

The new ordinance has to go through a second reading on August 11 before it becomes final. The proposed changes, voted 5-0 in favor by the board, affect only residents in unincorporated areas of the Tulare County.

Tim Lutz, Health and Human Resources Agency (HHSA) financial Officer, gave the presentation. He said that the new animal control ordinance represents a fresh start for the organization and that the HHSA had to build it up from ground zero. The HHSA started from scratch because the old ordinance was difficult for the control officers to understand, insufficient in giving direction, and hadn’t been updated since 2007. Many laws have changed concerning the treatment of domestic animals and the new ordinance addresses the significant changes to state laws. Lutz also expressed HHSA’s desire for TCAC to be more responsive and better deal with the needs of the community.

“The Agency is very excited to have gotten to this point in the ordinance process,” said Timothy Lutz, Director of Fiscal Operations. “This has been over a year

in the works, with review of the industry’s best practices, surveying of other county ordinances, and extensive research and review from both program staff and the County Counsel’s office, culminating in meetings with community stakeholders and the public. We feel this ordinance helps establish a solid foundation for which we can continue to shape the Animal Services Division.”

Community stakeholders included Earlimart, Dinuba and Porterville. Supervisor Vander Poel was pleased with a meeting in Earlimart because it is one of the heaviest users of TCAC resources. Lutz chimed in saying that Porterville is also wrestling for that position.

Lutz expressed a desire for the HHSA to rebrand Tulare County Animal Control and make the organization more of an animal care facility and adoption agency. To do this, the agency will focus on prevention, control and licensing. These changes reflect a transition from Animal Control to the Animal Services Division. The division will oversee Animal Control and Licensing functions and the Adoptions facility.

Lutz also suggested forming an Animal Services Division Advisory Committee. The committee would consist of veterinarians, kennel owners, community members, and Animal Control personnel.

Key changes to the ordinance include an update to their administrative hearing and appeals processes and streamlined fees. Lutz said that TCAC’s goal was to avoid seizing animals and to give people a remedy to dealing with an impounded animal. Changes also include providing fee breaks for those doing routine business versus those heavy users of TCAC’s resources. The changes reflect greater flexibility, and clarify TCAC’s regulations. Lutz said that Bun, a dog adopted from Animal Control tation for being a kill shelter. TCAC has the new ordinance will put better controls on when staff can enter proper- struggled with a 90% euthanasia rate, ties. It also requires that staff always be which is one of the highest in the state.

Jean Rousseau, County Administrator accompanied by a sheriff when they have a search warrant. The ordinance also low- Officer, commended Lutz for managing ers the impound days from six to five so Tulare County Animal Control while that the owner can recover their animal faster. organization has been under attack by the The state just passed a law that reg- media. Rousseau’s comments reminded ulates how vendors sell animals at swap all those in attendance about TCAC’s law meets. HHSA decided to include the state suit, which names Lutz as one of the delaw into the ordinance, even though they fendants. The suit accuses TCAC of disdid not have time to get community input. crimination, wrongful termination and The law goes into effect January of 2016. sexual harassment. TCAC has also been A former manager at TCAC thought accused in the Visalia Times-Delta and the timing ironic for the new ordinance this paper of gross mismanagement of anbecause of the pending litigation against imals in its care during the last two years.

To read the new ordinance go to TCAC. He also felt the changes would www.tchhsa.org/TCACOrdinances. not be sufficient to alter TCAC’s repu-

Visalia Solicits New Hotel Visalia city council voted unanimously to send out a Request for Proposal (RRP) to hotel developers in order to promote properties close to the convention center. This action was prompted by three unsolicited expressions of interests from developers to build a down town hotel in the last six months.

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cil scheduled a closed door negotiation with L.A. hotel developer, Remo Pizzichemi, the Vice President of Operations for the Welcome Group. The discussion involved building a new hotel near the Visalia Convention Center but no commitments were made.

Three properties will be on the RFP, but the one that stands out is 315 E Acequia

that could easily connect to the convention center. The building is currently City Hall East and houses 70 employees. The developer would have to pay full market value for the property and the moving costs for the employees. Visalia’s usually runs a two thirds occupancy rate that can get as high as 90%, leaving few affordable rooms close to the convention center. The 195 room

Marriot that connects to the property and the 72 room Comfort suites are the most heavily used hotels for downtown and the convention center. Devin Jones of the Economic Development Department said that Visalia, as a whole, falls short of needed hotel rooms by a few hundred.

6 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015

Agriculture Dairy Farmers to See Temporary Milk Price Change Ching Lee, CFBF

Starting next month, California dairy farmers will earn more money for milk used to make cheese, as a result of a temporary change in the state milk pricing formula that calculates the value of dry whey.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture ordered the change, which will be in effect for one year, after a hearing in June that focused on how the cheese-making byproduct, or Class 4b milk, should be priced.

Dairy farmers have long contended that the state whey price should be higher and comparable to the value paid under the federal milk marketing order. Changes to the formula will now bring the state 4b price closer to the federal order price. Some dairy leaders say the hearing decision is also recognition by the department that the two prices are not in alignment.

“We are pleased with the decision,” said Frank Mendonsa, a Tulare County dairy farmer and president of Western United Dairymen, adding that “while we had hoped for more,” the price increase is “going to give the California dairyman a little bit of help.”

Specifically, CDFA tweaked the dry-whey scale used to determine the whey-factor value in 4b pricing, first by changing the current sliding scale for the whey value from five-cent steps to three-cent steps. However,

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross departed from a hearing panel’s recommendation on the whey-factor values and the cap of the whey scale. She chose to cap it at $2 per hundredweight rather than the $1.55 per cwt. recommended by the panel. The current whey ceiling is at 75 cents per cwt.

Ross said the increases she ordered are “necessary to assist producers in dealing with increased costs of production and the effect of the ongoing drought.”

Had the new formula been in place during the last five years, it would have raised the monthly average 4b price by $1.01 per cwt. and the pool price by 46 cents per cwt.

The formula producer groups proposed would have generated an additional $1.46 per cwt. to the 4b price and 67 cents per cwt. to the pool price.

The short-term impact of the change, said Annie AcMoody, director of economic analysis for Western United Dairymen, is that there’s potential for producers to earn an extra 62.25 cents per cwt. in the 4b price starting next month, if the market price for dry whey remains at last week’s 39 cents a pound. The new dry-whey scale would generate $1.06 per cwt. to the 4b formula whereas, under the old scale, the formula generated 43.75 cents per cwt. The smaller, threecent steps in the scale also allow prices to move more quickly, she added.

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which represents processors, proposed a pricing formula—to be in place for six months—that would have raised the monthly average 4b price by 41 cents per cwt. and the pool price by 19 cents per cwt. during the last five years. Instead of basing the whey value on the Photo courtesy CFBF. monthly average price of dry whey as it is now, processors proposed using the weekly “Central and West 34 percent Whey Protein Concentrate-Mostly” prices published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Dairy Institute says California cheese plants are increasingly selling liquid whey, not dry whey, and that the whey protein concentrate price is more appropriate as a benchmark.

But CDFA said while this concept “appears to have merit,” such a change “requires further vetting in order to appropriately implement it in the future, if found suitable.”

In response to the hearing decision, Dairy Institute Executive Director Rachel Kaldor said the organization remains “extremely concerned that unless prices stay in the lower end of this new dry whey scale while it is in effect, a significant number of small California cheese plants will go out of business.”

She added that using the current dry-whey scale “can overvalue the price of milk California processors have to pay, hurting their ability to compete, which ultimately hurts everyone.”

In her letter to dairy stakeholders, Ross said even though she ordered the adjustments in order to provide more revenue to producers “to ensure a stable milk supply,” she restated her concern that “there are long-term structural challenges within the dairy industry that the department cannot address through changes in the class pricing formula.”

The letter said she plans to contact those in the dairy business later this year “to collaboratively work

towards implementing appropriate reforms to our pricing system.”

Meanwhile, producers and processors continue to await word from USDA on whether it will hold a hearing to consider establishing a federal milk marketing order for California.

Mendonsa said he expects USDA will call the hearing in September.

But with the hearing process anticipated to last two years and the temporary changes to the state price good for one year, he said producers must continue to work with CDFA on fixing the state milk pricing system.

Lynne McBride, executive director of the California Dairy Campaign, said producer representation in any milk-pricing discussions is important, but she said those meetings, such as with Ross’ dairy future task force, never yielded solutions to adequately address the 4b pricing disparity.

“We’ve been down that road before,” she said, “and at the end of the day, there just was no way to forge a consensus on what would be a more-fair price for 4b.”

She said her group still believes “the only way to restore equity in the long term is by joining the federal order system.”

Rob Vandenheuvel, general manager of the Milk Producers Council, said his group would also continue to press for a California federal milk marketing order.

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

This story courtesy the California Farm Bureau Federation.

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6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 7

Agriculture Citrus Growers Try to Survive Water Cutbacks Christine Souza, CFBF Faced with the fourth consecutive year of drought and a second year of no water from the Friant Division of the Central Valley Project, Tulare County farmer Zack Stuller said he and his fellow citrus growers are in “survival mode.”

“We’re not giving up,” said Stuller, who works for Sun Pacific, a grower, packer and shipper of citrus, table grapes, fresh tomatoes and kiwifruit, and who grows citrus, walnuts and field crops at his home ranch. But, he added, “For a way of life for what we do, you talk to any farmer in this valley or any farmer anywhere, you are taking away his livelihood. It’s very scary.”

The ongoing drought and water shortages are scarring the California citrus belt on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley, where blocks of citrus trees are abandoned or have been removed, and for-sale signs and well-drilling rigs are common. Farmers in citrus-growing regions that have no surface water and very little groundwater are scrambling to locate enough water just to keep trees alive.

Standing near a gurgling irrigation pump that in other years has used stateof-the-art technology to irrigate an 80acre citrus grove, Stuller said, “This is a well that is about to give out; this is the last well (of four) that we have on this ranch.”

Many east side citrus growers depend on water from the Friant-Kern

Canal, a federal irrigation project with its primary source of water from the San Joaquin River, delivering water from Chowchilla to south of Bakersfield.

For a second consecutive season, the 20-plus irrigation districts that receive water from this project face a zero allocation of water.

In areas where farmers don’t have access to groundwater, groves of trees, such as navel and Valencia oranges, are being removed so that water can be diverted to more valuable citrus varieties, such as mandarins and lemons.

Tulare County citrus grower Roger Everett, who received a zero water allocation from the Terra Bella Irrigation District, said that of his 75 acres of citrus, he has enough water to irrigate only 15 acres.

“We thought our district had secured water for another 20 acres, but that water seems to be tied up in the Shasta decision for the temperature releases for fish,” Everett said. “We have another 20 acres of citrus that we decided it just wasn’t worth the money to justify putting water on them. The 15 citrus acres that we are still irrigating are lemons, which are more valuable.”

Everett, who is also a beekeeper, said with irrigation canals and ditches dry, this is the first year that he has had to place water near his bees.

“I know a lot of people are discussing the El Niño cycle that we are in, but I’m not going to get overly excited until I see it. Something

has definitely got to change,” Everett said. “A friend of mine has 160 acres that he is not even farming because he doesn’t have enough well water.”

A few miles away, Stuller stopped to check on progress at a ranch where an older block of Valencia trees was being removed.

“We can’t justify the cost of the water needed to grow this crop because of the value, so we need to take that expensive ($2,000 an acre-foot) water and grow more valuable crops such as mandarins,” Stuller said. “Growers are taking the citrus that only produces $100 a bin and pushing it out or letting it dry up, to move water to farm mandarins that produce $400 a bin.”

Joel Nelsen, president of California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, said he estimates that between 20,000 and 25,000 acres of citrus trees will be removed this year, due to lack of water. That amount of acreage would generate roughly 650 jobs, he said.

“The September crop estimate is going to show a reduction because of the bulldozed acreage,” Nelsen said. “It’s just going to be a smaller industry as we transition through this.”

He said he expects “some consolidation” among both farmers and packinghouses, which will reduce jobs.

California is the nation’s leading supplier of fresh-market oranges and grows roughly 80 percent of the mandarins, tangerines and lemons grown in the United States.

Tulare County Farm Bureau Executive Director Tricia Stever Blattler said what the county’s citrus growers are dealing with is “intense.”

“There is very tangible, palpable aggravation and angst, and people are mad and frustrated and scared that they are not going to have the family farm to pass on to the next generation,” she said.

“They don’t even know if they are going to make it through another summer.”

Blattler added that environmental restrictions have worsened the water shortages farmers are experiencing.

“It’s not just supply, it’s mismanagement of the available supply,” she said.

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

This story courtesy the California Farm Bureau Federation.

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6 August, 2015

Tulare County Supervisors Debate E-Cigarette Classification Catherine Doe Depending upon with whom you talk, e-cigarettes are very safe or very dangerous. That debate broke out at the Tulare County Board of Supervisors July 21 meeting with the discussion of an ordinance change on smoking.

An e-cigarette is a device run on batteries that lights up at the end to look like a real cigarette. Some may contain liquid nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals.

The cigarettes come in many flavors to attract smokers and non smokers.

The Tulare County Health Advisory Board made a presentation to the supervisors in order to amend two current county smoking ordinances. The first amendment would include e-cigarettes where ever traditional cigarettes are banned. The first reading of that amendment passed 3-2, with Supervisor Allen Ishida and Supervisor Mike Ennis against.

The second amendment would ban smoking, including e-cigarettes, from all public work areas and county parks. This change elicited the most vociferous objection from Ishida, who is a long-time smoker.

“This is a nanny move” he said. “It denies me my freedoms.”

Supervisor Pete Vander Poel, who was responsible for the formation of the Health Advisory Committee, said that the new ordinance is to protect the general public. He said, that he and his family have been forced to leave public places where they had to breathe in second-hand smoke. He also said, second hand smoke makes his “clothes smell like crap.”

Ishida, leaned forward in his chair and countered, “Then don’t sit in a smoking area.”

During the public hearing both those in favor and against e-cigarettes spoke. Those in favor claim that there is no science in treating e-cigarettes like a normal cigarette. They say that e-cigarettes are not detrimental to the health of smokers or those in close proximity who might breathe in the second-hand smoke.

Also called vaping, some e-cigarettes don’t contain nicotine, the dangerous and addictive substance found in traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes have also been attributed to aiding heavy smokers quit traditional cigarettes. Derek Bailey,

manager at Visalia Vapes, said he used to be a two-pack a day smoker until he started vaping. Because of e-cigarettes, he has now quit traditional cigarettes and feels 100 times healthier, he said.

Karen Haught, a public health officer who sits on the Tulare County Health Advisory Board, claimed that e-cigarettes are just a way to circumvent the county and state smoking ordinances. She and two other members of the health board pointed out that even when e-cigarettes say they have no nicotine, they actually do. She said that e-cigarettes have 10 harmful chemicals, besides nicotine, considered to cause cancer or birth defects, and that the “smoke” or the aerosol coming out of the end of an e-cigarette contains benzene and formaldehyde, among other things.

Haught accused the industry of portraying e-cigarettes as healthy and attracting teens and even younger smokers. E-cigarette advertisements and websites do portray the device as a harmless pastime that could even promote health.

On the website vapor4life the background photo is a spread of fruit on a beautiful, knotty wood table.

Some of the many flavors include

banana split, orange crush, bubble gum and tutti frutti. The yummy gummy flavor is advertised with a picture of colorful gummy bears not aimed towards adult consumers.

While the first amendment passed, the second amendment did not. Both Ennis and Ishida felt the amended ordinance to ban smoking at all county parks went too far and would make people criminals for smoking. Neil Pilegard, head of the Tulare County Parks and Recreation Department, said that all studies point to the mental and physical benefits of being outdoors and exercising. He felt that the amended ordinance would ban smokers from county parks and keep parents who smoke from bringing their children to playgrounds.

Ennis and Ishida were in favor of the designated smoking areas already established in the county’s smoking ordinance and felt those areas protected smokers and non smokers’ rights. Supervisor Cox motioned that the amendment be revised and brought back at a later time.

His motion passed 4-1 with Vander Poel voting against.

Tulare County Supervisors Vote to Support JPA for Temperance Dam Catherine Doe The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to form a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to ensure the Valley gets the funds to build Temperance Flat Dam. In November of last year, a $7.5 billion water bond was approved to repair the state’s aging water infrastructure. Of that money, $2.7 billion was allocated toward building or improving additional water storage, such as dams. According to the Association of California Water Agencies, “before bond dollars from Proposition 1 can be disbursed for actual projects, each state agency tasked with administering a competitive grant or loan process must develop and finalize guidelines for soliciting and evaluating project proposals.”

The JPA will bring together Fresno,

Madera, Kings, Kern and Tulare Counties to request Prop1 funds. The funds will be used to finish the feasibility study and to build Temperance Dam. The JPA may grow in membership, as the goal is to create a nucleus of organizations in support of constructing of the dam. Other entities could include in the future, Fresno and Madera irrigation districts, Chowchilla Water District, Table Mountain Rancheria, and the cities of Mendota and Orange Cove.

Grant applications will be submitted to the California Water Commission (CWC) which is in charge of deciding which projects get funded, and how much money they receive. The CWC will award Prop 1 money in early 2017. It is estimated that Temperance Dam will cost $2.6 billion to complete. Sites Reservoir, near

Maxwell in Northern California, also is in the running for the same pot of money. Its projected cost is $3.9 billion. Officials expect to use federal funds to supplement the state bond money to complete the dams.

Temperance will be a smaller dam located above Friant Dam, or Millerton Lake, to capture additional runoff from the Sierra Mountains into the San Joaquin River. Kings County has already voted to back the concept, and Fresno County is in support as long as they are not the lead agency. Kern and Madera Counties will be voting on the JPA this month.

When Proposition 1 passed, it was assumed that the Friant Water Authority (FWA) would be the entity to ask for Temperance Flat Dam funding from the CWC. The FWA used to represent 15,000 growers who bought San Joaquin River Water

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from Millerton Lake. But earlier this year the Authority imploded over differences of opinion stemming from the drought. The FWA lost its longtime General Manager, Ron Jacobsma, as well as 10 of its 21 original member districts, rendering the organization ineffectual.

Tulare County Supervisor Allen Ishida said that the Central Valley can have a political impact on getting Temperance Flat Dam built, pointing out that five counties standing together have a lot more power to be recognized by the state and water commission.

“But if we don’t have an entity we can’t get the funds,” he said. It was noted that Northern California was way ahead of the Central Valley in forming a JPA and that the Commission has taken note of that.

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6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 9

Porterville College to Offset Up to 80 Percent of Electricity Use with Solar Energy System

At the August 3 City Council Work Session the city council members voted 5-0 to fund the $22 million Visalia Emergency Communications Center (VECC) building. The money will be coming from the sale of city municipal bonds.

The VECC will contain fire and police administration, an emergency communications room, Traffic Management Center and IT storage. The property is 4.2 acres off of Ben Maddox and Murray and will also have a 180 foot communications tower and a 15 foot tall generator on site.

Solicitation of bids will go out in September and the city council will be voting on the bids mid November.

Staff Reports Porterville College—one of the three colleges making up the Kern Community College District (KCCD) serving Kern, Tulare, Inyo and San Bernadino counties has announced it is partnering with Borrego Solar Systems Inc. to install 1.12 megawatt (MW) of solar energy capacity on elevated shade structures over its parking lots. The $4 million installation is expected to deliver an estimated $6.5 million in energy savings over the life of the system.

The solar installation’s generation will meet 70 to 80 percent of the campus’ electricity demand. The sites will be net-metered, meaning that any solar energy not consumed by the campus will be fed into the local electricity grid.

“We are extremely excited to be able to install solar panels to assist the college and the community with energy savings and to continue to plan for the future,” said PC President Dr. Rosa Flores-Carlson.

“KCCD has been working on bringing renewable energy to all three of its campuses: Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso and now, Porterville College. We have been waiting for a long time to be able to participate in energy savings for our current and future needs,” Flores-Carlson continued. “Living in the Central Valley, we have the on-going natural sunlight that many other communities do not have and it is imperative that we utilize it.”

The system will generate an estimated 1.9 megawatt-hours of electricity in its first year of operation — enough electricity to power approximately 250 homes annually. The installation is expected to offset 1,312 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of taking 276 cars off the road or the amount of carbon sequestered by 1,076 acres of US forests.

Adopting solar energy also furthers Kern Community College District’s objective of reducing the price uncertainty of ongoing costs. Investing in solar energy mitigates the financial risk of rising energy costs.

“From the beginning, Kern Community College District had a clear idea of the goals it wanted to achieve through solar thanks to proper due diligence, working with a qualified consultant, and up front coordination with the local utility,” said Fnan Araia, Borrego Solar project developer for the Porterville College project. “As a result, Kern CCD leadership understood its energy-use profile and the return on investment solar could realistically deliver. Any institution thinking of taking advantage of solar should start the conversation early, just as Porterville College did, to get the project off the ground quickly and make sure it is choosing the right partners for the job.”

Borrego Solar is currently building solar installations for schools and colleges throughout California, including College of the Sequoias, Newport Mesa Unified School District and Glendale Unified School District.

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Continued from p. 1 its course in Visalia,” Cifuentez said.

Apparently not.

“I am ecstatically surprised,” he said.

Within its first three months of service, SeaPort flights have carried more passengers in and out of Visalia than were carried the entire previous year, Cifuentez said.

To be fair, not all flyers are from Tulare County or nearby communities. There are flyers using SeaPort’s service from Sacramento connecting all the way down to San Diego and back. But, it still reflects in good numbers for Visalia.

Airlines receive subsidies from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program to serve smaller markets like Visalia, throughout the country.

Subsidies must now fall under a $200 per passenger average, to keep operations going.

One of the largest problems to date, for the local airline service, is staying on time.

“We wish to improve our ontime performance,” said Tim Sieber, executive vice president of SeaPort.

“There is room for improvement.”

Most of these problems seem to stem from a back-up of servicing aircrafts. Until now, SeaPort has used an outside source for aircraft maintenance. But the airline is now staffing its own maintenance department and has leased a hangar at the Burbank airport.

This leaves the airline in control of maintenance and timing, which should improve its performance, Sieber said.

At this time, SeaPort is not looking to increase its number of flights or the size of its aircraft. The airline currently flies nine-seat, single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan turboprop airplanes.

“Even if we could add frequency, we are still dealing with a pilot shortage,” Sieber said.

SeaPort is not alone in dealing with too few pilots available. Two years ago, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented tighter regulations regarding pilot qualifications for passenger flights. This dramatically increased the amount of flight hours a co-pilot must have before being al-

lowed to fly commercial passenger flights, and also the number of hours a pilot must have served as a co-pilot.

The new regulations stem, in part, from the crash of Colgan Air 3407 near Buffalo, New York in February 2009, in which 50 people died.

With the new regulations, many airlines have felt the pinch in hiring qualified pilots, especially smaller airlines with commuter flights.

“We’re just not sure when pilot staffing is going to stabilize,” Sieber said.

SeaPort is looking into flying larger planes in the future, but the requirements for pilots flying more than nine-seater planes requires more training and higher salaries, he said.

All-in-all, SeaPort is delighted with its first six months serving Visalia, Sieber said. The company currently has a two-year contract with the City of Visalia, which, so far, appears to be a successful marriage.

“Ideally, we would like to see more flights, for us (Visalia),” Cifuentez said. “But, as a city, we’re just happy.”

As for ticketing, Cifuentez recommends booking early.

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10 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015

I Was Not Always a Muslim Andra Riddle Goddard Special to the Valley Voice

This is the second in the series of articles I commissioned my old friend to write on her special perspective of Islam. — Ed. I was not always a Muslim.

I never in my wildest imagination thought that I would end up converting to Islam. I was perfectly happy in my Christian beliefs and traditions, feeling that I was on the right path to eternal life. Certainly turning my existence, albeit my internal one, topsy-turvy, was the last thing on my mind !

After some time living here I met and was welcomed into a family from Algeria, helping out in their pâtisserie and spending hundreds of hours talking about everything under the sun.

And in the heart of this family I was disabused of so many more of my notions on Islam, and learning so many things I never imagined possible.

And as the seed grew inside my heart, sprouting quietly and taking root, I started asking questions, and changing certain things in my life, preparing for a new life without even knowing about it.

Some months prior, going through the early stages of my divorce, I had stopped drinking.

Not that we were heavy drinkers, far from it. But something, that still small voice, told me this was no longer a good idea to be enjoying a glass with my meals, as I was now so often alone. And as that habit stopped, without knowing it, I had taken a first step on a path I did not even know I was on.

Now, I do not pretend to be a theologian, but I am an intelligent, educated woman, and I am also of the suspicious sort....not in a paranoid sense, but I have never been one to believe or do just because ‘they say so’ or ‘we have always done it this way’.

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training ? My personality ? Whatever the cause, it has served me well. All the ‘stereotypes’ I believed of Islam, I actively questioned.

I do not know that I was aware I was going to convert, but I knew that I could not follow a faith that MANDATES certain things I could never adhere to. Namely, The Headscarf. And polygamy (or more correctly, polygyny, as it refers only to men with multiple spouses.)

I had never believed that true Islam espoused violence, despite suicide bombers and planes flying into buildings. There are enough people of all beliefs and ideologies who do horrible things, that I know it is not possible that an entire religion would teach that this is the way to behave.

Not to mention that how many centuries have passed (14, if we are counting) without this sort of thing happening? And my own Christian heritage is not without plenty of bloodshed from misguided practitioners.

But finding the proof in the Quran and learning what truly is taught and expected was both illuminating, and positive! And given my background, also reassuring. Because with one (ok fairly important) exception, there is really nothing that does not go right along with Christianity. That one thing being the divinity of Jesus. But that is for later.

I do not intend to be a vocabulary list, or mini-encyclopedia, but over time I hope to share what these beliefs truly are, as someone who came to it with suspicions (as it were) of her own.

So here are two things that I found reassuring from the start. Some things everyone agrees on, others are things open for hot dispute within the Muslim community around the world and over time.

The ‘obligation’ for women to dress a certain way. No. Nothing enjoins us to wear any of the head-to-toe cover-

ings, and even sometimes face veils and gloves, that we see images of, or perhaps encounter in our own communities.

Even covering the hair is not an obligation for daily life. Times of prayer have another set of rules. But none of this is a religious obligation. After the time of Muhammed, leaders passed new rules and regulations, gave their interpretations of the Quran (though they claim not to have, but of course it happens) and Muhammed’s words and acts.

And as Islam spread into the world, the customs of those countries often became integrated into ‘religious culture’ to the point they have become indistinguishable from original intent.

The Quran states that a woman should draw her cloak around her breasts, rather than leaving the chest exposed (remember this was the Arabian desert, in 600A.D., one did not dress as today nor necessarily have the same customs) and also to refrain from flashing the breasts at men to encourage them as they went off to war.

She should ‘cover her charms’ and save them for her spouse. In other words, dress modestly for the times, climate, local custom....it does not say cover the hair, it does not say to hide under a large loose dress or cloak.

Additionally it says that men AND women should ‘lower their gaze’.....do not stare at one another! I, as a woman, am not responsible for your ability to control your behavior.

Really, this is not so different from society putting the blame/responsibility on the woman if she is raped because of the way she dresses.

The second thing was this business of men being allowed to have (up to) four wives.

Now MAYBE I could get around wearing a headscarf if required to, but probably not....but no way was I about to condone a possible spouse living part under another woman’s roof, not

to mention her bed ! And while many people do not see it this way, the Quran is actually quite clear in preferring the ‘one man, one woman’ rule. This was a time and place wherein people were ‘married’ to as many sposes as they liked.

With no protection for a woman should she be left for the next one to catch her man’s eye. In the spirit of ‘baby steps’, as I see it, a maximum limit of four wives was ordained, for certain reasons (giving homes to orphans and widows...we need to remember, not our society nor culture, and go with it, right?!)

However, and this is what is so overlooked, it is stated in plain language, that in the case of taking wives 2-4, ALL must be treated EQUALLY. This does not just mean houses, furnishings, and rotating from house to house each night.

It means in how he feels about and treats these wives. And that should this not be possible to carry out, one wife really is sufficient.

And then it states that, equally clearly, no matter how good your intentions are to be thusly equitable, it will not be possible.

And so, one understands, One Man, One Wife. Personally I do not see how even the ‘letter of the law’ people can deny this, but that is where certain places have decided for themselves how to follow it.

For myself, it is clearly something very much what we ourselves practice in ‘western society’.

These may seem rather minor as things to consider, when wondering if a religion is a ‘good fit’, but, as I will go into another time, the ‘doctrine’ was the easy part.

The societal rules were a concern, because after all one wishes not to cherry-pick in one’s beliefs ! And so, the girl from California continued down the new path.

The lower level of the Valley Voice building is for lease.

For more information, call Shari Aguirre at Zeeb Commercial Real Estate at 559-625-2128.

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6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 11

Visalia City Council Votes on Groundwater Sustainability Agency Cal Water objects to not being included Catherine Doe The City of Visalia is in the beginning stages of forming a Ground Water Sustainability Agency (GSA) with the City of Tulare and Tulare Irrigation District (TID). The first stage includes forming a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to set the groundwork for the three entities to join together in a GSA. The Visalia City council voted 4-1 at their July 22 meeting to form the JPA. Tulare City Council voted unanimously the next day to approve the JPA, while TID will be voting in August.

According to Aaron Facuda, district engineer for TID, the irrigation districts intends to also approve of the JPA. The Department of Water Resources will create a water sustainability plan for those entities that are not part of a GSA by June of 2017. Mayor Steve Nelsen applauded the city and other two entities for taking the “bull by the horns” and forming a JPA. Not everyone at the Visalia City

Council meeting was pleased with the vote. Strong opposition was voiced by Greg Milleman of Cal Water because the utility assumed they would also be part of the JPA. The company’s ultimate goal is to be a full GSA voting partner with Visalia, TID and Tulare.

Councilman Warren Gubler said he thought Cal Water’s request should at least be debated and was the lone vote against forming the JPA. Milleman said that Cal Water was caught off-guard by the city council’s decision to take it up for a vote without more discussion. He said that forming a JPA without them would not be in the spirit of cooperation the two entities have enjoyed during the last year.

There were problems from the beginning with Cal Water’s request. A utility with private investors such as Cal Water cannot form its own GSA, and it is questionable whether a private company can even be a member. Councilmember Greg Collins noted that the law infers that Cal Water could only be an advisory member, to which he would

be open to considering down the line, but not now. But Cal Water was requesting that they be included in the JPA from the start and not be left out of the process. Milleman pointed out that Cal Water’s only job is dealing with ground water and that the Department of Water Resources would find it very odd that they were left out of the local GSA. Milleman said that Visalia has a lot of other responsibilities, while Cal Water’s sole responsibility is providing water for Visalia residents. Mayor Nelsen countered that Cal Water is a statewide company whose main responsibility is to its stockholders and the many other cities it services. Cal Water is based in San Jose, and has customers throughout the state, but has a local office in Visalia.

Councilmember Bob Link reminded the audience that, while Visalia currently has a good working relationship with Cal Water, there have been times when the relationship has been terrible. He preferred to have members that live and reside in the area so

that Visalia has a chance at controlling its own destiny concerning water.

California is the only state in the country that doesn’t regulate its groundwater, but that is about to change. In the Sustainable Ground Water Act passed last year, all cities, counties and water agencies must join a GSA. The GSA’s job is to regulate the groundwater at a regional level to reach sustainability. If a region or entity neglects to join a GSA before June of 2017, it risks the groundwater being taken over by the state. GSAs must have a science-based plan by 2020 demonstrating how they aim to attain sustainability. The plan has to be successfully implemented by 2040, meaning that the same amount of water being pumped out of the basin is being replaced.

The Central Valley has one of the most overdrafted underground water basins in the country. Not even several years of heavy rain would replenish the underground aquifer, according to NASA.

Urban Water Conservation: Another Alternative Richard L. Harriman Special to the Valley Voice Lester Snow’s recent editorial, “Drought Serves as Wake-up Call for Major Changes” (Sacramento Bee, July 11), invites renewed focus on “improved urban water conservation.”

California statutes mandate re-use of tertiary treated wastewater by urban communities within their jurisdictions.

Re-use of tertiary treated wastewater from de-centralized treatment facilities for purposes that do not require potable water is defined as “beneficial use” of water.

Civil engineering consultants in the Bay area and the San Joaquin Valley already have the knowledge and technology necessary to design and construct specially engineered tertiary wastewater treatment systems to serve new development or retro-fit infill development. The UC Merced Engineering Department has the intellectual ability and resources to assist in the application or improvement of such technology in Merced and the Valley. If implemented, this technology can reduce the demand for potable

urban water by almost 30% .

Similarly, financing for de-centralized tertiary wastewater systems is available. Community Facility District (CFD) financing for public police, fire safety services, and infrastructure for public utilities is commonly utilized throughout the state. Public finance consultants are familiar with this financing; and, following the repeal of redevelopment agency statutes, new financing options are being created by consultants, and new legislation will follow.

The financial and environmental benefits of specially engineered community wastewater treatment facilities are numerous. First, using small-scale wastewater treatment systems allows a local government to avoid excess treatment capacity and debt service for development of treatment facilities that are over-sized to anticipate future growth.

Second, the use of small-scale community wastewater treatment facilities avoids having to speculate about the rate of future growth and allows the local governments to respond more accurately to real growth, rather than speculate on growth during uncertain future economic conditions.

The failure to use small-scale wastewater facilities imposes an unnecessary burden on the existing local taxpayers and water users. Currently, they pay for excess unused capacity that does not benefit these rate payers---who do not need it, and will never use it. Using tertiary treated wastewater from small-scale de-centralized facilities avoids the cost of having to construct and operate additional unnecessary water conveyance facilities to return the tertiary treated waste water to the users for re-use on site.

Finally, the environmental benefits of small-scale wastewater treatment facilities includes re-use of urban tertiary treated wastewater closer to the original user, as required by statute, which will reduce the total amount of groundwater used. Second, the use of this technology allows local governments to “fine tune” the amount and rate of new growth which will occur in the local community. Third, these systems may be used for both new development and retro-fitting in-fill growth, without expanding or surcharging the existing centralized wastewater treatment facilities. Fourth, charging the residents of the new growth and/or infill development for the cost of

their own wastewater treatment facilities and operating expenses will make these residents more aware of their own water use, so they may reduce their use of potable water supplies as much as possible.

Fifth, the use of small-scale de-centralized wastewater treatment facilities will reduce demand per capita on groundwater supplies.

Therefore, the current paradigm of hugely expensive large-scale centralized wastewater treatment facilities must be re-examined in the light of currently available wastewater treatment technology and financing. Governor Brown’s administration should aggressively pursue “improved urban conservation” by permitting developers to elect state-ofthe-art small-scale de-centralized tertiary wastewater systems for new development. This alternative can be expedited and implemented quickly by executive action. This strategy will save money for local rate payers and will protect environmental resources, while implementing the mandatory “beneficial use” of recycled tertiary treated wastewater.

Mr. Harriman is an environmental and land use attorney who has practiced in the Central Valley for over 39 years.

Papich Asphalt Plant in Goshen Gets Green Light Catherine Doe At the July 21 Tulare County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Papich Asphalt Plant in Goshen received its final approval. A special use permit was approved to allow Papich to make and sell asphalt and rock products.

An appeal of the permit, submitted by Houston Wells, president of Glen Wells Construction Firm, was denied, and the Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted 5-0 in favor of Papich.

After a two-week fact finding period by the Resource Management Agency (RMA), spurred by the appeal, two existing asphalt companies still disagreed with approving Papich’s permit.

The two parties disagree over monitoring and the amount of product produced and sold by Papich. At issue is the tonnage allowed to be produced and sold,

the impact on the roads and air quality, and if Papich violated its previous permit.

According to Mike Washam of RMA, Papich Constructions will be allowed to sell 500,000 tons of asphalt, 200,000 tons of construction rubble and 5000 tons of dirt and sand per year.

Wells and Mitch Brown, owner of another asphalt company in Porterville, believe the tonnage will be much more and that the RMA will not be diligent about monitoring the plant.

Wells also mentioned that the county can give Papich Construction the green light, but that Papich still needs to get a permit from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, The air

district may lower the allowed tonnage to cut back on truck emissions. The problem is that Papich will become the only permanent asphalt company in Tulare County that is not located next to its rock source. Papich must truck rock in from O r o si and possibly Lemon C o v e and Selma, to m a k e their asphalt in Goshen.

Papich Construction Asphalt Batch Plant has been operating since 2013 on a temporary permit to provide materials for the Road 80 and Highway 99 widening project. Papich will now be able to bid on the construction of the

Betty Drive interchange that will be built by Caltrans. Caltrans is still in the process of preparing the Betty Drive interchange project to receive bids. The request for bids could come anytime between six months and two years.

Based on RMA’s findings, and the fact that there was little opposition to the plant, BOS agreed with the Planning Commission’s recommendation and voted in favor of the permit.

Wells concurs with Washam that only three people showed up in support of the appeal during the public hearing on July 7,,but still maintains that it is difficult for Goshen residents to take the time off work to attend a BOS meeting in the middle of the week.

“I’m tired of fighting,” said Wells. “If nobody stands up for their rights, the government will tell you what your rights are.”

12 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015

Briefly…

END OF NOMINATION PERIOD NEARS

The Elections Office is extending its hours until 5 pm on August 7 to accommodate the end of the nomination period.

However, if an incumbent does not file by 5 pm on August 7 deadline, the nomination period is extended. During the extension, any person other than an incumbent shall have until 5 pm, Wednesday, August 12 to file. (Election Code 10516) The election office is located in the Government Plaza, 5951 S. Mooney Blvd. in Visalia.

Office hours are 7:30am-5:30pm, Monday-Thursday and 8am-noon.

For more information, contact the Tulare County Registrar of Voters Office at (559) 624-7300 or visit our website at: www.tularecounty.ca.gov/registrarofvoters A Candidate’s Guide as well as a Consolidated Districts Election Calendar, which lists important deadlines, are available on the website.

MAJOR CASINO RENOVATIONS NEAR COMPLETION AT TACHI PALACE

In recent months, Tachi Palace has made renovating its facilities a primary goal and a commitment to its valued guests.

Some of the most significant upgrades have taken place in the High Limit and non-smoking rooms of the casino, where completely new and modern décor debuted on July 31. A new scented air system is also now in place with the refreshing scent of the tropics throughout the property.

These upgrades are part of Tachi’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality experience for its guests.

UPWARD BOUND SUMMER PROGRAM AT WHCC OFFERS COLLEGE EXPERIENCE TO STUDENTS

The summer is drawing to a close and, with it, the Upward Bound Residential Summer Program at West Hills College Coalinga.

Each summer, dozens of area high school students take rigorous, six credit college classes on the Coalinga campus through the program. Students also participate in leadership and skill building activities, career exploration, community-based service projects and receive intensive tutoring.

“Upward Bound students spend the summer having fun, making friends, and improving their academic skills before the next school year,” said Raquel Rodri-

guez, Director of Title IV Programs for West Hills College Coalinga. “Our students reached the end of the Residential Summer program prepared to enter the academic year, motivated and excited to learn.”

This year’s residential component ran from June 14 to July 26 and included 26 students staying on the Coalinga campus in the residential dorms for the full six weeks. They also visited UCLA in July.

The goal of the program is to prepare these students for a successful transition to college and encouraging them to graduate with a degree. Students from communities including Coalinga, Huron, Mendota, San Joaquin and Tranquillity can be a part of the program through WHCC. The students also receive support through the Upward Bound program throughout the school year, including weekly tutoring at their high school and field trips to universities.

This summer, nearly 30 program participants also took classes online for nine weeks or on campus, without staying in the dorms.

COS OFFERS FRONT LINE SUPERVISORY ACADEMY CLASS

Employer surveys being conducted by the Training & Education committee of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation (VEDC) validate nationwide reports indicating the availability of skilled labor as a critical factor in doing business. The feedback reveals not only the need for “technical skills,” such as those necessary for a maintenance mechanic position, but also “soft skills.” such as communication and leadership skills needed to effectively work in our culturally and generationally diverse workforce.

Starting in August, College of the Sequoias’ Training Resource Center is offering a Front Line Supervisory Academy designed for anyone in a supervisory role or aspiring to be in one. The class will focus on soft skills training in areas such as communication, teamwork, cultural diversity, conflict resolution, problem solving and managing change.

The class will be held on Wednesdays from August 19 – November 4 from 1-4 pm at the Jo-Ann Distribution Center in the Visalia Industrial Park. The class is $350 per person for 12 weeks of instruction. Some assistance may be available.

To find out more about the course or to register, please call or email Laurel Garver, COS Training Resource Center Specialist at 559-688-3135 or laurelg@ cos.edu. Also view the website at www. cos.edu/trainingcenter for more information.

WINDOW DRESSING CONTEST TO FOCUS ON “WE GOT IT … SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE”

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Downtown merchants in Tulare and Visalia are encouraged to decorate their shop windows in the Tulare County Fair theme of “We Got It … Something for Everyone.”

Applications are due by Aug. 19, and the competition runs from Aug. 21 through Sept. 3. Judging will take place Sept. 8. First and second place winners will be chosen from Tulare and Visalia.

First-place winners will receive free advertising; the second place winner will receive a family four pack that includes gate admission passes, a parking pass, four corndogs and four passes to either the Monster Truck show, Friday, Sept.

18, or the Demolition Derby, Saturday, Sept. 19.

In addition to the judges’ decision, shoppers can vote for their People’s Choice favorite online at www.visaliatimesdelta.com. There will be one overall winner between Tulare and Visalia entrants, who will receive free advertising in the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register.

Last year’s winners were Pacific Treasures and Essentials in Visalia; Colleen’s Services and Within I in Tulare.

“We hope merchants will have fun with the theme, draw attention to their business and help us promote our County fair,” said Pamela Fyock, CEO of the Tulare County Fair.

Throughout fair week, local entertainers will perform on community stages, and fairgoers can enjoy an acrobatics show, an exotic animal exhibit, puppet shows, a wild science exhibit and new rides in the Midway. For details and to order tickets online, visit www.tcfair.org.

NEXT EXIT HISTORY™ LAUNCHES SUMMER ROAD TRIP THROUGH AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS

Next Exit History™ (NEH) is a free GPS-based mobile app developed by University of West Florida (UWF) faculty researchers in partnership with Historical Research Associates, of Missoula, that provides information on more than 60,000 historical sites around the world. The app unites all generations, spanning iconic historical locations from the birthplace of hip hop to the Alamo.

Next Exit History is putting their app to the test as they have collaborated with a UWF summer class that is road tripping cross country visiting America’s greatest treasures, her national parks.

The exploration is in preparation for the 2016 Centennial of the National Park Service. The class will have the privilege to work with rangers, interpreters, wildlife experts, and environmental managers across the parks in creating interpretive content for the gaming feature of the app—History Hunters. “We have been visiting some the best national parks in the country over this past month. Fittingly, we are concluding our Golden State tour with a visit to Sequoia

National Park. As this trip is in preparation of the centennial celebration for the National Park Service, Sequoia National Park also has its very own celebration.

This park was the 2nd national park ever created! It was established by President Benjamin Harrison, 125 years ago, to help protect the Sequoia,” said UWF graduate student, Kevin Kelly.

“Sequoia National Park holds so much beauty, it is only matched by her history. This park was formed as a conservation effort even before the National Park Service existed. We understand the importance of conservation and one of our main goals when we developed the Next Exit History app was to create something easy and accessible for the public to use that will shine new light on natural wonders like Sequoia National Park. We hope to build partnerships with other champions of preservation, like the Cultural Tourism Alliance, which help ensure that our nation’s heritage is cared for well into the future.” said Dr. Patrick Moore, lead UWF professor on the tour.

PIONEER DAYS RIB COOKOFF & PAGEANT

Calling all backyard BBQ enthusiasts! Try your hand at grilling the perfect barbecue ribs for a chance to win cash prizes or the People’s Choice trophy.

The fourth annual Pioneer Days and Rib Cook-off is set for October 10 and will give grilling fanatics of all levels the venue to showcase their skills. Cost to enter the cook-off is only $100 and includes the ribs.

Young ladies are also invited to enter the Pioneer Days Pageant. There are divisions for all ages this year including ‘Little Miss’ for ages 0- 5, ‘Princess’ for ages 6-12 and ‘Queen’ for ages 13- 18.

All contestants will be asked to dress in western attire and expected to sell raffle tickets. Winners from each division will be invited to make special appearances throughout the City during their year long term. There is no fee to enter the pageant.

Pioneer Days is an event the whole family will enjoy. Downtown Porterville will be transformed into a vision from the Old West, complete with a live shoot out, interactive cowboy encampment, Buffalo Soldiers, gold panning, mechanical bull, saloon, historical displays and re-enactments. Plus, there will be live music provided by South 65, food and craft vendors, kid’s activities and more!

The fun takes place from 11 AM- 3 PM and there is no cost for the community to attend. The event is hosted

by Porterville Parks and Leisure and the Jackass Mail Run Association. It is a fundraiser with 100% of the proceeds from the competitions going to preserve and protect Porterville’s Zalud House Museum. For more details about the event and contest rules, check out the City of Porterville website, call (559) 791-7695 or visit the Heritage Center at 256 E. Orange Avenue.

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6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 13

Viewpoint

Where’s My Parental Rights? Referendum to Stop SB277 is Out Michelle Moore Now that the Governor has signed SB277 into law that mandates all children are vaccinated or they will not be allowed into public or private schools, the backlash has started.

Yes Senator Pan is a pediatrician in his other life, but that should mean he has the knowledge of those children who have had adverse reactions to vaccines. The issue is the reporting of such cases. Most are overlooked by parents as just a regular thing to expect like a fever.

We always gave our children a dose of Tylenol when we got home with them.

Swelling and redness at the shot sight is considered normal.

The more serious issues are nausea, being lethargic, fainting or even seizures, although these items don’t seem to get linked to being vaccinated, and are causes that happen that mostly unreported or not classified into the vaccine injury file. Doctors seem to want to classify that as a fluke, a one in a million nonissue unrelated to the vaccine they may have had in the last 24-72 hours.

Being under the order of mandatory vaccination, whether you child has experienced any side effect, has now been thrown out the window. Severe allergies to ingredients, previous adverse reactions including seizures and genetic predisposition to adverse reactions do not qualify for a medical exemption any longer. Your child will be vaccinated or they will not be allowed to attend school.

Under the California Constitution your child is guaranteed an education.

Every child has a right to a public education. Denying education to a select few is segregation and discrimination.

Vaccines are required for admittance to school as we all know and everyone ex-

cept a select few, do follow along. The percentage of children who experience side effects is only 2.5%. So you would think that small percentage of children for their health would be allowed an exemption.

Did you know EVERY SINGLE Pharmaceutical Company in the U.S. has pled guilty to fraud? In the past 5 years, drug makers have paid the U.S. Government $19.2 billion in criminal and civil FRAUD penalties.

SB 277 will force children to receive 35 doses of 10 federally recommended vaccines to attend daycare or school. Six of the mandated vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease and will not improve the safety of public spaces. The U.S. child’s vaccine schedule has DOUBLED since 2000. By 2016 the CDC requirements for 5 year olds will rise from 35 to 53 doses.

Vaccines are ruled “Unavoidably Unsafe” by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vaccines cause injury and death. Manufacturers are not liable for any harm caused by their products.

3.1 BILLION dollars have been compensated with tax-dollars for vaccine injury or death. In the last 15 months, there have been 42,000 new VAERS (vaccine adverse event reports) entries, 10,000 were serious, requiring emergency medical treatment or hospitalization, and there were 179 more deaths.

Some parents find vaccines created via aborted human fetuses morally unacceptable.

With the latest release of videos by a watchdog group conducting an undercover sting on Planned Parenthood, we now hear the admission of Cecil Richards, an American activist and president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America since 2006, admit that fetal

tissue is used to help find cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and is an ingredient in the new Ebola vaccine.

This was stated Sunday July 26 on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. You remember the Ebola outbreak that President Obama allowed onto US soil to save people.

Senator Richard Pan stated there were no fetal cells in the vaccines in the hearings at the Capitol.

So what exactly is going on here?

Then there’s the issue of recall of Senator Richard Pan, who as an Assemblyman wrote the bill AB2109 which was a vaccine bill to raise the rate of the unvaccinated children which it did, and that Governor Brown wrote in an exemption himself on it. It was a religious exemption. Did that cause a rift between now Senator Pan and the Governor?

It was also strange that when SB277 hit the governor’s desk that he signed it in less than 24 hours. He had already begun to receive phone calls, faxes and emails against signing the bill since his own father was the one to first place an exemption clause for vaccines into effect back in 1961.

It also hits the ‘anti-vaccine’ crowd that over $500,000 was paid out to legislators on the Education and Health committees, over $94,000 just to Senator Pan. Also for the first time in history Senator Pan turned to his lobbyists at the hearing, where over 1,000 men and women attended to voice their opinion against, to ask for advice after he was admonished by the chair of the committee.

So if SB277 was written to override AB2109 just to make his mark in the Senate, I think he barked up the wrong tree.

There are other legislators on the

list for recall for their votes to take away your parental rights under the guise of mandatory vaccinations.

And they aren’t stopping with just this bill. There is also SB792 directed towards daycare center adults and AB1117 which would create and implement the California Childhood Immunization Quality Improvement Fund (CCIQIF), which, in a response to a lack of official requirements, seeks to increase vaccination rates of Medi-Cal recipient children under two years of age. The fund would create financial incentives for vaccination in the form of expenditures allocated to health care service providers and plans who encourage their patients to vaccinate.

Because it targets low-income recipients of Medi-Cal, the bill is discriminatory.

It would also serve to further burden Medi-Cal funding, an already contentious program politically and economically.

Where is our civil rights to medical freedom?

What gives the legislative power of our rights to our bodies over to the state? All the legislators who accepted money from the drug companies will have to answer to the people for their actions.

So when school starts this law is NOT in effect. It’s supposed to take effect 7/1/2016. If you have an exemption on file it will be honored.

When the signatures are collected and turned in, the law actually stops.

The signature verification process will commence and the people voices will be heard. Watch for this on the November 2016 ballot.

It causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps and can result in death unless a person is promptly treated with antibiotics.

Your kids or grandchildren could be exposed by visiting a friend’s birthday party or a neighbor’s yard. Chickens and goats also carry E. coli germs, plus mites and lice and enough dander to cause asthma attacks. Goats, according to a local farmer, are fly magnets and sound as loud as a car alarm but they don’t have an off switch.

The Valley Voice issue of July 2nd carried an article about the Avian Flu Virus infecting a huge poultry farm nearby in Kings County. Better known as the Bird Flu, American farmers have slaughtered and burned or buried over 45 million chickens so far this year to prevent the spread of the disease. Do you really want that risk in your neighborhood? A mutation of the Bird Flu has only infected a few hundred people worldwide but it killed 60% of them.

Before you sign the petition, take the family out for a picnic next to one

of the nearby dairy farms. As you inhale the odor and fight the flies for your food, consider that you could have that same challenge on your patio if your neighbor is keeping goats and chickens in their backyard. Spilled chicken feed draws rats and mice that will ignore the fence between your yards.

For over a quarter century my family has paid local property taxes and like many other long term Visalia residents we have lived in a quiet area where folks observe the municipal codes that help guarantee peaceful neighborhoods. But, by demanding changes to those rules so as to allow agricultural animals, the Urban Farmers group will undoubtedly create hostile relationships between some neighbors. That would essentially break the promise of the serene city that drew us to Visalia - truly the gem of the Central Valley.

Allowing these animals could reduce the desirability and value of all of our homes. When you sell your house you must complete a standard legal document to disclose, among other

things, “Neighborhood noise problems or other nuisances.” You must disclose if your neighbors have backyard goats and chickens. If you don’t disclose the nuisance, and the new owner then discovers the noise and odor and pest infestations, your legal troubles could be long and terribly costly.

The Urban Farmers group has already had their proposal rejected by the City Council and is now holding us hostage to give in to their demands or they will force an expensive election paid for with our taxes. There are already areas in Visalia where some animals are permitted due to grandfathered exemptions. It seems only fair that we ask members of this group why didn’t they choose to live in those areas - or in the country - rather than try to force their agenda on the rest of us? By refusing their petition, we preserve our property values and neighborhood harmony as well as prevent exposure to some terrible diseases, noxious odors and pest infestations and the noise from bleating goats.

I’m “No Goat” Jerrold Jensen Disease. Pests. Broken Promises.

Property Values. Hostage Taking. Those are 5 issues every homeowner should consider as a group called “Urban Farmers for Food Freedom” seeks changes in city regulations to allow people to keep 10 agricultural animals running free in their back yards.

They are preparing to circulate a petition to force an election that could cost Visalia taxpayers up to $120,000.

If successful, it would permit 6 chickens and 4 miniature goats - perhaps pigs and sheep will be next on their agenda.

What are the disease risks? On July 1st, 2015, the CDC - the U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control - issued an advisory to “Backyard Flock Owners” due to widespread outbreaks of human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry kept in backyards. The entire advisory is available online but specifically notes that children under 5, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness from Salmonella.

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14 • Valley Voice

6 August, 2015

Viewpoint

What’s In A Name?

Ruben Macareno Tulare Union High School has used the Redskin name for over 100 years and now if legislation is passed in Sacramento the school will need to find a new name for its mascot or a new mascot all together. The California Racial Mascots Act (AB 30) would force a ban of the name. All points indicate that Governor Jerry Brown will sign the bill into law.

It’s a tough order for a school that is the first high school established in Tulare County and is the second oldest of all high schools in the San Joaquin Valley.

Only Fresno High, founded in 1889, is a year older. So naturally the deeply-rooted school and families are resisting the change.

Under the Redskin name the school has built a rich tradition and impressive list of alumni that include Olympic Gold medalists Bob Mathias and Sim Innes, decorated war hero Navy Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, numerous professional athletes and so many others. In fact the school is among the top in the nation producing professional football players.

Its academic, vocational and extracur-

ricular programs such as the marching band continue to be an impressive sight.

On the national stage, the NFL’s Washington Redskins are also fighting to keep its name. The organization has been stripped of six trademark registrations because a federal judge ruled that the term “Redskins” is disparaging to Native Americans.

Despite the celebration and honor fans and supporters have traditionally bestowed upon the Redskin mascot in Washington and at Union, the truth is we don’t live in a dome and the term does take a different turn beyond the football stadium or Tulare city limits. In the larger scheme of things it is insulting to a particular group of people and the reason why schools are dropping the name. Another school, this time in Northern Indiana, recently dropped the name and the trend continues.

Most would agree that any term identifying a person or group of people by their skin color is insensitive and disrespectful. More specific to the term Redskin, a study of 400 people by the Center for Indigenous Peoples Studies at California State University, San Bernardino, found that 67% of Native Americans felt the term is offensive and racist while 68%

of non-natives felt it was not offensive.

The author of AB 30 State Legislator Luis Alejo from Watsonville says, “the R-word was once used to describe Native American scalps sold for bounty, and in today’s society it has become widely recognized as a racial slur.”

I had an experience that Alejo, a Democrat, describes in Washington, DC of all places. When I was walking toward the White House in a suit and tie, three blue collar type men from afar yelled out at me, “Hey Redskin! Redskin!” The shouts were aggressive and unfriendly.

Keeping it positive, I preferred to think that it was because I was in the city of the NFL Redskins and continued to walk on.

When I sat down at my desk, I thought about those shouts. It wasn’t football season and those men were not wearing any kind of football regalia. I think if they called me Cowboy, 49er or even Raider I would not have thought much of it or at least not in the same way.

However, being a person of color combined with that particular controversial term and its definition in today’s dictionaries did make me feel the remarks were intended to demean me directly.

Regardless of its current celebrated intent and use of Redskin it does not change how this term came to be and that it’s a term that Native Americans don’t call each other, as pointed in a National Congress of American Indians’ video http://www. changethemascot.org/proud-to-be-video/.

I enjoy being part of and seeing students, parents and alumni celebrating and engaging in their schools’ successes and taking pride in being a “Ranger, Monarch, Aztec” or whatever mascot and name the school has adopted.

Is important it keep in mind that the law does not address the beautiful Native American images on the Tulare campus, but the name. So let’s begin the conversation of what name is best for such a fantastic school and community.

I will start by suggesting the “Great Americans” because of its long time relationship with its Native American image that has represented its school and spirit and for all those who have walked the halls of TUHS who have made their community proud and strong one.

Ruben Macareno is the Chairman of the Tulare County Democratic Party.

Real Mooney Grove Advocate Arrested, Released With No Charges Amy Dickinson-Campbell On June 18, a Visalia police officer, responding to an “anonymous tip” forced his way into the home of Mary Jane Bryant on suspicion of elder abuse. According to Bryant, she ordered the police officer to leave her property, but he responded that she had given him permission to enter the premises. Despite Bryant’s protests, and the officer’s lack of a legal warrant for entry, he refused to leave her property, and called for other officers and social workers to assist.

The original Visalia Times Delta police blotter report, dated July 19, stated that Visalia police arrived at her home at 4:30pm on Saturday, July 18. But, according to the Tulare County Inmate Booking Information, Bryant was not officially booked into the pre-trial confinement center until 11:53pm, nearly seven-and-a-half hours later from the time the Visalia Police Department arrived to her home and unlawfully entered the premises.

On Tuesday, July 21, at 8:30am, Bryant was supposed to appear before Tulare County in Superior Court regarding the custody of the elder in question, her cousin. A temporary change of custody hearing was scheduled. Due to her confinement on July 18, she was not able to attend the hearing and has temporarily lost custody of her cousin. She plans on appealing the temporary order as confinement was both unfounded and forced. At one point during lock-up, Bryant stated that she was

sent to the psychiatric ward for prolonged evaluation. Tulare county officials held Bryant until a few hours shy of the maximum 72-hour hold.

As Bryant’s friend, and fellow Real Mooney Grove Project proponent, I and my husband, Eric Campbell, attended the pre-trial arraignment proceedings.

It was a debacle from start to finish.

All pre-trial folks were set for 1:30pm regardless of when they were really to see the judge.

And for a pre-trial facility, they keep the general public as far away from the accused as possible; we don’t get to see them at all. Mary had no idea that any of us were out here to help her or support her, not until after they officially stated, publicly, that they were going to release her.

My husband Eric chimed in, at that point, “It was complete bull_. The whole thing was a mess. No marking as to where we were supposed to go; we basically followed the flags outside. We were stuck in a tiny, uncomfortable waiting room, watching a stupid TV to find out if our friends and loved ones were going to be charged or released.”

I said, “The judge took long recesses between groups of pre-trial inmates. It would seem that the folks who were going to be released, should have been processed during those gaps in time between arraignments.”

My husband responded, “And there were cockroaches running around the waiting area. One even ran near an infant carrier on the floor a few seats from us. It

was disgusting, and I was not impressed.”

Bryant stated that she was brought over at 1:30pm as promised, then removed after a short wait, and returned to the holding facility without comment or reason. When she protested that she had a right to face her accusers and the judge, she was informed that she was going to be released. She was confused at that point and asked the officer why she was going to be released. The officer informed her that she was being released because no charges were going to be filed. It would seem that Tulare County got what it wanted: custody of her cousin, albeit temporarily, but custody nonetheless.

At 4:10pm, my husband and I were still waiting for word on what was to happen with Mary Bryant when the judge stated on the television that she was going to be released. At about 6:00pm, I approached the door of the pre-trial facility and asked for Mary, so we could take her home.

The female voice on the other end of the line was rude and stated that I needed to go wait in our car, and that they’ll release Bryant when she is done being out-processed.

I spoke up at that point, “I will not go wait in my car. You will send Mary Bryant out. She is no longer under your jurisdiction as she has been held without charge since Saturday night, and the judge has cleared her. You will send her out now!”

I waited for about two more minutes at their door, and Mary appeared, ready for release.

I was incredulous at the press this crime blotter received. Seriously people?!

Mary is a private citizen who was accused of a crime, not convicted of a crime, and I found her police blotter report, from the Visalia Times Delta, had been re-posted in newspapers all over the state, two television stations, and some newspapers as far north as Seattle and as far East as Connecticut! And in all those reports, which included her name, by the way, no one had ever bothered to get her side of the story!

Shame on them!

And, as a direct result of the broadcast of her name all over the media, her house was burglarized and ransacked. After being whisked away by armed men on a weekend night and being held without just cause for nearly three full days, with no contact provided to the outside, and placed in a mental holding facility, Mary Jane Bryant comes home to find her house ransacked and her belongings missing, to include her dog, Emma. It would seem that the news reports should be more careful on reporting alleged crimes in the future, so other innocent victims are not twice violated!

Mary Jane Bryant is the founder of the Real Mooney Grove Project in Visalia.

She, along with other concerned citizens in Tulare County, have been working to help rebuild, restore and protect the Oak Groves at Mooney Grove Park, as well as bring light to bad or incompetent park management, as well as bad or incompetent County management.

Commission Files Findings of Fact on Saucedo Ronald Pierce On July 8, three Special Masters for California’s Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP) filed their Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law regarding their inquest of Judge Valeriano Saucedo of Tulare County Superior Court.

Pivotally, the tribunal found Tovar’s testimony at trial compelling while alternately characterizing Saucedo’s testimony

as lacking in credibility.

Indeed, the tribunal took particular issue with Judge Saucedo’s defense where he blamed Tovar for the scandal.

“Although the evidence also shows Tovar at times exercised poor judgment in responding to Judge Saucedo’s overtures, her actions do not excuse or explain Judge Saucedo’s behavior.It is Judge Saucedo’s conduct that is at issue here, not Tovar’s.”

His inquest arguably call into ques-

tion the integrity of every single case he has ever administrated in his 14 September to mid-November [of 2013], Judge Saucedo violated canons requiring judges to adhere to “high standards of conduct,” preserve the “integrity” of the judiciary, and “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity . . . of the judiciary.”

He also violated judicial canons by engaging in the practice of law on one oc-

casion, making a false representation about Tovar’s claimed overtime work, and improperly interfering with an administrative matter to further his own personal agenda.

While the CJP limited its main review to a three-month period in 2013 in which Saucedo doggedly pursued Priscilla Tovar’s favor, it is perhaps no coincidence this same time period overlaps with another matter involving Judge Saucedo previously reported in the Valley Voice.

6 August, 2015

Valley Voice • 15

Columns & Letters

Apértif

Send us your Letters to the Editor 3350 S. Fairway Street, Visalia, CA 932777

Mercedes Oldenbourg

By email: editor@ourvalleyvoice.com

Comment at ourvalleyvoice.com or fb.me/ourvalleyvoice

“

Excerpts from “Living Homegrown” http://www.livinghomegrown.com/thetruth-about-keeping-backyard-goats/ (1) Goats can be loud.

To say the least. If you happen to have a doe (a girl goat) and she’s in heat (like almost every month), “loud” won’t be the word that you use to describe it. At this point I promise that I’ll get several comments or emails telling me all about their quiet-as-a-church-mouse goat. This will not be the case with your goat.

If you have an unfriendly neighbor that has zero pet tolerance, you will have a problem. Check out this video so you know what I am talking about…https:// youtu.be/PpccpglnNf0 2) Goats are herd animals.

What this means is that in order for them to be truly “happy”, they need a goat friend. In fact, they feel completely insecure as a singleton, so you don’t get “a goat”; you get “goats” — as in two or more. (What are the chances of them both being shy, unvocal wall-flowers? Hmm?) 3) Goats are hard on fences. Plus they’re escape artists.

Especially the shorter guys. For instance say your goaties have grown a lush winter coat and spring rolls around. All of that extra fur needs to come off and the best way they can think of to do that is to press their sides as hard as they can against the fencing as they walk by. Over and over and over.

You’ll need strong fencing material and even stronger supports for that material — like sunken wood posts and wood framing if possible. Many goat owners add a strand of hot wire (electric wire or fence) along the bottom. I’ve been assured that young goats can slip through field fencing square that are no bigger than 4”X 4”. The general rule of thumb is said to be “if the goat can get his head through it — he can get the rest of the way through it.”

4) They eat every growing thing in sight.

Except your lawn; they won’t do you any truly helpful thing like trim the turf.

Goats are browsers like deer, not grazers like sheep. They’ll eat every tree, vegetable, herb, and cutting flower in your yard…your street…your town. Nothing is sacred. The good news is that this includes weeds! Goats love to eat weeds and will nail them down to the ground…right along with your roses. The take away from this? Goats need their own yard to live in so that you can have a yard, too.

“Why’s that goat crossing the road?!”

“— Because it’s our day off, remember?”

Veteran’s Corner

VA Disability Ratings

”

— A Visalia Resident, on Food Freedom Initiative Filed with City of Visalia

“

I’ve read this article and recomposed this comment twice now. It is apparent that Ms. Dickinson-Campbell has no real world experience with the subject matter in her article. The photographic evidence shown is likely from mowing equipment (bottom of tree). It’s sad to see that articles like this are the new normal for journalism. No longer do authors do actual research on the subjects about which they wright, instead they peruse the depths of the internet for information that supports their claim while ignoring that which doesn’t. Having personally discussed the concern of erosion control for my local disc golf courses with actual parks department staff I can assure the author (and anyone else reading this) that no tree (save newly planted saplings) in any of these cities has ever been destroyed, let alone damaged more than superficially, by a disc golf disc. If the author is so worried about soil compaction I would recommend laying down wood chips around the tee boxes and baskets. This has done wonders for compaction issues at my home course.

As for as the how the article was written and directed – ignorance is not and excuse for poor authorship and may the journalistic gods have mercy on your soul.

”

— Seth H., on Disc Golf: Not Your Father’s Frisbee Game

“

It’s important to note that in the University of Tennessee paper that Ms. Dickinson-Campbell rips from without the use of quotation marks five of the six sources cited are half-baked “news” and opinion pieces like her own. The fifth source (LeClerc, Che, Swaddle, & Cristol, 2005) deals with ball golf environmental impact. These sources are more befitting of a high school MLA paper entitled “Why I Think Disc Golf Is Very Bad” as opposed to an academic peer-reviewed journal article.

“

Joe Wright as possible, we need a copy of your discharge papers (DD214), a copy of your medical records if you have them and any additional statements from your doctor about your current medical conditions. If you don’t have copies, we can order them. As an example, a 0% disability rating for a mild hearing loss qualifies the children of a veteran for the California College Fee Waiver Program.

The Kings County Veterans Service Office issues Veteran I.D. cards to honorably discharged veterans. Contact Joe Wright if you would like to receive periodic veteran’s information by email.

There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to veterans and their dependents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, visit or call our office. We can and will assist you in completing all required application forms. You can get information on the Web from the Kings County Veterans Service Office webpage at www.countyofkings.com.

Joe Wright, retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, is the Veterans Service Officer for Kings County. Send your questions to the Veterans Service Office, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd, Hanford, CA 93230; call 8522669; or e-mail joe.wright@co.kings.ca.us.

Corrections

”

— Craig, on Disc Golf: Not Your Father’s Frisbee Game Disc golf does not destroy nature. Sure a few trees may be taken down here or there, but same goes for normal public parks. Disc golf provides a low cost, healthy activity for all, as well as getting people to enjoy the nature surrounding them. I live way up in the middle of huge forests, and I promise you the surrounding disc golf courses are not killing trees. Some courses its impossible to find a misfired throw due to the abundance of healthy vegetation.

There are many benefits available to veterans from both state and federal agencies. Many of these benefits are only available to veterans with service-connected disabilities. The Veterans Administration (VA) determines the level of disability using a rating system. Veterans are rated at 0% to 100% disabled depending on the severity of their disabilities.

You must file a claim to receive a disability rating. You can file a claim for disability at any time. It is recommended that service members file within the first year of discharge so all reasonable medical conditions that occurred during service can be identified as service-connected. These medical conditions may be rated at 0%, or may be considered a serious disability and receive a higher rating. Either way, they are now service-connected and if you have problems later in life, VA will provide medical care and possibly increase the disability rating.

If it has been more than a year since separation from military service, the task of establishing service-connection is a bit more difficult. We have had veterans come into our office that were separated over fifty years ago and are able to build a case for benefits, and get it approved. We can and will assist you with your claim.

To get the claim completed as soon

”

— Jeremy, on Disc Golf: Not Your Father’s Frisbee Game

The Editor apologizes for the following errors in the 16 July Valley Voice: • In the 16 July edition, in “Food Freedom Initiative Filed with City of Visalia,” it was said Mike Olmos was obligated to prepare items for the initiative on the ballot, and to respond to any submissions by the City Clerk, when these responsibilities lie with the city’s attorneys.

• In the 16 July edition, in “Tulare County Planning Commission Approves Papich Asphalt Plant in Goshen,” the current Assistant Director of the RMA, Mike Washam, was incorrectly referred to as Mike Washbern.

• In the 16 July edition, the headline for “Monrovia’s Recycled Water Program Helps Nursery Continue to Thrive” was inadvertently duplicated with another article’s headline.

16 • Valley Voice

HSR

Continued from p. 1

constitution, going against the republic, if you decide to go with these people.”

On the other side, Brad Johns, a local rancher who will see the HSR cross his land, named the Board of Supervisors a “rogue” organization as he condemned it for its opposition to the project. He cited the HSR Authority’s use of local contractors and excellent communication as signs of its goodwill.

“High-Speed Rail has been nothing but thoughtful,” he said of his dealings with the agency.

He encouraged the Hanford City Council to become fully involved in the project as soon as it can in order to have a voice as the project is realized.

“It’s time to enter the discussion and take a seat at the table,” Johns told the council.

Too early to plan?

Aaron Fakuda, co-chair of Citizens for California High-Speed Rail Accountability, questioned the timing of the decision, asking whether it was too early to begin planning when the project was still being revised.

“I don’t know why immediately there’s a need to apply for a planning grant,” he said.

Fakuda also cited uncertain funding and questioned the placement of the local rail stop. That, along with ongoing revisions to the plan, would make any preparations by the city dubious, he said.

“I don’t know how you put together a plan when you don’t know what you’re planning for,”

6 August, 2015 Fakuda said. “Maybe there’s a need to plan; maybe there’s not.”

Construction of the first phase is already underway in Madera County. Phase 2-3, which extends between Fresno and Kern counties and includes the Kings County segment, is expected to commence in the near future, according to Diana Gomez, regional director for the HSR Project in the Central Valley. Her agency has already acquired about 10% of the right-ofways needed to complete Phase 2-3.

The cities of Fresno, Bakersfield and Madera have already made grant applications. The grants are intended to allow local agencies to assess impacts the HSR project will have on the local economy and infrastructure, allowing them to mitigate any negative effects.

Envisioning the HSR

State officials on hand for the study session included Gomez and Melissa DuMont, CHSRA’s director of planning and integration, who fielded questions from the council.

Prompted by a question about what the grant would pay for, DuMont told the council the $800,000 would allow Hanford to solidify its vision for the area around the station’s proposed location east of the city.

“The purpose of the stationary planning effort is for the community to come together about all the elements around the station they think are important,” she said.

The location of the Kings County station has not yet been made final. A station will be located in the county, Gomez said, whether city officials decide to participate in its planning or

not. The grant offered is intended to allow Hanford to decide the nature of land use in the area surrounding it.

“You can think about what you want to use the land for,” DuMont said.

Other Agencies Could Share Cost

While the council worried $200,000 was a significant amount for the city to expend, a representative of the Tulare County Association of Governments said Tulare County and Visalia may pay one-half of that cost. That decision could come in September, depending on whether Hanford chooses to pursue the grant. Also on hand for the discussion were representatives from NAS Lemoore and Visalia City Hall.

“If the project does happen, we could come to try and partner with Hanford and the Kings County communities to bring the station to fruition,” said Visalia City Manager Mike Olmos. “We’re willing to partner with you and with TCAG.” Kings County Administrative Officer Larry Spikes was on hand to reiterate the county’s objections to the HSR. He began by saying he thought those at the county thought the city shared its concerns.

“I thought we were on the same page,” he said.

The county feels the placement of the station outside the city limits would not benefit the city, perhaps even drawing business away from the Amtrak station. There are also concerns the HSR will never be constructed and that money is not available to finish construction of the line.

Gomez said the station will

be open by 2022 and funding has been identified for its operation.

The July 21 meeting was a study session only. The council was scheduled to make its decision on pursuing a planning grant at its meeting this week.

Motels Get Coffee

In a separate action, the council split 3-2 on allowing changes to the city’s zoning ordinances regarding motels and medical offices. Vice Mayor David Ayers and Councilman Francisco Ramirez cast the dissenting votes. The changes will go into effect 30 days from the vote on July 21.

The current zoning laws do not allow motels to offer their guests inroom coffee or microwaves, a restriction those operating them complain limits their business. Also removed by the vote is the requirement for a special-use permit to operate large medical offices in the downtown zone.

City Gives Itself a Loan

Also back up for reconsideration were a pair of resolutions to make inter-fund loans to repay impact fees for the development of the Costco Shopping Center on East Lacey Boulevard and to fund moving the road to avoid heavier traffic from impacting the Highway 43 on-ramps.

The plan was originally brought to the council at its July 7 meeting; however, the complex issue elicited a 2-2 split deadlock, forcing the city to reconsider the issue at its latest meeting. With initial confusion laid to rest, the council voted unanimously to approve the loan and move forward on the project.

Valley Scene Taming of the Shrew Comes to Lindsay Jim Kliegl It is Shakespeare time again in Lindsay. This summer’s Shakespeare in the Plaza comedy is Taming of the Shrew.

This is a comical play about the ultimate battle of the sexes.

The play is presented outdoors at Sweet Brier Plaza stage, located on Sweet Brier Street in the heart of downtown Lindsay. Admission is free. For more information, call 284 2223. Show dates are Saturday, August 8, Sunday, August 9, Thursday, August 13, and Saturday, August 15 at dusk (about 8pm).

Taming of the Shrew is the story of Baptista Minola (Tom Moran), a wealthy merchant of Padua, who has two daughters, Katherine (Allison Smith) and Bianca (Kami Whitten). Bianca, the younger, is a sweet, beautiful girl, courted by Gremio (Thierry Cervantes) and Hortensio (Shane Rangel). Katherine, however, has a very nasty personality, a total witch. No one wants to court her, but Baptista has declared that none can

court Bianca until Katherine, the Shrew, is wed.

Hortensio and Gremio leave Baptista’s house downhearted. Where will they ever find a match for Katherine? As luck would have it, Hortensio’s friend Petruchio (Charles Hickinbotham) arrives from Verona on a mission to find a rich wife. He comes with his trusty servant, Grumio (George Pearce). Hortensio tells him of Katherine, but tells Petruchio that she is too wild to tame. Petruchio, however, is up for the challenge and wants to meet Katherine immediately.

Petruchio meets Baptista first, and they agree upon a dowry for Katherine if Petruchio can win her love. Katherine and Petruchio have a fiery conversation, but in the end Petruchio declares to Baptista that he will marry Katherine on Sunday, and rapidly departs for Venice to buy new clothes for the wedding.

Katherine, though shocked by the declaration, is resigned to her fate to be Petruchio’s wife.

The story of their raucous marriage

Petruchio (Charles Hickinbotham) carries Katherine (Allie Smith) away after the wedding. Photo courtesy Lindsay Community Theater.

ceremony and early days of married life make for a most amusing tale. In the end, Katherine turns out to be a most tame and obedient wife to a most loving and generous husband.

Others in the story are Vincentio (Bill Butler), father of Gremio, A Tay-

lor (Ron Fleming), a hat maker (Kallysta Tyler), the Widow (Sandra Murgia), Curtis, a servant (TJ Moran), and other servants (Andrea Murguia, Jessie Oakley, Kansas Whitten, Connor Craven, and Isaac Mehciz).

“Gyotaku, The Art from Fishing” at the Creative Center’s Jon Ginsburg Gallery Joan Constable The Creative Center’s Jon Ginsburg Gallery is presenting Fresno artist Julia Tanigoshi Tinker as our guest artist for August. Julia is an artist who works with mixed media, combining the traditional Japanese art form of gyotaku, 魚拓, with watercolor and other mediums to create paintings of fish caught both locally in the San Joaquin Valley lakes, as well as in the bays of southern Alaska.

Gyotaku, 魚拓, the art form in which a print is made of a fish using non-toxic Sumi ink on rice paper, originated in Japan in the early 1800’s as a way for fishermen to remember their prized catches. While attending the Instituto de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Julia learned a variety of techniques that she also incorporates

into her paintings.

An avid outdoorswoman, Tinker splits her time between California and Alaska. The paintings of the fish in the show were caught by the artist while captaining her own boat.

She has a story about each fish she has painted which will be on display next to her paintings.

Her passion for fishing has led Tinker to create these unique paintings celebrat-

ing the diversity of Central California’s aquatic ecosystems, as well as Southern Alaska’s marine life.

For her “r e a l ” j o b , Tinker teaches Spanish at Bullard High School i n Fresno and looks forward to her summers off to fish the Alaskan waters. Tinker has exhibited her paintings at shows in central California, and has received various

awards most recently winning first place in Mixed Media for her “Millerton Lake Crappie” at Chris Sorenson’s Black & White Show in May. Tinker will be presenting a demonstration of the gyotaku technique during the First Friday Artist Reception on August 7 from 6-8pm at the gallery.

The Gallery also will be featuring “fish” related art by our Creative Center artists to compliment Tinker’s works.

The Jon Ginsburg Gallery is located at 410 E. Race Ave., Visalia. Tinker’s demonstration will begin around 7pm.

Light refreshments will be served.

“Gyotaku, 魚拓, The Art From Fishing” will run through August 28.

Check in Monday-Friday from 10am3pm at the Center’s main office at 606 N. Bridge, to see the show and tour the gallery. Admission is free.

Goneril and Regan throw their father out during a terrible storm, and the senile old man—stripped of title, power and shelter—braves the fierce elements as his mind comes apart and he curses and rages at the gods.

Cordelia hears of her sisters’ treatment of their father, and leads a French invasion to protect Lear. Her people find the insane Lear wandering in the wilderness. In a beautiful moment of reconciliation, Lear awakes in Cordelia’s care, recognizes her, and begs her forgiveness.

But peace is short-lived: the French forces are defeated, Cordelia and Lear are captured, and Goneril kills Regan and herself over a love quarrel they have over the play’s villain, Edmund. In the final scene, Lear carries Cordelia’s body onstage—she has been hanged in prison—and dies weeping over her, barely grasping what has happened. “Thou wilt come no more,” wails Lear of his youngest: “never, never, never, never, never.”

Perhaps the unrelenting darkness of the play speaks to us because we are too familiar with stories of domestic violence and abuse of the helpless—children and elders alike. And perhaps the play’s lack of redemption or mercy also speaks to a culture that has lost its faith in the transcendent: it’s no coincidence that the play enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from the late twentieth century onward among directors, audiences and scholars.

But like all Shakespeare’s work, the play’s power lies in the perennial questions it raises for anyone willing to engage it: When should we be blunt—and when should we play along?

What are a child’s obligations to an aging parent? What are parents’ obligations to their children? What exactly is “natural” affection for a child or parent? How do we face the hardship and, sometimes, humiliation of caring for our elders when they can no longer care for themselves?

King Lear: A Tragedy of Old Age Joseph R. Teller First performed in 1606, King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays—so dark that it was not performed in England in its original form from 1681 until 1837. Instead, a heavily rewritten version of the play dominated English theaters in that period—a version in which the wicked are punished, the just rewarded, and nobody dies.

In the original version, death and injustice pervade. The play begins with an aging King Lear bequeathing his kingdom (ancient Great Britain) to his three daughters. The king orchestrates a ceremony in which his daughters demonstrate their love for their father through flattering speeches. The elder two daughters, Goneril and Regan, play their parts beautifully, and are rewarded with their thirds of the kingdom. The youngest and dearest daughter, Cordelia, refuses to play the game.

“What can you say to draw / A third more opulent than your sisters? Speak” says the king, to which Cordelia answers, “Nothing.” Enraged at his youngest daughter’s refusal to flatter, Lear disowns Cordelia. She leaves with her husbandto-be, the King of France. Lear’s words to Cordelia are heart rending: “Better thou / Hadst not been born than not t’have pleased me better.” Lear plans to divide his time between Goneril and Regan—with a retinue of 100 knights and squires to keep him company.

Everyone is flabbergasted. Afraid of their father’s “high rage,” Goneril and Regan plot to protect themselves. As the play unfolds, the elder daughters treat their father with increasing hostility. Fed up with her father’s “disordered knights” and senility, Goneril dismisses half of Lear’s followers. A helpless Lear curses Goneril and leaves for Regan’s. But Regan will not tolerate this treatment, and refuses to give shelter to her father.

18 • Valley Voice

16 July, 2015

Education COS Offers Industrial Electricity Classes to Drought-Affected

Rita Grogan Joins West Hills Administrative Team as Associate Vice Chancellor

Starting in August, College of the Sequoias’ Training Resource Center is offering a series of Industrial Electricity classes designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed for a Maintenance Mechanic position.

This series is a part of funding made available through drought-aid legislation to provide training to workers and employers in the California areas hit hardest by the drought.

COS is one of six colleges offering training under these funds.

The training modules are comprised of classroom lecture and hands-on instruction.

Depending on the participant’s prior knowledge, any or all modules can be taken. Each class module is 36 to 48 hours of training. The modules are: Basic Industrial Electricity — This module is an introduction to the fundamentals of AC and DC electricity. It will introduce the physical laws which govern electricity and how they apply in industry.

Industrial Motor Controls — This module will study industrial AC and DC electric motors and their control circuits, including wiring diagrams motor starters and contactors, motor reversing circuits switches and switch function.

A more advanced training module on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) will be available to students who demonstrate the necessary knowledge of industrial electricity to successfully com-

The West Hills Community College District welcomed a new administrator in July with the arrival of Rita Grogan, who will serve as the district’s associate vice chancellor of Enrollment Management and Institutional Effectiveness.

Grogan—who was previously employed as the director of Student Enrollment and Financial Services for Mission College in Santa Clara, California—brings with her a wide range of skills and an interest in and focus on student success.

“I’m looking forward to being Rita Grogan part of an innovative and creative team of individuals who want to expand student possibilities with technology, design class schedules and formats that will work for today’s student needs, all while providing excellent customer service,” she said. “I want to be able to say that I played some small part in helping West Hills be recognized for continuous im-

plete the PLC module.

The emphasis will be in understanding how the input/output devices are interfaced to the PLC and how to view and make small changes.

The training is available to individuals who reside in the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Lake Basin who have been impacted by the drought, including but not limited to: unemployed (laid off or unable to find work due to the drought), under-employed (hours have been reduced due to the drought), English language learners, low socio-economic groups as well as incumbent workers.

Priority will be given to individuals who reside in Tulare and Kings Counties.

To find out more about the course or to register for the orientation, please call or email Laurel Garver, COS Training Resource Center Specialist at 559688-3135 or laurelg@cos.edu College of the Sequoias Community College District is a two-year California community college offering educational and enrichment programs for the residents of its district in Tulare and Kings counties.

In addition to the campus in Visalia, COS operates a full-service center in Hanford that is home to the college’s police and fire academies.

COS also opened its Tulare College Center in January 2013. It is a full-service college center and the home of COS’ agriculture and other programs.

For more information about COS, please visit our website at www.cos.edu.

provement toward student success.”

Grogan has also served as Mission College’s interim director of Instructional Technology Services and Director of Financial Aid. She is currently earning an Education Doctorate through Brandman University and holds a Master of Arts in Education Administration from Santa Clara University.

She is active in many professional organizations and is the current president-elect of the California Association of Community College Registrars and Admissions Officers.

She started in the position officially on July 20.

“My initial plan is to meet and learn from the West Hills’ community and I hope to add my experience and knowledge as we head into the next decade,” she said.

New Christian Academy to Open in Tulare on September 8 Freedom Christian Academy is University-Model School. Freedom Christian Academy offers parents a viable educational alternative by taking the most positive aspects of private school and blending them with the most positive aspects of homeschool and providing one highly effective, college-worthy education.

Until now, this type of education has not been among the typical choices for parents in the area. Students attend classes two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, in a traditional classroom setting and are schooled at home three days a week under teacher-directed, parent-implemented lesson plans.

The mission of Freedom Chris-

tian Academy is to partner with parents to integrate home and school.

“Our desire is to love, grow and educate students in community with their parents.” says school administrator, Rochelle Brogan.

Freedom Christian Academy will opening its doors at 695 E Cross Ave in Tulare with Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

They plan to add 1-2 grades each year until they reach the 12th grade.

Classes begin September 8th.

For more information, please contact Rochelle Brogan at (559) 3311777 or visit their website www. f re e d o m - c h r i s t i a n - a c a d e m y. c o m .

RESTAURANT & LODGE

Live Music!

Open Daily 8 am - 2 am

• BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER • FULL BAR Highway 198 at the Entrance to the Sequoia National Park www.gateway-sequoia.com • (559) 561-4133

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” - Helen Keller

16 July, 2015

Valley Voice • 19

COS Students Apply Creativity to Architecture Careers Architecture students develop their creative and technical skills at College of the Sequoias (COS), and successfully complete AS degrees, go to four-year universities and find local employment, according to Rolando Gonzalez, Professor of Architecture, COS. “Our department offers programs in architectural education that have allowed over 100 students to successfully gain employment in architecture and 48 to attend four-year universities to pursue bachelor degrees, since 2000,” said Gonzalez. “Individuals who gravitate to our program are the ‘creative’ types and we can help them secure a lifestyle where they are paid to be creative.”

Classes are still open in the Architecture program for the fall semester, including Architectural Design 1, which has no prerequisite requirements. The Architecture Department is located at the Tulare College Center. The cutting-edge Architecture classroom and laboratory has 25 computer drafting stations with access to nine different software programs including animation and sophisticated building information modeling. The lab is outfitted with a 2D plotter and printer, 3D printer, small and large format scanners, binding and lamination machine, small and large light boxes, model making room and paint room.

According to Gonzalez, his students are some of the most creative, innovative and hard-working in Tulare County.

“They are working day and night, particularly at the end of the semester, drawing, designing, drafting, building models, gluing together projects and creating ‘real-world’ projects for real clients,” said Gonzalez. “They also learn how to meet deadlines and work together, all necessary skills to prepare them for a career.”

After completing the COS AS Degree in Architecture, students have earned spots to continue their education at Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, NewSchool of Architecture and Design, Southern California Institute of Architecture and Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, among others, explained Gonzalez.

COS Architecture students have found local employment with Taylor Teter Partnership, Fred Scott & Associates, Mangini Associates TPM, R.L. Davidson, NTD Architecture, Architecture 678, Tulare County Resource Management Agency, The Vernal Group and many other firms.

According to Gonzalez, creativity is the most important trait necessary to become an architect.

“Any student who engages in design, drawing, drafting, construction, painting, sculpture, sewing, rebuilding cars, arts and crafts, jewelry making, photography or computer graphics is a prime candidate for architecture school,” said Gonzalez. “COS can help them express and enhance their creativity so they can find fulfilling careers.”

Gonzalez indicated that there is a technical side to architecture which requires some mathematics and structures courses, but students do not have to be math wizards.

“Some universities are more ‘design’ oriented while others are more ‘technical’

Young Entrepreneurs Academy Now Accepting Applications

2015 COS student winners of American Institute of Architects, San Joaquin Chapter, Design Awards: Francisco Alvarez, Tyler Dinis, Ruben Rios, Jose Cendejas (Left to Right).

Photo courtesy College of the Sequoias.

in nature,” said Gonzalez. “We work with students to find a good fit to further their education.”

Louann Waldner, dean of Career Technical Education, oversees the Architecture program.

“Mr. Gonzalez really cares about his students,” said Waldner. “He spends an incredible amount of time ensuring they have the skills to be successful. I urge creative students to start thinking about this discipline; COS would be an incredible start for you.”

For a two-year Associate of Science Degree, students take courses in design, visual communication (tactile & digital drawing), architectural history and construction technology. Students can also earn a certificate in one year as they work toward their degrees. As part of the education experience, students participate in

design competitions where they gain real world experience. Gonzalez said that the COS Architecture program has received 65 design competition awards totaling over $18,000 and student scholarships in excess of $52,000.

“Not only is Mr. Gonzalez an architect by training and an outstanding instructor,” said Waldner. “He does a fantastic job of coordinating our adjunct faculty, who are mostly architects practicing within the community. An Advisory Board of architects also assists us in ensuring that we are providing relevant, quality education.”

For more information on the COS Architecture program and to look into classes, visit www.cos.edu/architecture or contact Rolando L. Gonzalez, M. Arch., Professor of Architecture/Architect AIA, Chair of Industry & Technology at (559) 688-3120 or rolandog(at)cos.edu.

Motivated students entering grades 6-12 who have the drive to start their own small business are invited to apply to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!).

Applications are being accepted today through September 15 for the 30week class at the Tulare/Visalia YEA! program.

YEA! is a groundbreaking program that transforms local middle and high school students into real, confident entrepreneurs. Through the year-long program, students in grades 6-12 generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of investors, and launch their real companies from the ground up, with instruction and inspiration from local leaders.

YEA! is ideal for creative, energetic students ages 12 to 18 interested in entrepreneurship.

Classes are made possible by the Visalia and Tulare Chambers of Commerce and meet weekly at COS from 4:30-7:30 pm on Tuesdays from October through May. The selection process is competitive and open to all middle and high school students. Applications and more information can be found at www.visaliachamber.org/YEA or www.tularechamber.org. Some scholarships are available for students based on need and merit.

For more information contact: Nicola Wissler at the Visalia Chamber 559-734-5876 or nicola@visaliachamber.org Rachel Souza at the Tulare Chamber 559-686-1547 or rsouza@tularechamber.org

Calendar VENDOR ALERT — SPACE AVAILABLE: The 30th annual Holiday Bazaar sponsored by the Three Rivers Senior League will be Saturday, November 14th, 9:00am to 4:00pm. The event is held at the Three Rivers Memorial Building.

Vendor spaces are $25.00 for outside and $30.00 for the inside. For further information please call Mo Basham 561-4988 or email wildirish57att.net

AUGUST August 21 and 22, 2pm and 5pm; August 23, 11am: “Ersa of the Red Trees: A Unique Rendition of the Classic Sequoia Tale” The Sequoia Field Institute invites you back to 1926--at the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park--to watch the Pageant Master of the National Parks, Garnet Holme, present his latest campaign to win hearts and souls of the public to the cause of environmentalism.

This mysterious and magical pageant shall be presented by the Mountain, Forest, and Desert players, and it will be performed under the towering shadows of the world’s oldest, largest and most magnificent trees. It is a romantic and epic tale of love, heroism, loyalty, treachery, goodness and evil. The pageant will display fairies and beasts, magic and poetry, feats of derring do, and YOU. General Sherman will be seeking recruits for his battle to defend the Earth. Will you be chosen? Odds are good. Come be inspired and have fun.”

Mondays: Bridge Club, 9:30am-2pm 210 W Center Street Visalia, CA 93291.

Admission is free. For additional information call: Joan Dinwiddie @ 7320855 Mondays: Knitters, 10am-12:30pm 210 W Center Street Visalia, CA 93291.

Everyone’s welcome.

Fridays: Women’s Morning Bible Study, 9am-Noon 210 W Center Street Visalia, CA 93291.

For additional information call: 7399010 Saturdays starting August 22: Dog Obedience Course, 9-10am 6-week Basic Manner course, Exeter City Park. $120/6-week-course. For more information, call (559) 568-8863 or email fortheloveofdg@doglover.com.

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

June 8 through August: Oil Paintings

by Betty Berk This is a one-woman exhibit at Cafe 225.

There will be a reception at 1pm on Sunday, June 14.

Through October 28: Free Fly Casting Instruction, 6-7pm Kaweah Fly Fishers are offering fly casting lessons at Del Lago Park in Tulare

every Wednesday evening until October 28. Rods and reels will be supplied or you may bring your own.

August 7: The 27th Annual Tommy Elliott Memorial Golf Classic, 7am3pm Come join us for a day of golf, goodies, and giving during the 27th Annual Tommy Elliott Memorial Golf Classic on Friday, August 7, 2015 at the Visalia Country Club. Proceeds will go to funding Delivering Our Future project which will create a state-of-the art birthing center at the Kaweah Delta Medical Center.

Registration 9am. Shotgun start 2:30pm.

Awards Ceremony, Silent Auction, BBQ. $175.00 per golfer Sponsorships available. For more information call Deborah Volosin Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation (559) 624-2359.

August 7: Celebrant Singers 38th Anniversary Homecoming Concert, 7pm An inspirational night at LJ Williams Theater hearing from Celebrants who’ve traveled the globe, sharing God’s love where His light is dim and His voice is heard small. All seats are FREE and a love offering will be taken. Based in Visalia, the Celebrants come home only once a year to share and celebrate with their friends and partners…their family. After outreaches in Malta and Guatemala, they bring fresh reports of God’s faithfulness and the results of sharing Christ’s love with thousands throughout the world.

THREE TEAMS – 30 singers and a 40 piece orchestra – are together for a spectacular musical celebration!

August 7: Concert in Springville Park, 7-9pm Brad Wilson August 8: “Just Walk” With a Doc, 8-9am The Healthy Visalia Committee working in partnership with Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare County Medical Society and the Visalia Parks and Recreation Dept. continues its 2015 Visalia’s “Just Walk” With a Doc walking program. The walks will take place at Blain Park, 3101 S. Court St., in Visalia.

August 8: Movie Night on the Farm-”Annie,” 7pm McKellar Family Farms announces Movie Night on the Farm with a showing of Annie.

Enjoy one last hurrah before summerends and the kids are back in the classroom!

Head out to McKellar Family Farms, near Ivanhoe, Saturday, August 8 at 7:00pm, to view the newest big screen adaptation of Annie, beneath the stars and our giant Valley Oak tree.

The event is free to the public and concessions, including popcorn and soda, will be available for cash purchase.

Families are welcome and encouraged to bring their chairs and blankets.

The gates will open at 7:00pm, Annie will begin at 8:00pm. McKellar Fam-

ily Farms is requesting an RSVP by visiting their Facebook event page, Eventbrite ticket registration page, or by simply calling their office at (559) 798-0557 x 7013.

August 14: Summer Fun Beach Party, Noon-1pm Members of the community ages 55 and better, along with their spouse, caregiver or guest, are invited to join us for lunch at the Visalia Senior Center, 310 N. Locust. Come socialize with others, brighten your day and meet new faces all while enjoying a nutritional mid-day meal! Beachball volleyball and great music. You have the choice of our daily entree, a chicken caesar salad or our weekly salad option. Please call (559) 713-4481 before 12pm one business day in advance to make a reservation. Ages - 55 $3.50 per meal, under age 55 $4.50 per meal.

for Veteran’s Neuropsychologists on an annual basis. Contact: 967-4952 August 21: 6th Annual Golf Skills Challenge, 7:30am At Valley Oaks Golf Course. 7:30am Registration, 9:00am Tee-off. TOURNAMENT STYLE: There will be a 9-hole regular course AND a 9-hole skills challenge course. Prizes will be awarded

August 14: Concert in the Park 2015, 7pm Listen to PSYCHE 5 play Hanford Civic Park / Historic Courthouse Stage, 400 N. Douty St. in Hanford. This is a free event. For more information, contact the Hanford Parks and Recreation Department at 585-2525.

August 15: Model Aviation Day benefiting Team Amvet, 8am-1pm The International Agri-Center, Tulare Condors R/C CLub, Exeter Thunderhawks R/C Club and Central Valley RC Soaring Club present a local fundraiser event for Team Amvet. Come out and see today’s remote controlled hobby from tiny electric to giant size gas engine powered models. Airplanes, Gliders, Helicopters, Rockets, Drones & Quadcopters, Cars & Trucks. Food, drink & shaved ice available on site from BiteMeMini Catering. Donations appreciated. Free Parking and Admission. Gates open at 8am, Demo’s from 9 - 1pm.Color Guard and National Anthem presented by Tulare Cadet Corps.

August 15: Kentucky Derby Summer Jubilee, 7pm The Tulare Hospital Foundation fundraiser is graciously hosted at the city estate of the Kumar & Gupta Families, 1028 N. Oaks Street in Tulare. Tickets are $50/Person.

August 20: Senior Care Organization Luncheon at Cafe 225, downtown Visalia, 11:30am - 1pm August 20: Assemblyman Devon Mathis Keynotes Central Valley Tea Party, 6pm Come to 135 W. Tulare Ave. to hear what your representative is doing for you during California’s historic drought. His bills to be discussed: Water Bill AB95Immediate assistance for at-risk families, AB144- Illegal Dumping, AB166 - Real Estate Recording process, AB954- Accessible Water Preservation Program, AJR7 - Request Congress allow Veterans to use GI funds for a business instead of schooling, AB1542 - Continue appropriations

At the Gate Three Rivers — Friday an to challenge winners throughout the day.

August 21: Concert in Springville Park, 7-9pm Mighty Oaks Chorus August 29: Shop for a Cause Special shopping passes are $5 each, and every dollar stays with Habitat for Humanity of Tulare County. Passes are filled with exclusive Macy’s discounts and a chance to win a $500 gift card. Call Habitat at 734-4040 to get your passes.

August 29: Morrissey at the Visalia Fox--Doors 7pm, Show, 8:30 Morrissey has been called ‘one of the most singular figures in Western popular culture from the last twenty years’ for his contribution to music (Pitchfork). His music has influenced such seminal artists as Radiohead, The Killers, Oasis and The Decemberists. Morrissey is the iconic front man of The Smiths, one of the most influential bands in history. The Smiths

emerged from the British independent music scene in the 1980s and Morrissey led the band to 15 studio, live and compilations albums in their short five years together. After The Smiths disbanded, Morrissey launched a prolific solo career that included 49 singles and twelve solo top-ten albums, three of them landing at #1 on the UK charts. His latest album, World Peace Is None Of Your Business, was released in July 2014. Throughout

SEPTEMBER September 3: 20th Anniversary Making a Difference for Life Fundraising Banquet, 7pm Tulare-Kings Right to Life will host their 20th Anniversary Making a Difference for Life Fundraising Banquet. In addition to being TKRL’s most popular event of the year and one of the largest non-prof-

8-9:15pm This is your chance to join friends and family for an informal picnic dinner under the stars and hear the great music of the Orchestra. Presented by and benefitting VRM.​ Tickets available vrmhope. org/events September 12: “Just Walk” With a Doc, 8-9am The Healthy Visalia Committee working in partnership with Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare County Medical Society and the Visalia Parks and Recreation Dept. continues its 2015 Visalia’s “Just Walk” With a Doc walking program. The walks will take place at Blain Park, 3101 S. Court St., in Visalia.

September 12: Children’s Storybook Garden & Museum Annual Fall Fundraising Event, 5pm A jazz night themed party with the Amazing Lemoore High School Choir performing “And All That Jazz”. Roaring 20’s fashion is encouraged. Come join us for this really fun opportunity to support the Children’s Storybook Garden & Museum. Tickets are only $65.00 and a table of 8 is $500. Appetizers, dinner, dessert, live auction, silent auction, dancing and watching!

September 26: 8th Annual Lindsay Brewfest, 2-6pm At Sweet Brier Plaza: $35 advance tickets, $40 at the door. Music and food included.Tickets available at Virginia’s Hair Studio, Tony’s Pizza, McDermont Field House, Fat Boyz, The Orange Bar, Brewbakers in Visalia.

eway Restaurant & Lodge in — Manny Oldenbourg on guitar, nd Sunday nights, 7-10pm. his career leading The Smiths and as a solo artist, he has sold millions of records. The Independent summed up his level of influence, writing that ‘most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status he has reached in his lifetime.’

August 30: Downtown Hanford 5k Walk/Run, 8am Start and finish in front of the Hanford Fox theater, 326 N. Irwin Street. Proceeds to benefit Kings Rehabilitation Center.

August 31: Pizza with a Purpose, 5-9pm Enjoy a great meal & support a great cause! Every #lastmonday of the month in 2015. The Planing Mill will donate a portion of the evening’s revenue to the VRM!

it banquets in the area, this evening will also celebrate the culmination of 25 years of leadership from Executive Director, April Kesterson, and introduce attendees to the incoming Executive Director. In keeping with the 20th Anniversary celebratory theme, prices have been reduced this year: Sponsorships for a Table of 8 are $495; individual tickets may be purchased for $65 each. For more information or to reserve your table, please call 732-5000, email april@tkrl.org, or visit www.tkrl.org.

September 4: Business Seminar Series De-escalation, 3:30-5pm At the train depot/Lemoore Chamber. Tickets $15 for members, $20 for non-members. For more information call (559) 924-6401.

September 4: Concert in Springville Park, 7-9:30 Jerry Hall September 11: Pops in the Park,

September 28: Pizza with a Purpose, 5-9pm Enjoy a great meal & support a great cause! Every #lastmonday of the month in 2015. The Planing Mill will donate a portion of the evening’s revenue to the VRM! PLAYING NEXT at THE ENCHANTED PLAYHOUSE! “TREASURE ISLAND” - Directed by Donald Williams October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 2015 Based on the masterful adventure novel

by Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island is a stunning yarn of piracy on the tropical seas. This unforgettable tale of treachery and mayhem features a host of legendary swashbucklers including the dangerous Billy Bones, the sinister two-timing Israel Hands, the brassy woman pirate Anne Bonney, and the hide...ous evil Blind Pew. At the center is 14 year old Jim Hawkins a boy longing for adventure & the infamous pirate,

Long John Silver. Silver’s greedy quest for gold is coupled with his affection for Jim. This tale cannot help to win your heart!

Information: http://www.enchantedplayhouse.org/ season/1516.html Tickets http://www.enchantedplayhouse.org/ ticketing/index.html

OCTOBER October 03: Annual Menudo & Pozole Cook-off, 11am-5pm The Annual Menudo and Pozole Cookoff is held on the first Saturday in October each year and features live entertainment, vendors, games for children and car show. For entry forms, vendor booth information, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit our Menudo & Pozole Cook-off detail page.

October 9: Business Seminar Series Sales & Marketing, 3:30-5pm At the train depot/Lemoore Chamber. Tickets $15 for members, $20 for non-members. For more information call (559) 924-6401.

October 10: “Just Walk” With a Doc, 8-9am The Healthy Visalia Committee working in partnership with Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare County Medical Society and the Visalia Parks and Recreation Dept. continues its 2015 Visalia’s “Just Walk” With a Doc walking program. The walks will take place at Blain Park, 3101 S. Court St., in Visalia.

October 10: KRC Safety Fall Shootout King of the West 410, Sprint Car Series, USAC West Coast 360 Sprints, and Western RaceSaver Sprints (Weekend before Trophy Cup) will be held at Thunderbowl Raceway at Tulare Fairgrounds.

For information, visit www.thunderbowlraceway.com.

October 15-17: 22nd Annual Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup 360 Sprint Cars will compete for the Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup at Thunderbowl Raceway at Tulare Fairgrounds. For information, visit www. thunderbowlraceway.com.

October 22: Labor Law Compliance Series, 7-10am.

The Visalia Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with Pacific Employers, will present the state-mandated Supervisors’ Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Seminar & Workshop at the Lamp Liter Inn.

Submit written calendar items ourvalleyvoice.com

22 • Valley Voice

16 July, 2015

Sports Baker Allowed Freedom to Hone Skills Behind Plate Stefan Barros A catcher is responsible for guiding the pitcher throughout the game.

In a certain respect he is the on-field manager, calling pitches and deciding when would be a good time to attempt a pick-off on a baserunner.

Rawhide catcher Tyler Baker is happy about the fact that with the Rawhide, he has the freedom to make a lot of decisions on the field. In college, at Wichita State University in Kansas, the coaches made most of the decisions for the catchers.

“You really are on your own here as far as calling pick-offs is concerned,” he said. JR {House} lets you control the game. He lets you call pitches and use different signs when there’s a runner on first base. I love it because you get to learn yourself as a catcher.”

Baker believes that Rawhide Manger House’s, a former major-league catcher himself, past experiences have made himself a better catcher.

“He gives good feedback every time I come back the dugout in between innings,” Baker said. “He can

answer all the questions. I’ve because hitters tend been lucky because my manto have more sucager last year, in Hillsborcess in this league. ough, was a catcher too. “ “You can’t At the minor league level change your plan of professional ball, learning just because it’s a pitchers can be tough due to hitters’ league,” he the frequent turnover there is said. “A homerun between levels. This is not a is a homerun, it’s real problem for Baker, who not much different enjoys learning new pitchfrom other leagues ers and new personalities. except for High “I like the challenge,” he Desert and Lancastsaid. “I like having different er where hitters just pitchers with different mindhave to hit pop flies sets. In the minors you have Tyler Baker to left field and the to learn a pitcher’s stuff right wind carries it over.” away. That’s the challenge I really enEven in this hitter-friendly league, joy. But, you can get comfortable with the Rawhide pitching staff has had a lot of somebody, and then they move up. I’ve success, from the starters to the bullpen. caught {Anthony} Banda for a while now Baker talked a little bit about what it’s been and that’s a pitcher I’m getting used to.” like to catch this good group of pitchers.

Calling pitchers in a hitter-friendly “It’s been a lot of fun. These pitchleague, such as the California League, ers can make you look good as a catchcould provide a challenge and make a er,” he said. “The starting pitching has catcher change his approach, but Bak- been good and the bullpen has been er does not try to change anything just throwing fire. Everybody knows how

to pitch, they don’t just throw hard, they use all of their pitches. I’ve been on the same game plan with these pitchers and we’re in a good rhythm.”

When a pitching staff has success, there are usually multiple factors that come into play. “They establish their fastball well,” Baker said. “They are very good at getting strike one. If you can’t get strike one you lose control of the at-bat. These guys stay in control, and I still believe that a well-spotted fastball is the hardest pitch to hit in baseball.”

Playing for someone who did it at the highest level, Baker is trying to take in whatever he can from House, and he really appreciates what he has been able to learn from his manager and be able to take forward.

“He really taught me how to take control of a game,” he said. “It helped that he knew me from my time in Hillsborough last year. He’s taught me how to take control of the running game. Most of all though, he’s taught me how to learn from my mistakes and from my successes.”

Umpiring in the Minors Requires Dedication, Hard Work Nancy Vigran Some may think that umpiring in the minors is easier than in the major leagues. Others feel it is more difficult.

While there is no instant replay, nor umpire review, there are fewer umpires to judge plays at the minor-league level.

Jeff Gorman and Chris Graham are a two-man team who umpire the California League of Class A-Advanced teams, which includes the Visalia Rawhide. One of them is behind the plate, while the other has to cover the entire field. They are employed by Minor League Baseball Umpire Development, which provides their schedule that takes them up and down the state.

Gorman, a bay-area native, got the umpiring bug from his father who umpired Little League. Gorman played Little League and umpired his first game alongside his dad at 13 years of age.

It was while he was attending college and umpiring Little League and college games, he realized, “I really

Umpire Chris Graham calls balls and strikes behind the plate during a Visalia Rawhide-San Jose Giant game last week at Rawhide Stadium. Graham is part of a two-man umpire team with Jeff Gorman, who was working the field that night. Photo: Nancy Vigran

had a passion for umpiring,” he said.

He earned his degree and then applied, was accepted and attended

GET SOLAR

one of the only two umpiring schools in the US, the Wendlestedt Umpire School located in Tallahassee, Florida.

Graham, a native of Toron-

to, Canada, followed a similar path.

He too learned about baseball from his father. Graham played baseball in Canada as much as he could, but realized, in part because of the shorter playing season there, he just was not going to make it into professional ball. Graham became a police officer, but continued to long for the game and decided to apply to the same umpire school.

Both graduated from the school, although at different times. The umpire school is only held once a year and is an intense five-week, six-day-a-week course, they said.

“It’s tough because you have to lose bad habits,” Graham said.

The “bad habits” Graham referred to are habits each of them learned while umpiring Little League and other games prior to attending professional school.

Acceptance into the two umpiring schools is quite limited and upon graduation each school selects 20-25 students to move on to the evaluating course. All of this takes place before spring training

UMPIRING continued on 24 »

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Valley Voice • 23

16 July, 2015

Health Family HealthCare Network Welcomes Newest Medical Provider in Ivanhoe

Two Tulare County Residents Sickened by West Nile Virus

Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) is pleased to announce Mateo Garcia, FNP-S as the newest addition to its provider team in Ivanhoe, CA. Practicing as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Garcia is now offering family medicine services for patients at FHCN’s Ivanhoe Health Center.

Garcia received his Master of Science in Nursing from the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Samuel Mateo Garcia Merritt University, and is a member of the California Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Garcia has a strong medical background in the fields of mental health, urgent care, and pediatrics.

Garcia is accepting new patients at FHCN’s Health Center in Ivanhoe, located at 33025 Road 159.

To schedule an appointment with Family HealthCare Network, please call 1-877-9603426 (FHCN) or visit www.FHCN.org for more information.

The health center is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Saturdays, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) is pleased to announce its 14th Annual Cutler-Orosi Fiesta de la Familia and Health Fair on Sunday, August 9, 2015 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The event takes place as part of FHCN’s National Health Center Week celebration and is presented in partnership with AZTECA America. The event is co-sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross, Cutler-Orosi Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Pena’s Disposal Service, and Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District. Community members are invited to join Family HealthCare Network for the free event, which will take place at Ledbetter Park, located 45779 Road 128 in Cutler, CA. Family HealthCare Network staff will be onsite offering free dental and health screenings for adults and children, including blood pressure, hemo-

globin, glucose, and offering digital retinal screening vouchers. The fun-filled afternoon will also include food, raffles, live entertainment, and distribution of free backpacks and school supplies to the first 500 school-aged children in attendance. In 2014, the annual event drew more than 1,000 community members.

Family HealthCare Network will also have Certified Educators and Certified Enrollment Counselors available to assist with any questions regarding the Affordable Care Act and enrollment into Covered California.

For more information about the Cutler-Orosi Fiesta de la Familia and Health Fair, please contact Family HealthCare Network Community Health Representatives Linda Duran at (559) 909-4217or Rebecca Jimenez at (559) 356-8507.

West Nile Virus (WNV) has been confirmed as the cause of illness for two Tulare County residents. Two additional residents are being tested for the illness.

The West Nile virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, and there is no vaccine or medication to treat the virus.

Most people infected with West Nile will have no symptoms; however, WNV can affect the central nervous system and about 1 in 5 people will develop a fever along with other symptoms. According to the California Department of Public Health, levels of illness vary: No symptoms: approximately 80 percent of individuals infected with WNV will show no symptoms at all.

Mild symptoms: fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.

Symptoms generally last for a few days in up to 20 percent of individuals.

Serious symptoms: high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis. In less than one percent of individuals, symptoms may last several weeks, neurological effects may be permanent, and WNV infection can be fatal.

As of July 28, Delta Vector Control District has found 266 mosquito samples that have tested positive for WNV. The samples indicate wide-spread WNV

Family HealthCare Network Hosts Cutler-Orosi Back to School Fair

EXETER

420 N. Kaweah Ave.

HANFORD

1675 W. Lacey Blvd.

1113 10th Ave.

TULARE

133 North J St.

VISALIA

301 S. Willis St. 2611 S Mooney Blvd.

2124 W. Riggins Ave

Tammie Weyker activity in Visalia, Farmersville, Woodlake, Dinuba, Goshen, Exeter, Traver, Ivanhoe, Cutler and Orosi, along with outlying county areas.

Due to this increased activity, Tulare County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Haught strongly encourages residents to use increased safeguards and: • Use an effective mosquito repellent with DEET. Always follow label instructions carefully.

• Dress in long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk, and in areas where mosquitoes are active.

• Drain standing water or pools that may foster mosquitoes.

• Repair or replace door and window screens that have tears or holes.

• Contact your mosquito abatement district if you see areas of standing water that may be a breeding area for mosquitoes.

Residents are invited to help track the West Nile Virus by reporting all dead birds and squirrels to 1-877-968-2473, or submitting an online report to the California West Nile website at http:// westnile.ca.gov/.

Get FREE mosquito fish for backyard ponds or water features by calling 877-732-8606 or online at www.DeltaVCD.com.

24 • Valley Voice

16 July, 2015

Umpiring Continued from p. 22

for the ball players starts. The number of umpires hired depends upon the number of vacancies, Gorman said. Some may make it into the minor leagues, others may get hired to independent leagues.

Gorman and Graham each were selected into professional minor league ball, and just like the ball players, they aspire to umpire in playoffs and championship series, and to make it into the major leagues.

“Umpires have to progress through every level,” Gorman said. “You can’t skip any level.”

While a good player may advance from A level to AAA and on to the majors fairly quickly, a good umpire must take each and every step.

“It’s a longer road for umpires,” Graham said. “And there has to be a certain amount of luck and timing.”

The “luck and timing” come in as to when and who may opt out or retire, or may be injured.

Injuries are a definite concern, as with players. Umpires are on their feet during the entire game.

Concussions are the biggest concern, said Graham.

And, umpires are watched and graded all through their way to the majors. They are judged on attitude, judgement and accuracy, mobility and knowledge.

On their way up, they learn about pressure.

Gorman said he feels there is more pressure in the majors because of all the cameras and instant replays. But that doesn’t mean the players are always accepting of an umpire’s call.

“There’s always going to be close calls and someone’s not going to be happy,” he said. “It’s not personal, it’s just part of the

Class A-Advance Umpires Chris Graham (left) and Jeff Gorman (right) prepare game balls by rubbing them with Professional Baseball Mud prior to a Visalia Rawhide home game last week. Photo: Nancy Vigran

game.”

And the next game, “it’s always a new day,” he said.

But trying to be perfect in his calls is one of the most difficult parts of the job for him, Gorman said. You have to be able to accept that you might have made a mistake, go on and perform at your best.

“It’s a bad feeling when you miss a call,” he said. “Every umpire, that I know, wants to make the right call all of the time.”

And that is just not possible.

For Graham, the most difficult part of his job is being away from home and family. But it is worth it, he said. Umpiring only lasts the length of the season, so professional umpires return home during the off-season and find other employment to supplement their income.

The profession of umpiring is, “to protect the integrity of the game,” Graham said,

who simply loves the game of baseball, he added.

“Any umpire will tell you they umpire because they love the game,” he said.

These two umpires spend their time around games doing “healthy things,” such as working out at local gyms and sometimes taking in a round of golf. And while they always represent the game and their profession, their actual workday starts about 1 ½ hours prior to game time, when they arrive at the stadium. They get their uniforms and gear ready, and prepare 6-8 dozen baseballs for the game by muddying them. All professional balls, from the minors to the majors, are rubbed with professional Baseball Rubbing Mud, which allows pitchers a firmer grip and better control.

Then, like players, umpires will stretch out and warm up prior to the game.

The umpires are generally through

for the day at the conclusion of the game, unless they have to file an incident report due to grievances, or a player/coach being thrown from the game. They have a rental car throughout the season, and drive to and from each of their designated game locations.

The same umpire team will umpire throughout the length of a particular game-play pairing of generally three games. They trade position from behind the plate to outfield for each game.

As the levels increase, so do the number of umpires in a game. In AA ball, there are three umpires for each game.

“Every day we learn, and if we’re not learning every day, there’s no point in being involved in it,” Graham said.

“You have to be in in the moment to do the job well,” Gorman added. “You never know what is going to happen – you have to be focused and on.”