Valley Voice Issue 91 (20 April, 2017)

Volume XXXVII No. 8 • 20 April, 2017

www.ourvalleyvoice.com

Visalia City Council Votes to Maintain Water Restrictions Catherine Doe Governor Jerry Brown declared the statewide drought emergency over except in the counties of Tulare, Fresno, Kings and Tuolumne, and the Visalia City Council agreed.

The city council voted on April 17 to continue enforcing Stage 2 of the Water Conservation Ordinance by a vote of 4-1, with Mayor Warren Gubler voting no. Gubler felt that imposing water restrictions during a wet year was the wrong approach and not based in science.

California Water Service (CalWater) encouraged the city council to consider continuing Stage 2, emphasizing that a single wet year does not signal the end of the drought and does not resolve the larger problem of groundwater overdraft. CalWater also said that Visalia will need to revisit its water ordinance after the state finalizes its long-term water conservation framework.

Assistant City Manager Leslie Caviglia said that Gov. Brown designated four counties as still under a drought order because of the severe overdraft of its groundwater supply. In a presentation she illustrated how Visalia’s groundwater

level has gone from 10 feet to 133 feet below the surface since 1948. Caviliglia said Visalia is nowhere near recovering the decline in groundwater even with the improvement of a few feet that came with this wet season.

Visalia is completely dependent on its underground water supply.

After showing the council membrs evidence that Visalians have increased their water use in 2016, Caviglia believes that people will not do the right thing unless conservation is mandatory.

She reminded the council that by 2020, according to the Ground Water Sustainability Act, Visalia has to figure out how it is going to restore its groundwater and make it sustainable.

Gubler felt that Stage 2 restrictions were extreme in the face of such a wet year and the current snowpack. He quoted a Fresno Bee article that said that Visalia was not included in Gov. Brown’s list of regions in a drought emergency.

Gubler said that the Monson area and East Porterville were still under the emergency drought order.

Gubler said that the city staff was reacting emotionally and not basing its

TULARE continued on 10 »

Rocky Hill Drive has six no parking sign at its summit, where some people try to park anyway. A couple recent armed robberies of nighttime illegal parkers have taken place in the area. Nancy Vigran/Valley Voice

Nighttime Rocky Hill Visitors Brave Robberies, Destruction Nancy Vigran Rocky Hill Drive from Exeter to Yokohl Valley is a favorite roadway for walkers, joggers, runners and cyclists. It is also often part of a Sunday afternoon drive. And, while it is prohibited, some venture to the top and park at night – to take in the views, among other things.

That choice could be a dangerous one.

At 10:30pm on April 12, “the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by four victims who subsequently advised they had been robbed while parking on Rocky Hill. During the confrontation, the two suspects brandished weapons and demanded property and money.

The victims gave the suspects cash and

the suspects fled the area,” according to a TC Sheriff’s report.

The sister of one of the victims posted the following on her Facebook page – “A warning to all my Facebook friends who like to go up to rocky hill at night and hang out, look at the lights, etc. my sister and a group of her friends were up there last night and we’re robbed at gun point by two men. They slashed her tire and only managed to get away with about 40 dollars in cash and thankfully no one was hurt but it could have turned out a lot worse. The sheriffs informed us that this has become a reoccurring problem up there that people

ROCKY HILL continued on 10 »

Erica Cubas, Howard Stroman, Gregory Blevins and James Pennington are part of the new Board of Public Utilities. Catherine Doe/Valley Voice

New Tulare Board of Public Utilities Ready for Business Tulare has a new Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

Last month, in a move that shocked many observers, the Tulare City Council voted to remove two members of the BPU--a body that oversees city-run utility services, including the city water supply, garbage collection and waste treatment--at a March 21 meeting. That move was followed immediately by the angry resignation of BPU President Philip Smith. The remaining two members resigned the following day.

Now, the body has four new members, with a fifth picked on April 18, after the Voice’s publication time. The new members are Howard Stroman, Gregory Blevins, Erica Cubas and former BPU member James Pennington, one of the two members who resigned from the BPU following the March 21 meeting.

The new BPU’s first meeting is 3pm April 20 in the Council Chambers, 491 North M Street. Commissioners will elect officers, review capital projects and consider a minor equipment replacement request.

Dave Adalian

Pennington Returns

The new BPU will not be entirely without experience. Commissioner James Pennington, who resigned following the March 21 meeting, was reappointed to the BPU at the April 6 meeting. While it was reported in error that Pennington had resigned in protest along with Smith and Commissioner Dick Johnson, he said he left the position so the City Council could reappoint him if it wished.

“There’s only one member left on this board (City Council) who actually voted for me the first time,” Pennington said. “The other two people actually got voted off.”

Pennington was seated just six months before his resignation.

“I still feel I have some work to do,” he said. “I believe the City Council should supply direction. They have the input from the citizens, and we should also listen and be a part of that, and

TULARE continued on 10 »

Tulare Hospital CEO and Staff Testify in Ongoing Trial A lawsuit against Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC) filed by a group of doctors, continues May 22.

Since the trial opened April 3, Judge David Mathias has heard from a number of doctors and the hospital’s CEO in a suit that has snaked its way through the court since February 2016.

The lawsuit, filed by the hospital’s prior medical executive committee (MEC) and medical staff, the Tulare Regional Center Medical Staff, claims that the hospital violated state law and district bylaws in “disassociating” from the medical staff and installing a competing group in its place.

Those laws and bylaws require the medical staff and its leadership body, the medical executive committee, to remain independent from the hospital to ensure that safety and quality of care are not

Tony Maldonado compromised by other factors, such as internal politics or finance.

The former medical staff and executive committee claim that the board’s ouster represents an unacceptable intrusion into the medical staff’s operations and leadership.

The hospital argues that the prior medical staff was not doing its job, and that conversations with federal hospital inspectors led multiple officials with the hospital to believe that without a quick, drastic change, the hospital would be forced to cease operations.

And, in opening arguments and throughout the trial, lawyers for the hospital have also stated that the MEC is not technically independent -- but

HOSPITAL continued on 8 »

2 • Valley Voice

20 April, 2017 From the Publisher’s desk

Wherein I Defeat A Terrifying Intruder

Before we lived in Cabo San Lucas we had, of course, vacationed there. So we knew, broadly, what we had let ourselves in for.

But we--more properly I--had not reckoned on the moscaron. I had never heard of, let alone seen one.

And with the moscaron you hear it before you see it. Imagine the sound of a small helicopter; imagine, too, that when you turn your head to investigate you are confronted by a giant black insect flitting about on angry red wings. By “giant” I mean more than two inches long.

SCENE Late afternoon in the back patio of a beachside house. Red tile. A barbeque pit. All surrounded by a low rock wall. Two shade umbrellas are undulating in a light breeze.

Suddenly there is the sound of an approaching helicopter, a menacing insect, and JOSEPH asks THE GARDENER about it.

JOSEPH (Pointing frantically) Que es eso?

THE GARDENER (Shrugging) No se. Moscaron.

I should point out that, in Spanish, the word for a common fly is “mosca.” By adding “ron” the gardener meant we were contending with nothing more than a very large fly. He didn’t so much as pause in his labors.

Needless to say, I was alarmed. This large fly was very clearly some kind of wasp, whose species appeared to date from the time of the dinosaurs and whose sting, I was fairly certain, would be more than discommoding--and possibly fatal, for children.

But we were on vacation then, so when the thing finally flew away I turned my attention to vacation concerns.

It later developed that alarm was the proper response. A moscaron is actually a tarantula wasp.

The female of this species, equipped with a stinger, paralyzes a tarantula before dragging it inside a lair--perhaps even the tarantula’s own den--where it then lays an egg on the spider which hatches into a larva that, over some weeks, devours it alive. Yikes!

While described as “solitary” and a “lone wolf,” the tarantula wasp, a nectar-feeder, seems in the normal course of its events uninterested in humans. Unless agitated.

Still, according to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index--a scale of agony ranging from one to four--the tarantula wasp shares the top slot, at four, with only the bullet ant.

A fire ant, for comparison, is a one. The sting of a honey bee rates as a two.

Said Schmidt, on the BBC’s webpage, Earth: “Level four you don’t want to know. The pain is so immediate and intense that it shuts down all illusions of life as normal. Imagine sticking a finger in a 240 volt electrical socket.” In particular, the sting of the tarantula wasp Schmidt described as “Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has just been dropped into your bubble bath.”

From the website Absurd Creature of the Week: “There are some vivid descriptions of people getting stung by these things,” says invertebrate biologist Ben Hutchins of Texas Parks and Wildlife, “and their recommendation—and this was actually in a peer-reviewed journal—was to just lie down and start screaming, because few if any people could maintain verbal and physical coordination after getting stung by one of these things. You’re likely to just run off and hurt yourself. So just lie down and start yelling.”

There you have it. Fast forward roughly five years and now we’re living down in Cabo.

And one night one of these dragons gets inside the house. And--yes!--it (she) seems agitated. Because she cannot get out. Because there is no way we are opening any door to the possibility of admitting any more of them.

It’s like a Japanese monster movie. The dragon swoops and dives intently, we duck and lunge, terrified, upending lamps and jousting back with tennis rackets and magazines.

Finally, at an impasse, the dragon comes to rest at some height on the living room wall, positively throbbing either from anger or her exertions. This is our time to strike--but how? Throw something?

Making no sudden moves, I sidle a solid 20 feet out of the room. Propped in the hallway is a pellet rifle I bought to share with Chuck and Alex.

Moving so swiftly as I dare to, I cock and coolly level the equalizer.

I couldn’t make that shot again even if I wanted to. And believe me--I don’t want to.

Joseph Oldenbourg

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

Publisher/Editor: Joseph Oldenbourg (joseph@ourvalleyvoice.com) (559) 972-7778

Reporters:

Catherine Doe (catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com) Dave Adalian (dave@ourvalleyvoice.com) Stefan Barros — sports (stefan@ourvalleyvoice.com) Production/Website: Tony Maldonado (tony@ourvalleyvoice.com)

Sales & Special Sections Editor:

Nancy Vigran (nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com)

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Please contact the Voice for more information.

20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • 3

Political Fix Let Them Eat Cake

Now that the GOP is focused on Tax Reform, President Donald Trump can use his office to do a little family estate planning. Let’s start at the end and work our way back.

I don’t claim to fully understand the GOP tax reform bill but here is the gist. The GOP wants to simplify the tax code and cut taxes without increasing the deficit. Keeping the tax bill “revenue neutral” also means that it can pass with 51 votes in the Senate instead of a two third majority. It also makes the tax cuts permanent. George W’s tax cuts increased the deficit and thus only lasted 10 years.

To keep the tax bill revenue neutral, the Republicans need to repeal Obamacare. That would cut a trillion in taxes. Then the Border Adjustment Tax (BAT) would bring in more than a trillion dollars in extra revenue. The revenue would come from a 20% tax increase on imports.

So there you go! Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?

Well, the Republicans were unsuccessful at repealing Obamacare, so there goes one trillion. Now a huge coalition of companies, mostly retailers and the Koch bothers, are waging war against BAT. Stores like Walmart and Amazon might survive an increase in an import tax, but say goodbye to Sears, JC Penny and maybe even Macy’s. So there goes the second trillion.

Why? Nearly all products that we consume are either wholly or partly made overseas and will be subject to the 20% tax. That means part of the trillion dollars will eventually be paid by American consumers in terms of higher prices.

But just for argument sake, let’s say that House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump resurrect the Obamacare debate and get it repealed. And let’s say that they rally support for BAT and get the votes. Also there is another trillion dollars being bantered about concerning a flood of overseas money that will come back into the country, but I didn’t quite grasp the concept.

So that is three trillion dollars to counter any increase in the deficit, making it likely the Republican Tax Reform Bill could pass. But what is in it?

Basically the GOP wants to simplify the tax code by condensing the seven individual income tax brackets into three brackets. The highest bracket is now is 39.6% and will go down to 33%. Republicans want to slash rates for corporations and individuals but also eliminate many corporate loopholes. Even though the corporate tax rate will go down, if loopholes are eliminated, corporations will be paying more in taxes.

The corporate and individual tax rates are still being banged out. House Republicans were looking at 25% corporate rate, Trump suggested 15% rate, then House Republicans moved their proposed corporate rate to 20%. So, who knows.

The new tax code calls for eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (ATM) and the Estate Tax. The ATM was imposed in 1969 by Richard Nixon to be certain that 155 millionaires did not escape taxation by investing in tax-free municipal bonds. Now it keeps

Catherine Doe

wealthy taxpayers from using loopholes to avoid paying taxes. Not all those taxpayers are millionaires though.

Some aspects of the tax bill would be advantageous to the Trump family and some parts wouldn’t. The problem remains how the American public is supposed to know if President Trump is making money from his office of president?

If he does not release his tax returns then we don’t know if Tax Reform will “make America great again” or make his family even wealthier. There will be times when tax reform might do both, but gauging from all of the protests, the public wants to know.

We do know from his 2005 tax return that if the AMT were eliminated it would have saved him $31 million.

The biggest game changer for the Trump family fortune will be the elimination of the Estate Tax. At the end of this term Mr. Trump will be 74 years old.

There is something slightly un-American about Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. not paying a dime of inheritance tax on billions of dollars because their daddy was president.

When Hillary Clinton accused him of not paying a cent of federal tax during a debate, Mr. Trump replied, “That makes me smart,” And so agrees the late New Yorker billionaire hotelier Leona Helmsley who once said “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.”

miles from the White House Situation Room and in full view of hundreds of club members and their guests.”

Hearing of North Korea’s missile test, Trump and his advisors held an “open-air situation room” at the club and guests at the club were warned not to use cell phones when the president was near.

Quoted in Time magazine, “‘Holy moly!!!’ club member Richard DeAgazio wrote on Facebook, adding a photo of a military aide carrying the nuclear football. ‘It was fascinating to watch,’ De Agazio said.”

President Trump’s second national security test was when Bahar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. Trump ordered missile strikes against Syria while at Mar a Lago, before sitting down with Chinese leader Xi Jingping for a meal.

A picture of the beach resort’s situation room shows Trump and his advisors crammed into a space the size of a large storage closet. A “Quiet Area”

sign was taped to the door. The White House Situation Room on the other hand is a 5,000 sq-ft conference room in the basement of the West Wing, which has secure, advanced communications equipment.

It’s not just annoying that the president doesn’t use the situation room made just for this purpose at the White House, but the fact that tax payers are covering the cost of two situation rooms and three households for our billionaire president.

Melania, his wife, lives with their son Barron in New York. The NYPD says it costs taxpayers $127,000 to $146,000 a day to protect the first lady and her son while they reside in Trump Tower. Security is also provided for Barron Trump while he attends private school. When President Trump is also in New York, the amount is closer to $308,000.

A petition on Change.org criticizes Mrs. Trump for living in Trump Tower

POLITICAL FIX continued on 10 »

Breathe Easier

The Reluctant King

Is it just me or would most people feel more comfortable knowing President Trump was dropping bombs on Syria while sitting in the Situation Room in Washington D.C.? I don’t think Americans appreciated seeing President Trump’s son-in-law, treasury secretary, secretary of commerce, and other irrelevant advisors, sitting on gold painted bamboo chairs at a Florida beach resort while dealing with issues of national security. This, while his real advisors, the Secretary of Defense, chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff and Vice President skyped from Washington to participate.

The impromptu “situation room” was set up at his luxury country club, Mar a Lago, where club members and staff, who have no security clearance, wander freely. The resort could easily be infiltrated by foreign spies. “Hostile intelligence services would love to plant bugs in a place like this,” John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director, told Politico.

Melania hasn’t even moved into the White House, and the president has spent seven weekends out of 13 at his Mar a Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. By the way they are acting, it seems President Trump feels that he can just “phone it in” for the next four years.

His first National Security test happened while he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar a Lago. Right before dinner, President Trump received confirmation that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

According to Time magazine, “part of the drama played out in the middle of the Mar a Lago patio, more than 800

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4 • Valley Voice

20 April, 2017

March’s Pueblo Fest Was Not Enjoyed by All

were able to clearly hear the concert music inside While the first Pueblo Fest was of our home, with all the enjoyed by thousands in Tulare, there doors and windows closed. were at least a few neighbors who were Not only was the music unhappy with the event. Held at the volume excessive but it International Agri-Center in mid- lasted until 10pm each March, the three-day Fest drew people night. Ten pm is way past from up and down the Valley with mu- the bedtime of my ninesic and dance into the evening hours year-old daughter and sixon Friday, Saturday and Sunday. year-old son, especially on The music was beyond annoy- a school night. My chilance level for some residents of Sun- dren had difficulty falling rise Estates, within one-half mile from asleep all weekend because the center. Two residents called the of the loud concert music.”

Agri-Center voicing their concerns.

Smith said she underThree spoke during the public com- stood that city council had ment forum during a recent Tulare City approved the permit for Council meeting, as recommended to the event. She asked that them by Agri-Center staff. The neigh- the council “carefully” rebors did not lodge formal complaints view all requests in the fuwith local police, but they wanted to ture regarding noise level express their concern and to discourage and event hours.

Pueblo Fest may not be the last event to draw noise complaints. Courtesy/PuebloFest a repeat of the noise levels.

“It is completely unat a later date to talk about decibel lev- Brubaker, facility rentals manager. reasonable for a property owner to els and Agri-Center contracts.

The center staff wants to assure clearly hear concert music within the Complaints to Council She ended by saying, “Again, I that it follows city and council ordi“My home is very close to the In- walls of their home from an event that completely support the Agri-Cen- nances, he said, something he feels the ternational Agri-Center,” said Amy is one-half mile away,” she said. ter – it’s not that I don’t want events center can help do itself, by purchasing Neighbor Laura Yeager also ad- happening out there. I think it’s truly a decibel reader.

Smith, “approximately one-half mile as the crow flies. An almond orchard dressed the issue.

According to Tulare’s code for amgreat. But, I would like the noise level “The Agri-Center is a wonder- to come down, just a little bit.” is all that separates my home from the plified sound noise standards, “Sound ful venue for many people to enjoy,” Agri-Center property.

Jennifer Harlan revealed that she or noise produced by sound amplifica“The Agri-Center has hosted many Yeager said. has lived in Sunrise Estates since July, tion equipment used at all city parks “However, on the evenings of 2013 and said, she “had never had a and other city facilities shall be measuccessful events since we moved into our home in 2006. Occasionally we March 17, 18 and 19, the concert concern like this before.” sured at points not greater than 100 can hear some noise from Agri-Center music was so loud that my children “The music and the announce- feet from the sound source within city activities, but it has never been a prob- couldn’t sleep,” she said. “Seven o’clock ments could be heard through our walls parks or facilities and shall not exceed lem for us before. On the weekend of is when I usually but my kids down, and our windows even when closed,” 85 decibels.”

March 17-19, 2017, the International and the music was going until at least she said. “I have recordings from withBrubaker said that tests can be givAgri-Center hosted a three-day music 10pm. I understand on Fridays and in my house and from my backyard en when amplified sound is to be used festival. While I understand that this Saturdays, because that’s the weekend that I would be happy to share. at an event to assure that the noise level event was successful, which benefits – but Sunday night was really difficult “I would like it to be noted that is below the upper limits. The center is all Tulare residents, my family and I because the children had to get up at it was EXTREMELY disruptive to my not accustomed to having many conwere adversely affected by the constant 6am the next morning and function family especially to my children as they cert-type events that amplify sound on very little sleep.” loud music. could not go to sleep. This negatively during evening hours, he said. But, She asked that a discussion be held impacted my children the following that is something that could increase “During the three-day event, we day, as they were tired and did not get in the future.

Brubaker also commented that proper rest for school. I know my children were NOT alone in this incident. the center is looking into updating its I am a school psychologist and I work rental contract to include the city and for Tulare City, and PROPER sleep is county codes for noise levels. Reducing noise from carrying options include CRITICAL for a child.

Harlan said she had contacted and using a different area of the grounds, as spoke with Ben Brubaker at the Inter- well as having the speakers regulated as to how far they will push sound. national Agri-Center.

“We are actually pursuing other “He was very apologetic about the noise, and he said that he wants to opportunities for Tulare,” said Brubakhave a good relationship with the com- er, who formerly was the city’s chamber of commerce director. “We’re looking munity. . .

“He also shared with me that with to help Tulare become a destination.”

Much of what the Agri-Center is the new overpass coming that they are going to be booking a lot more venues hoping to attract is agricultural in naand concerts. I fear that this is going ture, or related in some way, such as to become a regular occurrence, and I livestock shows, horse shows and more.

Prior to Pueblo Fest, noise comdon’t want it to negatively impact our neighborhood. I feel like others and plaints were not an issue with the cenmyself in the community would like to ter - at least, so far as Tulare Sergeant Andy Garcia can remember. know that this won’t be repeated.”

Recent records did not reveal any Harlan “urged” the council to come up with a plan to address fu- formal complaints. And, similarly, no complaints were filed in the proximture events. ity of the Tulare County Fairgrounds during last year’s fair.

Agri-Center Response With the success of Pueblo Fest, Officials from the Agri-Center producers are looking to make it an were indeed disturbed to hear of the problem – a problem they hope to pre- annual event. They have booked the vent in the future. The center proper- Agri-Center for the same weekend Local • Personal • Thriving ty is about one-half within city limits next year. and one-half within county limits, said www.tucoemas.org • Federally insured by NCUA Nancy Vigran

Locally Grown

20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • 5

$60k Raised for Tulare Boys & Girls Club on April 1

Visalia to Welcome Delegation from Sister City of Miki, Japan Staff Reports

Celebrating over fifty years of friendship as sister-cities, the City of Visalia welcomes guests from Miki, Japan for the dedication and ribbon cutting of Miki City Park this week.

To celebrate this historic occasion, the delegation from Miki, Japan will be officially welcomed to Visalia on Friday, April 21st at 10 a.m. in City Hall West. A schedule of activities for the delegates will follow, showcasing Visalia and life in the Central Valley.

Taking place this Saturday, April 22nd at 10 a.m., the delegates will be guests of honor as Visalia’s newest park opens to the public. The dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Warren Gubler in

Japanese, the introduction of the Miki, Japan delegation, the unveiling of the park monument and much more.

Miki City Park is located on the northwest corner of Mineral King Avenue and Johnson Street, along Mill Creek. The 1/3 acre park features Japanese cultural touches and drought tolerant landscaping.

The Miki City Park ceremony will begin promptly at 10 a.m. Attendees are then invited to join the Earth Day celebration that begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at the corner of Mineral King Avenue and Stevenson Street.

For more information, contact Allison Mackey, City of Visalia at (559) 713-4535 or allison.mackey@ visalia.city.

New Senior Living Community Coming to Visalia

Staff Reports

dinner catered by Fugazzis. In addition, supporters got to hear from one club member Luz Rincon about the difference the Tulare Boys & Girls Club has made in her life.

“I am so proud of our community, and how we come together to support the youth of Tulare,” Pinto said. “We raised more than $60,000 and I could not happier!”

Pinto said that over the 10-year life of Comix 4 Kidz, close to $500,000 has been raised for the kids, which equates to helping more than 1,200 children enjoy the benefits of the club.

“That’s 1,200 children that we have impacted their lives, and ensured that they have a safe place to learn, play and just be a kid,” she said.

Major sponsor this year was Will Tiesiera Ford in Tulare. Other sponsors included: Altura Centers for Health, Bank of the Sierra, Daro Commodities, Educational Employees Credit Union, Family HealthCare Network, Faria Land & Cattle Company, Horswill Mederos Soares & Ormonde, J.D. Heiskell & Co., Land O’Lakes, Sterling & Smith Funeral Home and Tulare Nursing & Rehabilitation.

If you would like to learn more about the Boys & Girls Club, become a volunteer, or donate to support the Club visit www.bgcsequoias.org.

APRIL

Photo by Ken Weisenberger

The Miki Autumn Harvest Festival is held yearly in Miki, Japan, Visalia’s sister city.

Courtesy/663highland/Wikimedia

The 10th annual Comix 4 Kidz held April 1 in Tulare made two things very clear to everyone who attended the comedy show that benefited the Tulare Boys & Girls Club: Tulare has a heart for kids, and they know how to have fun!

The comedy show, featuring Tulare’s own Johnny Sanchez, broke fundraising records by netting more than $60,000, all to ensure that kids have a fun, safe and educational after-school environment to enjoy. Nearly 300 eager supporters filled the TDES Hall in Tulare to support the youth of Tulare, and they had a great time doing it.

“Johnny was hilarious, he totally rocked the house,” said Chairperson Dr. Marie Pinto, and a big fan of Sanchez. “It was great to have a local guy come to give back to his community.

Our committee did a great job and everyone had a great time.”

The money raised at Saturday’s event helps cover the cost for children to attend the club. This year’s effort will cover the cost of 150 children, ensuring that these kids continue to enjoy the club and everything it offers kids in the way of academic success, good character and citizenship and healthy lifestyles.

The evening sometimes silly, sometimes hammy and always funny was still a serious opportunity for the community to raise money through the live and silent auction bidding and the fabulous

Quail Park at Shannon Ranch will offer exceptional living and health services for active seniors Living Care Lifestyles, a national leader in senior lifestyle communities, has joined forces with local partners to open Quail Park at Shannon Ranch, a new senior community in northwest Visalia offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

Construction will begin in 2017, and the new facility will open in 2019. Plans for Quail Park at Shannon Ranch call for 120 rooms – with capacity for 140 residents – located at Demaree and Flagstaff Avenue. The community is expected to employ a staff of approximately 120.

Quail Park at Shannon Ranch’s amenities will include bistro, pub, dining room and private dining options; a pool-fitness-wellness suite and fitness programs; sports den and activity center; 24-seat theater, library and mediation suites, a virtual golf area, outdoor patios on three levels, and trail access to the Shannon Parkway.

catch the fun APRIL 21 - POST-GAME FIREWORKS! APRIL 23 - HERO DAY! $5 Grandstand 100 Tickets for all Fire, Police, and EMT workers!

Kids get to check out a fire truck and meet Tulare County Firefighters Be a hero yourself & donate blood at the game! (First 50 get free tickets)

About Living Care Lifestyles Living Care Lifestyles, founded in 1999 and based in Seattle, is the leader and simply the best in senior lifestyles communities. More information is available at www.livingcarelifestyles.com.

©2017 Living Care Lifestyles. All rights reserved.

APRIL 27 - IRISH PUB NIGHT! $1 Beers from 6-8 PM! LIVE Pregame Music from High Grade Pats Wear green and receive a free pasture ticket!

WWW.RAWHIDEBASEBALL.COM 559.732.4433

6 • Valley Voice

20 April, 2017

Agriculture Accounting for Water in the San Joaquin Valley Brad Arnold, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Jay Lund, and Ellen Hanak Accounting for water supplies and uses is fundamental to good water management, but it is often difficult and controversial to implement. As with other types of accounting, this task is harder and costlier when information is not well organized.

Here we present a 30-year set of water balances for the San Joaquin Valley, California’s largest agricultural region and home to more than half of the state’s irrigated acreage. The valley has multiple sources of surface water and is the largest user of groundwater in California. Of particular interest in this region is understanding the extent of long-term depletion of water stored in aquifers (overdraft). This practice will need to be curbed as water users implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Ending overdraft can be achieved by augmenting other water supplies and reducing net water use.

Annual estimates for water use and availability are available from California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). However, this information is often difficult to navigate and piece together, and has some important gaps.

State water balances (e.g., DWR Bulletin 160 – California Water Plan Updates) are sometimes hindered by missing or inadequate data. They also are produced with significant lags; the state’s last published water balances are for 2010, and do not include any of the latest drought years.

To develop a high-level, up-to-date picture of water supplies and uses in the valley, we combined available public data to develop estimates of annual regional water balances for the years 1986 to 2015. Similar exercises should be done at the sub-basin and hydrologic region scales to enable local water users to develop and implement plans for bringing their basins into long-term balance under SGMA, using these balance data and information as planning tools.

The downloadable Excel file, available at californiawaterblog.com, contains annual data, calculations, and sources (a detailed description of data and methods is provided in Technical Appendix A of PPIC, 2017). Changes in groundwater storage are calculated as the residual

Water Balance Inflow/Outflow Diagram. Courtesy/California Water Blog

in the water balance—the difference between other water supplies and net water use. Total net water supply— from local and imported inflows, precipitation, and changes in storage (including groundwater overdraft or recharge)—must equal the sum of net water used or stored within the valley (in surface reservoirs and aquifers) plus exports and outflows.

These annual data show: • Local inflows from Sierra Nevada watersheds vary wildly between years, and drive regional groundwater pumping; • Net or “consumptive” water use—the water consumed by people or plants, evaporated into the air, or discharged into saline water bodies or groundwater basins—is fairly constant across these years. In drier years, stored surface water and groundwater pumping supplement annual inflows; • Variance in Delta imports from the State Water Project (SWP) and the Central Valley Project (CVP) is largely independent of other valley conditions. These imports are affected by water conditions in the Sacramento Valley, Delta pumping regula-

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tions, and water demand in other importing regions (especially Southern California); • San Joaquin River outflows also vary significantly, reflecting variable inflows from the Sierra Nevada watershed, as well as changes over time in environmental and water quality regulations on valley outflows.

• Differences between annual water supplies and net water use result in changes in surface and groundwater storage. Wet years tend to increase storage and dry years tend to draw more water from reservoirs and aquifers.

In most years, consumptive water use exceeds local surface and groundwater inflows, leading to overdraft of groundwater and concerns for long-term water use sustainability.

Valley-wide, just a few wet years saw net groundwater recharge. The 30-year average annual groundwater overdraft is roughly 1.8 million acre-feet per year (MAF/yr). It averaged 2.2 MAF/yr from 2001-2015—the driest 15-year period since the 1920s. Local watershed inflows average about 55 percent of total inflow;

Bay-Delta inflows from SWP and CVP imports average about 25 percent of supplies, and direct diversions from the Delta by north-valley water users about 6 percent.

Our recent report, Water Stress and a Changing San Joaquin Valley, describes a range of approaches for bringing the valley’s water accounts into long-term balance. A variety of factors, including SGMA, water market opportunities, water rights, and other regulatory and management decisions, will lead water managers to rely increasingly on water accounting at the basin and sub-basin levels.

The valley’s overall dryness and the high variability between drought and wet years require better long-term water planning and more robust water accounting.

Better water data collection and management—that is both more timely and transparent—is an important government role that will require stakeholders’ support.

Improved accounting methods and data analysis across state and local agencies—as is common in several other western states—can facilitate better water management in this important region.

This article reprinted from the California Water Blog.

KCFB Taste of the Valley April 29 Kings County Farm Bureau will be hosting its popular food, wine and beer-tasting fundraiser, Taste of the Valley, on Saturday, April 29. This community-wide event helps raise money to support Farm Bureau programs.

The event will be held at beautiful Burris Park from 4-7pm and offer guests the opportunity to sample an impressive assortment of California SALES, SERVICE, RENTAL AG EQUIPMENT & TRUCK REPAIR

Staff Reports

wines, hand-crafted beers, and to purchase food from some favorite local eateries. The evening will feature live music by Hanford’s own J.J. Brown, an outdoor game area and a silent auction.

Wineries that will be pouring include CWO Cacciatore, Cardella

TASTE continued on 7 »

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20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • 7

Agriculture Commentary: State Must Hold Line on HLB Citrus Disease Nick Hill

As Florida faces its worst orange harvest in more than 50 years and Texas faces thousands of huanglongbing detections in its Rio Grande Valley, California citrus growers are grateful for another prosperous season untouched by the plant disease.

We’ve had HLB in California since 2012, but we’ve managed to keep it out of commercial groves entirely. During these five years, there have been fewer than 50 diseased trees identified, removed and destroyed—all in urban Los Angeles County.

In Florida, the disease was first discovered in 2005 and within two years was identified in all citrus-producing regions of the state. By 2012, the disease had cost Florida $4.5 billion and 8,000 jobs.

Our partners in Florida have told us time and again how critical it is to respond aggressively to pest and disease detections. Coordination is key, they said. Thus, a strong and coordinated response is the cornerstone of the Cit-

rus Pest & Disease Prevention Program here in California.

Since its inception in 2009, the program has played a pivotal role in stopping the spread of HLB. Much of the program’s work has taken place in urban areas where Asian citrus psyllid populations and disease likelihood are much higher than in commercial groves. For that reason, citrus growers may be unaware of the breadth of program activities.

In the core areas of Los Angeles County where HLB has been detected, the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program partners with local and state agriculture authorities to visit thousands of properties several times each year, inspecting all citrus varieties, taking leaf samples and testing for the disease. When a tree is confirmed HLB-positive, it is taken out of the ground quickly—often in a matter of hours. Throughout the rest of California, agriculture officials use a risk-modeling system to identify areas that need focused inspections and sampling.

In 2016, the California Depart-

ment of Food and Agriculture collected nearly 50,000 plant samples and nearly 80,000 Asian citrus psyllid samples to test for HLB. Since sample collection began in 2008, more than 400,000 plant and psyllid samples have been collected and processed.

For too long, Asian citrus psyllids were allowed unfettered access to citrus groves in Florida, as growers there focused on managing citrus canker.

Florida growers have since developed a strong pest-management program, which served as inspiration for California’s own take on Asian citrus psyllid control in commercial groves.

The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program employs personnel throughout citrus production areas to help growers time their Asian citrus psyllid treatments in a coordinated fashion. Regularly spraying for the psyllid and coordinating with your neighboring growers will protect all our trees from HLB. CDFA will treat residential properties located within 400 meters around commercial properties that are partic-

ipating in an area-wide management program, if 90 percent of commercial citrus in the treatment area participates. This makes it even more imperative for growers to work together when treating for the psyllid.

As farmers, we already struggle with tight margins, limited resources and regulatory burdens, so it is natural for some to get weary of repeated Asian citrus psyllid sprays and other pest mitigation measures. But psyllid management is absolutely critical if we hope to remain ahead of this disease. California citrus growers must continue investing in prevention now, to secure more disease-free seasons in the future.

HLB has killed millions of citrus plants in the southeastern United States, but it has claimed just a few dozen in California. We must keep holding the line until a cure is found.

(Tulare County citrus grower Nick Hill chairs the California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee.)

This article reprinted with the permission of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

California Needs CalFood Dr. Sarah Ramirez, FoodLink Exec. Dir. FoodLink for Tulare County wants to share some policy opportunities that may be of mutual interest—prioritizing CalFood and clarifying donations under the Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Both support our local food production interests while also providing food for families who need it.

In 2016-17 our state responded to California’s hunger and poverty crisis, by allocating 2 million dollars for CalFood (formerly SEFAP) in the state’s budget. Until this allocation was made, California was the largest state in the nation with no funds allocated to emergency food.

CalFood benefits growers and producers since the funds are to be spent on California product. FoodLink used the funds to purchase local pistachios for children’s SmartPacks, fresh local eggs for pantries serving 8,400 families, and for other holiday food.

The Governor’s new budget discon-

Taste

Continued from 6 Winery, E & J Gallo Winery, Farmer’s Fury and Twisted Roots Winery.

Bird Street Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Full Circle Brewing Company, Riley’s Brewing, Mad Duck Brewery, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company and the Tulare County Homebrew Organization will be sharing an assortment of craft beers.

Sponsors that include A.S. Danielson’s, Bennett & Bennett Irrigation, Golden State Farm Credit and Mitchell Insurance Service will also be serving up an

tinues CalFood funds.

Moreover, food banks will also lose food and funds with the end of the Drought Food Assistance Program.

CalFood is the ideal vehicle to meet the statewide need for emergency food that can help local growers and food businesses.

Write a letter or make calls to ask that the Legislature work with the Administration to fund CalFood at $17.5 million in the 2017-18 Budget to maintain the current level of critical food resources for California.

Doing so, benefits us all.

For more than five years, I have been involved in food rescue activities. I’ve met potential donors (farmers, restaurants, and home owners) unaware of the laws and benefits when they donate to the food bank.

While the landmark 1996 federal Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act provides these protections, there are several provisions needed to facilitate safe and effective donations, especially of valuable protein sources like

meat and dairy.

AB 1219 (Eggman) will clarify and expand on existing protections for food donors in the state of California by increasing edible food donations and increasing awareness around the laws protecting donors and reducing the amount of food going into California’s food waste stream, by: Clarifying that Good Samaritan liability protections apply to donations of foods that may be past their ‘best by’ or ‘sell by’ date label, provided that they are still safe for human consumption.

Providing liability protection for donations directly to end-users, limited to food establishments required to comply with food safety requirements.

And by promoting education and awareness campaigns around the law for potential donors by: Requiring that County Environmental Health Departments provide language on restaurant Food Facility Inspection reports and on publicly facing county food safety scorecards.

At a time when 1 in 8 Californians

assortment of wine and beer.

Food, desserts and beverages will be available from vendors that include Fagundes Old World Cheese, Figaro’s Mexican Grill, Rock N Roll Deli and Rosa Brothers Milk Company.

KCFB Executive Director Dusty Ference said that the money raised will allow Farm Bureau to fund ag education and outreach programs in Kings County, from training classes and industry workshops to political activism, community involvement and Farm Day. “Farm Bureau relies heavily on fundraisers like this one to allow us to

continue advocating for Kings County agriculture and providing the programs and services that local farmers have come to rely on,” Ference said.

Taste of the Valley tickets are $45 each, and can be purchased online at

suffers from hunger and food is the largest element in our landfills, this bill is one more step toward clarifying the language for donors and another resource that food banks can use to address local hunger.

There is an urgent need for letters of support for both of these items.

Please email sarah@foodlinktc.org with your questions or to request a template letter for your support.

This article reprinted with the permission of the Tulare County Farm Bureau.

kcfb.org or at the KCFB office, 870 Greenfield Ave. in Hanford. Tickets will also be on sale at the gate on the day of the event for $50. For more information, please call the KCFB office at 584-3557.

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8 • Valley Voice

Hospital Continued from 1

rather “interdependent” -- due to shared responsibilities between the MEC and the district’s board of directors.

A recent report from the California Department of Public Health appears to validate the claims from both sides: the report found that the former medical staff did not attempt to improve relations with the Tulare Local Healthcare District (TLHCD) Board of Directors, but that the board did not make any effort to allow the former medical staff to clear up deficiencies found by federal regulators.

In fact, according to testimony by hospital officials and MEC representatives, the former MEC was not made aware of the findings by regulators until after the group’s removal.

Hospital officials say they’re confident that the case will be decided correctly -- in their favor.

“Defendants Tulare Local Health Care District and HCCA are confident that when all the evidence is considered

by Judge Mathias, he will conclude that the actions taken by the district’s Governing Board on January 26, 2016, were lawful as the legitimate exercise of discretion and business judgment by district board members,” a statement from the hospital read.

Formation of New MEC

Dr. Parmod Kumar, a member of the hospital’s board of directors, emerged in testimony as a key figure -- if not the absolute center -- of the new MEC’s formation in the days following inspections by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).

Indeed, in the hospital’s opening statement, Carlo Coppo, a lawyer for the hospital, stated as much. “[Kumar] was frightened the hospital he loves, where his patients come and he loves, was going to shut down,” Coppo said. “So he went to a number of doctors who pledged to him that they would be collegial and responsible to the board.”

Those doctors were Frank Macaluso, Gary Walter, Anthony Trujillo, Rebecca Zulim, Ronald Ostrom, Parul Gupta, and Kumar, who is Gupta’s husband.

In videotaped depositions, various members of the new MEC stated that Kumar approached them to join the new MEC and form a new medical staff.

Trujillo said he was approached “a day or two” before the January, 2016 vote by the board to join, and form a new medical staff and medical executive committee. He said that Kumar called and asked him to come to his office to discuss something important regarding the hospital.

“Dr. Kumar stated that the board decided that they wanted to certify a new medical staff,” Trujillo said. “He said a new MEC had to be formed.”

Ostrom, the chief of staff for the new MEC, said that Kumar reached out to him and told him that the hospital was in “immediate jeopardy.”

“He said we needed to form a new MEC,” Ostrom said.

Zulim said that she was asked to come to a meeting, and at the meeting, she too was asked to join the new medical executive committee.

Kumar stated during his testimony that “nobody raised the question of forming a new MEC,” instead stating

20 April, 2017 that there was a group discussion about what the best path forward was.

At a home in Tulare, Trujillo stated the core group voted to form a new medical executive committee. Trujillo said he believed the home belonged to “a friend of Kumar’s.”

He also stated that discussion was had to ensure that “[the group] did this correctly,” meaning that it could not be undone by “those with ulterior motives.”

Part of that meant that all of the doctors not part of the core group were demoted from “active” status to “provisional” status, temporarily stripping them of the right to vote -- or to begin a recall process during the first two years of the new MEC’s existence.

“We felt we needed time to implement all of the changes that were required for the sake of certification,” Trujillo said. “[To] maintain the MEC and not have it replaced a month later.”

Ostrom, Zulim and Trujillo all stated in their testimony that they did not see the report from CMS during this time -- and that Kumar was the source of their knowledge, as he had been involved in an exit meeting with CMS inspectors.

Kumar stated the same.

“I was the source, but in that meeting, there was 15 or 20 other people,” he said. “It was a scathing review.”

Kumar stated he had not read the entire CMS report until he was recently deposed, instead stating that Dr. Everett Davis, a CMS inspector, had given him a scathing review of the hospital in person. This was all the knowledge he needed, he said. “[Davis] used the word ‘incompetent.’ He used words, ‘I’m not doing my job,’” Kumar stated earlier in his testimony. “So after that stripping of him by me in a very insulting manner, that’s when I start thinking, ‘What is the best way to go forward? Who should I call? What should I do?’

Hospital officials agreed in their statement to the Voice.

“The imminent threat created by the old medical staff was communicated to hospital personnel by surveyors from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” the hospital’s statement reads. “CMS based their threat of closure in large part on the history of dysfunction between the Governing Board and the leaders of the former medical staff, which led to the failure of the medical staff to conduct appropriate credentialing and peer review of physicians.”

“I have been told enough by Dr. Davis,” Kumar said. “I did not believe I had to see the report.”

“Living Under A Rock”

“

legal owner.

Davis had called an impromptu exit interview on January 7, 2016, Benzeevi told the court, and at that point he gave a scathing assessment of the hospital’s medical staff.

“He said ‘[This] is a completely dysfunctional medical staff, and if this persists, the hospital will be no more,’” Benzeevi stated.

No one from the former Medical Executive Committee was in the room, all sides agree, when the CMS inspector, “angry [and] disgusted,” gave his view of the state of affairs at the hospital.

The hospital’s CEO said that he did not make an effort to invite any members of the former MEC to the interview with Davis.

“You don’t go to the problem to solve the problem,” Benzeevi told Michael Amir, a lawyer representing the former MEC. After being questioned by Amir, Benzeevi clarified that while there was no clear indication that Davis would find any faults with the medical staff or MEC, he knew that Davis was regularly spending time in the medical staff office.

That led him to believe that Davis would likely find issue with medical staff or the MEC. While Benzeevi did not offer for Davis to meet with the MEC during his time in Tulare, he claimed that Davis was a demanding figure -- not open to discussion.

After the impromptu exit interview, Benzeevi agreed that he had not informed the prior MEC of the upcoming January 26 vote or Davis’ statements - and that he was not aware of anyone who had informed them.

“You’d have to be living under a rock,” to not realize that the medical staff and MEC would not be involved somehow, Benzeevi said. “It was pretty obvious [Davis] was angry. It would be impossible to miss it.”

During his testimony, Dr. Parmod Kumar, a TLHCD board member, said that Davis was so dissatisfied with the state of affairs at the hospital that he left early.

“What he told me, when he was insulting me as a board of director, he’s so disgusted, he was going to leave,” Kumar said. “He was supposed to be here for two more days and complete the survey, and things are so bad here, he’s leaving.”

“Dr. Davis demanded things and wouldn’t allow you to speak,” Benzeevi said.

Davis’s statements were the basis for the panic amongst the board and hospital administration.

Sherrie Bell, a former chair of the

I don’t know what [Davis] told me. I don’t recall that because he was so insulting. I stopped hearing him. Looks like I was some kind of piece of crap in front of him that he has to dehumanize me.

”

Dr. Parmod Kumar, TLHCD Board Member Davis was the inspector who led hospital officials to believe that without immediate, sweeping action, the hospital’s future would be at risk, according to the hospital’s top management official, Dr. Benny Benzeevi.

Benzeevi is the CEO of Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) the company which operates TRMC under a partnership with the Tulare Local Healthcare District, the hospital’s

hospital’s board of directors, stated in a deposition that she came to the same impression -- that the hospital would close without drastic changes to the MEC -based on statements by Davis.

Those statements were provided to her by Benzeevi.

The Follow-Up

Benzeevi was asked about a fol-

low-up survey from CMS in March, after the ouster of the former MEC -- with Davis again emerging as a key figure.

“Literally, [he was] screaming and yelling like we were little children,” Benzeevi said. “He said we made it worse, not better.”

In his testimony, Kumar said he could not recollect what Davis had stated during the follow-up visit.

“I don’t know what he told me. I don’t recall that because he was so insulting. I stopped hearing him. Looks like I was some kind of piece of crap in front of him that he has to dehumanize me,” Kumar said. “It was so -- I just blocked my mind and looked at 10 or 15 other inspectors in the room, and I said to myself, ‘What is this?’ I don’t know what the hell he was saying to me.”

Davis’ follow-up visit to the hospital resulted in a May, 2016 letter that found the hospital had violated standards requiring the medical staff be granted the “right to self-govern to select and remove medical staff officers and initiate, develop and adopt medical staff bylaws.”

The day after the survey -- well before the arrival of the May letter -HCCA officials wrote a letter responding to Davis’ statements, with Benzeevi’s signature attached.

Amir asked why the hospital hadn’t written a similar letter to CMS after its initial survey in January.

“The findings the first time were things we knew to be the case,” Benzeevi said.

Amir produced a copy of the letter, which claimed that Davis “did not care that [Judge Mathias] had found the disassociation was not a violation of applicable law or bylaws.”

At the time the letter was written, Mathias had only denied a request from the former MEC for a temporary restraining order preventing the new medical staff from being installed, and had not ruled on the legality of the move -the matter currently before him in court.

Records “Languishing”

Among the findings by CMS, Benzeevi noted that some of the medical staff’s peer review files were “languishing,” going unresolved for “years to months.”

Peer review is a process that ensures quality care is being provided by physicians to patients at the hospital.

As a member of the hospital’s administration, he stated that he received reports that tracked how long peer review cases had been open, and if they had been closed or not.

He could not provide a specific number of cases that had not been closed in a timely manner, instead only stating that there were “a handful,” occupying “a half of a page” of paper.

Amir asked whether the physicians whose’ files were languishing were Zulim’s, Kumar’s, or his own -- and if they were languishing due to a lack of cooperation.

Benzeevi stated that he had never “[had] an instance of noncooperation,” and stated that the files left open did not involve Kumar, Zulim, or himself.

Benzeevi had been subject to the peer review process in 2013 while running the hospital’s emergency department, a court filing shows, when Dr. Anil Patel, the former Chief of Staff of the old MEC, received a letter claim-

HOSPITAL continued on 9 »

20 April, 2017

Hospital Continued from 8

ing that Benzeevi created a hostile work environment.

The document was filed in a separate lawsuit by Benzeevi against Dr. Abraham Betre, the last Chief of Staff of the former MEC. “On or about March 13, 2013, while still in charge of running the Hospital’s Emergency Department, I was informed by Dr. Anil Patel, who was the current Chief of Staff of the Tulare Regional Medical Center Medical Staff (the ‘Former Medical Staff’),” Benzeevi’s declaration read, “that an anonymous letter accused me of creating a ‘hostile work environment.’ The letter was ‘signed’ Staff but otherwise provided no indication of who sent the letter or whether it was even sent by an actual member of the Hospital staff.”

An ‘ad hoc’ committee was created to investigate the letter further, and the matter was later sent to the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) which found that the allegations were largely baseless.

“On November 27, 2013, the IMQ issued its peer review report regarding the allegations against me. With a single exception, the IMQ found that the various accusations against me were ‘unsubstantiated,’ and in some instances were contrary to the actual evidence,” Benzeevi’s declaration read.

“Additionally, IMQ criticized management and the Former Medical Staff for failing to ‘work as a cohesive team’ and stated that the ‘[Former] Medical staff peer review processes must be improved.’ Finally, the IMQ made some suggestions regarding how managers, including myself, could improve interpersonal relations with the nursing staff.”

“Not given due process”

Before CMS inspectors set foot in the hospital, the former MEC had required that Kumar seek anger management and document compliance training, and had set a deadline of January 27, 2016 to complete such training.

The board took its action to disassociate from the former MEC, with Kumar abstaining, on January 26.

Zulim said that Kumar was “upset and frustrated” that the MEC had forced him to take such action, and felt that he was being treated unfairly.

“I was not given due process,” Kumar said.

During the testimony, Amir asked why Kumar was being forced to go to anger management training.

“That was a concocted, self-made, friends of the MEC type of a ‘got you’ mentality type of a deal for me,” Kumar said.

In a declaration filed in a separate case by Kumar against Dr. Abraham Betre, chief of staff of the prior MEC, Kumar gave a more specific answer.

“I received a letter from Dr. Betre [...] informing me that the [former] MEC was investigating me for using foul language in front of a subordinate on one occasion,” Kumar’s declaration read, “and for ‘backdating’ chart notes in three cases.” “[...] the ‘backdating’ accusation was

Valley Voice • 9 made after I had inadvertently listed the dates of my dictation as the dates of three patients’ physical examinations, at a time when I had performed approximately 150 procedures [in] 18 month[s].”

In the declaration, Kumar said he was “outraged” that the MEC would “even consider suspending” him.

Kumar later completed all of the training requested by the former MEC, he said, though he said he did not do so by the January 27 deadline due to an error on the part of those organizing a required course. “[The course coordinators] said, ‘Oh my God, Dr. Kumar, we never sent you the material. We are at fault. So if you come to the course, you will not be recognized that you attended the course.

This is our fault,’” Kumar said.

In the declaration from the case against Betre, Kumar said that the new MEC “reviewed my cases and found that there had been no basis to investigate [him] at all,” but that he insisted he take the recordkeeping class and see a psychiatrist to ensure that there were no claims of bias or impropriety against the new group.

Dr. Anthony Vierra, an anesthesiologist based in Tulare, gave a different perspective on Kumar’s testimony.

Vierra was a member of the former

“

Dr. Parmod Kumar emerged in testimony as a key figure in the formation of the new MEC. Pictured, he is at a Southern Inyo Healthcare District meeting. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice

Coppo was not as generous. In his opening statement, stating the hospital’s case, he noted that the MEC boycotted meetings during Dr. Anil Patel’s tenure as chief of staff of the prior MEC. Members of the former MEC, he said, boycotted board meetings because Bell did not recognize Patel as the chief of staff, stating that members of the former medical staff had complained that the election was not in accordance with the staff’s bylaws.

That specific feud was crystallized as

I was shocked, to be honest with you. And then [Tony Jones, former CEO of HCCA] said, ‘But if that does happen, you guys need to find some defense because this is unprecedented and illegal.’

”

Dr. Robert Orth, quoting Jones on a removal of the medical staff MEC, he said, and a member of the credentialing and bylaws committees.

He stated that he while he was not directly involved in the former MEC’s peer review committee, he received reports from them due to his position on the MEC. The MEC’s stand-alone peer review committee, Vierra explained, handles peer review cases for “high-profile physicians” and department chiefs -- other peer review cases are handled by physicians’ own specialty departments.

Kumar claimed that he was not given due process, but Vierra claims that the MEC gave Kumar approximately a year to perform his required training.

“He did not do it time and time again,” Vierra said.

Kumar was given a final deadline, Vierra said, of approximately one to two days before the January 26, 2016, vote to disassociate from the old MEC. “[It was] necessary for him to keep his privileges. If he didn’t do it,” Vierra said, “he would not have privileges [at TRMC.]”

Animosity Abounds

Mentioned in multiple reports, and conceded by both sides, is a history of tension between the board and the former MEC. “When you have two independent bodies working together, there’s bound to be disputes,” Amir said in his opening remarks. “There’s often tension, but the bylaws require that when there is a conflict, one side just can’t trample on the other side’s rights.”

a very public example of the discord between the board and the former MEC, when it spilled out into a set of dueling lawsuits in 2014 and 2015.

Patel claimed in his testimony that Bell stated the MEC members are “all terrorists, and they should be hanged.”

Patel said the MEC voted to file a lawsuit against Bell for that statement and others, though a judge later awarded Bell attorney’s fees in the action, according to a Visalia Times-Delta report.

In her deposition, Bell stated that she was told by Tony Jones, the hospital’s former chief restructuring officer, that Patel had made threats against her life.

Hospital officials denied that Bell made the accusations when the Voice first noted the accusation in 2016.

“Dr. Patel -- by Mr. Jones’ statement -- was that he went into, like, a raging trance, like he was transported somewhere else and ranted for 20, 30 minutes about how if I had come, he would kick my [ass] and that he would take my hair and take -- drag me out and pound my head against the cement,” Bell said in her deposition.

Patel said the accusations were inaccurate -- and that his original statement was a hypothetical in response to Bell’s statements.

“I told [Jones], ‘Let me give you an example. Let’s say if I kick her butt, and then I say let’s forget about it and work together, would she work together or want some form of apology to do that?’,” Patel said. “Our attorney contacted each and every MEC member, including Tony Jones and Angie Graziano, said, ‘Dr. Patel never made that statement.’

[The MEC’s lawyer] wrote a letter. Still they filed [their] lawsuit.”

“Then, also, in the court mediation, we met with the ex-retired judge, and he agreed that there was nothing there.”

“Unprecedented and illegal”

Dr. Robert Orth was also a member of the former MEC. He interviewed Tony Jones via telephone as the MEC worked to investigate the claims against Betre and reach a conclusion, he stated in his testimony.

Jones is currently the president and CEO of Alliance Health Partners, LLC, a hospital and healthcare management/ consulting company.

According to his LinkedIn page, as an assignment from Alliance, he came to TRMC to serve as a Chief Restructuring Officer and Interim CEO, and has worked at other hospitals before serving at Alliance or TRMC. “At the end of the five questions, we started talking about the hospital, and he told me, ‘Good luck,’” Orth said. “He said that he, in all his years being [a] CEO and helping [various] hospitals, he’s never seen such treatment of the physicians and the MEC from [an] administration and a board in all of his time.”

Orth responded by stating that he and a few other physicians believed that hospital officials would “fire us one day.”

“His words were, after [a] long pause [...] ‘I can neither confirm nor deny that I have been in any meetings where that topic was discussed,’” Orth said.

“I was shocked, to be honest with you. And then he said, ‘But if that does happen, you guys need to find some defense because this is unprecedented and illegal.’”

Hospital officials maintain their actions were both legal and required -and that since the hospital disassociated from the former medical staff, it’s been smooth sailing.

“Following the disassociation, TRMC complied with every deficiency cited by CMS, and received a clean bill of health in June, 2016, and remained fully certified as a Medicare and Medicaid Provider,” the hospital’s statement read.

“The hospital, HCCA and the Governing Board have enjoyed a harmonious working relationship ever since contributing to the betterment of quality of care at TRMC for the people of Tulare.”

The trial will resume May 22 at 9:30am in Department 2 of the Tulare County Superior Court.

Get the whole story: documents mentioned in this story & court transcripts available at ourvalleyvoice.com/in-depth-trmc

10 • Valley Voice

Rocky Hill Continued from 1

need to be aware of. Just some food for thought next time rocky hill at night is on your agenda. Stay safe everyone.

Spread the word so this scary thing doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

As of press time, an attempt to contact the Facebook page owner has gone unanswered, and the post had received more than 1,320 shares. For security reasons, the Voice has elected not to reveal her name without permission.

Detective John Nicholson, who is

Tulare

Continued from 1 support the City Council.”

Wasted Energy

A lack of communication and unwillingness to follow the Council’s lead were both cited by Mayor Carlton Jones at the March 21 meeting as reasons for removing commissioners Ed Henry and Lee Brehm.

At its March meeting, the BPU refused to consider working with Colony Energy Partners Tulare, which has plans for a bio-gas generation plant on land it leases from the city adjacent to the Tulare’s wastewater treatment plant.

Colony’s representatives returned to the Council in January, saying the company wished to reconsider working with the city after it had previously ended negotiations. The Council sent the representatives to the BPU to plead its case, where they were denied.

Jones and council members Jose Sigala and Greg Nunley attended that meeting. All three later voted to remove Henry and Brehm. Critics have pointed at this as a possible violation of the Brown Act, which forbids a majority of any elected board from meeting to discuss its business without a formal public announcement of the time, place

Visalia

Continued from 1 decision in science. He said that Stage 2 restrictions do not correctly address the problem and that Visalia’s underground aquifer will remain in overdraft despite the restrictions.

Maile Melkonian said during public comment that societies have imploded because of lack of water. She said that “We live in a new paradigm.” If we expect our economy to flourish then we cannot continue to waste our water resource.

“My problem with lifting Stage 2 restrictions is that it sends a message, go ahead and over use water like we always have. We are already in the saving mindset, lets continue it,” she said.

Councilmember Steve Nelsen

Political Fix Continued from 3

instead of moving to Washington DC and requests that the Trumps pay for security themselves.

The petition states, “The Tax Payers have provided a perfectly acceptable home which has met the needs of every other previous president.”

Estimates of the president’s trips to

20 April, 2017 handling the case, said he had heard there had been similar instances, but could not confirm them. He also stated that it is illegal to park on Rocky Hill, and it is “posted very well in several places.”

Public information officer Teresa Douglass confirmed one prior incident, similar in nature, last November.

“But, there’s certainly not a rash of incidences,” she said.

The November, 2016 report revealed, “On 11-19-16 at about 0200 hours, the victims were parked on the 21100 block of Rocky Hill Drive in the Exeter area. Two suspects approached and agenda.

Unanswered Questions

Nunley, speaking about the dismissal of Henry and Brehm, said three former members of the BPU he spoke to about the city’s contract with Fuel Cell Energy, a company that converts waste methane at the city’s waste facility into power, were unable to answer questions about the high-dollar deal.

“When they’re asked a question, some questions that should have been known, they couldn’t answer the questions,” he said. “And, when you’re signing a $20-million-plus contract, those questions should have been answered.”

Nunley also addressed comments made by former BPU president Smith at the March 21 meeting. Smith expressed his concern the BPU was being pressured by a majority of the City Council to make decisions that served council members’ personal political interests. In presenting his resignation to the Council, he said he refused to “be a marionette.”

“There was a comment made about a ‘puppet show,’” Nunley said of Smith’s comments at the March 21 meeting.

“And, me, I cannot speak for the other Council members, but I think they’re the same, we’re not looking for that.”

the vehicle brandishing handguns. The suspects robbed the victims of cash and property.

“One victim was shot in the head with an air-soft gun. Two other victims were assaulted. The suspects fled in a white unknown vehicle.

“The victims were able to locate a nearby residence and call for help. Two victims were transported to Kaweah Delta Hospital and treated and released for non-life threating wounds. The third victim refused treatment.”

While limited to two known recent incidents, there is cause for concern. The

Sheriff’s Department advises that people heed the posted no parking signs, and not visit the area during nighttime hours.

As for last week’s incident – “Victims advised the suspects arrived in a black or dark colored 1997 to 2004 Acura passenger vehicle,” the report said.

Anyone with any information should contact Detective Nicholson at (559) 735-1898 or (800)808-0488.

Anonymous information about this crime can be reported via Tipnow, email: tcso@tipnow.net, text/call (559) 7254194, or download the Tipnow app for Android or Apple phones.

Diversity

joined on the BPU by Gregory Blevins, Pennington and Erica Cubas. Blevins, an attorney and lifelong Tulare resident, has a degree in human resources management and is currently working on his MBA. Cubas works for Altura Centers for Health as its community development director and HIPPA compliance officer.

Pennington, who has lived in Tulare for 37 years, has nearly three decades of experience in waste management. Pennington’s professional experience includes nine years as manager of Tulare County Recycling, a division of the private company Waste Management. He is also a certified agent for the US Zero Waste Business Council.

At least six other applicants did not receive appointments to the BPU at the April 6 meeting, but all will be considered for the remaining position.

The applicants include Tulare County Sheriff deputy Stephen Fegundes, attorney Joseph Soares, US Navy veteran and plant manager for Clean Energy Systems Heath Evenson, chiropractor Dr. Charles Ritchie, lumberyard worker and volunteer general manager for the Ponderosa Community Services District Thomas Griesbach and business owner Steven James Flarer.

The Council will consider the mayor’s final appointment to the BPU at its 7 p.m. meeting April 18 at 491 N. M St.

Councilman Sigala, in his remarks at the April Council meeting, cited a lack of ethnic diversity on the BPU, as well as overly long terms of service of some of the former members.

“For me, it’s always been about diversifying the folks who sit on that BPU,” he said.

The four appointments made that night include three men--two white and one black--and a Latina. All but Pennington have no previous utilities experience. US Census data from 2010 reports Tulare’s Latinos make up 57.5% of the city’s population. African Americans make up 3.9%. White residents, a statistic that includes many who identify ethnically as Latino, account for 61.3% of Tulare’s populace.

“We all have individual minds, but at the same time we should know what the City Council has in mind and have some thoughts about it,” said Howard Stroman, the first new appointee approved by the Council. “So, when we’re going through and doing things, our thought process should be in the same guidelines.”

The New BPU

Stroman, a 17-year resident of Tulare, is an artist and holds a seat on the Tulare County Grand Jury. Stroman is

agreed, saying that if the rain continues for 10 years then he might think the drought is over. Councilmember Phil Cox said that Visalia is in the same situation with its water as its air quality, which is dire.

Councilmember Greg Collins said that if Visalia’s bank account looked like the ground water overdraft chart that Cavilglia showed during her presentation, the city would be bankrupt. “If we don’t start acting more like Phoenix and less like Visalia we will have serious economic and public safety consequences.”

Gubler responded by saying that farmers play by an entirely different set of rules and that everyone needs to come to the table if conservation is going to work and Visalia is going to replenish its aquifer.

Stage 2 restrictions include no wa-

tering during the months of December, January and February. Starting in March, residents can only water twice a week. No watering is permitted after a rain. Stage 2 restrictions will terminate after one year unless reinstituted by the city council.

Mar a Lago range from $1 million to $3 million per weekend, which on the high end would mean more than $20 million has already been spent.

The Tampa Bay Times reports, “Trump appears unbothered by the millions of dollars the visits are costing for security and in lost business, the traffic snarls or the hypocrisy, given his past criticism of former President Barack Obama’s travel and golfing.”

According to the Time article, “At

the club, Trump lives in a sectioned-off area of the 128-room mansion, but he’s easy to spot. The sun-swept grounds are a sanctuary where he can bask in the adulation of paying members who pepper the President for favors and make policy suggestions to his senior staff.”

Palm Beach is one of the richest places in America and access to the president doesn’t come cheap. The initiation fee at Mar a Lago is $200,000 which is double the price before Trump’s election

Visalia Adopts New Fireworks Ordinance

Visalia Fire Marshall Kurtis Brown listed off the many safe ways to celebrate the Fourth of July: attend the fireworks show at the Visalia Country Club, go to the baseball game at the Rawhide stadium or attend the community event at the Groppetti Stadium.

But if you want to celebrate by using illegal fireworks it will cost you–big time.

In May of 2016 the Visalia City

Council passed a resolution instituting Administrative Fines and Penalties for Dangerous Fireworks of $1000. The Visalia Fire Department made the fines permanent by writing a new fireworks ordinance. The city council voted 5-0 to approve it.

Brown said that during the fourday Fourth of July holiday period in 2016 the department issued 60 $1000 fines for illegal use of fireworks. Three of those people were caught and fined twice during the same time period. Brown also reported that there were six fires.

To make the ordinance more effective in terms of prevention, the department created an escalating system of penalties for the use of dangerous fireworks. Fines will increase from $1000 for the first offence, $2000 for the third and $3000 for the third. in November. That doesn’t include the $14,000 yearly dues.

His aides say the president doesn’t hobnob with the club members out of duty. They say it gives him perspective and a sounding board outside the Washington bubble.

And Republicans like to say that liberals live in a bubble. President Trump invented it.

20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • 11

Comments & Letters HCCA’s Report Card Shows Failure Michael Shaffer

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a public service provided by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health system. The Tulare Hospital was rated “F” previously, but Dr. Ben Benzeevi, the hospital administrator, said that lack of participation was the cause of the rating. He also indicated the hospital would participate next time. The rating released on April 12, 2017, gives the Tulare Hospital a “D” rating. Four other hospitals in this area were all rated “A” or “B”.

HCCA, the group formed to bid on operating our hospital with no prior experience, has stopped providing timely patient use and financial records, and has delayed the audit for the year ending June 30, 2016 by over six months. Because there is no timely reporting of hospital operations, the public must rely on independent reviews of our hospital to evaluate its performance.

• Leapfrog rates our hospital in the bottom 20% of all hospitals nationwide in cleanliness, infection control, and other important factors • The California Department of Public Health, in a report dated 2/17/2017, took issue with the Tulare Board cancel-

ling the appointments of 174 members of the medical staff on January 26, 2016. The report says this violated state law and the board’s own bylaws.

“These failures resulted in potential for disruption of critical care patient systems overseen by a medical staff, thereby putting patients at risk for errors and adverse events.”

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in August 2016, rated Tulare Hospital one star of five stars possible, the lowest rating given.

It is clear to anyone rationally looking at our hospital that this “experiment” with HCCA has failed. When last reported. the volume of business has vastly declined indicating loss of community confidence. The hospital is not meeting its mission of providing quality health care to our residents and visitors. These failures clearly indicate the incompetency of the current administration. Changes must be made.

I strongly urge the Tulare Community support the hospital Board of Directors to begin negotiations with Dr. Benzeevi regarding an acceptable exit strategy for HCCA so that a qualified and experienced Management company can be brought on board. Community confidence is delicate and difficult to rebuild and time is off the essence.

TRMC/HCCA: Confident judge will find actions “lawful and legitimate” TLHCD/HCCA

Defendants Tulare Local Health Care District and HCCA are confident that when all the evidence is considered by Judge Mathias, he will conclude that the actions taken by the district’s Governing Board on January 26, 2016, were lawful as the legitimate exercise of discretion and business judgment by district board members.

The actions to disassociate from the unincorporated association (known as the medical staff of Tulare Regional Medical Center), and to associate with a new unincorporated association (known as the Professional Medical Staff of TRMC), was lawful based on the exigent circumstance of the imminent threat to close the hospital and the medical staff’s failure to be accountable to the hospital and to fulfill its fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the community and the hospital. The imminent threat created by the old medical staff was communicated to hospital personnel by surveyors from the Center for Medicare and

THE PEANUT GALLERY

Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS based their threat of closure in large part on the history of dysfunction between the Governing Board and the leaders of the former medical staff, which led to the failure of the medical staff to conduct appropriate credentialing and peer review of physicians. In addition, the California Department of Public Health found that the old medical staff failed to be accountable to the Hospital. These failures by the old medical staff had the potential of adversely impacting the quality of patient care at the hospital.

Following the disassociation, TRMC complied with every deficiency cited by CMS, and received a clean bill of health in June, 2016, and remained fully certified as a Medicare and Medicaid Provider.

The hospital, HCCA and the Governing Board have enjoyed a harmonious working relationship ever since contributing to the betterment of quality of care at TRMC for the people of Tulare.

Use your voice Send letters to: editor@ourvalleyvoice.com

Amanda Dudley

Re: Tulare City Council & BPU Philip Smith, Lee Brehm, Dick Johnson This letter is intended to address certain events which occurred at the Tulare City Council meeting on the evening of March 21, 2017. The removal of two members of the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) by the council was unprecedented.

We feel that the Visalia Times Delta/Tulare Advance Register (VTD/TAR) did an inadequate job of recording the dissenting opinions expressed at that meeting in favor of the opinions of the seated council majority.

The three remaining members of the BPU subsequently resigned from office.

For the record, Vice-Mayor Castellanos was not in attendance and Council Member Macedo voted against these actions and made strong statements in opposition.

The VTD/TAR rendition of events may have actually been for the best, because the conduct of Mayor Jones during the latter portion of the meeting was an embarrassment to our community. For those wanting details please avail yourselves of the audio recordings produced for all City of Tulare public meetings.

We’ll take the council member’s statements as the appeared in the initial VTD/ TAR reporting of March 22, 2017 in order to clarify our position: Council Member Sigala identified the fact that he only had one member of his district currently serving on any board or commission. He felt it important to ensure that all districts were represented.

This argument is actually the most plausible and we certainly have no objection to geographic, ethnic or cultural diversity on the BPU. We simply recommend that in appointing new board members that the Council consider the technical aspects of such roles. Some knowledge of the following disciplines would be helpful: engineering (preferably mechanical or environmental), construction management, finance, statistics, chemistry, biology, geology, transportation and logistics.

One of the things that makes this council action particularly egregious is that two seats were coming up for re-appointment in a matter of months. A change at that time would have assured continuity in utility administration and would have addressed Mr. Sigala’s concerns.

Council Member Nunley indicated that as he was taking responsibility for decisions made by the BPU that he should be

allowed to choose “people we can trust to make the decisions we would make”.

This statement is contrary to the apparent direction provided by the Freeholders Charter of the City of Tulare. A review of the charter identifies the fact that the utility functions of the City of Tulare are to be separated from the actions of the City Council. Whether this was to rein in potential misapplication of utility funds or simply allow the utility business of the city to function independent of local politics is unknown; but, the message is clear. Mr. Nunley is in violation of this intent by his own statement.

Mayor Jones spoke about the lack of communication with the BPU and implied that the members were not doing their “homework”.

We’ll be generous and state that we believe Mr. Jones’ comments to be “inaccurate”.

Mr. Jones has contacted none of us with questions about utility functions during our respective terms in office. He has at no time indicated any interest in utility operations. Further, the questions he has asked from the Council Dias during his years in office and his extremely poor attendance record are evidence that he is the one who is not doing his “homework”.

Members of the BPU have spent countless hours in preparation for, and during, meetings with city staff to ensure the continued progress of utility infrastructure development and effective utilization of resources.

Those current Tulare City Council members who voted to remove two BPU commissioners from office have now effectively removed more than a quarter century of combined service and experience from the Board of Public Utilities; the organization intended to oversee the largest debt obligation of the City of Tulare.

Hopefully bond rating agencies will not downgrade City of Tulare debt based on these decisions...

To city staff, particularly in public works, project management, finance, engineering and planning: Thank you so much for your dedicated service to this board. We will truly miss working, and serving, with you.

To the citizens of Tulare: Please remember even in the midst of an explosive presidential campaign that your votes for local offices are equally important. Choose your elected officials wisely!

12 • Valley Voice

20 April, 2017

Veteran’s Corner: College Fee Waiver Program California offers many benefits to California veterans. Eligibility requirements differ; some require a service-connected (S/C) disability rating, while others don’t. One of the most used benefits is the California College Fee Waiver Program.

The California College Fee Waiver Program benefits the spouse and children of U.S. veterans. Students meeting the eligibility criteria may get their college tuition fees waived if they attend a California Community College, a California State University, or University of California campus. This benefit can be used in

conjunction with other available grants, scholarships, student loans, etc.

To be eligible for the most widely-used plan, a child must have a parent who is deceased from a S/C disability or is a disabled veteran (0% or more S/C disabled), and must earn less than $12,486.00 per year. This is student income, NOT parent income. Applicants to the program must submit proof of income, such as a tax return from the previous year. If the student had no income, a statement to that effect can be obtained from either the Franchise Tax Board at 800-852-5711, or the IRS at 800-829-1040. There is NO AGE LIMIT for this section of the program!

Additionally, a spouse or child (up to age 27) can receive a waiver if the veteran is S/C deceased or rated 100% S/C disabled. There is no income limit for a spouse or children of S/C deceased or 100% S/C disabled veterans under this section of the program.

Certain dependency documents may also need to be provided in order to establish relationship to the veteran. You can pickup an application at the Kings County Veterans Service office. We can assist with completing the application, and file it with the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

There are many state and federal ben-

efits 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 also get information on the web from the Kings County Veterans Service Office website at www.countyofkings.com/vets.

Scott Holwell, 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 852-2669; or e-mail scott.holwell@co.kings.ca.us.

Kaweah Delta Medical Center has earned its fifth consecutive “A,” the top grade for patient safety in the latest Hospital Safety Score. The score provides a complete picture of how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections.

“Our medical and hospital staff have raised the bar,” said Edward Hirsch, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Kaweah Delta. “More importantly, this accolade confirms we have maintained the bar and made patient safety a priority. We must be persistent in our efforts to continually protect our patients.”

Kaweah Delta is one of 844 hospitals out of more than 2,600 hospitals across the country that received A ratings in Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Score.

The Visalia-based hospital raised its safety score from 2015 by implementing a

variety of initiatives that educated staff about best practices for patient safety.

“We have been consistent in maintaining our ‘A’ grade, by having a continuing focus on improving patient safety and implementing nationally recognized best practices,” said Kassie Waters, Quality Improvement Manager at Kaweah Delta.

Kaweah Delta recently held its annual patient safety symposium on March 21, 2017, with over 300 healthcare professionals in attendance. The intended purpose of the symposium is to learn robust process improvement techniques from top national leaders, such as Dawn Allbee, MA, Joint Commission’s Director of Corporate Robust Process Improvement, who presented at the event.

“We are always looking for ways to improve care to our patients,” said San-

dra Volchko, Director of Quality & Patient Safety at Kaweah Delta. “We are continuously evaluating best practices and implementing strategies to achieve nothing but the highest quality of care for our patients.”

Volchko also shared how improving is a never ending team effort between all members of the care team - from doctors, nurses, pharmacists managing medications to housekeepers and facilities staff who keep the hospital clean and safe to prevent injuries and infections.

Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, and fully transparent.

The Hospital Safety Score offers a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. The score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

To see Kaweah Delta’s score, visit www. hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Kaweah Delta’s A grade validates its achievement in preventing harm within the hospital, said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score.

“Protecting patients from harm is the most important charge for any hospital,” Binder said. “We recognize and appreciate ‘A’ hospitals’ vigilance and continued dedication to keeping their patients safe.”

Scott Holwell

Kaweah Delta Scores Fifth Consecutive “A” in Safety

Valley Scene

20 April, 2017

“The Amish Project” Opening at Ice House Theater April 21

Angel Gomez poses beside one of two murals he recently created at Recreation Ballpark in Visalia. The 28-year-old Culter native hopes someday to make art in countries around the world. Dave Adalian/Valley Voice

Spray Paint Artist Is a Product of Valley Culture Dave Adalian

Spray paint artist Angel Gomez -- who recently completed two murals at Recreation Ballpark celebrating the teams that have played there and their winning seasons--has a lot of respect for graffiti artists. He used to be one.

The Young Artist The 28-year-old grew up in Cutler, the tiny farming community a dozen

miles or so north of Visalia. It’s a town populated by those who work the fields that surround it and labor in the packing and processing plants that squat in between the orange groves. It’s a town like many in the Central Valley, burdened with crime and poverty, low on opportunities, and lacking in culture.

There weren’t many ways for a boy interested in art to express his desire to create, but Gomez found a way.

ARTIST continued on B2 »

Tulare Palette Club Show Open at Heritage Art Gallery Nancy Vigran

The Tulare Palette Club’s Annual Spring Art Show is currently taking place at the Heritage Art Gallery in the Tulare Historical Museum.

This year’s featured artist is Bob Bottoms of Porterville.

“We try to pick someone who has been a member of the Palette Club for some time,” said Gladys Tweedy, co-chairman. “We thought he’d be good.”

The exhibit is expected to draw upwards of 50 artists with 85 entries.

Entries are to be “anything that will fit into a frame,” including oils, watercolor, pastels, mixed media and computer art.”

The show will be judged with first through fourth place, and honorable

mention awards given in each category. Best of Show will earn $100 in prize money; the Popular Vote will earn $50.

Voting for the Popular Vote will take place through the life of the exhibit and will be awarded at the close of the show.

The Artists Reception will take place on Friday, April 21 from 5-7pm, and is open to the public and free of charge.

The show will run through May 21. Admission to Heritage Art Gallery exhibitions is always free.

The Tulare Historical Museum is located at 444 W. Tulare Ave. in Tulare.

For more information regarding the show, contact Spring Art Show chairpersons, Gladys Tweedy, (559) 688-7033, or Bethany Phillips, (559) 359-2837.

Dinner Honoring Fred Davis Set For May 6 at Lamp Liter Susanne Gundy Fred Bailey Davis was a loud, clear and colorful Arkansas voice for children, workers and underrepresented people since he came to Synanon’s Badger facility in Tulare County in 1977 with his wife, Jane, and

their 5 year-old son, Sam. Four years earlier, Fred and Jane and then one year-old Sam had moved into Synanon’s Oakland facility as “squares” (non-drug users), where Fred worked as a juvenile probation officer in Alameda

DAVIS continued on B3 »

Playwright Jessica Dickey identifies “The Amish Project” as “a fictional exploration of a true event.” The event was the shooting that took place at a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, PA on October 2, 2006.

Dickey ensured that while her play is associated with an actual occurrence, the characters are all fictional. She did this by researching Amish culture and never investigating or interviewing anyone involved with the incident.

Dickey wrote “The Amish Project” as a one woman show and performed her play in its premiere (2008) and Off Broadway (2009) productions. Since that time, an adapted version of the play used multiple actors to portray the various characters. The Visalia Players have returned to the author’s original vision with their production.

The story of the tragedy at Nickel Mines is uniquely presented. Insight is provided into the multiple facets of Eddie Stuckey, who perpetrated the crime.

He is depicted as a flawed human being, who has redeeming qualities and is loved by his family. Eddie says, “Tell the boys that I love ‘em. Tell ‘em – I wasn’t all bad.”

Bill North, a local professor of American Religion, describes facts of Amish culture, some more widely known than others. He attempts to explain the Amish reliance on the principle of forgiveness and relates his own experience at receiving their mercy. He recognizes the difficulty of forgiveness. “Heavy to receive, and – heavy to give.”

The day-to-day life of Amish children and teenagers is explored through Velda, age 6, and Anna, age 14. Anna’s

Nancy Holley Rumspringa, when she decides whether or not to join the church, is on the horizon, and Velda day-dreams about her own Rumspringa. The girls have been taught Amish history, and Velda relates her “favorite story from the Martyrs Mirror.”

Although Aaron Yoder, Velda and Anna’s father, never actually appears in the play, he is a very powerful presence and influence in the lives of the girls, Bill North, and Eddie Stuckey’s wife Carol.

Aaron personifies the Amish culture and traditions that impact the outcomes of the event.

Carol, mortified as she is by her husband’s actions, still loves him. Carol is attacked by Sherry Local, as if she is personally responsible for her husband’s deeds. “If you were a decent wife, those poor girls would be alive today.”

Conversely, the Amish see Carol as a victim. Carol tries to help Eddie know that he has been forgiven and through her attempt to free him of guilt, she frees herself.

“The Amish Project”, directed by Irene Morse, runs for three weekends at the Ice House Theatre at Race and Santa Fe in Visalia. Evening performances are at 7:30pm on 4/21, 4/22, 4/28, 4/29, 5/5, and 5/6, and matinees are at 2:00pm on 4/23, 4/30, 5/7. To purchase tickets go to the Visalia Players’ website at www. visaliaplayers.org, their Facebook page “Visalia Community Players”, or call 734-3900.

NOTE: This play contains adult content and language. It is a Lobby Show.

Tyler Jarrett and Leslie Ogle play Curley McLain and Laurey Williams in “Oklahoma!”

Courtesy/Jim Kliegl

“Oklahoma!” Coming to Lindsay Community Theater The great American Broadway musical “Oklahoma!” is opening April 21 at the Lindsay Community Theater at 7:30 pm. Additional shows are April 22, 28, and 29 at 7:30pm and April 23 and 30 at 2pm. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students. The Lindsay Community Theater is located at 190 N Elmwood, in the heart of downtown Lindsay. Get tickets at lindsaycommunitytheater.com. For more information call 284 2223.

As the sun rises over a small farm

Jim Kliegl in the Oklahoma Territory, we hear the voice of Curley McLain (Tyler Jarrett) singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” as he startles Aunt Eller (Tricia Hire/Linda Jarrett) who sits churning butter. Her niece Laurey Williams (Leslie Ogle) enters and teases him. She pretends not to like him and refuses his invitation to the box social that coming evening. He tries to woo her by

OKLAHOMA continued on B7 »

20 April, 2017

B2 • Valley Voice

Artist

entertainment industry as a set artist, creating backdrops for feature films.

But enjoying himself is the main point, and he’s hoping his artist pursuits will help him see the way the rest of the world lives, works and plays.

“That might not be a realistic goal,” he said, “but if I could paint things in other countries, that would be my ultimate.”

Continued from B1 “I always drew. Right around 1314 I won a couple art contests. It was just on paper,” he said. “I started working on canvas, with brushes, but then I started with spray paint. It was fun. It was faster. It was easier to blend colors.”

Their Brand And he had lots of mentors already working in his community, the vandals who mark public spaces with their signs and messages. Gomez was once one of them, and he got in trouble for it, so he knows it upsets a lot of people.

Still, he can understand why those outlaw artists do what they do.

“They see that as their brand, and they put it everywhere. It’s not about the destructive part,” he said. “When McDonald’s or Nike put their logo up, it’s to sell something. These artists just want you to look at their art.”

Art Is Fun These days, art is a part-time avocation, and Gomez’s job is as an industrial technician, working on packing lines.

He’s currently studying industrial science at College of the Sequoias, which he hopes will help advance his career.

But when time and opportunity allow, he makes murals.

Sometimes he does it for profit, like his work at the ballpark—a series of logos on one side of the seating behind home plate, and a timeline of all cham-

Popular Art Abounds As for inspiration, Gomez takes on subjects that catch his fancy when he’s working just for himself.

“I’ll be doing research on Wikipedia or at school, and think I’d like to do this one,” he said.

Gomez also turns for advice to the people who follow his career online for suggestions.

“When I have an extra day, I’ll put something out on my social media platforms,” he said. “For instance, I’ll put out I’m looking to do a Zapata mural.”

And, while the Central Valley may not have an overabundance of art museums and galleries, the work of talented individuals surrounds us, Gomez says.

He is just one of many.

“There so many talented graffiti artists and other artists in the Valley, what I’m doing isn’t that groundbreaking,” he said. “Whenever a train goes by, you’re seeing artists with 30 years experience. They just want to share what they can do.”

Those interested in Gomez’s work can search for AngelMurals88 to follow him on Facebook and other platforms.

Gomez created an Albert Einstein painting for the Step Up after school program.

Courtesy/Angel Gomez

pionships Visalia’s ball club has won over the years. But, most of the time he donates his work, mainly at schools and other community centers.

“I do it to get my name out and get the experience, but mostly because it’s fun,” he said.

Most of his work is portraiture of celebrities, like the mural he painted at the Parlier Senior Center.

“It’s all Golden Age Hollywood. I

have Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, a Mexican actress named Maria Felix; there’s a classic car,” Gomez said. “I’ve done Marilyn Monroe three times. She’s popular. She’s actually hard to draw.”

International Aspirations Gomez would like to expand his artist side business while he continues his current career and studies, but someday he says he might like to work in the

Coming to the Hanford Fox Theatre Metalachi Friday, June 9 8 pm - $20 - $25

Dave Mason Friday, Sept. 22 8 pm - $35 - $65

$5 Movies Alice in Wonderland - 1951

Saturday, April 29, 2 pm

The Goonies

Thursday, May 18, 7 pm

A Hard Day’s Night

Wednesday, May 31. 7 pm

(559) 584-7823

www.foxhanford.com

20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • B3

Come Celebrate History at the Tulare County Museum Staff Reports

Tulare County Museum’s Main Street exhibit had been closed for almost a decade and last year it was brought to life again during the Main Street Jamboree.

Tulare County’s largest museum will host a walk down memory lane for visitors who remember the Main Street exhibit at this year’s Main Street Jamboree taking place on Saturday, April 22 at the Tulare County Museum in Mooney Grove Park (27000 S. Mooney Blvd.

Visalia). The fully renovated exhibit is complete with a general store, doctor’s office, dentist’s office, and barber shop.

You will be transported back in time as you stroll through the pioneer village to witness quilters working away, a blacksmith working in front of his shop, and hear the sounds of good old

fashioned music.

There will be art demonstrations with the opportunity to purchase pieces that catch your eye. There will also be antique tractors, as well as old fashioned cars on display for viewing.

Visitors can experience an array of activities including: a hayride around the park; watch a professional demonstrate the craft of woodworking; view videos that document our county’s rich history in our theater from the Tulare County Treasures website; learn about the local Native American culture with the Tule River Language Project; interact with local residents that are closely tied to some of the buildings in our pioneer village; and receive information of services provided in Tulare County.

If you get hungry there will be a variety of snacks for purchase including

The Main Street exhibit is for all ages. Courtesy/Tulare County Museum

Tiki Snow with shaved ice and hot dogs.

This event is perfect for the whole family with so much to see, hear, and do throughout the entire museum grounds!

Please join us in celebrating this exciting occasion at the Tulare County Mu-

seum in Mooney Grove Park. The event will take place from 10am – 3pm and museum entrance will be free. Mooney Grove Park will be charging a $6.00 entrance fee per vehicle at the front gate.

Davis

Steven Lin. Courtesy/Tulare County Symphony

Symphony Ends Season with Copland, Prokofiev Donna Orozco

The Tulare County Symphony ends its season on Saturday, April 29 at the Visalia Fox Theatre with two lively pieces featuring folk music, which has been the theme of the year.

Music director Bruce Kiesling returns to Copland and his “Symphony No. 3,” known as the essential American symphony that fuses Copland’s distinct Americana style of ballet with the traditional symphony.

Themes from “Fanfare for the Common Man,” which the Symphony performed to open the season, is used in

the fourth movement.

Pianist Steven Lin returns to perform “Piano Concerto No. 3,” Prokofiev’s most popular piano concerto. The lively piece features French folk dance music, galloping runs up and down the keyboard and a jazzy backbeat.

Tickets are $30 to $39.50 at the symphony office, 208 W. Main Street, Suite D, Visalia, downstairs in Montgomery Square. Student prices are $10.

Tickets are also available at 732-8600 or go to www.tularecountysymphony.com.

The 2017-18 season brochure can also be viewed on the website.

GET SOLAR

Tulare County Child Protective Services.

Shortly after his retirement from the County, Fred founded the Visalia DemContinued from B1 ocratic Club and served as President for County and was also president of his em- over 15 years. He was an inveterate letter ployees union. His work focused on addic- writer, and his spirited opinions in support tion recovery. Fred and his family became of good government and worthy causes part of a supportive appeared almost evcommunity; Fred ery month in local was a father figure newspapers. and role model to Fred mentored many of the Synboth young and oldanon children, to er community acwhom he also taught tivists, encouraging tennis, the sport he them by his example loved. He was also a to register voters, to die-hard San Franrun for political ofcisco Giants and fice, and become in49ers fan. volved in campaigns His death in to better the life of 2016 left a hole in the ordinary people. hearts of his many Fred Davis and his wife, Jane. Courtesy/ Fred was a friends and the com- TCDCC staunch supporter munity he served. To of Visalia Emergenhonor this iconic humanitarian, the Tulare cy Aid (VEA) and no one could resist his County Democratic Central Committee is phone calls to donate turkeys and cash at sponsoring a fundraising dinner on May 6 Thanksgiving and Christmas time to help to help continue Fred’s legacy.

VEA provide holiday dinners to hunBorn in 1931, Fred joined the Air dreds of low-income families throughout Force at age 17, went to radar school in the years.

Phoenix and worked in Alaska mapping Tickets for the May 6 Fred Davis shipping lanes. Using the G.I. Bill he at- Memorial Dinner are available online at tended Redlands College, where he be- https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/ came an avid student of history and the page/freddavis2017. For more information arts. He eventually received a Master’s De- about Fred and the dinner, contact Sugree in counseling. sanne Gundy at 559-368-9464 or susanAfter leaving Synanon, Fred worked for negundy@aol.com.

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Calendar Now - April 30: “Conectado a Tierra, Grounded” Arts Visalia is pleased to host sculpture and installation artist Patricia Rangel who will be building and showing new works in a show entitled “Conectado a Tierra, Grounded.” She is a native of Dinuba in Tulare County. Patricia collects materials from places that hold personal significance - orchards, roadsides, her grandfather’s ranch, her parent’s backyard, and Smith Mountain Cemetery in the San Joaquin Valley. She works the dirt by mixing, using, reusing, and re-contextualizing it. Susceptible to decay in their own way, Patricia’s sculptures serve as an ongoing exploration of growth, change and loss. This exhibition is generously sponsored by the Visalia Art League, the Tulare County Arts Consortium and Bueno Beverage.

Arts Visalia Visual Art Center is located at 214 E. Oak Ave. The gallery is open 12-5:30pm, Wednesday through Saturday.

Now - May 4: Porterville College Student Art Show Gallery Hours: Mon.–Thurs., 12-2 pm; 4-6pm - Reception: Thurs.

April 20, 5-7pm - The Porterville College Art Department invites the public to come view its Student Art Exhibition, featuring the best work of over 60 current PC art students in a variety of media from photography, painting, drawing, digital art, sculpture and more. Parking is unrestricted during the time of the reception. For other times, contact the front desk when you arrive to visit the show for a free temporary parking permit. For more information, call Jim Entz, (559) 791-2257.

April 20: Visalia Chamber Annual Membership Meeting 4:30-6pm - Meet chamber board members; hear a short 2016-2017 Chamber update; announce the 2016 Annual Report; present the Epic Ambassador of the Year Award; thank the Chamber ambassadors; recognize significant member anniversaries.

Refreshments will be provided by A&W and Outback Steakhouse.

Held at Buckman-Mitchell office courtyard, 500 N. Santa Fe.

April 21: Latino Rotary Hosts Fundraiser Event 7pm-12am - The Visalia Latino Rotary will host its fifth annual fundraiser event Salsa y Vino at the Wyndham Visalia Hotel, 9000 W Airport Drive in Visalia. Salsa y Vino (salsa dancing and wine) is an event with Latino identity and multicultural interest. The Rotary club invites the community to an elegant, exciting, and fun event with a charitable cause. Doors open at 6pm, dinner starts at 7pm. Salsa dancing class will start at 8pm with dancing from 9pm to 12am. In attendance will be professional, amateur, and beginner salsa dancers, with a brief lesson for those who are interested in learning how to dance salsa. Tickets are $40 (includes dinner) and are available at Annabelle’s Bridal, 200 W. Main St. in downtown Visalia. Tables of 10 are also available for $400. For more information or to reserve your tickets, please Annabelle Chavez, (559) 239-7636 or Suzanne Aguilera-Marrero, (559) 310-6892.

April 21: Hanford Fox Throwback Films 7pm - Purple Rain. $5/cash; $6/ credit card, plus $2 restoration fee.

April 21-23: 17th Annual Pizza Festival Get involved and connect with the community by entering the Giant Slice competition, or enter the Fatte Challenge. Invite co-workers, friends, family and everyone you know to three days of fun at the Lemoore City Park. Pizza Picasso’s are encouraged to create a super slice of the Mega Pie. This competition is FREE to enter, reserve your spot. The Lemoore Chamber will provide each TEAM with the pizza pan, dough and all other ingredients to prepare your pizza creation. Only 16 slices are available. Entry deadline is April 21. 1st place team will receive $200 cash and media coverage; 2nd place $100 cash; and 3rd place $50 cash.

Judging will be based on: Team Spirit, Originality, Effort, Execution,and Overall finished appearance.

April 22: Grand Opening, Farmersville Branch Library 10am - 2pm - Farmersville City Council invites everyone to attend April 20: Hanford Fox Throwback the Tulare County all new FarmersFilms ville branch library, 623 N. Avery 7pm - Fast Times at Ridgemont Ave. High. $5/cash; $6/credit card, plus April 22: Main Street Jamboree $2 restoration fee.

10am -3pm - The Tulare County

April 2017 Lunch

Lunch served 12-1 pm $4.

Please call 713-4481. Reservations m Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

DAILY SALAD Option: Chicken Caesar Salad available as a meal replacement.

3 Open faced roasted turkey on sliced bread with mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables with fruit

6O April 2017 Lunch chi

4 BBQ pulled pork 5 Spring Open House sandwich on a briBurgers, fresh fruit, oche bun with colePotato salad, and slaw,Lunch fruit and chips chips served pm

12-1

pin ble

$4.

Please call 713-4481. Reservations m

10 Italian turkey sub 11 Pork chili verde Monday and provolone sand- stew Tuesday with Mexican wich with shredded DAILY SALAD Option: rice, tortillas, salad lettuce, andSalad Chickentomato Caesar and fruit sub dressing available asserved a meal with pasta salad and replacement. fruit

12 Meatloaf with Wednesday mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, fruit and roll

13 per key roo tom wit fru

317Open faced Katie’s tacoroasted salad turkey on sliced with ground beef, bread toppedwith withmashed pinto potatoes, gravygreen and beans, olives, vegetables with fruit onions, Mexican cheese and salad

418BBQ pulledand pork Pastrami sandwich on a rye briSwiss on dark oche bun with colewith dijonnaise with slaw, andpickle chips potatofruit salad, and fruit

519Spring Openpork House Shredded enBurgers, freshred fruit, chiladas with Potato andrice, sauce, salad, Mexican chips salad and fruit

620O chi do pin bro ble bre

10 Italian turkey sub 24 Chicken Marsalaand provolone sandchicken breast in a marwich withand shredded sala wine mushroom sauce with and bowtie lettuce, tomato pasta, Caesar salad, sub dressing served fruit and garlic bread with pasta salad and fruit

11Polish Pork chili verde 25 dog on soft bun with onions stew withgrilled Mexican and cheese with condirice, tortillas, salad ments served with macand aronifruit salad, pickle and fruit

12 26 Meatloaf Meatloaf with with mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, gravy, vegetables, vegetables and fruit and fruit withroll roll

13 27 per bis key ham roo Tex tom and wit fru

Museum17celebrates thesalad history18ofPastrami the erans Dayon will **Items Menu are Katie’s taco and Opportunity 19 Shredded pork en-take 20 county with withground the Main Jam-on dark placeryeat thechiladas Veterans Memorialdo beef, StreetSwiss with red topped withreal pinto sauce,E. Mexican with dijonnaise with at 1771 boree. Hayrides, blacksmithing, Building Tularerice, Ave. inbro beans, olives, green potato salad, pickleVeterans bre saladcan andlearn fruit about job craft demonstrations, face painting, Tulare. onions, Mexican and fruit music and more! Entry to the muse- opportunities, meet prospective emcheese and salad um is free. Park entry is $6 per car- ployers, and get information about 25 Polish dog on softand 26 24 Chicken Marsala-ice available Meatloafincluding with load. Food and shaved services benefits, the27 chicken breast in a mar- bun with grilled onions mashed potatoes, for purchase.

Tulare County home loan and lost record re-bis and cheeseCalVet with condisala wineThe and mushham gravy, vegetables and to Museumroom is located placement. are welcome ments served with mac- Veterans sauce withwithin bowtie Mooney Tex fruit with roll free event. aroni salad,meet picklewith and friends pasta, For Caesar salad,information, Grove Park. more at this and fruit fruit733-6616. and garlic bread call (559) For more information, contact Ken Cruickshank at kcruicks@tularehhApril 22: Corcoran Rotary Club sa.org or (559) 713-2880. **Items on Menu are 26th Annual Crab Crack 6-8:30pm - Crab Feed at the RAC gym, 900 Dairy Ave. Open bar, silent auction, casual dress. Tickets $65/ person. For more information and tickets, call contact Mike Graville at (559) 334-7899.

April 26: Slide Show Presentation - Christmas at the Galt House and the Opryland Hotel 12pm - Visalia Chamber at the City Administration Building, 220 N. Santa Fe. The Chamber would like to invite you to come and learn about April 26: Veterans Opportunity the Christmas at the Galt House and Day 9am - 1pm - This year’s annual Vet- the Opryland Hotel tour which will

h Menu / Visalia Senior Center

.00 Dine In

or Takeout & under 54 yrs:

$5.00

must be made one business day in advance by 12 PM.

Thursday

Friday

Weekly Salad Option:

roasted 7 Fish and chips with hOven Menu / Visalia Senior Center icken served with tartar sauce and lemTaco Salad—in taco bowls

nto beans, vegetaes andDine fruit In

.00

on, green salad

with lettuce, ground beef,

or Takeout & under 54 yrs: $5.00 black beans, corn with Mexi-

cheese andby salsa must be made one business day incan advance 12 PM.

April 29: Kings County Farm Bureau Taste of the Valley 4-7pm - Kings County Farm Bureau will be hosting its popular food, wine and beer-tasting fundraiser, Taste of the Valley, on Saturday. This community-wide event helps raise money to support Farm Bureau programs.

Guests will have the opportunity to sample an impressive assortment of California wines, hand-crafted beers, and to purchase food from some favorite local eateries. The evening will feature live music by Hanford’s own J.J. Brown, an outdoor game area and a silent auction. Taste of the Valley tickets are $45 each, and can be purchased online at kcfb.org or at the KCFB office, 870 Greenfield Ave. in Hanford. Tickets will also be on sale at the gate on the day of the event for $50. For more information, please call the KCFB office at 584-3557.

Stuffed bell peprsThursday with ground tury, rice and mushoms topped with mato sauce served th vegetables and uit

14 Easter Meal - Baked Weekly Cobb Salad Salad Option: Friday glazed ham with yams, With Chicken, tomato, avocavegetables, rice pilaf do, lettuce and bacon bits and fruit with ranch and feta cheese

April 29: Hanford Fox Throwback Films 2pm - Alice in Wonderland, 1951 cartoon version $5/cash; $6/credit card, plus $2 restoration fee.

Oven roasted Penne pasta Alfreserved with oicken with chicken and nto beans, vegetaoccoli, garlic es and fruitand fruit ead, salad

721Fish and chips with Salisbury steak with tartar sauce lemground beef,and mushon, green salad room in mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes, vegetables, fruit and roll

Chef Salad—with diced Taco Salad—in taco bowls cheeses, black olives, ham, with lettuce, ground beef, tomato and hard boiled eggs black beans, corn with Mexiwith ranch dressing can cheese and salsa

pep7Stuffed Tomatobell basil rs with ground sque with grilledtury, mushm rice and and cheese on oms topped with xas toast with fruit mato sauce served d green salad th vegetables and uit

14 Easter Meal - Baked 28 Meat and veggie pizza glazed ham with yams, slice with Italian sauvegetables, pilaf sage, salami,rice mushrooms, and fruitolives, bell pep-

Cobb GreekSalad Salad— Crisp roWith Chicken, avocamaine, tomato,tomato, cucumber, do, lettuce olives, and bacon Kalamata red bits onion with ranch and feta cheese and feta cheese in cham-

April 29: Cinco de Mayo Celebration 11am-3pm - Tulare-Kings Hispanic Chamber presents a celebration at Roy’s Park in Farmersville. Food booths and entertainment for the whole family. And, May 5 at the Old Lumber Yard, 300 E Oak St., Visalia, 5:30-10pm.

per and mozzarella, salad, fruit

pagne Dijon vinaigrette

take place December 3-10, 2017.

Assistance subject to change. steak withApril Penne pasta Alfre- 21 Salisbury Chef29: Salad—with dicedLeague VisaAn Evening at the Derby with chicken and ground beef, mush- lia: cheeses, black olives, ham, April 27: Navigating Difficult room in mushroom occoli, garlic 5-10pm - An tomato and hard evening boiled eggsof fun acConversations ead, salad and fruit gravy with mashed tivities with delicious food, great with ranch dressing 3pm - Free monthly potatoes,educationvegetables, wine and craft beer. This is an anal caregiver support series fruit and roll- Conversations involving

loss of in- nual fundraiser dedicated to rais-

28 Meat and veggie pizza ing 7 Tomato basil Greek Crisphelp ro- children in the Salad— funds that dependence can difficult. slice be with Italian sausque with grilled maine, tomato, cucumber, the local communities. The missage, salami, mushm and cheese on Kalamata olives, red onion is to provide new clothes, hyrooms, olives,Center, bell pep- sion xas toastatwith Held thefruit Visalia Senior and feta cheese in champer and mozzarella, sal- giene kits, books, backpacks, ind 310 greenN. salad Locust St.ad, and fruitorganized by structive pagne Dijon vinaigrette puppet shows to students.

Prestige Assisted Living. For more information and seat reservation, call The League also paints large US maps subject to change.

(559) 735-0828. on school campuses to help students April 28-30: California Antique learn about our country. Tickets $50 Farm Farm & Equipment Show each ($25 tax deductible). Tickets 25th Anniversary - antiques and available online at www.assistanceboutiques, family fun, live music, league.org/visalia, call (559) 737tractor pull, cold beer, food trucks, 1907, or email, assistanceleaguevisaswap meet, Tulare County 4-H Fair. lia@alvisalia.org. Assistance League $5 general admission; kids 12 and Visalia is no-profit 501 (c) (3) orgaunder, free. For more information, nization. visit www.antiquefarmshow.org.

may May 3-26: California’s Giant Sequoias: Found Nowhere Else on Earth May 5 - 6-8pm - Show opening - A local artist from Porterville, Joy Collier paints in a post-impressionistic style and works from her own original photography and research in her studio. Her large canvasses of our local Sierra’s giant sequoias will fill the gallery space. Arts Visalia Visual Art Center is located at 214 E. Oak Ave. in Visalia. The gallery is open 12-5:30pm, Wednesday through Saturday.

May 4 - Porterville College Job Fair 9am - 1pm - with 9–9:30am reserved for Military veterans and their families - to be held in the college gym. Seeking employers who are hiring and would like to reserve a table,

contact: Rudy Roman at American’s Job Center 559-788-1382, or email rroman@edd.ca.gov. The event is open to public; no parking permit needed.

May 4 - COS Offers Grow Your Own Food Basics 5-7:30pm - The COS Training Resource Center in Tulare is offering a Grow Your Own Food Basics class.

This beginner class is perfect for those who have considered growing their own tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, peppers or other favorite vegetable. Consider attending this twohour introductory course to growing your own food! In this class you will learn about how to plant and transplant vegetables and watering and sun requirements. You will also have a chance to plant your own carrots and/or tomato, and harvest carrots.

All needed supplies are included in the cost of the class. Kids ages kindergarten and up are welcome to take the class, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Cost for the class is $25, however there is a promo code available for family members who register together. For more information about the class, or to register, please visit www.cos.edu/ communityed.

May 5 - Tulare-Kings Women in Ag Fundraiser 6pm - Social and dinner at Koetsier Ranch, 8230 Ave. 272, Visalia. Proceeds support agricultural awareness and education in Tulare and Kings Counties. Silent auction. Tickets $50/each and are available through the Tulare County Farm Bureau and Golden State Farm Credit in Hanford.

May 6 - First Annual Fred Davis Memorial Dinner 6-10pm - The First Annual Fred Davis Memorial Dinner will held at the Lamplighter Inn of Visalia. Fred Davis was a leader in local Democratic politics and a colorful community activist and humanitarian. Keynote speaker is State Senator and 2018 Lieutenant Governor Candidate Dr. Ed Hernandez, chair of the State Senate Health Committee, and author of the law raising the age for cigarette purchase to 21.

Tickets available online through https://secure.actblue/contribute/ page/freddavis2017, or for information call Norma at (559) 991-5266, or Susanne at (559) 368-9464, or susannegundy@aol.com

20 April, 2017

B6 • Valley Voice

Education Tulare High School District Celebrates Graduation Rate Staff Reports

Tulare Joint Unified School District graduated 87.2% of its students during the 2015-16 school year, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education. This is an increase of 1.6% from the 201415 data. Our district also increased the graduation rate for Foster Youth (72.7%), Special Education (84.9%) and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged (85.1%) White (89.3%),English Learners (82.3%) and Migrant Students (87.2%).

TJUHSD’s graduation rate of 87.2% is above the Tulare County rate

of 85.4% and the state of California 83.2% rate.

Tulare Union (91.6%), Tulare Western (92.6%) and Mission Oak (92.3%) also increased in their graduation rates.

We had 100% graduation rate at Countryside High School.

“We are proud of our staff’s efforts for their laser focus in offering more opportunities for students to cross the line and graduate”.

“Our vigilance in these efforts is moving the needle forward for our students and will continue to be a focus area for the district”, stated Superintendent, Dr. Sarah Koligian.

COS Student Awarded Cooke Foundation Transfer Scholarship Staff Reports

College of the Sequoias student William Russell has been awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, worth up to $40,000 a year, to complete a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. COS Superintendent President surprised Russell with the award at a small ceremony today, with Russell’s family present.

“This is now and you’re here, and the sky’s the limit,” Russell shares some words of wisdom for those in similar situations to himself. “It doesn’t matter what happened in your past… this is for you.”

Russell started at COS in 2013, after a successful career as a journeyman electrician. After suffering an onthe-job injury, Russell’s doctors warned that it may be time to consider another career. It was through the encouragement of his wife and children that he took his first step on the path to a History degree, with the goal of teaching.

Russell has been accepted to California State University, Fresno, and is waiting to hear from the remaining schools to which he applied.

Russell shared his nerves at approaching college mid-career and after having had a spotty education himself.

“I was always behind,” Russell said having constantly moved around the area with farm-working parents, he was rarely able to finish or even start school along with his peers. But now he says, “To be the first one in your family to actually make this (college) happen starts a chain reaction,” proud to share that two of his children have now started their higher education at COS. Wife Melanie shared that the family has been supplementing their income from Russell’s student work study job with COS’ Facilities Department by selling baked goods on the weekends and growing their own fruits and vegetables. “This means everything,” she said. “We feel like we’ve all earned this.”

Russell echoed that sentiment, “They work so hard that they make me want to make their efforts worth it.”

This is the fifth Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar from COS. COS is one of six total California schools having award finalists this year. The other California community colleges are: City College of San Francisco, Los Medanos College, MiraCosta College, San Diego Miramar College and Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Cooke Foundation selected 55 outstanding community college students from around the nation from a competitive pool of nearly 3,000 ap-

plicants to receive Un d e r g r a d u a t e Transfer Scholarships this year. All of the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars have financial need and strong records of academic achievement as shown by grades, leadership skills, awards, extraordinary service to others and perse- William Russell, recipient of the Cooke Foundation scholarship, at the presentation of the award. (L-R, EOPS Director Adrian Beltran, verance in the face Counselor Lisa Brandis, William Russell and COS Superintendent/ of adversity.

President Stan Carrizosa.) Courtesy/COS The Cooke Cooke Scholarships fund the costs Foundation Undergraduate Trans- of attending college not covered by othfer Scholarship is the largest private er financial aid, plus academic advising, scholarship in the nation for students stipends for internships, study abroad, transferring from two-year community and opportunities to network with othcolleges to four-year institutions that er Cooke Scholars and alumni. In addiaward bachelor’s degrees. tion, after earning a bachelor’s degree, “Our Undergraduate Transfer each Cooke Scholar may be eligible Scholars have a proven record of ac- for a scholarship for graduate school complishment at elite colleges and uni- worth up to $50,000 a year for up to versities and have gone on to successful four years. careers in many professions,” Cooke According to the American AssociFoundation Executive Director Harold ation of Community Colleges, “nearly O. Levy said. “This is among the most half of all undergraduates in the Unitprestigious scholarships in the country ed States attend community colleges,” and we are extremely proud of the tal- amounting to 12.3 million students. ented students who have been selected.”

First 5 Tulare County Honors Visalia Grand Opening Celebration April 22 Unified Ivanhoe Program & Instructor for New Farmersville Library known for her ability to create a nurturing learning environment for the Ivanhoe’s First 5 prothree- and four-year-old gram and teacher Zelma children in the program, Lollis will be honored and test scores verify with the “Outstanding their progress.

Provider 2017” award “We are grateful for at the First 5 Handsthe support of First 5 TuOn Heroes event Tueslare County at Ivanhoe,” day, April 25. noted Todd Oto, Ed.D., The event recognized superintendent of Visaheroes who have made a lia Unified School Disdifference in the lives of trict. “Our programs are Tulare County children enhanced and children ages zero through five.

Zelma Lollis. Courtesy/VUSD supported through these Lollis has been in early childhood educaeducation for over 17 years, and has tion opportunities. We offer congratubeen part of the Ivanhoe First 5 School lations to Zelma for this well-deserved Readiness Program for five years. She is recognition.”

Staff Reports

Tulare County Library invites everyone to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Farmersville Branch Library on Saturday, April 22, 2017 in Farmersville, California.

The Grand Opening ceremony begins at 11am followed by a ribbon cutting.

Festivities begin at 10am with a resource fair coordinated by the Boys and Girls Club of Farmersville. Following the ribbon cutting the library will be open for check out, library cards, crafts, and story time until 2pm.

The event will feature distinguished speakers including Kuyler Crocker— Tulare County Supervisor District 1, Debbie Lagomarsino—Lea Conmigo and Read for Life, Alice Lopez—Farm-

Staff Reports

ersville Unified School District, Mayor Paul Boyer and Greg Gomez—Farmersville City Council, Tara Adams—the Office of Assemblyman Devon Mathis, and others. Darla Wegener, County Librarian will have the honor of hosting this event welcoming everyone to the new Farmersville Branch.

Celebrate with library staff, citizens, guests, and other county staff on this opening day at the new branch, located at 623 N. Avery Ave. The library will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm and staffed by Library Assistant Janet Soriano.

20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • B7

Musician Plays Lindsay Theatre Music from Half Way Across the Country Nancy Vigran There are some 1,665 miles between Corpus Christi, Texas and Lindsay, California, but that doesn’t keep Richard Robinson from continuing his work with the Lindsay Community Theatre. A Lindsay native, Robinson and his wife, Merilee, moved to Corpus Christi following their retirement. That is where their son had moved and is raising his family.

Robinson is perhaps best known as a former music teacher within the Lindsay school system, for more than 20 years. He also taught second grade and Special Ed. But, he has also been an integral part of the local theatre throughout his life.

“When I was three or four, my parents went to that theatre and watched movies,” he said. Following that time, “for years, it was shuttered up, vacant.

“And then, Peggy Sanders [who served on the city council], she said, ‘we’re going to buy that theatre and turn it into a theatre we can use.’ And, so she found it a benefactor.”

That was around 1980, Robinson said.

Following, Robinson went right to the schools’ superintendent and said, “I want to teach a summer school class in drama – we’re going to do a musical in that theatre!”

“People loved it,” he said.

And people love it now, he added, although he doesn’t feel it gets enough credit.

For years, Hal Munter, Robinson and others, produced a lot of plays at the theater – some through the high school, some through community theatre. One of the first musical productions was “Oklahoma!” It is being produced again this

Oklahoma Continued from B1

singing about his “Surrey With a Fringe on Top” and she is almost convinced until he admits it isn’t real. She storms off before he can tell her that he really has rented one for the party. Jud Fry (Chris Shepard), the lonely and misanthropic farm hand is obsessed with Laurey and invites her to the party with him. She accepts only to annoy Curly.

Later that morning Will Parker (Garrett Mehciz) returns from a rodeo in “Kansas City” and tells the crowd of all the amazing things he has seen. He also won $50 – the amount needed to secure the hand of Ado Annie, but he spent it all on presents for her. Annie confesses to Laurey that whilst Will was away she fell for a travelling Peddler, Ali Hakim (Jesse Dugan). Laurey tells her she needs

month by Jim Kleigl, who now manages the theatre.

“Music has been a problem for all of our productions, right from the start,” Kleigl said in an earlier interview. “It is really hard to find musicians. We have singers, we can find those. At first, we tried to get little orchestras together and that was challenging. And, then, technology kind of helped us out.

“I have a friend who was a teacher, Richard Robinson. He is a virtuoso pianist – the guy could do anything with a piano. My son was in a play, and he was so tone deaf, he couldn’t follow any kind of music – so Richard just said, you start singing, I’ll find your key.

“He moved – we had done plays together for 25 years. [While still living in Lindsay] he started to take all the music books, which they sent us with orchestration, and he’s got a synthesizing machine and can play any instrument on his keyboard. So, he would play every instrument and record it. When he’d play his recording it was like the whole orchestra – it was pretty cool. He did that for a few years and then, he moved away.

“So, we’re doing a play and I said, well I know Richard, you’re in Texas, but can you still do the music? And he goes, ‘well, yeah, I think I can.’ “‘If I send you all the books, can you record them and send them?’

‘Yeah, I could do that.’

“So, he’d do all the music and send it out in a file-sharing program and on my computer. I have a program that plays the music. You can change the tempo, you can change the key and suit it to the singer. It’s a lot easier than it used to be, and all we need is a technician who goes to rehearsals

and knows the show – knows when to play what song. It’s pretty cool!”

Despite the fact that both of Robinson’s parents were deaf, he always had a love for music. An only child, he grew up around his grandparents as well, so he verbally spoke with them, and signed with his parents. He taught Richard Robinson produces all the music for Lindsay Community Theatre through his synthesizer while living in Corpus Christi, himself the piano at Texas. Courtesy/Richard Robinson a young age, sneakshould go, and when to slow down.” ing into the church during evening hours, And then throughout rehearsals, and to play on the instrument there, he said. in real time, he can chat with Kliegl and Later in life, as he found his family roots the artists to tweak the music. and discovered that many on his mother’s “You could buy or rent [the music] side of the family were artistic and musi- for $2,000 or 3,000” Robinson said. “But, cally inclined.

I can do it just as well and I won’t charge “In 1966, I used to do high school you anything because I love the theater,” musicals,” Robinson said. “Throughout he had told Kliegl. my life I have tried to be involved in “I collaborate with him on his shows,” musicals.”

Robinson said. “We just work really well He served as musical director for together – I know what he wants.” countless plays in Lindsay.

Despite the miles between him and Through his synthesizer, he can cre- the City of Lindsay, Robinson remains ate music sounding just like an orches- just as dedicated to his theatre work. Not tra, he said. too long ago, he broke his right wrist prior For each instrument, often up to 18 to production of one musical, and had to of them, he plays the music individually play all the work with his left hand, and and then produces them together for the yes, he is naturally right-handed. instrumental of every song within any And despite the miles, Robingiven play. son makes comments as if he still lives “Some people say it is canned because in Lindsay. it is recorded – but, I sat down and played “One of the best things we have in every note, for every book, every song,” he our town, is community theatre,” he said. said. “It’s not canned! I decide how fast it

to choose who she wants, but she simply “Cain’t Say No” to any man. The girls arrive to assist with the preparations for the party and Laurey tries to hide her feelings towards Curly and his new date Gertie Cummings (Mikayla Giannetto), by singing “Many a New Day.” Ado Annie’s father Andrew Carnes (Ron Fleming) threatens Hakim with his shotgun if he won’t marry Ado Annie.

Ali Hakim does not particularly want to get married (“It’s a Scandal, It’s an Outrage”). Curly realizes that Laurey is going with Jud to the party and pretends not to be upset, (“People Will Say We’re in Love”). He goes to talk to Jud and convinces him that everyone would miss him if he died, (“Poor Jud is Daid”).

They talk about Laurey and this makes Jud more determined to keep her in his “Lonely Room.”

Laurey buys some “magic” smelling

salts from Ali Hakim to help her reveal her true love and she falls asleep. “Out of My Dreams,” a dream ballet scene begins, showing Laurey dancing with Curly. This happiness is interrupted by Jud Fry who fights with Curly and kills him. As the dream turns to a nightmare, Jud wakes her in time to take her to the party.

The box social begins with a barn dance, but division begins as the “Farmer and the Cowman” argue with each other. Aunt Eller tries to control the proceedings as the basket auction begins. Ali Hakim tries to rid himself of Ado Annie by buying Will’s “presents” for $50, so Will can now marry Annie. When the bidding on Laurey’s box begins Curly and Jud go head to head, with Curly bidding everything he owns for her basket. Will tells Annie that when they get married, she has to be faithful and not

flirt with other men (“All Er Nuthin”).

Jud confronts Laurey and pressures her into revealing her feelings for him.

She tells him she doesn’t like him in that way, and when he gets aggressive she fires him. She cries out for Curley’s help, and they admit to each other they are actually in love, (“People Will Say We’re in Love Reprise”). Ali Hakim decides to leave and tells Annie she should marry Will. We later discover that Ali was forced to marry Gertie at the end of her father’s shotgun.

Laurey and Curly are finally married and everyone rejoices in the territory becoming a state, (“Oklahoma!). Jud arrives drunk and attacks Curly, and in the scuffle falls on his knife and dies. The guests take Jud away, declare Curly not guilty, and he and Laurey ride off into the sunset in the surrey.

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20 April, 2017

Valley Voice • B8

Aphids Spring to Life in Spring Bonnie Preston UC Master Gardener Aphids are a common occurrence in the spring. They rapidly appear in large numbers when the weather starts to warm and are most prevalent between 65 and 80 degrees. Look closely at many plants and you’ll notice that aphids come in a variety of colors--especially green, yellow, brown, red and black. They are small, soft-bodied insects with mouths like skinny straws that pierce leaves and green stems, then suck out the plant’s fluid.

Plants can tolerate some aphid feeding with no apparent damage. However, aphids also have the ability to carry some plant viruses from an infected plant to a non-infected plant. In ornamental plants, most plant viruses are cosmetic, but in vegetables like squash and tomatoes these viruses damage the produce.

Well, all of that plant juice has to go somewhere and since aphids don’t swell up to the size of a balloon, they excrete the sugary sweet plant sap right back on to plant leaves. This digested substance is called “honeydew” and it is easily seen glistening on plant leaves. Honeydew is sticky and attracts sooty mold spores from the air. Sooty mold is a fungus that lives off of the honeydew and as it grows it becomes black, hence the name. Besides blackening the leaves and creating a mess, it deprives the leaf from maximum light for photosynthesis and when

sooty mold is abundant, the plant can be weakened.

Ants climbing up and around your plants are another sign that honeydew is around. Ants also feed on honeydew for nourishment and will protect the aphids from natural predation. There are several beneficial insects that prey on aphids including ladybugs, lacewings, damsel bugs, and hover fly larvae, which can all significantly reduce an aphid population. When ants succeed in warding off beneficial insects, the good bugs can’t do their job of keeping aphids under control. Controlling the ant population will help control the aphid population.

Roses are particularly susceptible to springtime aphids, and it is very common to see them in late March and throughout April when the bushes have started to leaf out and send up the first blooms for the season. A question heard over and over again in the spring. “My rose buds are covered with aphids, what should I do”?

With aphid control, timing is everything. Different aphid species feed on different plants, but identification is not needed when it comes to trying to control them in your garden.

Reaching for a broad spectrum insecticide is the last choice and can do more harm than good when applied in the spring because beneficial insect populations are knocked down to zero. It is better to suffer a little aphid damage in the spring and let the beneficial popula-

tions build up by preying on the aphids.

This will keep more insect pests under natural control (also called biological control) throughout the summer.

Does that mean you don’t do anything in the springtime? Not at all. First thing to do is check the plants daily during this time of rapid new growth.

As aphids build up, spray the plant with a strong spray of water to knock off the insects from the buds and leaves. For heavy infestations I hold clusters of buds in one hand and the spray nozzle in the other.

Certain measures will help with prevention. Don’t over fertilize in the spring, since aphids love that new lush growth. When you do fertilize, use a slow release or organic fertilizer or compost. Prune out heavily infested leaves and stems. Ladybugs and lacewings will naturally appear in your garden and will gradually reduce the aphid populations.

If you are unable to control the problem by hosing off the plants and beneficial insects, then try the least toxic insecticides. Insecticidal soaps, soap pyrethrum mixtures, and neem oils are a safe alternative that work by smothering the insect. Make sure you have complete coverage by spraying with a high volume of water and target the underside of the leaves, as well as the tops. These products only kill what is present and do not have residual activity. Always follow the directions on the container and use when the temperature is below 90 de-

grees. They are readily available in nurseries and garden departments.

Systemic products are a final control possibility, particularly for rose bushes.

They should never be used on garden vegetables or fruit trees. This should be your last resort choice, since they are toxic to almost all insects. Most systemic products are actually 3 products in 1 container: a fertilizer, a broad spectrum insecticide, and a fungicide for some disease control. Never use more often than every 6 weeks and it is of utmost importance to strictly follow the application amounts detailed on the product label.

These products are available in a liquid form to be sprayed on the plant or as a granular form that is applied at the base of the plant and watered in to the soil.

So remember when considering different control tactics for aphids, choose the methods that moderate aphid populations and do not disrupt the natural population of beneficial insects. You’re in for a constant battle with bugs, if you do.

Upcoming Master Gardener events: • City of Visalia Earth Day: Sat., April 22. Mineral King Ave., downtown Visalia • Visit us at the Visalia Farmers Market at the Sear’s Parking lot on Mooney on each Saturday. On the 2nd Saturday of the month, we will be presenting ongoing talks: April 8 - Herbs; May 12 - Citrus.

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