Fair Plans Max Corbett
Dairy Education Center

By Rick Elkins

Tulare - Max Corbett touched a lot of lives as a Tulare high school agriculture teacher, but none more than those connected to the dairy industry.

Corbett, who taught ag for more than 30 years, died Sept. 14 when he was attacked by a bull at the Tulare Joint Union High School District Farm. More than 1,000 people turned out for his memorial service.

His death occurred on the last day of the Tulare County Fair, where he was a permanent fixture working with young people on their projects, especially dairy projects.

Now, a grateful fair and community are coming to together to develop and build the Max Corbett Dairy Education Center at the fairgrounds.

“We want to pay tribute to Mr. Corbett for all he did for the fair,” said Geoff Hinds, the fair's chief executive officer. The board did not want to just name a barn after Corbett, but to develop “something that's going to be a showcase for the entire community.”

Corbett's wife, Mary, called the news “absolutely wonderful. The support from this community has been wonderful. I think he would really be proud.”
Corbett was highly respected by the dairy community and since his death, the high school district has received tens of thousands of dollars in donations to upgrade and improve the school dairy.

The first planning meeting for the fair project was held Wednesday night. More meetings are planned with the goal to begin construction by early March and complete phase one in time for the opening of the 2009 fair on Sept. 16.

Hinds said the concept calls for a 3,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art interactive Dairy Education Center, which would include a fully operational milking parlor theatre, milking stations that fair exhibitors could use and hands-on, interactive, educational displays for visitors.

The center will be constructed where the milking barn now is, next to the Women in Ag concession stand between the exhibit building and the livestock area, Hinds said. The center would be available throughout the year for special events, such as the Great Western Livestock show.

A draft design may have been ready for this week's meeting, Hinds said.
“We want it to be an interactive educational center,” he said, explaining the goal will be to show how milk production works and the importance of the dairy industry to Tulare County, the No. 1 dairy county in the nation.

Corbett was the catalyst and mainstay of the Dairy Heifer Replacement Sale held during fair – a sale that is now duplicated at many fairs around the state, Hinds said. “He truly was part of this fair.”

For Mary Corbett, this year's fair “was amazing.” She explained that it seemed the fair was special – “something different. The cows sparkled. We had a fabulous dairy show. Max was happy.”

Hinds said it was the board and staff that came up with the idea for the permanent tribute. They sought ideas and came up with the diary educational center.
No price tag has been put on the project yet, although it is expected to be in excess of $150,000. “We'll need to do a little fund raising,” Hinds said, adding the fair will be looking for grants as well.

With only 10 months for fundraising, design and construction, Hinds admitted this is an “ambitious” project that can be done in two stages. The first stage would be constructing the building and functional milking system, with completion of the interior and educational aspects to be done later.

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Torrez: 'Word of Mouth' Got
Him Hospital Board Seat

Tulare - Richard Torrez thinks several factors, including a large supportive family, helped him get elected to the Tulare Local HealthCare District board without waging a high-profile campaign.

“The Torrez clan has been in this area since my grandfather started farming in the Valley in 1917,” said Torrez, a 42-year-old history and science alternative high school teacher who also runs the Tulare Athletic Boxing Club, which his late father, Manuel, began decades ago in Tulare.

“My family was very instrumental in my election; they [voters] remember my uncle and dad,” he said. He describes his as a “word-of-mouth—a lot of word of mouth” campaign that relied on the votes of “all the good people out there who know my heart.” He appeared at two campaign forums and also made trips to Tipton, Woodville, Earlimart and Pixley to speak with voters.

“Before the election, I saw all these big ads and said, 'Whoa, that's not me,'” he said, adding that toward the end of the campaign he pulled out his credit card and spent $5,000 on campaign signs. He said he is very grateful to all who voted for him.

Torrez is only the second Latino to be elected to the board in the hospital's 55-plus year history. The first, Victor Gonzalez, was defeated in the last election and a group of local Latino residents filed a lawsuit in Tulare County Superior Court alleging the hospital's at-large method of choosing board members dilutes the vote of Latino voters.

'Doesn't Change Intent'

Joaquin Avila, the nationally renowned voting rights attorney who filed the lawsuit, said Torrez' election “doesn't change our intent to go to trial.”

A statute provides that elections held after the filing of a voting rights lawsuit has “less probative value” than those elections that occurred before, Avila said.
Leonard Herr, who represents the hospital district in the suit, said he intends “to make a big to-do” about Torrez' election.

He said Gonzalez did not lose because of “racial issues” and hospital district issues “are really not racially based.”

“The stuff that's important to the hospital or people who vote for the board members are questions such as should we have a new hospital,'” he said.

He contended that lawsuits such as the one facing the district are usually raised in cases in which an all-white board exists and people of other races or ethnic groups have not been able to get elected for decades.

“We have a multi-racially diverse board anyway,” he added. The board includes two men of East Indian background, an African-American man and now a Hispanic man. The fifth member is a white male.

Latest Count

The latest ballot count, released by the Tulare County Elections Office Friday, shows Torrez with 6,054 or 18.76 percent of the 32,277 votes counted.
He is second only to incumbent Parmod Kumar, a physician, who received 9,722 or 30.12 percent of the total. Kumar's campaign disclosure statement filed Oct. 20 indicated he raised $21,294—which included a $15,000 loan from himself to the campaign—and spent $16,421 on the election.

Incumbent Roger McPhetridge won the third seat up for grabs with 5,816 or 18.02 percent of the votes cast. He did not file a campaign disclosure statement, because he spent less than $1,000 on the election, he said.

The three winners are expected to be sworn in no later than Dec. 5.

Unlike Torrez and McPhetridge, who conducted low-key campaigns, the two losers in the campaign were more visible in the community through signs and mailers and were critical of the existing board at public forums.

Sherrie Bell, a part-time realtor and full-time mother of six, and Skip Barwick, a real estate broker and owner of a soils amendment business, ran as a team and came in fourth and fifth as they garnered 5,465 (16.93 percent) and 5,178 (16.04 percent) of the votes, respectively.

Bell, who according to her Oct. 18 campaign disclosure statement, spent $9,893 on the campaign, said she doesn't see the outcome as rejection.

'Got a Base’

“I needed to work a little bit harder,” she said. “We ran our own campaigns and they were very simple campaigns … I feel like I've got a base now…I'm hanging onto my signs. I'm very appreciative of those people who voted for me.”

She noted the board, with the departure of incumbent Deanne Martin-Soares who chose not to seek re-election, will lack “the voice of a woman.”

Barwick, who reported spending $6,485 through Oct. 18 on his election bid, said that despite his loss he feels good about the campaign and the fact he spoke his mind.

“I still stick by my campaign message …I feel like they need some business sense on that board,” he said.

He also said many people agreed with him that the board “had been asleep at the wheel” during the one-year tenure of interim Chief Executive Officer Bob Kelley.
He also said there were people who encouraged him and Bell to run because they do not like having three doctors on the board “but they couldn't come out and oppose Kumar.”

Barwick also said he had encouraged people to vote for Torrez, as well as for Bell and himself.

“He's got a good heart and he's got character and he's educated,” he said. “He also fills that void in the Hispanic community. He'll have my support all the way.”

During the campaign Torrez' emphasis was on improving access to medical care throughout the district by establishing more clinics. The hospital currently operates two, both within the city limits and within walking distance of its campus.

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Redevelopment Halts
Railroad Land Purchases

Tulare - Economic problems at the state level “trickled down” in a disappointing way for the Tulare Redevelopment Agency, which has put on hold the purchase of excess Union Pacific Railroad property downtown.

The agency board was expected to approve the purchase last week of the southwest corner of Kern Avenue and J Street for $622,214 and of the southeast corner of Kern and I Street for $490,332.

But Redevelopment Director Bob Nance told board members City Manager Darrel Pyle was asking them to hold off on the large ticket item because of the uncertainty of what the state will do to balance its budget.

The agency does not have the $1.1 million on hand to buy the property and would have to borrow from the city's general fund, which it would reimburse once the land was sold to a developer.

“It's not a bad idea [to wait], since we don't have a developer ready to go,” Nance told the board.

The board honored the request in a 6-1 vote with member Art Cabello strongly objecting.

“Does he realize it's the best deal we've had on Union Pacific property in years?” Cabello asked.

He was upset because, at the city's request, the agency had spent money on projects outside its area and “now, we're being asked to hold back,” he said.
He reminded colleagues he had raised concerns when the agency was asked to assist with Paige Avenue property that the city needed. “My argument at the time was this is going to come back and haunt us.” Cabello said.

Board member Patrick Isherwood suggested the board look at the situation in 30 days.

“Is this price going to remain what it is now?” board member Dan Neppel asked. “Do you honestly believe property values are going to increase in 30 days?” board Chairwoman Judy Silicato replied.

Board member Mark Richmond said it is hard to predict the future. “Arguably, this is as cheap as it will ever get; arguably, it's as much,” he said, adding the responsible thing to do is not spend the money if there is not a developer waiting in the wings.

So far, the city hasn't heard anything from Sacramento that would indicate a major loss of funds, Pyle said later. “I don't think there's enough left in cities and counties to fix their hole.” Estimates of the state deficit range from $11.2 billion to $28 billion.
Nevertheless, Pyle said he thinks it is important to “take our foot off the accelerator here and keep an eye on the state climate.”

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Korenwinder to Ride Solo
In Baja 1000 Friday

Tulare - Mike Korenwinder, who has competed in two other Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races, is going to put himself through the ultimate test when the 2008 edition kicks-off Friday in Ensenada.

Instead of riding as part of a team, Korenwinder will take off at 6:45 a.m. on his 2008 WR 450 motorcycle and ride the entire 634 miles himself, including a 50-mile loop through San Felipe that friend Steve Shahan said has to be “the gnarliest” path he has ever seen.

Shannon, who will drive the No. 1 chase truck with Manuel Sousa, went down to Baja with Korenwinder earlier this month to check out the route, which changes every year so no one has the advantage of already having competed on it.
“It's going to be pretty grueling on him,” Shahan said.

But he believes Korenwinder is ready to compete in the Ironman Class. “If there's anybody I know who can do it, he can do it,” Shannon said. “He's got the mind set to do it.”

Korenwinder agreed that this year's course includes some of the toughest stretches he has seen.

“There's one portion that is 4,000 feet down the side of a mountain with switchbacks,” he said. “Trucks will have to make three-point turns to get down it.”
Motorcyclists get a two-hour head start on the course so, if all goes well, they are not making the descent at the same time as the trucks, Korenwinder said.

Now's the Time

Inspiring Korenwinder to attempt the solo run is his “Idol” Richard Jackson, known as “Caveman” and a fellow member of the Checkers Motorcycle Club in Los Angeles. “He has Iron manned the 1,000 numerous times, he said.

“And I think it's the right time for me maybe because of my age too,” Korenwinder said. “I'm 47 years old, my eyesight's still good and I have my strength,” he said.
D & E Yamaha of Visalia, his employer, and the Yamaha Motor Corp. are sponsoring his ride in this year's Baja event.

“The community also has been very supportive,” Korenwinder said, reporting a good response to a recent fund raiser held at the Victor Mendes Calf Ranch.
Prior to his departure earlier this week, Korenwinder has been bicycling and physically challenging himself to prepare for the race.

“Physically, he's there,” Shahan said.

Among those going to Ensenada with him are: Robert Thompson, his main mechanic; Ike Hull, who will be in charge of all the GPS coordinates and radios; and Kenny Greenfield; Chris Sa and David Cardoza, who did a pre-run of the course with Korenwinder earlier this month.

In addition to Shahan and Sousa, others in the chase truck crew are: Mike Johnson, Jason Laughlin and Mark Ives, who will man the second truck; and Mike Bragg and Mike Sears, who will operate the third.

The group headed down to Ensenada on Sunday and were expected to pre-run most of the course earlier this week, Shahan said. “Then we'll have two days of rest.”

Korenwinder said he wants to maintain an average speed of 37 mph and complete the course in about 19 hours. Participants have 32 hours to complete the race. In addition to the Ironman's class, he also will compete in the 40 PRO riding class.
His wife, Dena, and their two daughters will go down to Ensenada for the race for the first time, as well as friends who are not directly involved with the race, he said.
“If everyone on the morning of the 21st [Friday] would say a little prayer for our team, I would sure appreciate it,” Korenwinder said.

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Plaza Café Owner Tulare Native

Tulare - Jonathan Gosvener's first outing after he was born was to the Plaza Café with his mother, Joan, and an aunt and cousin. He was just three days old.
Now, at age 21, Gosvener is back again, this time as owner and chef of the restaurant at 2375 East Tulare Ave. in the Anchor Lighting Plaza.

The restaurant, which was founded in 1986, was most recently operated by Santos Montes, who closed the business after his cook was seriously injured in an automobile accident.

Gosvener, 21, was working in real estate with his mother when he got a call from Harriet Boghosian, owner of the building, asking if he were interested in operating the café.

“I got the call on Monday and we were open for business the following Wednesday,” said Gosvener, who is a graduate of the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena.

The restaurant is open only for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, “until I can get on my feet,” he said, adding he hopes to offer Friday and Saturday night dinners by the end of this month. He is taking reservations for the high school winter formal this month.

The lunch menu at Plaza Café includes a selection of soups, salads and sandwiches that range in price from $5.99 for Ham and Cheese Panini or The Plaza BLT to $8.99 for New York Strip and Baby Spinach on Grilled Focaccia.
His favorite sandwich, Gosvener said, is the Seared Chicken on Sourdough, which is a chicken breast seared with garlic, herbs, melted Swiss cheese and roasted bell pepper on toasted sourdough.

Gosvener distinctly remembers when he first became interested in a culinary career.
“It was Christmas my freshman year of high school and my mom needed a lot of help baking and I had a blast,” he said. “It's like a science, but instead of chemicals, it's spices, herbs and produce…”

After completing his work at the culinary school in Pasadena, Gosvener did a five-month externship with Canlis, a Seattle bistro about a mile north of the Space Needle, and then returned to the area.

His first job was with an upscale Tulare County restaurant, where he worked as a pantry and line cook, earning only minimum wage. He stayed about nine months.
“I decided at that time cooking wouldn't be sufficient enough to pay the bills,” he said.

He decided to follow his mother into real estate and worked about 2 ½ years in that field before he got the call from Boghosian.

Since taking over the cafe, he has had the café wired for WiFi for those who want to use their computers, he said.

“I just feel really blessed by this opportunity,” Gosvener said.
For information about catering or to place orders: 329-8112.

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