Watching Our Ag Water Leave Town
Tulare County - Neverending low commodity prices are prompting at least some farmers to look around to see what they can hock. "They may sell a tractor or some land or even their water," says Tulare County farmer Brian Blain.
That's the concern in Kings County too where dairyman and Kings County Supervisor Tony Oliveira fears the loss of ag water leaving the county line. "I can't say who, but I know there is an international broker who wants to buy local ag water and sell it to the highest bidder."Oliveira says that when ag can pay only $70 an acre ft. and bottled water sells for $2.4 million an acre ft - ag just can't compete.
Oliveira is in a running battle with Westlands WD who wants to pull their federal water out of NAS Lemoore to make up for their district wide shortfall - a move Oliveira considers "an attack on the base and on the people of Kings County." He fears the eventual closing of the base if a water source to replace the loss isn't found.
Attending this year's ACWA (Association of California Water Agencies) conference in Monterey, Kings County Water District general manager Don Mills heard the latest numbers. Urban interests in California can pay about $10,000 an acre ft. for water, 100 to 200 times what farmers can afford.
One farmer looking to sell his water is Westlake Farms who is working through Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District to market 4000 acre ft. of state water project water that has gone to about 6000 acres of Kings County farmland for decades, according to general manager Brent Graham.
The prospective buyer - the San Gregorio Pass Water Agency who would use the water for urban uses near Riverside. That district is a so-called M&I contractor - municipal and industrial user - as opposed to ag user. That deal has been in the works for months and it isn't clear if it is moving forward, he says. Graham says if water is sold from that 6000 acres of lake bed land it will never again be eligible for state project water but it can still pump ground water. "We have a policy that the affected acreage can't increase pumping, however," he says "The whole idea getting state water was to maintain our ground water," he notes. The agency has had a contract to get state water since 1963.
A second deal is in the works, says Graham, to another M&I contractor in Alameda where Vallov Farms is in the process of selling 400 acre ft. of water in Tulare County - another potential example of farm water to urban interests far from the Valley. Graham says another deal where a Kern County district sold ag water to an urban interest - Antelope Valley East in December is another example of our current farm water supply being exported.
"Many times you can't put a fence around the water," says KCWD manager Don Mills.
Part of the equation is that a massive land retirement in the west side of the valley is underway where soils have been impacted by high salts and selenium. Two CVP contractors near Los Banos north of Westlands are planning to sell their water, he says. Westlands has said it would retire up to 200,000 acres and land retirement in the Tulare Lake Basin is underway as well, some being handled by government buy out.
The loss of water to vast areas of farmland has impacts on small towns and the jobs of thousands of farmworkers and could even impact the valley air.
"I worry about the dust created by fallow land in Kings County because there is not water to plant a crop at the base," says Tony Oliveira. Oliveira plans to fight the detachment of the base proposed by Westlands through LAFCO.
Eastside farmers have their worries too. Sources at Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District says they are concerned about a possible move by water broker Cadiz Inc. - owner of Sun World - a company that both farms extensively in Tulare and Kern counties and is in the water storage and sales business. Cadiz has water rights on the Kaweah River. The company has plenty of political clout to go with their extensive ag and water holdings. They have ties to Governor Davis and this year the company announced they had hired no less than Bruce Babbitt - former Dept. of Interior head - to head up an effort to manage water for the parched Middle East.
Kaweah Delta has a policy not to allow withdrawal of water from the district in order to protect the groundwater. But not all members have signed up to formalize the policy. Two who have not are Wachumna WD where Cadiz has an interest and Tulare Irrigation District (TID) who you will recall appeared to be preparing to market water before their effort to line their canal was stopped.
Now there is some indication TID might reconsider signing the policy.
Meanwhile, the counties of Tulare and Kings are each studying an ordinance to keep water supplies within their border at least on right of first refusal basis.
"It makes sense to me that before water leaves the area offer it to local users and jurisdictions," says Oliveira.
Angiola WD at the end of the Tule River is one place land retirement is prompting the possible sale of ag water. Negotiations are underway to see if that water might be brought over to the base farmland - some 12,500 acres - replace Westlands water if they succeed in pulling out.
Don Mills fears that "when so many farmers are Chapter 11'd out" the distressed water rights holder will be good pickings for water brokers who are watching California's continuing urban growth adding half a million new users each year. It has been called "California's great thirst" and some of that is going to be quenched by central California farmland.
"Right now the water is more valuable than the farmland," notes Don Mills.
Tulare County - The federal government is going to require air pollution control permits for aspects of farming that they don't require now. "Major sources" of air pollution that include stationary diesel engines often used for pumping water appear to be the first target of the EPA now that the agency has settled a lawsuit with environmental groups over ag's exemption from the Clean Air Act. The settlement was announce this week.
EPA officials stress that a permit won't be required for tractors or other vehicles involved with harvesting or plowing.
But they do say that it is likely some sort of permit affecting dairies is coming - at least down the road as more research is done to provide a snapshot of just how big a pollution problem dairies are.
California farmers had enjoyed an exemption from provisions of the Clean Air Act that require control measures for such "major sources" of pollution that include diesel engines and livestock yards, that will now end with this settlement.
The suit was brought by a number of environmental groups who were pleased farmers "would have to do their part" to clean the air.
"Major agricultural sources of air pollution must be regulated if we ever hope to breathe healthy air in the southern San Joaquin Valley," said Tom Frantz, Chairman of the Association of Irritated Residents.
"Ending California's agriculture exemption for clean air standards should have happened a decade ago," said Kevin Hall, of the Sierra Club's Tehipite Chapter - Fresno. "Why must citizen groups be forced to litigate just to get public health laws enforced? This should be a job of regulators."
The groups filed the lawsuit in January after the EPA approved a 3 year extension of the state exemption allowed agriculture to be sheltered from the nationwide rule. The state law says that local air districts can't require permits for "any equipment used in agricultural operations in the growing or crops or the raising of fowl or animals."
The news of the settlement comes only days after the release of the American Lung Association's worst air ranking saw Bakersfield, Fresno and Visalia in the top five for worst smog in the nation that made headlines across the US perhaps adding political pressure for EPA to demonstrate they are doing something about it.
It also comes days after the signing of the new Farm Bill that will offer incentives for the first time to help dairy farmers manage their manure problem - a major source of air pollution.
California Farm Bureau spokesman Bob Krauter says they are "disappointed" with the announcement but insisted they will continue to try to intervene to perhaps modify the settlement's reach when it goes before a judge May 19. "We don't think this is a done deal." When the numbers are added up Krauter believes that "ag's contribution to the pollution problem won't be as large as some think."
The Farm Bureau thought waiting for studies on inventories - the reason for the delay - agreed to by the EPA made sense. "We think good science is needed to provide the answers."
If farmers are going to be marked down for emission of pollutants they also ought to be given credit for the "air scrubbing" the millions of acres of plants do to help clean the air, Krauter notes.
The USDA has a study underway on just what the contribution of confined animals - livestock - to our air pollution. That report could be available in the next few months.
David Albers, attorney for the Dairy Alliance in Tulare County, says the deal was done "behind closed doors" - and that ag had no seat at the table. "It doesn't seem like due process to me."
Nisei Farm League president Manuel Cunha says farmers have made voluntary efforts to clean up their diesel engines with over 2100 diesel engines retrofitted or replaced in the past 2 ½ years through the state Carl Moyer Program offering tax incentives to upgrade heavy duty diesel engines. "There may be only 300 to 500 more to go" in the valley says Cunha, that exceed the "major pollution source rule of 25 tons per year" - the current threshold.
Indeed, EPA spokesperson Amy Zimpfer says EPA believes there may be even less than that.
However, the threshold level is a moving target.
That threshold is set depending on a district's smog designation. It was just last November that the EPA designated the valley's ozone level attainment from serious to severe. The Valley Air District at "severe" triggers the 25 ton per year permit requirement.
However, if the district is downgraded to "extreme" - allowing it more time to meet clean air levels the measures become more extreme such as requiring a permit for any pollution source greater than 10 tons a year.
Even smaller sources could be affected, some believe, since once you reach 50% of the threshold you must apply for permitting.
Figuring the 10-ton threshold far more sources could be included in the permitting requirement including many non-ag businesses like dry cleaners.
"There's something a farmer hates and that is to have some bureaucrat in charge of whether he pumps water that day," says one local. "Suddenly you've lost operational flexibility."
The Air District is having a public meeting on the severe to extreme issue May 29, 30 at their office in Fresno. (The two workshops will be held at 1990 E. Gettysburg in Fresno. Call 230-5800 for details.)
Some farmers we talked to about the settlement declined to be quoted but suggest they are worried about the fact the Air District - who will be required to eventually carry out the permitting of farms - may not be ready for the regulatory burden. They fear the paper chase and delays that farmers can't afford. The permitting will be required to give public notice - delaying decisions to keep the public informed. They are wary of the regulatory process that can tie up projects year after year in the courts.
These farmers sees those same environmental groups that have tied up the dairy industry for the past three years here - doing the same on other farms.
Those environmental groups include the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment - the group that has stalled new dairy permits in Kings, Tulare and Kern counties. Regarding the settlement, the group's spokesman commented that "It's long overdue for Big Ag to do its fair share to clean up our air," said Brent Newell an attorney for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment based in Delano. "When the largest agribusinesses are required to get air pollution permits, this will level the playing field for other business sectors that already obey the Clean Air Act."
Anne Harper, an attorney for Earthjustice who was co-counsel in the lawsuit said, "Asthma is now the leading cause of hospital admissions of young children in California, with over 7000 children in Fresno alone suffering from the disease. Now that California agriculture is no longer exempt from the Clean Air Act, it is going to have to become part of the solution instead of the problem when it comes to air quality in the Central Valley. This is an issue of public health."
The EPA will propose to administer the operating permit program for the agricultural sources, assuming control from California's 34 air pollution control districts. Until the California legislature amends state law to remove the exemption, the EPA will retain regulatory authority over agricultural sources.
The EPA's action pressures the state legislature to change the California law within the next 6 months or risk loss of highway funds. In the meantime the EPA will regulate ag sources in the state. But in the future this could fall to local air boards like our own 8-county San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Cunha says the valley ag industry is ready to do their part - "work out a plan" but if it is the intention of the environmental groups is to shut down the industry "they better explain where a lot of people are going to work."
But farmers are continually reminded with news accounts of the harm bad air is causing including the incidence of asthma in the state and the valley - some 10% and even estimate the number of deaths a year - 1300 in the Valley by one group's estimate announced this week.
Key to what extent the EPA decides to crack down on ag users is the question of whether pollution sources are "fugitive" or "stationary" with the later targeted for certain permitting and controls. The opponents of large dairies have been trying to make the case that these are "factory farms" - similar to a plant belching smog precursors out of a smokestack. It could be that aspect of livestock operations that will come under controls including the lagoons that collect manure depending on what the National Academy of Science - USDA report comes up with later this summer.
Regarding all the change coming down, EPA's District 9 spokesperson Amy Zimpfer suggest "we will be doing a major outreach" to explain their position at public meetings.
If diesel engines and dairies are being targeted now, some believe the next target will be farmers ability to carry out open field burning - the source of particulates - dust, soot, and haze. Particulates are higher in Fresno County - double that found in any other county in the valley due to increased burning according to the ARB. In 1995 particulate emissions were over 120 tons a day while tonnage in other valley counties was below 60 and Sacramento basin counties below 40. But a state law prohibits banning such burning.
One measure of the contribution of ag to poor air quality is volatile organic compounds. The SJVAPCD did a December 2001 Ozone Plan listing estimated inventories of air pollution. The 2002 summary says total area wide (stationary) sources add up to 192 tons a day VOCs and that total includes 68 tons from livestock waste. Ag and prescribed burnings is 34 tons of that total. Meanwhile, total mobile sources in the valley is over 214 tons per day with the largest being from cars and light duty trucks that equaled over 110 tons combined. Farm vehicles contributed 13 tons to the 214 mobile total. The bottom line is that total VOCs in the valley is 506 tons per day of which ag's contribution appears to be about 115 tons - no small number but about 20 to 25% of the problem in this category.
The total air pollution inventory doesn't include the stuff that blows in from the Bay Area where critics point out most of the environmental groups hail from, critics ask the question that if the groups are concerned about asthmatic kids in the valley that they might consider suing their own air board. Valley air boards estimate that the Bay Area's smog contributes anywhere from 25 to 15% of our air quality problem depending on where in the valley you are.
If you're worried about diesel pumps get ready for 30,000 Mexican trucks that run on diesel to enter the US later this summer. A suit to try to halt the influx of many older - pre 1994 trucks filed this month. The government is mandating new diesel engines in US trucks but Mexican trucks are not required to upgrade.
In another related matter the new Kings County Dairy Element is calling for additional controls on dairy slurry digestion systems - methane digesters - despite the fact that technology may not be proven. Some want flexibility in deciding just how to curb emissions.
Supporters of cleaner burning ethanol in the state are hoping to jump start a home grown fuels plan that could assist in helping clean our air. Earlier this month Arco announced they would convert to ethanol and phased out the fuel additive MTBE by December of this year. Arco has a 20% market share in the state. A Chevron spokesperson told the Voice that their company expects to convert to ethanol by the end of the year also. Biofuels that could run ag equipment could provide both a source of income for farmers and a way to clean the air, advocates believe.
Teen Moms Skip School
Tulare County - Most teen moms in Tulare County lay down the books when baby comes. And they don't pick them up again. A survey funded by the Tulare County Children and Families Commission found of 2753 teen mothers in the county between 13 - 17 only 386 of them attend high school - an 86% truancy rate.
The report carried out by the Service of Education and Employment (SEE program) suggested these teen moms are at risk for themselves and their baby for a life of welfare dependency, poor health care, abuse and neglect and even the next generation of crime problems if nothing is done about it.
Project coordinator, consultant Nick Anthony who wrote the March 2002 report, says simply "there is a crisis in Tulare County that will just get worse, not better unless school administrators, public officials and parents take action."
Tulare County continues to lead the state in teen pregnancy rates and our rate is continuing to go up while other counties in the state saw a slight reduction in 2000.
Terry Henry, a unit manager of Prevention Services, part of the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency observed, "Compared to women who delay childbearing until adulthood, teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to end up on welfare. The children of teen mothers are at significantly increased risk of low birth weight and prematurity, growing up without a father, welfare dependency, poor school performance, insufficient health care, inadequate parenting, and abuse and neglect." Children of teen mothers are seen as prime targets for welfare cases, youth street gangs, high school dropouts, prison inmates, and all other negative social-economic indicators. In addition, the infants born to these teen mothers are thought to be the most vulnerable to health, safety, and wellness problems. It is thought that these parents are mostly low income, uneducated; many are illegal aliens and ignorant of the many public health and educational programs available to them and their children.
Anthony carried out focus group research with teen moms to get at the reason why they didn't attend school citing the fact that continuing school was not an option for them.
What are the causes of truancy? The report lists the following:
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of transportation in rural areas
• Lack of bilingual staff
• Lack of information and knowledge about school programs
• Lack of adequate child care facilities
• Lack of sufficient school and law enforcement discipline and court action
• Lack of parental support
• Fear of allowing non-family members to care for child.
Asked in a focus group why they were not attending school, moms gave some of the following answers:
"I am not attending school because I was having pains so I quit going."
"Because I need to get a full-time job."
"Because I have to take care of my baby."
"I'm pregnant and I had to stop going to school because of pregnant problems."
"Because I got pregnant and had high blood pressure, toxemia and was on bed rest for 5 months, son is still too young."
"Because it's hard to get day care."
"Because now that I'm on my own I have to work to pay my rent and my bills."
"Because I was behind on credits and I wasn't going to graduate so I gave up."
"Because I didn't have transportation to continue and because I moved to Sultana."
"Because it was hard, the work for me."
"I'm waiting to attend adult school."
"Fell behind in my classes; found out I was pregnant."
"Because I had a baby and never went back."
"I'm looking for a school to attend."
Asked what they need to attend school the moms said:
"Nothing. After I have my baby I will attend school."
"I need someone to take care of my baby."
"I need to have my baby already and find a goo baby sitter."
"Just for my son maybe to start school. Don't think highly of baby-sitters or child care, also transportation."
"Wake up in the mornings and don't be lazy."
"Need somebody to watch my kids."
"I would need some kind of financial help."
"It will be hard to get on my feet, but I'll try my best."
"Transportation."
"Like to spend more time with my baby then start school."
"A ride that will pick me up on time."
"Motivation."
"I'd rather take the GED test."
SEE program coordinator Frank Escobar says some worries among teen moms that if they return to school or get help their immigration status could be in jeopardy are false.
Transportation was seen as a key issue for teens. The top recommendation in the report is to provide door to door transportation for the teen parent to school, next the report suggest offering a bilingual, non-judgmental staff and third, a modern child care center for children. Many schools have such a center but not all. Already the SEE group has made a presentation to Farmersville High School to help them seek funds to build such a center.
Several school districts around the county will be getting the report to see what they can do locally. The report hopes to spur efforts toward building a model - a prototype for other to follow discouraging teen pregnancy and promoting successful teen parenting.
Part of that effort looks to use peers to present the ideas to fellow teens and home visits to teen parents "on the fence", says Anthony, to get the moms back in school.
Typically without a male partner to help carry the burden the need to continue the education of the mom becomes critical - not just for her and her family, but for the community.
Group Vows To Formalize 4 Year
College Effort
Visalia - Meeting with Dr. John Welty of Fresno State, a group of local leaders hosted by COS president Kim Badrkhan met this week to formalize the effort to establish a 4 year campus here. At the suggestion of Welty, the move to organize a formal group of local leaders from the region is seen as the best first step of the incremental process of establishing a 4 year college. Currently FSU offers some degrees at the Visalia COS campus - a center everyone agreed is "the best kept secret in Tulare County."
Over 450 students attend the school-the FSU-COS Center-housed in 4 modular buildings on the Mooney COS campus - a "symbiotic" relationship between the colleges that has worn well since 1987.
But Welty acknowledged that FSU has not marketed the center and in fact the number of students attending here is lower than it was in 1990 when 588 students enrolled. That is the equivalent of 288 full time students - the measure for state funding for off site centers - the first stage in establishing a full campus.
Welty said Fresno was ready to work with a local group to co-fund more marketing to attract more students and strategize ways to grow the offerings sooner than later.
Welty presented sobering figures of how few Tulare County students attend a state college - only 7.8% of high school grads compared to 12.5% in Fresno where there is a college right in town. That has been the dilemma in Tulare/Kings for the past few years where groups have organized to brainstorm how to attract a college but have no way "to deliver the classes," notes Visalia city manager Steve Salomon. "That's what Fresno State can do," said Salomon.
All agreed that a formal group would be organized to work toward an off site campus as needed although COS officials made it clear they were in no hurry to see the FSU center leave the Visalia campus.
Welty noted that the group could approach the State Chancellor that the full time equivalent students attending the FSU/COS campus is now over 200 full time equivalents. "We should move forward right away," said Sue Shannon a Tulare COS trustee.
Welty also promoted the idea to form a second organization, a K-12 Council to work to improve the academic performance of students as they move through the local school systems. "Central valley students are the least prepared in the state," says Dr. Welty. County Superintendent of Schools, Jim Vidak, agreed to head up this effort.
A chart handed out by Dr. Welty shows Kings and Tulare counties have the second and third lowest academic performance index in California behind Imperial County.
The upshot is that a formal local organization will be established soon to establish a marketing program, help set what courses should be offered, seek a location for a possible off-site center and ramrod a project that has received years of lip service but not enough action. "Action is what we need," says Devin Nunes, a COS trustee running for Congress this fall. Nunes is likely to hear that "money is what we need" after November.
Of 4304 high school grads in Tulare County in 2000, only 140 went on to the UC system and another 334 went on to one of the California State colleges according to the California Post Secondary Education Commission. The number of grads doesn't tell the story however, since so many drop out before they even get to the 12th grade. Consider the grim stats - in 1999 there were 2753 Tulare County teen mothers between the ages of 13-17 and only 386 of them were attending high school. (See other story)
The US census confirms this week that Tulare County has the highest rate of poverty in the state and only 62% finished high school. Just 12% finished college, one of the lowest rates in the US. This figure says it all for this group. "That's why we want a college nearby," says Visalia mayor Jesus Gamboa.
Former Visalia Mansion Site Sold
Marroquin Seeks To Climb Out Of Bankruptcy Through Suit
Visalia - Visalia didn't much know about Gilbert Marroquin until he started building a huge 28,000 sq. ft. mansion in a Visalia subdivision on the west side of town. The multi story house caused some controversy in town because of its massive size but garnered the approval of the City of Visalia in order to be built. Marroquin made his money as both a farm labor contractor, grower and packer of fruit. As he was building the big home, two early morning power outages were about to propel his life into a tailspin sending him into bankruptcy. Later a mysterious midnight fire on his half built mansion prompted Mr. Marroquin to wonder if someone was out to get him.
The mishaps include two accidents near two different cold storage plants Gilbert owned knocking out power to each facility resulting in loss of millions of dollars in stored fruit. One accident happened October 12, 1999 at Plant 56 near Delano at 6:30 a.m. when a tractor trailer rig impacted a power pole and the other October 23 at 6:30 a.m. when an unknown vehicle struck a guywire knocking down another Edison pole at Plant 24 of Marro-King Cold Storage near Earlimart.
Both incidents resulted in a "temperature break" in the building according to his legal filing. The power was out at the Plant 56 site from that 6:30 a.m. event to about 2:30 effecting some 117,000 cases of table grapes. Here the claimed loss is for $3 million.
In the case of both losses Mr. Marroquin's immediate problem is that his insurance carrier, Golden Eagle, doesn't want to pay. A lawsuit to recoup his losses is set to be heard June 15 in Tulare County Superior Court, a complaint filed now more than a year ago.
In order to recoup his loss from the tractor trailer incident, Mr. Marroquin filed a suit in Federal Court against Destiny Express Line set for July 29 in Fresno.
Because he lost his cash flow when the accidents happened Marroquin, a friend says, used to paying out the cost of building his new home in Visalia out of cash flow was then forced to leave the unfinished building month after month. He was unable to get a real estate loan because his credit was now bad, the mansion became a target.
In December 2000, the half finished home at 6700 W. Walnut mysteriously burned in the middle of the night, a case of arson, the CDF fire marshal confirms. The record shows that Mr. Marroquin was paid $500,000 from his fire insurance company.
Now this empty lot and six others Mr. Marroquin owned in Visalia has been sold for $600,000 to Visalian Norm Evans through the bankruptcy proceedings. Even with the fire insurance money there still isn't enough to pay off his debts, however.
Marroquin's attorney David Jenkins says Gilbert hopes to get out of bankruptcy once these lawsuits over the two cold storage incidents are settled and will try to get back where he was until fate or something intervened.
Marroquin, a self made businessman who started life out as a grape picker from Orosi, has hopes, his friends say, to move beyond this swirl of unwelcome notoriety. On the advice of his attorney, Mr. Marroquin could not speak out for this article.
Adding one more weird twist to this story, the big home was vocally opposed by a neighbor - the wife of the Visalia Fire Chief, and later the City Fire Chief lost his job in part over the handling of this incident.
Costco Weighs Bigger Store Options
Visalia - Costco Wholesale is weighing locations for a larger store in Visalia or nearby, says chairman of the board, Jeff Brottman. "Tulare is one option," says Brottman who says the City of Visalia has turned down locations the big warehouse retailer had proposed in the past.
Brottman says there is also active discussions with the owner of the existing shopping center, Passco Real Estate of Santa Ana. "We'll make a decision pretty soon," says Brottman who has been looking at location choices for the company here for the past few years, "in the next 30 to 90 days."
Passco representative, Mike Failing, confirmed there are discussions with Costco about using the old House 2 Home space next door to the existing Costco. Although it has been tied up with House 2 Home bankruptcy procedures, Mr. Failing says that's no longer the case. "It's available right now" and has been listed with a broker. Costco owns their own property while Passco owns the remainder of the shopping center. "They need another 33,000 sq. ft.," says Failing and Passco is trying to see how they could accommodate Costco he says - whether they remodel or knock the building down.
Failing says talks to keep Pier One at the front of the shopping center are progressing since Pier One's lease is up soon "We're looking at an extension of their lease."
Assistant city manager Dianne Guzman confirms a recent meeting with Costco reps at their behest to see if the city could help in any way to keep the big retailer at their location. "The site is pretty tight," says Guzman who says Costco is expected to return with some concrete suggestions of how the city might be able to help. The city's redevelopment district that Costco is in is "in the red" says Guzman, but just barely. Costco could look at adding a new fueling station as part of the expansion possibly along the Caldwell frontage, says Guzman.
Passco rep Mr. Failing says they hope to get more retail uses in place before the Orosco shopping center just across the creek to the south gets underway later this summer. Passco had opposed the Orosco project fearing that an exit of Costco and other retailers from the center rather than infilling existing space.
The city would like to promote Costco staying put as proof they weren't abandoning the existing Mooney strip.
The city council approved the new Orosco development a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, attorney Dick Isham, representing the Uhlmann group, has vowed to fight the city's EIR on the Orosco project potentially holding up the south Mooney retail center. Isham told the Voice this week it's likely other opponents of the project will join in the suit that will be filed within a 30 day period of the EIR's certification. That is expected not to stop the project but to provide a delay that could last months. Isham says he will file a suit challenging the EIR by late May likely under an umbrella organization made up of opponents of the project.
Some worry that Costco will carry out their threat to leave Visalia's city limit and establish a large store in Tulare or out in the county. Others say, regarding Tulare, it doesn't make sense to go to a market that is less than half the size of Visalia - that Costco would lose sales if they did that as well as likely result in competitor Sam's Club entering Visalia.
But city council members made it clear in the most recent Orosco decision that they fear losing Visalia retail muscle to other areas.
KDDH Nurses Get Pay Raise
Hospital Vows To Hire 100 Providers
Visalia - Determined to head off any kind of nursing shortage at Kaweah Delta Hospital, the Board of Directors have increased pay to about 800 health care providers, mostly nurses, effective June 9th, says the VP Kristine Yahn. The health care district raised pay by $3.26 million on a budget of $114 million this new fiscal year. That averages to about $7000 per registered nurse.
The hospital has some 527 RNs but would like to go to over 600 in the next year to replace nurses who are retiring or leaving for other reasons.
The average age of an RN in the state is 47 with 30% of those over 50. Statewide Yahn says there is an expected 25,000 nurse shortfall likely in the next year, says Yahn. Just this month the first student nurse from the United Arab Emerits started work at the hospital.
Yahn says the hospital would like to discontinue the use of traveling nurses to meet demand, an expensive option for KDDH. In addition the district is working to encourage some nurses who have stayed home to return to work based on a new "flexible hours" plan that would allow part time work.
The hospital is also lobbying schools like COS to increase nursing classes. Nursing schools across the state are at capacity and some have waiting lists, says Yahn. Moreover about half the California RNs working here turned out to be educated in another state or country.
The hospital is particularly interested in attracting more minorities and men into the traditional female dominated profession. Also the hospital is making the effort to improve working conditions at their workplace, they say.
Looming is a plan statewide to increase nursing ratios in July 2003 when mandated ratios will take effect.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
May 15, 2002
