District 3
Race Three Vie For Visalia Area
Supervisor Seat

Visalia - There are three strong candidates running for your vote for Supervisor for District 3 that includes much of Visalia. They include Visalia businesswoman Lali Moheno who was appointed to the seat last year, vacated by Bill Maze, but is running in her first election, current city council member Phil Cox and Visalia media company owner Chuck Glenn. Each candidate laid out their credentials and philosophy at a recent election forum in Visalia.

Phil Cox
In his opening statements Phil Cox said he had lived in Visalia since he was 1 and ½ and learned from his mom that “you have to work for what you get in life and to be honest.” He is married with 7 children and owns two businesses in Visalia. He said his top goal is to bring a 4-year college to Visalia. Cox is a sitting city council member and was recently selected as vice mayor. If he were to win he would have to step down from that position before the term had been fulfilled. Cox has been endorsed by Police Chief Jerry Barker, former mayor Wally Gregory and current council member Don Landers.

Lali Moheno
Lali Moheno told the crowd that she came here 23 years ago and had worked in the farm fields of Texas when she was younger. She says she was taught as a child to always “give back” to the community and that public service was her passion. She says she has been involved in many local groups including Kaweah Delta Hospital, the Fox Theater and Measure G the school bond. She said her top goals are to strengthen law enforcement, make the county “business friendly” and work for cleaner air. She is married to attorney Victor Moheno. She says she is proud to have the support of Sheriff Bill Wittman and a number of former mayors of the city of Visalia.

Chuck Glenn
Chuck was born in Fresno but moved around a lot when he was younger. He played sports and learned the value of “working as a team.” Graduating in criminology from Fresno State in 1974 he has been married for 24 years and has a 13 year old son. He started his media advertising business 14 years ago and as a result has built up plenty of good relationships with local people. He says he is proud to have the support of both Assemblyman Bill Maze and baseball legend Clyde Soto as co-chairs of his campaign. Glenn says he believes he has a talent for “bringing people together” on issues.

Commercial development in the county?

Asked if they would support commercial development in the county, candidate Phil Cox says we “ought to develop in urban areas and that the county is not equipped to provide services to commercial uses. Lali Moheno said she was working to update the county’s general plan and that some places in the county like Earlimart need some commercial development. Chuck Glenn remarked that we are the number 2 ag county in the US and we can’t allow commercial development to take up ag land.

How to improve law enforcement?

Asked how we can improve law enforcement in the county, Lali Moheno says she was appointed to the current position by Governor Davis based on strong support from local law enforcement - Sheriff Bill Wittman. She notes that the sheriff’s department can’t afford any more cuts and that too many deputies have left already. She wants to improve pay but says we need to support the November ballot measure that will keep the state from taking any more of the county’s monies. Chuck Glenn got his degree in criminology but that the “money’s not there” to completely fund law enforcement.” We need to tighten our belt and even consider consolidating some programs,” he says. Phil Cox said that the county is used as a training ground for rookie officers out of school because the pay and benefits are so low. He says 85 sheriff personnel left the agency in the past year and that he is determined to “find the money” for the department.

County roads?

Asked how we can solve the issue of county roads, Chuck Glenn said he was in favor of increasing revenues to take care of the problems on our roads. Phil Cox said that at the city of Visalia they have a 6 year program to maintain the roads and budgeting for it each year helps keep the roads good. Lali Moheno points out we have 3500 miles of road in the county and the county has had to prioritize just where scarce state and federal funds can be used to improve major arteries. She says she favors the current plan to concentrate on Rd. 80 to connect to Dinuba from Visalia and Demaree/Hillman connecting to Tulare since money had already been invested in those projects.

Employment

Asked about the high unemployment here, Lali Moheno notes that some towns like Earlimart experience very high unemployment - 35%. She notes 70% of our population in the county is uninsured. She says she went to work with the county EDC and likes what they did in Dinuba establishing a one-stop VoTech center to help train for jobs. Chuck Glenn said his priority was to attract business to locate here. “We have available land. We don’t have the people who are confident they can get a job,” he noted. He favors more vocational training. He says the county needs to “cut red tape” for businesses to get the economy going. Phil Cox noted that Visalia’s unemployment is smaller - 9% - than the county average. He says we need to “encourage development in incorporated areas, quality of life beginning with a job,” he says. Establishing a 4 year college will encourage companies to locate here, he believes. He notes success in Visalia is attracting companies.

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5 Candidates For District 1 Race

East Tulare County - With plans by District 1 Supervisor Bill Sanders to retire, six candidates have filed to take the seat that covers much of the eastern part of Tulare County. In recent days one candidate - Ruben Macareno - has dropped out. That still leaves a talented field of five candidates running in the March 2 election.

The rural district that includes eastern Visalia and the small towns of Farmersville, Exeter, Three Rivers, Lindsay and Strathmore, have sprouted candidates that appear to agree their top priority is to keep the “rural atmosphere of Tulare County” and the growth in the incorporated areas.

Allen Ishida is a 55 year old Lindsay farmers who also has 20 years experience in real estate. The Fresno State grad says while wanting to maintain ag land in the county, he does see the need for growth in the smaller unincorporated towns of the district like Woodville. “They have the infrastructure and they want the homes” instead of placing them on farmland. Ishida says his top priority is public safety and is concerned about fire safety in the rural areas. “We don’t know if we can afford the high cost of CDF service in the future,” he worries. Ishida says his goal is to attract a 4-year college to Tulare County that will spur economic growth. Asked what he would do about the rural dumping on local streets Ishida says he would favor tougher prosecution of the perpetrators. Asked about air quality Ishida says he favors putting in rapid rail transit through the valley.

From eastern Visalia candidate Harroll Wiley, 54, is a banker with Tri Counties Bank who sits on the county’s Economic Development Corporation and Workforce Investment Board and says jobs are a top issue for him. He says we need more job training opportunities. Wiley says companies will come here if we work with them and require reasonable fees. He says public safety is a major issue for him and notes that Three Rivers has only one officer on patrol many times. He says he would work to make county government “more efficient”. Wiley says the recent success in getting a Tulare County Supervisor on a state board is the kind of thing the county needs to get more clout. Asked about the graffiti and dumping problem Wiley says he believes teaching kids at a young age about this will work best. Regarding air quality Wiley points out that dairymen can use methane digesters to help clean the air.

Frank “Bud” Pinkham, 64, a long time Exeter farmer and school board member, he said as a peach farmer he spent 9 years as chair of a peach growers association that lobbied for the interests of agriculture. Pinkham says that “as a farmer I’ve been through tough times.” In tough fiscal times “you don’t let your trees die but you can allow a few weeds to grow,” he says. He favors long time planning but says “sticking to the plan is the tough part.” Pinkham says he would be accessible to the public. He favors support for private enterprise but doesn’t want unnecessary rules and regulations to hamper them. Pinkham says his first order of business would be to work on the budget and try to work with cities to provide service. Unlike some, Pinkham says his impression of the county’s Millennium Fund is a good one. Regarding dumping problems in rural roads, Pinkham says sometimes this place “looks like a third world country” and favors free dump days at the county landfill.

Exeter businesswoman Marlene Sario, 45, says she has “the energy and experience to serve” and promises to keep the “rural atmosphere of the area” the way it is. “Go vertical” in our towns, she suggests. She is concerned about public safety with the sheriff’s department staff cut back to levels seen here in 1984. Sario has a BA in Ag from Fresno State and over the past 20 years with her husband built a company that employs over 50 people. She says she will work to make the county “more business friendly.” Regarding graffiti and rural dumping, Sario says a tight budget means we need to use inmate labor and volunteer groups to help keep the area clean. Regarding air quality Sario says the biggest problem is vehicles and seeks to work together to help clean the air. Sario has saluted the new county CAO Brian Haddix since he has experience and connections statewide. She says he can help since he is “familiar with Sacramento.” Regarding the tight budget Sario says she would like combining services with cities as one option. Sario’s website - www.sarioforsupervisor.com.

Three Rivers resident Gary Potter, 56, is a businessman, says he has had success and failures in life. He was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and received a Medal of Honor for his service. He launched the successful Potter Porta-Potties in 1975 which he later sold. He says he disagrees with the county approval allowing rafting on the river in Three Rivers taking away private property rights. Potter believes small business should have “more freedom” and that if small business does well the company will do better. He says some companies come here only because we are the cheapest work force. Regarding air quality, Potter says he believes we are doing a good job already. Regarding graffiti problems, Potter says a parent should have to pay for their kids’ damage. Asked if he would support county funds for youth programs, Potter said because of the tight budget volunteer and private groups have to help pay for the youth programs. Gary has his own website www.garypotter.com.

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Walmart Pulls Plug On Proposed
Demaree-Caldwell Store

Visalia - Walmart has cancelled its escrow on nearly 30 acres at Demaree and Caldwell and pulled the plug on plans to carry out an EIR on the project, says real estate broker Laura Walheim of Zeeb Commercial who represent the seller. Walmart spokesman Pete Kanelos confirmed “We pulled that application and we are reviewing our options in Visalia. We still would like to build a second store in town.”

The news comes as a bitter pill to the 7 property owners who forged a Specific Plan for the area some years ago to attract a commercial shopping center to the corner. This is the second big box store - Costco being the other - that has put forward an application to locate there only to have the city council turn them down.

Last year the council was presented with plans by Walmart to build a traditional size store on the property that would be later morphed into a superstore carrying groceries within the next few years. Council later told staff they would likely not support the project and staff told Walmart.

Still Walmart signaled they might continue with the process of filing the EIR - a plan they have now dropped. Instead, some have suggested Walmart look for a site in north Visalia - at Riggin and Dinuba Blvd. for example. But this past week a city council discussion on the idea got mostly a cold reception from council members who are concerned about the clout of the big discount store to flatten the competition in many towns. Opposition to Walmart superstore’s has grown along with the number of applications to build them in the past year in the central valley.

In the past month a letter from shopping center developer Joe Gong to the city council appears to have had some influence. Gong owns Fairway Market on North Dinuba Blvd. and wants to build a new bigger market just north anchoring a new shopping center. The center would be at Ferguson and Dinuba where the city is now installing a signalized intersection as well as extending Ferguson to the west.

Gong told the Voice this week he hopes the city council rejects a superstore anywhere in Visalia. “Other towns have told them no and maybe this city council is ready to do their homework, too” to restrict locations in town. “I can’t make the kind of investment I would need to make to build a new market just to be clobbered by Walmart if they opened nearby.”

Mayor Bob Link says he believes retail commercial uses like a super Walmart don’t belong on North Dinuba Blvd. and that Mooney would be an appropriate spot. However, the city has a policy of not allowing new grocery uses on Mooney - an issue that will have to be discussed, admits Link. The issue of whether “the impact these large grocery stores have on the existing stores in town will have to be discussed as well, says Link. If Walmart wants to build a new store without a grocery component, Link says he would not oppose it on North Dinuba Blvd. however.

Other markets maybe wary of expansion in Visalia too, if Walmart builds a new 250,000 sq. ft. superstore here.

“We have lots of markets in Visalia,” notes Gong.

Walmart is implicated in the southern California grocery strike that continues to drag on. Union checkers fear Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons will lower health benefits to compete with non union Walmart superstores in California. Walmart has been faced with vocal and legal opposition from Modesto based Save Mart as well in a number of cities.

Walmart is planning superstores in Hanford and Lemoore and have encountered community opposition as well. In Dinuba a group challenged the retailer but the court tossed it out recently. Plans are still pending for a superstore in Porterville as well.

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Farmers Work To Choke Off Supply In Search Of Better Prices

California - From the citrus groves to the milking barn, the grape vineyards to the peach orchards, farmers are looking up for a change - at improved prices even as they reduce or regulate their production in an organized effort to avoid crop surpluses. There has been pain and maybe now comes some gain.

US and valley farmers both took up the challenge promoted by farm leaders to plant fence row to fence row in an effort to “feed the world” in the past. But we’re a prolific bunch. The harvest spilled over the grainery and milk tanks and surpluses were seen not just in Midwest, but valley orchards and dairies. The result has been a decline in prices to the point that some farmers have been having trouble just paying the mortgage.

Now a new tune is heard out there. Produce less, regulate your harvest foster quality and choke off the sheer volume in many familiar valley crops that are choking agriculture here.

No better example is the grape vineyards of California where central valley farmers have pulled 100,000 acres of vineyards from their fields since 1998 in an effort to get a balance in supply and demand in the raisin, table grape and all important wine grape markets.

Two years ago farmers were still planting more grapes everywhere they could find a vacant hillside, up and down California. The average price for wine grapes has been in a steady decline since 1998 with prices of many varieties falling by 50%. Now the price slump may be ending according to the just published California Agricultural Statistics report on the wine crush from 2003. Poor weather appears to assisted in reducing supply of grapes as well last year helping to boost the price compared to last year in many varieties.

The report also reveals a huge decline in raisin tonnage last year dropping from 622,000 tons in 2002 to just 351,000 tons. Prices are up to $95 per ton compared to just $76 per ton the year before but still far below historical level for raisins as high as $200 per ton in 1999.

Better Prices

In the Tulare and Kings County areas (District 14) prices are up for a number of grape varieties over last year (see chart). Surprisingly, unglamourous French Colombard wine is said to be short supply after about half the crush was reduced in recent years due to low prices. The grapes are now prized for export. Chardonnay wine grapes grown in Tulare County have risen to $240 per ton price in District 14 up from $175 per ton in 2002.

Overall statewide, grape prices for all types are listed in the report at $467 per ton compared to $462 per ton the year before - at least halting a slide in prices feared by grape growers here.

In the milking parlors farmers are getting a little more for their milk suggesting a similar strategy - choke off or divert some of the supply. The class 1 price in California for March was recently announced at $13.74 per cwt up 40 cents from February and $1.85 more than one year ago.

Bullish Forecast

This month cheese and butter prices have run up as well with butter prices running up more than 27 cents in the last month. USDA is forecasting a better year in 2004. Why? To quote the USDA “forecast growth in milk per cow for 2004 is slowed due to reduced availability of recombinant bovine somatotropin. Cow numbers are also reduced from last month, reflecting tightness in the supply of dairy replacement heifers. As a result of lower expected milk production, forecasts of commercial stocks and use are lowered as well.”

The company that makes rBST has suddenly reduced the supply of the growth hormone by 50% and this is having - sorry - a “bullish” effect on milk prices.

The sudden decrease in availability of the synthetic growth hormone could mean dairy production could fall several percentage points - enough to move the market price upward. The company - Monsanto - has not explained why it will reduce sale of the product it fought so hard for years to get accepted by both the farmers and the consumer. They also raised the price.

The net result is a possible 1 billion lb. decline in milk supplies this marketing year USDA now estimates. That will raise the price of milk at least 50 cents per hundred weight.

The industry has also made a conscious effort in the past year to reduce the flood of milk available in the US with an industry program to reduce herds and increase exports and have been buoyed by higher meat prices that turn milk producers into hamburger.

In the peach and plum orchards of central California, growers have been pulling trees as well. According to an industry group farmers pulled nearly 3600 acres of cling peach trees in 2003 while they planted just 1600 acres of new trees. The industry expects some 5% of their trees will be pulled in 204. The weather in 2003 helped reduce the crop 7% last year.

USDA Help

Like other crops, USDA helped clear some of the excess supply peach growers have on hand helping to stabilize their price in the open market. In 2003 USDA bought 1.67 million cases of canned peaches. They bought 1.94 million cases in 2002. USDA is doing the same with raisins, prunes and other fruit as well helping to siphon off some of bounty farmers produce.

New Citrus Organization

In citrus too, farmers are looking at their first profitable season in many years buoyed in part by a lighter fruit set that boosts the size of the fruit. Last year growers took in an average of just $7.75 a box, down 40% from their previous season. But a new industry support organization - California Citrus Growers Association - is working to band growers together to market their crop in an orderly way using self imposed high standards and eliminating some of the inferior fruit that has gone to market in the past. That poor tasting fruit has turned off consumers in other seasons, industry supporters suggest. Citrus Research Board president Ted Batkin says the organization “is part of the reason why we are having a better year” in 2004. Growers report about $1 more a box for their navels this season. Valencia growers have been doing their part pulling Valencia trees out all over the citrus belt in the last two years and the Valencia crop is expected to be down at lest 5% this year. Again the hoped for result - higher prices.

In the tomato processing business - big in Kings and Fresno counties - one speaker at a recent grower conference noted that fewer farmers may decide to not plant tomatoes this year given four years of flat prices in part due to government subsidy of alternative crops like cotton, rice and wheat that are in the US farm program. Urbanization of farmland and increased planting of tree crops like almonds takes some land out of production as well, the speaker noted. An earlier market price for tomatoes offered by the processor allows growers to make a more educated decision whether to plant processing tomatoes this year.

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Goshen Meat Plant Faces New Court Appeal

Western Pacific Meat Packing is "very close" to breaking ground if it can overcome the latest legal hurdle, says owner Rod Bolcao. A hearing will be held at the 5th District Court of Appeals in Fresno March 30th appealing a Visalia judge's opinion that allowed Bolcao to move forward on his county permit for a slaughter plant in Goshen. Bolcao says he has been told by his attorney that the case won't be in front of the judge until June or July, however.

Bolcao's attorney John LaBrucherie, says the plaintiffs can also raise issues brought before Judge Vortmann last summer in their effort to get the case overturned. He says one option the company has to try to convince the judge is to simply dismiss the appeal allowing the project to move forward sooner.

"We're ready to roll in the next 30 days," says Bolcao, if they can overcome the appeal of the EIR done by Western Pacific and approved by the county.

Western Pacific Meat Packing has been waiting since 2001 to get its building permit that has been approved by the Board of Supervisors. The plan is to build a new state-of-the-art packing plant on land the company owns in Goshen. The project was challenged on environmental grounds by a group of neighbors who claimed the county did not adequately assess some environmental impacts the project would bring.

On July 3, 2003 Judge Paul Vortmann weighed in after a lengthy court hearing process and decided against the neighbors - Catetano-Jung, et al.

At the time Bolcao remarked "It's been a year and a half of wasted time," who says he plans to move forward on the $32 million 13-acre project despite the lengthy delay.

Demand for new slaughterhouse facilities remains strong in the US since the federal government is demanding stricter compliance with standards today than just a few years ago. The facility remains viable "since it's in the middle of the largest concentration of cattle" in the US because of the presence of the dairy industry, says Bolcao.

This will be one of the first meatpacking plants to be built in California in the past 20 years and the first meatpacking plant of its size in Tulare County.

The Board of Supervisors had approved the project based on the fact it would produce up to 200 full time jobs and the extent the company had cooperated to meet all the concerns.

Judge Vortmann pointed out that on a number of issues brought by the petitioners, the project had adequately addressed the concerns including:

Water quantity: that the site plan provided two wells using the same amount of water that had been used to irrigate the 54 acre parcel with alfalfa and that the project had a "will serve" letter from Cal Water for hook up to the water system in any case.

Water quality: waste water on the site will be treated using an anaerobic digester and re-aeration pond on site delivered to the sanitary sewer system through closed pipeline so that no runoff into the surrounding land is expected.

Solid waste: "all solid waste and inedible byproducts from the enclosed building would be removed daily."

Traffic: the project had agreed to move the entrance to the facility 500 ft. away from the nearest residence. In addition the company would help pay for street improvements nearby. In fact, those improvements are now well underway.

Air quality: The judge noted that the issue was already addressed.

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The budget crisis in Sacramento is forcing county road planners to put off estimates when road improvement on critical feeder routes into the county will be improved. Case in point is the proposal by Porterville to improve Highway 137 off Highway 99 into the Lindsay/Porterville area. In a letter to the Porterville Chamber in January to the Tulare County Association of Governments regarding their plan to upgrade the route, Bob Stocker TCAG executive secretary noted that SR 137 will be ranked in TCAG's Regional Transportation Improvement Program setting out the priorities and funding level of projects here for the next 25 years under current state funding conditions says Stocker. SR 137 improvement would not likely happen until 2015 or 2020 - a long wait for 2004.

According to the minutes of a January 26 TCAG meeting on the priorities the TCAG board as a result of decreased funding "will have to choose some projects that will be delayed for four, or six and perhaps as many as 10 years" because of the statewide competition for transportation dollars.

TCAG is expected to support continued funding of key projects that CalTrans have large investments including Mooney in Visalia, Rd. 80 and Demaree expansion.

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Packwood Creek developer Don Orosco has filed plans with the city laying out building plans for other projects on the west side. Currently the west side of the big shopping center has only Target and Krispi Kreme donuts. But the new plan shows five new storefronts in line with Target including a 41,000 sq. ft. Sports Chalet store. There is also shown smaller storefronts grouped at the corners of the shopping center at Cameron and Mooney and another at the south end street and Mooney - Visalia Parkway, in front of Target. Three store locations are listed in the plan for this end of the shopping center - all familiar names to Visalia - Kinkos, Payless Shoes and NexTel. Kinkos will relocate from its Caldwell location, says a store employee. Payless Shoes has a store nearby at Sequoia Mall and two others along Mooney.

The plan also shows six new storefronts - mostly restaurants - on Mooney just north of Krispi Kreme. Three of them are believed to be larger sit-down restaurants, although no names are given on the site plans. Speculation includes Chili's, TGIF Friday's and Outback Steakhouse as possible tenants.

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More layoffs? Three national companies who are major employers here have announced layoffs in the past few weeks, but it's not clear if any of those jobs lost will be here. Kraft was first announcing the loss of 6000 jobs, Cigna followed and now Kmart has said it will lay off more workers after a poor holiday season when sales declined by more than 13%. The betting is that Kraft with plants in both Visalia and Tulare won't feel the effect nor will Cigna do a major layoff here, the City of Visalia has been assured. Still workers are nervous. At Kmart where the company just emerged from bankruptcy last May with 57,000 fewer workers - folks are waiting for what will be a store-by-store review by Kmart, the company has announced in recent days.

Already Exeter was shocked by the news February 6 that Waterman Industries was laying off 180 workers at their irrigation valve manufacturing plant to add to the 60 people they laid off recently at their Exeter foundry. The company then declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Downtown Visalia's El Tarasco restaurant is undergoing a major renovation and expansion including the remodel of their bar area. The family owned enterprise also has a restaurant in Hanford where they also recently remodeled and one on Mooney Blvd. The Downtown restaurant is run by Saul Espinoza.

The Visalia business firm manufacturer Moore Wallace appears to be adding workers but the plant's management is mum on the matter. For months now, Moore Business Forms has gone through a series of mergers - the last of which is expected to be finalized late this month. Informed sources say the company is moving in equipment however, and once the merger is complete will result in as many as 50 new jobs here.

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