Global Trade Translates into New Jobs at Visalia Cigna
Visalia - Already
Boucher says, “We took our first phone calls internationally
in June, having hired about 70 new employees.” The company now plans to
hire about another 60 by the end of the year.
“We are extremely impressed with the quality of the
workforce in
Boucher says the new office in
Cigna says they are the world’s largest provider of
expatriate benefits that include medical, dental, disability and life
insurance benefits for employees of multi-national companies. Cigna does
business in 28 countries but it also serves the insurance needs of employees
in 170 countries worldwide. Now increasingly, the calls will be coming
into
The business is increasing along with the number of
North American companies establishing operations overseas with new employees
that need to have their benefits serviced. In addition, Boucher says the
call center will be serving foreign companies that have employees in the
Boucher says collaboration between Cigna and Centex,
who moved into some 50,000 square feet of the building on Akers at the
beginning of the year, is working out well. The move still left 100,000
square feet for use by Cigna employees. Over the past few years, more
Cigna employees out of
Cigna has been doing well financially in recent years
and their stock this week was near a 52-week high. The company is the
oldest stock insurance company in the
Civic Center
Design Focuses on Mill Creek
Retail to Play Key Role on Ground Floor Buildings
Editor’s Note: Not every 155-year-old city gets a chance
to remake its city center that will stand as a statement of who we are
for the next 155 years. When it comes down to it, the reason why this
land is mostly vacant and underutilized is that Visalians
eschewed the old railroad part of town choosing to put their new investment
dollars elsewhere based on automobile access. That left perhaps 100
acres of land in the city center—crisscrossed by several creeks—treated
more like ditches in the past—
available for some new vision that will be anchored by
a city civic center. It’s that vision that is being hammered out in
a series of community meetings and city council actions later this year.
All in all, it’s a very exciting time for those who love
Visalia - The latest design ideas
for the new Civic Center area (Oak and Tipton) planned by the City of
Visalia are moving to the next level with two key buildings facing an
enhanced Mill Creek up for discussion.
Consultant firm EDAW presented the third
workshop July 10 showing design alternatives earlier this month that
attracted about 80 eager participants who have been following the progress
of the landmark landscaping and streetscape plan for the civic center
area (see map).
One option (Scenario A, pictured) shows
a meandering Mill Creek with water recirculation flowing into a pond
in front of the new “city hall plaza” and to the east by the new public
safety building and the west the so-called “liner building” that also
was discussed at this week’s city council meeting.
City planner Sharon Sheltzer,
who is overseeing the entire project, says the council is likely to
trade some features offered from each of two scenarios, some based on
planning principles and some based on economics. “It’s unlikely we can
afford an entire circulation system throughout the creek areas,” says
Sheltzer suggesting such recirculation of
creek water may be limited to in front of city hall.
Both plans feature a boardwalk on the
south side of the creek that would overlook the creekside park to the north and butt up to retail and restaurants that
would be located along a walking path reminiscent of
Sheltzer says
moving back the creek to allow it to meander will require permitting
from other agencies.
Other key features include a proposed
amphitheatre that is expected to be the subject of a generous donation
from the Rotary club. One design calls for a grass-sculptured amphitheater
that would be far less costly and an alternative site next to the civic
center and requires bricks and mortar.
One of the features of the two alternatives
would allow the city to modify the street grid to move some streets
to the creeks.
Both plans show a new proposed building
where the city has purchased the service commercial building at Tipton
and Oak in recent weeks.
Sheltzer made
a presentation to council this week outling
the latest thinking by city staff on two new buildings that include
the 40,000 to 50,000-square-foot “liner” building and the 50,000 to
60,000-square-foot public safety building as four-story buildings—both
with retail uses on the bottom. The idea is to build in retail, office
and retail and commercial use in the same area to make the area a 24-hour
district, she said.
The issue of retail in the area is a
sensitive one, says assistant city manager Mike Olmos
not wanting to take away from the rest of Downtown Visalia. Still it
seems clear retail and restaurants will be a major emphasis in this
area to boost visitation at all hours of the day. Sheltzer
says there may be retail uses in the civic center plaza blurring the
line between office and retail use.
Sheltzer says
the city is looking for a private sector partner to build the liner
building at the northeast corner of Oak and Tipton that the city would
rent up to 50% for a period of time. This week, the city council approved
a plan to release Request for Proposals on the project—the first building
in the new
Wider Net?
Council member Greg Collins brought
up the idea of soliciting a tenant for the proposed new liner building
that would provide a new economic development—job producing—aspect to
the
Sheltzer says
consultants are going to rework the landscaping plan after gaining feedback
at the July workshop probably in later September with alternatives for
public review and then council buy-in.
Both design options show a network of
walking trails that will connect the entire district as well as connect
to Downtown Visalia—a few blocks to the west. The
Meanwhile, the city is moving forward
with the extension of Oak to
The city has a war chest of $10 million in the general fund for the civic center project along with Measure R monies that will help build the new public safety building that will house the new dispatch center project as well. But as for the landscaping and water features, the city is counting on various grant funding that will help landscape and build trails and plant the area with native oaks and other greenery over the next 10 years.
Edison’s San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop
Transmission Project is its goal of constructing a new double-circuit
220 kilovolt transmission line to serve the projected needs of
“We have identified possible routes
north of the original study area,” said Bill DeLain,
Region Manager for Southern California Edison. “They might be viable,
potentially taking the transmission line through the mostly rural area.
It would be potentially in a more rural area than those three areas
we were looking at last year.
“Currently, we’re conducting a feasibility
assessment of the northerly options, including environmental impacts,”
he continued. “We’re having discussions with some potentially affected
property owners and other jurisdictions.”
The Edison Company is proceeding slowly
and carefully with this project.
“Last year, we evaluated three possible
routes for the project, tentatively identifying a preferred or proposed
route,” DeLain said.
One route ran along the south side of
198, another route ran along the south side of 198 but avoided Farmersville
with a portion north of the highway, and the third route was known as
the north route. All these routes extended west to Road 148 and then
south to the Rector Substation.
Once the possible routes were made public,
“Based on the comments, we attempted
to determine if another viable route existed,” DeLain
said.
Apparently, Edison may have found a
transmission route that will help them serve the needs of
“We are looking at what appear to be
viable options outside of the original study area to the north,” DeLain
said. “Generally speaking, one is more promising, but there can be variations
on that.
“We’ve started conversations with property
owners and those potentially affected,” he said. “We take that and complete
an evaluation of all the options. We’ll identify a proposed route,
file an application with the California Public Utilities Commission.
They in turn, prepare an environmental impact report and decide which
route will be constructed.”
DeLain was
asked if
“It’s going to take what it takes,” he said. “We just want to have as many of the facts as we can. We want to be really thorough with this.”
Glenn Morris of the Visalia EDC says
the group wants to act “as a mentor for new physicians coming to town,”
to help them become comfortable living here and acting as a kind of
welcome wagon to their families.”
“We were concerned about the potential
impact it might have on our economy if fewer physicians come here,”
says Morris. With potential higher income levels in other parts of the
The effect on the economy is that increasingly,
residents are traveling out of the area to get medical care, says Morris
noting that about $1 billion a year is lost to the area when residents
go outside the county for their health care.
Beyond that, it is important that the
area retain the new physicians when they decide to locate here a decision that is sometimes tentative.
“Our understanding is that in the past
18 months, 45 to 50 new physicians started working in the county and
of those, eight or nine have left already. The situation is serious.”
The group plans a mixer at Stan Simpson’s
house August 9th, says Morris, encouraging other members
of the community to get involved.
Family HealthCare Network executive
director Harry Foster says the physician shortage is real and acute.
“We have about half the primary physicians in
Foster says part of the equation is
that some young docs come to
Kaweah Delta’s Lindsay Mann says the
hospital “absolutely encourages the effort” and hopes it can make a
difference. Increasingly, the hospital is being forced to hire new “hospitalist”
physicians, employed by the district to care for patients at the hospital
as fewer physicians employed elsewhere are able to take care of their
patient load in the hospital. Some group practices are concerned that
will have trouble caring for their present patient loads if new docs
are not successfully recruited.
“This is really a quality of life issue,” says Morris besides concerns over the economics. If there aren’t an adequate number of physicians to care for the patients in the community people will have second thoughts about living here.
By reactivating the commission, the
county becomes eligible for seeking Proposition 84 funds being made
available for communities (including counties) interested in addressing
water quality problems throughout the state. The deadline for submission
of a pre-application is July 31. The Tulare County Water Commission
will serve as an advisory body and report its recommendations and findings
to Supervisors.
Three projects addressing regional solutions
for disadvantaged communities, a nitrate contamination study and a proposal
to fund commission activities including data collection, testing and
recommendations for the general plan affecting water matters already
have been formulated. The total amount of funding requested is $1.75
million in the first year.
Supervisors’ chairman Allen Ishida was
named Tuesday to head the commission, composed of individuals with a
vast array of water issue expertise, in a non-voting capacity. Supervisor
Mike Ennis was named alternate chairman.
The first commission meeting will be
July 23 at 4 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers.
Supervisor Phil Cox called the re-establishment
of the water commission a major step necessary to accomplish a key goal
of the county in seeking solutions to a number of water issues.
Supervisor Ennis, who grew up in Terra
Bella, recalled seeing the impact to the Valley when the
Ishida also cited the importance of
having commission members with the expertise and experience in water
issues as a key to getting
Prior to the board’s action, Ishida
said “food, shelter and water” are the essentials of life and that “water
is the future of
The new Tulare County Water Commission
is long on water expertise with members having vast experience in water
issues of the Valley.
Members representing Supervisor’s districts
are: Paul Boyer, District 1, with Self-Help Enterprises; Dale Brogan,
District 2, general manager of the Delano-Earlimart
Irrigation District; Bruce George, District 3, general manager of the
Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District; Chris Kapheim,
District 4, general manager of the Alta Irrigation District; Richard
L. Schafer, District 5, principal and consulting civil engineer for
the R.L. Schafer and Associates and watermaster
for the Tule River Association.
Members at large are: Dennis Keller,
civil-sanitary engineer; Laurel Firestone, co-director and attorney
for the Visalia-based non-profit Community Water Center; Keith Watkins,
farm manager for Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler and current president of
the Tulare County Farm Bureau Board of Directors; and Visalia City Council
Member Bob Link, representing Tulare County Association of Governments.
In other actions Tuesday, Supervisors:
· Approved
grant awards to providers from the Promoting Safe and Stable Families
funds as recommended by the Children’s Service Network for fiscal year
2007-08: CASA of Tulare County,$40,000, Family Service, $165500: Parenting
Network, $95.500: Lindsay Unified School District, $54,162, Visalia
Unified School District, $54,162; Woodlake Family Resource Center, $54,162,
· Approved
the grant award from the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention funds
of $23,200 to Synchrony of Visalia as recommended by the Tulare County
Child Abuse Prevention Council.
· Delayed a decision on lease approvals for two aircraft tie down agreements at Sequoia Field pending a study of actual count costs and fees charged at other air fields.
Million Mark by 2050
County’s Hispanic Population Likely to Reach 80%
The new version of the study, released
in recent days, suggests by 2050,
Even by the 1980 census, Hispanics were
about 30% of a mostly white population in this part of rural
To reach a million people, the county
population will have to grow from its current 420,000 – at about a 150% growth rate – between now
and 2050. Just where to put all the people, house, educate and employ
them will be job one and of course where to get the water will be controversial.
The county will bulge with 850,000 new
people between 1950 to 2050, compared to the first 100 years with the county
having just 150,000 residents in 1950. In the 1930s when the
county land-use patterns were pretty well set with cities and farm towns
in place, the county reported just 75,000 hearty souls.
The two trends – “super-sizing” all
the county’s urban and township areas with a million-plus population
and the changing face of the mix that lives here are going to be the
subject of active discussion in
1990s Set Trend
Census figures show the 1990s were critical
years in both the growth of the Hispanic population here and the multi-year
decrease in the white population at the same time – a term that is called
“white flight” in other circumstances. Whether that’s true or not here,
the facts are these:
The 1990 Census saw a Hispanic population
of 120,894. By the 2000 Census, it had reached 186,636 – with an additional
65,000 Latinos. Fueling that growth was a new migration of over 26,000
new Hispanic residents with the natural increase in population, birth
vs. death, accounting for the remainder.
During the same 11-year period the county’s
white population actually decreased from 170,896 to 156,756, or a loss
of about 15,000 white folks. The big reason was net migration out of
By the 2000 Census, the Hispanic population
had reached 186,000 out of a total population of 368,000.
Just a few years from now, 2010, the
state projects our population to be 467,000 and just 167,520 will be
white – a few thousand fewer whites than were in the 1990 Census at
171,000 –only 20 years later.
The white population will grow relatively
slowly between 2010 and 2050, says the study, reaching 22,000 by 2050.
Meanwhile, the Hispanic population fueled by higher birth rates says
the state will grow from 268,000 in 2010 to 738,000 by 2050 – an exponential
jump in anyone’s book – nearly half a million new residents.
Statewide, the projection says by the
middle-of-the-century whites will compose just 26%, Hispanics 52%, Asians
13%, blacks 5% and multi-race 2%.
End of Farming?
As you can see from the chart in this
story, growth in
Question number one – where will be
put everybody? That’s why the new county and cities general plans are
so important. And will this mean the demise of farming? No small question.
Won’t the extra water be diverted from our crops? Do we want to slow
the flow of more people here?
Projections for the valley suggest an
extra 6.5 million people by 2050 – in what has been the world’s most
productive agricultural region – worries valley farm advocate Manuel
Cunha. “Between population predictions like this and increased regulations,
this will be the end of farming here,” worries Cunha.
There is no reason to believe that this
grouping of people, of whatever color, can’t get along. But given the
fact many are coming into the county speaking another language, and
having relatively lower job skills and a relative lack of education,
it appears clear the county needs to pursue education as its top goal.
On the business front, a program to promote Hispanic-owned businesses might be appropriate. For those who want to make sure we protect Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, officials know the local population was the key factor in founding the parks and will be key to preserving it. With new bilingual displays in the parks – it appears they’ve gotten the message.
Brick by Brick
Brick buildings first appeared in significant
numbers in the 1890s, although for awhile, wood was much more common—until
Visalians realized the hard way about the danger of having
a downtown made out of wood.
“Fire was the main cause for buildings
in the city to be built out of nonflammable materials,” said local historian
Terry Ommen. He cited a series of fires in
“We had a lot of fires,” he said. “Of
course, they varied in the amount of damage. There were not as many
as in
The fires led to strict city regulations
for builders.
“They were required to build with brick
then,” Omman said. “It was a city act that required it.”
By the 1920s, brick buildings were plentiful
in downtown
“We sure like the brick we have,” said
Jan Minami, Executive Director of the Downtown Visalia Alliance. “It
gives us an atmosphere that we appreciate. The covering of the brick
is something we don’t encourage in the old buildings. We like to see
(new buildings and renovations) compatible with the architecture downtown
and we don’t mean the 1960s update with plaster and aluminum.”
One recently renovated brick building
is the
“I’ve done quite a few renovations and
I think it’s very very important to save as many structures as we can,” he said.
“There’s something about old buildings. Why people let them deteriorate,
I’ve never understood.”
Construction on the
The west and east sides of the building
have the original brick, but the south-facing brick wall had to be recreated.
“The front wall facing
Further west on
“It will resemble what it was when it
was a Studebaker dealership,” said Don McLure,
chief administrator of First Presbyterian Church of Visalia who is overseeing
the renovation of the 210 Building. “No bricks were torn down. The original
brick is what’s remaining.”
He said that the inside of the building
will be new and that the walls will be reinforced. “This is to keep
the roof up if we have a shaker here,” he said.
“We go through the Historical Preservation Board for everything we do,” he added. “They approved our submittal with a stipulation where any changes made be submitted to them for approval. Even the signage has to be approved.”
What's New
Tulare County Supervisor Connie Conway
is weighing a run at State Assembly for Bill Maze’s seat. Maze is termed
out.
City of
Fresno-based Gottschalks
reported disappointing sales in June, down 4.3% from the same period
a year ago with expectations that sales this entire year will be down.
The news appeared to sink the stock to below $9 for the first time in
many months in above average stock volume. The stock had reached over
$15 per share earlier this year, likely based on a speculation of a
company sale. The company has been the subject of several financial
reports suggesting it was ripe for a buyout with the leading contender
being the owner of Macy’s.
A new CVS Pharmacy is planned
in front of Food 4 Less on
The valley’s real estate boom has pushed
property values to record highs in the past few years as can
be seen by this week’s news that
It’s dry out there and Governor Schwarzenegger
used the backdrop of the dry hills in front of a half-full water reservoir
near Los Banos to emphasize now is the time for a comprehensive
water plan to be agreed upon. A second dry winter “will be catastrophic,”
he predicted. The same day, state Senator Don Perata
of Oakland appears to agree a statewide plan was necessary, virtually
assuring voters will get a chance to vote on some water plan bond as
soon as next February. “There seems to be progress from both Democrats
and Republicans on conveyance for the Delta,” says Tim Quinn who heads
up a statewide water association saying with this week’s news that “we
are one step closer to a comprehensive package.” Quinn believes like
Perata that decision needs to involve locals
but that a statewide system improvement is needed to address dwindling
supplies and a growing thirst based on population growth. Quinn says
more water storage and conveyance will help restore the fish population
as well.
Arm wrestling over financing of the
new Oaks stadium continues with a new plan to form a financing
committee at the city that has Greg Kirkpatrick and Greg Collins on
different sides of the question of how much the city should spend on
the project. The plan includes an expected $100,000 a year in naming
rights for the new stadium as part of the cash flow over the next 10
years to help repay the city’s investment. Collins says he wonders if
that is realistic.
By Miles Shuper
On Tuesday, Tulare County Supervisors
officially designated
Joe Hallmeyer,
who owns Ken’s Stakes and Supplies just south of the intersection, says
since 1990, he and his employees have seen far too many accidents and
heard screeching tires all too often. He said the making the intersection
a four-way stop is long overdue. It is not unusual to see east-west
motorists speeding in the area and even passing near the intersection.
North and southbound motorists also often attempt unsafe turns in the
midst of speeding east-west traffic, Hallmeyer
said.
Jean Brou,
assistant director of transportation for the county’s Resource Management
Agency, said north-south stop signs will be installed possibly within
a week or two. Installation of the signals will start as soon as possible,
he said, and should be finished within 18 months, “but hopefully sooner.”
The signal, to cost $478,500, will be
funded though the High Safety Improvements Program (HSIP) grant.
Tuesday’s action was the second in just
over a month involving the designation of four-way intersections. In
early June, Supervisors designated
Statistics compiled by state and local
agencies show 147 total accidents at those three intersections from
Oct. 1, 2001 through Sept. 30, 2006. Four of those crashes were fatalities
and four others involved serious injury.
The
The
Brou said engineering studies show the interaction has met criteria established by the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices qualifying it for the installation.
By Miles Shuper
Visalia - Organizers of Suncrest
Bank (Proposed) which proposes two branches, one in
The bank, if the applications are approved,
could be opened by the fourth quarter of this year or in the first quarter
of 2008, according to Michael T. Wilson, proposed director and chief
executive officer of the proposed bank.
Plans call for an initial capitalization
of $15 million with stock offered at $10 per share with a minimum purchase
of 250 shares or $2,500.
The Visalia Main office is intended
to be located at Center and Floral, the former Hadley Funeral Home property
the
The proposed board
of the directors of Suncrest Bank (Proposed) are William Benneyan, Thomas O’Sullivan, Robert Lowery, Eric Shannon,
Darrell Tunnell, Gary Esajian,
Dave Crinklaw, Dale Margosian,
Mike Thurlow, Marc Schuil,
Frank Paradez, Steve Worthley,
and Wilson.
Organizers are Ralph Anderson, Victor Mendez, John Riddle, M.D., Rani Calderon, Tim Simon, Ronald Matik, Ronald Quinn and Jenni Rogers.
Suzi Picaso to Launch Latincentric Cosmetic Line
By Steve PastisLindsay -
Suzi Picaso is a Lindsay city council
member and the board president of the Lindsay Chamber of Commerce.
She is also a makeup artist with 20 years of experience, the owner
of Picaso’s Passions, Inc. in Lindsay, and
the CEO of Suzi Q Cosmetics whose cosmetic
line will officially be introduced at the
Suzi Q Cosmetics are unique because they are designed to match the skin tones of the Latina customer, as well as those common in other ethnic groups—a market that has virtually been ignored.
“For someone like me, who has more
gold and yellow undertones, it’s really hard to find a lot of foundations
that had that base,” Picaso said. “That kind of inspired me because I had a lot
of customers in the Valley that had that golden undertone. A lot of
Asians have a yellow base. A lot of Middle Eastern women have ashy
undertones. It’s hard to find the right color foundation.
“Creating the line, I went in with
that intent—to make that my differentiation,” she continued. “To promote
and selectively show people what I have that’s different than other
cosmetic lines.”
Picaso said
that her cosmetic line has also provided the right colors for older
women who wanted to even out pink skintones,
for olive-skinned women and even for two of her caucasian
models who frequently use tanning beds.
Twenty years ago, Picaso’s
career was heading in a different direction. She was studying criminology
at COS, following in the footsteps of her grandfather who was chief
of police in
“Since I was very young, I’ve always
been into fashion,” she said. “I’ve always been fascinated by how
my mother would put on her make-up. When I was 7, I actually had my
own clubhouse where I would charge my friends a penny to come in and
I would do their makeup with my mom’s empty Estee Lauder compacts.”
So while she studied criminology,
Picaso worked as a beauty advisor at Estee
Lauder in Gottchalks. While working with
cosmetics, something became very clear to her.
“There isn’t anything for Hispanic
women as far as face colors and foundations,” she said. “It’s just
not there.”
As a result, Picaso
decided to start her own cosmetics line, catering to the
Department stores are also taking
notice. Picaso expects to know by July 20th what Macy’s
plans are for Suzi Q Cosmetics. Things are
further along with Wal-Mart.
“Wal-Mart already said they wanted
it,” she said. “I’ve already presented my product to them. What we’re
waiting on is to see when they are ready for me to go in stores locally,
in the
Beyond Suzi Q Cosmetics, Picaso is also busy planning two other product lines. She is working on a line of apparel and a line of lingerie with “a little different style and flair that’s unique.”
Passport Backlog Adds to Travel Plan Woes
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Although new
passport requirements have been eased due to a backlog of applications,
those planning on travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda
need to be prepared to prove they have applied for a passport.
Christine Rowan, vice president and
general manager of CWT Christine’s Travel in
“Thankfully, we have no disappointed
travelers because they didn’t receive their passport in time. Since
the government decided that everyone needs to have a passport to travel
to Canada and Mexico, the passport agencies have been so swamped that
it has been taking 16 weeks to get a post and an expedited passport
is taking three to four weeks.”
As of June 8, the passport requirement
has been temporarily repealed through September 30. For now, air traveler
passengers without passports traveling to
Rowan said the easing of the deadline
through the end of September is good news but cautioned that anyone
with plans for the fall, after September, should be preparing for
the passport process.
She recommends passport applicants
visit the State Department web site at www.state.gov where they can
track information about tracking their passport applications and obtain
and obtain a printout of their application status report. This printout
must be used to return to the
The Automobile Club of California
has issued a report to travelers also urging them to visit the State
Department web site
“The easing of these requirements
is good news but even those who have proof of applying for a passport
won’t be able to get on a plane to these destinations without their
certified birth certificates, said Diana Meinhold, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products
and services. “This has caused problems for some people because they
already submitted their birth certificates with their passport applications,
and now they must get another certified birth certificate if their
passport has not yet arrived and they want to fly to one of these
counties. If a traveler does not live near his or her birthplace,
it can take some time to get a birth certificate,” she explained.
Stating next January, all American
cruise and driving passengers traveling to any country outside the
U.S, will be required to carry a passport in order to re-enter the
Persons without access to the Internet
can use a computer at a public library.
A first-time passport costs $82 for
citizens under the age of 16 and $97 for those 16 years and older.
Passport renewals cost $67. There are services available to expedite
passport applications and reduce the processing time for a fee. These
can cut the time to four weeks or less.
The State Department and private passport services, including the Auto Club’s Travisa, are among those offering expedited processing.
Kings County Property Values Rise 12.5%
Kings County - A busy real
estate market helped boost taxable property values in
The total valuation for
The numbers are even more impressive
considering the entire assessed value of the county in 1976 was $837
million—less than the one-year increase this fiscal year, notes Baird.
This valuation rise in the past three
years is tied to the onslaught of new residential growth in the county,
says Baird noting that the county’s small oil patch is up in value
as well.
The growth in value in the county
is broken down by jurisdiction showing where property values are rising
with the unincorporated areas rising at 9.3%, Lemoore up 11.3%,
Baird says the new monies will be
welcome by all the new local jurisdictions that depend on property
tax monies including the county, special districts and the schools.
The 12.5% overall increase in property
values in
The
Trouble With Oil It's a Whole Bunch More
Trouble than with Ethanol
In addition, the results of the study
show the biggest problem cited by professor Jacobson is with potential
acetaldehyde emissions. If this is really a problem, why is
there no hope E85 vehicles out there could be fixed by more
stringent standards?
Using current dat—not
projected for the year 2020—the Air Resource Board has recently researched
and modified their state standard to allow more use of ethanol in
gasoline from 5.7% to 10% to take place next year that they argue
from numerous studies will improve the air, not the other way around.
In addition, it extends
Even Professor Jacobson says in the
Times Delta article that the uncertainty of his prediction means that
the air quality could be the same as if we were using oil. That projection
doesn’t seem to allow for our technology and insight to fix any problems
he is talking about 13 years from now.
But the real problem with this analysis
is that it just doesn’t acknowledge the nation has big time trouble
with oil dependence. You don’t like biofuel—how
about oil?
· The
cost is skyrocketing and we can’t do anything about it.
· We
are running out of it, meaning the cost will just go higher wreaking
havoc across our economy.
· It
comes from unstable parts of the world not in our control—and increasingly
less from nearby.
· Relying
on oil forces us to send troops to defend the oil wells.
· Oil
emits a slew of toxic emissions linked to cancer that are a major
health problem besides smog.
· Locally
the oil industry is right next door in
· Oil
emissions raise global warming temps changing our weather and fostering
new diseases, stronger hurricanes, rising seas and collapsing fisheries
just to name a few problems. And we could go on.
· Biofuels—ethanol
and biodiesel cause none of these calamities. Instead of relying
on fossil fuels for our entry there has been an explosion of technology
and investment in renewables in the past
few years, including solar (world’s largest solar farm announced a
few days ago in the valley), wind power (have you driven through Tehachappi
lately?), hybrid technology (look at all the Toyota Prius
vehicles out there) and now biofuels. Given
this new technology, a break and don’t blow out one of the few promising
but small flames of new investment in the valley.
By comparison, biofuels
are sustainable—they come from green plants—how
bad could they be?
You can grow a new plant every year
to make more fuel. You can grow it nearby helping our rural economy
providing more jobs. Research will mean that we soon will make ethanol
from waste plant material—not planted corn. In fact, such research
is happening right here in
Locally, investment in new technology
in our area amounts to multiple millions of dollars that may help
save our farm-based economy with new crops, help cut air pollution
from dairies with plans for several biofuel plants using biomass waste from dairies on the drawing
board (one near Corcoran) by our count four ethanol plants running
or in the works in Tulare County, at least one in Kings that will
raise the tax base by hundreds of millions of dollars.
It makes no sense to slam ethanol but to encourage its development locally and demand that it be as clean burning as possible. Professor Jacobson’s concerns should be addressed and fixed but don’t back away from a more sustainable plant based economy. One source for July 5 story on ethanol on our front page, Kent Kaulfuss sent the letter below to the Times Delta about the article and we include it here.
Letter to the Times Delta
July 9, 2007
Way to go Visalia Times-Delta! Your sensational headline July 7-8, 2007, “The
Trouble with Ethanol” will misinform the public and create one more
hurdle for our local ag-based biofuels
industry as well as their local vendors, employees and investors. Currently, two local companies, Altra Biofuels-Goshen and Calgren Renewable Fuels-Pixley,
will have collectively spent over $200 million in construction and
procurement on these local
Your biased article failed to mention
extensive contrary research done by, among others, the Renewable Fuels
Association (RFA), the United States Department of Energy (USDOE),
the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) and the California
Air Resources Board (CARB). As you are aware, after more than ten years
of review, just last week CARB approved the use of up to 10% ethanol
blend in gasoline. This was
only after extensive scientific review and modeling regarding emissions
and global warming. Ethanol’s replacement of MTBE as an oxygenate
was as an environmentally benign substitute for a proven ground and
drinking water carcinogenic contaminant that causes damage that is
virtually irreparable.
If the Times Delta’s true concerns
are over public health and welfare, then you have fallen way short
in extrapolating the true externalities of a locally-produced agriculturally-based
renewable fuels industry vs. petroleum.
For example, fewer vehicle miles traveled for fuel transport
= less air pollution. Fewer war casualties resulting from energy defense
and security for foreign petroleum supplies; more employment to a
locally depressed workforce; use of locally generated waste products
(cellulosic ethanol production) are only a few.
I personally have been involved for
more than 20 years in the local and national arenas developing public
awareness and education regarding domestically- produced sustainable
renewable energy sources. My company, Wood Industries Company, has been
recognized on the national level as a component of the “Biofuels
Strategic Plan”
USDOE, through our waste-to-resource management of biomass
materials for conversion to ethanol.
We in the industry view ethanol as
a transitional fuel bridging the gap for future technologies, not
as a total replacement fuel for gasoline.
You have used the power of the press to undermine these local
efforts and have propagated damaging public relations toward an already
struggling fledgling industry which offers tremendous environmental
benefits for the public.
Kent Kaulfuss
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
July 18, 2007
