Going Green Not Easy
Tulare County - Colorado-based Crimson Renewable Energy LP is building California's largest biodiesel refinery near Bakersfield with production scheduled to begin May 1. The plant will have a capacity to make 30 million gallons of biodiesel a year, says company president Harry Simpson.
The Issue of Price
As the U.S. and California continue to use more diesel fuel, the demand is great for cleaner burning biodiesel that is typically blended with petroleum diesel “but the issue is price,” admits Simpson.
That's because 85% of all biodiesel is made from soybeans. Soybeans, like other grains, have skyrocketed in price in the past year spurred on by the global appetite for these commodities.
“Soybean oil is now running 51 cents per pound, compared to 26 cents per pound in spring 2006,” says Simpson. The result is that biodiesel today, even with a $1 per gallon incentive, costs customers about 12 cents more a gallon when comparing B20 (20% biodiesel) to conventional diesel. “At that price, point companies who want to do the right thing for the environment” by using biodiesel in their truck fleets, “have a tougher time justifying the extra cost,” says Simpson – particularly in what is now a recessionary economy.
Despite record prices for diesel, buyers are motivated to buy the fuel since their overall mileage is better than gasoline vehicles and those vehicles tend to last longer. But this year, like all motorists, diesel customers have been paying $3.60 a gallon or more to fill up and they are price sensitive.
This reality has set back the biodiesel industry nationwide even though both state and federal incentives are pushing the renewable-based fuel.
Nationwide, construction of new biodiesel facilities has now reached 500mmg rising from as little as 25mmg in 2004 just before a federal biodiesel tax incentive kicked in.
Like the ethanol industry, there are plans on paper to build
an amazing 2 billion gallons with all the concern over global warming
and the desire to “go green.”
The ethanol industry is in the doldrums because of high corn prices and
it's clear the upstart biodiesel industry is in the same boat due to soy
prices. But there are offsetting factors as well, notes Simpson.
With rapeseed, canola, soybean and palm oil all jumping in price to record levels recently, Crimson Renewable is designing its new Bakersfield plant to run on animal fats, says Simpson, where prices are more stable.
Making biodiesel from animal fat has some other advantages, says Simpson, including better lubricity of the fuels. “Some truckers tell us they just love it,” says Simpson pointing to the fact that it can extend the life of a diesel engine.
Crimson is an oil exploration company in California that now wants to build its renewable portfolio here. The company has a distribution system to sell biodiesel now to customers and with the new production facility can cut out the middle man. Simpson says, “it made more sense to source our feedstock in California and build the plant here close to our end market” rather than ship to California.
The company also has its eye on Sacramento where there is a possibility of a legislative requirement to produce renewable fuel within the state border that could be mandated in the future. In addition, made with animal fat as its base, Simpson believes there will be less price resistance from large fleet owners who want to use at least a B5 blend in their tanks in California motivated in part by the requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Governor Schwarzenegger has pushed for 20% of fuels used on vehicles in California be made from renewable sources by 2020.
This week California-based Safeway (Vons) announced it would convert its nationwide fleet of 1,000 trucks to a B20 blend supplied by a northern California biodiesel company. The blend requires no modification of its engines.
A B20 blend is far cleaner than petroleum diesel when it comes to particulate matter – considered perhaps the biggest problem in the valley – 47% lower as well as hydrocarbons that are 67% lower than diesel fuel. In addition, it reduces cancer-causing compounds.
More Diesel Cars Coming
Simpson says another factor that is bullish for biodiesel is the appetite for diesel continues to grow both in California and nationwide. “We see California diesel consumption growing by 60% with many of the car makers coming out with diesel technology that has been perfected in Europe.” Simpson believes car makers faced with rising CAFÉ mileage standards for their fleet will increasingly turn to diesel vehicles that are popular in Europe where they have 35% market penetration. The cars are popular even though diesel prices are high. “If you go out and get a diesel Golf (VW), it gets the same mileage as a Prius,” he notes.
Simpson adds that Honda and Nissan will be joining European manufacturers and Jeep by offering diesel-powered cars in 2009.
Light duty diesel vehicles use 38% less fuel per mile compared to their gasoline counterparts.
Simpson figures diesel consumption in California – now about 20% of all the fuel consumed – will go to 30% to 40% in the future. Using a biodiesel blend – diesel fuel will actually help clean the valley's sky.
When biofuels like biodiesel or ethanol are made from food-based oils as most of it is today, world prices for these oils like palm, soybean and canola have all reached record levels in recent weeks. Worldwide, all foodstuffs have climbed in price by 37% in the past year on top of a 14% gain in 2006. But animal fats and used cooking oil are local products and have not skyrocketed.
While much is made of the tension between these grains for fuel vs. food, the increases look tame compared to the price run up of crude oil in the past year. In 2007, oil has climbed from $50 a barrel in January to over $90 a year later. That's an 80% increase.
But if the biofuel industry is to expand worldwide to its potential, it will need to find a non-food feedstock to fuel the rise. That's what makes the research into cellulose-based ethanol and new crops for biodiesel so critical.
Demand for meat worldwide and corn based ethanol has caused corn prices to rise to $5 a bushel pushing down the acreage of other field crops including soybeans. Soybean acreage dropped 19% in the past year in the Midwest.
Simpson says the plant is being designed to run on animal fats but can use any vegetable oil source as well if some oil becomes more favorable. Simpson has met with local growers encouraging production of alternative crops that might include mustard or other low water demand crops as a possibility.
One of the most promising worldwide is the succulent plant – Jatropha Curcas - that produces a vegetable oil developed first in India. The plant yields four times as much fuel per hectare as soybeans and has been touted by Goldman Sachs recently. The plant can grow in poor soil and since it's not edible – does not compete with food uses the way corn and soybeans do. Simpson says if Jatropha takes off worldwide, developing countries could supply the oil cheaply as a feedstock.
Whatever vegetable oil crop we grow in the Valley to supply biodiesel fuel, one piece of the puzzle is lack of adequate crushing capacity, says Simpson. JG Boswell has the South Valley's only crusher used to process safflower oil, valuable as a food oil.
Biogas Too
Besides launching a biodiesel industry, Crimson is busy building a biogas facility that will process cattle manure from 6,000 cows into 150 million cubic feet of biogas per year – a renewable substitute for petroleum-based natural gas. Their long term goal would be to process waste from 100,000 cows – helping with another big valley problem – greenhouse gas emissions and smog precursors generated by the livestock industry. In adopting this technology, it is working along similar lines as another group in Fresno and Tulare County that is selling biogas to PG&E.
Besides making biodiesel at the Bakersfield plant, Simpson notes it will produce another byproduct – glycerin – used in soaps and lotions in large volume.
Looks Forward with Opened Arms
“In 100 years, there must have been many times when they thought about closing the temple,” said Rev. Jo-Ren MacDonald, the Visalia Buddhist Temple's householder priest. “There was a war, there was prejudice... I can think of so many different reasons why they could have closed it down in those 100 years, but they didn't. So the message to us is that if they could keep it open so can we.”
Many temples in the Central Valley have already observed their 100th anniversary or will soon because most of them were formed during the Japanese immigration period between 1890 and 1910. The Issei, or Japanese pioneers, came as miners, cooks and laborers but soon became farmers. They built temples throughout California, Hawaii and Washington.
“In Hawaii, for example, they didn't have their own land but they worked the plantations. The land owners wanted to keep those people happy so there were little temples every stone's throw. Give them their religion and keep them happy. And in America, they were able to own their own land, but there was no possible way that they could travel very far to go to a service,” MacDonald said, adding that many temples are closing because there isn't a need to have as many as there were a hundred years ago.
“How far away is Hanford? Twenty minutes? But that has its own temple. Dinuba it has its own temple. All around us, there's all these temples,” she said.
MacDonald often hears comments that all the temple closings are terrible. “It's not terrible. If this were a business, you would shut down these little offshoots because people can get to the other temples like they couldn't back then.” Even MacDonald serves both Hanford and Visalia temples. The congregations shouldn't be worried about continuity, says Rev. MacDonald.
“It's like the waves of the ocean, sometimes there's a lot of people, sometimes there's a few, but it can't stay the same because nothing stays the same. So what we have to do is try new ways not new teachings...”
The Visalia Buddhist Temple is doing just that. It is quickly becoming known for its “new ways” starting in August of 2006 by becoming the first Buddhist temple in the world to have a white woman priest at its head. An illness requiring her to cut down her workload led the Fresno Betsuin Temple to let her continue in the same ward she'd been serving, which had never been done before, MacDonald said.
“I'm 45 minutes away from my previous assignment which was unheard of,” she said. Then this past spring, the temple officially dropped the word “church” from its title. The word “church was used to blend into the dominant culture in America after World War II and the discrimination that continued,” said MacDonald, but is not really appropriate to the Jodo Shinshu tradition, which is the denomination of the Visalia Buddhist Temple.
Another unusual move was painting the trim of the buildings purple.
“When we first did it people said, 'No, you didn't!'” MacDonald chuckled. “Every Buddhist temple in our denomination is beige and brown, because Tibetans have a certain color, Vietnamese have certain colors, Chinese have certain colors and historically in Japan, they're beige and brown so they can blend into the scenic background. Whereas here in California they're just beige and brown.”
Because the denomination's emblem is purple, some trim in the shrine is purple and the head of the denomination wears purple, MacDonald explained that it had become a familiar and comfortable color. “So why not? We didn't think any other color would fit. Of course I went to the ward first and got approval.” The response has been encouraging said McDonald.
“What an auspicious way to begin the second century of Jodo Shinshu in Visalia!” Dr. Gordon Bermant, president of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), remarked about the purple trim. Visalia “offers a genuinely open heart and mind to all who come to the door, no matter their background, needs, or aspirations,” he said. “It has been said that the temples of BCA are an organization in transition. Perhaps a healthy transition can benefit from the example of the temple with the purple trim.”
But purple trim is just a hint of the changes going on there. Stop by and chances are you'll walk in on a class, festival or fundraiser. This is a family place with two and three generations attending the weekly services, classes and events. Classes at the temple include basic Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Metta Meditation and Chanting, which are free and open to the public. There are also classes on Taiko drumming, a thunderous sounding traditional Japanese instrument performed by athletic artists. There is a small charge for those classes. Information is available on the temple's recently revamped website at visaliabuddhisttemple.com. Everyone, not just Japanese-Americans, but also the curious are welcomed.
“Buddhism is non-discriminating: gay, straight, sex, ethnic background, age. We're non-judgmental. We're also good for the community. We're known for being hard-working citizens and that is a good thing for the community. We are also good for the community because we are not going to lock you in,” she said, explaining that there's no pressure to join or convert.
“If you become a Buddhist, fine, either way we've made a friend. I tell you, new friends are great. They'll always come out and help you with Sukiyaki (a Japanese dish served at one of their fundraising events) or whatever else you need because it's fun for them. It's cultural. So, it's a win-win. If we never see them again, they leave with a nice feeling about us, but if we do see them they become part of our work force so it's a wonderful thing.”
“People are curious,” she explained. “Some people are surprised that we're not all monks and nuns.”
The temple gets visitors regularly who expect to see the stereotypical vision of orange-robe clad monks. “And if they see someone in street clothes that's discombobulating because that couldn't possibly be a priest, but yes it is. On the other hand, it becomes very comforting because it is really hard to feel like you can get into an intimate conversation with a robe. The robe represents the teachings but there is that separation. So I think that makes them feel more welcome once they get here."
There's also a growing curiosity about Buddhism that may be due to published reports on the medical benefits of meditation or the growing number of self-help authors who refer to the teachings of Buddha.
“We're grateful to the self-help authors who refer to him (Buddha). However, what that gives us is somebody who wants a quick fix. They quickly leave because the quick fix won't be there. They don't have peace of mind in a week,” MacDonald said. “But what I do think is that a lot of people who have a spiritual need are seeking us out. Not a religious need, but a spiritual need. The difference is religion is man-made: we're going to meet on Sundays at 10 o'clock, we're going to wear such and such clothes, our rituals will consist of such and such and we will do this and not accept that.... That's religion, but spirituality in every living thing throughout existence exists equally throughout the universe. It's not in one place and not in another. It's everywhere. So a person who's spiritual is just trying to take that lotus flower out of the mud, let it come up through the water and bloom. It's already there. So the idea is that it's for everyone,” she said.
Japanese immigrants used the temples as social and cultural centers in the beginning.
"They could eat the same food, watch the same movies. They had dances so young men could meet young women. They had lots of things like that. In today's time we don't even have our culture classes very often because nobody wants to come. Is that a change or what? It's simply the shmooshing together of the cultures." Still, there is the once a year tradition of Mochi, a sweet cake made of glutinous rice pounded into a paste and molded into shape that is traditionally served at the New Year."
" Mochi is a once-a-year thing that everybody loves. But it's once a year, its not like you go every Thursday for calligraphy, every Friday for Japanese dancing or something. This is once a year to taste this thing." Some traditions you keep and some you let go because, MacDonald reminds us, "everything changes." As we look forward to 2008, we have to realize that "every year is different."
"People were born, people died, there's war, there's peace, there's hunger, there's famine, the universe is crashing and banging, nothing is staying the same. But what happens is I'm a year older and hopefully I learned something in the past and then I'm open to learning this year and that I don't know anything."
Like everyone, MacDonald says she makes resolutions on New Year's Day, but adds, "I make a resolution every second of every day. I wake up and say may I do more good than harm today. I'm grateful for having awakened. So every morning, I'm grateful that I woke up and I make myself a resolution that by the end of the day I hope I've done more good than harm."
Even so, resolutions are hard to keep. "We are creatures of habit. We're taught to be creatures of habit so on any given day at any given moment people would know how to respond to any situation. Buddhism says don't lock yourself in like that. That's hard to do. But then you pick and you choose. I'm going to say thank you and please. I'm going to move out of the way and let somebody pass.
“The goal is not for enlightenment,” MacDonald says. “What would you do in this world if you were enlightened? What in the world would you do? Where would you go? Who would listen? There is no place in this world for us if we're enlightened. The reason you are born is to live. The thing is somebody had to become enlightened to understand it and at that point in time somebody would listen to him (Buddha). So if we'd become enlightened right now, it'd be off-putting to every society.”
“So we're not going to get enlightened any way, and
even if we did I wouldn't even strive for it. I'd be the loneliest person
on this planet. I would strive to get close.”
If you're not going to search for enlightenment what should our resolution
be? “What it means,” MacDonald said, “is you want to
extinguish the behavior that is harmful to you and others.” Clear
out your bad behavior and fill it with good behavior. “Some things
you keep and some you don't.”
At the New Year's service, the congregation expressed its gratitude in thankfulness for the infinite wisdom and compassion of Buddha. "Being grateful is necessary," MacDonald explains. "Every time you eat, something died so that you could consume it. Every time you walk down the street, somebody had to make the street and then millions of years ago, the ingredients that made the street started. And you could go on and on, but the thing is there's no way not to be grateful."
She adds that she's very grateful to the community of Visalia. “The Visalia area has always been very kind to the temple and I'm grateful for that. In the last 100 years, nobody's made any overt effort to close down this temple and I'm so grateful. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. The people of the Visalia area have been very tolerant. The temple didn't stay just because its members did their part. The community had to love it and so I have deep gratitude to this area.” Some people even brag about having a temple, at how universal Visalia is, even if it is a small town.
“For the most part, Visalians are proud of us. Especially since we painted the trim purple. People will say, 'Go down to the Buddhist Temple with the purple trim, make a left…' It does stand out.”
Tulare County - Tulare County is beginning the adjustment to handling more youth offenders as the state closes youth detention facilities.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced last summer plans to house more young criminal offenders closer to their communities as a means of better rehabilitating those youths. The change went into effect in September and this month the state announced the closure of two Department of Juvenile Justice (previously known as the California Youth Authority) facilities, one in Paso Robles and the other in Stockton.
“We know that given the proper resources, local probation services can have a far greater impact on our youthful offenders than our state facilities because many juveniles under local care turn their lives around and do not return to a life of crime,” said Janet Honadle, Tulare County Chief Probation Officer. “Keeping youth connected to their families and their communities as much as possible is always the best plan,” she added.
“I am a firm believer that California's youthful offenders are among the most responsive to programs that will steer them away from trouble and keep them from turning toward a life of crime,” said Schwarzenegger in September in announcing grants to counties to begin the transition. Tulare County received $260,000. The funds will increase in 2008-09 and again in 2009-10.
“Although we do not have the resources from the state for this shift we were hoping for, we remain cautiously optimistic that the Tulare County Probation Department will be able to effectively provide the needed amount of services to these offenders coming back to Tulare County from state facilities,” said Honadle. She said the state has already transferred 34 juvenile offenders to the county. More importantly, the county will send fewer to the state as it will no longer accept non-violent and property crime offenders.
Excluded from the transfers are the violent offenders. Those convicted as juveniles of murder and other horrendous crimes, are still being sent to state facilities.
County Has Room
Honadle said the county can house up to 320 juvenile offenders, 210 in the Juvenile Detention Facility and 110 more in the Youth Facility, which is the old boot camp for minor offenders. By far, the majority of those in custody are awaiting trial or sentencing. Many, after sentencing, are turned over to probation. By law, juveniles can be sentenced to a year or less in the county facility. Ages of youth held in the county are 13-19.
During the 2006-07 fiscal year the county housed approximately 1,500 minors and had a daily census of about 200, said Honadle.
There are only 30 beds in juvenile hall for the more serious offenders. Honadle said it is the long-term housing within the Juvenile Detention Facility that will see the increase in numbers, but it should be a gradual increase and not something they can't handle.
She said it cost the county about $80,000 a year to house a juvenile offender. Estimates by the state Legislative Analyst's Office cite current costs of housing a juvenile offender at DJJ facilities around $206,000 per year because of the many programs, including schools, that must be included in housing a juvenile inmate. The county's cost for sending offenders to the state has dropped from $1.4 million a couple of years to about $300,000 this year, said Honadle.
The bulk of those who remain in the county are placed in several programs to assist them to get their lives straightened out.
The probation chief said they are looking at several new programs to transition the youth out of the facilities.
“We are in the process of adding 'Reconnecting Youth,' 'Girls Circle,' an additional deputy probation officer, program staffing for the detention facility and a variety of assessment tools,” she said. “Nothing is up and running at this time. We only received the funds a month ago.”
She added they are also looking into “sober living residences” halfway houses, mental health facilities and others where they can house the youth. “Again it is too soon to tell. We will be ready to do on an individual basis whatever we need to in order to make sure that the needs of the ward and the safety of the community are met.”
The “Girls Circle” and “Reconnecting Youth” programs will begin within the next few months. Those programs have a curriculum to “teach kids how to grow up and be an adult.”
“We're hoping to start this by spring. We do have the money and we can begin as soon as we get it to the board (of supervisors),” she said.
The youth will see a probation officer once a week that will also help them to become young adults and be more productive in society. There are currently 2,432 youth seen by probation officers in Tulare County.
Helping the transition, said Honadle, is that crime appears
to be down. “At the moment, the facility population is somewhat
lower based on the time of the year.”
Hindering the transition is the state's fiscal crisis. “We are looking
at a 10% cut across the board in programs. Cutting back on our diversion
programs is not the best idea. We will lose in this. We're hoping to find
some resolve to the situation,” she said of the governor's proposed
cuts. She added that the money for the transition already approved will
not be affected.
Visalia - A new business center is expected to be open for business in mid-April in Downtown Visalia. The center, which will eventually occupy a full city block, will include the corporate offices and a branch of the new Suncrest Bank.
“I intend to call it Center Street Plaza,” said Bill R. Miller, president of Miller-Matejcek, Inc., who owns the 52,000-sq.-ft. block bordered by Floral, Center, West and Oak streets in Downtown Visalia.
Miller received the final permit on Jan. 17.
The Suncrest Bank branch will occupy the renovated building at the corner of Center and Floral streets. The bank, which plans to open its other initial branch in Porterville at the same time, will be headquartered on the first floor of the two-story building to the west of its Visalia branch.
Miller's two companies, Miller-Matejcek and Miller Realty Investments, LLC, will occupy the building's 2,500-sq.-ft. second floor. Another 2,500 sq. ft. is still available on the west end of the building and will be finished after a tenant is found, said Miller.
“Before I do all the tenant improvements, I want to know who my tenant is going to be because every tenant has its own requirements,” he said. “I intend to finish it off in the generic sense, but if a doctor wants to come in there, doctors have different requirements than other tenants.”
Miller said that the center will have 52 parking spaces.
“We're going to have more parking than anybody else in town, except for Bank of America,” he said, noting that “downtown parking is at a premium.”
In addition to the two buildings set to open in April, an existing house on the block will be renovated and converted to offices. The house has wood floors and is “perfect for a dentist's office,” according to Miller.
Architect Dennis Whistler is working with the city and the local historical society on the project.
“I'm trying to do the entire block with the same theme to tie it all together,” Miller said.
Future plans for the center include constructing a two-story, 3,000-sq.-ft. office building along West Street.
Founder of Organization Speaks in Visalia
Whiteside was the guest Tuesday of the County Center Rotary Club. The Great Valley Center, founded in 1997, focuses on issues of the Central Valley, mainly economic, environmental, agriculture and land issues.
“The Great Valley Center supports activities that promote social and economic well-being of the Central San Joaquin Valley,” said Rotarian Dan Veyna in his introduction of Whiteside.
The gist of Whiteside's message is leaders need a plan for the Valley to ensure it grows properly. “If you go on the natural, you're likely not to have any of the things you cherish,” she said, explaining those things are abundant water, air quality and open space, basically, everything that makes for the quality of life in the region.
The Great Valley Center (GVC) has become recognized as one of the leading authorities on the Valley, its past, present and its future. Whiteside said while the group does not take specific stands on issues, such as a dam on Temperance Flat, it does stimulate debate.
She likened the GVC like the sweepers in a curling match. “We're out there sweeping to make sure the stone, thrown by somebody else, gets to where it needs to be,” she explained.
The Center, which is now affiliated with the University
of California, offers two leadership programs for people in the Valley
who want to lead, as well as being a valuable resource on a myriad of
topics, from land use to economic growth.
“Great Valley tries to provide information. It tries to explain
to people that the Central Valley is different than the Los Angeles basin
or the Bay Area.”
One example of the impact of the Great Valley Center, she explained, was the $1 billion in funding now allocated to upgrade Highway 99 through the Valley. While the organization did not lobby for the money, its Highway 99 Task Force focused on the need for action by the state.
“You often won't find our names on things, but if you look closely you'll find our fingerprints,” she said.
Whiteside raised some concerns over the High Speed Rail plan being debated in Sacramento. That plan is to run a high-speed passenger train through the Valley to connect Los Angeles with San Francisco. While the Center has not taken a position on the proposal, she said it is seeking answers to questions as to how the $22 billion project will impact the Valley. She said two key questions are where will the train cut through the Coast Range to the Bay Area and what will the region get out of the project.
She spoke positively of the governor's Partnership for the San Joaquin, which Tulare County Supervisor Connie Conway now heads. She said the partnership is working to “engage the region to bring it up to parity with the rest of the state.”
Pixley Project Run by GVC
She also touted the Pixley Connect, a multi-year project organized by the Center to develop a new model for bilingual technology training and computer access in Pixley.
GVC staff has been working with students in that small unincorporated community of the county. The $600,000 project, funded by a grant from the AT&T Foundation, has set up high-speed internet access there and provides computers and training to families in the mostly farm worker community.
“If we don't change Pixley in the next few years, it won't be for a lack of trying,” said Whiteside.
She said water, energy, land use and population growth are all challenges facing the Central Valley, with solutions years away. “There are going to be new rules and regulations around climate change and carbon emissions,” she warned, that will greatly impact life in the Valley. “It's a long-term game,” she added.
The key, she said, is working together. “When we work together, we have a much stronger voice.”
Goshen - Homebuilder Don Fulbright is working on a 700,000-sq.-ft. commercial/industrial park along Highway 99 in Goshen designed to appeal to smaller businesses that seek a freeway visible office/warehouse.
Fulbright says, “It's a good time to diversify away
from residential building,” noting that he has owned the property
along Camp Drive for about 10 years (see map).
Fulbright joins a handful of developer/builders who have seen a market
for one acre/5000 to 10,000-sq.-ft. buildings with offices in the Visalia
Industrial Park.
Pioneered by Fresno builder Pickett and Sons at its Nicholas-Plaza Park project a few years ago, the majority of the 50-lot subdivision has now been sold.
While we think of the industrial park as full of big companies
with some warehouses stretching to near 1 million square feet –
it's the little guy that gets the attention here.
Joining Pickett in recent years with similar mixed service/commercial
projects have been developers Butch Oldfield, Johnny George, Basil Perch/Andy
Mangano and now Bernard TeVelde. So, what's the draw?
Perch, who built his office in a 20-acre subdivision off Shirk along with Mangano, says, “Our area has lots of small businesses who want to own their own place.” He says they all want a warehouse and office but don't need walk-in traffic. “Because the price is affordable the market has taken off,” he says. “All the lots here are spoken for.”
Joe Pickett, who owns Nicholas Park, says you can buy a 5,000-sq.-ft. building for $274,000 plus the cost of the lot.
Now, with all the new players, we may be looking at a glut in the market, fears Perch, “just like farmers when everybody plants plums.”
But Fulbright believes his Highway 99 project, dubbed Mill Creek Commercial Park, has some unique advantages.
Those include freeway visibility and design features like stick built offices in front and warehouse and a service road to the back that screens off yard trash and storage to the rear.
“I don't think we are facing a glut of these projects,” believes Fulbright, although he plans to phase the development as the market matures.
Fulbright expects the county to approve the project in 2008 and he could be marketing by the end of the year. The 23.3-acre project has 28 lots of all sizes and layouts.
“Businesses with global shipping needs should be attracted,” figures Fulbright, given the proximity of UPS and FedEx as well as other trucking firms nearby.
Fulbright says he plans to use color along with style options – stick and stucco on buildings that offer “a different look,” something he has learned from home building.
“It's not just more metal buildings.”
What's New
ImagineU Children's Museum received a $100,000 grant from a foundation which prefers to remain anonymous. The museum, which has occupied a donated former car dealership at 700 E. Main Street in Visalia for the last four years, is looking to move to a new 8,000 to 12,000-square-foot building with plenty of room to install permanent and rotating exhibits. To help reach this goal, founder and executive director Angela Huerta Reyna has cut back the museum's daily hours to concentrate more time on planning the new museum and fundraising for the $2 million campaign.
The City of Visalia unveiled its newly redesigned web site this week. The new site is designed to be more user-friendly and easier to navigate. It also includes a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, more updated information and an expanded search capability. More work on the web site is planned. The first phase of the project cost approximately $65,000, with another $135,000 left in the budget for more upgrades and improvements.
Visalia City Council went on record supporting the development of a medical school at the University of California, Merced. The council passed a resolution of support Tuesday.
Construction plans are out for bid for the second of three phases in the $11.6 million renovation of Recreation Park, and it is anticipated that City Council will award the project at the end of the month. Included in this phase is a new two-story building along the right field line next to Giddings Street that will house an enclosed VIP area that seats up to 100 for special events, additional fan seating, an improved bullpen area, souvenir shop, and team offices. Work has already been underway to prepare the building pad to get ready for construction of the new building. The priority will be to make sure the field is in playable condition by opening day, which is April 17.
Visalia Mayor Jesus Gamboa plans to keep the city in the minds of the High-Speed Rail Authority in Sacramento next month when the Authority will hear a report on Fresno-to-Bakersfield route options and potential sites for a station, including one at Highway 198 and Highway 43, east of Hanford. “There's going to be a million people in the two counties,” Gamboa said in arguing for a train stop in Visalia, Hanford or Tulare. “We deserve to be connected to the rest of California.” Fresno and Bakersfield are getting train stations for the bullet train. The planned high-speed rail, still unfunded, would connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles and San Diego.
The City of Visalia will hold a “Dump-On-Us” event from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Visalia Corporation Yard, 335 N. Cain St. These events are limited to city residents (proof of residency is required). Residents can drop off air conditioning/heating units, bamboo, cactus, cell phones, computers, monitors and televisions, dryers, fencing material, furniture, mattresses, palm fronds, printer toner cartridges, scrap metal, small appliances, tires (limit of 4, with rims removed), washers and yucca trees. Information: 713-4500.
The $6 million reconstruction of the Tulare County Library in Visalia should be finished by mid-summer. The project includes Phase I, the renovation of the old Visalia City Library which transforms the 70-year-old structure into a new children's wing, and Phase II, which provides the main library with a new look using its original colors. The improvements will require the branch to be closed for about three weeks, currently set to start on Feb. 22. The price tag for the work comes primarily from a California grant of $3.7 million. The City of Visalia added $500,000, the community contributed $590,000 and the county paid the rest.
Tulare County foreclosures increased by 91.3 percent during the October-to-December period, from 427 for fourth-quarter in 2006 to 817 in 2007, according to DataQuick Information Systems. The county, however, fared better than the state where the number of mortgage default notices filed against homeowners jumped last quarter to its highest level in more than 15 years. Lending institutions sent homeowners 81,550 default notices during the October-to-December period, up 114.6 percent from 37,994 for fourth-quarter 2006. The report showed a 139.3 percent increase between the two fourth-quarters for Kings County, and a 137.4 percent increase for the Central Valley.
By Rick Elkins
San Joaquin Valley - City and county planners in the Central San Joaquin Valley are working on a plan to handle the expected population growth in the region over the next 100 years.
Called the Rural Metro Loop, the goal of the effort is to assess the feasibility of a high capacity, mass transit-based corridor system that will link cities and counties together from Madera to Visalia, explained Keith Bergthold, city of Fresno assistant planning director and one of those heading up the unique effort to plan for the future of the region.
Bergthold and John Wright, with the city of Clovis, presented
the concept to the Visalia City Council earlier this month.
The Visalia City Council endorsed the study at its Jan. 7 meeting.
“We need a blueprint to make the San Joaquin Valley the greatest region in the world,” explained Bergthold of the long-term process designed to assist the region to handle the expected population growth over the next 100.
Bergthold said projections are the region's population could grow from the roughly 4 million people today to more than 11 million by 2110.
The concept is to design a transportation loop from Madera to Visalia that would move people and goods easily and to direct much of the Valley's population growth to inside the loop that includes 17 incorporated cities and three county governments. Bergthold said 8 million people could live within the loop that would run roughly along the alignment of Highway 41 on the west, Highway 198 on the south, Highway 65 on the east and Highway 145 on the north, with Highway 99 down the middle. At first, the study concentrated on just Fresno and Madera counties, but the planners realized Tulare County needed to be included as well.
“The focus of this remarkable collaborative effort is to evaluate and assess the feasibility of a bold concept for a high-capacity, mass-transit based, multi-modal corridor system (Metro Rural Loop) that would efficiently link cities and counties together,” a handout given the council stated. The loop and connecting spokes would accommodate up to 8 million people and preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, including some within the loop.
Bergthold said the loop would use a mix of freeway, light rail, and designed bus and truck lanes to connect cities and freely move people. “It would retain our world class industrial agricultural base forever,” he said.
“We need to move from lip service to concrete solutions,” said Visalia Councilman Greg Collins, adding such talk has been around for years.
John Wright, with the city of Clovis, said the blueprint is an “opportunity for the Valley. It can be our legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.”
The concept would be to design a Valley of the future and not allow this area to grow like Southern California where all of the farmland has been swallowed up by urban sprawl.
“We are talking about changing the paradigm. We need to change our thinking. There is no reason this can't be a world class economy, a world class place to live,” said Wright.
Darrel Pyle, Tulare city manager, agreed it is not easy envisioning the Valley 100 years from now, especially how people might travel then, but he said planning for the growth is something that is needed, both on the local level and a regional level.
Bergthold said the time is now to begin the process, before there are no opportunities to develop the Rural Loop. He said land needs to be acquired and money set aside for the project that might begin serving the Central Valley by 2050.
Absentee Ballot Requests High as Primary Vote Nears
Tulare County - With less than two weeks to go before the Feb. 5 presidential primary election in California, more than 49,000 vote-by-mail (formerly absentee) ballots have already been sent to voters.
“There's been a lot of activity. Getting a lot of cards (registration) in,” said Hiley Wallis, chief deputy treasurer/tax collector who helps oversee the Tulare County Elections Division.
Of those vote-by-mail ballots already delivered, more than 16 percent have been returned.
The number of vote-by mail-ballots has steadily been increasing. Wallis said the law was changed several years ago to allow voters to register as permanent vote-by-mail, which means they are automatically mailed a ballot every election.
Today, 32 percent of the registered voters in the county are vote-by-mail.
“Absentee numbers continue to grow. I like absentee. I think it's a good way for people to vote, especially in our mobile society,” said Wallis.
The Feb. 5 primary, the earliest presidential primary in California history, will include parties selecting their delegates to the national conventions this summer. The key races are for Democrats and Republicans. It will also include seven state ballot measures and there are four school bond measures in different areas of the county.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John Edwards are the front runners, but none has taken a commanding lead in the race for the nomination.
The race for the Republican nomination is wide open as well between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Sen. Fred Thompson.
Only those registered as Republican will be able to vote for their party's nominee, while those who registered as non-partisan will be able to vote for either the Democrat or American Independent nominee.
Voter registration is basically unchanged from the last election, although the gap between Republicans and Democrats continues to widen. As of Tuesday, the county showed 63,178 registered Republicans compared to 45,644 registered Democrats in the county. Those who did not state a party affiliation total 19,869. While the numbers of Democrats and Republicans are both down compared to the presidential election of 2004, the number of those declining to state a party grew by more than 2,000 people in the county.
Wallis did not want to speculate on the turnout on Feb. 5, but felt interest was high. In the 2004 presidential primary, 44.6 percent of the county's registered voters cast their ballots. The turnout for the presidential election that November was 70.1 percent. Eighty-five percent of the absentee voters returned their ballots in November of 2004.
The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Jan. 29, although voters can pick up a vote-by-mail ballot up to and including election day. However, all ballots must be received at the election's office by the close of the polls on election day.
Wallis said all vote-by-mail ballots delivered to the elections office by Saturday will definitely be counted by election night, however those that come in late Monday or on election day likely will not be processed and counted until after Tuesday. She stressed that all votes are tabulated and do count in the election. There have been instances where those last minute ballots have changed local elections.
Wallis said provisional ballots, which are all cast on election day, won't be counted until after the election as well. She said the county normally has about 5,000 of those ballots to count.
“Those are used by people who believe they're registered with a different party, or go to the wrong polling site or lost their absentee ballot,” said Wallis.
Even with the increase in the vote-by-mail numbers, the county does not get a break on manning precincts on election day. Wallis said approximately 1,000 volunteers who are paid a stipend will man the county's precincts from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on election day. The polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you have a question about your registration or polling place, call the elections office at 733-6275.
Tulare County Farm Bureau Earns National Recognition
Tulare County - Tulare County Farm Bureau was one of only 15 county farm bureaus nationwide to earn national recognition at the 89th annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention last week.
The county farm bureau was recognized as part of the American Farm Bureau Federation's County Activities of Excellence program for its innovative Youth Leadership Program that has trained more than 350 young adults over the past 23 years, said Tulare County FB Executive Director Patricia Stever. She and TCFB President Keith Watkins picked up the award that included a check for $2,000 at the meeting in New Orleans.
“We're quite proud,” said Stever after getting back from New Orleans. She was also proud that Josh Pitigliano of Tipton and Chris Giannini of Visalia were recognized for competing for national titles in the AFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers awards competition.
Pitigliano earned the California YF&R Outstanding Young Farmer and Rancher of the Year Award, which recognizes farm management skills, leadership qualities and service to Farm Bureau and community. Giannini won the state Agribusiness Person of the Year Award, presented to young people who actively contribute through involvement in agriculture and Farm Bureau but do not derive the majority of their income from an owned farming operation.
Stever said the TCFB was recognized along with 14 other county farm bureaus during a luncheon attended by more than 600 county farm bureau presidents. It is the second time the county has been honored, she said, being recognized two years ago for its Land Use Forum.
This year's recognition is for the Youth Leadership Program that is an opportunity for high school juniors to develop leadership skills through a variety of seminars, team building activities, university tours, community service and local and state government tours and seminars. Two overnight trips are part of the program, one to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the other to Sacramento.
The eight-month program, now in its 23 year, includes 25 to 30 students a year. Among the alumni are Rep. Devin Nunez and Ryan Bertao, president of the Kings County Farm Bureau.
“It's really impacted our young people,” said Stever.
The goal of the program is to develop future leaders in agriculture and to develop young people to become more involved in their communities. It is open to high school juniors at all high schools in the county.
The program is financed through donations and the Farm Bureau's annual fundraiser. This year that fundraiser will be held March 1 at the Visalia Convention Center and will feature entertainer/ventriloquist Terry Fator, winner of last year's “America's Got Talent” competition. Invitations are to be mailed out soon.
The Stanislaus County Farm Bureau also received an award
for a member services program for farmers who irrigate.
The Tulare County Farm Bureau represents more than 2,200 family farmers
and is dedicated to public education and advocacy on behalf of its membership.
Police Aim to Keep Crime Going Down
By Rick Elkins
Visalia - The Visalia Police Department is not about to rest on its laurels. Officials admit that despite an impressive 17 percent drop in major crimes last year, there is still work to be done.
“We plan to keep on doing what we did in 2007 – hit gang suppression, continue to enhance COPS program and forge more partnerships,” vowed police spokesperson Sgt. Allyn Wightman. “The plan is not to back off (the gangs). We'll continue with probation and parole sweeps. They're going to see us.”
He said the momentum from last month's gang summit is also having a positive impact going into this year. “With the increase in violence over the summer, the chief's mission is to suppress gang violence and efforts to work together as a team are another factor to work against crime. Suppression of gangs will be a community effort.”
He released the 2007 crime stats that showed a 50 percent increase in murders – from eight in 2006 to 12 last year – but also showed a 41 percent drop in auto thefts and a 19 percent drop in burglaries.
Wightman attributed the crime drop to several factors, among them the startup of the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Service), gang suppression and even technology in newer vehicles that deters thieves.
“Community Oriented Policing Services is definitely working. Our community is assisting the police department and we are focusing on their concerns,” said Wightman. “The partnership (between community and police) is working.”
COPS breaks the city into north and south districts, with 16 geographical sectors in each. In each sector, three officers are assigned “in a team approach to combat whatever the issues are in those sectors,” explained Wightman.
Those issues can be criminal or even community such as blighted areas. “Basically, they (officers) are the hub of this. They seek assistance from needed agencies, but basically they are guiding the show,” he added, explaining that the officer could work with the city's code enforcement officer to clean up or secure an abandoned house that could eventually become an area for criminal activity.
He said initially with the COPS program police saw an increase in crime numbers as more and more residents felt comfortable in reporting crimes, but now the effort is paying off in reduce criminal activity.
“Not only are we investigating incidents, we're stopping them before they occur,” he said.
Another factor was the crackdown on gangs. The city's gang unit made 534 arrests last year and recovered 55 weapons. Over the course of the year, 63 special details were conducted by the unit.
Another factor has been the passage of Measure T in 2004 that increased the city's sales tax to pay for more police officers and firefighters. The city has added 20 officers to the force and will add four more this year.
Vehicle Thefts Drop Significantly
The drop in vehicle thefts was dramatic and Wightman said that technology is playing a role. Vehicle thefts in the city dropped from 1,281 in 2006 to just 761 last year.
“A lot of cars have OnStar now. Thieves don't like that,” he said of the system where OnStar operators can pinpoint within a few seconds the location of a stolen vehicle for police. He said the city's sting programs, such as placing a vehicle as bait in high crime areas, has led to more arrests and work between the city and the California Highway Patrol has led to the break in more than one auto theft ring.
“We used to be one of those leading in nation where (vehicle) thefts occurred,” said Wightman, noting that is no longer the case and that vehicle recovery has improved. “Our officers, with computer equipment they have in their vehicles, they can run plates quickly and that has a tremendous impact on recovery,” he said.
Other highlights of the report, comparing 2006 to 2007:
· Burglaries dropped from 1,368 to 1,109 last year.
· Assaults dropped from 1,822 to 1,719.
· Rapes dropped from 50 to 38.
· Robberies dropped from 213 to 157.
· Property crimes dropped by 19 percent and violent crimes by
8 percent.
· Arrests increased by 91, up 1 percent over 2006.
· Calls for police service still increased 5 percent, from 108,143
in 2006 to 112,984 last year.
Guy Christian Seeks Election as Supervisor
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Guy Christian, a welfare fraud investigator for the Tulare County District Attorney's office, is running for District One Supervisor, the seat now held by Allen Ishida.
Christian, who also has a farming background and is a veteran of the California Division of Forestry, has returned his filling papers for the June election.
Christian, 60, who resides in Visalia within District One, feels his experience both in the private sector and government has provided him the insight of how local government operates and how it can be improved. “I feel I have the experience of what people can and should expect from government and what government can and should expect from the people they represent.”
Christian and his wife, Patricia, who works for the county's Health and Human Services Agency, have three children. They are also raising the children of their deceased daughter.
Three supervisor seats are to be filled in the November election, Ishida's District One seat, District Two, currently held by now board Chairman Connie Conway and District Three, held by Phillip Cox.
Ishida and Christian are the only two who have filed. Cox has announced his candidacy but has not filed, according to county election officials. Conway is running for the state Assembly seat currently held by Bill Maze.
Proposition 92 Divides Local Educators
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - Proposition 92 on the Feb. 5 ballot focuses on community college funding. The ballot measure would restructure how the funds that voters approved with the passage of Proposition 98 are distributed to community colleges and to the school districts for grades K-12.
“The biggest effect that Proposition 92 would be to provide funding for College of the Sequoias and other community colleges that are growing around the state,” said Bill Scroggins, president of College of the Sequoias. “By the current formula, Proposition 98 would not provide that funding for growth.
“The College of the Sequoias would benefit by in excess of $2 million a year in additional funds to serve students over the next two- to three-year period,” he said, citing an analysis of the proposition by the Community College League of California. “After that, the benefit to the district would revert to about the same level of funding that we have previously experienced.”
Scroggins explained that Proposition 92 changes the formula for distribution of Proposition 98 money so that community colleges would get money based primarily on the population they serve, which is defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 34.
“That's well over three-fourth of our population,” Scroggins said. “Right now, Proposition 98 is driven by the number of attendees in K-12. That's actually going to decline the next two to three years as we're in a lull between the baby boom echo and the next population increase. The community colleges are growing. We have more than 1,000 students extra this spring semester that we didn't have last spring. The formula doesn't allow us to grow, and if we do grow, we'd have to reduce services because our per-student rate would go down.”
If Proposition 92 would benefit community colleges, who would lose funds?
“Actually, nobody's losing out because the Proposition 98 guarantee simply did not account for an equitable funding between K-12 and community colleges,” he responded. “If over this period of time, K-12 doesn't grow as projected, that just means that Proposition 92 directs the Prop 98 additional money to community colleges. If we keep status quo – if Proposition 92 doesn't pass – then the money will be directed to K-12 and per-student dollars will go up for K-12. That's not a bad thing because California funding for K-12 education is 44th out of 50 states. Our K-12 brothers and students need more money per student, but it's about equitability. We're expecting growth in the next three years. They are not.”
Meanwhile, those who run schools for K-12 students see things differently and are concerned about what the passage of Proposition 92 would mean for their funding.
“What 92 does is it guarantees a fixed funding for junior colleges,” said Stan Carrizosa, superintendent of the Visalia Unified School District. “Our concern is that it's without the specificity to determine where that funding would come from. The law doesn't specify if it will come out of the K-12 share. That's the heart of our concern.
“We all believe in community colleges,” he added. “But we believe that a special bill to guarantee their funding may come at the expense of funding for K-12.”
Carrizosa disagreed that funds would increase per K-12 student if Proposition 92 fails.
“Current funding is on a per-pupil basis,” explained Carrizosa. “We wouldn't get any more money. Some districts where enrollment is dropping are getting less funding. The current formula doesn't allow us to get funding for kids we don't have.”
Even though the VUSD and COS may disagree about Proposition 92, they both have respect for each other.
“We're very supportive of our community colleges,”
Carrizosa said, adding that even with the VUSD's concerns about the
ballot measure, “our school board is not going to take a public
position.”
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
January 23, 2008
