Hybrid Pot Challenging Law Enforcement

By Miles Shuper

Tulare County - When law enforcement agencies detect and uproot marijuana gardens, the estimated street value they give to the confiscated crop generally is staggering.

Several weeks ago, 78,524 plants were uprooted in an elaborate garden in a remote section of Yokohl Valley. The value given the seized crop was $314 million and the haul was described as the largest single eradication and seizure operation in county history, and among the tops in the state.

Pot gardens have long been big business and now law enforcement officials say state-of-the-art growing practices, including new and improved plants and extended growing and harvest seasons are boosting crop yields and profits. They also mean law enforcement is finding mature plants much sooner than in past years.

A hybrid marijuana variety which officials say originated in Afghanistan and referred to simply as the three-month variety, can endure colder temperatures, produce three crops and an even better “product.”

Lt. Mike Boudreaux, who heads the Tulare County Sheriff's Tactical Enforcement Patrol (STEP) operations, said the new marijuana has been around about five years in California and now “is the product of choice,” accounting for an estimated 93 percent of the illegal marijuana grown in California.

He said the three-month variety takes roughly the same amount of labor, water and care while tripling the profit. With the ability to grow in colder temperatures, the plants can be grown earlier, resulting in a longer growing season and earlier harvests.

The new variety matures in shorter heights making its detection even more difficult.
Instead of growing from 8- to 12-foot heights, Boudreaux said, the plants normally reach 4- to 6-feet tall.

The last several years have been a learning process for growers who employ the latest growing techniques, including cloning of plants.

It is a popular misconception, Boudreaux said, that the criminal element involved in producing the highly profitable drug crop simply throws out seeds in remote areas, water and cultivate the crop, keep down weeds and guard their gardens very closely.

As law enforcement gets more sophisticated in its techniques, so do the growers, most of whom are deeply connected to powerful and dangerous drug cartels, or put more bluntly, drug lords.

Boudreaux said those who grow marijuana on a large scale “know what they are doing and are skilled in very sophisticated growing methods,” adding the cartels are constantly working to improve their product, its production, security and profits.

Elaborate irrigation systems, top quality fertilizers and cloning of the latest varieties, allowing extended growing seasons for plants which can thrive in cooler temperatures, are just some of the techniques employed by the pot gardeners who Boudreaux describes as well-trained and constantly learning their craft.

Referring to the recent record seizure about five miles east of a home on Yokohl Valley Drive, Boudreaux said plants were about four to five feet apart in rows across a mountainside that covered an estimated 15 acres. He said it was the largest he has seen.

The largest previous bust was in October 2003 near the Tule River Reservation east of Porterville where about 75,000 plants were seized and destroyed. That crop had an estimated street value of $289 million, the largest marijuana seizure in the state that year.

Law officials use a figure of $4,000 per pound as the estimated street value of marijuana.

The eradication operations usually involve a number of agencies, especially when they occur on federal lands, including the National Parks where drug cartels have been growing the illegal crops in remote areas.

Often joining Tulare County law enforcement agencies in collaborated detection and seizure operations are the State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest, the National Park Service, the Department of Fish & Game, the National Guard and various local police departments.

High-tech surveillance and detection systems often are used, along with helicopters to airlift the seized plants to undisclosed locations where they are buried. Several dozen officers can be involved in the pot garden busts run in military-like operations.

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More Hotel Rooms Heading for Visalia

Visalia - Visalia must have shown up on some consultant's hospitality industry report with news that four new hotels are in the works with a combined new room total of 420. Nearest to opening is the new 88-room Hampton Inn being built by Anil Chagan on West 198 near Akers, which is expected to open its doors in September.

This week, the city site plan review committee looked at plans for a new 124-room Value Place extended-stay hotel to be located at the southeast corner of 198 and Lovers Lane, to the east of the shopping center. The project is being designed by Bakersfield-based MS Walker, a developer and builder.

“We are both the owner and builder of this hotel,” says project manager Joey Blagg who adds that the project is in its design phase with construction expected to start in six to nine months and the opening likely in early 2010. The hotel is a fast-growing chain of moderately priced extended-stay accommodations catering to travelers who stay a week or two to carry on business. He says the company plans a major expansion in the Central Valley. “There are just a few in the Southland currently,” he says.

Blagg says his company is working on building two more hotels on Cypress west of Akers for a developer. “We are the design architects and builders of these hotels,” says Blagg. The projects are side-by-side hotels on 3.68 acres – a 120-room Hilton Garden Inn and an 88-unit Homewood Suites, also a Hilton project.

“Many of the major hotel companies see growth potential in the Visalia area,” says Blagg. These two hotels should open in about 18 months, he believes. The new hotel would be in addition to the nearby La Quinta Inn, also on Cypress just west of Akers.

Chagan, who also has the Comfort Suites in Downtown, says the newcomers are welcome. “We aren't afraid of the competition,” he says, noting his company has expansion plans of their own for new hotels in Lemoore (Candlewood Inn) and in Hanford (a Holiday Inn Express adjacent the new auto mall on 12th and 198).

Expansion in hotel rooms locally comes at a tough time for the industry with the economy and gas prices cutting room occupancy and profitability nationwide. By way of example, the big Marriott chain announced a 25% decline in net in recent days. With both business and leisure travelers cutting their costs, extended-stay hotels are getting a boost as people see the advantage of eating in, say some analysts. Two of the proposed new complexes in Visalia are in this category – the first locally.

In Visalia, the city's transit occupancy tax (bed tax) that had been growing by 9% and 10.4% the past two years is up just 6.8% in the latest fiscal year. The city takes in nearly $2 million in bed tax annually and uses it to boost tourism here.

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Pixley Ethanol Plant Starting Up

Pixley - Calgren Renewable Fuels will start up this week making its first batch of ethanol, says company spokesman Matt Schmitt. “We will be grinding corn later this week” now that the plant construction and testing are completed.

Rumors that the $120 million fuel plant startup would be delayed are false, he says. “We don't have an issue based on the economics,” says Schmitt, referring to tough profit margins in the ethanol business in mid-2008 that has mothballed projects around the country.

The 50-million-gallon ethanol plant gets its corn from the Midwest delivered by next door neighbor JD Heiskell at the plant site on Ave. 120 at Highway 99 near Pixley.
Schmitt says the ethanol production will stay local, delivered to terminals in Bakersfield and Fresno to be blended with gasoline. That blend, at 5.7%, is expected to increase to 10% next year in California, increasing the demand for the renewable fuel, he says.

Schmitt says the company's 40 employees are getting training and will work five shifts at the 24-hour operation.

The new Calgren plant will be only the second operating ethanol plant in the state, with the other being Madera's Pacific Ethanol plant. The state's first ethanol plant in Goshen has been mothballed for most of the past year due to a dispute between owner Altra Biofuels and landlord Western Milling as well as the poor economics.

Two other state plants, in Keyes and Stockton, are under construction with plans to begin production by year's end.

The ethanol producers have been under pressure from high corn prices and the relatively low price for ethanol compared to gasoline. In recent months, the wholesale price of ethanol has increased, however, improving margins.

The lower profit margins have hurt Pacific Ethanol, the West's largest producer, whose stock had dropped from a high of over $35 a share a few years ago to just $1.50 in recent weeks before rising.

In recent days, corn prices have fallen back to the $6 a bushel level, down from a high of near $8 in the biggest drop in 12 years, ending a speculative bubble that coincided with falling crude oil prices and the rise in the stock market. Favorable weather has improved chances for a good corn crop, says USDA. The news will be a relief to ethanol producers and livestock ranchers, not to mention consumers.

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High Speed Rail Up for Vote

Tulare County - Should the high speed rail that is being designed to take riders up and down the state in just a few hours stop in Tulare or Kings counties, that stop would be on a line that maybe only connects riders with major stops in Fresno, Bakersfield or Merced.

That was the word from Eric VonBerg, planning manager with URS Corporation who spoke in Tulare last week.

The High Speed Rail Authority has placed a $9.95 billion dollar bond measure on the November ballot (Proposition 1) to construct the first phase of the system that will carry passengers from San Francisco to Anaheim. The second phase of the project will connect Sacramento to Merced and Los Angeles to San Diego. In all, 800 miles of track will be laid.

VonBerg told the planners that a study is currently underway on the feasibility of placing a stop in either the Visalia/Tulare area or the Hanford area. Initial plans only call for stops in Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield in the Central Valley.

However, VonBerg indicated the local stop would be served by an “express train” that will connect passengers to one of the main stops. He said many of the trains would be direct routes from LA to SF. Others will offer stops in Bakersfield and Merced in the Valley.

The promise is the system will carry passengers from LA to SF in two hours and 38 minutes, with SF to San Diego in less than four hours. Bakersfield to LA would be just under an hour and Fresno to San Jose in 51 minutes. Bakersfield to Modesto is projected at just over an hour. All of those times do not account for a stop in the Visalia area.

Local Stop

Five sites are being considered locally for the stop. Three of those are in Visalia, one near Tagus Ranch in Tulare, all along the Union Pacific tracks and one along the Burlington Northern Southern Pacific tracks in Hanford.

The length of the system will be served by two tracks, with each station having four tracks where some trains can bypass that station.

“When we get into project documents, we'll start looking at those alternatives at great detail,” VonBerg said.

The Central Valley route – from Merced to Bakersfield – is part of phase one that has been estimated to cost approximately $30 billion to construct. Projections are to complete the segments from SF to San Jose; LA to Anaheim and Merced to Bakersfield in the first seven years of construction.

“The goal is within three years to begin construction of the SF to SJ and LA to Anaheim segments,” said VonBerg. It is hoped to have some segments running by 2017, including the Bakersfield to Merced route.

Crossings

One of the major issues of construction is rail crossings. The proposal is to not have any rail level crossings. All crossings will have to be either over or under the tracks.

“We haven't gotten the funding we've needed to get into design studies on RR crossings,” admitted VonBerg. He said in a city like Tulare where there are seven crossings, those could be reduced to two or three overcrossings.

He also said they are considering some “private” grade-level crossings for private property owners to get across the tracks, but safety issues are a huge consideration.
It has been estimated that in rural areas there may be only one crossing for every two or so miles, but VonBerg said that has yet to be determined.

Bond Measure

Proposition 1 will provide money to answer many of the questions, pay for design work and begin construction. He said the federal government has indicated it will chip in with billions of dollars, but no exact amount has been stated. So far, the feds have given $6.8 million of the $58 million spent on the project. However, long-term the feds have hinted at giving $60 billion.

The state is also looking at private money to help pay for the $30 billion plus project. VonBerg said several private companies have already indicated they are interested in investing.

He projected the system will be self-sustaining by 2030, generating $3 billion in annual revenue – more than enough to pay for itself. “It will generate $2 for every $1 invested,” he said.

He pointed out that improvements to the state's transportation system to meet the growing demand without the rail system would be $82 billion.

While he heard no negative comments last week, VonBerg admitted the Tulare County Board of Supervisors were less than enthusiastic about the project when he made a similar presentation to them last month.

He said the board – especially Supervisors Phil Cox, Allen Ishida and Mike Ennis – questioned the cost analysis and why the state was putting a rail bond on the ballot before a water bond.

He also said that presently, the November bond is the only one planned to raise money for the project. He said it will require 50-percent-plus-one vote for approval and the latest poll has voters favoring the bond by 58 percent.

Officials tried to update language in the measure, but the Legislature failed to act in time. It is possible, said VonBerg, that a supplemental rail bond measure will also appear on the November ballot. It will be nearly identical to Proposition 1, but with some updated language. He said if both measures pass, the one with the most votes will become law. Both will be for $9.95 billion.

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Visalia Named Host City for
2009 Amgen Tour of California

Visalia - The record-setting Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race will include Downtown Visalia as the site of the Stage Start for Day 6 on Feb. 19, 2009, race presenter AEG announced yesterday. Cyclists will end the day in Paso Robles.

“Visalia has made a major commitment to sporting and outdoor recreation with the city's investment in regional facilities, our professional baseball stadium and enhancements to our convention center to make it one of the best sporting event venues in the region,” said Visalia Mayor Jesus Gamboa.

For over two decades, Visalia has hosted the Sequoia Cycling Classic, a National Race Calendar listed event. Southern Sierra Cyclists, coordinators of the race, will be a key partner in hosting the AMGEN Tour of California in Visalia.

“Their past experience in producing local events, state championships, National Race Calendar events and National Championship events ensures that the Visalia Stage Start will be produced to the highest professional standards,” said Gamboa.

The 2009 race will be expanded to include stops in 16 host cities over the course of nine days from February 14-22. Already considered cycling's most important and successful road race in the United States, the event's fourth running will be expanded to cover more than 800 miles over the nine days. Traveling almost the entire length of California, the race will begin in the state's capital, Sacramento, and end in Escondido on February 22. Also for the first time, the riders will cross the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning of Stage 3.

“Each year, we have been able to make the Amgen Tour of California better,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “After getting input from riders and fans last year, we decided to expand the race to better showcase the state of California and this year, we are so fortunate to be able to include Visalia and bring this great sport to even more people throughout California.”

With Visalia now confirmed as a 2009 Host City, there are some decisions to be made.

“They haven't shared with us how they will go to Paso Robles,” said Glenn D. Morris, executive director of the Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is helping coordinate the city's involvement.

Also to be decided is where the stretch of the race will begin in the city that day.

Morris believes that it will probably start in front of the Visalia Convention Center. A “parade route,” from the convention center to the Visalia Fox Theatre to the library to the Oval and back is being considered, according to Morris, with riders making the loop twice.

In its first three years, the Amgen Tour of California has become the most successful race in the United States with regards to attendance, economic benefits to the state, global recognition and the caliber of the cyclists participating. In 2008, the race drew 1.6 million spectators, continuing to set records for a single sporting event in the state of California, as well as any cycling event ever held on U.S. soil. Each year, the race has generated $100 million in economic growth for the state.

The Amgen Tour of California kicks off the professional road cycling season each year and continues to draw some of the world's most renowned and respected riders. Last month, AEG, presenter of the race, formed a multi-dimensional marketing partnership with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), owner of the Tour de France, to grow and develop each other's events.

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Proposed New Exeter Arch
to Seek City Support

By Steve Pastis

Exeter - If Exeter resident Chris Brewer is successful with his newest civic idea, the City of Exeter will have a 76-foot-long Exeter Memorial Arch spanning Pine Street between Kaweah Avenue and B Street. The arch would have a span of 56 feet with an 18-foot clearance from the street surface to the bottom of the arch.

Drivers who turn west on Pine Street from Kaweah Avenue would be greeted by the arch, which was designed to complement the new look of the downtown area that later this year will include two new traffic circles and new landscaping.

The proposed arch resembles the original arch that was placed over Kaweah Avenue 83 years ago.

Although Brewer has discussed his idea with the city planner, the city administrator and “a couple city council members,” nothing has happened officially.

“I thought it was a great idea,” said Exeter City Administrator John Kunkel. “It brings back the city's history. It would be another unique thing in Exeter and we're always looking for unique things in town.”

“The idea is for the arch to straddle the sidewalk and create a memorial walkway,” said Brewer, whose goal is to have the new Exeter Memorial Arch up in three to six years.

He said that Exeter Memorial Hospital had memorial plaques honoring those who passed away over the past 60 years, and that those plaques would be incorporated into the project. Brewer said that the arch would also accommodate banners to promote civic events.

“It takes care of a lot of things all at once,” he said.

Brewer said that preliminary estimates show the project could cost between $250,000 and $300,000, but “could be a lot less than that.” The structure itself was estimated at about $100,000.

He explained that the total cost estimate includes engineering the project to fit the city's infrastructure, and there is still a question about what water and gas lines might be under the proposed site. However, he anticipated the cost would be reduced because much of the work would be donated, such as engineering, design and some construction. The new Exeter Historical Museum was completed at an affordable price by relying on a dedicated network of community donors and volunteers.

“Is it doable?” Brewer asked rhetorically. “Yes. Can we do it within the existing infrastructure in the city? That's the question. The neighborhood needs have to be addressed too.

“What I want to do is to have the engineer make plans and cost estimates,” he said. “The next question is can I interest (the city council) enough to continue. Then we'll go through the planning process and start figuring out where the money is going to come from.”

Brewer is working with Bill Sario, owner of the Rising Sun Company, to prepare the plans. Sario and his construction company worked with Brewer on the museum project and he looks forward to preparing the plans for a new Exeter Memorial Arch.

“It'll be fun and interesting,” he said, adding that the new arch should resemble the original one. “Making it look like a tree will be the biggest challenge,” he said.

Sario, who is also the president of the Exeter Mural Committee, was asked if the arch project was a good investment for the city. He compared the cost estimates with what it costs to bring a new mural to Exeter.

“Each mural costs us between $10,000 and $50,000 and people from all over the world look at them, busloads of people,” he said. “It's worth it when your community looks better and your people are more prideful.

“It's going to be an asset to the community,” he added. “It's a collaborative effort to put some character on the streets.”

“The more attractive the town is for its own residents, to visitors and businesses, the better opportunities we have to increase revenues,” Brewer said, listing the tax base, sales tax and property values as potentially benefiting from the presence of a new Exeter Arch.

“If you're driving on Highway 65, obviously it would pique your curiosity,” Kunkel said. “Hopefully, this will draw people into the downtown who would normally bypass it.”

The original Exeter Arch was built by the American Legion in 1925 and taken down in 1931 because it fell into disrepair, according to Brewer. The original arch was made of wood. The new arch would only have the appearance of being made from wood, but instead be constructed using stained concrete and plaster.

Phyllis Turner, former mayor of Exeter, is one of those who remembers the original Exeter Arch.

“It was out close to where the trailer park is on the way to Lindsay on Highway 65,” she said. “There was an archway there that said 'Exeter.' Everybody had one in those days – Fresno, Kingsburg, all the towns. They just seemed to be something that was natural.”

And what did the Exeter Arch mean to her?

“It was home,” she replied. “I always missed that sign when it came down.”

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What's New

Starbucks announced it would close 600 company-owned stores on July 1. In recent days, the company released a list of the stores that include the Exeter location on Visalia Road, as well as the Starbucks at Mooney and Caldwell in Visalia. The company said it plans to close most of these stores by the end of this year.

Unemployment rose in June in California, Tulare and Kings counties, the EDD reported. Tulare County rose to 9.8% in June, up from 9.5% in May and 8.6% in June 2007. Total jobs in the county fell 1,800 year-to-year and the labor force increased by 1,500. In Kings County, unemployment increased to 10.1%, up from 9.5% in May and up from 8.3% in June 2007. Total jobs in the county fell by 700 in the past year with 500 of those on the farm. California unemployment rate was 6.9% in June – the highest in five years and up from 5.3% this time last year. The number of unemployed statewide was 1.28 million.

Athletes and visitors at the Beijing Olympics will be able to enjoy California-made cheese. The Chinese purchased cheese from a Merced County farm after it was introduced at a food show in Shanghai. The cheese will be served in meals provided to athletes in the Olympic Village, plus in restaurants where visitors purchase their food. Earlier, California-grown strawberries earned permission to be served at Olympic events.

Community Services Employment Training, Inc. (CSET) has appointed Carla Calhoun to the new position of Deputy Director. Calhoun is a Tulare native, graduating from Tulare Union High School. She has a B.A. in Journalism from San Jose State University. With CSET for six years as director of Resource Development and Contracts, Calhoun has previously worked in the private sector, education and research.

Compared to May of 2007, the number of people unemployed in Tulare County has risen 15%. The biggest decline in jobs has been in real estate, rental leasing where employment is off 21.4% and textile mills, off 18.5%. The biggest gain was in leisure and hospitality with a 20% gain in jobs. Farm jobs were off 2.6% and all job categories combined showed a 0.8% decline. Local government jobs increased 3.6%.

Loan losses led to a decline in net income during the first half of the fiscal year for Sierra Bancorp – parent firm of Bank of the Sierra – the Valley's largest commercial bank. Loan losses were up by $3.3 million, says the Porterville-based bank. Net income was $9.5 million, down about 12% from the same period a year before.

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Top of the News

City Securing Partly-Built New Homes

Visalia - The City of Visalia continues to monitor vacant and partly completed new homes including seven Reynen and Bardis homes not half-completed near Houston and Demaree, and nine homes near Lovers Lane and Douglas built by Barton Enterprises.

The Reynen and Bardis homes are expected to be in the hands of lender United Security Bank shortly which hopefully will have the homes completed. The Barton homes are about 85% complete, says city code enforcement/neighborhood preservation officer Tim Burns. In the case of the Barton-built homes, “We had to get involved because many of them did not have front doors” and were being vandalized, he says. “We hope some family can still move into the subdivision homes that once sold in a mid-$300s,” he says.

“It's just a huge issue for the city that can spiral out of control.” He says his understanding is that the Barton homes have sizable liens on them and may take awhile until they get back on the market.

Local Foreclosures Up 150%

Tulare County - Last quarter, foreclosures increased in California, as well as in Tulare and Kings counties, according to DataQuick. Statewide, the rate increased 124% from the same quarter the year before, while in Kings County, the rate was up 150% (188 compared to 75). Tulare County saw the number rise 156% to 1,099 foreclosures from 428 for the same period in 2007.

Mervyn's Chain Struggling

Visalia - Mervyn's California, a 177-unit chain of department stores is struggling this summer, reports The Wall Street Journal this week. The retail chain is fighting “to keep its doors open,” says the newspaper after several key suppliers refused to ship product to the stores just as the back-to-school season starts.

Once owned by Target, the stores are now owned by several real estate partners. GMAC Commercial Finance stopped approving orders of merchandise recently, an AP story said as well.

The company has four locations in our reading area, including at the Sequoia Mall, in Tulare next to Kmart, in Porterville on Henderson and in Hanford at the Hanford Mall.

Observers fear the rash of negative publicity could help the dire predictions come true.

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