You Can Zap Those High Gas Prices
Chinese Vehicle Catching Eyes of Motorists

By Rick Elkins

Visalia - By looks alone, it is not the most eye-catching of vehicles. But when you hear it runs on electricity and costs only pennies to drive, it definitely catches your attention.

Mike Brackett, owner of G&M Used Cars at the corner of Center and Ben Maddox, is the exclusive Tulare County dealer for Zap Xebras, a three-wheel electric car that is legally classified as a motorcycle.

“Everybody that's been coming in here has asked, 'What's my best gas mileage vehicle?' They are all driving SUVs. They're getting killed (by gas prices),” said Brackett.

So, he said, he did some research into gas-saving vehicles and after attending a seminar, signed up to be the exclusive Zap deader in the county. He is one of 54 dealers in the U.S. and one of only 10 in California.

Since 1994, ZAP has been a world leader for electric and advanced technology vehicles, delivering more than 100,000 electric vehicles in more than 75 countries. Brackett is carrying three models right now – the Xebra Zapcar, Zaptruck and the Zapino, a traditional scooter.

“They're classified as a motorcycle so you only need a regular license and it is only $150 to $200 a year for insurance,” said Brackett, adding registration is just $100.
Zap says the truck and car cost only 1-3 cents a mile to drive and have a minimum distance of 25 miles and up to 40 miles per charge. It only takes a 110-current electrical outlet to plug in the cars and then 6-8 hours to completely charge the six batteries. You can even order a solar panel for the roof that adds miles to the charge.

“I plug mine in every night and my electric bill went up just $5 (for the month.) It uses very little electricity.” He said on average, most people drive fewer than 25 miles a day, so the distance of a Zap is adequate for in-town driving.

Brackett has been driving one of the vehicles for a couple of months and says it is great for getting around town, but he would not recommend it on freeways. Top speed is listed at 40 mph, but he says it can get up to close to 50 mph.

“I've been driving one for two months and I haven't bought gas in two months,” he boasted.

Every vehicle is equipped with lights, direction signals, heater, horn and a CD player, but no air-conditioning. Space is good, especially in the front. The car is a four-seater and the truck bed is slightly larger than what can be found on some ATV vehicles. Brackett is asking $10,999 a vehicle, but he said the state is offering a $1,400 rebate.

“Between fuel savings and insurance you can save $400 to $600 a month,” he claimed, adding the vehicles require little maintenance. “No oil changes,” he said of the vehicles that only have two gears – forward and reverse – a few other moving parts and 12-inch wheels – just three of them.

“I did a lot of testing. I drove it at night with everything on and didn't lose power until 25 miles. It was the same during the day,” he said of the range.
Brackett is excited about Zap's plans to introduce a larger truck this fall, the Zaptruck-XL. He said many farmers have expressed interest in that vehicle. That truck will be 11 feet, 6 inches long and 4 feet, 7 inches wide and weigh 1,874 pounds. The car is just 10 feet long, 4 feet, 6 inches wide and weighs 1,441 pounds. The Zaptruck is only slightly longer at 11 feet, 6 inches.

Motorcycle Interest Up

Todd Lewis, co-owner of Tulare Honda, says interest in motorcycles and scooters is on the rise.

“A lot of people buying lately, the first thing out of their mouth is the fuel costs,” said Lewis, who reported the sales of the smaller scooters is up the most.

“I've sold a lot,” he explained, adding the smaller scooters are more for people who commute less than 10 miles a day. They get up to 100 miles per gallon and cost about $2,000. Top speed is about 35 mph.

The street bikes, more suited for the freeway, range from $6,000 to $10,000 and get about 40 mpg.

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Buckman-Mitchell Move June 2

By Miles Shuper

Visalia - Buckman-Mitchell's move to its new 32,000-square-foot, two-story headquarters on June 2 will mark a major step in the redevelopment of East Visalia.
With finishing touches still being made, the move from 309 W. Main (Main and Floral) is being closely orchestrated with the business to be closed Friday, May 30, said Cliff Dunbar, chairman and chief executive officer.

The emergence of the large early California-style building on the northeast corner of Murray and Santa Fe avenues signals what will become a major development north of Main and south of the St. Johns River. The development of Santa Fe Avenue into a four-lane north-south thoroughfare with the construction of an overcrossing of Highway 198 and the designation of the area as the site of Visalia's new city hall and government center were major factors in Buckman-Mitchell's decision to expand there, Dunbar explained.

The new building and property is owned by Visalia Investments LLC, a company owned by Buckman-Mitchell principles. It is the first of what is anticipated to be a three-building complex to be called Centre Plaza. The new structures was built by B.J, Perch Construction and designed by Teter A&E, with Clay Davis, the chief architect. Lane Engineering did the engineering. Harvey May, president of Paloma Development, is the developer of the Visalia Centre Plaza project. A fountain will be the focal point of what is to be a courtyard between the Buckman-Mitchell building and the next structure on the site.

The new Buckman-Mitchell headquarters was designed and built with expansion in mind. Since 1987, Buckman-Mitchell has been at 309 W. Main in the building which was purchased from Brent Ensign which operated a clothing store at the site that previously was Sears. Prior to that, Buckman-Mitchell was located on Main where Citizens Bank currently is located.

Buckman-Mitchell is keeping the 22,000-square-foot Main Street building which will be remodeled and leased for both office and retail tenants, Dunbar said.
The company was founded in 1921 by C.T. (Clem) Buckman who began selling insurance policies in 1916, after graduation in 1907, and working as an engineer and surveyor. Buckman was a colorful personality and renowned hunter who authored 75 Years with a Shotgun. He died in 1978.

Buckman and Visalia banker Hyman Mitchell formed the partnership in 1921 and the agency has grown into the 82nd largest independent agency in the country and been recognized as among the “Top 100 Agencies in America,” selling all lines of insurance.

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Pain at the Pump
Motor Home/RV Industry Hurting

Tulare County - One of the state's largest RV dealers, Dan Gamel of Fresno, has closed two of his dealerships in the past two months, in Chico and Santa Rosa, and has been quoted as saying he plans to shut two more this year – one being in Bakersfield.

Gamel is not alone as consumers react to a slowing economy, the housing meltdown and record high fuel prices as reason enough to hold off the purchase of new recreation vehicles for now. “The good news is demand is there, but folks aren't plunking down the coin,” says one local dealer.

Four dollar gas and $4.50 diesel gets the blame from many observers, but the pain is hitting RV makers the hardest.

Slow sales of motor homes have hit several California manufacturers in recent weeks with Riverside-based Fleetwood Enterprises announcing it would shutter two manufacturing plants and sell off its corporate office to help finance debt. The company is reporting a loss of $16.4 million in the most recent quarter. On May 1, Fleetwood announced its sales had dropped 24%. Meanwhile, its share value has dropped 42%.

Weekend Warrior, a Riverside County manufacturer of RVs and trailers, laid off 100 workers in March and National RV closed its doors in Perris, California, filing for bankruptcy.

Still more bad news, Yakima Washington manufacturer Western RV closed its doors in the past few days, reportedly laying off 220 workers. Its big coaches sell for $250,000 up to $500,000 for the full-blown model that is 40-feet long and has all the bells and whistles.

Visalia area RV dealers confirm that “business is really slow right now,” declining to be identified for business reasons.

“I've been in the business for over 40 years and I've seen tough times before,” says one. That includes the recession in the 1970s and high interest rates in the 1980s. He says over the years he has “seen 12 or 13 motor home dealers come and go in this area.”

Dan Contreras, sales manager of Visalia RV in Goshen, admits sales are still slower than normal, “people are still buying” and he sees an eventual upturn. April and so far in May there has been a noticeable increase.

Contreras, who recently returned to work after a couple of years off, said, “I've seen ups and downs over the years with gas shortages, wars and just everything else,” adding that those with good credit scores are those buying the recreational vehicles, especially those in the 20 to 30-foot range. Although there are considerably less potential buyers in today's economy, those who are shopping tend to be those who can afford them.

A major factor, Contreras says, is that many more RVs can be pulled by half-ton pickups instead of three-quarter ton trucks. The increased gas mileage of the half-ton trucks has made a big difference, he explained.

Contreras, who has been in the sales business for about 27 years, said today's trailers and recreational vehicles have pop-outs and additional features providing travelers with more and more comforts. In most cases, he said, the use of RVs is still less than motels.

Other RV makers are facing tough times as well.

Winnebago Industries stock hit a 52-week low in recent days and Monaco Coach stock fell to a 10-year low as swollen dealer inventories and low demand seem to be spreading gloom across the entire industry. On the brighter side, a turn-around in consumer confidence will help the industry along with the rest of the U.S. economy.
RV News, which keeps national statistics on recreational vehicle shipments, says shipments of all motor homes fell 21% year to year as of January 2008.

But the RV business isn't the only industry to feel the pain this year with car dealers, home builders, banks and restaurants all finding themselves in the same “slow” boat. “All the business people I talk to lately have been slow,” says one local RV owner.
The market for smaller, towable RVs is much larger, but for dealers profits are thin. But at least you can haul them with your car or SUV.

$350 to Tank Up

With gas prices at $4 a gallon, it's costing $350 to tank up for that summer trip, getting an average of 10 miles per gallon to 14 on the more fuel-efficient models.
The high price can add up to shorter trips for RV owners this year making Pismo Beach look pretty good this summer for Valley residents.

Spokesman for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, Kevin Broom, says the fact is that the “purchase of an RV is a discretionary purchase.” The trade group says sales of RVs should decline again in 2008 to 305,000 units compared to 390,000 in 2006. Once the general economy turns around, they expect several factors to boost the RV business. The overall trend in this country continues to grow and the big boomer population is now retiring – when folks like to go on trips. Consumers aged 50 to 64 will total 57 million – some 38% higher than it was in 2000.

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Village Plan in Three Rivers Moving Forward

Three Rivers - Three Rivers has been described as a winding ribbon of a town with its businesses and public buildings scattered for miles up and down Highway 198 and homes strung along several byways following the forks of the Kaweah River.

For about four years, a new group called the Three Rivers Village Foundation has been working with the local community as well as the county to try to encourage the clustering of businesses and public services in a village layout.

Now, the public square of that village may be taking shape on open acreage just down the canyon from the Village Market commercial center that houses the town's largest market, the post office, a pharmacy and two restaurants across the street from the new fire station, the Comfort Inn, a bank and several other businesses.

In 2006, investor James Brucker, who owns Springville Ranch – the landmark white barn north of Springville, turned his focus to Three Rivers and purchased the Village Market shopping center. Since then, Tom Sparks, who heads the community foundation, says Brucker has made major improvements in remodeling the shopping center. Sparks says Brucker has bought seven acres on the west side of 198 just down from the post office and has agreed to portion the land up for public as well as private uses. These uses will include a county transit hub, public restroom, a park with a kids play area and picnic tables that extend down to the river.

“I have told Tom Sparks and the county I would put up the land,” says Brucker, noting he and Sparks plan to meet with a consultant on the plan in the next few days.

Sparks says the next step is to apply to Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) for grant monies available to build a transit center. Supervisor Allen Ishida says he supports the plan to hire a consultant to come up with a cost estimate to develop the site for a transit center.

Ishida has been working with the Three Rivers Village Foundation on a state application to designate 198 as a scenic highway – a move that “could attract more visitors,” says Ishida. “It could also mean access to government monies for bike lanes.” A similar federal application could access more money, says Ishida.

Ishida expects approval from the state in a matter of months.

Sparks says to ensure the transit plan moves forward they will need the cooperation of the local CSD to maintain the center and restroom.

Brucker, formerly of Springville and Fillmore, now lives in Three Rivers. Once invested in the avocado business, Brucker is also a collector of cars.

Realistically Sparks says, “We won't see anything happen on this property for a year” but at least they don't have to wait around to see if the Three Rivers project is funded like they did the last time a rest stop was proposed further up the highway. Sparks says several community meetings to go over the plan will be held and the local CSD will have to buy into the idea of maintaining the restrooms at the new complex.

Three Rivers realtor Dave Learned says he likes the village idea. “I think we will get more tourists to stop in Three Rivers and shop here” because of it.

“Right now people have to access the portable toilets behind the Village Market,” he says and it's “not a very good advertisement for Three Rivers.” As a visitor convenience, right now Brucker fronts the cost of maintaining the porta-potties.

Besides the seven acres Brucker says he recently purchased, he has another 12 acres nextdoor and across the river although he sees no way to use the cross-river land.

“Right now, we are thinking of building a commercial building near the transit center that may house a kind of farmers market and other crafts, as well as a new location for our gallery.” That gallery is Discoveries West which features historical artifacts and western art. Brucker says many of the images come from the purchase of Hammond Studio of Porterville which has a significant portfolio of early Tulare County photos. Brucker say they plan a major show soon.

Brucker points to the recent opening of the hardware Mercantile store nearby as a reason to be hopeful that more business will come to this area.

Nearby, several well-known properties are for sale, including the golf course that is right next to the market shopping center and the shuttered Shoshone Inn property just down the canyon. Sparks says the village idea could help these properties get new investment.

“One thing we've noticed is that we could use some more good destination restaurants in town.” He recalls the loss of the landmark Noisy Water Café, the Hummingbird Café that was recently reopened as Main Fork Bistro but now closed and for sale again. The golf course restaurant has a full liquor license but has never opened.

This is where clustering businesses and public uses could help draw a critical mass of people and activities in one place and may help keep restaurants and other typical town services healthy.

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Fire Season Arrives Quickly in Foothills

Tulare County - Nearly 100,000 more acres burned last year in California than in 2006 and fire officials are already gearing up for what they expect to be another busy fire year. With temperatures expected to be near 100 degrees this week, the fire threat will intensify in Tulare County.

Paul Marquez, Prevention Battalion Chief for CalFire in Tulare County, said the eight wildland stations in the county have already been staffed as a lack of rainfall the past two months, warm temperatures and windy conditions have brought the fire season upon us.

“Things are drying out pretty fast. The recent winds we've been having have increased the drying,” said Marquez, noting that the early abundant rainfall helped the lower elevation vegetation to grow, but the drought-like conditions of the past two months have already dried out that growth. He said the grasses below 3,000 feet are already dry and the county saw a control burn escape two weeks ago, but it only burned a few acres. On Monday, county firefighters responded to four small grass fires.

Unlike last year when less than 6 inches of rain led to little vegetation growth, this year the region saw almost 10 inches of rain by the end of February. However, it has practically been bone dry since.

“What that did is it allowed the grasses to grow so we have more fuel,” said Marquez. “It is deceiving in wet years and what that does is it makes the grass grow and it makes more fuel. Ladder fuels and light-flashy fuels are most dangerous,” said Marquez.

On Friday, the county announced it was transitioning into its summer preparedness season. The county fire department has put on about 40 seasonal firefighters and now there is an engine and a three-man crew at each of the wildland stations: Fountain Springs, Badger, Woodlake, Three Rivers, county headquarters, Porterville, Bear Creek and Tyler Creek.

The county is also encouraging foothill residents to take preventive measures, such as creating a 100-foot defensible space around their property and to take extra precautions when operating equipment.

“Mow lawns before 10 a.m. and have a hose readily available in foothills areas,” stressed Marquez.

Mountains

Brent Skaggs, fire management officer for Sequoia National Forest, said nearly all of the seasonal fire crews will be in place by the end of this month, and the air attack base in Porterville is already operational.

“Locally, we haven't had any measurable rain since March, that's abnormal,” said Skaggs. He added the snowpack is close to normal. “Higher elevations should be less of a concern for crown fires – above 7,000 feet. Below that, it's really dry for this time of year. A lot of the grass is drying out. A couple back-to-back hundred days and it won't take that grass long to dry out. There's a good grass crop. It's going to keep us busy.”

While the forest saw several wildfires last year, only about 8,000 acres were burned, “nothing really big.”

He said they want be able to allow some higher elevation lightning fires to burn, a key management tool on the forest. “We have high hopes the snowpack will be good for keeping fire behavior manageable so we can take advantage of some lightning-caused fires, but manage them for resource benefit.” Last year, he said, they only could do that a couple of times because of the extreme dry conditions.
According to the state, last year saw 7,665 fires burn 371,176 acres. In 2006, there were 11,270 fires burning a total of 272,810 acres. Both '06 and '07 were much worse than 2005 when there were only 4,909 fires that burned just 74,004 acres.

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Ross Stores Plan North Visalia Location

Visalia - The developer of a north Visalia shopping center, Donahue Schriber, got some good news in recent weeks.

Informed sources say the discounter, Ross Stores, is moving forward on its plan for a second location in town at the Orchard East center at Riggin and Dinuba Highway being built by Donahue Schriber.

“We are finalizing their lease right now. If everything goes right, they will open in spring of next year,” says leasing agent Heather Beal of Donahue Schriber.

The center has attracted Target, currently under construction, as well as Sportsman's Warehouse, a big hunting and fishing store, and a McDonalds, each about ready to break ground. Ross will build its prototype 30,000-square-foot store next to Target – a pairing that is found in a number of communities. Most recently, Ross confirmed it will open a new Porterville store next spring adjacent the remodeled Target in that town.

While other retailers struggle, off-priced Ross stores appear to be more than weathering the retail slowdown.

Ross announced same store sales were up 8% in April as consumers sought out bargain merchandise.

In other Orchard East center news, the developer continues to look for a replacement for Petsmart that backed off a potential location at the center. “We are still looking for a replacement retailer,” says Beal.

On the other side of Dinuba Highway at Orchard Walk East, the company feels sure that Home Depot will break ground later this year despite the fact the company has not picked up its building permit at the city building department that has been ready for nearly two months. It filed for an extension, however. The company was turned down in its request to unload lumber during nighttime hours by the city council. Sources say Home Depot will likely move forward anyway – another store planning a second location in Visalia despite the housing turndown.

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What's New

Tulare's Connie Conway appears to be leading her four GOP competitors for the 34th Assembly District race on the money front having raised $135,000 through March and over $70,000 since, according to preliminary numbers for the state. In recent weeks, Conway has tapped local dairy interests to boost her war chest, including $1,000 from Pete Vander Poel who is running to replace Conway for the board of supervisors. Conway endorsed Vander Poel in recent days. Meanwhile, rival Becky Maze reports no recent contributions but did receive an endorsement from Senator Roy Ashburn. Candidate Bob Smith shows most of his campaign contributions came from his own pocket but will have six figures to spend if he wants to. Smith recently announced support from a member of the Minutemen group. The fourth Republican candidate, Jon Zellhoefer, reported no contributions, as did Democratic candidate, Desmond Farrelly.

A growing trend in crime is the theft of catalytic converters right from under vehicles. Sgt. Steve Schofield of the Visalia Police Department said they have had three reported thefts of catalytic converters. He said the converters contain platinum and some may contain rhodium. Platinum is about $1,000 an ounce and rhodium is around $6,000 an ounce, but Schofield said he did not think thieves make that much off of the materials, “as everything I have read states that the person recycling the material will only get about $80.”

Roland Soltesz, a deputy public defender with the county and an unsuccessful candidate for the city council in 2007, was appointed Monday to a four-year term on the city planning commission. The city council interviewed three finalists for the appointment. Named as an alternate to the commission was Lindsey Bailey, who is an administrative analyst for Self-Help Enterprises.

Land O'Lakes, Inc. officials reported first-quarter 2008 net earnings of $61.3 million, up 16.4 percent over the first quarter of 2007. Net sales for the quarter were $3.3 billion, compared to $2.2 billion for same period one year ago. Company officials noted that, as a result of the late 2007 repositioning of its agronomy business, first-quarter 2008 sales included $487 million in crop protection product (CPP) sales that would not have been included in Land O'Lakes financials before the repositioning. If those CPP sales are factored out, net sales for the quarter would be up 27 percent.

City Manager Steve Salomon said the city is considering the elimination of parking in-lieu fees for new businesses or business expansion which involve a change in use in existing buildings in the downtown area, not just for new businesses.

Canadian cheese maker Saputo Inc. has completed its purchase of Alto Dairy Cooperative for $160 million in cash. The total consideration was paid on a debt-free basis in cash by drawing on available lines of credit. Alto produces Italian-style cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone and American-style cheeses, including cheddar varieties, monterey jack, muenster, fontina and gouda. In addition, the firm produces whey products, which are marketed nationwide under a variety of brand names and private labels.

California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said he's disappointed that Gov. Schwarzenegger has decided to oppose the property-protection measure on the June ballot. The California Farm Bureau Federation co-sponsors Proposition 98, the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act, which would add needed protection for homes, farms, businesses and churches from abuse of the government property-seizure process known as eminent domain. It also assures fair treatment of property owners when property is seized. A competing measure on the ballot, Prop. 99, is favored by most in government, including Schwarzenegger.

Nine students have been selected to participate in the Miki City Student Exchange Program this summer. The students selected to go are: Allison Grant, 18, a freshman at CSU Fresno; Carly Yoshida, 16 of El Diamante High School; Devin teVelde, 18 of Central Valley Christian High School; Maricela Sanchez, 16 of El Diamante High School; Joshua Sheltzer, 16 of Redwood High School; Alyssa Wilsey, 16 of Redwood High School; Juan Godinez, 17 of Redwood High School; Analis Lopez, 17 of Redwood High School; and Christina Rodriguez, 15 of El Diamante High School. The students will leave around July 20 and return to Visalia on July 29. Students will live with host families while they are in Miki City, Japan.

Kings County would be awarded $30 million for a new county jail based on the recommendations of the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) Board last week. The board ranked the counties on their priority for $750 million in jail bond funds authorized by the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Act of 2007. The preliminary rankings of county proposals were for Kings County to get $30 million and Kern County $100 million for new facilities. The list will now be validated over the next 90 days. The preliminary rankings would award $650 million in funds to build 7,720 beds in eight large and medium counties, and $100 million for 566 beds in four small counties.

California (13.2 million) had the largest Hispanic population of any state as of July 1, 2007, followed by Texas (8.6 million) and Florida (3.8 million), the U.S. Census Bureau reported last week. Texas had the largest numerical increase between 2006 and 2007 (308,000), followed by California (268,000) and Florida (131,000). The nation's Hispanic population increased 1.4 million to reach 45.5 million on July 1, 2007, or 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million. Overall, the nation's minority population reached 102.5 million in 2007 — 34 percent of the total. California had a minority population of 20.9 million — 20 percent of the nation's total.

The United Farm Workers union is aiming to organize the 100 plus workers who were found sleeping in the orchards in a Shafter area farm a few days ago. UFW called in local media when they found the workers who told them they had been recruited by a Washington state grower who sent them to his Kern County acreage to pick fruit. Now the UFW has filed a plan to organize the workers with the ALRB. The Washington grower is scrambling to find housing for the workers after the negative publicity.

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