By Rick Elkins
Visalia - Tulare County Supervisor Phil Cox apologized to the Visalia City Council Monday night over the misunderstanding regarding saving the city's hazmat unit and pledged the county will come up with a plan to fund the only such unit in the county.
“Let's try to pull emotions out of this process,” began Cox before requesting the council give the county and Visalia Fire Chief Mark Nelson up to six months to work on a plan.
Nelson was instructed a year ago to cut $700,000 from his budget as a cost-saving measure all city departments faced. One idea was to either get the county and cities served by the hazmat unit to chip in to cover the $120,000 annual cost of maintaining the unit, or disband it. Those entities did agree on a funding plan for six months, but efforts to extend that fell apart until Monday night.
Nelson said the unit responds to all types of hazardous material incidents, but that it is severely underutilized because of a lack of education and training with other fire units throughout the county. He said as that education and training is increased, the demand for hazmat services will increase.
On March 23, the city was told by the county it was not interested in paying or setting up a fee structure, Nelson told the council, adding, “Since that meeting we've had some other discussions that the county is willing to work with us.”
Nelson has two possible funding formulas. One would be for cities to pay – based on population – a share of the costs to keep the unit operating. The county's share is roughly $39,000, Visalia's $33,000, a year. Another option was to increase the fee charged to businesses and industries that have hazardous materials to cover the $120,000. Those businesses – roughly 2,700 – would pay an additional $25 to $100 a year.
Nelson met with the Visalia Industrial Roundtable last week and those industry leaders told him that while they are not excited about paying a higher fee, they also see the need for the hazmat unit and that paying slightly more in fees is better than possibly seeing their insurance rates go up or to see several hours of down time because of a spill on their property or in the area.
County Chief Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau had told the Voice the county was considering going with a regional approach for hazmat coverage – coverage the county is required by law to provide – instead of partnering with the city. Rousseau said he was working with the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield to cover the north and south ends of the county, but Nelsen said Fresno told the county it was not interested.
Rousseau told the council he was concerned with raising fees for anyone in light of the sour economy, especially if not all the cities were willing to support the idea. He said Monday that if the cities are all on board, so is the county. Nelson included a letter from the chairman of the Council of Cities, Tulare Vice Mayor Phil Vandegrift, supporting a funding solution to keep Visalia's hazmat unit intact.
The next step will be to survey those businesses that pay already for the county to conduct an inspection program for hazardous materials. While Cox asked for six months, he and others said hopefully a long-term solution can be found sooner.
Tulare County - Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman strongly ended rumors that he does not intend to complete his next four-year-term if re-elected to the county's top law enforcement post.
“Not only am I going to serve the next four years, don't rule me out in four years,” said the four-term sheriff during the Talk of the Town gathering at Jack and Charlie's restaurant last week. The sheriff was the guest at the meeting co-hosted by the restaurant and the Valley Voice.
Today, beginning at 11:30 a.m., sheriff's challenger John Zapalac will be the guest at Jack and Charlie's. He is police chief in Woodlake and the only challenger to Wittman in the June 8 election.
“I love the job. I have the passion for it and the skills for it,” Wittman told the gathering.
Wittman was elected in 1994 and defeated Zapalac four years ago. He does not show any signs of slowing down, but is quick to credit his officers for what his department has accomplished.
He stressed one of his
top priorities is gangs, and keeping youth out of those
gangs.
“I place youth high on my list of priorities,”
he said, explaining that he started the Police Activities
League (PAL) program to help steer kids away from gangs.
“We have an awful lot of kids in this county who go to bed hungry. So, we've dedicated a lot to our kids,” he said.
While he said intervention and prevention are both keys, “Suppression will always be my No. 1 component.”
The sheriff's office has gang units in both the north and south ends of the county, has gotten an injunction against gang members in Ivanhoe and continues to work closely with city police departments to crack down on gangs.
He is especially proud of what has been accomplished in Ivanhoe and what is in the works. He said the next step is the development of the community center there “where it will be a safe haven for kids in that community.”
He also is proud of the fact he has not complained and moaned about the hits his budget has taken in light of the sour economy. Last year the TCSCO took a $5.7 million hit to its $82 million budget and this year could be another $2 million hit.
“What we're not going to do is complain. We're going to do our job with fewer resources,” he vowed.
He is concerned with plans by the state to release prisoners, saying he would like to know what the state plans and if it does release prisoners, that the county is notified of those from the county who are released.
Asked about rising juvenile crime and if what law enforcement is doing now is effective, he said he too is concerned, especially about the lack of remorsefulness by youth who commit violent acts. He said part of the problem is some of the kids are products of third-generation gang families and come from broken homes.
“If I knew of something that would keep a kid out of prison, I'd implement it this afternoon,” he answered. “I'm willing to look at any program, but I think we're doing a good job.”
Tulare County - Tulare County supervisors, local Farm Bureau leaders and others will head to Sacramento Wednesday on a mission to convince state leaders, especially Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, that the Williamson Act is essential to California's agricultural future.
Local leaders will join with California State Association of Counties (SCAC), the California Farm Bureau, the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) lobbyists and farmers of the Save the Williamson Act coalition for meetings with targeted legislators, including leaders and budget chairs and other Williamson Act champions seeking re-instatement of tax subventions.
Tulare County stands
to continue to lose up to $3.4 million in subvention funds
which represent about 10 percent of the annual county property
tax revenue.
Tulare County is the second highest agricultural commodity
producing county in the nation, with more than $5 billion
in gross revenue annually.
Although lawmakers have included the $35 million for Williamson Act subvention funds for a number of years, those funds have been blue-lined out of state's unbalanced budget.
Coalition leaders say unity and strength in numbers are needed to get Williamson Act subventions included in the governor's upcoming May budget revision. Next week's trip is focused on just that, officials say.
That was the same message emerging from a meeting of farm leaders, Tulare County officials and others to clarify just how committed county officials and others are in the fight to get $35 million returned to counties with Williamson Act contracts.
Earlier this year, the Tulare County Farm Bureau and others expressed concern that county officials were engaging in double talk, saying they were fighting for the subventions while already gearing up contingency plans for ending the Williamson Act in the county.
Tulare County has 1.1 million acres protected under about 6,600 Williamson Act contracts. The county already has halted new contracts and has cancelled contracts for more than 42,000 acres of sub-standard and non-conforming parcels. The Visalia session seemed to ease some tensions resulting from county officials publicly, and, according to some sources, covertly, discussing those contingency plans.
In recent weeks, County officials, including supervisors and County Executive Officer Jean Rousseau, have taken a stand indicating the county is totally committed to the fight for subvention funds. There has been talk that lobbyists and other Williamson Act advocates might be able to set up a meeting with the Governor himself.
At the Visalia session, Ed Needham, president of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, said it is important that everyone “is on the same page” and not be fragmented in what they hope to accomplish.
In a reference to the earlier concerns on the county's position, Supervisor Steve Worthley stressed the county's first priority is to fight for subventions, adding “shooting arrows at one another” accomplishes nothing.
Rousseau said counties, especially Tulare County, must not indicate they are giving up or weighing other potential other revenue remedies until “we have played out all options.”
Farm Bureau member and farmer Brian Blain said if Proposition 13, California's landmark property tax reform, is amended or ended, as some say could happen, and the Williamson Act goes away, “this industry is gone.”
He also said few people, outside of agriculture, realize the risk farmers and others take with millions of dollar investments for a generally small return which is never guaranteed.
Worthley said those not in agriculture generally are not concerned about the perils of farming. “Their ox isn't being gorged. They still see food on the store shelves. Once agriculture loses its infrastructure we don't get it back.”
The session ended with promises from all sides that more frequent stakeholder meetings should be held and that everyone be kept up to date.
Visalia - Motorist can expect delays along Noble Avenue from west of Ben Maddox east past Walmart as work finally begins on that major project.
Included in the work is a significant widening of the Ben Maddox overcrossing. Project engineer with the city, Manuel Molina, said four lanes will be added to the bridge, providing room for two left hand turn lanes in each direction.
The work was originally fully funded as a Measure R regional project slated for construction in 2012. However, the city of Visalia moved the project up two years in order to qualify for $6.4 million in stimulus funds and a $1.5 million federal earmark of SAFETEA-LU funding secured by Congressman Devin Nunes, R-Tulare. It is the second major project in the city funded by federal stimulus dollars. The expansion of the city's transit center is also a stimulus project.
Work on the bridge is still at least three months away, with the first phase of the project the reconfiguring of Noble.
“It's definitely going to affect traffic there substantially,” he said. Workers will begin with the demolition of curb and gutters along that roadway. Molina said the Noble improvements will take three to six months and be done in three or four phases, each lasting about a month.
The next major phase will include the intersection of Mineral King and Ben Maddox. “There is not as much work there,” said Molina, adding it will take much less time than the Noble Ave. work.
The major portion of the project is the widening of the bridge – one of the busiest in Visalia. Molina said the Ben Maddox and Noble area is among the three busiest intersections in the county. That phase will take six to eight months with the entire project expected to take 18 months to complete.
When ground was broken several months Visalia Mayor Bob Link said the project, in the works for years, is especially important “for those people who use that intersection every day.”
Bids for the project came in $1.6 million less than the $6.4 million the city has been given in federal stimulus funds. Emmett's Excavation was awarded the contract.
“This is a perfect example of being able to leverage Measure R funding,” said Adam Ennis, Engineering Services manager for the city of Visalia. “This project is not only needed to improve Ben Maddox, it will be a good shot in the arm for our local economy.”
The bridge will be two
lanes in each direction, with dual left turn lanes and a
dedicated right turn lane at Noble and Ben Maddox. Also,
Noble will be widened to four lanes from the intersection
to about where Walmart is located
The project will take the overcrossing from four to eight
lanes. Three existing traffic signals will also be upgraded.
Visalia - It was not fully what Mayor Bob Link had envisioned, nor what Councilman Mike Lane wanted. And it definitely falls short of what the Visalia Chamber of Commerce wanted, but the city now has its own version of a stimulus plan.
The city council Monday night approved a plan that will increase some fees for home builders, delay paying some fees and to offer large events – those that bring 1,000 room nights to the city – a 50 percent transient occupancy tax rebate to the organizing committee.
The council also agreed to study all fees and make adjustments where necessary, a proposal strongly supported by builders and the chamber of commerce.
What it stopped short of doing was offering a $30 gift card under the Buy Visalia program and a credit on sales tax paid on the purchase a new vehicle (Drive Visalia program).
“My concern is getting the building industry back on track,” said Mayor Bob Link who in February asked city staff to come up with a plan to stimulate the local economy. Link said all along that stimulating the building industry – where job cuts are said to be as high as 35 percent – would serve to stimulate the entire local economy.
That request lead to discussions between staff and the chamber over the past six weeks.
All council members said they hope Monday's action is just a starting point and encouraged staff to consider other options as well, especially adjusting some of the building impact fees, some of which builders claim are at least 25 percent higher than they need to be.
“In the last six years impact fees have tripled,” said Steve Peck, vice president of Mangano Co. He urged the city to move quickly to “lower the fees to where they need to be.”
Lane wanted the city to be a little bolder in its approach to stimulating the economy. “I wanted something substantial. We need to help get the (building) industry back on its feet,” he said, criticizing city staff for what he said “resisted” coming up with a more aggressive plan.
However, other council members were more cautious in their approach, agreeing the city is not exactly in a strong financial position to give up revenue.
“I'm concerned about the numbers,” said Steve Nelsen. “We need to get realistic. If costs are down, let's lower those fees. We need to create jobs.”
Councilman Warren Gubler said he was “underwhelmed” by the recommendations, but agreed he understands the city is not in a solid financial position. “I do think they are good ideas, but not maybe good stimulus,” he said.
Vice Mayor Amy Shuklian said she could live with the staff's proposals, but did not support the chamber's proposals. She encouraged the staff, as did Nelsen, to look into going to an on-line permitting process – a process that saves time and money, she said.
Among the ideas approved were deferring all impact fees until the close of escrow or Dec. 31, 2011 for projects with impact fees greater than $10,000; offer 5-year impact fee financing; and assign a departmental ombudsman to assure projects are being processed timely.
City Manager Steve Salomon said it will be staff's intent to come back in May with a proposed list of adjustments for fees, which can be as much as $14,000 on a 1,200 square foot home and over $400,000 on a large gas station.
“That's a major hit and we ask for relief,” said Bob Keenan, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Tulare/Kings Counties.
The council did leave the door open for more ideas, including working with the chamber.
“I would just insist staff work with the chamber,” said Link, calling the dialogue the past several weeks healthy.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
Visalia City Council awarded a contract Monday night to begin design of a new animal control facility, a process that has taken years to come to fruition and a step the council was more than willing to approve. Plans now are to build one facility near the Airport that will shared by animal control and the SPCA. Estimates are it will cost somewhere around $5 million, with the SPCA paying for its portion of the project.
Hurley Elementary in the Visalia Unified School District was one of three county schools named a Distinguished School by the state. Joining Hurley were William R. Buckley Elementary in the Burton School District in Porterville and Rockford Elementary near Porterville.
General Growth Properties, which owns the Visalia Mall, is seeking a higher price, fewer stock warrants or both from Brookfield Asset Management Inc. after its bankruptcy exit plan was matched by Simon Property Group Inc., Bloomburg Business Week reported. The second-biggest U.S. mall owner is being courted by rival Simon, which upped its bid to acquire the company. General Growth faces a bankruptcy court hearing on April 29.
The Packwood Creek Trail from County Center to near Stonebrook east of Mooney Blvd. is moving forward after the Visalia City Council approved a contract with Agee Construction for $418,663 to begin construction.
Two in 10 in Tulare County are out of work. The state reported that California's jobless rate swelled to 12.6 percent, but that pales in comparison to Tulare and Kings counties. Tulare County's rate hit 19.4 percent in March, while Kings County's rose to 18.6 percent. Those are figures not seen since the devastating freeze in the early 1990s. While better off than most, Visalia's jobless rate hit 12.3 percent and Tulare 16.7. Hanford's jobless rate was 16.4, the same for Lemoore. The highest jobless rate locally was in Richgrove – 53.2 percent.
Traver Elementary School District has been awarded a $200,000 grant to install a drainage system to correct an ongoing flooding problem and connect a school to the community water system. The funding was one of several loans and grants provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a revised “New Source Review” (NSR) rule that requires new or modified facilities in the San Joaquin Valley to comply with federal permitting control and emissions offset requirements. The rule will affect approximately 350 facilities in the area emitting more than 10 tons per year of ozone-producing pollutants rather than the current threshold of 25 tons per year, according to EPA sources.
Young Minds Exposed to Medical Career
By Rick Elkins
Visalia - Nick Montion knows he wants to become a doctor, but he was still excited to be at last week's Doc Band Rock'n with the Docs event that brings high school juniors together with medical professionals.
The third annual event allowed high school juniors like Montion to interact and hear from those who have gone through the rigors of medical school – doctors and nurses – and are now serving the community.
“I'm looking forward to it,” said the Redwood High School junior of Thursday's dinner. “I want to know what's the greatest benefit of being a doctor,” he said before the dinner began.
The event, put on by Tulare County Office of Education, Kaweah Delta Healthcare District, Visalia Economic Development Corporation and Visalia Unified School District, invites 60 high school juniors – about 15 from each of the city's four high schools – and pairs them with 15 doctors and 15 nurses.
Event organizer Elaine Rubio, School-to-Career Work Experience coordinator at Golden West High School, said the students are selected based on their grades and their interest in pursuing a medical career.
“It is a really good opportunity to learn about medical school and doctors' path towards their area of specialty,” said Rubio.
“It's a real neat opportunity,” said Dr. Alex Lechtman, plastic surgeon with Visalia Medical Clinic. “They ask good questions and they use this as a way to get an inkling of what they're getting into,” he said.
Lechtman said he spent four years at college, four years in medical school and eight years in residency – a challenge for any young person. He has been in Visalia more than 10 years and commended Kaweah Delta for participating and getting the doctors involved.
Dru Quesnoy, Kaweah Delta director of marketing, said it is not difficult to get doctors and nurses involved in the unique program.
“They love to interact with the kids,” she said.
He said the students are obviously focused and intelligent. “Whether they go into medicine or not, they'll go somewhere,” he said.
Two of the doctors who took part in the event – Dr. Stan Feil and Dr. Lori Anne Boken – are both graduates of local high schools. Dr. Dan Boken was the keynote speaker for the event.
“One of the goals is for these students to return to Visalia to practice,” said Rubio, adding that many of those who took part in the first event three years ago are now in college pursuing a medical degree.
Census Shifts to Door-to-Door
Tulare County - Now, the hard work begins.
After more than a month encouraging people to return their census forms, thousands of census works nationwide are gearing up for the door-to-door canvassing over the next three months.
April 15 was the deadline for residents to return their mailed census forms. Those who have not returned forms will now get a visit from a census worker.
Nancy Loliva, city of Visalia community relations manager who headed up the effort to get people to mail back their forms, was pleased with the effort and the results.
As of Monday, 67 percent of the forms had been returned in Visalia, the same percentage for the county, the state and the cities of Porterville and Tulare.
“I'm pleased that we're holding our own with the county and state,” said Loliva Monday.
While Visalia had 67 percent compliance, some other cities did slightly better. Dinuba and Exeter both were at 69 percent, while Farmersville was at 68 percent. Generally, smaller cities do better.
In Kings County, where the percent returned was at 64 on Monday, Hanford had 66 percent compliance, Corcoran 65 and both Lemoore and Avenal at 62 percent.
Census workers will begin the door-to-door canvassing on May 1, and Loliva said those who want to avoid the census worker may still do so if they get their forms in soon. The Census Bureau said it cost $57 to send a census worker to a door. The Census Bureau has hired some 650,000 workers nationwide to do the door-to-door May 1 through July.
Loliva said the census is more than just about how many people live in one particular city. It determines how $400 billion in federal funds are distributed every year, sets up congressional districts and statewide districts.
“This is going to have an impact on the city for the next 10 years,” said Loliva who spearheaded a number of efforts over the past six weeks to get people counted. “It really will make a difference in the quality of our schools,” she stressed.
One of those efforts included an automated call to 36,711 residents (22,407 were answered) asking people to return their census forms.
“Our percentage went up three percent,” she said of the Alert TC call made April 8. “That was a big push,” she added. City Councilman Mike Lane recorded the message in both English and Spanish encouraging people to send back their forms.
Loliva said responses vary from a low of 60 percent in some pockets of the city, to a high of 77 percent. The hardest to reach areas around the oval were between 60 and 63 percent,” she noted.
Visalia was undercounted in 2000 so officials are hoping that when all the counting is finished, the city will have more than the 75 percent participation it had in the 2000 census.
Loliva said the city should know its count by late this summer.
Lt. General William G. Boykin to Address
Mayor's Prayer Breakfast
Visalia - Lt. General William G. Boykin will be the keynote speaker at the annual Visalia Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, May 6.
The morning will include special music by Dennis Agajanian, a time of prayer led by local pastors and a full breakfast catered by Sue Sa's Creative Catering of Visalia. It will begin at 7 a.m. at the Visalia Convention Center.
Tickets, at$40 per person, can be purchased by going to www.gorillatix.com or calling 627-8497.
Boykin was commissioned into the United States Army in 1971 as an infantry officer and moved up the ranks. He participated in almost all of the U.S.'s special operations since 1979, including the Desert One hostage-rescue attempt in Iran in 1980, Panama in 1989 and the invasion of Grenada in 1983, where he was wounded.
He was commander of the Delta Force units in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the “Black Hawk Down” incident in 1993, where he was again wounded. He has also participated in numerous smaller special-ops missions.
His last post was as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Pentagon, overseeing the gathering and exploitation of intelligence during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. He retired in August of 2007.
General Boykin then founded Kingdom Warriors, a ministry designed to encourage Christians to “put on the whole armor of God” and fight for their faith.
General Boykin's message resonates with men and women of all ages, and he has addressed churches, pastors' conferences, men's conferences, and college groups. He was the keynote speaker at the Epicenter 2008 conference in Jerusalem as well as on The 700 Club on CBN.
In 2008, Boykin published an autobiography, Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom.
The Visalia Prayer Breakfast began in the mid-1980s as a result of an evangelical, citywide crusade that was taking place at the same period of time. The primary purpose of the Prayer Breakfast has been, and is to pray for elected leaders, officials, and others who lead in our community. At the core of the Visalia Prayer Breakfast is the desire to ask for God's grace and help upon the leaders of our community.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
April 22, 2010
