By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - County officials say they are encouraged and cautiously optimistic with the assessed value of Tulare County which appears to have held its own for fiscal 2010-11.
Although the increase in value is up only .214 percent from 2009-10 when the tax roll values dropped for what officials believe was the first time ever, the new figures are better than expected, said Roland Hill.
The preliminary roll summary will be released this week, said Hill, county assessor-elect. Estimates set the assessed value at just over $27 billion, essentially a flat tax roll, he reported.
The total for 2009-10 was $26.99 billion, down just under 1 percent from the $27.25 billion of 2009-10.
Hill said “this data is encouraging to us in that it indicates that the property tax decline, especially in the single family residential section, has slowed in momentum and may even be reaching some point of leveling out in the market.”
“The amount of value reduction made by our automated valuation model that we use for our Proposition 8 value review was less than originally feared which helped the tax roll to remain basically flat from the prior year,” he said. That valuation model, he explained, is calculated by the State and is based on a formula using the Consumer Price index, which showed negative growth last year.
The decline in property values was announced last fall, but doesn't go into effect until the 2010-11 year.
“This is the first year on record, since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, that we have had a factor less than one percent,” he said. If you have a factor less than 1 percent, it is a negative, he added. For the average homeowner, that will mean a slight decline in assessed value for next year.
Also affecting the overall property values is Proposition 8 that requires the county assessor to annually enroll either a property's adjusted base year (Proposition 13 value) or its current market value, whichever is less.
The Prop. 8 value review program was used for more than 74,000 single-family residential properties for 2010-11 and reduced nearly 37,000 assessments, Hill said. “We will have a number of properties that will see some increases in assessment but that will still be assessed less than their Prop.13 base year value.
And, we will have a very few number of properties that will revert to their Prop. 13 year assessment from a previous Prop. 8 assessments,” he said.
Tulare County had anticipated the drop last year but it was less than officials had expected. Early indications were for about a 2 percent drop instead of the less than 1 percent decline. But the City of Visalia saw its values slump about 5.4 percent, around twice the percentage drop which had been anticipated. Farmersville was the hardest hit with a 12.2 percent drop with Exeter falling by 9.3 percent. Woodlake declined 4.15 percent while Porterville's values were off by 3.6 percent. Other cities seeing a drop last year were Lindsay, 7 percent, Tulare, 1.5 percent, and Dinuba, .7 percent.
Hill said it really is too early to predict future property assessments locally but said the 2010-11 numbers could be an indication “that the bleeding is being stopped,” or at least slowed.
While the number of mortgage defaults in California has started to decline and home sales have increased in some areas, Hill said, the Central Valley traditionally lags behind other areas of the state.
Tulare County - Farmers have always advocated that they are good stewards of the land, but for many years have taken hits from environmentalists and politicians that their practices hurt the land.
Now, a study by Stanford University researchers has found that advances in high-yield agriculture over the latter part of the 20th century have prevented massive amounts of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere – the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide – according to the study led by two Stanford Earth scientists.
Basically, farmers are good stewards of the land and advances in farming have been good for the environment.
“It was nice to see for a change,” said Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner of the report that was actually positive for ag.
According to the report, the yield improvements reduced the need to convert forests to farmland, a process that typically involves burning of trees and other plants, which generates carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. But, there are other benefits from farming today.
The researchers estimate that if not for increased yields, additional greenhouse gas emissions from clearing land for farming would have been equal to as much as a third of the world's total output of greenhouse gases since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in 1850.
However, more efficient farming techniques are also reducing that carbon footprint.
The researchers calculated that for every dollar spent on agricultural research and development since 1961, emissions of the three principal greenhouse gases – methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide – were reduced by the equivalent of about a quarter of a ton of carbon dioxide – a high rate of financial return compared to other approaches to reducing the gases.
"Our results dispel the notion that modern intensive agriculture is inherently worse for the environment than a more 'old-fashioned' way of doing things," said Jennifer Burney, lead author of a paper describing the study that will be published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Tulare County Farm Bureau Executive Director Patricia Stever said the report was not a surprise to her.
“Farmers have always been good stewards of the land,” said Stever, adding they continue to get smarter.
She said many practices today, by both big and small farms, reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture.
“No till farming is an example,” she noted. No till farming is a practice were tilling the soil is greatly reduced, meaning fewer passes in a field by equipment and less dust put into the air. It also means less fuel is used.
“More precise land managing using GPS technology makes farming less polluting as well,” she said, noting that also means less hours of mechanized farm equipment needed.
She also noted that chemical management has gotten much better over the years, with not only less use of chemicals, but safer chemicals are being used. “Farmers are applying them in smaller amounts and chemicals are more efficient. That's really important,” she said.
Kinoshita said because farmers are always looking to improve their bottom line, that in turns leads them to be more efficient and that means less of a carbon footprint. “Especially when you are paying for your water. You're using every last drop wisely,” she said, adding that farmers also look for ways to reduce the amount of chemicals they use and fuel their equipment burns, including genetically modified crops that produce a higher yield.
And, she noted, a higher
yield means fewer acres are needed to produce a crop.
“Without water, we can't do high-yield ag,”
she noted.
A threat to high-yield farming, she noted, is the reduction in water available for irrigation. Not only does a lack of water mean more dust, but it lowers yields, meaning more acres will be needed to grow crops.
Adding Up The Impact
The researchers calculated emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, converting the amounts of the latter two gases into the quantities of carbon dioxide that would have an equivalent impact on the atmosphere, to facilitate comparison of total greenhouse gas outputs.
Burney, a postdoctoral researcher with the Program on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford, said agriculture currently accounts for about 12 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Although greenhouse gas emissions from the production and use of fertilizer have increased with agricultural intensification, those emissions are far outstripped by the emissions that would have been generated in converting additional forest and grassland to farmland.
"Every time forest or shrub land is cleared for farming, the carbon that was tied up in the biomass is released and rapidly makes its way into the atmosphere – usually by being burned," she said. "Yield intensification has lessened the pressure to clear land and reduced emissions by up to 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year."
"When we look at the costs of the research and development that went into these improvements, we find that funding agricultural research ranks among the cheapest ways to prevent greenhouse gas emissions," said Steven Davis, a co-author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford.
To evaluate the impact of yield intensification on climate change, the researchers compared actual agricultural production between 1961 and 2005 with hypothetical scenarios in which the world's increasing food needs were met by expanding the amount of farmland rather than by the boost in yields produced by the Green Revolution.
"Even without higher yields, population and food demand would likely have climbed to levels close to what they are today," said David Lobell, also a coauthor and assistant professor of environmental Earth system science at Stanford.
"Lower yields per acre would likely have meant more starvation and death, but the population would still have increased because of much higher birth rates," he said. "People tend to have more children when survival of those children is less certain."
Fewer Acres Required
The researchers found that without the advances in high-yield agriculture, several billion additional acres of cropland would have been needed.
Comparing emissions in the theoretical scenarios with real-world emissions from 1961 to 2005, the researchers estimated that the actual improvements in crop yields probably kept greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to at least 317 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and perhaps as much as 590 billion tons.
Without the emission reductions from yield improvements, the total amount of greenhouse gas pumped into the atmosphere over the preceding 155 years would have been between 18 and 34 percent greater than it has been, they said.
To calculate how much money was spent on research for each ton of avoided emissions, the researchers calculated the total amount of agricultural research funding related to yield improvements since 1961 through 2005. That produced a price between approximately $4 and $7.50 for each ton of carbon dioxide that was not emitted.
"The size and cost-effectiveness of this carbon reduction is striking when compared with proposed mitigation options in other sectors," said Lobell. "For example, strategies proposed to reduce emissions related to construction would cut emissions by a little less than half the amount that we estimate has been achieved by yield improvements and would cost close to $20 per ton."
The authors also note that raising yields alone won't guarantee lower emissions from land use change.
"It has been shown in several contexts that yield gains alone do not necessarily stop expansion of cropland," Lobell said. "That suggests that intensification must be coupled with conservation and development efforts.
"In certain cases, when yields go up in an area, it increases the profitability of farming there and gives people more incentive to expand their farm. But in general, high yields keep prices low, which reduces the incentive to expand."
The researchers concluded that improvement of crop yields should be prominent among a portfolio of strategies to reduce global greenhouse gases emissions.
"The striking thing is that all of these climate benefits were not the explicit intention of historical investments in agriculture. This was simply a side benefit of efforts to feed the world," Burney noted. "If climate policy intentionally rewarded these kinds of efforts, that could make an even bigger difference. The question going forward is how climate policy might be designed to achieve that.”
Visalia - Face with a growing population and greater demand on its emergency room and only one Urgent Care facility, directors of the Kaweah Delta Health Care District have approved adding two more Urgent Care facilities over the next two years.
“Our objective is to increase our capacity in two locations,” said hospital CEO Lindsay Mann. He explained the goal is to take the pressure off of the hospital's emergency room that sees 78,000 patients a year and the lone Urgent Care facility on Court Street that sees 35,000 patients a year.
Mann said they hope to open an Urgent Care facility in an existing building at Ben Maddox Way and East Tulare Street by February of next year. The third Urgent Care facility is planned for the new medical complex the hospital is planning to build in conjunction with Mangano Development and local doctors at the Cypress campus of the hospital. That facility is planned to be open by early to mid-2012.
Mann said that there are many patients seen at the hospital emergency department that would get seen sooner and at less cost in one of the Urgent Care facilities.
He said the ER is for “life-threatening issues” such as chest pains and severe trauma. “If a patient has flu symptoms, conditions that require immediate care but don't portend to be life threatening, they can go to Urgent Care,” he said.
“Clearly, a number of those seeking care in the ER could have received timely, high quality and cost effective care in an Urgent Care setting,” he said.
The Urgent Care facilities are staffed by physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses and support staff.
The Urgent Care site on Court Street started with six treatment rooms and has expanded to nine. Since 2006, it has seen a 71 percent increase in the number of patients seen annually – a 17 percent jump this year.
During the same time, the hospital's emergency department has seen a 15 increase in patients, a lower number that Mann attributes to the pressure taken off the ER by the Urgent Care. It was reported that he ER can effectively handle 220 to 240 patients a day.
The Ben Maddox site is 3,648 square feet and would accommodate a population of approximately 6,000 households.
The Cypress site would be 2,600 square feet and serve a population of about 9,000 households.
Mann said the Ben Maddox site would be able to handle up to 60 patients a day. “We expect to see between 20 and 30 per day in the first year,” he said.
The Court Street Urgent Care is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. The two offices will operate initially from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and expand their hours as patient demand dictates over time, said Mann.
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - The California Pubic Utilities Commission, scheduled to consider a final ruling on the controversial route selection for Southern California Edison's high voltage line route today, has been asked once again to consider more study before making its final route decision.
Paramount Citrus Association filed a request that the PUC grant an “alternative dispute resolution” allowing further mitigation to provide a more acceptable solution.
Paramount and other individuals and groups were turned down in their request to have Route 3A selected, not the PUC favored Alternative Route 2 which follows existing SCE lines north from Visalia to where lines will go east to connect with the Big Creek transmission line.
Chris Campbell, an attorney representing Paramount Citrus, said Paramount is requesting further mitigation on a number of issues including just compensation for loss of growing land and related matters which would be beneficial to all parties.
At today's session the commission could give final approval or denial of Alternative Route 2 or an alternative decision that SCE should pay up to $2 million to the City of Visalia to offset negative impacts of the project if Alternative 2 is selected. Three votes are required.
The commission could also agree to grant the “alternative dispute resolution” sending the drawn out process back for more mitigation review, Campbell explained.
The suggested payment of up to $2 million to Visalia was part of the written opinion of PUC Commissioner John A. Bohn who agreed that Alternative Route 2 is the “superior” path for the line which will bring 220 kilovolt lines into the Rector Substation in the southeast corner of Visalia. Edison filed its request in May of 2008.
Edison has consistently maintained that Alternate 1, which would take the lines along Highway 198 cutting across the edges of Exeter and Farmersville, is the best and least expensive.
But property owners and PACE (Protecting Agriculture, Communities and Environment) were successful in getting that plan rejected, so far.
PACE and others submitted their own favored plan Alternative 3A, further north than Alternative 2, saying it would impact farm land and other properties far less than the PUC favored route.
Tulare County - A lawsuit that has existed since 2003 may be nearing a conclusion in Tulare County Superior Court, but then again it may linger for several more years.
Tulare County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Hicks is expected in the next few days to rule on whether Jose Mendoza versus Rast Produce Co. will go to trial, or if the Mendoza's will have to appeal his initial decision announced in June.
Hicks' initial decision was challenged by the Mendozas. In that ruling, Hicks sided with buyers of pomegranates that were named in the suit by Mendoza and his brothers Jerry and Alfonso. They allege that the buyers had acted illegally in not paying them market value for their produce.
Judge Hicks dismissed the case against the buyers, but did rule that Rast Produce owed him $23,000, a small amount from what the Mendozas claim they have lost.
Jerry Mendoza said Tuesday he expects the judge to set a jury trial date within 60 days. He is confident the judge will agree to the challenges and order a trial. He said the judge held off ruling on Tuesday to give him more time to read more documents.
Russell Van Rozeboom, attorney for Rast Produce Co. which is located in Visalia, said that the plaintiffs have also filed another lawsuit seeking money from losses they claim they lost because the “below market value” paid for their produce did not give them enough money to produce their crop the following the year, said Rozeboom.
The Mendozas alleged that they were not paid a fair value for their pomegranate crops for the years of 2001 and 2002. According to court documents, the claim evolved into a claim of below market sales and bad accounting.
Assisting the Mendozas is Lisle Babock, a grower for fruit and other crops who has been involved in several legal battles regarding the marketing and sale of crops, including oranges.
He said the case is about “getting a proper accounting for the produce and the money you're due,” he said last week.
Babcock said that the case could change the way small farmers sell and get paid for their crops.
“Lots and lots of growers are watching the case,” said Babcock, who reportedly has put up hundreds of thousands of dollars to push the case.
“If we prevail in court, it will change the produce industry.”
Rozeboom agreed, but said the change could do more harm to small growers than good.
“It would be a nightmare,” he said, explaining that one outcome would be there would have to be an accounting of every sale of produce – not just the bulk sale through a broker. “If that were the case, a small grower would not have a place to sell their stuff. No one would fool with it,” he said.
Babcock said he did not know if they won the case how that would affect the consumer. “It shouldn't,” he added after thinking for a second.
He did say if they were to prevail the grower “we'll get paid the price they agreed to sell.”
Long Road
The Mendozas allege that Rast Produce did not property account the sale of their produce and that he did not get “fair market” value for the pomegranates. Babcock said, “We simply want them to follow the law.”
He added there are both state and federal laws in place, but they are not being followed or enforced.
The case, first filed in 2003, then amended in 2006, has gone through several layers of the legal system, including a court-appointed referee to rule on if the Mendozas were underpaid. A judge dismissed the case in 2004, but that decision was overturned by the appellate court.
“It's been a long story,” said Jerry Mendoza.
Key to the case is that large growers pack and market their own produce and maintain control through the final sales. Small growers, because they do not have the resources to do so, rely on handlers and brokers to market and sell their produce.
Because, as the referee noted, brokers sometimes get closer to the buyers than the growers, laws (Food and Agriculture Code) were put in place to protect the growers.
“As shown by the evidence here, in the real world, brokers simply will not agree to market product for a grower unless, as permitted by the Code, the grower waives the burdensome bookkeeping requirements,” noted the court.
“In effect, small growers are forced into these markets because no one else will take the type, size and quality of their product. Without these markets, and PAS (Price After Sale) sales, their produce could be unmarketable.”
Babcock said PAS is a license to take a product and sell it and give farmer any price they want, but he also said PAS is regulated by law. He said about half of the sales are PASs.
Rozeboom said that his client, Rast Produce, accounted for every sale. “It's a dicey game. They paid Mendoza and Mendoza said they did not get enough,” he said.
Rast contends that the Mendozas did not get as much for their fruit as the market showed because it was “mediocre fruit and Rast had a hard time selling it.”
He said Rast produced records showing it kept the Mendozas informed and what price they would get.
Babcock also alleged that some brokers purchase fruit from another broker for under market price, then sell it at or above market price and keep the profits.
Rozeboom vehemently denied that.
“Where's the evidence of that. The evidence is just the opposite. The judge dismissed the conspiracy theory,” he said.
Babcock said the Mendozas have been offered money to settle the case, but they want it tried in court. “We want to set precedence,” he said, adding he also feels their chance of winning is “very good.”
Tulare County - The California Public Utilities Commission voted 3-2 Thursday selecting Alternate Route 2 as the path for Southern California Edison’s high-voltage transmission line into Visalia.
In a separate vote, the commissions rejected on a 3-2 vote a proposal to provide the City of Visalia up to $2 million from SCE to fund a bicycle trail near the stretch of Alternative Route 2 within the city limits.
In both votes, Commissioners John Bohn and Tim Simon voted no.
The PUC decision places the cost of the project at $122 million. Edison had favored a route along Highway 198 crossing the edges of Exeter and Farmersville.
The chosen route follows the existing lines north from Visalia then east to where it will connect with the Big Creek transmission lines in the foothills.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
The Hanford city council last week went on record opposing the High Speed Rail line from running through the heart of that city, and took the resolution further to oppose any route, including the route that would have taken the line on the east end of that city where a station has been proposed. The council instead is calling for the High Speed Rail Authority to move the route to along the Highway 99 corridor or along the Interstate 5 corridor. The Kings County Board of Supervisors has also opposed any route that would affect eastside farmers.
Kaweah Delta Regional Medical Center used the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery System for the first time last week and for the second time this week, CEO Lindsay Mann reported. KDRMC is the first hospital in the region to have the robotic system. Mann said Dr. Marty Prah was the first to use the new system.
Glick's Old Fashion Meat Market is the latest casualty of the poor economy. Owner Shelley Byrd said the once popular market will close for good on Saturday after being in business for more than half of a decade. “I haven't seen any relief from the economy. This is the worst I've ever seen,” she said. She added she hopes to open a different specialty meat market in a year or two once the economy improves, but it wouldn't be called Glick's.
Comcast launched 75 new TV networks for customers in Tulare County and many other areas of the Valley, including 58 high-definition (HD) networks, 14 international premium networks and three standard definition channels. By the end of this week, 36 communities in the South Valley will have access to more than 4,000 HD choices as part of a growing XFINITY TV lineup that has expanded as a result of Comcast's recent digital upgrade of customers from analog to digital.
Kaweah Delta Regional Medical Center has begun design of its helipad that will be constructed on top of the parking area outside of the new emergency room in the Acequia Wing. Hospital CEO Lindsay Mann said construction of the pad will not begin into sometime in the late summer of 2011.
A California Energy Commission siting committee is recommending the approval of the planned Beacon Solar Energy Project in eastern Kern County. The project is a concentrated solar electric generating facility on approximately 2,012-acres in eastern Kern County on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, four miles from California City and 15 miles north of the town of Mojave.
The city of Hanford has unveiled a new website that is more user friendly and offers more information on what is occurring with the city government there. The city has also remodeled its council chambers.
New vehicle sales improved during the first half of this year and some feel the market is beginning to turn around. The California New Car Dealer Association's California Auto Outlook reported that sales for the first half of 2010 are up 23 percent. GM and Chrysler both improved their market share, but Ford remains No. 1 among America's Big Three auto makers. Ford has 12.9 percent market share, compared to 11.8 for GM and 6.9 for Chrysler. The No. 1 seller among cars is the Honda Accord and among trucks it is Ford F-Series. Among SUVs, the Honda CRV is the No. 1 seller. The Dealer Association predicted that growth in sales will slow to less than 9 percent for the second half of the year.
Kenny Guinn, former governor of Nevada, (2000-07) and who grew up in Exeter, died last week after falling off the roof of his home. Guinn was also a former teacher at Redwood High School.
Visalia - Visalia's newest police chief Colleen Mestas has been on the job nearly a year and her and her department's focus remains gangs.
“We have to be smarter with the gangs. Have to be proactive,” said the chief from her desk last week.
Mestas was named interim chief on Aug. 1, 2009 when Bob Carden retired and moved to Washington. That interim label was dropped four months later.
“Bob Carden did such an excellent job in getting the department in such good shape, I didn't need to make a lot of changes,” said the former assistant police chief to Carden. Admitting that this is not a great time to be a chief in light of tight budgets and rising crime in many areas, Mestas said Visalia has been lucky and she feels she has one of the best chief jobs in the state.
“My peers in the business tell me how lucky I am to be in this position,” she smiled. She said Visalia PD has few issues, is supported by the community and has a handle on crime – although she admitted there is always room for improvement.
“We're just lucky here. We have good, professional officers,” she said.
Gangs No. 1
Mestas admitted that gang activity has seemed to increase a bit this summer, with at least four gang-related killings and the recent shooting of a 3-year-old in a drive by attributed to gangs.
“We're seeing a lot of southerners who are moving into northern territory and Orientals into the same areas and it's not working very well. They are all fighting over who they can sell their drugs to,” she said.
She said the department is working to “get ahead” of the gangs and a big step was taken when the city council authorized hiring an investigator who will be assigned to the gang unit. She feels that will strengthen the department's suppression efforts on gangs, but noted that officers continue to work on prevention and intervention.
“But, it all goes back to the parents,” she said of the problem she called a “society problem.”
Changes
One change that has already paid off, the chief said, is that all applicants for positions in the department must undergo a polygraph test.
“I think we would have hired some people, but through the polygraph we learned something about their character and we didn't hire them,” she said, adding you can teach someone to be a good police officer, but not teach good character.
She does hope to fill one of the vacant captain positions, but does not have plans to fill the assistant chief's position. Right now, Capt. Rick Haskill has his hands full and Mestas said for a department the size of Visalia (144 sworn officers), more than one captain is needed.
She noted that she has had to cut $2 million from her budget, mostly accomplished by not making purchases. The department has not had to lay off or furlough any officers – a fact Mestas is proud of. However, because the schools eliminated a couple of on campus offices, the PD has lost a couple of positions.
She also wants to begin mentoring the younger members of the management team, noting that several upper management people could be retiring within five years.
“I want to mentor and get staff trained to look out at least five years. Now's the time to be prepared for the future.”
She also hopes to someday have a plan in place – if not locally then regionally – to deal with internet crime. She said the internet is being used for many purposes these days – including criminal activity including fraud, theft and prostitution.
“Even if we added 10 more people we couldn't keep up with that type of crime,” said the chief. She said efforts to form a regional team have so far not been successful, but she feels that would be the best approach.
By Marina Gaytan
Visalia - A multitude of projects that began in early June at a number of Visalia school sites are coming to completion next month, just in time for back-to-school.
These projects, including the Mt. Whitney library that is receiving a remodel, all have to be done within the next four weeks before school starts on August 19, said Joe Haley director of administrative services for the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD).
“They're all improvements to our school sites that make it better for our student's staff and safety,” he said.
The remodel of the library that was started
in May had been discussed for several years before it
was moved along.
“This is the first major modernization to the library
since its original construction,” he said.
The VUSD keeps a list of all the projects needed within the schools and prioritizes them so as many as possible can get done in the summer. Projects like these can take up to a year, if not more, in its planning stages Haley said.
Budget cuts have reduced the amount of projects that have been done, but school officials try to get as much done during the summer months as possible.
The Mt. Whitney library has been gutted and stripped to the bare walls and new separation walls have now been set in.
Other improvements to the library include a new front counter and new lighting. A Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning system now replaces the old one. Electrical, data and projector mounts were installed as well, along with new carpeting, paint and tack board.
“I think it [the new library] will be well received. It will be a vast improvement,” he said.
The project is funded through facility dollars that come in from the state that pay specifically for facility improvements like the library.
“All of these projects are done with specific facility funds and or federal stimulus funding,” said Craig Wheaton, Interim Superintendent for VUSD.
The facility dollars for the schools fluctuate every year. Each project in-hand has to be applied for, said Haley. With the money from the total general fund and facility money shrinking, the District is just simply trying to do what's best for the district, Haley added.
“We try to tackle projects that will make a difference in the long-run,” Wheaton said.
Additional Projects:
• Resurfacing and repairing the all-weather tracks at the four high schools.
• Major irrigation improvements are being made at Houston Elementary and Mt. Whitney-converting a manual system to an automated one.
• Large concrete improvements at Mt. Whitney dirt areas within the wings to prevent mud in the winter.
• Re-roofing Mt. Whitney's I, J, K, L and M wings - which are the major wings at the high school.
• Asphalt repairs are being done at 13 school sites. This includes repairing or replacing asphalt driveways, basket ball courts and sidewalks.
• Three major electrical upgrades are going on at Green Acres Middle School, Willow Glen Elementary School and Redwood High School - mainly replacing the main switch gear that's old in age.
• Five sites that have an energy management system are being converted so that they have control over air conditioning and lighting for energy management and conservation reasons.
• Outdoor lighting around the track at El Diamante High School has been added for night and evening events.
• Some of the larger buildings at Redwood High School have been painted.
• Remodeling at Sequoia High School has been done.
• Carpet and floor tiles throughout the district have been replaced.
San Joaquin Valley - Local officials, including Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno), were not pleased with the recommendations to protect the San Joaquin Delta that call for less movement of water, including irrigation water for the Valley's Westside.
The State Water Resources Control Board last week released new flow recommendations for the Delta to protect public trust resources.
The recommendations call for significantly increased flows into and through the Delta, particularly during the winter and spring months, but limits on reverse flows associated with pumping by the state and federal export pumps in the South Delta. The State Board recommends additional measures to improve water quality and restore natural habitat, noting that protection of public trust resources “cannot be achieved solely through flows.”
“This report represents the flawed and out-of-touch approach to California water that the people of our Valley and I have been fighting” said Costa. “Despite the short timeline the state agencies were under, it is simply outrageous that they would release draft flow criteria without considering the numerous factors impacting the health of the Bay Delta.”
“A draft report by the State Water
Resources Control Board, by its own admission, provides
little in the way of a solution to restoring the Delta
ecosystem” said Mike Wade, executive director of
the California Farm Water Coalition.
He said the 181-page report did not look at broader issues,
such as habitat, water quality and invasive species.
Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, criticized the report.
“As the Water Resources Control Board is careful to point out repeatedly, the report includes no balancing of needs, even among competing environmental concerns. Nor was it prepared with any consideration for feasibility or consistency with the public interest. It has no regulatory or adjudicatory effect. It has no impact on anyone's water rights. It is not even an advisory document - merely informational.”
The 2009 comprehensive water package required the State Board to develop new flow criteria for the Delta for the purpose of informing two planning processes now under way for the Delta.
Once adopted by the board, the criteria will be submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council to help guide development of the Delta Plan. The criteria will also be used for the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, a multi-species conservation plan being developed separately by federal and state agencies as well as water users and environmental organizations.
As specified by the legislative package, the flow criteria are not binding or considered pre-decisional in any future state board action.
“While this report has no force of law, this kind of misinformation serves as fodder for extreme environmentalists and critics of our Valley who aim to cut off our water,” added Costa. “Our Valley took on these outside interests to secure more water this year, and we are prepared to do it again. We are winning this fight, and I will not let this one-sided document limit our progress.”
“The value of the report, as the board emphasizes, is to highlight once again the need for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to develop an integrated, comprehensive, and balanced set of solutions to California's water needs. Without such a plan to implement comprehensive solutions, including non-flow actions, to benefit our public trust resources, we cannot reasonably hope to recover these desirable fish,” said Nelson.
The State Board will consider adopting the criteria at its Aug. 3 meeting.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
July 29, 2010
