Visalia Has Issues With Route as
Well
Tulare County - Southern California Edison states the California Public Utilities Commission's selection of an Elderwood area route for its high voltage transmission line in Tulare County would delay construction of those lines and put the area at risk for power outages.
SCE filed its written response to the PUC's recommendation that Route 2 – which follows the existing lines north from Visalia to where the lines will go east to meet up with Big Creek transmission lines along the foothills – is the best choice. Also filing responses were several other entities, including PACE and the city of Visalia.
In its final EIR released last month, the PUC rejected alternative routes backed by opponents of Edison's first choice, Route 1, a 19-mile route along Highway 198 and dissecting the area of Exeter and Farmersville, and Route 3A, favored by farmers and PACE (Protect Agriculture Communities Environment).
The report cited environmental issues, such as vernal pools and the protected fairy shrimp, along with the prohibitive high cost of by-passing those areas as factors in rejecting Route 3A.
PACE, Tulare County Farm Bureau, city of Farmersville and Paramount Citrus all state in their written responses that the best route would be Route 3A.
The city of Visalia, while not favoring a route, stated that Route 2, “will have several negative impacts on the Visalia community.”
The city's letter sited the towers that will be two or three times taller than the existing towers that now carry the power lines into the Rector Station on the eastside of the city. The letter also states that more lines will be strung, also creating negative visual impacts.
The city said Route 2 would also “frustrate the ability of the City to plan for orderly growth, as the industrial character of the towers and transmission lines would affect nearby growth” and create a physical barrier.
The Farm Bureau, PACE, Farmersville and Paramount Citrus all stated that Route 3A would have less of an impact locally. All four strongly oppose Route 1 favored by Edison.
“Route 2 has a lower unmitigatable agricultural impact, a lower hydrologic impact, a lower detrimental economic impact, and a lower impact on property owners.
However, Route 3A has the lowest agricultural impact, a lowest hydrologic impact, a lowest detrimental economic impact, and a lowest impact on property owners,” stated PACE in its filing March 11.
“With respect to Route 3A, all indications are the FEIR got it wrong in choosing which alternative has the least environmental impact. Coupled with the requirement to examine community values, the evidence points to Route 3A as the best choice,” said the Farm Bureau.
Farmersville made its case against Route 1 that would have the lines cut over the northern corner of the city – over land the city has designated as a possible shopping center.
“SCE's Proposed Project Alternative (Route) 1 would halt and obstruct the Farmersville commercial/industrial park projects. Without this commercial/industrial park the city would stand to lose over $500,000 annually in sales tax revenues, over $186,500 annually in property tax revenues and over 925 new jobs, all of which are critical to the operations and revitalization,” stated the city.
Farmersville supports Route 3A, stating in its filing that Route 3A is the “environmentally superior option based upon the fact that it would lessen impacts on agriculture and has no negative impact on the City of Farmerville's economic, social and aesthetic effects as well as park areas and community values.”
SCE Stands Behind Route 1
In its filing, Edison stated that not only is Route 1 the least expensive of all the alternatives, but that it could be constructed the quickest.
“SCE urges the Commission to approve Route 1 as the route that not only addresses the area's reliability needs, but also best balances (1) all of the project's objectives, including schedule, (2) impacts to ratepayers, and (3) environmental impacts. Because of schedule delays caused by requirements confirmed by the Final Environmental Impact Report, Route Alternatives 2, 3, and 6 must now be considered infeasible, as these alternatives fail to result in a project that will address current reliability problems within an appropriate timeframe.”
In its letter, SCE estimates the cost for Route 1 at approximately $103.4 million and $137.4 million for Route 2. “The costs increase even more for Route Alternative 3, which is estimated to cost approximately $169.1 million,” said Edison.
In its conclusion, Edison states, “No party in this proceeding has raised a credible challenge to SCE's cost forecasts for Route Alternatives 1 or 2. As such, SCE recommends that the commission use SCE's estimate as the basis for establishing an estimate of maximum reasonable and prudent cost.”
Final Decision
While the EIR has been released for public scrutiny, in the end it will be up to Administrative Law Judge Hallie Yacknin who reportedly could make her ruling possibly as soon as May.
The final decision rests with the PUC, but generally the judge's rulings are followed, according to those familiar with the PUC process.
The judge will take into account the filings made last week.
Judge Yacknin conducted public hearings in Visalia attended by about 300 persons and also received an estimated 600 letters and e-mails on the project, almost all in protest of various route choices.
Officially known as the Cross Valley Loop Transmission Project, the line will carry electrical power from hydroelectric facilities in the Sierra to the Rector Substation near Visalia. Route 2 is about 23 miles long and begins at the Rector Substation.
It continues north for 11 miles within SCE's existing right-of-way and replaces the two existing single-circuit 220-kilovolt with two double-circuit single pole lines. The remaining 12 miles of the proposed transmission line will be constructed with a 100 foot wide right-of-way to be acquired by SCE.
It would run until the line intersects with the Big Creek-Springville line about two miles north of the City of Woodlake, near Elderwood.
In their responses, the farm bureau and Paramount called on the PUC to hold a public hearing on the EIR.
Visalia - Visalia Police Officer Jason Tejeda knows what more than 150 applicants for nine positions in the police department are currently going through. Becoming a Visalia police officer is a challenge.
Sgt. Steve Phillips, who heads up the department's recruitment and hiring process, has his hands full these days. Last year he only hired three new officers, but because some positions frozen by budget constraints have been unfrozen and other vacancies have occurred, he has nine positions to fill. All will be entry level patrol officers.
“If I have them (all hired) by June, I'll be pretty happy,” said the sergeant. So far, he has only one applicant who has made it past the background check.
Tejeda was hired in July of 2007. A resident of Visalia, Tejeda was criminology major at Fresno State University and had served as an intern at VPD in 2002. When a friend urged him to apply in 2007, he did and was successful.
Today, like what Tejeda went through, applicants go through an extensive interview process before they are even considered. If they get through the two levels of interviews, they are then subjected to a background check, a polygraph, a medical exam, a psychological evaluation and finally, and maybe the easiest part of all, an interview with the chief, Colleen Mestas. Phillips said fewer than 10 out of 200 make it past the interview process.
Phillips said Visalia is very selective in who they choose, especially since the number of officers who leave the department is relatively low. Phillips knows when someone starts with the department, they will be around for a while.
“Usually, people don't leave Visalia for another job. We're kind of a destination job,” said Phillips, who estimated that less than 1 percent of the 140-person force leave for another job in a year's time.
Tejeda said his hiring went fairly smoothly. He was one of the lucky ones. At that time the city was willing to put a person through the police academy, which he did after earning his degree in criminology. Today, the PD is looking for experience officers or ones who have already gone through the academy.
He then spent four more weeks in the Visalia PD academy where new officers are shown how Visalia PD operates, its procedures and its policies. After that, it is 16 weeks of in-the-field training with a Field Training Officer.
Phillips said the four-week academy has proven invaluable.
“The (Police) Academy barely teaches you anything you find in the real world,” said Tejeda, adding the VPD academy was real helpful. However, his time with the Field Training Officer was the most valuable. “That's where I learned pretty much everything.”
Long Process
Phillips said it can take two to five months to fill a position.
“There were three
or four phases to get through before I was selected,”
said Tejeda.
“It's just a long process from start to finish and
a quick hire is a two-month process,” said Phillips.
“We want to make sure we're getting the best candidates
out there. We're very selective here.”
After an applicant gets past the two three-officer panel interviews, the department does an extensive background check, including the polygraph.
“We look for issues,
recent issues, in their background,” said Phillips.
“For example, if you've got a drunken driving in the
past two years, that would disqualify you.”
In the background check, police will conduct interviews
with family members, ex-family members, even neighbors.
“It's very intensive,” said Phillips of the
background check.
If a candidate gets by the background check, they then are given a physical and have a psychological evaluation done. The background, medical and psychological examinations are all required by the state.
Only after passing those do they get to call themselves a member of the Visalia Police Department.
Once hired, the officer goes through the in-house academy, then the 16-month on-the-job training before going out on their own. Even then, they are on 18-month probation.
Phillips said 70 to 80 percent survive the field training and probation.
All of the effort has been worth it for Tejeda, who plans to stay in patrol for at least four years before seeking to move up the ladder.
“They've been nice to me. There's nothing that's been a disappointment,” he said of his experience with VPD.
Mayor Bob Link proposed a stimulus plan for the city during remarks at the annual city council retreat in February. He asked for the city staff to come up with some recommendations by this week.
What the council got were several options, including three from the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, but none seemed to stick except for streamlining the city's building permit process.
At the end of nearly an hour-long discussion, the matter was sent to the Citizens' Advisory Committee for further review and then be brought back to the council on April 5 for action.
At issue is how much of a stimulus and how to pay for it.
City Community Services Director Eric Frost summed it up best when he started his presentation.
“There's a lot of diverse opinion on this.”
City staff came up with what could best be described as a cautious approach in light of falling city revenues. Just prior to the stimulus discussion, Frost updated the city's financial plight and the picture is not pretty. He said the city's projected budget deficit had grown another $500,000 to now add up to $2.5 million next year. That is still better than the $5.7 million deficit this year.
With that in mind, he said the city is facing the “most difficult economic times since the depression.”
Put on the table by staff were several proposals to speed up the permit process; expedite large commercial buildings or residential unit plan checks; hold the line on developer fees - basically freezing the fees for the second consecutive year; defer impact fees for up to five years for industrial projects and expand that to include office and commercial projects; and defer payment of impact fees on new development until the close of escrow.
Frost said the cost to the city of those actions would be approximately $150,000.
Chamber's Stimulus Plan
Drawing the most attention, and debate, was the Chamber's proposal.
The Chamber proposes:
Wave impact fees for
all projects except for those paid for police, fire and
schools
Reward consumers with a “shoppers reward” card
Reward those who purchase a new vehicle with a “shoppers reward” rebate
However, city staff and a few council members were cool to the chamber's plan, both expressing what it would cost the city. Frost estimated the chamber's plan would cost $850,000.
Chamber CEO Glen Morris called it a bold proposal.
“We believe it's time in this community to make a statement. We feel our proposal is simple, easy to understand and will have an impact.”
Council member Mike Lane agreed, saying, “I would like us to be a bold council.” He supported the chamber's plan 100 percent.
However, Vice Mayor Amy Shuklian and Council member Steve Nelsen were not so warm to the idea.
“I'm not very comfortable with it,” she said. Nelsen said he questioned if giving builders a break would really stimulate home construction or the economy and that the retail community should take steps to stimulate their business, not have the city do it.
Council member Warren Gubler said he had mixed feelings, but also was concerned with both costs and the legality of waving impact fees for a short while.
Link was strongly behind the plan to stimulate new home construction.
“I believe the stimulus for this community has to come out of the building industry,” he said, adding a pickup in construction activity would both stimulate jobs and put money in the pockets of people living in Visalia. He said did not support the shoppers reward card.
Bob Keenan, president and CEO of the Home Builders Association, backed up Link, saying for every $1,000 price increase in the cost of a home, 133 people drop out of being able to afford that home.
“If you wave $10,000 in fees, approximately 1,300 more people would qualify for loans that do not qualify today,” said Keenan.
Ray Macareno, CEO of the Hispanic Chamber, also endorsed the chamber's plan. “This is definitely an opportunity to look at the future of Visalia,” he told the council.
Visalia - Construction is expected to begin soon on the first of 86 homes in southwest Visalia in what is believed to be the first “green home” gated community in the city.
Todd Griffin, who heads Summit Homebuilders Inc., expects the first phase of 22 homes to be finished by the end of this year.
Sequoia Crossings is on a 15-acre site southeast of Akers and Coldwell. Sequoia Crossing will offer lots ranging from 6,300 sq. ft. to 13,900 sq. ft. and homes from 1,540 to 2,700 sq. ft. All will have three-car garages.
Sequoia Crossing homes will have R-49 rated ceiling insulation, radiant barrier roofs which reflect heat, tank-less water heaters and low energy windows. Solar panels are an option, he said.
Griffin, who also is chief executive officer of Windows Plus, said Summit Homebuilders will focus on creating green homes meaning they must exceed state and local energy efficiency standards and earn an Energy Star rating awarded only to homes which exceed state and local codes by at least 16 percent.
Although signs had not been erected on the site this week, Griffin said the company already has received inquiries about the project. Sales will be handled through Re-Max realty, he said.
Each phase will include from 22 to 24 homes and the entire project is expected to be finished in about two years, Griffin said.
Griffin and his partner purchased the property from bankruptcy of Rayne and Bardis, the major home builder which held several properties and projects in the county as well as many other areas.
Griffin said Summit has access to several other large former Reynen and Bardis sites and is considering other “green home” projects.
Griffin believes the
slump in home construction, especially in the Central Valley,
has leveled out and expects business to pick up in the modern-priced
new home market.
“We think it is time to get into the market that others
have gotten out of and we want to get a jump because it
looks like some of the big builders could be coming back
in town,” he said.
Workshops this spring will review critical issues in animal
welfare and prepare dairy farmers for an upcoming on-farm
evaluation, which are expected to begin later this year.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
The California High Speed Rail Authority has added a proposal to locate a high maintenance yard in Allensworth to the list of proposed sites for such a facility. Previously the authority had extended the deadline allowing the plan, developed by William Lee, to be included. Development and construction of such a facility would be a major economic boost for the area which is the only spot where the proposed High Speed Rail route goes through Tulare County. The Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) has endorsed the Allensworth proposal. A decision by the High Speed Rail Authority is not expected until later this year, at the earliest.
Jobs continue to disappear. The number of people employed in Tulare County this January is 1,900 fewer than January of 2009, the state reported. In Kings County, the drop is just 600 jobs. Tulare County's jobless rate hit a high of 18.5 percent in January, while Kings County's rate was 15.6. In Visalia, the jobless rate has hit 11.6 percent, 15.8 in Tulare. The highest jobless rate in the county is in Earlimart where nearly one out of every two people is unemployed. In Kings County, the jobless rate in Hanford was 16 percent, the same in Lemoore. The state reported 171,400 people out of a labor force of 209,800 have jobs. In Kings County, it is 50,500 out of 61,700 who have jobs. The state's jobless rate rose to 12.5 percent in January.
The Visalia City Council approved the Memorandum of Understanding with several mobile home park owners in the city to settle rent disputes between the owners and the residents. The MOU limits how much rent can be raised, but is not a rent control ordinance as some park residents had requested. The MOU is for five years.
One of the COS Visalia campus building renovations under consideration is redoing the Buckeye Building that houses much of the Industry and Technology Division programs —vocational training - said COS President Dr. Bill Scroggins. Those programs are in line to move to the COS Tulare College Center, but that move will not occur until funding from the next state facilities bond is secured. After that move, COS is looking at “retasking” the structure as a Basic Skills Center. It would house basic math, English, English as a Second Language, and Learning Skills programs now currently scattered throughout the campus.
Cypress Surgery Center and the Visalia Center for Ambulatory Medicine and Surgery are merging. The merger was approved by the Kaweah Delta Health Care District board of directors last week.
Ennis Homes, headquartered in Porterville, is expected to exit bankruptcy protection next month once again begin building homes in the county, including projects in Visalia and Tulare
Visalia - Darlene Mata does not see her role so much as a watchdog of the Visalia City Council, but more as an advocate.
Mata represents the Visalia Community Forum, an independent group of people from all walks of life, who formed to not only watch over the council, but to help direct and assist the development of policies.
Some feel the group is necessary, some not so much. Some question its makeup and its purpose, but most agree Mata has been fair, and maybe even helpful at times.
Mata, who is paid for her work overseeing the council, said her goal is simple: Make Visalia an even better place in which to live.
“I think it's a great community and I want to see it be a greater community. That's where my interest comes from,” said Mata.
Mata grew up not far from the Lincoln Oval in Visalia. A planning consultant now, she has worked for the city twice.
Her first job was as a file clerk in the planning department and after finishing college while still working for the city, where she earned a degree in business with an emphasis on real estate and urban land economics, she went from an hourly employee to a salaried employee with the planning department.
She credits Phyllis Corning, who retired from the city last year, as helping her along.
She then left the city and went to work with TPG Consulting for a couple of years before returning to the city for five more years. After working with McMillin Homes for two years, she began her own planning consulting business in 2006.
While City Manager Steve Salomon had nothing but admiration for Mata, he raised issues with the fact that she is paid by a group of people who are not clearly defined.
“I think it's fine to have people who are watching. Darlene is a very, very bright person,” said Salomon. But, he added, people must remember she is paid by people, many whom have a financial interest in what the city does.
Mata said that while the people she works for do business with the city, they do not advocate for specific projects or contracts and they will not endorse or oppose any candidates.
Home Grown
Mata grew up and was educated in Visalia. Her father was a retail store owner who did not take much interest in city government or politics, said Mata, but she has always had that interest.
“I love this community,” the fourth generation Visalian says with a passion.
Even before her position as watchdog, she would attend council meetings and have input. And, her interests in the city do not end with the council. She is involved in a number of organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce.
Community Forum
The Visalia Community Form is similar to the Visalia Legislative Group that existed for a few years several years ago. That group was led by Harvey May.
Mata said that sometime in the past couple of years people decided that something like that organization was needed again. After that group was formed about a year ago, they asked Mata to be the executive director, a part-time paid position.
Not only does she attend council meetings, but she produces a monthly newsletter and weekly informs members of the Forum of upcoming meetings and what items are on the agendas. She says that gives people a heads up what is being discussed, rather than them finding out after the fact.
“My focus is everything. Planning is the biggest area,” she said, adding, “It's all related to the mission statement: 'A better community through good government.'”
She is proud that her grouped pushed to have more public comment at meetings, especially the work sessions that are common in the afternoon before the council holds its official meeting.
“For Joe Smith, that has made a difference. They've change the agenda and they ask all the time,” she noted.
She is proud of the success her group had in getting the city to go for the comprehensive general plan update, rather than the scaled-down focused update. She said it is important for the city to update its growth road map completely.
She said the Forum is now pushing the city to follow through with studies and to complete some studies that have been on the back burner for a while. That is exactly what Mayor Bob Link urged when he addressed the community after becoming mayor in December.
“We've got a lot of plans out there that aren't done. Let's focus on one at a time,” she said, citing the Southeast Plan as one example. “Let's get some of these done and get them off the table.”
She is also advocating for the city to define what is policy and what is not. In a recent Valley Voice story on the city's Site Plan Review Committee, a couple of developers complained that not all planning policies are clear.
Mata said the Forum has about 50 members who pay a fee to belong. Those memberships run from $1,250 a year for a business membership to $600 for individuals.
“Our membership has stayed consistent,” she said, adding it has been tough to expand the membership in light of the poor economy. However, she said, “People do see the value in what we're doing.”
Salomon said Mata and her organization do serve purpose. “Darlene is very articulate. She's able to point out things and does so in a way most people can understand,” he said.
As someone so keenly interested in city government, the logical question is does she aspire to someday be on the other side of the dais and have someone looking over her shoulder.
“I've been asked many, many times (if I will run for council), but no. I'm going to have to be happy making a difference this way,” she said with a smile.
City Pushes to Get Census Participation
By Rick Elkins
Tulare County - The countdown to count is about down to zero.
2010 U.S. Census questionnaires were mailed out this week and locally the push to get as many people counted as possible is about to begin.
Visalia was undercounted in 2000, failing to reach the magical 100,000 population figure that many expected. While a revised count increased the original 95,000 residents counted to more than 97,000, city officials are pulling out all the stops to get everyone counted this time.
“We're encouraging people to fill out those forms and mail them back,” said Nancy Loliva, city of Visalia Community Relations manager. The latest state of California population estimate put Visalia's population at just over 123,000. That estimate is based on the census taken at the start of every decade.
How many residents, and the demographics, are important to the city, as well to any city and the county. Much of the federal dollars that make their way into the cities and county are based on population and demographics.
“For every individual missed, it means a loss of $1,300 (a year) in federal funding,” said Loliva. That would include funds the city or the schools receive. Visalia Unified officials said an accurate census count is critical for them, both in terms of federal dollars and projections of school enrollment growth.
The city has several events planned over
the next month to get the count out. The big push will
come on March 27. Also, the city has formed a 35-member
Complete Count Committee made up of many sectors of the
city, including churches, schools, businesses and more,
to assist to reach as many people as possible to get the
count completed.
There are several community events on March 27 that the
committee will take advantage of to encourage people to
fill out their census forms.
They are:
• Cesar Chavez march and celebration beginning at
9 a.m. at COS and ending at the Wittman Center.
• Eggstravaganza, a popular and free Easter egg
hunt for all the children and families, at the Riverway
Sports Park.
• March on Main Street from 2-4 p.m. hosted by the
Tulare County Child Abuse Prevention Council and CASA.
• Downtown Visalia Car Show on Main Street in downtown
Visalia.
Those events all lead up to Census Day April 1, but Loliva hopes that by then most people will have returned their census forms.
For those who have not, the Census Bureau will begin its door-to-door campaign in mid-April.
Loliva knows they have challenges. Visalia is a fluid community with a lot of people who come here to work, then leave when the jobs end. Also, reaching some minority residents has been difficult in the past, as well as reaching homeless people.
Adding to the challenge is a bad economy. Some fear that people have moved out of the area because they cannot find work. The latest unemployment rate for the county was 18.5 percent. “The economy is probably going to be the deciding factor,” she said, adding that it is very important for those living in Visalia do get counted.
To assist people, the Census Bureau is setting up Question and Answer centers throughout the city. One will be located at the city's Transit Center. They will open Friday and remain open until mid-April.
The centers will be staffed by Census personnel to help citizens complete the 10-question Census form. Loliva said the Centers will be open about 15 hours a week.
Visalia - A new robotic imaging system in the new hybrid Endovascular Surgical Suite has placed Kaweah Delta Medical Center in unique company. It is the first hospital in California with such technology and only the 16th in the nation.
Friday, the hospital showed off its Artis Zeego device in its new hybrid operating room in the new Acequia Wing of the hospital.
“This marks the culmination of the technology improvements in the Acequia Wing,” said hospital CEO Lindsay Mann, calling it a “momentous occasion.”
In the surgical world, the term “hybrid”
means the room is equipped to handle multiple and combined
procedures at once. A patient can undergo a standard open
operation combined with a less invasive one at the same
time, instead of being scheduled for two different events,
explained vascular surgeons Dr. Matthew Campbell and Dr.
Omar Araim.
Campbell and Araim are partners in South Valley Vascular
Services.
Campbell explained the new surgery suite has been in development for five years. He said it was the vision of the hospital and its plans for the Acequia Wing that brought him to Visalia. Campbell and Araim are the only fulltime vascular surgeons in the county.
Both doctors said the hybrid system, along with the robotic imaging system, means better care for patients.
“It makes everything we do better,” said Dr. Araim, adding he will use the hybrid suite every time he can because the technology gives him a better view of what he is doing.
Both vascular surgeons and cardiologists will utilize the new technology. The hybrid surgical suite adds to four cath labs at the hospital.
“We are totally on the cutting edge of what is going on in vascular care,” said Dr. Araim.
The multi-axis system called the Artis Zeego, which performs virtual computed tomography and provides continuous 3-D imaging while serving as an operating table as well, is much improved over the standard cath labs. The Zeego can be moved out of the way of the surgeon while the imaging equipment remains constant over the patient. The system provides the doctor with a three dimensional image of the artery or vein they are working on.
The patient never has to be moved or angled for the surgeon to get just the right view, and the surgeon is able to see inside the patient as he makes his every move. The Zeego's multiple utilities are all aimed at helping surgeons pinpoint and treat a problem — and recheck it again to ensure accuracy — all in one room and during one procedure.
Campbell said before the new system, a patient
would go into the catch lab for a stent or endo procedure,
then into a surgery suit for a procedure that involved
an incision. Now, that can be done at the same time in
the same surgery suit.
“What excites me about this device is its capacity,”
Campbell says. “This was a huge monetary commitment
from Kaweah Delta that will reap many dividends for the
patients of the region.”
The $2 million investment has yet to be used as the hospital is waiting for its final licensing. Mann said that should come this week or next. Dr. Campbell said he already has several patients who are candidates for the new suite.
Kaweah Delta does approximately 9,000 cath and vascular procedures a year, not including heart surgeries.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
March 18, 2010
