City
Seeking Clarification on Announcement
Tulare County - In what was already a confusing situation for those property owners who were put into a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) last year regarding renewing their flood insurance, FEMA this week announced it was extending the Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) an additional two years.
However, FEMA told city officials it was still working out the details and how that extension will work is not clear. City officials strongly advise property owners to contact their insurance agent.
FEMA announced the PRP extension would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011. That is six months after Visalia residents must renew their coverage. In Visalia, the PRP is set to expire June 16 and city officials say it appears that has not changed.
The difference between a Preferred Risk Policy and the standard policy is significant. Those property owners who took advantage of the one-year policy paid about $348 for their insurance last year. Without the PRP, that insurance cost upwards of $750. Only those who purchased a PRP before June 16, 2009, are eligible for the extension.
Late Tuesday, FEMA said the extension will be for two years, meaning those who have had a PRP will be able to extend that lower rate twice, first in January of 2011 and again in January of 2013. The extension would expire in December of 2013.
In its press release, FEMA stated, “Effective January 1, owners of buildings found to be in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) during a flood map revision, may be eligible for a preferred risk policy that will allow them to maintain a lower cost flood insurance policy for two years following the effective date of a flood map change. A SFHA is a high risk flood area, meaning that there is a one-percent annual chance of flooding.”
According to FEMA's flood insurance representative Jana Crutchfield, FEMA's implementation plan is still being worked out.
The city of Visalia has been lobbying to get the lower-rate flood insurance extended for a second year, but was unaware of FEMA's decision until the press release was issued Monday. The city has been attempting to get clarification since Monday.
City spokesperson Nancy Loliva said “for this renewal period, Visalia residents must still have their current preferred policies rewritten to standard policies in order to avoid the repercussions of having the wrong policy coverage.”
In June of 2009, approximately 8,900 parcels were placed in the flood zone. The action by FEMA upset many residents, some who felt the city had not done enough to fight FEMA. However, the flood maps were a federal decision and ever since the city has taken several steps to assist homeowners and actually got more than 550 removed from the flood zone.
Adding to the confusion over the insurance is that some insurance companies had sent out renewal notices at the Preferred Risk Policy rate, which is incorrect. If the PRP ends on June 16, as it still appears, then property owners will have to renew their PRP as a standard policy. Only those who do so will be eligible for the PRP in January.
What is not known is if FEMA will give a resident another full year at the lower rate, or will that rate only last until June 16, 2011, when the two-year period is up.
FEMA seems to indicate homeowners will get two full years at the preferred rate.
“By extending the eligibility period for the preferred risk policies, homeowners and building owners will have two years at the lower cost rate,” said FEMA Acting Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administrator, Edward Connor. “The two years will provide owners extra time to understand their flood risk and to consider this risk in their preparedness planning.”
According to FEMA, the discounted rate will be available for the two year period to owners whose buildings were found to be in a SFHA following a flood map revision that went into effect on, or after, October 1, 2008. In order to be eligible for the Preferred Risk Policy, buildings must also meet certain loss-history requirements. If there are two claims, or disaster relief payments for flood, of $1,000 or more, or three losses of any amount, the structure is ineligible for the PRP.
Policy holders with a Preferred Rate Policy will see a $10 increase when they renew their policies.
At the end of the extended two-year eligibility period, policies on these buildings will return to standard-rated policies.
For more information on FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, and to indentify your flood risk, visit www.floodsmart.gov.
Tens of Thousands Watch Cyclists Race
Tulare County - For reasons no one expected, the fifth stage of the Amgen Tour of California that began in Visalia last Thursday certainly drew more attention than anyone could have imagined.
First, disgraced bicyclist Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, fessed up to using performance enhancing drugs and said he knows that Armstrong had used such drugs in the past.
That allegation Thursday morning drew worldwide media attention on Armstrong, who just happened to be in Visalia for the Stage 5 start. A hastily called news conference a block away from the start line was held for Armstrong to deny the charges. A flurry of media and fans surrounded the Team Radio Shack bus as Armstrong appeared to deny the charges.
Then, less than an hour later, Armstrong, the multi-winner of the Tour de France, crashed and was out of the Tour of California.
Both incidents brought
a lot more attention to the race, Visalia and Tulare County.
“Not exactly the kind of coverage we wanted. But it
did draw a lot more attention to Visalia,” admitted
Greg Kirkpatrick who headed up the local committee that
hosted the cycling event.
“It went perfectly well, without a hitch at all. We had great feedback from the race organizers,” added Kirkpatrick.
A crowd estimated between 15,000 and 18,000 lined the streets of Visalia for the 10:30 a.m. start Thursday and then the ride out of town. But, the real excitement came about five minutes later when Armstrong, easily the most recognizable racer of the 120 who started the race in Visalia, got caught up in a crash. He suffered a cut under his left eye and injured his elbow. After trying to continue, he dropped out of the race.
For the record, the fifth stage was won by Peter Sagan, but Michael Rogers of Australia was the overall winner on Sunday.
While word of Armstrong's unfortunate crash quickly spread throughout the county, thousands still turned out along the race route – 42 miles which were in Tulare County. A crowd estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 lined the streets in Downtown Visalia for the pace laps, and thousands more along the streets as the peloton made its way to the official start at Walnut and Lovers Lane.
The official Amgen press release stated, “The crowds all along the route for Stage 5 from Visalia to Bakersfield today were absolutely amazing,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “You could feel the enthusiasm, which means a lot to these riders, and was great to see that from a new host city, Bakersfield.”
Kathy Sanbongi was one of thousands who lined Main Street for the start. “We just came to support the cyclists,” she added, admitting her son and husband are bigger race fans. “We want them to come back every year.”
Her son was indeed a big fan. Chris Sanbongi managed to place himself just off the announcer's stage where many of the riders went after being introduced. He was getting his sweatshirt autographed by as many racers as possible.
“I've gotten all
but five so far,” he said, but he did not get his
favorite, Armstrong. Because of the press conference, Armstrong
did not make the stage this year.
Harvey May, a developer who got into one of the VIP tents
along Main Street, said the event was great for Visalia
and the county.
“I think this
is amazing. It's a world-class event right here in our downtown,”
he said.
May echoed what many city leaders have said – that
the event puts Visalia on the tourism map.
“This is a great vehicle in economic development. A lot of people in Europe are going to watch it and say, 'that's where Visalia is,'” he said.
For Mark Sanchez, his
wife Jeanette and sons Jonah, 10, and Tanner, 3 1/2, from
Fresno, the Amgen is “a huge community event for Valley
cities and communities.”
He and the family attended last year's Amgen leg in Clovis.
Sanchez said he would like to see more events, perhaps triathlons
and events which attract national and international competitors
to attract even more wide-spread attention to the Valley.
Sanchez, a cyclist who generally rides in mountain bike
events, carried an Amgen poster and a camera as he worked
his way next to the announcing platform as the key race
leaders and others were introduced.
Porterville was a newcomer to the Amgen race this year and the city could not have been happier with the result.
“I was just a joy to see the community come together and the excitement over having the Amgen tour come through Porterville,” said Linda Clark, administrative analyst with the city of Porterville. “The bands all turned out. That was just terrific and added to the excitement,” she said.
Maricela Barajas of Woodlake, who works for AT&T, was working the downtown Visalia booths for one of the event's sponsors, handing out samples of a health drink, said Amgen helps Valley communities “feel very noticed” and generates enthusiasm and excitement. “It provides the opportunity for people to get together and celebrate” while drawing attention to what communities have to offer. She also would like to see more major events hosted locally, especially those which feature health and fitness and draws world class competitors.
Lisa Seifert, who works for the Visalia Unified School District, would like to see events like Amgen for the same reasons. She called the Amgen event important to the area and something which helps show off Visalia as well as surrounding areas.
She said attending Amgen and seeing world class cyclists and the excitement generated by the gathering was an outstanding way to celebrate the week of her 43rd birthday.
Joan Jessup, along with 14-month old William Crawford, and her daughter, Andrea Jessup, enjoyed the colors on the balloons, banners and bright uniforms of the riders and their team crews.
Jessup said her son, Stuart Jessup, who is in the Air Force, was a member of the Air Force Academy cycling team and has long been a competitive cyclist for many years.
Jessup said it would be great to have Tulare County again as an Amgen location with a route through “the real mountains” as one of the eight legs of the annual world class event.
Kirkpatrick said he hopes Visalia will get a chance to host again. “If they are coming down the Valley I'm sure we'll be high on their list.”
He said the city would be willing to do the work again. This year the city had to raise $100,000. “We still need to sit down and evaluate it,” he said. “The benefits certainly go beyond just race day. Every hotel and motel was full and there were even some tour groups in town.”
Visalia - Tulare County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of the city of Visalia in a lawsuit brought against the city by its retirees.
The retirees sought to require the city to pay 100 percent of their city-supported health insurance, claiming that was a policy established many years ago.
However, Judge Patrick O'Hara, in a ruling finalized Tuesday, ruled that the city had no contractual obligation and was not required to either offer health insurance or to pay for that health insurance.
The issue began a couple of years ago when the city began passing health premium increases on to retirees. City Administrative Services Officer Eric Frost said those premiums cost the city about $2.5 million annually. The city is self-insured.
While the retirees, approximately 220 of them, lost their suit, Frost said little will change. He said the city will continue to offer the health coverage and hold rate increases to a minimum.
Visalia provides health coverage to its retirees and for many years – because premiums basically went unchanged – it was not an issue. However, since 2003, as costs soared, the city has looked more critically at those increasing costs, especially in light of dwindling revenues.
Passing those increased costs on to the retirees has been met with expected opposition, with many saying the city promised to not only provide health insurance, but pay for it. However, the city's position is that it only promised to make health insurance available to its retirees, not pay for it.
Judge O'Hara agreed.
“In order for Plaintiff to prevail on any of its causes of action it must show that there was an ordinance or policy adopted by the Visalia City Council by which the City specifically obligated itself to pay all of the costs of a retiree's health care benefits.
Statements by city employees, unless adopted by the City Council, are insufficient to bind the City. The evidence submitted by Plaintiff and by Defendant is sufficient to establish that there was no such ordinance,” he wrote in his tentative ruling.
Frost said there is no winner in the case.
“No one's happy about the fight you go through, but this affirms the city was acting as it should,” he said.
The issue was last before the city council in January when the city proposed increasing the monthly premiums. Despite pleas from several retirees, the council approved raising the rates between $23 and $29 a month, depending on the number of dependants. That increase went into effect the first of this month.
“We feel those actions – past rate hikes – and tonight violate the city's contractual obligations,” Jim Thompson, a retired city employee, told the council in January.
Reasons for candidacy:
“I'm a candidate for the 5th District because the southeastern area of Tulare County has been underserved by my opponent. We have had our health care clinic closed, our Child Welfare Department decimated while having some of the largest needs in the county. Springville, Terra Bella, Ducor and our mountain communities have been all but ignored.
“I have watched my opponent double dip into the taxpayers' money with his health care package, car allotment of $583 per month while still collecting mileage reimbursement including the ride to and from work,
“Their entitlement mentality includes charging the taxpayers for over 200 lunches after their board meetings all the while saying they just discuss what they've done over the weekend. This is not only an in your face attitude, but probably a clear violation of the open meeting laws. They are currently defending their actions in a lawsuit, again using taxpayers' money. The county is in revenue reversal and has no plan for sustaining county services. Their only answer has been either job termination or reduction. If these actions aren't egregious enough, the last straw was their hidden vote on a consent calendar item giving them a near 5 percent raise.
“Because I believe that leaders should lead by example I will reduce my salary by 20 percent and ask the other supervisors to do the same. The current board has taken over 35 properties by eminent domain. I believe in individual property rights and will negotiate without using eminent domain powers.
Short-line rail issue
“I am adamantly opposed to the purchase of a short line railroad with tax payer money. The railroad in question has over 10 miles of abandoned and removed track between Jovista and Bakersfield making this even more costly to the taxpayers. The rail is in such disrepair that only a complete reconstruction would make it useable. It does not have enough users or even potential users to run it at break even let alone a profit, thus a constant drain on the tax base. I believe government should never compete against the private market.
“Our county must have leaders that can take us from our dependence on state pass down money and become self sufficient. Our best opportunity of doing so comes through industrial and commercial development, working well with our incorporated cities. The problem has been the lack of development standards that eventually become the monetary liability on the incorporated cities upon annexation. Together, the city and county can become economically independent from the state. This board and my opponent in the last four years have been at loggerheads with our cities. I understand county concerns and city concerns and will work diligently for the benefit of both. With agriculture as our backbone I will search for and attract those industries that will vertically enhance our communities, such as plastic manufactures of products that carry our farm products to market. It is my belief that as we help create jobs and domestic violence all of which when reduced increase all of our quality of life.”
Budget Pressure
“This board has only had a defensive response to the pressures of reduced revenues, reduction in services, employee layoffs and job reductions. We can do so much more. The first action should be the restructuring of the debt. We were able to do this in Porterville and add money to our revenue while actually reducing our debt payments. We must look at the upper level of the organization where we have overlapping departments serving similar needs and restructure accordingly. If you look at the current make up of just the seven people under the supervisors' budget we are spending more than one million dollars a year just on salary and benefit packages.
“The biggest change I would make is the restructuring of the county departments would allow the CEO to hold his department heads accountable and responsible for not only their budget but the services they supply. I would also try to change the meeting times of the board to enable more of the citizens to participate in the in the meetings. I would try to put forth and ratify a new benefit policy that no longer allows health care insurance to the supervisors if they are enrolled in a policy paid for by their spouse's employer. When travel out of the county is necessary, elected officials should send the least people needed to get the job done. Too much travel to places like Washington D.C. is done for pleasure instead of business. I would open up better communication with the cities and try to stop this ludicrous mentality of lawsuits that have the county is constantly pursuing.”
Background
“I'm married with two children, one deceased and seven grandchildren with one on the way. I have eight years experience in city government serving three as mayor. I'm a small business owner and operator of Hamilton's Automotive until last year when my son took over.
I have a B.A. in accounting from Fresno State University. I served in the U. S. Navy from 1975-1980 and was honorably discharged.
“Community service includes founding board member of Porterville Rescue Mission, Porterville Police Activities League Board member, Sierra District, chairman of the Sequoia Council of Boy Scouts of America and block captain for graffiti abatement.”
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Several individuals and groups, including the Council of Cities, are filing their written comments today on the Tulare County General Plan Update.
Those written comments are part of the public response process that includes public meetings. Two have already been held and at least two more are planned and others could be scheduled, county officials say.
Although legal challenges to the policies and strategies in the county's long-term planning of physical development and overall planning cannot be made until the plan is formally adopted, groups and individuals had their opportunity to weigh in on the massive document during the just completed 60-day public review period that ends today.
The Council of Cities, representing the county's eight incorporated cities, hired legal counsel to help them review the plan. They have told county officials to expect what they termed “a small city phone book” of responses.
Phil Vandergrift, chairman of the council of cities, said the group has finalized its response, noting the document grew from an original 41 pages to 82 pages.
Meanwhile, representatives from the county's Resource Management Agency (RMA) are scheduling presentations to city officials and community leaders.
Sessions have been held in Dinuba and Pixley and two others, June 7 before the Visalia City Council and June 8, before the Lindsay City Council, are scheduled.
Dave Bryant of the county RMA said other sessions may be scheduled in other cities, including unincorporated areas of the county.
The major issues over the formulation of the long-overdue 900-page document have been city-centered growth which cities want and concerns over regulations and planning policies in the Urban Area Boundaries and Urban Development Boundaries. In general, city officials claim the plan gives the county too much control over growth around the boundaries by standardizing development. The plan also focuses on protecting prime agricultural land. County officials contend the policies are aimed at developing rural communities, but also support city-centered growth.
Jean Rousseau, the county chief administrative officer, said he is cautiously optimistic the cities and the county will be able to settle issues unresolved after at least a year and a half.
“We've been able to resolve 80 to 85 percent of the original issues so that shows we have been able to come to agreement,” he said. Rousseau said the study of the comments resulting from the public review period, including those from the cities group, could resolve some of the remaining concerns of the incorporated cities.
With today's closing of the public comment period, county staff will start preparing a final EIR and set a joint workshop of the Board of Supervisors and the Tulare County Planning Commission, Bryant said. After that, he explained, the county will schedule a public hearing before the planning commission. That will be followed by a supervisors' hearing on the commission's recommendation before the board considers final decisions to certify the EIR and adopt the plan.
Two requests for extension of the public review and comment period were rejected by Jake Raper, the RMA director.
Earlier this month, Three Rivers residents Peter and Carole Clum presented two separate letters to county officials citing what they claimed were errors in the executive summary and requesting the 60-day public comment period be restarted.
The other request was made by Del Strange of Tulare, a long-time environmentalist who frequently weighs in on environmental issues.
Strange said he was not properly notified of the issuance of the documents and refused a printed copy of the documents which he said would cost more than $500 to reproduce on a copy machine. Strange said he does not subscribe to newspapers which publish legal notification of the release of the documents and he has no access to a computer enabling him to review the plan and EIR reports. Both request for an extension of the public comment period were denied.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
Work on widening the eastbound off-ramp off of Highway 198 to Central Visalia is slated to begin later this year or early next year. The work will make the busy off-ramp two lanes, easing congestion and the backing up of vehicles onto Highway 198.
The region's jobless rates improved slightly in April, the state reported. The percentage of those out of work in Tulare County dropped to 16.9%, down from 19.4% in March, while in Kings County the jobless rate fell to 16.8%, down from 18.6%. In Visalia, the jobless rate was put at 10.6%, down from 12.3% the previous month. Other city jobless rates: Tulare, 14.5; Porterville, 15.6; Exeter, 11.2; Dinuba, 24.6; Hanford, 14.8 and Lemoore, 14.8.
Several county residents attended the California Public Utility commission's hearing Tuesday on the Southern California Edison high voltage transmission line route. Farmers were joined by PACE, the city of Visalia, Paramount Citrus and others testifying before the commission that will ultimately make the final decision on where the large towers will be placed. An administrative law judge has recommended a route north of Woodlake, while SCE favors a route parallel to Highway 198. Most in the farming community favor a hybrid route that has been rejected so far, but one many still have hope will be the final route the lines will take from the Rector Substation in Visalia to the high-voltage lines along the foothills.
COS was not hit too hard in the Governor's May revision to the 2010-11 state budget. COS President Dr. Bill Scroggins said the budget essentially kept community colleges at the same level of funding as in his initial January proposal. CCCs would be funded for 2.2% growth for serving more students (after being cut 3.39% this year); cost of living adjustment (COLA) would be a negative 0.39% - which is not much, reported Scroggins. The January proposal to cut competitive Cal Grant awards was withdrawn so $45.5 million would be available next year for new student grants and there is no proposal to raise student fees so they will remain at $26 per unit.
Chris Young, who has been Assistant Community Development Director for the city of Visalia, had the assistant dropped from that title by the Visalia City Council last week when it named him the Community Development Director.
More water may be headed to the San Joaquin Valley after a judge concluded that a federal agency acted arbitrarily when it imposed pumping limits to protect migrating salmon and steelhead. The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger is the latest development in a tangle of legal challenges to restrictions based on the Endangered Species Act that are cutting water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Wanger sharply criticized some of the scientific rationale for the pumping curbs, but stopped short of jettisoning them, saying he needed more information before deciding on a cure. The 134-page decision gave something to both sides in the pumping wars, said water policy analysts. Water users have argued the fish protections are too severe, cause economic harm and don't adequately address other factors.
Nearly 4 million Californians are expected to make Memorial Day getaways, a 7.8 percent increase over last year. About 3.3 million will go by car, an 8.3 percent increase over last year, while almost 400,000 are expected to fly – a 4.9 percent increase.
Storms that don't seem to be ending have
allowed the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to increase
its final 2010 State Water Project allocation
to 45 percent of normal. That is far better than the original
allocation of 5 percent of normal, but still appears low
when the snowpack is 160 percent of normal. Wonder where
that extra water is going?
Storms are adding to the snowpack in the local mountains,
or at least they are keeping it from dwindling too fast.
Colder than normal weather, along with light showers have kept the snowpack at Farewell Gap, 9,500-feet above Visalia, at more than 5-feet deep. So far this month, more than 15 inches of snow has fallen at that location, even though rainfall in Visalia has been about a quarter of an inch for the month. Lake Kaweah storage was being held fairly steady at 147,000 acre feet in light of this week's storms. Success Lake above Porterville is fairly steady at 39,000 acre feet, capacity for the reservoir now because of concerns over the safety of the dam.
COS President Dr. Bill Scroggins reported that the governor's budget includes $5 million to remodel the North Wing of the Sequoia Building. The source is unused 1996 state bond funds. Since COS already had funds for the architectural design, the new money will fund the construction costs. The North Wing had previously housed chemistry, physics, engineering, and geology which moved into the John Muir Science Building two years ago.
Valley Oak Credit Union has opened a new branch office at 255 E. King Ave. in Tulare. The building was previously occupied by Westamerica Bank. A weeklong grand opening celebration is planned beginning Tuesday, June 1, through Friday, June 4, including prizes, raffles and special events.
Visalia City Council gave the go ahead for the city to seek grant funding for the Sequoia Shuttle Visitor's Center planned for in front of the Convention Center off of Acequia Avenue, although several council members and two citizens raised concerns as to the project cost of the facility. Councilman Steve Nelsen made it clear that no general fund money should be used for the project.
For the nine months ending March 31, Kaweah Delta Healthcare District reported a consolidated net income of $7.4 million, approximately $5 million in excess of its budgeted net income of $2.3 million.
Visalia - The Plaza Drive interchange and widening project got a funding shot in the arm last week when the state Transportation Department announced $7.8 million for the project.
Adam Ennis, Engineering Services manager for the city, said the money is Tulare County's share of the funds allocated for the Highway 198 widening project from Highway 99 to Hanford.
That project came in several million dollars under bid and local officials had lobbied to have that money stay in the area and not go to some other state project.
Visalia City Manager Steve Salomon said many people worked to keep the funding local, including state Assemblymember Connie Conway.
Ennis said some of the money will be used to add auxiliary lanes on both sides of Highway 198 between Plaza and Highway 99.
He said one lane will allow traffic getting onto Highway 198 from Plaza to stay in the outside lane that will take them onto the northbound Highway 99 on-ramp. The other auxiliary lane will allow traffic coming off of Highway 99 onto Highway 198 to say in the outside lane and exit onto Plaza Drive. He said total cost of that project would be about $1 million.
Ennis said Caltrans had wanted to include the auxiliary lanes for some time, but didn't have the money. Now, the city will take the lead in the project.
“The remainder of the money will get split in half,” said Ennis, with half going to Plaza drive and the other half to displace Measure R money at Shirk and Highway 198 or Akers and Highway 198. He said the money could be used to widen Akers under the freeway, adding an additional lane in each direction. Or, money could be used to improve the Shirk interchange. Ennis said widening of Shirk between the freeway and Goshen Avenue is still a ways off.
Overall, the Plaza project will get about $4.3 million. That will help the city pay for its portion, the widening of Plaza from Hurley to Goshen. The Mangano Company has already made improvements to the roadway between Hurley and Crowley as part of its Plaza Business Park development. A gas station/mini market at Crowley and Goshen should open in a few months.
The city is also awaiting word on a $1.5 million Economic Development Grant that would pay for about 40 percent of the Plaza work from Hurley to Goshen, said city Economic Development and Housing Director Ricardo Noguera. He said that work is critical to the city's industrial park just to the north.
Caltrans is also planning major improvements to the Plaza and Highway 198 interchange and last week's funding announcement should mean that project is now on tap to begin in 2011, about the same time the city begins its work on Plaza Drive.
"Both projects will be done really close to each other,” said Ennis.
The interchange, an estimated $22-25 million project, is being done jointly by Caltrans and the city.
Ennis said the extra funding is welcomed news, especially which allows for the designated Highway 198 lanes that he said are very needed.
By Rick Elkins
Visalia - Fifty feet below the
surface of the San Francisco Bay Kevin Hines realized
he did indeed want to live.
With his legs useless from a 220-foot drop off the San
Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, Hines, then 19, struggled
to get back to the surface. With the help of a sea lion,
he made it and was picked up quickly by a Coast Guard
ship.
Hines is one of more than 2,000 people who have jumped off the bridge in a suicide attempt. He is one of only a handful alive to tell about it.
“I opened my eyes. I was drowning. I prayed, 'God, safe me. Don't let me die,'” he told a crowd of about 750 spellbound people attending the Community of Hope conference on suicide prevention at the Visalia Convention Center Friday.
Once on the surface, Hines said the friendly sea lion helped to keep him above the water. He was taken to a hospital in San Francisco where a doctor who was not even supposed to be on duty, but was, did surgery to save his back and legs. He jumped on stage to show the crowd how well he recovered, but it took many weeks to heal, both physically and emotionally.
Hines, and his co-presenter Dr. Dan Reidenberg,
said that suicide is something that should be talked about,
even reported. Reidenberg said talking about it will help
alleviate the “stigma” often attached to those
who try suicide.
Reidenberg said there are 825,000 suicide attempts every
year in the United States, about 25 attempts for every
suicide. In Tulare County, there have been 23 suicides
already this year, an alarming number when the annual
total is usually in the 30s, said Ray Bullick, Tulare
County director of Emergency Services.
Today, Hines is an attempt survivor, mental health advocate and national public speaker. He has appeared in all major newspapers and People, Times, Newsweek and The New Yorker. Kevin was featured in the film The Bridge and has been on 20/20, Good Morning America and Larry King.
Reidenberg is the executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (S.A.V.E.), a national nonprofit agency working to prevent suicide. He is on the steering committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and is the U.S. representative to the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
They were two of several presenters at the conference. Another presenter during the day-long event was longtime TV actress Patty Duke.
Difficult Childhood
Hines told a compelling story. Born to parents who were drug addicts in San Francisco, he had a terrible early childhood and was eventually taken away from his parents. His brother died at a young age and his biological father was killed in a skirmish with police, he told.
He was lucky when he was adopted by the Hines family. “I was given a life I could not have fathomed – a loving family, a giving family.”
He began to excel in sports and even in the classroom. However, midway through his 17th year he began to become paranoid. It got so bad he began to imagine that the drivers of the post office trucks had a plot to assassinate him and at times he would stand on the street and campaign for president.
“I wouldn't look in a mirror. I was deeply depressed.”
It got worse and he basically ignored his treatment plan, a lesson he said all those feeling depressed should notice. That is, don't igonor your treatment, it will help, he said.
By Sept. 24, 2000, he had decided to take his own life. “I became so depressed I developed a suicidal plan,” he said, even finding on the internet how to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
He told how he tried to write a suicide note – tried eight times – and then denied that he was feeling bad even though his adopted father questioned him several times that morning.
“I lied to him and told him everything was fine.”
After his father dropped him off at the junior college he was attending, he jumped on a bus and headed for the bridge. “I sat in the very back of the bus crying and hoping someone would ask me if I was OK.” When he got to the bridge he said he paced back and forth for nearly 45 minutes before finally jumping off the side.
“You hit the water like a ton of bricks,” he said.
He went through extensive therapy and today has his life in order.”I had to fight. I saw the pain I was causing my family and friends. I made a vow to get well.”
Today, he is happily married and close to his family. “I couldn't be more happy to be alive and well today.”
Hines offered tips in helping people like him. He said first the patient should be told they can get well. “Let them know this is not their future forever.”
He also said people should know they are not alone with their troubles, that there many more out there seeking help.
Reidenberg said for the providers, they should tell their clients they have a mental illness, that they are “not mental illness.” He said they need to know that their illness does not define them, that “it is only a small part of their lives.”
Tulare County - Two experienced lawmen are seeking to be Tulare County Sheriff. One is seeking his first term, the other his fourth term.
John Zapalac is again challenging Bill Wittman for sheriff. The two squared off four years ago, with Wittman winning with 64 percent of the vote in the June race. Wittman ran unopposed in 2002.
Both men have a ton of law enforcement experience. Zapalac served in the Tulare County Sheriff's Office for 14 years before becoming police chief of Woodlake 11 years ago. He began his career in Orange County in 1978.
Wittman began is law enforcement career in the Bay Area in 1968, served many years in the Visalia Police Department before being elected sheriff in 1994.
Both are committed lawmen and both have worked with youth to keep them from a life of crime and gangs. Zapalac began Camp Zap for young kids in Woodlake and surrounding cities, while Wittman formed the TSCO Police Activities League to work with young people.
While the differences are not great, there are differences. Zapalac makes his case with the statement that it is time for a change. He strongly advocates an approach similar to what he has taken in Woodlake to focus working with youth early and steer them away from crime and drugs.
“Look at what we've done in Woodlake. We started 10 years ago targeting our young people and began seeing results three years go. We just need to change the way we do law enforcement. We need to get to young people,” the Woodlake chief said.
While Wittman said doing all his department can to keep youth from going astray of the law, enforcement is still his main focus. He said he will continue to “hammer” the gangs with injunctions and strong enforcement.
Wittman feels he has earned another term.
“I still have a passion for the job. I'm supported by the men and women of the organization. I have the experience to pull the organization through the hard times we still face,” he said, referring to budget challenges. “I have the proper staff and management team to get us through it.”
Zapalac feels it's time for a change.
“The incumbent has been there 16 years and drugs and gang issues have gotten worse – based on county numbers, specifically in the unincorporated areas.”
He said that the suppression-based solution is not working. He said if elected, he would start focusing more on prevention measures. “Community base policing has to be a philosophy,” he said.
Wittman said through good management, the sheriff's office has been able to so far handle budget cuts and has not had to lay off any deputies.
“I don't know of any county or city that's going to hire additional officers this year. We need to be as efficient as we can. When someone calls 911, people still expect to have a deputy there,” he said
He said the department is prepared to take on more prisoners as has been suggested by the governor.
However, “We don't have the resources to put on more deputies. I hope the state has a plan and helps us develop resources to add more staff,” he said. He added that he has developed some good plans, such as a work furlough program, to keep people out of the jails to make room for the more harden criminal.
Zapalac said he will bring a new attitude to the office of sheriff and would be very cooperative with the city police departments. “Having a good attitude goes a long way. Wanting to work with other agencies goes a long way and when the leader sends down the right message – we are here to serve, hear to cooperate - that's the kind of message our county and city leaders need as well. It's all about attitudes,” he said.
Both men agree having enough money to do their jobs is going to be a challenge.
“We have to work harder. There's a level of service I want to provide the people of this county and will need to find resources to continue to do that - like reserves and volunteers (over 500 now),” Wittman said.
Zapalac said the case must be made to the board of supervisors that public safety is a priority. “I will identify where there are shortages in staffing,” he said if elected, then seek the money to fill those positions.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
May 27, 2010
