What you’re saying is not correct. The hospital district is a governmental entity. It was created under state law to provide medical services for the Tulare region. As such, it is part of the government. The hospital board of directors are all elected, just like members of the Assembly, city council, etc. A few years back, the hospital board decided to shut down all day to day medical operations by the government employees and they voted to hand over operations to a private religious medical entity. But the governmental entity (the hospital district) still exists and is responsible to the public for providing medical care. It’s no different than if Tulare schools shut down and handed over education to a local religious school, or if the city shut down and did the same. It’s outrageous. That hospital was created specifically to provide health care, not to be a glorified landlord to a private, religious medical corporation. Anyone who voted to “give away” the hospital should be voted off the board.

My prediction is that the attorneys are next going to go after Mr. Avila sitting on two boards and after that anyone else who is sitting on mulitple boards. It’s wrong that government/political power is concentrated in the hands of just a few. Let’s see how long Mr Avila fights them before he folds up the tent just like Mr. Harrell did.

We know because, in the interest of due diligence, I asked. Our job as journalists is to provide the facts in a coherent narrative structure, not to ponder motivations. What you’re doing here is implying meaning and motivation where you cannot possibly have insight.

The question then becomes: Why are you attempting to reframe this narrative into a fable with a moral? This is just what happened, who did what. There are no good guys and bad guys, just facts.

Barbara. Your pun is insensitive of all the families who lost their loved ones . I was over Vicki breaking the law by illegally serving on the cemetery board once the BOS figured out the truth. However I’m always going to call out the hypocrisy by you and the Valley Voice for protecting Vicki for lying about her domicile. You should be embarrassed that you did that now that the BOS appointed someone else to replace her . It wasn’t an arbitrary decision on their part . You joined in the game being played by calling Steve Presant names for doing his job . The ValleyVoice tried to intimidate a pubic board by posting slanderous negative one sided articles in order to cover up the big lie being told . You should be ashamed of yourself. The results was a overwhelming majority of the people in Tulare could see right thought the lies being told . The ValleyVoice who did a amazing job on the hospital did a horrible job on the cemetery. They did their best to misinform their readers. Thank goodness people saw right though it . I’m never going to be silent about the lies being told . I will not be intimidated by a newspaper with a agenda. I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks of myself. 4 years ago the people of Tulare were complaining about the hospital, the cemetery and the City Council. I have played a direct role in fixing all 3 of those issues. I don’t need any approval from anyone. Expect me to speak up and to get involved when something is wrong in our town . I don’t care what people have to say about me . So you go have a nice day ! I actually like you but you are completely wrong on the cemetery

Ok Barry Caplin

There you go again! I suggest that you get over Vicki Gilson; she’s off the Cemetery Board of which you can thank Vander Poel for doing your bidding; she was sent packing. Why do you keep digging up bones (pun intended)? How very sad that you feel the need to publicly shoot down a widow’s personal loving and touching memory of her deceased husband and his values. You should know better.

an unpleasant truth isn’t “slander.”