What does California have in common with Iowa, New York, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico and New Jersey? They all held primaries today, June 2 – and California was rife with political drama, similar to New York.

There were 61 gubernatorial candidates running in California’s primary. That race has been one of the most watched races in the nation.

After polling swung from two Republicans advancing to the General Election in November, to two Democrats shutting out the Republicans, tonight’s results revealed that it will most likely be – as of publication time – Republican Steve Hilton with 26.9% of the vote and Democrat Xavier Becerra with 25.75% of the vote advancing to the November General Election.

Democrat Tom Steyer, as of 11:30pm, is in third place with 19.8%. As of publication time, final results were not available.

Locally, it was a three way race for Tulare County District 4 Supervisor between Ian Bakke, Rudy Mendoza and incumbent Eddie Valero.

Bakke is chief operating officer at Bakke Ag Services and a resident of Visalia. Mendoza is the mayor of Woodlake, a small business owner, and CEO of an agricultural company.

District 4 includes the unincorporated communities of Badger, Cutler-Orosi, Elderwood, Goshen, Ivanhoe, London, Monson-Sultana, Seville, Three Rivers, Traver, and Yettem. The cities represented in District 4 include Dinuba, Woodlake, and a small portion in the northwest corner of Visalia.

With 85.7% of the ballots counted it is likely that Valero with 45.93%, and Bakke with 38.11%, will battle it out on November 3.

Mendoza received 15.96 as of Tuesday night. If one of the candidates had garnered 50% of the vote, plus one additional vote, there would not be a runoff.

Valero expressed his gratitude about the primary results.

“I’m grateful and humbled by the support we’ve received across District 4. Tonight’s results reflect the hard work of so many volunteers, supporters, and community members who believe in the progress we’ve made together and the work still ahead. While votes are still being counted, I’m encouraged by the trust voters have placed in our campaign, and I remain committed to serving every community in District 4 with the same energy, accessibility, and dedication that have guided me over the last eight years,” he said.

“We’re extremely proud of Ian Bakke’s performance tonight. It’s noteworthy that a majority of the district voted against the incumbent, Eddie Valero, and our team is confident Ian will win this fall,” Connie Conway, Tulare County Republican Party Chairwoman, commented.

California’s congressional District 22, along with our gubernatorial race, is also being watched by the rest of the country.

Incumbent David Valadao is the last Republican Representative left in Washington who voted to impeach Trump out of the original ten in 2019.

Congressional District 22 serves parts of Kern, Kings, Tulare, and Fresno. With 74% of the votes counted Valadao is certain to advance to the General Election with 44.2% of the vote.

After a bruising battle between the two Democrats Candidates Jasmeet Bains and Randy Villegas it is too close to call as of 11:00pm, with Bains receiving 26.1% to Villegas’ 29.7%.

Over in Congressional District 20 – which includes Bakersfield, Clovis, Visalia, Tulare, Hanford, and the southern Sierra Nevada and is currently held by Republican Representative Vince Fong – two of the four candidates running were No Party Preference and received less than two percent of the vote each.

With 75% of the vote counted, Fong has 69.4% to Democrat Sandra Van Scotter’s 27.7%. Both will go on to the general election.

Congressional District 21 features the majority of Fresno, the north side of Visalia, and all of Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg, Parlier, Reedley, Orange Cove, Dinuba, Orosi, Cutler, Farmersville, Woodlake, and Exeter.

With only 21.4% of the vote counted, incumbent Jim Costa had a comfortable lead and will most likely be proceeding to the General Election. Republican Kyle Kirkland was currently in second place.

California State Senate District 16 represents Bakersfield, Visalia (northern portion), Hanford, Porterville, Tulare, Delano. As of 11:00pm 83% of the ballots had been counted and incumbent Democrat Melissa Hurtado had 36.1% to Republican Guillermo Gonzalez’ 49.5%. Manpreet Kaur, Vice Mayor of Bakersfield, was a distant third.

California State Senate 12 covers Fresno, Kern, and Tulare, covering cities Clovis, Exeter, Maricopa, Ridgecrest, Taft, and Tehachapi and parts of Visalia and Tulare. With 65% of the ballots counted Nathan Magsig has a comfortable lead with 62% of the vote. Libertarian William Brown is in second with 24.7%.

With 67.5% of the vote counted former State Senator from Bakersfield Republican Shannon Grove leads the other four candidates with 36.1% of the vote for State Board of Equalization District 1. In second place is Democrat Nelson Esparza 30.3%.

Vote-By-Mail Ballots returned by mail, in order to be counted, must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections offices by June 9, 2026.

The last day for county elections officials to certify election results is July 2, 2026.

The post Much anticipation, but few surprises, in California’s June 2 Primary appeared first on Valley Voice.

A month ago it appeared two Republicans in this heavily Democrat registered state might advance to the November General Election. Now it is more likely that two Democrats will advance, but we won’t know until tomorrow night!

California also has one of the most hotly contested Congressional seats in the country, District 22, held by Representative David Valadao.

But the primary election drama swirling around District 22 doesn’t involve Valadao.

Striking political attack ads have been exchanged between the two Democrats hoping to contest Valadao in the November General election, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, from Bakersfield and Randy Villegas, Visalia Unified School District Trustee.

Bains ads claim that Villegas, in his capacity as a VUSD trustee, has covered up the abuse of minors who were sexually assaulted by school district staff over the past several decades. In fact, Villegas was one of five trustees who voted on a VUSD settlement agreement. The minors and their parents have requested to maintain their privacy, as is usual in these cases.

The Villegas campaign claims that AIPAC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has spent $500,000 on attack ads and that AIPAC is a controversial Republican-backed, pro-Israel super PAC that is quietly intervening in the CA-22 primary. Villegas’ campaign claims the Republican political machine is funding Bains because they believe she would be the weaker candidate against Valadao.

Many other local elections are on the ballot Tuesday night so get out and vote!

The more local the elected office the more your vote counts! Some elections have been decided by two or three votes.

Post Office or Official Drop Off Box?

The California Secretary of State Website informs voters, “Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received not later than 7 days after Election Day.” But the Secretary of State also says, “To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day make sure to mail it at least five days before Election Day.”

For those who have not yet voted the most secure way to make your vote counts is to put your ballot in one of the many official ballot drop boxes. Official Ballot Drop Boxes will be available 24 hours a day through 8:00 PM on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Below is a list of drop box locations in Tulare and Kings Counties. This list is also included with your mail-in ballot

Government Plaza            5951 S Mooney Blvd        Visalia

Visalia Branch Library      200 W Oak Ave  Visalia

Tulare Public Library        475 N M St          Tulare

Tulare Senior Citizen Center          201 N F St            Tulare

City Recycle Drop Off & CNG Fuel Station (Recycling Area)               555 N Prospect St             Porterville

Porterville City Transit Center (Service Drive)          61 W Oak Ave     Porterville

Lindsay City Hall 150 N Mirage Ave             Lindsay

Farmersville City Hall       909 W Visalia Rd               Farmersville

Exeter City hall   137 N F St            Exeter

Woodlake City Hall          350 N Valencia Blvd         Woodlake

Dinuba City Hall 405 E EL Monte Wy          Dinuba

Visalia Courthouse Rose Garden (East Parking Lot)              221 S Mooney Blvd          Visalia

Strathmore Branch Library            19646 Road 230 Strathmore

Ivanhoe Branch Library   15964 Heather Ave          Ivanhoe

Tulare Akers Professional Center 5300 W Tulare Ave           Visalia

Kings County:

Commission on Aging / Senior Center  10953 14th Ave., Armona

Avenal Branch Library  501 E. Kings St., Avenal

Corcoran Area Transit / Amtrak Station  1099 Otis Ave., Corcoran

Hanford High School  120 E. Grangeville Blvd., Hanford

Home Garden Community Services District Office  11677 2nd Pl., Hanford

Kings County Elections Office (Walk-up box) 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Hanford

Kings County Government Center (Drive-up box) 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Hanford

Central Union Elementary School 15783 18th Ave., Lemoore

Lemoore College – Student Union Building  555 College Ave., Lemoore

Lemoore Masonic Lodge  647 W. Bush St., Lemoore

Lemoore Parks and Rec. Department  721 W. Cinnamon Dr., Lemoore

The post Election Day is Tomorrow!! appeared first on Valley Voice.

Residents of Goshen and northern Tulare County came to meet and question their potential future Tulare County Supervisor at a forum for those seeking the Tulare County District 4 supervisorial seat.

The forum was hosted by the Tulare County League of Women Voters and took place in the Community Center of the Goshen Village I apartments. For an hour and a half candidates responded to questions from the league and the audience.

District 4 includes the unincorporated communities of Badger, Cutler-Orosi, Elderwood, Goshen, Ivanhoe, London, Monson-Sultana, Seville, Three Rivers, Traver, and Yettem. The cities represented in District 4 include Dinuba, Woodlake, and a small portion in the northwest corner of Visalia.

Candidates Ian Bakke and Rudy Mendoza participated in the forum. Incumbent Eddie Valero, who lives in Orosi, was unable to participate due to a prior commitment.

Bakke is chief operating officer at Bakke Ag Services and a resident of Visalia. Mendoza is the mayor of Woodlake, a small business owner, and CEO of an agricultural company.

The two candidates with the most votes in the June 2 primary will advance to the general election on November 4.

Doors opened at 6:00 p.m. for an informal meet and greet and the forum began at 6:30 p.m.

Sponsors for the evening were the League of Women Voters of Tulare County, the American Association of University Women, the Tulare County League of Mexican American Women, the Valley Voice, and the Sun-Gazette.

The candidates answered questions about animal control, impacts to health coverage and services due to the Big Beautiful Bill, water quality in rural communities, AI’s impact, and bear proof trash cans in Three Rivers – among others.

Bakke told the crowd in response to a question regarding agriculture, farming, and water usage, that “We [Tulare County] are California.” Mendoza concurred, adding that the San Joaquin Valley produces 25% of the food supply in the entire country and that we are the number one dairy producing region in the country.

The two candidates differed though on how they would have handled the Tulare County Supervisors’ vote on bear proof trash cans for Three Rivers.

Mendoza said that he wants to protect the human community and protect wildlife but felt the supervisors had not done their homework on the issue. The new containers will raise Three Rivers’ residents’ garbage bill by 30%. He said he would have voted no on the mandate.

Bakke said that there should have been better communication on why the county was doing what they were doing. He said that the public and supervisors had a heated discussion during the public hearing and that the tourists were taking the blame for the bears. But he said many other counties have successfully used the bear-proof containers and he would have voted yes.

The issue of animal control in both candidates’ hometowns is a daunting issue.

Mendoza said “the answer is eluding us right now.”

Woodlake is being proactive on the issue and is actually holding a spay and neuter clinic this weekend, he said – but he would rather that money go to parks and recreation for the betterment of their residents.

Bakke said the three animal control officers that work for Tulare County do a great job but, “why not add one more?”

They also differed on the question of whether Cutler-Orosi should incorporate and become a city.

Mendoza said it was a difficult process but that the county should give Cutler-Orosi the tools to try. His hometown Woodlake is the smallest incorporated city in the county.

Bakke did not agree that the area should be incorporated, because the costs of taking on fire protection, a police force, and road repair would be prohibitive.

He said that Cutler-Orosi is the largest unincorporated community in California – but he would not encourage it to apply for city status.

For the question “How can supervisors do a better job of keeping county residents informed about county issues?” Bakke responded, “Be one with the people. Show up and talk with the people. This is Tulare County. We are all family.”

Mendoza replied, “I believe in meaningful presence. Be as accessible as you can. He added that it doesn’t matter what race you are or political party you agree with, “My job is to represent everyone.”

The post Candidates tackle the important issues facing District 4 at Tulare County Supervisor Forum appeared first on Valley Voice.

Rivas was elected in November 2024 to represent District 3.

“Every elected official and public employee who makes or influences governmental decisions is required to submit a Statement of Economic Interest, also known as the Form 700,” the FPPC’s website states.

Elected officials list their economic interests such as real estate in Schedule B on the 700 Form.

FPPC rules state that elected officials “must report interests in real property located in your agency’s jurisdiction in which you, your spouse or registered domestic partner, or your dependent children had a direct, indirect, or beneficial interest totaling $2,000 or more any time during the reporting period. Real property is also considered to be ‘within the jurisdiction’ of a local government agency if the property or any part of it is located within two miles outside the boundaries of the jurisdiction.”

Rivas owns a home in Porterville on San Lucia — and 1.45 miles from the boundary of District 3 — worth approximately $330,000.

Rivas declared under penalty of perjury on his form 700 that he had no economic interest in District 3 or within 2 miles of District 3. But his wife, friends, business associates and property records all confirm he does own the house in District 2.

Even after being made aware that he had to disclose his home to the FPPC, Rivas did not amend his Form 700.

At the December 16 Porterville City Council meeting, Neeley gave Rivas a packet that instructed how he could amend his 700 form.

“That’s a Form 700 packet. You are required on Schedule B to list your property on San Lucia. It’s not listed,” Neeley said.

“I am giving you 15 days to amend that. If in 15 days I don’t see an amended one posted I am filing a complaint with the FPPC. It is probably going to cost you $5000 and your seat.”

Cole Smith, an investigator for the FPPC, said Rivas was informed of the complaint five days after their office received it and that the complaint was still under review.

He stated the penalty for perjury on Form 700 can range from $5000 per offense to just a warning, depending on the violation and prior offenses.

Rivas neglected to list his house on two Form 700s for 2024 and 2025, but Smith was not clear if that counted as two violations.

Rivas’ possible justification for not declaring his house might stem from the fact that elected officials are not required to declare their personal residences. The FPPC website states officials are not required to report “a residence, such as a home or vacation cabin, used exclusively as a personal residence.”

Greg Shelton, a close associate of Rivas, called the Valley Voice last December and said Rivas did in fact live with his wife on San Lucia Ave in District 2.

The Voice reached out to Rivas by phone and email but he did not respond.

According to the California code 36502, an elected official that does not live in the city limits or the district one represents during the term causes an immediate vacancy of their seat.

The Voice reached out to the Tulare County Districts Attorney’s office to inquire if they were investigating allegations that Rivas was not truthful in stating his residence in order to run for a district 3, which is a crime.

“As is our longstanding policy, we do not discuss whether an investigation is proceeding or not. Often, matters of election integrity are handled by the Secretary of State or the Fair Political Practices Commission, which then refers to the California Attorney General,” Stuart Anderson, Communication Director for the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, said.

But if Rivas did mislead officials about his residential address, he may have found a loophole in the system. The Secretary of State and FPPC do not have an investigative arm to check if candidates or elected officials live where they say they do.

Michelle Baldwin from the Tulare County Registrar of voters said her office checks to see if the candidate is registered in the district in which they are running, but that they don’t have the resources to confirm if the candidate actually lives where they say they do.

Baldwin said it’s based on the honor system.

“We have to trust that the candidate is telling the truth.”

The post California FPPC complaint filed against Porterville councilmember AJ Rivas appeared first on Valley Voice.

When the Avenal City Council was faced with a deadline to respond to a lawsuit alleging Brown Act violations at its December 11 meeting, and to set a date for a recall election, the council took decisive action – they didn’t show up.

Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle, whose district includes Avenal, attended the meeting and was shocked to see only one city council member at the dais.

Council Member Ricardo Verdugo was the only member to attend the meeting. He is also the only member not subject to the recall.

Regular council meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:15pm.

Mayor Alvaro Preciado told FOX26 News that the meeting had been canceled because several members could not attend for personal reasons. Preciado said that the cancellation was posted on the city’s Facebook page an hour before the meeting.

“The Avenal City Council meeting was adjourned due to lack of quorum. The next meeting will be on January 8, 2026 at 5:15 PM,” a post on the City of Avenal’s Facebook page read – on December 11 at 4:59pm, 15 minutes before the meeting started.

“I have never in my 18 years in office seen a city council where 4 out of 5 councilmembers did not attend their publicly noticed council meeting. Even the city manager & city clerk failed to show up. Why wouldn’t the staff show up? Someone has to be there to see that there isn’t a quorum and to therefore adjourn the meeting. How do you adjourn a meeting that has not even been opened up?” Valle asked on his Facebook.

Preciado responded to Valle’s post in the comment section.

“For the record meeting was canceled that day before the meeting….It was announced on CITY’S website and on other social media websites….. Council Member verdugo (sic) knew of meeting being canceled but decided to still show up to instigate confrontation,” he wrote.

Lupe Villa, the Kings County Registrar of Voters, announced on November 21 that the signatures had been validated for the recall and that certificates of sufficiency would be presented at the Avenal City Council meeting on Dec. 11, 2025.

Villa attended the December 11 meeting to give a brief PowerPoint presentation and serve the council with the documents – but the meeting was cancelled.

Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker said that the December 11 meeting was also the council’s last opportunity to remedy their Brown Act violations.

“The Brown Act gives us a very short window to file a complaint if the city council does not comply with the law,” said Hacker.

The complaint was filed December 19, 2025.

Villa attended the January 8, 2026 city council meeting and successfully served the city’s governing body recall papers for Mayor Alvaro Preciado and council members Leticia Gamez, Pablo Hernandez, and David Reynosa.

Kings County District Attorney Files Complaint alleging Brown Act Violations

In response to complaints from concerned residents, Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker sent a letter to the City of Avenal in the Spring of 2025 outlining the alleged Brown Act violations and asked them to rectify the issue.

The Brown Act is a California law that restricts what can be discussed in closed session to personnel issues, litigation, real estate negotiations, and labor discussions.

She followed up with a cease and desist letter instructing them to stop discussing plans and funding to create a city fire station in closed session.

“The government code does not give an exemption to discuss the formation of a fire department in closed session,” said Hacker. “The city made no good faith effort to discontinue the violations.”

Avenal currently pays the Kings County Fire Department for their services, but the council and city manager have complained about the cost – claiming they were coerced into signing a contract that they did not agree with.

The complaint alleges 10 Brown Act violations:

On April 9, 2025, the City entered into a Consultant Agreement with Hector Marin regarding the establishment of a volunteer organization and/or a municipal fire department, without any notice to the public or opportunity to be heard, violating the Brown Act’s open meeting and agenda requirements. 

On May 16, 2025, the City notified the County of Kings of its intent to establish its own Volunteer Fire Department and to transition away from the Kings County Fire Department; the City proposed a month-to-month agreement with the County effective July 1, 2025, aiming to launch a Volunteer Fire Department by August 1, 2025, apparently without prior agenda notice or public hearing. 

 On May 19, 2025, the City announced via press release and Facebook its plan to launch a Volunteer Fire Department, including hiring an Interim Fire Chief and recruiting and training volunteers, without prior agenda notice or deliberation in open session, again bypassing statutory public process. 

On May 22, 2025, the City agendized Resolution 2025-31 to authorize initiation of a City-operated Volunteer Fire Department; the Council tabled the resolution after public comment. 

On June 16, 2025, Mayor Preciado stated that no decision had been made and that the City Council was only exploring options, confirming that deliberations regarding fire services were occurring behind closed doors and without proper agenda disclosure or public participation 

On June 19, 2025, at a Town Hall meeting, City officials disclosed they had hired a fire consultant, despite the hiring occurring approximately two months earlier via contract with Mr. Marin, reflecting action taken outside open session. 

On June 19, 2025, the City received an invoice for fire equipment totaling $442,441.58 for multiple fire apparatus purchases; those public expenditures, supporting a new fire department, were made without prior public notice, evidencing decisions made behind closed doors. 

Between June 22 and June 26, 2025, the City twice announced on Facebook that it was no longer pursuing a primarily volunteer-based model, reflecting material policy decisions and reversals made without agenda notice, public deliberation, or vote. 

On July 1, 2025, Plaintiff sent correspondence to the City expressing concern that the City appeared to have decided to create a municipal fire department and requested documentation of Brown Act compliance. The District Attorney specifically flagged apparent decisions to create a municipal fire department; the City replied on July 8, 2025, that no decision had been made and any decision would occur at a noticed meeting; yet on July 7 and July 22, 2025, the City advanced a proposed FY 2025–2026 budget listing $1,101,000 for fire contract services and minimal miscellaneous expenses, with professional services marked “-,” obscuring earlier consultant and equipment commitments, which were later ratified on September 11, 2025. 

On July 9, 2025, during a Special City Council meeting, the City discussed the potential formation of a municipal fire department as part of budget review and planning. 

At the cancelled December 11 meeting, the agenda listed item #10 under New Business states, “Consider Re-Ratification of Prior Actions Related to Establishing the Avenal Municipal Fire Department (Discussion/Action).”

Hacker said that ratifying prior actions and expenditures discussed in closed session would not have remedied prior alleged Brown Act violations.

“The city council never fixed those problems before the expiration date, so the Kings County District Attorney’s office was obligated under California code to file the lawsuit,” she said.

“The Complaint has nothing to do with the proposed fire department. It has to do with transparency,” she added.

Hacker said that even if it were appropriate to discuss a fire department in closed session,  the item should be properly agendized – which it was not, she claims.

The council would also be required to report out what happened in closed session and any vote taken – which she says didn’t happen either.

Violations of the Brown Act have happened before, Hacker said, but “most of the time one letter to the governing agency resolves it.”

In an interview with FOX26 News, Mayor Preciado said, “I can say 100% it is not true. We are 100% sure we have not violated any law.”

Preciado told FOX26 News that everything concerning the fire station was approved in open session.

Avenal’s City Manager Anthony Lopez said in a phone interview that during the September 11 city council meeting they ratified a resolution in open session that approved expenditures for purchasing the fire equipment for the fire department.

Lopez said that resolved the alleged Brown Act violations. Hacker disagrees.

“The September 11 resolution did not address the problem of discussing the fire department in closed session,” she said.

In addition, the September resolution was after the alleged dates of violation listed in the complaint, from April 9 to  July 9.

This reporter asked Lopez how the city council could vote on ratifying the purchase of fire equipment for a fire department they supposedly had never discussed.

Lopez said the city had three town halls during the summer of 2025 where a fire department was discussed. He said the council also discussed creating a city fire department in open session during the city’s often tense negotiations with Kings County fire services about their contract.

Lopez said that he could not “comment on what was said or not said in closed session” when asked about whether the city council ever discussed a fire department in closed session.

The Brown Act states that city councils cannot discuss issues concerning unless they are properly agendized.

Impromptu items cannot be discussed during open session because concerned citizens would have had no notification to attend the meeting. When issues come up for discussion during a city council meeting that are not on the agenda, the city manager or city attorney usually stops the discussion and advises the council to place it on the next meeting’s agenda so those concerned citizens can be present.

Four of five city council members face recall in spring

Also on the December 11, 2025 agenda was item #6, “Special Presentation by Kings County Election Department, Registrar of Voters: Lupe Villa. (Discussion/Action).”

Villa attended the December 11 meeting to present a PowerPoint and serve the city council  the Certificates of Recall Petition Sufficiency for the four council members.

City Manager Lopez said that Villa tried to serve him the certificates but that, according to the election code, the recall documents have to be served to the governing body at a “duly noted meeting.” Because four of the five city council members were not there Villa could not serve the council.

“The papers need to be presented to the governing body,” said Lopez.

Villa was successful at their January 8 meeting. According to election code the city council has 14 days to call the election.

Villa said, “The standard recall election timeline is to hold the election not less than 88 days nor more than 125 days after the date the election is called. If the Council does not call for the election by January 28 the Registrar of Voters will then have 5 days to call the election.”

According to Villa’s power point, 646 signatures were submitted to recall Mayor Preciado. Of those, 526 were valid, 83 disqualified, and 37 were not checked. For Gamez, 642 signatures were submitted, 526 verified, 85 disqualified and 31 were not checked. For Hernandez 649 signatures were submitted, 526 verified, 78 disqualified and 45 not checked. For Reynosa 648 were submitted, 532 verified, 82 disqualified and 34 not checked.

Villa said that once they verify the required number of signatures there is no need to keep verifying.

According to Villa there are about 2200 registered voters in Avenal. To qualify for the recall ballot petitioners had to collect 526 valid signatures for each council member. Voters could sign all four petitions if they so chose. Avenal elects their council members in at-large elections and not by district.

Villa said each signature goes through a rigorous verification process. In order to determine if the signature qualifies, Villa said they check to see if the person is registered, if they have a valid address and if their signature on their registration card matches the petition.

In an interview with Your Central Valley.com Avenal residents Ginger Wallis and Dalila Barajas said they kicked off their recall efforts in June 2025.

Wallis told the news outlet, “It just seems like they’re not listening to what the community has to say. And if we feel that they’re making a mockery of us.”

During the January 8 meeting the city manager and mayor questioned the Villa’s authority to call an election. They also questioned the validity of the signatures saying that some voters were coerced to sign the petition.

Lopez said, “We will be working with our city lawyer to review the validity of the recall.”

The post Avenal City Council faces recall, accusations of Brown Act violation appeared first on Valley Voice.

College football surprisingly didn’t lose its passion this year even with NIL and the transfer portal, social media survived an onslaught of “rage bait,” and Boomers endured the GenZ stare.

2026 ushers in big unknowns as the world wrangles with AI and the nation waits to see what effect Trump’s tariffs and immigration raids have on the economy. 2026 is also our country’s 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Let’s hope our democracy survives for 250 more.

The top ten

Being a part of the top stories of the year usually is not a list you want to be on, but the number one article for 2025 was actually feel good story. The City of Visalia is building a huge park – proving the Field of Dreams movie’s motto “if you build it they will come.”

The remaining nine stories are a bit more gritty with common themes of justice denied, but also justice served as it relates to those in position of power being held accountable.

1. City quietly constructing Visalia’s largest park

Valley Voice writer Dave Adalian wrote that a new park will exceed the size of Mooney Grove, the popular county-maintained, all-purpose recreation spot that currently covers 100 acres of mostly undisturbed valley oak forest. The new largest will be the East Side Regional Park which will cover 148 acres when it’s completed. Even though only a small section is completed the park is hugely popular with the parking lot often overflowing.

And it’s about as far on the other side of town from Mooney Grove as it can be. It will sit just to the north of Highway 198 on the Mineral King Avenue frontage road. Eventually, it will cover most of the property between Road 152 and about Road 148 – which currently does not extend north of Highway 198. And the park will someday extend all the way north to Houston Avenue. That’s more than a mile away. This park is going to be enormous.

2. Porterville Police Department Chief, Assistant on stress leave

On October 17, it was announced, “Chief Castellow will be on medical leave for an undetermined period of time.” On November 4 it was announced that Assistant Chief Barteau, who was acting in the capacity of Chief of Police, “will be on medical leave for an undetermined amount of time.”

Not coincidently, in September, a Valley Voice article detailed sexual harassment, retaliation, and racial discrimination contained in a lawsuit against the Porterville Police Department. It was speculated that the lawsuit and article contributed to Barteau and Castellow’s decision to take stress leave.

One source familiar with the Porterville PD said that Barteau and Castellow are at-will employees and alleges there won’t be a job waiting for either of them when they are ready to come back. According to the source, both men will most likely have to medically retire.

3. Family of man who died untreated in ER sues Kaweah Health

The family of Erick Burger Sr. filed suit that claims inaction on the part of emergency department (ED) personnel led to his death October 1, 2023. Burger had arrived via ambulance with severe symptoms of a heart attack after calling 911 to report a malfunctioning pacemaker. But according to a state investigation, the two nurses who should have taken immediate charge of the patient when he arrived at the Kaweah Health ED instead ignored the man as he gasped for breath in their presence. The health district has denied the families’ claims.

4. Two former Porterville Police officers file discrimination, sexual harassment suits

Former Porterville Police Officers, Ana Isabel Moreno and Anthony Luckey, filed suit in federal court against their former employer, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, racial discrimination, and violations of their constitutional rights. The cases name both the City of Porterville and Police Lieutenant Bruce Sokoloff as the primary defendants.

The suit states, “The Porterville Police Department (“PPD”) and the City of Porterville have a significant problem that they bitterly refuse to acknowledge and correct. The highest rungs of PPD leadership are composed of a ‘boys’ club’ of male officers, including current Chief Jake Castellow, who have for years violated the rights of the female police officers, violated the rights of male officers who spoke up for those female officers, and even violated the rights of female citizens. When these female officers or their male allies have spoken up, formally or informally, men like Chief Castellow and Assistant Chief Dominic Barteau and numerous others have rallied around the violators and orchestrated the firing of the complainants and the ruining of their careers.”

5. Tulare Public Cemetery District manager fired today at special meeting

For years, family members of loved ones buried in Tulare Cemetery and former TPCD board members complained that Bernardo was grossly mismanaging the cemetery through excessive spending, poor maintenance of the grounds and reason for several lawsuits Yet, the majority of the cemetery’s board supported Bernardo. At one point, then-board member Charlie Ramos was heard on a recording calling some of Bernardo’s critics “a cult.”

It took the Tulare County Board of Supervisors (BOS) taking over the district, an event that has rarely happened in California, to address Bernardo’s mismanagement. Even after taking over TPCD, the BOS defended Bernardo, preferring to blame former members of the board and public for the district’s problems.

But allegedly when one more lawsuit came to light threatening the district’s insurance coverage, the BOS faced the music and fired Bernardo on October 30.

Josh McMullen, the former employee who was about to file the suit, said he could confirm Bernardo committed fraud in at least one instance and was mismanaging the district.

 “The only thing I saw her do when I went into the office was eat and watch TV,” he claimed. “Then Clara would get up every once in a while to look out the window to see if a Director was coming.”

6. Whistleblowing VPD officer claims department uses illegal ticketing quotas

Five high-ranking officers of the Visalia Police Department (VPD), including Police Chief Jason Salazar, were accused of maintaining an illegal traffic citation quota system and retaliating against officers who objected to the unlawful action. The allegations come from VPD officer Donald Huard, who claims he and another officer were punished repeatedly for refusing to participate in the scheme. Huard claims he was punished for reporting other incidents of wrongdoing by fellow officers, as well. 

The lawsuit said the quota system that required traffic officers to make at least five stops during which they were to issue at least 10 citations – a practice known as “double-tapping” – has been in place at the VPD since at least January 2024. Such quota systems are prohibited by the California Vehicle Code.

7. Former TCSO sergeant accused of filming female Porterville Police officer in jail bathroom

A former Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) sergeant assigned to the South County Detention Center in Porterville allegedly tried and failed to record a female officer of the Porterville Police Department as she used the facility’s bathroom in the spring of this year, according to court records.

A statement of probable cause filed April 4, 2025 with the District Attorney’s Office alleges former Tulare County deputy Michael Martins admitted attempting to film a female officer of the Porterville Police in a state of partial undress when she visited a staff bathroom at the Porterville South Valley Detention Facility where Martins worked

According to officials with the sheriff’s office, Martins resigned from his position within hours of being accused and is no longer employed by the county.

8. Visalia Police captain arrested for alleged embezzlement has history of collections cases

Visalia Police Captain Luma Fahoum was arrested and charged with embezzlement from the department – but court records show she faced financial trouble for more than two decades.

Court records show collections agencies and financial institutions filing collections suits against Fahoum since 2000, but she was placed in a position to allegedly steal almost $50,000 from the Visalia Police Department’s Explorers program between 2017 and 2023, according to charges by the Tulare County District Attorney’s office.

Even with court records showing Fahoum had six lawsuits filed against her demanding payment, she continued to rise in the ranks of the Visalia Police Department all the while, achieving the rank of Captain in 2021. A legal expert in debt collections said,“cases like these are like DUIs. When a person is finally pulled over for drunk driving they have been driving drunk for a long time. And If someone has six collections claims that actually make it to court, there are twenty more that didn’t.”

9. Neighbors, city, say Tulare group home is out of control

A Tulare group home for girls and young women aged 11-21 has allegedly been a nexus for reports of fights, underage intoxication, vandalism, and sexual trafficking of minors by minors, according to the City of Tulare. City officials are now trying to shut it down, at least temporarily, after the home was the subject of 100 police calls for service in a four month period.

The home is located in the Del Lago neighborhood of Tulare, nestled between family homes. Tulare City Attorney Mario Zamora filed a Complaint for Nuisance Abatement against the home’s operators and the property’s owner on October 21, which could potentially shut down the facility until its inhabitants can be controlled.

According to records provided by the City of Tulare, the home has been the subject of 100 police calls for service between June 29 and October 17, 2025. The vast majority of police calls to the home are for missing persons – and most occur between 7PM and 12AM. State regulations allow the home to have only one staff member present between 10PM to 7AM.

Calls for “Disturbing the Peace” were another major category, with sixteen logged.

10. Kaweah Health whistleblower says he was fired for revealing details of patient’s death to surviving family

A lack of transparency pushed former Kaweah Health employee Kevin Barnes to knowingly violate his confidentiality agreement, he said. Barnes, a former unit secretary at the Kaweah Health Medical Center Emergency Department said he was fired from his job after revealing to surviving family members how a 60-year-old patient died as result of willful inaction by the medical staff.

The family of Erick Burger Sr. filed suit that claims inaction on the part of emergency department personnel led to Burger’s death the October 1, 2023. The family filed suit after being contacted by Barnes.

He said he felt morally and ethically obligated to inform the community when no one else would.

“I knew I needed to say something,” Barnes said. “Someone died.”

The post Valley Voice’s top stories of 2025 appeared first on Valley Voice.

Concerned Porterville residents claim that when Rivas filed to run for city council last year in District 3, it was widely known that he actually lived in District 2 on San Lucia Ave. Those people who have spoken to the Valley Voice have asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

According to property records, Rivas and his wife Alice have owned their home on San Lucia in District 2 for decades. Their daughter, Adrianna, owns a home on Date Street in District 3.

District 2 is represented by Mayor Greg Meister, and was not up for election in 2024.

Rivas beat challenger Timothy Vanni in the November 2024 election for District 3 by only 5 votes, according to Ballotopedia.

A candidate has to live in the district they represent – not just visit

On Sunday, November 30, this reporter knocked on the door of Rivas’ home on San Lucia.

His wife Alice Rivas answered and, upon opening, I asked if AJ was home.

Alice said that AJ lives on Date Street, in his district. I then identified myself as from the Valley Voice and asked if he owned the home. Alice said she and AJ own the home but that he lived with his daughter on Date Street in his district.

The next day, December 1, former Porterville City Council member Greg Shelton called sounding annoyed.

“AJ wants to know why someone from the Valley Voice went to where he lived,” he said. Shelton and Rivas are close associates.

I responded that I went to Rivas’ house because his constituents had reason to believe that he did not live in his district.

Shelton confirmed that AJ did in fact live with his wife on San Lucia Ave. I informed Shelton that San Lucia is in District 2 which disqualifies Rivas from serving in District 3. Shelton responded by saying some people have multiple homes, and that what defines residency is where a person is registered to vote.

Not so, says Tulare County Registrar of Voters, Michelle Baldwin.

Baldwin said that to qualify to run in a city council district, the candidate has to be registered in that district and live in the district for which they are running.

Baldwin said that Rivas changed his voter registration in May of 2024. She could not reveal the address but it is known that Rivas changed his registration address from his home on San Lucia to that of his daughter’s home on W. Date Ave located in District 3.

“It says right on the City of Porterville’s election website,” Baldwin said, “in order to be eligible to hold any elective office, city council members elected to represent a district must reside in that district and be a registered voter in that district.  Further, any candidate for City Council must reside in, and be a registered voter in, the district in which they seek election at the time nomination papers are issued.”

When asked for the official definition of living in the district, Baldwin said, “living in the district.”

She said the registrar’s office checks to see if the candidate is registered in the district in which they are running, but that they don’t have the resources to confirm if the candidate actually lives where they say they do.

According to a local lawyer who specializes in elections, it is against the law to register to vote at an address that is not your home.

“A voter can’t just visit a residence, no matter how often, and then change their registration to that address,” he said.

Candidates also verify their residence on Form 501, “Candidate Intention Statement.”

According to the Fair Political Practices Commission, “The verification is signed under penalty of perjury.”

Baldwin said it’s the honor system. “We have to trust that the candidate is telling the truth.”

“Just resign”

According to California Code, Government Code – GOV § 1770 “An office becomes vacant on the happening of any of the following events before the expiration of the term:
“(e) His or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the state, or if the office be local and one for which local residence is required by law, of the district, county, or city for which the officer was chosen or appointed, or within which the duties of his or her office are required to be discharged.”

According to a voting rights lawyer if a city council person has moved out of their district the seat is vacant.

“In general that’s how the law works,” they said.

“Saying you live in a district when you don’t – that’s a crime.” The lawyer added “people get prosecuted all over the state for that.”

John Sarsfield of the Law Offices of Melo and Sarsfield said about the Rivas case, “the voters deserve someone who lives in their district.”

“He should just get ahead of this thing and resign,” said Sarsfield. “It’s messy.”

Why did it take a year for someone to knock on his door?

A community member active in Porterville politics who requested to stay anonymous, said no one from Porterville knocked on Rivas’ door because the locals are afraid of retribution.

“The people in power are bullies,” she said.

They chased out former city council member Monte Reyes, she said.

“The other city council members made him so miserable he resigned for health reasons. It was horrible.”

The Valley Voice reached out to Rivas by phone and email multiple times but he did not respond.

The post Doubts surface over Porterville City Councilmember AJ Rivas’ district residency appeared first on Valley Voice.

On October 17, Porterville Assistant Police Chief Dominic Barteau sent out a department wide memo saying, “Chief Castellow will be on medical leave for an undetermined period of time. To ensure continuity of operations I will be assuming the responsibilities of Chief of Police until his return.”

On November 4, Captain Joshua Maniss sent out another department memo saying, “Assistant Chief Barteau, who was acting in the capacity of Chief of Police, will be on medical leave for an undetermined amount of time. To ensure continuity of operations I will be assuming the responsibilities of Chief of Police until his return.”

Later that day, newly acting Police Chief Maniss, sent out a memo, “As many of you have heard, the rumor was that the city will be appointing an acting Chief of Police for the Police Department. I have spoken with the city manager and I am here to confirm this information is factual, which will be effective this month the 16 of November.”

Maniss continued, “The new acting Chief of Police will be Bobby [Rader], who currently serves as a captain with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.”

Two former Porterville Police Department employees, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, claimed that Castellow and Barteau have left the police department on stress leave and that a department wide meeting was held today, November 7, to confirm the details.

Both sources speculated that a September 19 Valley Voice article detailing sexual harassment, retaliation, and racial discrimination, contributed to Barteau and Castellow’s decision to take leave.

One source, who referred to themselves as Sandy, said that Barteau and Castellow are at-will employees, and a source close to the city administration allegedly said there won’t be a job waiting for either of them when they are ready to come back.

According to Sandy, both men will most likely have to medically retire.

The other former officer, who refers to themselves as Rowan, said they were doubtful about whether Castellow’s or Barteau’s medical conditions were legitimate.

“The administration will probably let Jake retire because they don’t want more controversy with all the other stuff going on in the city.”

Rowen added that Lieutenant Mark Acevedo was promoted to Captain within the last few months, but when Barteau and Castellow got wind of changes happening inside the city, Acevedo was demoted back to Lieutenant. Captains are also at-will employees that can be let go  for any reason.

Acevedo was part of the “Old Boys” club described in the September 19 Valley Voice article.

Sandy said, “I was blown away when I heard they were taking stress leave. It’s laughable because when anyone else wanted to take medical or stress leave, Barteau and Castellow made their lives miserable.”

Rowen agreed, “be very careful if you want to take sick time because Jake and Dominic will make your life a living hell.”

At one point, Castellow and Barteau allegedly didn’t approve of who Rowen was dating and “launched an investigation into his misuse of sick time,” even though Rowen was under a doctor’s care.

Sandy said, “They made it impossible to leave, then impossible to come back to work if that makes any sense.”

Sandy claimed that even when a fellow police officer was injured in a car crash, Barteau and Castellow made it almost impossible for that officer to go on medical leave. Then, when the injured officer came back, they allegedly had a full work load “and from then on that officer’s had a target on their back.”

Barteau and Castellow’s tactic after an officer managed to go on medical leave was then to hype up a policy violation and get that officer fired, Sandy claimed.

“That’s why it’s so mind blowing that now both of them are on stress leave,” said Sandy.

Rowen said “I know by personal experience that they were doing the same policy violations that they disciplined or fired other officers for.”

Rowen said that he believed Barteau and Castellow would put officers under surveillance when they were on medical leave.

“This happened to numerous officers. They are notorious. Barteau and Castellow will go after you,” said Rowen.

The post Porterville Police Department Chief, Assistant on stress leave appeared first on Valley Voice.

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint a new Tulare Public Cemetery District manager on November 4, replacing the former manager Clara Bernardo.

Tulare County took over management of the cemetery district in July of this year.

The supervisors appointed County Administrative Officer Jason Britt as acting district manager, and Woodlake Cemetery District Manager Trilby Barton as his assistant “to provide management, oversight, and consulting services.”

Britt referred to Barton as his trusted assistant who would actually be doing the day-to-day work.

The supervisors voted Barton’s compensation “not to exceed $45,000, retroactive to October 29, 2025, through June 30, 2026.”

Britt and Barton will be running the cemetery while Tulare County Human Resources puts together a job description and salary range for the future permanent manager. The department intends to establish a salary range based on neighboring cemetery districts.

TCBOS also approved an agreement with the Tulare County Auditor Controller for bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll services, effective immediately.

Cass Cook, Tulare County’s Auditor-Controller, said transferring the bookkeeping to the county is needed in order to achieve transparency and allow for better accountability, revenue tracing, bill paying and cap cemetery expenses.

Members of the public expressed relief that there was finally accountability at Tulare Cemetery and gratitude towards the supervisors for moving the district forward.

Former trustee Xavier Avila said, “Count on us as part of the team. We are going to be your biggest cheerleaders.”

On October 30, the supervisors dismissed Clara Bernardo as the cemetery district manager after a closed-session special meeting to consider the “Discipline, Dismissal or Release of a Public Employee.”

Public speculation raged around the reasoning for Bernardo’s removal — ranging from excessive spending, constant litigation, poor condition of the grounds, or loss of insurance.

Supervisor Pete Vander Poel warned that “Nothing should be speculated about publicly” concerning why Bernardo was fired.

“I would ask that anyone refrain from public criticism and making accusations because there were only four people in the room present for the discussion and know why any action was made,” he said.

Bernardo responded to public criticism in a Facebook post where she received many supportive comments.

“For those of you who know me then you know the lies about me being said are exactly that…. and for those of you who think you know me and question if it’s true then you have never been a friend at all, so drop me from your friends list.”

Barton addressed the supervisors and said this wasn’t her first rodeo.  Woodlake Public Cemetery District, which was described as a “complete disaster,” requested Barton step in as manager about four years ago.

Barton told the supervisors that Woodlake was in a similar situation, “but not to the point Tulare got to.”

“So I have experience turning a ship around.”

Barton added that she is a fourth generation farmer’s daughter, has volunteered at the farm show for 20 years and knows Tulare well.

“I’ve also had a lot of loss in my life that makes me uniquely qualified to work at the cemetery,” she said.

Supervisor Eddie Valero said that Barton did an amazing job at Woodlake Cemetery and that he had only heard great things about her.

Supervisor Larry Micari said that Barton had done similar work at Exeter Cemetery.

Supervisor Amy Shuklian said Barton will be facing a challenge but added that “it looks like you have thick skin.”

“I do have thick skin,” replied Barton.

“You will need it,” said Shuklian.

Barton responded, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It just takes a while to get there.”

The post Tulare County supervisors appoint interim Tulare Public Cemetery District Manager appeared first on Valley Voice.

California’s Proposition 50 passed by a wide margin in an election that was watched nationwide as a bellwether to the 2026 midterm elections.

Media outlets called the election minutes after polls closed after the California Secretary of State’s office posted preliminary results. As of 10:00pm tonight, the vote was 64.5% in favor and 35.5% against Proposition 50.

Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties voted against the proposition by a wide margin while Fresno County narrowly approved it, as of publication time.

Tulare County voted 57.7% against and 42.7% to approve. In Kings County it was 60.7% to 39.7%, and in Kern County the vote was 56.3% to 43.7%.

Fresno County voted 50.7% in favor to 49.3% against.

Gavin Newsom gave a victory speech shortly after the results were posted.

Newsom said that Californians “stood firm in countering Trump trying to rig the midterm election.”

“After poking the bear, this bear roared,” he said.

“It sent a message to Trump,” Newsom said. “No crowns, no thrones, no kings. […] Donald doesn’t believe in fair and free elections period, full stop.”

The passage of Proposition 50 creates new congressional maps that favor Democrat candidates. The proposition was put on the ballot in response to congressional redistricting in Texas and other states that favor Republican candidates.

According to the Proposition, control of the state’s congressional maps will return to the independent redistricting commission in 2030.

Democratic party pundits said the vote to approve Prop 50 was not just to counter Texas’ redistricting, but a protest vote against the ICE raids, higher prices and higher health care costs.

President Donald Trump conversely posted on Truth Social that the election in California was unconstitutional.

Democrats also enjoyed a clean sweep of all major races held in New York, New Jersey, Virginia.

Virginia elected a new Democrat Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, and New Jersey elected a new Democrat Governor.

The biggest political shift happened in New York City: Democrat Socialist Zohran Mamdani won a decisive contest over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who Trump endorsed just yesterday.

During Mamdani’s acceptance speech he declared, “We have toppled a political dynasty.”

Mamdani will be both New York City’s youngest mayor — at 34 —  and its first Muslim mayor. He is an immigrant from Uganda, then South Africa, who moved to the United States when he was seven years old.

Mamdani’s parents are originally from India.

Democrat commentators on CNN said the lopsided vote was an expression of buyer’s remorse for Trump, while Republicans retorted that tonight’s election all happened in Democrat states — so they were of little surprise.

Democrats snapped back, “Things haven’t changed and people are mad.”

The post California Prop 50 passes by wide margin, Dems sweep elections in N.J., N.Y., Va. appeared first on Valley Voice.