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.

The Tulare Public Cemetery District is currently without a manager after Clara Bernardo was dismissed from her employment by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors  on October 30. The supervisors currently act as the Tulare Public Cemetery District’s board.

After a closed-session special meeting on October 30 to consider the “Discipline, Dismissal or Release of a Public Employee,” the supervisors announced they voted to dismiss Bernardo.

The vote was 4-0 with Dennis Townsend absent.

Bernardo was present during the special meeting, but left when the TCBOS went into closed session.

According to multiple sources speaking on condition of anonymity, a man in plainclothes and a Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at the Tulare Public Cemetery District’s office on either October 28 or 29 to escort Bernardo out to her car. They claim the man in plainclothes stayed behind to gather evidence.

What was the straw that broke the camel’s back? “It was a collection of things”

Not long after Bernardo was hired in June 2021, some trustees, community members, and family members of loved ones buried in the cemetery complained about excessive spending, constant litigation, and the poor condition of the grounds.

They alleged that Bernardo was mismanaging the cemetery, and that her management along with other headwinds the district faced caused turmoil among the employees and at cemetery district board meetings.

At board meetings, members of the public would voice their concerns about the district’s perceived mismanagement even though the majority of the board supported Bernardo. At one point, then-board member Charlie Ramos was heard on a recording calling some of Bernardo’s critics “a cult.”

That push-and-pull erupted in a spectacular fashion at the district’s May 22, 2025 board meeting – the last meeting held with an independent board before the Tulare County Board of Supervisors took control – when the board’s former chair called a meeting to order and adjourned it within 12 seconds.

After that meeting, the district’s insurance company, Golden State Risk Management Authority, threatened to terminate the cemetery’s insurance policy unless drastic measures were taken, leading the supervisors to place themselves on the cemetery district’s board – a move that was welcomed by all sides.

Members of the most recent board, trustees Steve Presant, Charlie Ramos, Michelle Lima, Xavier Avila and Patricia Hitlin, all resigned.

Avila, first appointed to the board in 2018, said he did not know what ultimately led to Bernardo’s termination.

“I can’t say that there was a straw that broke the camel’s back. There was a collection of things. Some were more important than others,” Avila said. “Her lies, possibly losing the insurance, spending money the district didn’t have. I think they investigated her and looked at the financials, but I don’t know.”

“The bottom line is the cemetery was mismanaged,” he added.

Avila said that since Bernardo was hired, the district has spent their $400,000 cushion.

“The cemetery is broke,” he said.

He pointed the finger at other former board members.

“I blame Charlie, Michelle and Steve. They did not hold Bernardo accountable for her mismanagement. They provided her cover and allowed it to happen,” he said.

After voting to take over the cemetery board on July 1, 2025, Tulare County Supervisor Amy Shuklian implied that Avila was the “common denominator” to all the district’s problems. Supervisor Larry Micari said the trustees were acting like children.

Avila said the supervisors “didn’t do their homework.”

“Charlie, Michelle, Steve, and Clara told Micari a different story than what was actually happening,” he alleged. “Clara lied right to the supervisors’ faces.”

Though closed session discussion is not public information, the issue of insurance as the reason for Bernardo’s termination came up with each person the Valley Voice reached out to.

Presant returned a phone call from the Voice saying, “I presume you are calling about the cemetery district losing their insurance?”

When this reporter informed him that the call concerned Bernardo, Presant said, “It’s not about the insurance?”

Presant said our call was the first he heard of Bernardo’s termination.

He said he had no opinion why she was fired because he was no longer involved

“I’m not on the board. I’m out of it!”

“The only thing I saw her do […] was eat and watch TV,” a former employee says

The issue of lost insurance was the most likely reason for why Bernardo got fired according to former grounds manager, Josh McMullen.

“I was going to sue Clara and the cemetery district unless they do it right concerning Clara,” said McMullen. “I had heard the cemetery would lose their insurance if there was one more suit.”

McMullen said that Bernardo did not treat the cemetery employees professionally or with respect and that if TCBOS did not rectify the situation he was going to proceed with his suit.

McMullen was hired as the Grounds Manager in May and quit in August after Bernardo demoted him.

She said she was going to replace him with James Corral, a grounds keeper, and reduce his pay $5 an hour starting the following week to reflect his new position.

McMullen, who was the highly recommended grounds manager for the Porterville Unified School District for 12 years, alleged that Corral is not fit to be a groundskeeper – let alone a manager – and said that while he has never seen Corral drinking on the job, his replacement allegedly comes to work hung over.

There were other reasons he said that might have caused Bernardo’s termination: McMullen said she was vindictive.

“Clara got mad at the grounds keepers and in retaliation she flooded part of the grounds on purpose,” he alleged. “We had to go do edging all day in 12 inches of water.”

Bernardo would, according to McMullen, DoorDash and get groceries delivered to the office.

“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.”

McMullen said he could confirm Bernardo committed fraud in at least one instance: he claims she had him falsify his employment documents.

He said he never signed any documents concerning his employment until a few days before she demoted him. In August of this year, he says Bernardo called him into her office to sign his employment contract and sign that he had received his employee hand book.

She instructed him to back date the documents to May – instead of the day he signed them in August.

“When I got to work some mornings she would be wearing the same clothes as she did when I left and I knew she spent the night there. That’s when I realized something fraudulent was going on,” he said

“Why else would she spend all night in the office?”

The post Tulare Public Cemetery District manager fired today at special meeting appeared first on Valley Voice.

Supervisors Pete Vander Poel, Amy Shuklian, Larry Micari and Dennis Townsend voted to adopt the resolution.

Currently, California has a non-partisan commission to draw congressional districts with heavy input from communities. If Prop 50 passes, a map with new congressional districts drawn by the legislature would last through 2030, after which the process of drawing districts would revert back to the redistricting commission.

The proposition, also known as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would allow the adoption of maps that potentially swing five Republican seats in the House of Representatives to Democrats and provide greater Democratic advantages in other seats.

Opponents have called the proposition a power grab by Democratic legislators that wastes taxpayer funds, while proponents claim the move is a necessary response to efforts in Republican-led states like Texas, Florida, Ohio, and others, that aim to unseat Democratic lawmakers through similar map changes.

Democrats currently need three seats to win control of the House of Representatives in 2026 – leading to similar discussions of map changes by Democratic governors in Illinois, New York, and Maryland.

“Republicans have more opportunities across the map to gerrymander House districts than Democrats,” according to an ABC News analysis. “In most states where Democrats are in control of the statehouse and governor’s mansion, there are legal and constitutional barriers to revisiting their maps in the middle of the decade as a result of previous efforts to install independent commissions and, in some cases, prior state court rulings.”

The Board of Supervisors, in their individual comments, agreed with the opposition to Prop 50.

“The only reason we are being asked to play these political games is because our governor has presidential aspirations. He is not looking out for the people but his own well-being and his own future,” Vander Poel, the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, said.

Staying neutral versus taking a stand

Valero was not present for the vote but gave the Valley Voice a statement after the meeting.

“I believe we should remain focused on our core responsibilities as a nonpartisan Board of Supervisors. These responsibilities include roads, streetlights, infrastructure, and public safety. Our residents expect us to deliver results and not spend taxpayer dollars and staff time on issues outside the scope of our role,” Valero said. “My priority has always been good governance and serving the people of Tulare County with integrity and fiscal responsibility.”

Valero also wanted to clarify a statement made by Micari during the meeting.

“It was claimed that I did not support the 2020 redistricting process. That is simply untrue. The public record and meeting recordings clearly show that I praised the process multiple times from the dais then and I do so now,” he said.

In her comments at the meeting, Shuklian struck a similar tone to Valero.

“I’m disappointed because this is an extremely partisan issue and that we, as a non-partisan board, are bringing this forward and making a political statement. This is not good for our constituents, or our county, or the look of the board,” she said.

But Shuklian added that she did not agree with allowing the legislature to rewrite the districts.

Micari said that he does not see the board’s vote to oppose Prop 50 as partisan at all.

“I see it as the right thing to do,” he said. “It’s a huge waste of time and resources that we are paying for and its not fair that our constituents get stuck with the bill. This is because someone wants to run for president. That’s what it boils down to.”

Townsend added he objected to the fact that the authority to redraw the districts would be given to one person. He added that the districts are already drawn in the event Prop 50 passes.

“One person drew it so that’s very, very anti-democratic,” said Townsend.

Porterville Vice-Mayor Ed McKervey gave a public comment encouraging the board to oppose Prop 50.

“It’s just political brinksmanship,” he said. McKervey was also opposed to the state allegedly spending $350 million to get the proposition on the ballot.

Jim Reeves, a Visalia resident, said he preferred the supervisors to stay neutral on the issue – and, if not, to encourage their constituents to vote for Prop 50.

Reeves did not think it was fair for President Trump “to change the rules in the middle of the game” and added that ”it’s entirely appropriate for California to respond and let the people vote on it.”

How are other counties reacting?

With few surprises, conservative county boards are voting to oppose the proposition and liberal counties’ boards are voting to support Prop 50.

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted to oppose Prop. 50 in a 3-1 vote, with one supervisor abstaining. Boards in Siskiyou, Yuba and Shasta voted unanimously to issue a statement of opposition to Proposition 50. Congressmember Doug LaMalfa represents those three counties and is one of the targets of California’s redistricting.

One outlier is San Joaquin County – whose supervisors voted to stay neutral.

A CBS Sacramento report stated that the San Joaquin County board voted a resolution to oppose Prop 50 down in a 3-2 vote.

“It sends a message to people that you know, that this is a divided question and divided issue, and how do we do it? We have to let the voters do it,” Democratic Supervisor Paul Canepa told CBS Sacramento. “At the end of the day, people need to get out and vote and vote their preferences. I don’t agree right now that San Joaquin County needs to get in the middle of this because you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

Who does Prop 50 target specifically?

Prop 50 targets five vulnerable Republicans and boosts Democrats in difficult races to retain their seats in the 2026 election.

The five targeted Republicans are Doug LaMalfa, whose district is close to the Oregon border (CA-01), Kevin Kiley who represents the Eastern Sierra (CA-03), Kevin Calvert representing Inland Empire (CA-41), Darrell Issa who represents Eastern San Diego (CA-48), and David Valadao (CA-22) representing Kings, Kern, and Fresno Counties as well as parts of Tulare County.

Valadao’s is one of the rare swing districts in California, where he has consistently beats the odds even with a majority of registered Democrats. He once lost once to Democrat TJ Cox in 2018 – characterized by some as voters’ reaction to his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act – but he later won his seat back in 2020.

Three of the five Democrats who would receive a boost from the redrawn maps are in the Central Valley; Josh Harder who represents San Joaquin County, Adam Gray who represents the Merced area and local representative Jim Costa.

To flip Republican seats, Prop 50 would take votes away from Democrats in districts with a large margin of victory. It is anticipated that Democratic candidates in those districts would still easily win their election.

How to vote

The special election is November 4. There are no other statewide elections on the ballot.

According to the Tulare County Registrar of Voters, ballots were mailed October 6. Voters can return their ballot by mail (no postage needed) or drop it off at any official ballot drop box location.

The registrar of voters is warning that if you mail your ballot on November 4, even before the collection time, it will not be postmarked until the next day.

On Election Day voters can drop their ballot off at one of Tulare County’s 15 ballot drop boxes – open 24/7 until 8:00 PM on Election Day – or at any of the 40 polling places open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

The post Tulare County Supervisors vote to oppose Proposition 50 appeared first on Valley Voice.

For fifty years, Visalia Unified provided three bus stops inside the bucolic Oak Ranch development, just north of the St. John’s River – until now. Beginning this year, children in the development will be picked up and dropped off at a busy intersection.

The children attend Elbow Creek Elementary, Valley Oak Middle School, and Golden West High School, and beginning this academic year, the Visalia Unified School District’s Transportation Department eliminated all stops in the neighborhood with no advance notification to the parents. The buses now pick up and drop off students at a busy intersection outside of the neighborhood on Ave 313 and 148.

“Parents didn’t even know what was going on,” said longtime resident Randy Qualls. “We had to hold onto the kids until the parents figured out where they were. There was no way they were able to walk home.”

Elbow Creek has a Pre-K class, so some of the students who ride the bus are only 4 years old.

“I’m worried,” said Randy Qualls, whose grandson is 4, “because he is a darter.”

The Transportation Department responded in a written statement to the parents that Oak Ranch is “considered a Non-Eligible Zone” for bus service, and that Visalia Unified “has been going above and beyond its required service by providing transportation to the neighborhood.”

In the statement, Visalia Unified Transportation Director Luis Dominguez said the reason for the change was to prevent damage to the buses and residents’ personal property such as mailboxes.

Parents said that it was hard to believe Visalia Unified’s first concern wasn’t child safety.

Qualls, one of the residents leading the effort to restore the three bus stops, said the bus now stops at an intersection where cars routinely speed and blow through the stop sign.

“It’s an unmarked rural road, so the speed limit is 55 miles per hour,” said Juan Alvarez, a parent collecting signatures to protest the change, “but they go 60 or 65.”

“Cars also go through the bus’s red flashing lights without stopping while kids are getting off the bus or crossing the street.” Qualls said.

“A dozen or so cars wait for their kids at the entrance of Oak Ranch creating a bottle neck” added Qualls, “making it very difficult if an emergency vehicle needed to get in or out of the neighborhood.”

“People won’t even walk their dog through that intersection let alone their children,” another resident said.

50 years of safe service

Alvarez’ first call was to Visalia Unified  Trustee Paul Belt, the representative for District 2 that includes Oak Ranch. Belt told Alvarez that he had to take the issue up with the Transportation Department.

Alvarez then called Dominguez to ask how the district can make a change that affects dozens of children’s safety without community input or a formal notice.

Dominguez told Alvarez over the phone and in a written statement that the change was made because Oak Ranch streets are too narrow and the buses might get damaged or damage personal property.

“Let that sink in,” said Qualls. “After 50 years of safe, incident-free bus service, the district is now saying it had to eliminate three internal stops — not because they were unsafe or unworkable — but because buses might be damaged or potentially damage a mailbox or parked vehicle.”

Alvarez said that Dominguez told him there were two incidents of property damage in Oak Ranch involving a bus. But when asked to provide the incident reports Dominguez did not respond.

Alvarez then called the main Visalia Unified office to ask for a meeting with Superintendent Kirk Shrum. What Alvarez received was a redirection back to the Transportation Department and he was eventually connected to Administration Assistant Lisa Wheelock.

Alvarez ended up having the same conversation with Wheelock as he did with Dominguez. She reiterated the potential of property damage and informed him their complaints about the lack of sidewalks at the intersection of Ave 313 and 148 was the city’s responsibility, not the school district’s.

Wheelock then looked up Alvarez’ grandson in their system and told him he wasn’t the child’s legal guardian, so he was not eligible to lodge a complaint.

In an interview with Wheelock, the Valley Voice asked what the parents’ next step could be to resolve the issue and how can they arrange a meeting with Shrum.

She told the Voice that the parent group cannot meet with their childrens’ superintendent.

“They are welcome to come to the board meetings and bring their petitions,” said Wheelock.

VUSD Transportation Department responds to the parents

In response to the parent group’s concerns, Dominguez sent Alvarez a written response.

“The VUSD Transportation department’s policies, as outlined in our Board policies and Administrative Regulations, guide all of our decisions regarding bus routes and stops. We want to be transparent and let you know that the Oaks Ranch development is actually considered a Non-Eligible Zone (NEZ) for bus transportation according to district policy. This is based on the walking distances specified for student eligibility.

“However, the district has been going above and beyond its required service by providing transportation for your neighborhood. We made this decision to provide a bus stop for the development because we recognize that the walk path outside the neighborhood is not currently suitable for students.

“The recent change to move the stop to the outside of the Oaks Ranch development was a necessary decision made to prevent potential damage to personal property. Our school buses require significant space for maneuvering, and the tight turns and narrow streets within the development create a high risk of damaging vehicles, mailboxes, or other property. By moving the stop to the outside, we can ensure the safety of our students while also protecting the property of residents.

Rodriguez finished his statement saying, “We appreciate your understanding as we work to balance our commitment to student safety with the practical challenges of operating our fleet. We will continue to provide service to your neighborhood, and the new stop location allows us to do so responsibly.”

Cristina Gutierrez, VUSD Public Information Officer, emailed a statement to the Valley Voice from the district concerning the new bus stop.

“We are proud to have expanded transportation services for VUSD families during this 2025-26 school year. At this time the Oak Ranch bus stop meets all VUSD Board Policy and safety regulations. We value community feedback and review bus stops annually, with every decision guided by our commitment to student and staff safety,’ added Chief Business Officer Nathan Hernandez.”

Gutierrez didn’t say the parent group could get a meeting with Superintendent Shrum, but suggested they request a meeting with him through his Executive Assistant, Lesha Weatherford at lweatherford@vusd.org.

She added that “Petitions can be dropped off at the District Office at 5000 W. Cypress Ave. Visalia, CA 93291 or emailed to the superintendent.”

The rebuttal

The parent group started their rebuttal to VUSD, “If Oak Ranch has received transportation services for 50 years, how is it suddenly ‘non-eligible?’”

“The fact that VUSD maintained three bus stops inside the Oak Ranch Development continuously for 50 years, acknowledges the school district considers it a necessity,” the statement read.

Qualls said that families have structured their children’s education around the bus service for generations.

“This service was not a courtesy, it was essential,” said Qualls.

Qualls added that Elbow Creek Elementary is a 3.5 mile walk on rural roads with no barriers between pedestrians and cars and thus well beyond the distance or safety for any school district.

The problems outlined in the parent’s rebuttal were

• There are no sidewalks — children are forced to walk in the street.
• There are speeding vehicles — with no crosswalks, signage, or safety barriers.
• Documented traffic violations — video shows a car running flashing bus lights.
•  Hazardous environmental exposure — students must walk through a dust cloud stirred up by buses, adjacent to pesticide-treated agricultural fields.
• Professional concern — a former Tulare County pesticide inspector witnessed the cloud and raised legitimate concerns.
• Improper drop zone — the bus drops them off in a dirt lot with no loading unloding area designation.

The parent group also contend that the Oak Ranch streets are wide enough for school buses. They are in fact wider than many other neighborhoods where there is VUSD bus service, says the group.

What the Oak Ranch Resident want

The parents’ rebuttal states, “We, the residents of Oak Ranch, are not asking for a favor — we are demanding the restoration of a safe, long-standing, and necessary service that our families have relied on for nearly five decades.”

They are also asking for full transparency from the Transportation Department, including the data used to make the decision to change the bus stop and Community consultation before any future transportation changes affecting safety.

“You know what,” said Alvarez, “if they don’t move that bus stop one of the kids is going to be hit by a car. God forbid, but that’s what I think is going to happen, especially with the bad weather coming.”

Qualls said, “We are all just hoping they come to their senses.”

The post Parents say Visalia Unified’s Oak Ranch bus stop is a tragedy waiting to happen appeared first on Valley Voice.