During a Tulare Public Cemetery District (TPCD) special meeting this morning district manager Leonor Castaneda was fired. In a statement by County Counsel Aaron Zaheen, the TPCD Board decided in a 5-0 vote “to place the manager on paid leave until April 16, 2021 upon which date her termination will be finalized.” Castaneda will not […]
Tulare County Supervisor Pete Vander Poel meets with Chair Avila out of concern for disinterments With issues of litigation, firings, and disinterments facing the Tulare Public Cemetery District (TPCD) tensions were running high between a disgruntled constituency and the trustees. Not surprisingly, 20 minutes into their March 25 meeting, Chair Xavier Avila felt it necessary […]
“I would like to request Supervisor Vander Poel that you launch an investigation to look more closely into these concerns….” was the message from Tulare City Council member Jose Sigala to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday morning at their regular meeting. Dismayed by the number of bodies being disinterred at the Tulare Public Cemetery […]
Xavier Avila has hired the Law Offices of Michael J. Lampe to defend him in a case concerning his holding two allegedly incompatible public offices. Lampe has been notable in his past work around the City of Tulare, including suits against the City of Tulare, Tulare Local Healthcare District, and members of the Tulare City […]
Like a zombie apocalypse movie, the Tulare Public Cemetery District (TPCD) just can’t seem to keep their bodies buried. On March 8 the cemetery disinterred two bodies that had been buried in the wrong graves. This is the latest in a string of misplaced bodies at the cemetery in the last five years. Since 2016, […]
Curtimade Dairy and the City of Corcoran were scheduled to go to court early this year to hear a $65-million lawsuit concerning contaminated water. The city is suing the dairy over damages for allegedly contaminating their municipal wells with nitrates. But now, Corcoran’s attorneys have told the court they are not ready to go to […]
A local law firm has accused Tulare resident Xavier Avila of violating state law by holding seats on both the Tulare Local Healthcare District board and the Tulare Cemetery District, according to a letter sent to Avila today. The Visalia-based law firm, Melo and Sarsfield, stated that they would take action if he did not […]
Parts of this article are reprinted with the permission of Mark Pratter of the bulletinboardpublications.weebly.com/hanford-lemoore-future The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) issued a report last Wednesday saying there was probable cause that ex-Hanford mayor Dan Chin violated state law in the spring and summer of 2016 by accepting campaign donations of more than $100 in […]
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is a place where Republican presidential hopefuls test the waters for the next election, but the only candidate who emerged as a serious contender for 2024 was former President Trump. This weekend in Florida Trump all but said to his loyal followers that he would run for president in […]
Known as the oldest apartment complex in Visalia, the Odell-Mor building has run out of time and options. A six month moratorium on the demolition of the building expires February 26. Visalia’s Municipal Code does not allow the historical committee or city council to deny a demolition permit for buildings with a “background” designation and […]