Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Friday to ban fracking by 2024 and laid out his plan to phase out oil production statewide by 2045. California has been one of the largest oil-producing states in the country with the majority of production centered in the Central Valley’s Kern and Kings Counties. Feeling simultaneous […]
Hanford City Council Member John Draxler announced at the April 20 meeting his intentions to resign. Draxler was elected in 2018 beating out incumbent David Ayers by four points. At the beginning of the pandemic Draxler said that he and his wife bought a second home in Sacramento near his daughters and grand children. Because […]
Sporting a red MAGA hat, candidate Chris Mathys set the tone for the 21st District Congressional race as he spoke on the steps of Hanford’s Civic Auditorium. “Has David Valadao represented you the way he should?” “No,” replied the small crowd attending the town hall. Mathys lauded President Donald Trump’s tenure in office and asked […]
The Tulare Public Cemetery District (TPCD) met yesterday to appoint Phyllis Schneider as the interim office manager. This coming after putting office manager Leonor Castaneda on paid leave. Castaneda’s last day will most likely be April 16. Schneider is the current secretary and has 30 years book keeping experience. She was hired by the district […]
On Friday April 9, at 11AM, the City of Hanford will celebrate Arbor Day by dedicating and the planting the City’s official Christmas tree. The twenty-five-foot Aptos Blue Coastal Redwood will be planted within Hanford’s historic Civic Park adjacent to iconic Civic Auditorium. While Spring has just arrived, early April is an excellent time of […]
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, […]