Who Filled In Mussel Slough?

An important draining basin and environmentally sensitive area on the west side of Hanford, a remnant of Mussel Slough, has mysteriously been filled in. Those responsible for filling in the slough have not yet been identified. Robin Mattos, a founding member of the Hanford Environmental Awareness Team (HEAT), noticed a backhoe in the area in […]

Political Fix (18 June, 2015)

The Next Republican Governor In the last issue of the Valley Voice I considered Tulare County Supervisor Allan Ishida the Republican sacrificial lamb to run for governor against the immensely popular Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.  But I forgot about Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin. She may not beat Mr. Newsom in 2016, but Democrats can’t win […]

Chickens Do Not Cross Road

The Visalia City Council held a public hearing Monday, June 1 to discuss allowing chickens in standard residential areas. This hearing comes on the heels of a Visalia City Planning Commission where the ordinance was rejected in its current form. The commission did not reject the idea outright, but felt the ordinance should require coops […]

Political Fix (4 June, 2015)

Supervisor Allen Ishida Declares His Candidacy for Governor Supervisor Allen Ishida filed his intent to run for Governor of California on May 15. He can’t formally declare his candidacy until 2016, but wanted to get his campaign committee number from the Fair Political Practices Commission so he can start fundraising. His announcement is historically significant because […]