After receiving frequent complaints from retailers about aggressive panhandling and the homeless, the Downtown Visalia Alliance and local police officers met to come up with some solutions. Don Sharp, the president of the Downtown Visalia Alliance, said, “It’s a growing problem and we have to try and alleviate it.” The problem is the growing number […]
Anyone interested in running for the Visalia City Council or the Visalia Unified School District Board can file papers until August 9. In the event that an incumbent does not file by 5 p.m. on August 9, the filing period is extended to August 14. As far as the city council is concerned, all three […]
How does a Republican, middle-aged white guy win an election in a majority Hispanic and Democratic district? Quite handily it seems. Andy Vidak won 52.2% of the vote in the 16th Senate District (SD16) Special Election on July 23rd. With Vidak’s victory, Republicans are chipping away at the Democrat’s supermajority in both houses of California’s […]
“It’s funny where life takes you,” responded Assembly Member Connie Conway when asked how she got involved in politics. “I didn’t study political science and I did not have any political background. But local government, that’s what is so great about it. It’s community service.” Conway’s political career really started with her father. Many people […]
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), discussed at some length during Rep. Devin Nunes’ interview, is not your garden-variety disagreement between Republicans and Democrats. In fact, the issue does not cut through party lines, nor is it completely regional. For very different reasons, Rep. Nunes’ opposition to the BDCP has found him in league with […]
Tulare County Supervisors got an earful during their meeting on May 21. More than a dozen food vendors and community event planners expressed their frustration with the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), complaining about a new fee schedule put into effect January 1st. HHSA enacted a new schedule of fees for food vendors and […]
Because of increased sales tax revenue, the city will not only balance its budget for the first time in five years, but will have a surplus of $1.83 million. Sales tax revenues are ahead of projections by $2,315,500. The department of administrative services is forecasting a total of $24.1 million in tax revenues in the […]
Remember Kathie Lee Gifford breaking down when she saw footage of young girls working in a decrepit garment factory for slave wages? They were assembling her personal line of clothing to be sold at Walmart. Kathie Lee subsequently vowed to help put sweatshops out of business. But, 17 years later, have the dismal working conditions […]
A blue ribbon task force appointed by the Visalia City Council is investigating the possibility of raising the city’s sales tax. If the task force finds Visalia has a definite need for additional revenue, the council might put it on the ballot for the November election. The task force will recommend whether Visalia should raise […]
When asked, “Where do you get your local news?” Congressman Devin Nunes replied, “I always loved reading the Valley Voice.” As a result, he was enthusiastic about helping launch the newspaper’s inaugural issue with a one-on-one interview. Devin Nunes was elected to Congress when he was only 30 years old, and even after ten years […]