The death of 57-year-old Guadalupe Garcia while in custody at the South County Detention Center in Porterville has been ruled a homicide following the review of body camera footage by medical examiners. The incident is currently the focus of a federal wrongful death case, which claims excessive force and neglect on the part of Tulare County Sheriff deputies led to Garcia’s death.

Garcia’s estate is the main plaintiff in the case, along with Garica’s parents, Engracia Bravo Garcia and Candelario Martinez Garcia, and his sister Emma Arellano. They are represented by the Beverly Hills-based law firm Carpenter & Zuckerman. Garcia’s four children are also named in the suit.

Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory, general and special damages for economic loss, pre-death pain and suffering, and loss of companionate relationship, as well as punitive and exemplary damages against the named individual defendants.

The Tulare County Sheriff Office (TCSO) denied all allegations in a statement to the Valley Voice, stating that “the cause of death was determined to be a drug-related accidental methamphetamine overdose.”

Medical Examiner Alters Cause of Death Ruling

Garcia’s July 25, 2022 death was initially ruled as accidental, resulting from methamphetamine toxicity. However, the examiner, Dr. Sam Andrews, changed his finding following review of body camera footage captured during Garcia’s transport and confinement by sheriff deputies.

The footage shows several deputies restraining Garcia in a cell at the Porterville jail. Handcuffed and shackled, Garcia is first made to kneel against the cell’s far wall. His hands still cuffed behind him, Garcia is then made to lie with his face to the floor. The deputies then attempt to remove the restraints from the apparently unresisting prisoner.

The deputies, however, were unable to remove the handcuffs that restrained Garcia’s arms. For 4 minutes and 18 seconds was held facedown on the floor with his arms and legs restrained. Deputy Jose Renteria knelt on Garcia’s back during this time while attempting to remove the handcuffs. Garcia appears to remain motionless during this period. When the restraints were finally removed, deputies left the unmoving Garcia facedown on the floor with his head against the concrete wall.

An hour later, a medical emergency was declared by deputies. Garcia was unresponsive and had not moved from the position he’d been placed in by deputies, lying facedown with his arms still behind his back. Deputies dragged the unconscious Garcia out of his cell before beginning CPR. Medical personnel arrived soon after. Attempts to resuscitate Garcia failed.

In his review of the case, the medical examiner determined Garcia likely suffered from metabolic acidosis at the time of his arrest. This imbalance of acids and bases in the blood can result in the symptoms Garcia displayed at the time of his arrest, including mental confusion, excessive sweating and elevated heart rate.

Documents in the case brought against the county by Garcia’s surviving family claim deputies were aware of Garcia’s altered mental state when he arrived at the detention facility. Arrest records report that Garcia “allegedly did not respond appropriately to questions, that his overall appearance looked ‘disheveled and unkept,’ and that Guadalupe Garcia was quoting scriptures from the Christian New Testament,” court records state.

Cause of Death Changed Following Body Cam Review

An initial autopsy of Garcia was performed by a physician from NAAG Forensic, a nationwide forensic pathology firm formerly contracted by the TCSO to perform postmortem investigations. The firm’s contract with the TCSO has since ended.

The medical examiner initially ruled Garcia’s death accidental, caused by methamphetamine overdose. However, the TCSO did not initially provide body camera footage of Garcia’s detention or the subsequent attempt to revive him. Last month, the medical examiner provided a new opinion: Garcia’s death was homicide.

An amended opinion from NAAG on Garcia’s death issued on September 29, cited “inconsistent pressure (that) was applied to the upper lateral left back and lower back areas” while deputies removed Garcia’s restraints. “Garcia remained prone throughout an interval of approximately five minutes,” the opinion noted.

Because of the “prolonged prone positioning” and the “likely” metabolic acidosis, the medical examiner said Garcia’s death should be listed as a homicide. “Prone restraint cardiac arrest complicating the toxic effects of methamphetamine and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease” is cited as the cause.

NAAG has issued a recommendation to the TCSO – which also serves as the county coroner – to amend Garcia’s death certificate.

TCSO Denies Responsibility

Despite NAAG’s amended finding of homicide, the TCSO maintains the conclusion of Garcia’s incomplete and unamended autopsy is still correct.

“Following his death, a full investigation was conducted, and the cause of death was determined to be a drug-related accidental methamphetamine overdose,” the TCSO said in a statement to the Valley Voice.

According to the TCSO’s version of events, Garcia was arrested by the Porterville police for suspicion of “driving under the influence of drugs, obstruction and resisting arrest of an officer.”

Lawyers for Garcia’s family, however, state that Garcia cooperated with officers, who took him to Sierra View Medical Center for evaluation. The lawsuit also states deputies, not Porterville police, arrested and transported Garcia.

The TCSO statement agrees Garcia was taken to Sierra View for “medical clearance,” which was given. Garcia was later transported to the South County Detention Center (SCDC). However, while at Sierra View, Garcia stopped responding to questions and refused further medical testing. This prompted officers to seek a court order to force Garcia to comply, which was granted.

The lawsuit against TCSO states that when officers attempted to place Garcia back in handcuffs at the hospital, a fight ensued. Four police officers and a hospital guard were required to restrain Garcia, who was tased repeatedly. Garcia was treated for these injuries and taken to the SCDC.

Garcia was allegedly injured again while being transported to the SCDC, according to court documents. Jail personnel documented new injuries to Garcia’s left cheek and below his left eye that were not recorded by staff at Sierra View, the lawsuit alleges.

Garcia was arrested at 2:40 p.m., and was taken to SCDC at 5:10 p.m. Minutes later, he was taken to a cell, where deputies placed him facedown on the floor. For an hour after deputies left his cell, Garcia did not move. Surveillance footage shows officers and other jail personnel “repeatedly observing Garcia lying motionless in his cell during this hour” but did not check his health, the suit said

The TCSO denies this version of events:

“The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department strongly disagrees with the statements provided earlier, including the inaccurate portrayal of the events leading up to (Garcia’s) unfortunate death, including any perceived lack of response by dedicated Sheriff’s personnel. We take every injury or death in our custody very seriously, and this loss of life is tragic.”

Prime defendants in the federal lawsuit are Tulare County, the TCSO, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Lt. Megan Pinheiro. Other defendants in the suit include Deputy Jose Renteria, Sergeant Orlando Davalos, Deputy Roger Wenzinger, Deputy Sal Hinojos and Detective Humberto Santoyo.

The post TCSO in-custody death reclassified as homicide appeared first on Valley Voice.

Commercial air travel could return to the Visalia Municipal Airport after a long 10 years without passenger service. A final decision is still pending, however, and it lies in the hands of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Passenger Flights or Cash?

After the relationship with the last company to carry passengers to Visalia, SeaPort Airlines, ended poorly, the city opted out of subsidized passenger flights at the Visalia Municipal Airport.

Instead, it decided to take a chunk of federal funding to improve and upgrade the airport’s infrastructure.

It has this option thanks to the USDOT’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes airlines to serve rural or isolated communities. It does this by paying for subsidized air travel or grants for capital improvements. But not both.

“In exchange for $3.7 million, which was a portion of the funding for the subsidy for the EAS program, we signed away 10 years of service,” said Visalia Municipal Airport manager Jody Miller. “We used those funds on airport development, the hangars and stuff. Hangar development, plus kind of general improvements throughout the airfield.”

The decade the city signed away ends on May 1, 2027.

“That 10 years went fast,” Miller said.

With a bigger population of Visalians and a well-maintained airport, the city is considering bringing commercial airlines back. But the USDOT has the final say. It will issue a request for proposals (RFP) late this month or in early November to seek interested passenger carriers, Miller said.

If the city decides to bring air service back, and the candidates who respond to the RFP are worth working with, then the city will send its recommendation to the USDOT; the feds will ultimately pick Visalia’s newest airline.

Miller emphasized that the city won’t have the final say, but its opinion will be taken into serious consideration.

“Ultimately, it is their decision,” he said. “They’ll take our thoughts and everything into account, but at the end of the day, the US Department of Transportation will select the provider, should we as a community decide to go that route.”

Five Airlines Want to Serve Visalia

The city decided to end passenger service at the airport following a less-than-satisfying experience with prior carriers that served the city.

The city and its last airline, SeaPort Airlines, parted ways in 2016; the company ended operations later that year.

The airline before it, Great Lakes Airlines, left Visalia in 2014 after city and federal officials picked SeaPort. City officials cited Great Lakes’ poor service and reliability. Great Lakes later ended operations in 2018.

A shaky business model was only part of the problem, said assistant city manager John Lollis, who wasn’t working at City Hall when the company and city parted ways.

“Great Lakes had terrible service, (and) had asked to be released from its contract. The city asked the DOT to do that,” he said. “The ‘easy button’ came with this new program, which was saying, ‘We’re going to allow up to 10 airports to take an option to go into this grant program.’”

Only 182 airports across the United States are eligible for EAS subsidies, with a significant concentration in Alaska. In California, four airports are eligible: Visalia, Merced, Imperial/El Centro, and Crescent City.

Visalia became the first EAS community nationwide to give up passenger service under the USDOT’s Community Flexibility Pilot Program. Giving up passenger service seemed like the best option in 2016, Lollis said.

“There was frustration and uncertainty with another new provider who hadn’t been here before,” he said. “And then you had the grant opportunity waiting. It was the best decision at the time given that there was just so much uncertainty.”

If it picked another unreliable airline, the city also faced losing its EAS benefits permanently. Federal regulations at the time required an effective airline subsidy of $200 per person or less. City officials were unsure that any airline could generate the passenger traffic required to do that.

Now, the EAS rules have changed, and the maximum subsidy an airline can be paid per passenger in Visalia is $850 in 2027, coming down from $1,000 currently. The USDOT can issue waivers from this policy if required, but there are new restrictions on participation: airports can receive no more than two consecutive waivers in a row, and no more than 10 waivers every 25 years.

In 2026 there’s a lot of renewed interest to service Visalia’s air travel needs.

So far, five airlines have expressed interest in coming to Visalia, according to Miller’s presentation.

All the candidate companies are small carriers hoping to expand: Surf Air, Advanced Air, Boutique Air, Contour Airlines and Flight Level Aviation, which is Fresno-based. Miller said the airlines all understand what the city and the feds expect.

“These are the ones that we have already spoken to,” Miller said. “They reached out to us. Aviation’s a small community. They know what’s going on. They said they’d throw their hat in the ring.”

Any carrier picked to serve Visalia through the EAS program will have to provide a minimum of at least a dozen flights to and from the city. The number of flights could be higher depending on demand.

Miller described the airplanes owned by the five candidate carriers as luxurious.

“I’ve flown for work all sorts of times, and I’ve never seen regional commuter airlines that are this nice,” he said. “You’re getting the charter experience at a commuter airline price.”

Surf Air, Advanced Air, Boutique Air, and Flight Level Aviation would operate nine-seat turboprop aircraft seating nine passengers. Contour Airlines operates 30-seat jet aircraft.

The proposed fares range from $100 to $250 for one-way service. And at least one of the carriers, Boutique Air, has suggested it might build a maintenance center in Visalia as it reestablishes itself on the West Coast.

“With any of the companies, that’s going to be a potential option,” Miller said. “They would establish a presence on the field, create jobs.”

There’s another benefit to the city, one possibly worth millions of dollars in saving on future federally-funded aviation projects. If Visalia Municipal Airport returns to providing passenger service and maintains good standing during the first full year of the program in 2028, then the available USDOT funding would go from 90% to 95%. Currently, Visalia and state funding contribute 5% each in matching funds to receive this federal money. Visalia’s fund-matching requirement would drop to 2.5% after 2028.

Adding passenger service also won’t deter large cargo carriers – like Amazon and FedEx – from building a large presence at Visalia’s airport.

“If anything, it would improve our chances with that,” Miller said. “As the industrial park, as the other things expand, these companies want to have an easy way to get in and out of Visalia. Once that’s there, they’re (cargo carriers) more likely to expand their operations.”

City Will Have 30 Days to Decide

The USDOT RFP should go out within the next 30 days. The list of qualified proposals it receives will then be presented to the city council for its consideration.

“At that point we could present it to (the city) council, we could have open houses at the airport,” Miller said. “We can do different things and get those presentations out there to the community. Where they (citizens) want to go is ultimately going to let us decide who the best partner is for the program.”

Following the period of community input, and with input by an ad hoc airport committee, the council would then present the USDOT with a letter stating local preference. The ad hoc airport committee will include two members of the city council, as well as other city leaders.

Any airline seeking USDOT approval for the EAS program must have a history of reliability of service, agreements with large air carriers (known as interline agreements), city and community preference, a good community marketing plan and a reasonable total proposed compensation.

The USDOT list of qualified respondents could be available as early as December. The city’s outreach should begin shortly after the list is published.

“I’m excited for it to come back,” said council member Brian Poochigian. “Sometimes it is hard to get to connecting airports. I think this will make it a lot more convenient for our residents.”

The post Passenger flights landing soon at Visalia Municipal Airport? appeared first on Valley Voice.

Amphitheater Management the Core Issue

The document – the Complete Tulare Amphitheater Investigation – alleges city manager Marc Mondell knowingly guided the city into an agreement with Spade Entertainment that would ultimately require the use of city funds to subsidize concerts at the amphitheater. It also cites other instances that the authors claim demonstrate a lack of fiscal responsibility on the part of city leaders.

Alberto Aguilar, spokesman for the group, said the document is intended to educate the public about city spending in general and specifically about the $842,000 approved by the city council to support the amphitheater.

“The city is losing money,” Aguilar said. “The city’s the one that’s having to use our funds to subsidize the revenues from the lack of ticket sales.”

The document – signed by Aguilar and fellow Tulare residents Lidia Huerta, Grace Calderon and Gloria Frasquillo – claims city leaders failed to investigate Spade Entertainment’s performance in a similar role in the city of Rocklin, CA. Mondell was Rocklin’s assistant city manager in 2019, the year Spade contracted as the city’s concert producer.

Spade Entertainment is owned by Todd Speelman.

“The structural differences between how the city of Rocklin protected its municipal finances and how the Tulare City Council handled its agreement with Spade Entertainment highlight the core of the local controversy,” the document states.

The investigator and author of the report, Aguilar said, was Huerta.

The group is not alleging a crime has been committed.

“We’re not accusing anything of being illegal,” said Aguilar. “It’s just poor management.”

Report, Public Records Don’t Agree

According to Huerta’s investigation report, Rocklin eventually ended its relationship with the company ST Productions, which was also owned by Speelman, due to poor ticket sales at Rocklin’s Quarry Park. The report states the city was forced to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to replace ST Productions in order to “save” the city’s general fund.

“That arrangement ran into continuous financial friction regarding ticket sales eventually forcing Rocklin to pivot to an open RFP model to salvage its general fund,” the report said.

However, the narrative recounted does not appear to match public records from Rocklin. ST Productions received its original contract to produce concerts in Rocklin in 2019. That contract was amended twice, including extending the contract until December 31, 2023. Notably, concerts at Quarry Park were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

In February 2022, the city’s agreement with ST Productions was amended again to “offset city expenses” and “recover direct city costs.” Documentation provided to the Rocklin City Council by administrative analyst Jeff Scanion described a positive relationship between ST Productions and the city. He noted a “successful first season” in 2021 and called the city’s relationship with ST Productions “mutually beneficial.” By 2021, Mondell had left Rocklin and was working in Tulare.

The only money assigned by the Rocklin City Council to ST Productions appears to be a one-time, interest-free loan of $100,000 to cover deposits when booking acts.

Speelman’s ST Productions and Rocklin ended their relationship when the contract terminated at the end of 2023. Public records from Rocklin – including the minutes of council meetings and RFP award documents – do not show that ST Productions or Speelman submitted a proposal to continue working with the city.

The rigorous RFP drew only one qualified applicant, Ineffable Music Group, which was awarded the management contract.

False Alarm in Unfair Florida Fire Tax Accusation

In its investigation into Mondell’s past, the citizens group claims there was “major litigation and legal disputes connected to his departments” during the time Mondell was employed by Ocala, Florida. Originally hired as a planner, Mondell would eventually become Ocala’s assistant city manager, serving from 2012 to 2014, after working as the city’s economic development director.

The report attempts to connect Mondell to a “fire tax” imposed by Ocala on city utility customers. The tax would eventually be found unconstitutional and overturned. The decision forced the city to refund $80 million.

However, when the illegal tax was imposed in 2006, Mondell was the city’s planning manager.

“I had nothing at all to do with that fire fee,” Mondell said. “I was in another department.”

The fire fee was finally challenged in 2014, and was overturned after an eight-year court battle that ended in 2021. Mondell said he was never consulted about the fire fee or involved in the litigation that ended it.

“I wasn’t the assistant city manager then,” he said. “No one asked me (about the fire fee).”

The Coalition for Transparency / Fiscal Accountability / Save Our General Fund is also critical of a zoning decision the Tulare City Council made in December of 2024. It allowed cold-storage and warehouse facilities to be built “by-right” in light and heavy industrial zones without first performing an environmental review.

The zoning change was challenged legally, and on April 24 the Tulare County Superior Court ruled that Tulare had illegally bypassed the California Environmental Quality Act. The coalition termed this a “major legal challenge” and a defeat for the city. However, the lawsuit is ongoing, as the city filed an appeal in July.

Mondell: I Am Not a Crook

While the coalition’s report says Mondell’s experience and education “made him an attractive candidate,” they claim the city council failed to dig deeply enough into Mondell’s past and into his relationship with Speelman.

“The Tulare city council did not thoroughly review the long-term success or financial realities of Marc Mondell’s previous municipal projects,” they wrote.

The report is also critical of the city’s new emergency homeless shelter and its “Tulare first” approach that prioritizes housing for people with ties to Tulare. The report characterizes this as a potential lawsuit for the city, but does not specify why. Aguilar said if the city provides a shelter, then it automatically assumes responsibility for the safety of those who use it, presenting liability issues.

“What if someone gets attacked?” he said.

The coalition did not provide Mondell with a copy of its report. Members of the city council were also not informed, and Mondell said there’s little information in the report that he hasn’t already talked over with the city council.

“I don’t know that there’s a lot there for them to discuss,” he said. “A lot of it we’ve discussed over the last five years.”

Mondell denies he’s been underhanded or failed to disclose pitfalls in the proposals he’s brought before the Tulare City Council.

“The primary point they’re trying to make is that I’ve been dishonest and misleading to the council,” he said. “I don’t think that’s true.”

Mondell is adamant he has no special relationship with Speelman and Spade Entertainment. While the coalition called for audits of the Adventist Health Amphitheater, Mondell said audits have already been completed, and he’s frustrated with the criticism.

“There’s no way for me to convince people I’m not a crook and in a business deal with Spade,” he said. “We have auditors who go over this all the time. Just this year we got another clean bill of health.”

Trying All the Options

If Mondell was in a financial relationship with Speelman or his companies, the potential fallout would be greater than any benefit he might receive, he said. His professional certifications would be voided, ending his career in civil service.

“I lose those certifications and I’m out of a job and become unmarketable,” he said. “It would be incredibly stupid for me to do that.”

And in the meantime, the numbers aren’t as bad as the coalition’s report says they are. The report lists the concert series first year’s local attendance rates (6% to 10%) and chides Mondell for his claim other similar projects pulled up to 25% of attendance from the local population.

Updated metrics for the second year of the concert series place local attendance at 40%. The series is now in its third year, which is the length of time Mondell said is required to “figure it out.”

“We haven’t had enough time to try all the options,” he said. “We need three years to try different genres of entertainment and find out.”

To that end, the city has contracted with the Roox Agency to bring Hispanic musical acts to Zumwalt Park. The park will also host Christian musical acts in the upcoming season, and the amphitheater recently hosted a reggae music festival. Attendance, Mondell said, is up to 2,400 guests on average.

He also said Spade entertainment is seeking national-level sponsors to help balance the books.

“We’re right on track with everything I thought we’d do, except our ticket sales and revenue,” Mondell said. “If we’re successful with getting sponsorships, we’ll take care of covering costs.”

The post Citizens group criticizes Tulare amphitheater finances appeared first on Valley Voice.

Michael Mota, a local patrolman for the CHP, claims he was wrongly evicted from the home he shared with TPD officer Lupita Hernandez based on false information she provided to her fellow officers. Mota also said officers sought retaliation after he made claims of misconduct within the department. Mota’s allegations are detailed in a civil rights lawsuit filed August 25 in Tulare County Superior Court.

Named as defendants in the action are Officer Hernandez, the City of Tulare, TPD Chief Fred Ynclan and retired TPD Chief Jerod Boatman.

The city has yet to file a formal response. A preliminary hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. on January 6, 2027 before Judge Nathan Ide.

CHP Officer Accused of Stalking, Harassment

According to the case filed by Visalia attorney Derek Wisehart on Mota’s behalf, a letter written by the Tulare city attorney’s office – Griswold, Lasalle, Cobb, Down and Gin – ordered Mota to avoid all contact with Hernandez. However, the notice was not personally delivered to Mota, but rather “published” by the defendants. Copies of the letter were sent to Mota’s employer at the CHP and his father.

The letter – dated May 25, 2025 – informed Mota he would face further legal action, including filing for a workplace violence restraining order against him, if he failed to comply with its requirements. Such an order would cause Mota to lose the right to carry a firearm, thus threatening his employment, the suit said.

The suit further claims the letter falsely accused Mota of stalking and harassing Hernandez, and its demands included staying away from the residence Mota and Hernandez shared. Mota’s suit claims the locks on the home were changed illegally by Hernandez in an illegal eviction without due process. The lockout occurred on May 6, 2025.

These alleged violations of Mota’s rights were performed “under the color of authority, without warrant, without a judicial court order, without any eviction notice or order, and did so under the threat to ruin (Mota’s) job and career.”

Suit Alleges Inappropriate Workplace Relationship

Melissa Wilcox, Tulare’s chief deputy city clerk, acknowledged the suit in a statement and said City Hall is preparing a response:

“In regard to the complaint, the city is aware of the lawsuit filed by Michael Mota. The complaint contains allegations that have not been proven, and the city is reviewing the matter with legal counsel. Because this involves pending litigation and confidential personnel matters, the city cannot comment on the specific allegations at this time.”

According to Mota’s suit, the accusations against him were untrue, and the information Hernandez supplied to her fellow officers was incomplete. She failed to disclose that she and Mota shared a residence and that the pair were “in a close, personal and sexual relationship.”

The suit also claims Hernandez was maintaining an improper relationship with her direct supervisor TPD Capt. Ray Guerrero. Mota said the pair also engaged in other on-duty misconduct, including coordinating their response to an internal affairs investigation. The suit claims Mota was acting as a whistleblower when he made the allegations against the pair, which was the main motivation for their alleged retaliation.

The suit seeks monetary damages of greater than $35,000 for the violation of Mota’s constitutional rights, retaliation, fraud and infliction of emotional distress.

Wisehart, Mota’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.

The post CHP officer sues, alleging Tulare PD misconduct appeared first on Valley Voice.

The hospital expansion at Adventist Health Tulare – after more than a dozen years of delay and setbacks – will be ready to accept patients by 2028, says CEO of Tulare Local Health Care District Randy Dodd.

“We just signed a contract for $3.5 million, a preconstruction contract,” Dodd said. “In January we’ll be able to go out for bids.”

The district’s immediate goal is to complete construction of the first two floors of the stalled four-story tower, giving Adventist Health Tulare a new state-of-the-art emergency department and imaging center. Construction is expected to take 18-24 months to complete.

“It’s what we need at this time and what we can afford,” Dodd said.

Record Donation for Anniversary Celebration

The news of pending construction comes as Tulare Local Health Care District and the hospital celebrate a pair of major milestones – 2026 marks 80 years since the formation of the district and is the 75th anniversary of the hospital’s opening.

An open-house celebration of the historic occasions hosted by Adventist Health Tulare and the district is planned for 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, at the hospital, 869 N. Cherry St. The event is the opening of a months-long “season of celebrations,” Adventist announced.

“The hospital has been a vital part of the community for 75 years,” said Tim Haydock, operations executive with Adventist Health Central California Network.

Adventist Health Tulare received an A grade from the hospital ratings organization The Leapfrog Group. The hospital is accredited as a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission and as a Geriatric Emergency Department by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

“We are grateful for our community’s support over the years and are committed to further expanding and advancing care for years to come,” said Haydock.

Adventist also announced a “beloved member of the community” intends to make the largest donation in the hospital’s history. The identity of the donor will be revealed at the September 22 event.

Confusion Remains Following Mismanagement

Just after World War II – in 1946 when the nation’s military members were returning from posts around the world – Tulare residents formed the Tulare Local Health Care District with the ultimate aim of building a local hospital. Construction of the Tulare District Hospital began in 1949, and the $1.1 million, 86-bed facility opened in 1951.

The hospital changed names over the years, becoming the Tulare Medical Center and then the Tulare Regional Medical Center. Services expanded through the 1980s before a major renovation in 1993 that added a pediatric treatment center. In 2005, voters approved an $85 million bond to expand the hospital, with construction beginning on the tower in 2010.

Then construction stalled in 2014-15. The district had turned over management to the private management group Health Care Conglomerate Associates in 2013. The company’s executives were later convicted of fraud in their management of the district, and during their tenure the state of the expansion project became increasingly uncertain until it stopped entirely.

District CEO Dodd said more than 400 change orders have been issued over the stop-and-start construction of the tower. Most of the documentation from that period is now missing. Today, the building’s exterior is complete, but the interior remains unfinished. Unfortunately, no one can say exactly what has to be done to finish it.

“We’re now on architect number three and contractor number four,” Dodd said. “So it’s hard for us to go out and say, ‘This is what we need to do to finish this project.’”

New Tower Construction Starts New Era

The recently-commissioned study of the tower’s current state of readiness that’s now underway should yield a project list and cost estimate for finishing the first two floors of the tower. It will be complete by January.

“It will provide for us a document we can use to go straight out to construction,” Dodd said. “It could easily be 18 months from there and we’re good to go.”

The first floor will house a new, expanded emergency department, and an imaging center. The second floor will be home to state-of-the-art surgical operating rooms. Adventist Health will provide a $15 million loan to finance construction. The company will also spend $40 to purchase imaging and surgical equipment, Dodd said.

“We couldn’t afford both by ourselves,” he said.

But it is vital to have them. The imaging and surgical centers will vastly expand Adventist Health Tulare’s ability to treat patients locally. The signal a new era for the medical center.

“Those two things in combination will give us a new hospital,” Dodd said.

And then there’s the record donation to consider. To maintain suspense until the September 22 announcement, the donor’s name and the amount of the donation are being kept secret.

“I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you,” Dodd said. “It’s part of the surprise of the event. It’s big news to have someone in our community care so much that they’re making a huge donation.”

The generous contribution alone, however, isn’t enough to finish all four stories of the tower expansion and its basement loading docks, workrooms and storage areas. Work toward that ultimate goal continues.

“That’d be a huge donation,” Dodd said. “It’ll help in that direction.”

The post Tulare hospital tower open by ‘28, says CEO appeared first on Valley Voice.

The added funding is in addition to the $400,000 earmarked for concert expenses in the city’s 2025-26 budget, and the $5 million in city funds used for construction of the theater.

Approval was not unanimous. The latest funding approval came in a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, August 4, after questions were raised about the amounts the city is contributing and how much it will be expected to pay in future to keep the concert series active.

Poor Ticket Sales Leave City Covering Costs

Tuesday’s decision marks the third city council-approved subsidy granted since December, when city leaders approved a cash injection of $550,000 to cover ongoing expenses for the concert promoter, Spade Entertainment, while also extending the company’s contract with the city through August 2027.

Then in May, hoping to generate better ticket sales, the council approved another $132,000 to fund an extra concert featuring Hispanic musicians, this time with the cooperation of local ad agency Roox. Roox specializes in marketing to Hispanics, which make up 65% of Tulare’s population.

The reason for the additional funding requests, said Tulare City Manager Marc Mondell, is poor ticket sales. During the first year of the concert series, only 11,400 tickets were sold.

“It takes a while to establish the venue, work out all the kinks from an operational perspective, effectively market it, (and to) attract the right kind of talent that’s willing to come here,” he said.

Mondell told members of the city council that the city had expected to subsidize the cost of concerts during the theater’s startup period.

“So we knew that for the first three years at least, we were going to have to subsidize it, just like Visalia does,” he said, referring to that city’s financial contribution to its convention center and professional baseball team.

“It may take longer than three years. We don’t know, but we knew it’d take three years at least to understand what we’re dealing with here,” he said.

City Now Paying Theater Operation Costs

The original agreement with Spade Entertainment paid the promoter a portion of revenue from ticket sales, the entire net proceeds of alcohol sales, along with 80% of revenue from corporate sponsorships the company is expected to solicit. In exchange, Spade would cover operational costs for the concert series.

However, midway through the first concert season, the city and Spade changed that agreement. Spade now receives a single $5,000 payment per concert for its services. Operating costs are now the responsibility of the city.

Spade and the city, Mondell said, would be unable to meet contractual obligations if the city did not act to shore up the concert series.

“Here’s sort of the numbers where we’re at as of the best guesstimate we have based on today,” he said. “Total revenue (is) about $436,000. That’s ticket sales, sponsorships and net bar (receipts).”

Total expenses so far total $418,861, meaning Spade has nearly exhausted the money it’s received from the city.

“The operator’s cash on hand is just about $17,000 and change,” Mondell said. “That’s what they have in their pockets right now to last them through the rest of this concert series.”

Five concerts remain on the 2026 series calendar, meaning the cash-strapped operator will run out of money before it can collect outstanding income from previous ticket sales. Spade is also booking acts for the 2027 concert season. Tuesday’s vote ensures the concerts will continue, but taxpayers will foot the bill.

“The remaining subsidy that we need to cover the balance of costs going forward is about $181,000 and change,” Mondell said. “The request we’re asking for tonight is $160,000, because we would use Spade’s $17,000 and change.”

Financial Goal of Concert Series Unclear

The only dissenting voice on the council was that of Councilmember Jose Sigala, who eventually voted not to award the latest subsidy. He also voted against the $550,000 subsidy awarded in December.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Sigala questioned why the city is now paying the expenses of a private business that’s found itself unable to meet its obligations. He also asked for a clearer picture of the city’s future financial responsibility for the concert series, and what level of loss is acceptable.

“I go back to some of the fundamental questions I have in regards to expectations, accountability and continued financial investment into the series,” Sigala said. “ What is the goal on the return now? What is the expectation? If it’s a $100,000 concert, if it’s a half a million dollar concert, $200,000 concert, what is the expectation the city manager feels is appropriate? Is it [a] 90%, 10%, 1% return?”

Mondell did not give a direct answer, suggesting a dollars-per-concert view of the city’s expenditure was an incomplete assessment that failed to weigh other benefits, such as bringing more people downtown.

“I wouldn’t define it that way because no two shows are alike,” he said. “For example, some of our shows are completely free, right? So there is no return on investment. We just lose money, if you’re talking about (it) in terms of dollars.”

Instead, Mondell suggested the best measuring stick would be the amount the city spends to subsidize the concerts.

“The way I look at it is more at the end of the year, how much are we subsidizing the concert series? That’s what I’m really trying to focus on,” he said. “Our goal is to get it to where there is no subsidization. That would be our ultimate goal.”

Downtown Concerts Drive Commerce

During Tuesday’s request for funds, Mondell reiterated the reason why the city has invested more than $6 million in turning Zumwalt into a center for entertainment, and why it continues to fund the concert series. He hopes, he said, to counter a negative impression about the city’s spending.

“I think it’s very important because there continues to be misinformation in the community,” Mondell said. “I want to put on the record the facts.”

The Adventist Health Amphitheater at Zumwalt Park is the centerpiece of the city’s plan to reinvigorate the city’s business district, according to Mondell, who said 400 letters of support for the concert series the city has received are proof of citizen support and commitment to the idea.

“I would qualify all of them as people that are fully invested in the concert series,” Mondell said. “They’re the folks that are spending their money and their time and their energies on the concert series.”

With the addition of the amphitheater and other attractions, like the kid-friendly water feature, have boosted park attendance. Some 13,000 people visit Zumwalt each month. Eventually, that number could rise to as many as 50,000 visitors a month.

“In order to redevelop a downtown, you have to do several key things, and it’s all about people,” Mondell said. “You have to have people living downtown. You have to have people working downtown, shopping downtown, eating and drinking downtown, and entertaining and recreating downtown.”

To make those people appear, Mondell said the city will have to invest big.

Poor Ticket Sales Behind Theater’s Deficit

Dismal ticket sales are behind the lack of operating cash at Zumwalt. During the first year, only 11,400 tickets were sold. Of those, just 10% were purchased by Tulare residents. Mondell, who has worked on two similar concert schemes in other cities, said that number was unexpectedly low.

“That’s been one of my frustrations,” he said. “The other two venues that I was involved in, in my prior communities, we started out closer to 25% local attendance. The good news is that number is going up.”

Ticket sales are picking up slowly. In 2025, each concert had an average of 1,900 people in the audience. In 2026, the average is up to 2,400 per show. Those numbers have also been driven up by ticket giveaways.

The percentage of Tulare residents in the audience has also climbed to 39.8%.

The original deal with Spade was an 80/20 split on sponsorships, but the poor ticket sales stymied that plan, Mondell said. Now, the city and Spade are both putting all sponsorship revenue into funding the concerts. The city is also giving up its $1-3 per ticket income to fund the concerts.

“That money is just getting dumped back into the shows to try to keep the shows afloat for this period of time,” Mondell said.

That, however, hasn’t been enough to make ends meet, leading to subsidies from City Hall.

“Some shows, there’s not even enough money to cover the expenses,” Mondell said.

Subsidies May Continue Indefinitely

Mondell is betting the city will be able to stop subsidizing the concert series, and sooner rather than later. But it will be an uphill climb, he said, because of Tulare’s relatively low median income level. In fact, the subsidies may be here to stay. While the “ultimate goal” is ending subsidization, that may not be possible in Tulare.

“That doesn’t happen in every community,” he said. “It usually has a better chance of happening in the more affluent communities and the larger communities because you have a much bigger demographic to pull from. In this community, I would say, next year.”

The key to ending subsidies are increased ticket and concession sales, as well as locking in more corporate sponsorships.

Despite this sunny assessment, Councilmember Sigala asked Mondell to provide profit and loss statements for each future concert. Council members have stopped receiving reports on how the concerts have performed financially, he said, and he feels he’s unable to properly analyse the situation without that data.

“In other words, I have information that’s been provided to me through you, but I don’t know if it’s complete,” Sigala said. “But the information that’s been provided to me pretty much says the city is subsidizing 80 to 90% of each concert.”

Mondell said that number is likely lower due to the contribution of revenue into the concert series by Spade Entertainment.

“I haven’t looked at it from that perspective,” he said. “I think one of the things that is missing is we may not have done a very good job of clarifying for you how much of that was actually city subsidy versus Spade Entertainment subsidy.”

Council Support Strong for Concerts Downtown

Despite Sigala’s concerns, the other four members of the city council said the city should continue to feed cash into the concert series until it becomes self-supporting. While solid data is difficult to come by, indications are the concert series is drawing people from out of the area to Tulare. Visitors from at least 12 different states have attended, and the events are a large draw for residents of the entire Central Valley.

In December 2025, Spade’s contract was extended until August 2027, demonstrating the council’s support. Under this agreement, the city waived the cost of police overtime pay, agreed to waive its portion of sponsorship fees and gave Spade $75,000 to market the concert series. The city also set aside $250,000 to pay artist deposits and $175,000 to cover production, security and janitorial services for concerts.

Mondell said the city should offer those same terms in December of this year, when it will consider extending the contract with Spade Entertainment for another three years, and pushing it to 2030.

The majority of the city council appears to agree that taxpayers should continue to provide capital until the concert series becomes profitable enough to support itself. The boost to the city’s collective self-image is worth the expense.

“We made a three-year commitment to see this through, and the improvement has been fantastic,” said Councilmember Terry Sayre. “I’ve attended almost all the concerts, it’s not the Hard Rock, but the vibe, the atmosphere is positive, and the talk around that, it’s positive.”

The post Tulare council approves another $160K for Zumwalt concerts appeared first on Valley Voice.

Planning Commission OK’s Changes at Mall Property

That possible pathway became more clear this week when the Visalia Planning Commission approved a change to parcel divisions at the 13.6-acre commercial property on the northwest corner of Mooney Boulevard and Caldwell Avenue. The move came at the request of the mall’s Tustin-based owners Paynter Realty and Investments, which is quietly pursuing the “de-malling” of the Sequoia Mall and has been since 2023, according to the online real estate marketplace Crexi.com.

While the commission approved Paynter’s request unanimously at its July 13 meeting, it was without knowledge of why the property owners asked for the changes or what they plan to do with the parcels. This is standard behavior for property development. All the city has to know is a plan complies with city standards.

“We wait and see like the rest of you,” said Josh Dan, senior city planner at Visalia City Hall. “Usually, they don’t like to disclose the type of business.”

The changes are a redrawing parcel of lines to redivide the western portion of the property into four portions. One of those is small, just 0.3 acres, has odd borders, and has Dan scratching his head.

“They have not alluded to what that may be in the future,” he said. “It’s a weird shape. I’m befuddled.”

Developers, Dan said, are often tight-lipped about their plans, seeking to protect deals in progress and to manage the public’s expectations. Despite City Hall’s being in the dark, Dan sees the changes as a sure sign of upcoming development at the Sequoia Mall.

“Whatever their plan for the future is, somehow these parcel lines make sense,” he said. “They’re setting up for their next steps.”

Payner Realty’s executive vice president Jim Sanders, however, gave the public a rare insight into the developers’ operations. He said the way the property has been reapportioned will let the company pay for rebuilding of the former location of Longs Drugs at the southwest corner of the property.

“We’re under construction with the drug store building to bring in Crunch Fitness,” he said. “With that, we wanted to get the parcels corrected so we could finance that parcel.”

It’s part of a long-term plan to turn the property into an open mall. Paynter abandoned the original enclosed design in 2023, and the interior portion of the mall was finally closed that year.

All the current tenets occupy outward facing storefronts, including the recent additions, like Saphora, Sprouts Farmers Market, Barnes and Noble, and Sketchers Warehouse Outlet. Payner is also rebranding the mall as it’s transformed. While many will always remember the property as the Sequoia Mall, officially it’s now the Boulevard at Sequoia.

The Rise, Fall and Rise of Sequoia Mall

The Sequoia Mall was once the favorite shopping location for many Visalians, and it drew a big customer base from surrounding communities, especially in the decade after it opened its doors in 1974. By 2013, when it was purchased by Paynter Realty, the property was listed as “distressed” by the commercial real estate tracker CoStar. The mall was a high-vacancy property – 60% empty storefronts – available at a price far lower than its assessed value. Its price tag was lower than the remaining mortgage on the property, a bargain-priced “short sale” in real estate jargon.

At the time of purchase, the county assessor’s office estimated the property’s value at $17 million. Tustin-based Paynter Realty paid just $10.7 million for the dead mall.

Only it wasn’t quite dead. Not yet. But it certainly was close.

Mervin’s Department Store, the main anchor store at the mall, went belly up in 2008, declaring bankruptcy and closing all its stores across the country, including in Visalia. An exit by Borders Books followed in 2011, with that company also declaring itself bankrupt. Along the way, classic mall shops like Kaybee Toys, Miller’s Outpost, Lerners and Orange Julius also shuttered their Visalia locations.

In 1998, the mall had changed hands for the first time, and it got its first and only interior renovation in 1999, perhaps too little and too late. The mall was sold again in 2003, with the new ownership paying $27.4 million for the property. It went on the market again four years later, and was purchased by the Schottenstein Property Group.

Schottenstein, too, held the property for four years, and during that period the vacancy rate continued to climb. In 2007, Schottenstein sold the mall to Kimco Realty Corporation with an asking price of $30 million. Kimco had little success. Apparently on the brink of foreclosure, the property went on the market again in 2013, getting the attention of Paynter Realty.

By the time Paynter Realty took possession, Sears Department Store was the last remaining major retailer from the mall’s glory days. In 1996, Mann Theaters had moved its Cinema I-II-III from the back of the mall’s parking lot to its interior and expanded to a six-screen complex inside the mall next to the Ross Department Store (another major anchor retailer that would eventually abandon the location). But the theater stayed, purchased by Signature Theaters in 2002 and by the Regal Entertainment Group in 2004, and expanded to 12 screens.

But the decline wasn’t quite over yet. Transformco, the owner of Sears and Kmart stores, was also in financial trouble by the late 2010s. Transformco eventually threw in the towel, selling 96 of its less viable retail locations, including those in Visalia. Liquidation of the Sears stock began in 2019, and by February, the store’s 80-year run in Visalia was over and done.

Fortunately, Paynter Realty saw the writing on the wall and purchased the Sears property, which was divided from the rest of the mall property, in 2018.

Where There’s Life, There’s Hope

Even through the period of its deepening decline, the mall was still attractive to certain retailers. In 2011, Hobby Lobby, despite ownership’s concerns about meeting California regulations, took over the former Mervin’s spot. It was the first location for the crafting goods store in the state, and, according to multiple online sources, the Visalia store broke company sales records.

There was also another major retailer still doing business at the mall, at least technically. In 1995, Marshall’s Department Store and Bed, Bath and Beyond opened in the Tower Plaza, an adjoining property integrated into the mall’s overall scheme and also owned by Paynter Realty. While Bed, Bath and Beyond has since shuttered, Marshall’s remains.

Marshall’s, Hobby Lobby and the Regal Cinema were the last three big boxes standing.

Yet Sanders said the company was still certain about the potential of the mall property and remains confident. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to show their hand, though Sanders is definitely upbeat about the property’s future.

“I’m not trying to promote anything until it’s time to promote it,” he said. “There’s a lot of neat things to talk about in terms of what’s happened so far. The real estate has proven its worth. The first rule is ‘location, location, location,’ and it’s proven that with Sprouts and Borders.”

What’s Coming Next for Sequoia?

Now, 13 years after Paynter took ownership and three years after the decision to reorganize as the Boulevard at Sequoia, the once dead mall is rising back to its feet, and it could be that the revitalization is just getting into full swing. The addition of Sprouts in the former Sears space, the opening of a Barnes and Noble bookstore in the same storefront where Borders Books once operated, and the arrival of big brand names like Nordstrom’s and Sketchers all seem to herald better days ahead.

But Sanders still won’t say what other plans might be in the works.

“What you see is what we’re doing,” he said. “It’s a real success story, and now we’re bringing Crunch Fitness. And now Sierra TGX. This is only their second location in California.”

Sierra offers a wide variety of outdoor and sporting goods at what it promises are lower prices than other outlets offer. Sanders describes it as “a discount version of REI or one of those outdoor sporting goods companies.”

“They have not done a ton of marketing there,” he said. “It’s fully open and worth a visit.”

The sales pitch for the Boulevard at Sequoia listed by Crexi promises new building construction and a “state-of-the-art cinema” to come in the near future. What other retailers and changes the future holds not even the people at Paynter Realty know for sure.

“Everyone I talk to says that it was the mall. We’re trying to figure it out,” Sanders said. “It’s a strong intersection for the trade area.”

The company, he said, has an affinity for the area and is fully committed to the ongoing project.

“We love Visalia and really care about the community,” Sanders said.

And he let slip one more secret. There is no plan yet for the small, oddly shaped parcel next to the Shady Lane entrance and in front of the future home of Crunch Fitness.

“It’s for a drive-thru,” Sanders said. “We aren’t planning anything right now. It’s just for the future so we’re ready to roll if something comes along.”

The post Visalia’s shopping mall that wouldn’t die appeared first on Valley Voice.

The fee and rate schedule changes for all city departments were approved by the City Council on June 15. The majority of the adjusted fees went into effect on July 1.

Yearly Fee Changes Avoid Sticker Shock

City fees are adjusted annually to keep them in line with regulations set by other agencies, when contractors change the rate they charge City Hall or to match the city’s actual cost of providing a service. Not all fees and rates increased this year, and some were removed because of redundancy or just weren’t needed anymore.

By adjusting fees and rates on a yearly cycle, City Hall avoids hitting the public with big changes in the cost of doing business.

“When you’re jumping it up 30%, people are shocked or awed or angry,” said Mayor Brett Taylor. “When we’re increasing every year, then it’s a lot easier to swallow.”

Monitoring what the city charges for its various services is not a small task.

“We have nearly 1,600 fees,” said city financial analyst Jana Ferguson.

Those fees cover every service the city provides, from renting trash dumpsters to issuing housing permits to overnight airplane parking. The majority of the rates saw only small changes matching inflation.

Group Rental Fees Increased at Senior Center

The only large increase approved on the new rate sheet is the added cost non-residents will have to pay at the Parks and Recreation Department.

Beginning on August 10, out-of-towners will pay an additional 25% more than those who live within the city limits. The cost increase will not apply to children enrolled in programs funded partially by the Visalia Unified School District.

“This would apply across all Parks and Recreation fees,” Ferguson said.”Picnic areas and indoor facilities rentals, the rental of athletic fields or courts, the lights and concession stands, and then special permits and staff fees that are required for those facilities.”

By delaying the increase, the upward adjustment will match the upcoming fall enrollment in group sports. Identifying out-of-town players will be added work for parks and rec staff, but they make up a large portion of participants.

“It’s generally around 10%,” said parks and rec director Jason Glick. “For new registrants, we’ll ask for their place of residence. It will take some work. We’re not going to hide from that.”

Parks and Recreation also asked for and got an increase in the per-person fee it charges for rental of space inside the city’s four community centers. The city currently adds a $0.35 per person charge when renting out space for events. It’s going up to $0.50 a person.

The increases affect rentals at the Anthony Community Center, the Manuel F Hernandez Center, the city-owned facility at Whitendale Park and at the Senior Center. The centers have spaces for groups as small as 15 people, or as many as 200.

Some Changes Outpace Cost Increase

A small few of the fees City Hall charges bring the city into line with either regulation or industry practice, and the increases more than match an increased cost of living.

The hourly equipment fee for charged firetrucks used during responses due illegal activities, negligence or carelessness will go up a few percent to match the increased rates allowed by FEMA. The cost of overnight aircraft parking at the municipal airport is rising from $12 to $15 to “match industry standards.” And the fee for replacing damaged city-owned waste cans and bins is also going up to match the actual cost to the city.

At the Visalia Convention Center, the fee for maintenance and custodial services during events is going up $1 per hour to $28 ($41 for overtime and holidays). The cost of Internet service is rising slightly, up $2 to $70, and, finally, a change in wording is intended to end confusion about what is included (or not) when renting tables.

“In order for customers to be able to clearly identify that a table rental does not include the tablecloth or any type of linen or skirt, they wanted to add the word ‘bare,’” Ferguson said. “Those are obviously available at an additional cost.”

Also, in a boon for those who are hard on equipment, the cost to replace a damaged or burnt city-owned dumpster is being adjusted to match the city’s cost to replace it. Some of those replacement costs have dropped, meaning a financial break for those unfortunate enough to somehow destroy a reinforced steel bin.

The cost of some city services – like grading permit fees or home occupation permits – will go up to match the city’s labor costs. Some fees at the Visalia Police Department, such as processing fix-it tickets, are going up to match a rise in officers’ salaries.

The post Visalia hikes parks & rec fees 25% for out-of-towners appeared first on Valley Voice.

The spending plan includes a $110.4 million allocation for the general fund in its first year, and $110.8 for the general fund during the second year. The city’s Finance Department expects a combined surplus of about $7.8 million in the general fund when the books close at the end of June 2028.

City Leaders Declare City Coffers Strong

In presenting the proposed biannual budget, the city’s financial staff promised more of the fiscal stability that’s been the hallmark of City Hall’s approach to budgeting in recent decades.

“Overall, the city is in good financial shape,” said city financial analyst Jana Ferguson. “Revenues are up in all categories and are projected to continue. Development continues throughout Visalia. Departments are controlling expenses.”

The biannual budget includes spending for all the separate spending accounts maintained by the city: the General Fund, as well as various special revenue funds, capital funds, enterprise funds and internal service funds.

“The largest category is the business-type funds at 41% (of the entire budget), and that consists of 14 funds,” Ferguson said. Business-type funds include money earmarked for wastewater treatment, airport maintenance and solid waste disposal. “And the next one is our general fund at 27%. That’s our largest fund that we have.”

Planned spending for the next two years includes investments in our city infrastructure, including maintenance and replacement projects, she said, and the general fund has a healthy reserve balance. Both upcoming budget years are projected to end with a surplus: $2.6 million in 2026-27, and $5.6 million in 2027-28.

Reserve Cash, Low Debt Keep Visalia Solid

The city has reserves worth $27.4 million as the current fiscal year (July 2025 to June 2026) comes to a close. That nest egg should increase to $29.6 million in 2026-27, and climb to $30.6 million during the 2027-28 budget year. City policy requires a cash reserve equal to 30% of the general fund budget, and Mayor Brett Taylor said the city is within “several hundred thousand dollars” of meeting that goal.

Keeping the city ready to handle economic downturns with a large reserve fund, combined with saving for big projects to avoid borrowing, has given Visalia a solid financial footing most cities don’t have, Taylor said.

“Financially, our city is doing really, really well,” he said. “So many other cities are looking at ‘Which employees are we letting off?’ We’re looking at some of our school districts letting go of some employees. Visalia is in a strong position because we spend within our means.”

The city is almost nearly debt-free compared to most municipalities. Since Visalia has avoided borrowing to fund capital projects, like large construction projects, it has only $4.9 million in debt at the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year. The debt should be completely off the books by the end of the 2028-29 fiscal year.

Currently, repaying outstanding loans accounts for less than 1% of city spending.

“Any other city of our size or of any decent size, they’re putting out millions and millions of dollars a year in debt,” Taylor said. “And we don’t live off that, so we’re not having to pay off that debt, which is huge.”

The city’s low debt service and its large reserve keep Visalia in a unique position among California’s cities.

“No other city is in that position,” Taylor said. “That really speaks volumes about our community and what we do.”

City Manages Expectations in Budgeting

Caution and precaution have been key to the city’s financial wellbeing, according to finance director Renee Nagel. Her department’s policy is to avoid being overenthusiastic when predicting the city’s incomes and pessimistic about expenses.

“We’re conservative with our revenues, and we’re overly conservative with our expenditures,” she said. “We do that for several reasons. For the revenue side, we always hope that they will come in higher. If the economy starts to turn, we would have some wiggle room there because we weren’t overshooting it. You never know. The slightest economic change, it could be foreign or domestic changes, or a policy that can affect your revenues.”

Council member Brian Poochigian credits the wisdom of past elected city leaders for setting the stage for Visalia’s ongoing strong financial footing.

“Previous councils should be applauded for this,” he said. “We are in such a good financial state and very stable compared to a lot of other cities because of the conservative nature of what the (finance department) does and the long-term planning, that if something really bad happened, the residents could rest easy because we’re covered because we’ve been saving for years in case of emergency.”

An example of how this thinking has benefited the city shows up in the difference between the 2026-27 budget and the lower 2027-28 budget, which is $50 million smaller.

“Those large differences, those are heavier in capital projects for the first year of the budget,” said Ferguson. “So they have more projects and more money being appropriated for those capital projects in the first year of the budget.”

The money for those projects, including construction of Fire Station 51 and the expansion of the wastewater treatment system, was banked during previous budget cycles. And the projects and the payouts are happening now.

The city has a six-year capital improvements plan in place, but so far funding for only the first two years of projects is secure. The entire six-year list of capital projects is included in the 500-plus-page electronic copy of the city budget available at the city’s website:

http://www.visalia.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3095/Proposed-2026-27–2027-28-Budget-Document-PDF

“In that six-year capital plan were the first two years of proposed projects,” said Nagel. “Some of those were projects (with) continuing phases that we’ve started, and then some of them are starting new projects, with the heavy lifting being maybe in the first year.”

City Hall Now Hiring

City Hall plans to add 21 new full-time personnel over the next 12 months under the new budget. Most will be new police officers. The parks and recreation, finance and public works departments will also see new hires.

“(Adding) these 21 positions brings our full (count of) full-time allocated positions to 722 for fiscal year ‘27/’28,” said city finance and technology director Negal. “At any given time, the city, which includes full-time and hourly, on average we have about 950 employees.”

The single largest fund in the city budget is the General Fund, which receives 27% of the entire allotment in 2026-27 and 31% in 2027-28. The General Fund will spend $110.4 million in 2026-27, and another $110.8 million in 2027-28, and most of that cash will cover labor costs.

The largest expenditure from the general fund covers salaries and benefits for staff. It makes up 76% of total spending. In 2026-27, the city will shell out $84 million on labor. That’s an increase of 8% from the previous budget, and that mainly covers hiring more staff. But it also covers a 4% wage adjustment for current staff members. The cost of labor should increase another 4% in 2027-28, rising to around $87.5 million, depending on how wages adjust.

General Fund Spending, Income Expected to Rise

General Fund spending will increase by 7% in 2026-27, and by 3% in 2027-28 under the current budget.

Ninety percent of the General Fund comes from taxes. Sales tax is the largest source, making up 44% of the General Fund money. Property tax supplies 19% of the General Fund, a state scheme that uses property tax money to replace lost vehicle licensing fees makes up another 16%, and the rest of the General Fund money comes from franchise taxes, transit taxes, business license taxes and other sources.

City staff is predicting a 2-3% for all six tax revenue sources during the next two years. During the last 20 years, sales tax income in Visalia has increased by 3.9% on average, with a 5.5% average increase in the last 15 years. It increased 3.5% in 2025-26; and 2.5% increases are projected for 2026-27 and 2027-28.

But, of course, the budget is only a very thorough plan. Expenditures and revenues can change unexpectedly, but the city has prepared as well as it can for any financial surprises.

“We try to plan for everything, but things do come up throughout the year or two years,” Nagel said. “You try to plan for every foreseeable future, but you just never know what’s going to happen.”

The post ‘Conservative’ budget for Visalia promises surpluses, security appeared first on Valley Voice.

Supervisors Pete Vander Poel (District 2) and Dennis Townsend (District 5) apparently left the meeting to avoid being included in the presentation of the proclamation.

The county declaration honors the groups’ work to protect and support the LGBTQ+ community in Tulare County. Both men also declined to sign the proclamation.

Walk-Out Surprised, Disappointed Board Chair

The pair’s unexpected absence came as a surprise to Board Chair Amy Shuklian, who oversaw the presentation.

“I didn’t know they were going to walk out of the meeting. I’m disappointed,” she said. “I feel bad for the organizations that were up there talking about what they do in the community.”

The organizations being honored were support and advocacy group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Tulare and Kings Counties, the civic service club Visalia Pride Lions, and The Source, a community center for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The supervisors’ proclamation was intended to honor these nongovernmental groups, whose work, Shuklian said, are critical to the wellbeing of all county residents. Similar proclamations are regularly made for other groups like those honored Tuesday, she said.

“Organizations and nonprofits are what make our community, Tulare County, function,” Shuklian said. “We contract with The Source and a lot of other organizations to provide the services we’re (Tulare County) mandated to provide.”

Shuklian also said official recognition, such as the county proclamation, signal strongly that the people those groups represent are welcome here.

“It’s important they feel they’re members of the community no matter who they are,” she said. “It’s important to recognize everyone in the community, no matter who they are, if they are doing good work.”

Vander Poel ‘Doesn’t Believe’ in Activism, Protesting

According to Supervisor Vander Poel, it was the inclusion of PFLAG that prompted him to leave the room. Unfamiliar with PFLAG – a support group for the family and friends of LGBTQ+ people formed in 1973 – Vander Poel turned to the website of the local branch.

“When you look at their home page you will see a photo. In that photo, there are individuals holding signs that say, ‘Trump Treason = Lock Him Up,’ and ‘Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants,’ and ‘Affordable Health Care for All,’” Vander Poel wrote in an email response to Caitlin Rauen, who had questioned his reasoning.

This is not the first time official support for PFLAG has upset its detractors.

In 1990, First Lady Barbara Bush wrote a letter of support to PFLAG’s president, in which she said, “We cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country.” Bush’s private comment was reprinted by the Associated Press, drawing the ire of conservatives.

PFLAG’s founder, Jeanne Manford, was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2013.

PFLAG’s main approach is wielding legal power against public figures who attack the LGBTQ+ community, as well as organizing protests and other events intended to influence public policy. However, the wording the national organization used on its website was so concerning to Vander Poel he felt he could not lend his name to the local proclamation.

“On the PFLAG national website, they talk about ‘fighting’ and ‘protesting,’” Vander Poel wrote. “Activism and protesting are not strategies I believe in, and I did not want to recognize a seemingly political organization that focuses on that.”

Supervisors’ Action Was Not a Protest

Vander Poel, who represents the Tulare area, told other local media outlets his absence was not a protest. Rather it was to avoid a confrontation.

“I did not explain myself or make any comments at the meeting because I did not want to take anything away from the recognition being bestowed upon the organizations,” he wrote.

Supervisor Dennis Townsend, who represents the Porterville area, reportedly said the county proclamation was secret acknowledgement of Pride Month by Shuklian. He also said the honor was official validation of the behavior of LGBTQ+ individuals, and not simple recognition of the organizations’ beneficial work in Tulare County.

Shuklian denied this accusation.

“This was not a Pride Month proclamation. Obviously, this is Pride Month, but I wanted to recognize these organizations,” she said. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, why do we have Pride Month?’ To me, the opposite of pride is shame, and I will never be ashamed of who I am or who I love.”

During the ceremony, Brian Poth, CEO of The Source, explained why he thinks the work done there is important. It is not only critical to the clients who use the services, but serves to better the entire community.

“We believe that when people feel safe and included, they build lives that benefit their communities,” Poth said. “Every resident deserves access to success, opportunity and a sense of belonging.”

In praising the organizations’ work, Shuklian explained why her colleagues’ absence and their attitude was difficult to understand.

“You have definitely saved the lives of youth and young adults in Tulare County. I know that for a fact,” Shuklian said. “And anybody who can go against the fact that you work to save the lives of our young people is a shame.”

She was especially upset the pair left without explaining their behavior.

“If Pete had leaned over and said I’m not comfortable and don’t want to be in the photo, I might feel different,” Shuklian said.

Tulare, Visalia Support LGBTQ+ Community Officially

The Board of Supervisors wasn’t the only government body that chose to honor LGBTQ+ citizens in June. On Tuesday, the Tulare City Council proclaimed June as LGBT Pride Month in the city. The council there also recognized the work of The Source.

The Visalia City Council will present a proclamation honoring The Source during a celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, at 109 NW 2nd Avenue in Visalia. The event is open to adults only.

Neither of those proclamations singled out PFLAG for specific recognition, unlike that presented by the county. The decades-old organization has never been seen as radical in its behavior or advocacy, which leaves Shuklian puzzled over why her colleagues singled it out. Shuklian also said the proclamation had been worded to be as inoffensive as possible.

“I really didn’t think that it was such a big deal, especially for those organizations,” she said. “I was shocked that PFLAG was the stickler.”

Kathryn Hall, PFLAG’s current president, was particularly offended by Vander Poel and Townsend’s action.

“I think it was rude to be purposefully absent when their constituents are being honored,” Hall said. “These three organizations do good work not just for the LGBTQ community.”

On a more sinister note, Hall believes behavior like that of Townsend and Vander Poel make life even more difficult for people who have been historically singled out for prejudice and bigotry, and violence.

“It’s mean spirited and a sign of the climate that has become threatening toward LGBTQ+ people,” Hall said. “And it’s just this kind of behavior that makes life difficult for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.”

LGBTQ+ people struggle more with internal conflicts most other people aren’t forced to confront, Hall said, and official attitudes of intolerance make that problem far worse.

“The higher incidence of mental health problems and outcomes is due to the way people treat them,” she said. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with people in the queer community.”

A more effective way of unifying the country and making our community better for everyone, Hall said, is making an effort to understand those whose views conflict with our own.

“I think a little empathy is what it takes,” she said.

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