Eligibility

To be considered for appointment, an applicant must meet all qualifications required by the City Charter and applicable law, including being a qualified elector of Council District 3. The City Clerk’s Office will verify eligibility before an applicant is presented to the City Council for consideration.

Term of Appointment

The individual appointed to fill the vacancy will serve until the November 2028 General Municipal Election results are certified and accepted by the City Council.

Application Process

Individuals interested in appointment must submit a completed City Council Vacancy Appointment Application to the City Clerk’s Office.

Applications are available:

• Online at https://www.tulare.ca.gov/government/city-council
• At the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, California

Completed applications must be received no later than October 29, 2026 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications may be submitted in person at the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, California or by email to cityclerk@tulare.ca.gov.

City Council Consideration

Qualified applicants are anticipated to be considered by the City Council on November 3, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at the Tulare Public Library, 491 North M Street, Tulare.

The City Council may interview qualified applicants as part of the appointment process. Additional information regarding the process will be provided to qualified applicants.

The appointment will be made during a public meeting of the Tulare City Council.

Public Records

Applications and materials submitted as part of the appointment process may be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act. Applicants should not submit sensitive personal information that is not requested by the City.

Additional Information

Questions regarding the application or appointment process may be directed to the City Clerk’s Office, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, (559) 684-4200, cityclerk@tulare.ca.gov.

The post Tulare posts City Council vacancy in District 3, call for applications appeared first on Valley Voice.

Four candidates have entered the race for the Ward 1 and Ward 2 seats on the College of the Sequoias’ Board of Trustees. Ward 1 candidates are incumbent Bob Aguilar and challenger Louis Lyons. Ward 2 candidates are incumbent Ken Nunes and challenger Kristina Roper.

On Nov. 3, Visalia, Tulare and Three Rivers voters will decide who represents them on the five-member College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees. The election arrives as College of the Sequoias marks its 100th year with a $50 million University Center under construction.

Meet COS Ward 1 Candidates

Incumbent, Bob Aguilar, was appointed to Ward 1 after Greg Sherman vacated his seat in March 2026. Although Aguilar has only been on the board for six months, he has nearly two decades of experience in education and more than 30 years of legal experience.

Aguilar is a COS and UCLA alumnus. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and has served as an elementary teacher, high school teacher, assistant principal and principal within the Visalia Unified School District. He has served on various boards, including the Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation, Ag Advisory Board, Redwood Law and Justice Academy Board and the COS Giant Foundation. Aguilar has also served as a basketball coach for Mt. Whitney High School. He emphasized the influence his late father, Robert Aguilar, has had on him and the resulting three generations of educators in his family.

“It was tied to what we learned as a family through my father and serving, particularly in the educational arena,” Aguilar said. “My daughter’s an educator… This is kind of what we say as Aguilars: this is what we do.”

Louis Lyons is the challenger for Ward 1. Like Aguilar, he is running for the board for the first time. He is a Redwood High School and Fresno State alumnus. He received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and then returned to Visalia, where he has spent the last 15 years at his family’s law practice with a focus on bankruptcy and family law. He is currently the president of his son’s elementary school Parent-Teacher Association, a chairperson for the school’s School Site Council and the board secretary for the Central California Bankruptcy Association.

“College of the Sequoias is the crown jewel of our community, where so many of my friends and neighbors have gone to receive their advanced degrees, vocational training and professional development, and I want to make sure it remains a quality institution of higher education that is affordable for our students,” Lyons wrote.

Ward 1: Why Are They Running?

As a COS alumnus, Aguilar credits COS with jump-starting his postsecondary education. He is a strong believer that education creates opportunities to build a stronger future. He is running to continue his family’s legacy of service and sees the election as an opportunity to “get back in the game” after retiring from education in June 2024.

“I am running for the Ward 1 seat because I believe furthering your education creates more opportunities to build a stronger future. I am a firm believer in public education as I am proof of what it can do for a successful career,” Aguilar wrote.

Lyons, although not a COS alumnus, considers himself a proud product of the Visalia education system. As an attorney, he acts in a fiduciary capacity, safeguarding his clients’ property. He said he would do the same for taxpayers at COS. Lyons is running to give back to his community and preserve the institution as Visalia’s “crown jewel” through three core beliefs.

“(1) the public and students need to know their voices are being heard by the Board; (2) making sure students’ needs are being met, from greater parking availability, to childcare availability to class availability; (3) making sure that all employees are respected and listened to,” Lyons wrote.

Ward 1: Undocumented Students and Flock Cameras

With ICE recently launching a California immigration crackdown, and the presence of ICE being reported in Fresno, including an ICE agent assaulting residents, questions and concerns have been raised about the safety of undocumented students. Some COS faculty have even taken the initiative of helping undocumented students make it to their classes every morning by facilitating a carpooling system. Ward 1 candidates were asked how they would support undocumented students if elected this November.

Aguilar prioritized student safety in his answer, but added the caveat that the institution must remain in compliance with the law. He referenced an incident that occurred at a courthouse while he was working as a defense attorney. According to Aguilar, an ICE agent detained one of his clients while Aguilar was in the middle of speaking with him about his case. Aguilar explained he could not get involved, because he could be arrested for interfering with an officer’s duties.

“So there’s a fine line that you have to be mindful of in how you approach this very delicate, very sensitive issue,” he said.

Lyons’ response on the topic of undocumented students leaned more into the issue of surveillance and affording all students what he called “equal dignity.”

“I just want all students to feel that they are welcome at COS and that they’re not about to be excised from society,” he explained.

While on the topic of surveillance, Lyons made it clear that he is not a fan of the automated license plate readers on the COS campus. His main concern is that COS campus officers are not the only ones with access to the data collected by private companies like Flock.

“This is information that is available to other parties unknown, which is a concern to me, because we don’t just have adult employees and students. We have minors on our campus who are being observed by these cameras, to whom third parties have incredible degrees of access,” Lyons explained.

It’s worth noting that Lyons is not anti-security. He acknowledges the utility of technology as a layer of security.

“I understand that these cameras are incredible tools in the hands of our good law enforcement officers at COS, but I see little reason why we could not simply depend on old-fashioned CCTV cameras instead, that are monitored by our bonded peace officers who are able to respond to criminal activity on the campus,” he said.

Asked about his stance on the Flock cameras on campus, Aguilar deferred to the law and questioned whether there is an expectation of privacy in a public space. For context, the current Flock cameras on campus are aimed at the college’s public parking lots.

“I don’t think there is an expectation of privacy in a public parking lot,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar added that privacy concerns on campus need to be listed and weighed against the law before a decision is made.

“And then it lands where it lands,” he continued. “Is everyone going to be in agreement? Probably not, right?”

Ward 1: Health Care for Part-Time Faculty

Ward 1 candidates differed on whether COS should participate in a state program that reimburses districts for the cost of part-time faculty health insurance.

Aguilar held some reservations when it came to part-time employees getting full-time benefits. He cited his own experience as a business owner and emphasized the cost of providing health care. However, Aguilar said he was open to learning more about the program before taking a stance on the issue.

“As a business owner it was difficult to offer it because of the cost and expense tied to it,” Aguilar said. “…For me I want to know more about the state program and the costs and benefits of that program. So for me to say no or yes, I don’t think it’s fair until I learn more.”

Lyons didn’t share Aguilar’s hesitancy and made his stance clear.

“I think as long as this program exists, I would seek to provide health insurance for our part-time faculty members,” he said.

Lyons believes providing health care to part-time faculty would ensure that COS remains competitive with other institutions that participate in the program. He explained that some part-time faculty may face the decision of staying at COS without health insurance or applying for a position at another institution that provides it. Ultimately, Lyons believes health care is a basic need that must be met by the college.

“Their basic needs, I believe, have to be met. The most basic needs, obviously, being their families’ health care,” he said.

Ward 1: COS Childcare Center and Other Facilities

The possibility of returning on-site childcare to COS has been a topic of discussion among students, faculty and leadership. Both candidates acknowledged that childcare is a legitimate concern for student parents.

Aguilar said he is aware that a childcare center existed at one point at COS, and that his understanding was that it was discontinued and replaced by other forms of childcare support because that was more of an “economic match” with student demand at the time. With that being said, Aguilar said he is open to the process and that it needs to be an informed decision that balances the college’s finances with student demand.

“If the college can meet that demand in some way, then you obviously want to do it,” Aguilar said. “But then you also have to look at it from the perspective of — there’s only so much financing a college has. And so you have to balance and reconcile the demand versus what you have in the funding source to reach the best outcome.”

Lyons’ response also referenced the college’s previous on-site childcare, but his understanding of why the center closed differed from Aguilar’s. According to Lyons, the childcare center was closed due to a mold issue.

The Voice confirmed Lyons’ claim that the COS childcare center was indeed closed because of a mold issue. In fact, a 2011 ABC7 article has Brent Calvin, now COS superintendent/president, on record stating the college did not have the money to get rid of the mold in the daycare. The same article reported that COS had a $2 million deficit at the time, suggesting Aguilar was partially correct about finances playing a role in the permanent closure.

Lyons said COS should look at bringing back the childcare center to help relieve both students and faculty of the cost of childcare, a cost he says has “exploded” over the past decade.

“A lot of young parents do not have access to childcare, and/or if they do, it’s particularly inconvenient. And one of the great things that COS used to provide was an on-campus child development facility where students could drop off their children, attend classes, and then just come and pick them up after they were done. And it was also utilized by faculty members as well,” he said.

A new childcare facility isn’t the only construction Lyons believes should be considered. He also said the college should consider adding a multilevel parking structure to address parking congestion at the Visalia campus. He added that once the new University Center is complete, parking congestion will only get worse.

Meet the COS Ward 2 Candidates

Ken Nunes is the incumbent for the Ward 2 race. He was first elected in 2010 and is seeking his fifth term on the COS Board of Trustees. He has served on the COS Giant Foundation and, with Gerald Benton, former superintendent of Tulare Joint Union High School District, co-chaired the Measure J campaign that funded the Tulare center. Nunes, a certified public accountant, has worked at the same accounting firm since 1974. He brings that financial expertise to a board that, since the recession, has rebuilt the college’s reserves, retired debt, broken ground on multiple construction projects and kept salaries competitive.

“I’ve been around COS for a long time, and I have a passion for it. I’m not just a one-issue person. I see the whole picture,” Nunes said.

Kristina Roper is the challenger for the Ward 2 race. She’s an archaeologist with an anthropology degree from UC Berkeley and a cultural resource management master’s from Sonoma State. She worked for the National Park Service at Yosemite and at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, then went into private practice. From 1995 she taught at Fresno State, Fresno City College, Cabrillo College and, for one semester, a COS class broadcast at Fresno State. She eventually taught full time at Fresno State, where she was an early online instructor, and ran a field school for her last 10 years before retiring in the spring of 2026.

“Stewardship means leaving something better than how you found it. And that’s how I live my life,” Roper said.

Ward 2: Why Are They Running?

For Nunes, running for the Ward 2 seat means finishing a project he helped start: the new $50 million University Center under construction at COS. Nunes was on the board when President Brent Calvin first proposed the plan to the trustees. He believes giving local students the chance to earn a four-year degree from Fresno State without leaving the area is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he wants to see come to fruition.

“This project is dear to my heart… I’d like to kind of see that come to fruition. That’s kind of my goal,” Nunes explained.

Roper is running on building up COS’s existing trade and certificate programs. From her own teaching experience, she has learned that students’ goals do not always align with a four-year degree. She wants to use her connections with the state and national parks to start a relationship where students can have an entry into employment after completing their programs. She also intends to bring her academic experience to the board. According to Roper, the COS Board of Trustees has never had an academic among its members, with the possible exception of Aguilar.

“They’ve never had an academic on their board,” Roper said. “And I find that perplexing.”

Ward 2: Childcare and Flock Cameras

The Ward 2 candidates were split on the possibility of bringing back an on-site childcare center at COS.

Roper was clear that she would bring back a childcare center. She rejected the idea of simply handing student parents funds and leaving them to figure out childcare on their own.

“I would bring back the childcare center,” Roper said. “We have to have a formal childcare center… for families, people who work, they need that service because it hinders their ability to take classes and to grow.”

Nunes, on the other hand, believes the options currently available to student parents may serve them better than a center on campus. He pointed to a presentation given by COS financial aid staff at the board’s Oct. 12 meeting on childcare options, including Pell grants, work-study and CalWORKs. According to Nunes, the college’s previous childcare center went away “for various reasons, one of which was facility-related.”

“What we found out was that some of these options may be much better than doing childcare on campus,” Nunes said.

Nunes used the example of a student commuting from Farmersville. He explained that a center’s hours may not line up with a student’s schedule, and that care closer to home can be more practical for families.

“It’s much more meaningful if funds are available for that student to have the child being cared for in their local community, where a parent or a grandparent can pick up the child,” he said. “It’s a hot button issue that some folks are raising, but… you have to know what is currently available.”

The candidates were further apart on the Flock cameras on campus. Roper wants them gone.

“I want to see that contract canceled and the Flock cameras removed,” Roper said. “Do we really need to be surveilled 24 hours a day, and that information is then sold?”

Roper also dismissed the argument that the cameras are a matter of campus safety.

“People who argue it’s a safety issue, I think that’s weak. It’s surveillance and it’s profit,” she said.

Unlike the Ward 1 candidates, Nunes did not take a position on the cameras. He said he was not familiar enough with the issue to speak on it, but that he values privacy.

“I’m not well informed on that and haven’t heard much consternation about it,” Nunes said. “I’m all in favor of privacy and not intruding on people’s rights, of course.”

Ward 2: COS Budget and Health Care for Part-Time Faculty

Nunes, a longtime CPA, believes COS’s budget is on the right track. He recalled the college’s financial struggles around 2010, when reserves were low.

“It was a struggle to meet payroll on a monthly basis because we just didn’t have the funds in place to kind of weather the storm,” Nunes said.

Since then, according to Nunes, COS has managed to run surpluses and set money aside for facilities. He gave the example of a new science building at the Hanford campus, a roughly $65 million project. The state approved the project, but COS had to provide 25% of the cost from its own funds to qualify.

“That’s what the budget has allowed us to do: to qualify for projects like that,” he said.

Roper said she still needs to learn more about the budget before proposing changes. She did, however, take issue with how the current board operates.

“I’m not a yes person, and it seems like the current board is very much an old boys club. They say yes to what Brent says,” Roper said. “Except for Connie.” Roper was referring to Ward 4 Trustee Connie Diaz

Like the Ward 1 candidates, the Ward 2 candidates differed on whether COS should participate in the state program that reimburses districts for part-time faculty health insurance.

For Roper, the answer was simple.

“Absolutely. The state is offering it,” she said.

Roper dismissed concerns about the state ending the program in the future. She believes the college should take advantage of the program while it exists.

“If that changes, then we address that then. But meanwhile, they’re paying for it and we’re denying our staff and faculty,” Roper said. “Health care is a human right. It really is.”

Nunes said he is open to the discussion, though he acknowledged that cost is a real factor. He noted that in the private sector, most companies do not offer health insurance to employees who work fewer than 20 hours a week. He also recognized that the public sector is different.

“It’s a dollar issue for sure,” Nunes said. “I’m certainly open to having those discussions… I certainly don’t rule it out.”

When asked about Roper’s argument that the benefit would simply end if the state funding ends, Nunes said the issue is not that black and white. According to Nunes, part-time faculty health insurance was discussed during the last round of contract negotiations. He said the parties could not agree on contract language about what would happen if the state stopped funding the program. He expects the issue to come up again during the next round of negotiations.

“The bridge that we couldn’t cross was that language in itself,” Nunes said, adding, “I could be totally wrong on that.”

Ward 2: Evaluating the COS President and Student Success

The board’s most direct power is over its only employee: the superintendent/president, Brent Calvin. Trustees hire, evaluate and can dismiss the president.

When asked how he would evaluate Calvin and measure his success, Nunes referred to his long history on the board and his experience with previous presidents like Stan Carrizosa. He credits Calvin with leading COS through the pandemic and reaching record enrollment at a time when most colleges were struggling to recover. He also highlighted Calvin’s push for a bond measure in the Visalia-area school facilities improvement district (SFID) to fund the University Center and a new student union, an idea Nunes admitted he thought was “crazy” when Calvin first proposed it.

“That’s, I think, how you measure the work that people do: the ability to lead and go out and get something done,” he said.

Roper’s response focused less on evaluating the president and more on gathering accurate student and faculty data on happiness and performance. She referenced Ward 5 incumbent John Lehn’s statements on the college’s student success rate and questioned how that data is gathered. She said the college never asks students who leave why they left, and that only the students who succeed get mentioned, which she says makes the success rate “not based in reality.”

“They’re not asking all the right people,” Roper explained. “And so we have to identify what’s wrong as well as what’s right, and build on what’s right and fix what’s wrong.”

Ward 2: Keeping Grads in the Valley

When asked how COS can encourage graduates and transfer students to stay in or return to the valley and give back to their community, the Ward 2 candidates had different approaches.

Nunes admitted that the share of COS students who transfer after earning an AA degree is not as high as at some other community colleges in the state, but he believes the University Center will have a positive impact on those numbers. According to Nunes, the opportunity to earn a four-year degree locally will help more students continue their education while staying in the valley.

“If they get their AA degree here, they walk across the street, get their bachelor’s degree,” he said.

Roper, on the other hand, believes COS should address the issue through diversification, by offering more training and programs that lead to well-paying local jobs. Drawing on her background as an anthropologist, she criticized the federal administration’s opposition to DEI and argued that just as species depend on genetic diversity to survive, COS needs to diversify beyond what it currently offers to not only survive a changing world, but thrive in it.

“This is a win-win. Keep people in the valley, keep the talent in the valley. They don’t have to go away to find a job, a career,” she said.

The post COS incumbents and challengers for Ward 1 and 2 face off appeared first on Valley Voice.

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.

On Nov. 3, voters in Hanford will decide who represents them on the five-member College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees. The election arrives as College of the Sequoias marks its 100th year with a $50 million University Center under construction.

Lehn is running on what he says is a decade of record-high student success, robust finances, and new construction. He says he wants to continue to contribute to the progress the college has made over the last decade.

Nava says she entered the race because she believes the board is “out of touch” with the employees and students it serves. She claims Dr. Brent Calvin, College of the Sequoias’ Superintendent/President, said during a meeting that the board had moved away from fully funding employee health insurance so employees would “feel the pain” of rising premiums — one example she cites as a reason to run.

Ward 5 voters will choose between an eight-year trustee who says the college has never been stronger and a challenger who says students still can’t find child care or a bus to class.

Meet the COS Ward 5 Candidates

John Lehn is seeking a third term representing Ward 5 on the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees. During that time he has served three years as board president and the remaining years as vice president, his current role.

Lehn spent about 42 years with Kings County’s job training office, most of them as its director, and for 25 of those years also served as president of the Kings County Economic Development Corporation, working to bring new businesses to the county and support existing ones. He is a former Hanford City Council member and mayor, and coached youth baseball and soccer for about 20 years.

“Fundamentally, I think experience matters,” he said.

Susie Nava is a first-time candidate and a COS alumna. Born into a military family, she moved to Hanford at two weeks old when her father was stationed at the Naval Air Station Lemoore. She settled in Kings County in 1997, raised her three children in Corcoran, and moved to Hanford in 2021.

She has worked in manufacturing, at a local school district, for First 5 programs in Corcoran and Kettleman City, and as a Kings County case manager. Since 2024 she has worked as a quality assurance specialist for Kings County Behavioral Health overseeing contract and regulatory compliance. She also sits on the board of the California League of City Employees Associations (CLOCEA), which represents Kings County employees.

Nava started at COS as a single mother and earned an associate degree, which she said is the foundation of her career. As a Latina, she said she hopes to show students from similar backgrounds what is possible.

“We need more people like us so our community members can look at us and say if they can do it, I can do it,” she said.

Why Are They Running?

Lehn is running on the college’s record during his tenure, citing what he called “all-time high” student success, stronger finances and a wave of new construction, including a $50 million University Center, a $40 million student union, a $70 million science building in design for the Hanford campus, a $10 million stadium, solar efficiency projects and classroom improvements.

“I am a candidate for re-election because I want to continue contributing to the College’s 100-year tradition of excellence and build upon the progress of the past decade,” Lehn wrote in response to questions from the Valley Voice.

Nava, on the other hand, is framing her candidacy around her own experience as a COS student, emphasizing her understanding of students’ backgrounds, barriers and needs.

“I am running to represent Hanford on the COS Board because I care deeply about ensuring that same opportunity exists for current and future students. Having sat in these same classrooms and faced many of the same challenges our students experience today, I bring not just insight, but empathy and gratitude for what COS provides,” Nava wrote.

Student Success and Gaps in Progress

Asked about potential gaps in student success at COS and how to measure progress, Lehn did not identify specific shortcomings, focusing instead on how progress should be tracked.

“The important measure is not simply whether a gap exists, but whether it is narrowing over time,” he wrote. “I would continue to measure progress through course completion, persistence…and other established student-success measures, with the results disaggregated so that improvements – or continuing gaps – are visible.”

His opponent Nava named transportation and child care as the main barriers to student success.

“On paper, COS is doing amazing…” Nava wrote. “However, I work in the community I am looking to represent, and I have spoken to students, community members, and professors who all have stories about students having to drop classes due to transportation and or childcare issues. It is unfortunate that the same struggles I faced when attending COS in the 1990s are the same barriers that exist today.”

Child care is a deeply personal issue for Nava, who was a single mother while attending COS in the 1990s. She said college leadership has recently discussed and dismissed the need for childcare.

“At the last board meeting, a remark was made by leadership that students don’t need COS to provide child care. That they have family and relatives that can help with that,” she recalled. “To me, as someone who works in the community, who lives in the community, that statement is so out of touch with our residents and the needs of the community.”

Lehn said COS already supports student parents through child care stipends funded by financial aid, county human services programs and state and federal grants, which he said can exceed the cost of care. He mentioned the college operated its own child care center at one point, but students who actually utilized the center were such a small population compared to enrolled students, that the funds were redirected to serve students in other ways.

With that being said, Lehn stated the district is now considering whether to bring a center back.

“We’re in the process of gathering information to evaluate whether or not it makes sense to reinstitute a child care center,” he said.

Competing for Hanford Students

COS isn’t the only community college option for Hanford residents. West Hills College Lemoore sits about 10 miles away, and the candidates were asked why some local students choose it over COS Hanford.

Lehn challenged the premise of the question. He said COS has been over its state-funded enrollment cap for years and remains significantly over it, meaning the college serves more students than the state pays for and keeps adding classes to meet demand.

“We’re serving way more students than the state is providing resources to serve,” Lehn said.

Rather than competing, he said, the two colleges give students more choices, particularly when classes at one college fill up.

“Kings County is blessed to have two community colleges and have options,” he said.

Nava on the other hand, said the Hanford center has been underdeveloped, offering only a limited number of programs on site.

“They have nine classrooms and three programs,” she said, adding that students outside of those programs must travel to other campuses to continue past their general education courses.

Transportation compounds the problem, she said. Nava described meeting a student on the first day of classes who was deciding whether to drop a course because she had borrowed a car to get to campus and wasn’t sure she could do it all semester. She said some students take Uber to early-morning classes because public transit doesn’t run that early, and that some classes end at 9 p.m., after transit stops running.

“People don’t choose Hanford COS because we don’t have the infrastructure to help them access the services, the classes there at their campus,” Nava said. “It doesn’t have to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way.”

Nava said that when she worked as a county case manager, most of her clients chose West Hills for its online classes, support services, and on-campus child care, though she noted that was in 2023 and things may have changed. She called for COS to offer full degrees online.

Health Care for Part-Time Faculty and Union Endorsements

One of the sharpest disagreements between the Ward 5 candidates came on health insurance for part-time faculty at COS. The state of California reimburses community college districts for up to the full cost of health insurance for qualifying part-time faculty, but COS does not participate in the program.

Nava said she supports joining the program and that, if elected, one of her first moves would be to call for a study session on the issue. She said the current board hasn’t looked at the issue and that leadership should be listening to all employees at COS, not just full-time faculty.

“If you have a whole classification of staff saying, ‘Hey, can you look into this?’ and then just closing it down, that’s not working with union leadership. That’s not working with your staff. And that’s not listening to them,” she said.

Lehn said district and union leaders have not reached an agreement on part-time faculty health insurance, but that the district is gathering more information so the board can take up the issue as a discussion item.

“The college made an offer to support the health care for part-time faculty under certain circumstances and the unions didn’t agree to it,” Lehn said.

He said health insurance for part-time workers is uncommon, noting that most industries offer such benefits only to full-time employees. He also warned that the cost could be substantial if the state ends the program and leaves COS to cover it.

“We’re not convinced that the state will, based upon their past record, continue to support that. It’s a significant cost that the district would have to absorb on its own,” Lehn said.

While Lehn cited uncertain state funding, Nava pointed to a different explanation.

During the interview, Nava read aloud the remark she attributed to Calvin, which she said was shared with her during her union endorsement interview.

“[The COS Board of Trustees] want the employee to feel the increase and ensure that they feel the pain of that increase, so they don’t take advantage of having insurance,” she claims Calvin said.

According to Nava, the remark followed negotiations over the district’s most recent insurance increase. In the past, she said, COS fully covered the most basic plan for classified employees.

Nava stated the remark is further evidence that current leadership is out of touch with the constituents it is supposed to serve.

“I’m very well aware when my insurance goes up,” Nava said. “If you pay for insurance, you’re aware. Nobody’s taking advantage of the insurance out here.”

The issue points to a broader question in the race: how each candidate would approach negotiations with the college’s unions.

Nava said she has been a strong union supporter since 2003, when she worked for a Corcoran manufacturer and saw the difference in pay and benefits between its union and non-union plants. She now sits on a union board of directors in Kings County and has been endorsed by six groups and unions, including all three at COS.

“What most unions ask for is to be heard,” she said. “They want a fair wage. They want to feel like they are valued and that they are an integral part of whatever organization that they are working in.”

During the interview, Lehn questioned whether some of the Valley Voice‘s questions came from the unions or his opponent’s supporters.

“It seemed to me the questions that you and I just went over were most likely generated by the union or those that are in support of my opponent,” he said.

The Valley Voice developed its questions internally and from community input, and asked both candidates parallel questions.

Overseeing the President

The board’s most direct power is over its only employee: the superintendent/president, Brent Calvin. Trustees hire, evaluate and can dismiss the president.

Lehn said the board evaluates Calvin on the college’s progress toward the goals in its strategic plan and master plan.

Asked to name a time the board pushed back on or overruled the president, Lehn did not cite one. He said most issues reach the board only after going through the college’s participatory governance process, and that reasonable people working from the same facts usually reach the same conclusions.

“That means that you are aligned, the president understands what the desires of the board are and brings items that are reasonable and consistent with the direction of the board,” Lehn said.

Nava, who has not worked with Calvin, said she has followed him through livestreamed board meetings and described him as likable, knowledgeable and vision-driven. If elected, she said she would start by reviewing the board’s evaluation forms to see what he is being measured on.

But she said comments from college leadership have at times seemed “so out of touch with our community,” and that she would push Calvin to spend more time with vulnerable communities and on campuses that haven’t seen him.

What About the Money?

On the college’s budget, the candidates largely agreed. Both said cuts should not be made for the sake of change and that leadership must remain careful stewards of public funds.

Lehn said employee compensation at COS ranks among the top five community college districts in California and that reserves are strong enough to weather economic downturns without layoffs.

“I support the current allocation of resources. As student needs, enrollment, state funding or economic conditions change, I will support adjustments based on demonstrated need and the priorities established through the college’s integrated planning process,” he wrote.

The post Candidates for COS Board of Trustees Ward 5 talk issues 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.

The ballot in November 2026 is no exception. In addition to the full slate of candidates for statewide office from Governor and Legislature, to U.S. Senate and Congress, as well as local officials, the Nov. 3 ballot has 14 statewide propositions.

Those statewide ballot measures include five different taxation propositions as well as several administrative changes to state and local government, including a measure requiring voter identification.

For voters seeking to make sense of this confusing array, relief is on the way.

The League of Women Voters of Tulare County will conduct an information presentation, “The Nov 3 Ballot Propositions – Pros and Cons,” at 6:30 p.m. on October 6 at the Tulare County Office of Education building, 6200 South Mooney Boulevard in Visalia.

“Come find out about what the propositions are, what their fiscal impact might be, and what supporters and detractors are saying about each,” said the League of Women Voters of Tulare County.

Presenters will be from the League of Women Voters, who will use the information from their non-partisan voter guide, 411, and Ballotpedia, to present their information.

Among the propositions:

• A measure that would authorize $11.4 billion in bonds for affordable housing for veterans, younger buyers and low-income buyers.
• A measure that would repeal the prohibition against public funding of election campaigns.
• A proposition that would create a loan program for middle income buyers of new homes.
• A measure that would authorize $8 and funding for research into immunotherapy.m
• The so-called “Billionaires tax,” a one-time 5 percent tax on those whose net worth is more than $1 billion.
• Two other measures that would eliminate the billionaires tax.
• A proposed constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds majority for local governments to raise taxes.
• A measure that would require community health clinics to spend at least 90% of their revenue on services for patients.

One of the most controversial ballot measures would require voters to present government-issued identification when casting ballots and require election officials to use government data to confirm voter citizenship and report verification rates.

As usual, this list of propositions contains some tricky provisions. For instance, Proposition 40 would enact the one-time 5 percent tax on billionaires. Propositions 41 and 42 would cancel proposition 40 with their own provisions.

The presenters at “The ballot propositions, pros and cons” will explain those provisions to help voters understand how they can cast a vote that does what they intend. They will also explain two other local provisions that are on the November 3 ballot.

Voters will have received their sample ballots by October 6. They can bring those ballots with them to this program and mark how they intend to vote that evening.

Be sure to attend this informative evening to be fully prepared to cast your ballot on November 3.

The forum will be live streamed by the Valley Voice on their Facebook page.

The post Nov 3 Ballot Propositions forum to be held this Tuesday, October 6 appeared first on Valley Voice.

Forums for both races will take place back-to-back at the Tulare County Office of Education, 6200 S. Mooney Blvd., beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The forum for Visalia Unified School District Board of Trustees will start at 5:30 p.m. and include candidates in Areas 1 and 4.

Area 1 incumbent, Walta Gamoian, is being challenged by Stacy Boyce.

Area 4 incumbent, Todd Oto, is being challenged by Efrain Becerra.

The forum for Visalia City Council will start at 7 p.m.  Incumbent for District 5, Steve Nelsen, is being challenged by Jose Sosa Wences, Justin Stie, and Esther Perez. Perez serves on the Visalia Cemetery Board and regretfully cannot attend the forum because she will be at a cemetery conference in San Francisco that evening.

Candidates will be responding to questions from the forum’s sponsors and from the audience. The forum will be live streamed on Valley Voice’s Facebook and viewers can message their questions on the Valley Voice’s livestream.

Sponsors are:

• League of Women Voters of Tulare County
• American Association of University Women
• Valley Voice online newspaper.
• Tulare County League of Mexican American Women
• Sun-Gazette newspaper

This will be an educational and fun evening so join us October 8 and don’t forget your questions!

The post Candidates for Visalia City Council, Visalia Unified School District to answer questions on Thursday, October 8 appeared first on Valley Voice.

On September 29, 2026, DRC and DRA filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Kings County Probation Department, which operates the Juvenile Detention Center, and the Kings County Office of Education (KCOE), which operates the on-site court school, J.C. Montgomery School. DRC and DRA also filed the executed settlement agreement with the Kings County Probation Department, giving the court jurisdiction to enforce it and resolve any future disputes.

Under the settlement agreement, Kings County Probation Department will work with a nationally recognized expert to implement changes throughout the facility to reduce use of force, transform the facility into a less prison-like environment, expand rehabilitative programming, and increase pre- and post-booking alternatives to detention.

“We’re pleased with the reforms the County has committed to making at the Juvenile Detention Center, particularly for young people with disabilities, and we’re optimistic about partnering in this process to make improvements in important areas like use of force and access to programming,” said Megan Stanton-Trehan, Associate Managing Attorney at Disability Rights California.

DRC and DRA’s claims against KCOE remain unresolved. Those claims include that KCOE does not adequately locate, identify, and evaluate students with disabilities, and fails to provide required instructional minutes, disability-related supports, and appropriate behavioral interventions.

“It’s crucial that incarcerated youth receive the special education services they’re entitled to,” said Amelia Evard, Staff Attorney with Disability Rights Advocates. “We’re hopeful that Kings County Office of Education will also come to the table to meet the needs of the young people in their care.”

The post Kings County Probation Department to reform juvenile detention center after lawsuit, settlement appeared first on Valley Voice.

Earlier this year, Congressman Valadao secured $540 million through the Working Families Tax Cut Act to support critical storage and conveyance projects across the state—the most significant water investment California has ever seen. Of that funding, $200 million was specifically set aside for the Friant-Kern Canal.

“As a dairy farmer, I understand water isn’t just another issue for the Central Valley—it’s our way of life,” said Congressman Valadao. “Reliable water infrastructure supports the food we grow, the jobs we create, and the future we’re building together. That’s why I was proud to secure $200 million in federal funding for the Friant-Kern Canal to make these much-needed repairs which will improve water delivery reliability, maintain capacity, and strengthen resiliency for years to come. I want to thank the Friant Water Authority, Bureau of Reclamation, and our federal, state, and local leaders for their hard work to make this project possible. I look forward to continuing our partnership to ensure the Central Valley has the water resources needed to support our farms, families, and communities.”

“Today, we are breaking ground on a significant investment that will help keep water flowing to the farms, families and communities that power the Central Valley. The Friant-Kern Canal is a vital part of California’s water delivery system for our communities and farms, and replacing these aging pump stations is critical to making sure water gets where it needs to go. Alongside Congressman Valadao, we fought to secure $540 million for California water projects—including $200 million directly for the Friant-Kern Canal. This is an incredible win for the San Joaquin Valley as we build the infrastructure we need today to secure our water supply for generations to come,” said Rep. Vince Fong.

“The Valley faces many challenges, including water supply certainty and land subsidence that impacts water reliability. Today is about taking action to restore the Friant-Kern Canal and protect a water system that is critical to the Central Valley. We’re grateful to President Trump and Congressmen David Valadao and Vince Fong for their continued support and commitment to securing the investments needed to strengthen this critical water infrastructure,” said Johnny Amaral, CEO, Friant Water Authority.

The post Congressman Valadao secures federal funding for Friant-Kern Canal, attends groundbreaking for Phase I Pump Station Replacement Project appeared first on Valley Voice.

The post Seville Community Tired of Being Pushed to the Side — Demands Equitable Access to Tulare County Resources to Build a Community Park appeared first on Valley Voice.