Three of the five Tulare City Council (TCC) seats–those belonging to the body’s most controversial members–are up for grabs on the November 3 ballot. Crowded Slate Turn-out should be unusually high for the fall election, and not just because it will coincide with the national presidential election. During the last five years, controversy has […]
A pair of sitting Visalia Unified School District’s (VUSD) trustees will defend challenges to their incumbencies, and a third trustee’s seat will be filled by one of five newcomers as a slate of nine candidates vie for three positions this fall. Two of the three races on the November 3 ballot will feature sitting trustees […]
Flying under the political radar during election seasons are 19 irrigation districts partially or entirely in Tulare County. Unbeknownst to most voters, sitting on an irrigation district board is an elected office. But it is a position that rarely makes it onto the ballot, sometimes by design, and sometimes for lack of qualified or willing […]
The Visalia City Council held a special meeting on Thursday at the Visalia Convention Center to consider appointing incumbent Phil Cox and newcomer Brett Taylor to the council. The meeting was held in one of the exhibit halls of the convention center. Chairs were placed several feet apart in case the public wished to join. […]
Steve Harrell–a Tulare native son and the former second in command at the Tulare Police Department–is throwing his hat into the ring for the District 3 seat on the Tulare City Council. The seat is currently held by embattled Councilman Carlton Jones, who has been the focus of repeated claims against the city by members […]
The city of Tulare will pay two of its police officers a total of $40,000 to avoid going to court over an allegedly improper disclosure of information about them by Councilman Carlton Jones. At its meeting August 18, the Tulare City Council voted 4-1–with Jones casting the sole no vote to pay $23,000 to Lt. […]
Alan Germany, a former Tulare hospital executive, pleaded not guilty to an array of charges in an arraignment hearing on Wednesday. Judge Jennifer Shirk presided over the hearing held at the Tulare County Superior Court. For three counts, Germany’s attorney Kevin Rooney filed a demurrer with the court, stating that the allegations — all centering […]
This article has been updated to accurately reflect the jail time the three men could face. Jail time could be on the horizon for three men accused of plundering the Tulare Local Healthcare District and its hospital, the Tulare Regional Medical Center, with the three facing a combined 46 charges. The full complaint is available […]
“I don’t believe I’m paying for a UC education…The tutoring center we pay for? Closed. The gym? Closed. The library? Closed.” Mauricio Valdez, a 2019 graduate of College of the Sequoias, described his current situation while attending UC Riverside (UCR). With the pandemic forcing many universities to switch to remote learning, several students have left […]
A majority of the city council informally told staff Tuesday that the proposed citizens’ initiative to save the 18 acres west of Hidden Valley Park does not follow the city’s General Plan. At its August 4 meeting, Councilmembers Sue Sorensen, Martin Devine and Mayor John Draxler said the initiative deprives people in other areas of […]