Del Lago Residents Object

The crucial zoning change, city officials said, is necessary to complete a state-required update of the housing element of the city’s general plan. That update is already years overdue and has been underway since 2022. Yet the move still triggered a last-minute outcry by those living in the subdivision that surrounds the rezoned parcel.

The rezoning and updated report to the state were approved April 21 in a 3-1 vote.

A handful of residents of the Del Lago subdivision in northeast Tulare turned out Tuesday night to voice concerns about the zoning change before the council made its final decision. Speaking about the hypothetical increases in traffic and crime that could result from living near multi-story apartment complexes – as well as the loss of privacy and degradation of the neighborhood’s calm atmosphere – they asked the city to preserve the status quo.

“The winery was quiet. It didn’t throw loud parties,” said Del Lago resident Devin Tucker. “It didn’t cause problems. And now nine years later, they’re talking about building multi-level apartments and adding a lot more population to a neighborhood. And that’s just not something we’re interested in. I don’t think that’s a good move.”

Besides upping the area’s housing density, the council also approved giving the owner of the acreage the right to develop the land without City Hall’s OK, as long as the project meets the city’s design standards and fits the new zoning designation.

Those who objected believe it’s too great a degree of freedom.

“A future project that fits the zoning could move forward by right without any other public hearing,” said Trisha Dean, whose Del Lago home is adjacent to the 10-acre plot. “So tonight might be the only opportunity families get to speak before something that much larger and more intense is placed directly behind our homes. This is a big ask of us.”

The land under review is surrounded on three sides by the Del Lago subdivision. Its fourth side faces onto Mooney Boulevard north of Prosperity Avenue. The area is in City Council District 4 and represented by Dennis Mederos. He was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.

No Plans Yet to Develop Rezoned Area

Following the council’s action Tuesday, City Hall no longer has any say about how the property can be developed in the future, no matter what income level it’s aimed at. Any properly zoned high-density housing project has to be allowed to move forward.

However, Mario Anaya, the city’s director of community development, said that doesn’t make it a free-for-all. Any potential future builder must meet the city’s established rules for any project that they propose. And there’s not a construction proposal on the table yet.

“One thing the public should note: There’s no specific project now,” he said. “And even though there’s not a discretionary process in the future if this rezoning is approved, projects still have to go through site-plan review.”

In the meantime, Mayor Patrick Isherwood said the council is aware of neighbors’ safety and quality-of-life concerns, and they intend to review and update city ordinances to preserve the neighborhood’s quiet atmosphere.

“How can we button that up?” Isherwood said. “How can we address those concerns so that when a project comes in front of us, we have these additional items further addressed? We can work through that.”

Vice Mayor Steve Harrell wanted definite protections in place, and he would eventually cast the only no vote against adopting the zoning change and approval of the state-mandated update to the housing element of the city’s general plan.

“I would be more comfortable with something that’s more concrete, that we’re going to protect these people’s privacy, do something about traffic control, traffic calming measures and things like that,” he said. “To be perfectly honest at this point I cannot support this.”

Tulare Experiencing State-Ordered Growing Pains

Rezoning the 10 acres in question presented a perfect opportunity for Tulare to complete and submit a state-required update to the housing element of its general plan. Adding the pocket of high-density housing was the final piece needed to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirement for the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

A city’s RHNA (pronounced ree-nah) is an examination of the city’s housing needs based on income and household size. The HCD requires all cities to update their version on an eight-year cycle, and there are eventual consequences for missing the deadline. When Tulare fell short of the high-density requirement by 95 acres in 2018, HCD threatened legal action and fines.

Despite beginning fact-finding in 2022 for the current RHNA, the city is now years behind schedule.

“Each year they seem to have more requirements, and this sixth cycle, if you ask any planner in California that’s worked on it, it was really a gauntlet,” Anaya, the city’s community development director, said. “It took a lot of effort, a lot of years to put together. In hindsight, we would have started earlier. Because here we are kind of behind. We should have had the new one adopted in 2024, so we’re about two years late.”

Tulare wasn’t the only tardy city in Tulare County. Eventually under the umbrella of the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG), every city in the county joined forces to complete the more than 500 pages of data needed to satisfy the HCD. During the four-year-long process, the city received only one written comment until the final approval process began.

The update to the housing element of Tulare’s general plan was reviewed by the city’s Planning Commission last month, unanimously approved and then forwarded to the city council. It came with a recommendation of adoption.

Too Much Power and Outdated Outlooks

Despite the state mandate requiring cities to address the housing needs of all their citizens, there was still the claim it represents an overreach of state authority the city should perhaps ignore.

“All I’m asking is to maintain it the way it is, regardless of what Sacramento is trying to push on us,” Del Lago resident Tucker told the council. “Sacramento will be changing soon, because we have an election coming up. So the policies we have now may not be in place in the future.”

While pushing back against the notion that high-density housing leads to bad outcomes, such as increased crime, Councilwoman Terry Sayre said old and familiar biases seemed to be at the root of some of the objections to the rezoning plan.

“I also represent the West Side, and so I’m aware of some of the feelings that are traditional in Tulare about the difference between west and east sides,” she said. “I don’t think the tracks actually delineate people’s worthiness. It’s a mindset that’s been in Tulare a long time.”

According to the TCAG Sixth Cycle report for 2023-2031, Tulare has 4,749 households in total. Of those, 1,435 (30.2%) have very low incomes of less than 50% of the area median income (AMI). Another 884 households (18.6%) have low incomes of 50% to 80% of the AMI; 677 households (14.3%) have moderate incomes of 80% to 120% of the AMI; and the largest and richest portion – 1,753 households (36.9%) – have incomes greater than 120% of the AMI.

Tulare grew by 16.7% between the 2010 and 2020 census counts. That’s more than three and a half times the rate of Tulare County’s growth, and nearly three times the growth rate of the entire state. Yet 77.4% of Tulare’s housing is single-family detached homes.

“We don’t have a lot of variety in our housing stock,” Anaya said. “We kind of produce a lot of the same type, and the needs in our households have changed over the decades, so we’re kind of seeing that bear out a little bit with the data.”

The official conclusion is Tulare needs a wider variety of housing options for all income levels. The county as a whole also needs a greater diversity of housing types. Single-family detached homes make up 75% of available housing, compared with 57.7% statewide.

The post Tulare OKs high-density housing zone besides high-end Del Lago appeared first on Valley Voice.

The forum will be at the Goshen Village No. 1 Community Room, 309940 Road 72, in Visalia.

Doors open at 6 p.m. The forum will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The three candidates running for supervisor District 4 have all been invited:

• Eddie Valero, incumbent;
• Rudy Mendoza, mayor of Woodlake;
• Ian Bakke, chief operating officer of Bakke Ag Services of Tulare.

The two candidates with the most votes in the June 2 primary will advance to the general election on November 4.

District 4 includes the unincorporated communities of Badger, Cutler-Orosi, Elderwood, Goshen, Ivanhoe, London, Monson-Sultana, Seville, Three Rivers, Traver, and Yettem. The cities represented in District 4 include Dinuba, Woodlake, and a small portion in the northwest corner of Visalia.

The candidates have agreed to address questions directed to them by the sponsoring organizations and accept prescreened questions from the audience.

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

The event will be simultaneously translated into Spanish for those who request it and streamed on the Valley Voice Facebook.

The post Tulare County Supervisor District 4 Forum to be held on May 7 appeared first on Valley Voice.

The University Center project was made possible by the passage of Measure C, a voter-approved bond passed in 2022 to support new educational facilities and workforce development initiatives across the South Valley Region. Construction on the new building is now underway and is expected to be completed in time for the Fall 2028 semester.

The University Center will expand partnerships between College of the Sequoias and four-year universities, allowing students to complete bachelor’s and potentially master’s degrees locally. Since 2017, the college has partnered with California State University, Fresno to offer programs through the Fresno State South Valley campus in Visalia. More than 3,700 students have already benefited from this partnership, demonstrating strong demand for expanded university access in the region.

Despite a strong transfer pipeline, Tulare County remains the second largest county in California without a public four-year university, and the region ranks among the lowest in the state for bachelor’s degree attainment. The University Center aims to address this gap by expanding local access to four-year degree pathways, reducing the need for students to relocate or commute long distances to complete their education. The project will also support regional workforce development by helping local employers access a larger applicant pool of graduates.

Community leaders, college officials, students, and regional partners are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the beginning of construction and the next phase of higher education expansion in the Central Valley.

The post College of the Sequoias breaks ground on University Center at Visalia Campus appeared first on Valley Voice.

This special event will take place on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at the historic Fox Theatre Visalia, offering audiences a first look at the program ahead of its national broadcast debut on PBS KIDS.

Designed for young learners and families, Wowsabout follows the adventures of puppet friends Ronald and Roxy as they explore the natural wonders of national parks, meet real park rangers, and inspire children to discover the world around them.

A One of a Kind Family Experience

• In person appearances by Ronald and Roxy puppets
• Live appearances by Jim Henson puppeteers
• A special screening before national release
• Hands on activities and crafts
• Meet and greet opportunities
• Junior Ranger inspired experience

“This premiere is more than a screening. It is an opportunity for families to connect with nature, storytelling, and learning in a meaningful way,” said Robert Mollison, President/ CEO at Valley PBS.

Community Collaboration:

The event is made possible through partnerships with regional organizations committed to education, family engagement, and outdoor exploration.

Sponsors include Visit Visalia, Sequoia Parks Conservancy, and The Source LGBT+ Center, whose support helps connect families with the natural beauty and educational experiences of Sequoia National Park and the surrounding region.

The post Valley PBS to host Central Valley premiere of Wowsabout, with live puppet appearances, at Visalia Fox appeared first on Valley Voice.

“This is a wonderful experience and a big change going from AGUA Youth to advocating as a leader and mother since now my kids keep me motivated. I don’t want them stressing that they can’t drink the water and they should be comfortable where they live,” said Miriam Sanchez, East Orosi AGUA Member. “Communities need to keep speaking up and when one community wins, we are not fighting for just us, we are fighting for all Californians to have clean water.”

In 2005, residents formed the community based organization Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) in response to the contamination of their water. This group then engaged in advocating for safe and affordable drinking water solutions and through a Preliminary Engineering Report decided that connecting to Orosi Public Utilities Board (OPUD) was most sustainable. In their efforts to implement that solution they were met with collaboration from Tulare County, and support from the State Water Boards to issue mandatory consolidation orders. In 2024, community oriented leadership in OPUD showed their support for the project marking full support for solutions to be implemented today.

“Today did not start now, it started years ago with trips to Sacramento because East Orosi refused to accept that other communities should have clean water and not theirs, navigating uncertainty year after year,” said Supervisor Eddie Valero with Tulare County Board of Supervisors. “In 2022 Tulare County stepped in to help the East Orosi Water System and alongside strong collaborators we see hope renewed. We need communities to stay engaged and continue holding us accountable to advance the Human Right to Water.”

The State Water Boards were also a critical partner in funding technical assistance for this project through the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (“The Fund”) established in 2019 when Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 200 (Sen. Monning) into law. Since then, The Fund has provided $2.3 million for technical support that set the groundwork necessary for the success of the consolidation project. The fund has also mobilized $15 million applied to a variety of projects that include hauled and bottled water, technical assistance, and water system repairs responding to community needs, exactly what SAFER was intended to do.

“Today’s groundbreaking is a significant milestone because of how hard and long you, the community of East Orosi, had to fight to make it happen. But you persevered, you advocated, and above all, you built partnerships with the County, Orosi PUD, and the State Water Board. Today, the promise of having safe drinking water in your homes is finally becoming real,” said State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel at today’s groundbreaking. “Our commitment to East Orosi is unwavering, because it is in communities like East Orosi, which have gone without safe drinking water the longest, that California keeps its promise to make access to safe, clean, affordable water a human right.”

As a result we are seeing real change take shape for an unincorporated community in an agricultural area of Tulare county. Up to 106 households homes will now be connected to safe drinking water as part of a long term solution, a relief to over 400 residents who have been relying on bottled water. This progress also gives hopes for other communities who are looking towards tools like SAFER to achieve reliable long term solutions.

Today’s success is only possible because of community leadership, political will, regulatory support, and local collaboration. The SAFER Program and Proposition 68 have been critical for communities and local leadership to make progress on the Human Right to Water. We need to keep supporting efforts that make a difference and this means we have to work together for a future where SAFER is fully funded and where we keep breaking ground on infrastructure projects until all Californians have safe water.

The post East Orosi celebrates groundbreaking to achieve safe water appeared first on Valley Voice.

“Future of fun: How are we planning for recreation?” will be the next forum presented by Tulare County voices at 2:10. The forum is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday April 14 at 210 W. Center Ave.

Tulare County Voices @210 is a monthly public forum in Visalia, an evening panel format that has been a space for community discussion for more than 15 years. It is co-sponsored by the Visalia Times-Delta, the Valley Voice and First Presbyterian Church (which provides the venue and live stream).

This month’s form will be more of a listening session. In fact, everyone who attends will be asked to share at least one thing about what they would like to see for recreation in Visalia.

Normally there would be a panel of experts or people with vested interests to present information to the audience. For this forum, we’re flipping the script. We want the audience to share their ideas, including representatives of the city and school district, as well as people representing various sports, exercises and recreation interests.

The germ of the idea for this forum came from the fact that the city of Visalia is beginning to develop its master plan for recreation. That plan would guide the development of parks, fields, courts, greens and other venues for fun and games.

Here’s where the audience comes in. This is their chance to express their preferences for their favorite leisure pursuits:

Do you like to play tennis? Bowl? Golf? Swim? Play bocce, cornhole or pickleball?

Do you think our community needs more tennis courts, bike lanes, softball fields, polo grounds, pools, dog parks, disc golf courses, walking trails, basketball courts, BMX tracks, skating rinks …?

And why isn’t there a nice park for tai chi?

Or maybe you think our community spends too much money on creating and maintaining its recreation resources.

Where ever you are on the recreation spectrum – this is the forum for you.

Think about it: How often will the city of Visalia embark on a master plan to determine how it will develop its Recreation and Park facilities over the next four or five decades?  This is probably it for your lifetime.

Make the most of it. Let your community and leaders know what you are interested in. Because how would anyone know to build a bocce court in Visalia If no one knew that there were people interested in playing bocce? For that matter, how would it have been known that there was interest in pickleball, BMX racing, skating, or disc golf, if no one had ever spoken up about their interest in those sports?

It was only a couple of decades ago that there weren’t any places for those sports in Visalia. Those sports are available now because people expressed their interest.

The future of fun is now. This is your chance to let your leaders and your fellow community members know what you would like to see in a playground.

You better show up because it might be another 25 years before anybody asks you again!

Be there Tuesday April 14, 7  p.m. at 210. And join the community conversation.

The post Visalia wants to know your idea of a fun time. appeared first on Valley Voice.

Qualifications to Apply: Must be a registered voter within the district and must not have been a trustee of the district within the last 5 years.

Functions: Set policy, ensure legal compliance, oversee financial stewardship, and provide strategic direction for the district while maintaining ethical and transparent governance. The Board has employed a District Manager to carry out policy, direct district operations, provide day-to-day supervision of staff and control and administer district expenditures.

Requirements to Serve: Complete Ethics training, Sexual Harassment and Prevention training, Virtual Board Compliance training, and Fiscal & Financial training every two years; complete a Statement of Economic Interest FORM 700 upon assuming office, and annually thereafter.

Initial Term of Appointment: Three Seats will expire January 3, 2028, and Two Seats will expire January 7, 2030

Compensation: $100 for each regular meeting attended, and $25 for each special board meeting attended.

How to Apply:

Option 1: Complete online application at https://tularecounty.ca.gov/clerkoftheboard/boards-and-commissions/

Option 2: Request an application and email completed application to clerkoftheboard@tularecounty.ca.gov

Deadline to Apply: 12:00 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2026

If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Board office at clerkoftheboard@tularecounty.ca.gov or (559) 636-5002.

The post Tulare Public Cemetery District Board of Trustees Recruitment appeared first on Valley Voice.

https://www.tulare.ca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/15369/232?toggle=next7days&selcat=1

The city’s website states the amenities were closed to the public but after a group of concerned citizens met with the Parks and Recreation director the park now is accessible after school and the bathrooms, which had been closed, will be open on a regular schedule.

Years ago the Cesar Chavez Park was approved by the City Council and the site was selected because that area was “underserved” in regard to park amenities.

The recent “covering of the Cesar Chavez monument” I feel was too quickly directed and majority of the “people” especially neighborhood it serves!

We are requesting all citizens throughout Tulare County give public comment during the city council meeting regarding the park.

After setting up an advisory committee and gathering input from the public, the final authority for naming a park rests with the city council.

But, a City Council appointed Advisory Committee does not provide “confidence” that what happens to the park will be representative of the public will or allows sufficient outreach that would make commenting more available.

Tulare Municipal Code 12.06.020 Parks and Recreation provides that the city must give “significant” public notice and allow for public input before recommendations are made for the park.

But this request for public input should be made at a Special Meeting of the City Council at a time the public can attend. The 5:30 pm meeting time of the city council meetings creates a BARRIER for attendance!

Our efforts to provide “public input” as provided by the Brown Act is being ASSAULTED!

A Special Meeting should be at 7:00pm to ensure all the public can comment not just those community members who do not work or have the luxury of adjusting their schedule. A 7:00pm start time is more reasonable for our hard working community.

Having the meeting at 5:30 does not take into consideration shift work in medical or manufacturing jobs.  It is also when most workers are traveling back home at the end of their work day.

The 5:30 pm meeting time of the Tulare City Council is a BARRIER to public input and in personal attendance. Also, statistics show a significant drop in viewers after time change from 7:00 pm to 5:30.

Yes, the opportunity for public comment is provided for but it is not guaranteed your concerns will be heard or taken into consideration by the City Council.

If it’s possible we urge everyone to attend City Council Meeting at 5:30 on April 7th and complete the “request for public comment” card and address the City Council. Even if you do not complete the card anyone can still make a public comment.

If you cannot attend the meeting please try to attend virtually on April 7th to make your views a Public Record.

CESAR CHAVEZ is a COMMUNITY Park and PUBLIC INPUT is not limited to residents within the City of Tulare!

SAVE and HONOR of the integrity and suffering of the farmer workers during their time!

Emails can be sent before meeting begins at 5:30 pm “City clerk@tulare.ca.gov  or leave voicemail 559 366 1849 at 5:00.

DONT let elected officials decide WHAT is BEST for the overall community!

DONT let elected officials decide “what is horrible news”

BE SOMEBODY, make your opinion known as a PUBLIC RECORD!!!

“People of the State DO NOT yield their SOVEREIGNTY to the agencies that SERVE them.”

The post Cesar Chavez Park on Tulare City Council Agenda – Make Your Voice Heard! appeared first on Valley Voice.

City strategizing for new state laws concerning cannabis sales

At the latest council meeting on Monday, March 16, city economic development manager Devon Jones unpacked the latest tweaks and changes to a set of proposed ordinances that would give City Hall the right to oversee and tax recreational cannabis businesses. The process began in May 2024, and this is the third time the plans have been presented for council review.

Yet there’s still no indication the city will ever issue licenses to sell recreational cannabis, even if the proposed changes to the law are eventually enacted.

“The direction currently is to establish the entire regulatory framework for a cannabis business program, but set the number of licenses to be issued for all use types to zero,” Jones said. “This at any point in the future could be changed by a simple resolution at whatever time either the council desires to open that up, or maybe the state perhaps passes the mandate in the industry.”

The work is being done now to get ahead of any possible changes to state law that could force cities to allow recreational sales. A similar state mandate in 2023 forced Visalia to begin allowing the delivery of medical cannabis inside the city limits. It’s been a particular concern since then for Councilman Brian Poochigian.

“Let’s put some kind of tax measure on the books so we have it there so the state doesn’t come down and say, ‘Hey, you have to allow this, and this is where the money goes,’” he said of the proposed code changes. “I’m glad we’re setting up a framework where we locally can determine – if we ever decide to do this – where the money is going to go to best help our community. So, I like what we’re doing.”

City’s Cannabis Consultant to Craft Fee Schedule

In the end, the council approved spending another $12,000 on consultant fees to continue shaping the future of the city’s potential cannabis industry. HdL Companies, which serves as Visalia’s cannabis law consultant, will assist staff at City Hall with a fee schedule for various types of potential cannabis businesses.

HdL’s job is to make sure Visalia taps all available revenue from the future potential sales of cannabis, Jones said.

“Obviously fees are an important part of this entire regulatory framework,” he said. “And they (HdL) will help us in the finance department, more specifically, make sure we’re covering all bases in terms of all the applicable fees for this.”

The planning going on now is intended to ensure the city maximizes its portion of the revenue flow while making doing business reasonable. And it will not be cheap to operate a cannabis business in Visalia.

“A clear thing that we’re going to indicate is that all licensees will be expected to pay an annual minimum to the city of $50,000 or 1% of annual gross receipts, whichever is greater,” Jones said. “How we came to that figure, there was some research conducted (in) neighboring jurisdictions, I won’t go through all of it, but that number on an annual basis seemed to be appropriate.”

Visalia Studies How Other Cities Handle Cannabis Business

The city’s research included evaluating how Tulare, Porterville and Lemoore have approached licensing and fees. Data from Farmersville, Woodlake and Lindsay was not included. The three cities studied have all negotiated individually with the various retail cannabis businesses. These agreements sometimes include initial fees, and each city requires annual payments.

As the cannabis code stands now, Visalia would not charge a large initial application fee. However, one could be added.

“There’ll be application fees, like some of them you notice an annual license fee,” Jones said. “We’ll have those kinds of things, obviously.”

Each city has set its own cannabis tax rate, which varies in Tulare County from 5% to 10%. Visalia has yet to fix its retail cannabis sales tax rate, though it has set a maximum.

“The tax rate of course will be factored in,” Jones said. “Currently, we have the ability to charge up to 10%. That’ll be something we have to establish at a later time.”

The city could also reverse course on initial lump-sum payments for new applicants, Jones added.

“The initial kinds of fees are something else that could be considered,” he said. “We’d create new licensing fees. That’s something to be determined.”

City Manager to Control Applications, Appeals

Should the city ever allow retail cannabis businesses to operate in Visalia, they’ll all be required to get a conditional use permit (CUP) from City Hall to open their doors. Delivery of cannabis for medical use will be exempt.

Retail shops open to the public will be allowed in established regional and service commercial zones, as well as in commercial mixed zones. But they won’t be allowed in the city’s downtown microbrewery district on East Main Street. Businesses without storefronts – such as distributors, processors, testing labs and manufacturers – will be confined to the city’s Industrial Park.

“That would mean the industrial park proper west of Shirk (Road),” Jones said. “There are pockets of industrial zoning in town, and some light industrial. So we’re just being clear that this is specifically the industrial and light industrial zone we’re wanting to include.”

The businesses will be allowed to operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Because of state law, medical cannabis delivery will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The plan is to roll the current medical cannabis ordinances into the set of regulations now being crafted.

An entirely separate city ordinance will cover the license application process and how the applicants will be selected. The city manager will have control of who can apply and oversee the qualification process. However, those who ultimately receive the licenses will be chosen by lottery.

“The city manager is authorized to make all decisions concerning the issuance of renewal licenses and the licenses themselves,” Jones said. “And similarly, all appeals will be heard by an appointee designated by the city manager.”

By choosing licensees from a pool of qualified applicants, the city hopes to avoid becoming entangled in long appeals with applicants who ultimately don’t win the right to do business.

“This is more of the current industry standard in terms of establishing this kind of business framework. (We have a) strong recommendation from our consultants at HdL,” Jones said. “It’s kind of more streamlined, and a process that we believe will assist us with the likely appeal process that will occur for any unselected applicants.”

Loads of Paperwork Await Cannabis Biz Applicants

The application process for getting a cannabis business license in Visalia will be rigorous. Applicants will have to prove they have a location to do business and the landlord’s OK. They’ll also have to provide documentation from an insurance company that their business can be covered. The city also wants its own exposure minimized, requiring inspection agreements, statements of limitations on liability and background checks for owners and managers.

Jones said the city will look at four areas of concern.

“First is the business plan, which consists of such things as the owners’ prior licenses that they’ve held and their jurisdictions, whether they’ve had any licenses suspended or revoked in any other jurisdictions, their proof of capitalization for the project, including their construction budget,” he said.

Applicants will have to present a neighborhood compatibility plan to show the business will have adequate buffers from things like churches and schools. They’ll also need a safety and security plan, and a community benefits plan that shows how they intend to be an asset to the city beyond creating revenue.

“Knowing that we want to select quality applicants in the process, staff and the consultant worked hard on ensuring that there were certain requirements in the application process that kind of ensured quality applicants,” Jones said. “But also post-selection means to ensure that people are delivering on their development plans.”

Once a license is issued, it cannot be transferred or sold for at least five years. When a license is transferred, the city will look as thoroughly at the exchange as it looks at new applicants.

“It’s going to basically be prohibited to transfer a license during that timeframe,” Jones said. “And also any transferees or (applicants) who might want to transfer a license are approved by the city manager, and the process is essentially treated like a new application.”

Mayor Brett Taylor still has concerns about license transfers despite these precautions. He’d like the ordinance to include a considerable fee for transferring existing recreational cannabis business licenses.

“I’d like to do that, because at the end of the day what we’ve heard from the consultant that we met with is that they (cannabis business owners) just play games, change up management, change up ownership,” Taylor said. “I prefer that if we catch that, we just hit them with a transfer fee of $500,000 or $1,000,000 or whatever it may be. So if they’re going to play games, there’s going to be pain.”

When Will Visalia Allow Cannabis Sales? Not Yet!

As city officials and staff are quick to point out, there is no plan to allow recreational cannabis businesses to open in Visalia. But all the pieces are moving into place.

“We don’t exactly have a timeframe,” Jones said about creating a fee schedule. “I would assume a couple months to get the work conducted and then come back.”

And there’s apparently no sense of urgency at City Hall.

“Really, because we’re still going to be establishing the licenses at zero, we could take this in chunks,” Jones said.

Meanwhile, the public remains of two minds. Visalian Gabriel Jaquez spoke of his concerns over how cannabis businesses were certified, as well as the effect of cannabis on homelessness and mental health, and the reduced ability of workers to pass drug tests as a result.

“Anytime you have drugs and alcohol, it’s not a good thing,” he said. “Cannabis is a drug.”

Adolpho Ace Castillo, owner and operator of the popular retail cannabis outlet Banyan Tree in Fresno, spoke in favor of the city opening itself to recreational sales.

“As an operator, I just want to take you behind the curtain,” Castillo said. “At a 4% rate that the city of Fresno (charges) and at about a 600 to 700 customers per day that come into the Bayan Tree, an average of $25,000 to $26,000 or around that a month goes to the city as a local tax, and close to $200,000 a month to the state of California.”

He also asked the city council to keep ownership of cannabis businesses limited to those who already live here.

“I just want you guys to consider local ownership as a bonus of some sort as deciding who’s going to get this license,” Castillo said. “Especially in a city like Visalia, it’s going to be very limited. Please keep it local.”

The post Visalia reviews rules for cannabis sales again, but still no licenses appeared first on Valley Voice.

Saturday, March 28 seemed like a good day for a protest. Skies were blue, the sun was out, the temperature was in the low 80’s. The number of angry drivers, flipping protesters off seemed to be at a minimum. “We’ve only had about half the middle fingers we normally get,” said one protester with a laugh.

There was some debate about that. “Actually, I’d say, we’re getting double the number,” said Sarah Schater Welch. “Last time, I got two middle fingers and so far today, it’s been four.”

Among the many things Welch and others were protesting was the war in Iran, the detainment of refugees without due process, rising gas and food prices, and the apparent erosion of constitutional norms under the Trump administration.

Across the country and the world, 8 million people gathered to protest the Trump administration. In Three Rivers, about 175 protestors showed up, close to 10 percent of the town’s population.

“At first, I thought these protests weren’t doing any good,” Welch said, “but what these protests do is show lawmakers how many people are participating. It makes a great visual when you show all the people marching in these protests versus the number of people who attended Trump’s birthday party parade.”

Local resident, Christina Lynch, was attending her third No Kings protest in Three Rivers. “This feels like the least we can do. There’s so much more we need to be doing,” she said, “I think it’s really important to get out here and show people the faces of people who are against these polices. They think that we’re crazy or we’re stupid or we’re uninformed, which is sometimes what we think of them, right?” said Lynch.

Lynch was holding a sign that said, “If you ate today, thank an immigrant.”

The sign was meant to be deliberately anti-inflammatory, said Lynch who spoke amidst a chorus of encouraging honks from passerby. “This sign is inviting people to see a connection between the administration’s policies and the fact that gas prices have gone up enormously and that food prices are rising.”

For Lynch, the most disturbing part of the Trump administration are the “concentration camps” and the plans to build facilities to warehouse 80,000 more detainees long term.

“We’re not talking about violent criminals. These are family members of citizens. These are people who are growing our food, processing the meat, roofers, and builders,” Lynch said.

The whole idea of America was built on the idea that that the United States doesn’t turn away immigrants, said Lynch whose family emigrated from Ireland.

“My family came from starving to death in Ireland to the United States, and they didn’t turn them away. After a couple of generations in poverty, my grandfather had about 20 grandkids and no one is living in poverty. This is the story of immigration in America. We accept people who are escaping poverty and violence. We educate their kids, and that’s America.”

Three Rivers is an interesting microcosm of the United States, where the town is almost evenly divided between republicans and democrats. While this divide has created some friction among neighbors and friends, Jenny Kirk, who helped organize the No Kings protest has heard anecdotal stories of Trump supporters beginning to question federal policy.

“There’s this worry about neighbors seeing neighbors at these protests,” Kirk said. “I have a neighbor who I was worried about giving me a hard time because he’s a Trump supporter. But actually, my neighbor stopped me and said, ‘I just want you to know I’m not down with what’s going on.’”

Bob Davis, a contractor who lives in Visalia who does occasional work in Three Rivers didn’t attend any of the protests on Saturday. He voted for Trump three times and said he would vote for him again if he could.

Immigrants should be detained and deported if they didn’t come to the U.S. legally, Davis said.  “If they break the law, they should suffer the consequences. I think this whole No Kings protest is ridiculous. Kings don’t get elected. I haven’t heard any liberal say why they think he’s a king. No MAGA person calls him a king. As far as I’m concerned, he’s doing great. He just got rid of a dictatorship in Iran,” Davis said.

Davis doesn’t agree with all of Trump’s policies. He doesn’t like the idea of putting boots on the ground in Iran, and he especially doesn’t like the idea of endangering the lives of young American soldiers.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what’s happening in the world right now. I really don’t know to be honest with you. I think it’s all more convoluted and complex than everyone thinks,” Davis said.

Tracey Kilmartin, a Visalia resident who’s on a fixed income, said he’s glad he voted for Trump, even though he’s not happy about the soaring gas prices.

“I’m on disability and so this makes it extra hard for me, but you learn to cope.”

Kilmartin said he’s willing to pay higher prices because he believes that Iran is too dangerous if it truly has the makings of a nuclear bomb.

“The Iranian people are executing their own people in the streets, and we just can’t accept that. I would rather pay higher gas prices and food prices than have a nuclear bomb dropping on us,” said Kilman, who believes fuel prices will eventually drop once the hostilities with Iran are over.

Protesters around the country were decrying high food and fuel prices, including the No Kings protest just down the road in Porterville. Over 150 people attended the protest which was hosted by the Porterville Community Action Network (PCAN), established in 2017 to hold the federal as well as the local political administrations accountable, said Diane Wagner, one of the organizers.

“We’ve been having a lot of problems with the local city council these past few years. They are basically a mini version of the Trump administration. They wanted to pass a transgender bathroom ban and they just fired 19 people in the engineering department so they can privatize the whole department with independent contractors,” Wagner said.

The move to privatize a city department is worrying because there will be much less public oversight. Equally worrying is the ongoing public erosion of the division of church and state, Wagner said

“Our mayor just went to a school and was telling the kids that the way to have a good life is to get married, have kids and trust in Jesus. Those are personal things, and if that’s what you believe, go for it. But you don’t go telling that to kids in a public school,” Wagner said.

Karen Anderson, another member of PCAN said that the No Kings protests are encouraging to her because she feels less like a singular “blue dot” in an otherwise conservative town. She knows at least a couple of Trump supporters who are rethinking their support for Trump because of rising prices and the war in Iran.

“I think people are thinking that it’s time to get back to taking care of the United States instead of investing in the goings on in other countries and starting wars, especially when the current president said he would not get us involved in any new wars. It was supposed to be America first. Now it seems like it’s America last.”

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