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.

Amphitheater Management the Core Issue

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

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

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

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

Spade Entertainment is owned by Todd Speelman.

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

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

The group is not alleging a crime has been committed.

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

Report, Public Records Don’t Agree

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

False Alarm in Unfair Florida Fire Tax Accusation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mondell: I Am Not a Crook

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

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

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

“What if someone gets attacked?” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trying All the Options

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHP Officer Accused of Stalking, Harassment

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

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

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

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

Suit Alleges Inappropriate Workplace Relationship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Placed on the ballot by a unanimous vote of the City Council on June 2, Measure A asks voters to consider a 1-cent local sales tax increase. If approved by voters, the proposed measure would raise the City’s total sales tax rate from 8.25% to 9.25%, keeping the City competitive and matching the rate in neighboring cities. This change is projected to generate approximately $16 million in locally controlled General Fund revenue each year.

Sales tax is Tulare’s primary revenue stream and is currently trending downward, with a 3.5% drop projected in fiscal year 2026. Simultaneously, the City faces surging costs tied to inflation, pension obligations and the ongoing homelessness crisis. Despite implementing cost-saving measures such as deferring facility maintenance and capital improvement projects, financial forecasts predict a structural deficit within five years.

“Our role is to ensure our community has full clarity on the City’s financial landscape and how local services are delivered in Tulare,” said Mayor Patrick Isherwood. “We invite all residents to learn more about Measure A and participate in the upcoming election.”

If Measure A is approved by voters, this locally controlled funding would go directly into the City’s General Fund which supports services such as maintaining 911 emergency, fire, paramedic, and police response, protecting local youth from gangs and crime, helping prevent thefts and property crimes, addressing the local homelessness crisis, keeping public areas and community parks clean and safe, repairing local roads and potholes, protecting local drinking water sources and preparing for future droughts, and retaining and attracting local businesses.

By law, this proposed sales tax does not apply to everyday essentials like groceries, rent, or prescription medications. Out-of-town visitors who shop or dine in Tulare would contribute to the tax, ensuring that everyone who uses local infrastructure helps pay for it. Currently, Tulare faces an estimated $356.6 million in annual “sales tax leakage” due to residents frequently traveling outside the City limits for retail purchases. Measure A aims to keep more taxpayer dollars circulating locally.

“Transparency means making sure residents have clear, accurate information and meaningful opportunities to ask questions,” said City Manager Marc Mondell. “Through virtual and in-person community meetings over the next several months, we hope to help residents better understand Measure A so they can make an informed decision when they vote.”

For further details about Measure A, visit the City of Tulare Sales Tax Measure page.

The post City of Tulare services measure to appear as Measure A on ballot appeared first on Valley Voice.

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

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

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

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

Record Donation for Anniversary Celebration

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

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

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

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

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

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

Confusion Remains Following Mismanagement

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

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

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

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

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

New Tower Construction Starts New Era

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poor Ticket Sales Leave City Covering Costs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

City Now Paying Theater Operation Costs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Financial Goal of Concert Series Unclear

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Downtown Concerts Drive Commerce

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poor Ticket Sales Behind Theater’s Deficit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subsidies May Continue Indefinitely

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Council Support Strong for Concerts Downtown

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to Assistant City Manager Thomas Gaffery, the shelter will cost the city about $7.3 million, while the remainder of the costs are covered through a combination of county, state, and federal sources. The shelter held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 10, 2026, though guests aren’t expected to move in until the tentative opening date of July 27, 2026.

“Tulare First”

During the ribbon cutting on July 10, City Manager Marc Mondell made it clear that the new emergency shelter will be following a “Tulare First” policy. In other words, the shelter will only be serving unhoused people that have ties to the city of Tulare.

To ensure this policy is followed, all potential guests go through a screening process in collaboration with Tulare PD’s Halo Team specialty unit. This partnership helps the shelter verify a person’s ties to the city of Tulare through the acquisition of personal information such as last known addresses, background checks, and other forms of documentation.

The shelter’s first guests will be those living at Tulare’s temporary homeless encampment that opened in 2023.

The encampment made up of city provided tents has been a marker of growing concern for some Tulare residents, who cite issues with sanitation, safety, and the prolonged presence of an encampment that was never designed to last for multiple years.

Former Tulare Mayor Terry Sayre cited construction delays as the reason for the wait, but assured the encampment will no longer exist after the tentative move-in day on July 27.

“It will be dismantled,” Sayre said. “Our goal is to get them permanently housed.”

The unhoused population at the encampment is aware of this upcoming change and has been given the opportunity to tour the new shelter as part of the transition process.

Tulare Cares Project Manager Brittney Dias stated that although the new shelter can accommodate up to 400 people if needed, current capacity stands at 200, with only 97 guests initially moving in from the encampment and an additional 50 beds reserved for referrals through the Kings View nonprofit organization.

Kings View is a behavioral health organization that provides mental health, substance abuse treatment, and social services.

Prospective guests unable to verify ties to the city of Tulare will be referred to other organizations such as Kings View, the Lighthouse, The Visalia Navigation Center, the Good Samaritan, and Salt & Light.

Three Phase Model

Tulare’s emergency shelter takes a novel approach in design and function built around a three-phase model intended to transition unhoused off the streets and into permanent housing.

According to Renee Soto, Tulare Cares Homeless Shelter Board Chair, the three-phase model arose from discussions among city council members. The model was designed with the intention of preparing guests for permanent housing by giving them tools to mitigate the chance of relapse or a return to homelessness.

“Ultimately the goal is to be housed,” Soto said. “But housed with the tools they need to succeed when they are housed.”

At the center of the Tulare Cares three-phase model is the main shelter structure that resembles an airplane hangar with tall ceilings, air conditioning, and industrial ventilation. The majority of  the guests will be living here.

The structure is divided into three large sections, each distinct from the others in bed count, privacy level, and amenities. Together, they form a progression system designed to advance guests toward the goal of finding and keeping permanent housing.

Phase A: Entry

The first phase of the model is a large, barracks-style dormitory with approximately 87 beds. This section of the shelter structure is split in half — women on one side, men on the other with access to secure storage. Privacy is minimal while staff assess for individual needs or behavioral concerns.

During this phase, guests begin acclimating to a more structured environment, are connected with a navigator, and start the process of obtaining any missing documentation, such as a birth certificate, ID, or Social Security card. According to Tulare Cares Operations Manager, Brittney Dias, acquiring this documentation can take up to a month.

“You’re just getting started. That’s gonna be your phase A,” Dias said. “We’re gonna try to get you familiar with structure and familiar with starting to take responsibility for your own actions.”

Phase B: Participation

After guests have acclimated to the structure and made progress in case management, they are given the opportunity to progress into B phase and move into the next section of the shelter structure. This phase holds 64 beds, with partitions providing semi-private living conditions. Along with more privacy, guests are also given opportunities to take on responsibilities through volunteering on the shelter grounds.

At this stage, staff can work with guests to help them find part-time or full-time paid work. Guests can also take classes on subjects such as art or managing bills, or attend AA/NA meetings and can earn what the facility calls “Care Bucks” — a form of on-site currency that can be used to purchase items such as clothes, laundry soap, dog food, blankets and hygiene products. The currency system is designed as an incentive to further acclimate guests to increased structure and responsibility.

Phase C: Recovery

The final phase of the model involves guests moving into the last section of the shelter, which contains 24 private rooms with two beds per room. This phase houses guests who are document-ready and either volunteering or earning income while they await a housing opportunity outside the facility. During this phase, guests continue to meet with case management and work with navigators. It is the final stop in the Tulare Cares three-phase model before guests ultimately leave the facility for permanent housing.

Most guests prefer to be in the private rooms. However, Dias emphasized that this phase of the model is only a temporary stop designed to help guests adjust to being in a home structure before they find a unit of their own outside of the facility.

“We’re trying to get [guests] familiar with being in a home structure, so that when you get into your own unit that you don’t get overwhelmed and feel like you’re on your own.”

The Rest of the Campus

The shelter structure is the heart of the facility where the majority of the living and work will be done. However, there are more than two dozen other buildings at the facility, serving a variety of functions meant to support guests while they progress through the phases.

North of the shelter structure is a collection of 16 modular two-room units. Each of these units has two beds per room and has a total of 32 rooms, adding an additional 64 beds to the shelter. Among these units are also spaces designed to accommodate guests with disabilities or limited mobility. More notably, these units are capable of combining with an adjacent unit to form a suite, an ideal living arrangement for guests with families or children.

“Families are different from individuals,” Soto said. “So we will be implementing a program specifically for them.”

South of the shelter structure is the second largest building at the facility where the classroom and laundromat are located. This is also the building where the food pantry is located, and where guests receive two meals per day. Dias said the number was intentional — receiving more than two meals would disqualify guests from continuing to receive food stamp assistance.

Another structure southeast of the facility is a small shipping container dubbed “The Hot Room”. According to staff, it acts as a staging area for guests’ belongings when they first enter the emergency shelter. The hot room takes advantage of the Central Valley heat and reaches temperatures upwards of 120 degrees fahrenheit and serves as a natural sanitization space that kills pests like bed bugs.

Other notable buildings and accommodations around the facility include a large space for dog kennels, a garden area, a small basketball court, a large shipping container with extra clothes, an office space for staff, and four modular buildings with multiple restrooms and showers.

It Takes a Village

A facility the size of Tulare Cares would not be operational without a robust team of dedicated staff working to keep it running. According to Dias, the emergency shelter will be fully staffed 24/7 seven days a week and will have security around the clock.

A total of 22 staff members will be serving guests at the shelter. The team consists of staff leads, admin, a food coordinator, and twelve part-time staff, most of whom were previously unhoused. The facility will also have a team of volunteers to help support daily operations.

One of the key roles is a team of four navigators hired to facilitate case management. Navigators will assist guests with individualized needs such as documentation, application support, networking, health benefits, and permanent housing placement.

“They will be right next to you the whole time working you through the systems,” Soto said.

Many of the staff operating the shelter were previously unhoused at the encampment two blocks away and have been provided positions through the Lighthouse Rescue Mission.

“Over the last couple of years, the individuals in the encampment who have stepped up to volunteer and worked with [Dias] rose to the top by nature and started serving and volunteering today,” Soto said.

One of these individuals is Mauricio Ramirez, a full-time lead for Tulare Cares. Ramirez was homeless for three years in Tulare and began his journey toward stability while volunteering at the encampment. He said leadership saw potential in him and gave him growing responsibilities over the years, which has culminated in full-time work at the new emergency shelter.

“It’s been a blessing,” Ramirez explained. “Rarely do you get this kind of opportunity.”

The journey that Ramirez has taken to achieve stability and permanent housing is a testament to the years of outreach, support, and relationship building done by the city and nonprofit organizations.

“That’s the story of Tulare Cares,” Soto explained. “No one is new to this. In the last 20 years it’s been a coming together of the homeless community and the city.”

The post Tulare Cares Emergency Shelter – a novel approach in design and function appeared first on Valley Voice.

Woodville Landfill now allows free drop-off of mattresses, box springs and futon mattresses from California residents and businesses at 19800 Road 152, Tulare, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Up to 10 units can be dropped off at once, with a box spring and mattress each counting as a separate unit.

“We are excited to offer Tulare County residents more convenient options for recycling their unwanted mattresses,” said Tulare County Supervisor Dennis Townsend. “This new site represents our commitment to making our roadsides and community cleaner for everyone and free from illegal dumping.”

Since 2016, MRC has recycled more than 14 million mattresses in California. The program’s recyclers have diverted 555 million pounds of steel, foam, fiber and wood from landfills. These valuable materials are used to create new products such as construction rebar, carpet padding, insulation, mulch or biomass fuel.

“We’re thrilled to build our presence and make recycling used mattresses easier for Tulare residents,” said Mike O’Donnell, MRC’s Chief Operating Officer. “Collectively, sites in Tulare County recycled more than 280,000 mattresses in 2025, contributing to the more than 1.5 million mattresses this impressive network recycles each year in California.”

In addition to the new Woodville Landfill site, mattresses and box springs are also recycled at 10 other locations in Tulare County. Tulare County residents can find the location nearest to them using our site locator.

In addition to these options, mattress shoppers can have their retailer pick up their old mattress. The state law requires any retailer that delivers a new mattress to also offer to pick up an old one at no additional cost. Many retailers choose to recycle the mattresses they collect from customers through MRC. Whether shopping in-store or online, California consumers should ask their retailer about their take-back service.

MRC is a nonprofit organization that operates statewide recycling programs in California and three other states that have passed mattress recycling laws.

MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program is funded through a state-approved recycling fee that is collected on each mattress or box spring purchased by California consumers. The fee is used to establish free drop-off locations and collection events throughout the state, transport collected units from these sites to companies that dismantle the discarded products, and recycle the materials. Other portions of the fee are dedicated to combating illegal dumping and research efforts that improve the recycling process and recyclability of the component material.

The post Drop off mattresses and box springs for free at new Tulare location appeared first on Valley Voice.

The City of Tulare relies on its General Fund to pay for day-to-day operations and essential community services, including public safety, parks, roads, infrastructure maintenance, and other local services. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, public safety accounts for 55% of the General Fund, or more than $38 million.

“Placing this measure on the ballot gives Tulare voters the opportunity to consider a local funding source for City services,” said City Manager Marc Mondell. “Our role is to provide clear, factual information about what the measure would do, how much revenue it is estimated to generate, and how residents can review the details before casting a ballot.”

According to City financial projections, Tulare is expected to face a structural deficit within the next five years, meaning ongoing expenses are projected to outpace ongoing revenues. The City has taken cost-saving measures, including delaying capital projects and deferring maintenance, while also facing rising costs related to inflation, pensions and homelessness response. Sales tax revenue, which makes up roughly 31% of the General Fund, is projected to decrease by 3.5% in FY 2026, from $23.1 million in FY 2025 unaudited actuals to $22.3 million.

Tulare’s current sales tax rate is 8.25%, which remains one of the lowest among surrounding incorporated cities in Tulare County. Sales tax rates in Dinuba, Visalia, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay and Woodlake are currently higher than Tulare’s rate. If this measure is approved by voters, Tulare’s sales tax rate would increase to 9.25%.

Because this is proposed as a general tax measure, the revenue would be deposited into the City’s General Fund and may be used for general government purposes. The ballot language identifies local service areas such as maintaining 911 emergency, fire, paramedic and police response; protecting local youth from gangs and crime; helping prevent thefts and property crimes; addressing homelessness; keeping public areas and community parks clean and safe; repairing local roads and potholes; protecting local drinking water sources and preparing for future droughts; and retaining and attracting local businesses.

Based on FY 2026 projections, the estimated cost of the one-cent sales tax increase would be approximately $466 per capita, or roughly $1,540 per household annually.

“The people of Tulare want a safe and affordable City to call home,” said Mayor Patrick Isherwood. “This measure helps us get there. This measure would fund more cops, fix more potholes, keep parks safe for our kids, and get us to the level of services the residents of Tulare expect and desire.”

The measure will appear on the November 3, 2026, statewide general election ballot. Ballots and voter information will be administered by the Tulare County Registrar of Voters.

The post Tulare City Council votes to place local sales tax measure on November ballot appeared first on Valley Voice.

Former CEO of the Tulare Local Health Care District (TLHCD) Yorai Shimon ‘Benny’ Benzeevi can no longer practice medicine in the state of California.

The Medical Board of the California Department of Consumer Affairs announced today, May 7, that the disgraced onetime emergency room doctor agreed to surrender his physician and surgeon’s certificate. The agreement was signed by Benzeevi on April 20 following a disciplinary hearing.

Benzeevi was ordered to turn over his wall certificate and pocket license, and he will lose all rights and privileges as a physician and surgeon in California.

Benzeevi won’t contest medical board charges – but can’t escape allegations

If he attempts to reinstate his license or seek a new license, the agreement states that he will be forced to pay $49,928.25 in investigatory fees and that he will accept “all of the charges and allegations” in the state’s original complaint.

The allegations that led to Benzeevi surrendering his professional license stem from his illegal conflict of interest while he served as both owner and CEO of Health Care Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) – which was contracted to manage and operate Tulare Regional Medical Center for the TLHCD – and as CEO of the TLHCD.

In 2020, Benzeevi was charged with 40 felony crimes and six misdemeanors. He pleaded no contest in a 2024 Tulare County Superior Court hearing to six felony counts of conflict of interest, one misdemeanor count of failure to disclose his use of district funds to run a smear campaign against a candidate for seat on the TLHCD board, and a final misdemeanor count of using his position as a government official for personal gain.

For his role in defrauding taxpayers, Benzeevi was sentenced to 120 days of house arrest, ordered to perform 420 hours of community service (reduced from 600 hours), received two years of felony probation, and was ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution to his victims: TLHCD and the Southern Inyo Healthcare District (SIHD). HCCA and Benzeevi were also managing the financially-troubled SIHD.

As part of his agreement with the Medical Board, Benzeevi will effectively accept the allegations of the charges for which he was convicted if he attempts to seek a new medical license in California.

“After years of fighting to be heard, the surrender of his license without contest speaks for itself,” said Patty Drilling Phelps, an organizer of Citizens for Hospital Accountability, which fought to expose Benzeevi and other HCCA officials’ fraud. “The community was right, and now the record reflects that.”

‘Corruption and Dishonesty’ Led to Medical Board Review

Among the crimes mentioned by the medical board was the use of TLHCD funds to finance his lawsuit against the former head of Tulare Regional’s medical executive board. When TLHCD board member Parmod Kumar faced a recall election in 2017, Benzeevi allegedly employed the Israeli company Psy Group to interfere in the campaign of rival candidate Senovia Gutierrez.

Later, after Kumar’s landslide defeat, Benzeevi illegally blocked Gutierrez from taking her seat on the board, according to the misdemeanor he pleaded no contest to.

Benzeevi also engineered a $500,000 line of credit to SIHD from the TLHCD, charging for the service and using the borrowed funds to enrich HCCA. He also arranged for SIHD to borrow money from another company he owned, Vi Healthcare Finance. That loan was secured by future tax income.

The double-dealing CEO also extended loans from HCCA to TLHCD beginning in 2015, and he eventually sold $3 million of TLHCD equipment to a third party company, then signed an agreement for TLHCD to lease back that equipment. He used $2.4 million of those funds to pay TLHCD’s debts to HCCA.

His conviction for these crimes was the primary cause for the initial allegations to remove his license. The Medical Board, however, also cited Benzeevi’s corruption and dishonesty, as well as his general unprofessional conduct as added causes for prohibiting him from practicing medicine.

Case Against HCCA Attorney Resumes Next Week

Benzeevi did not act alone as in the alleged fraud against TLHCD and SIHD. Former HCCA CFO Alan Germany was also convicted on two counts stemming from his involvement in Benzeevi’s actions. Germany was convicted of felony conflict of interest and a misdemeanor for failing to file a financial disclosure form required of all public officials.

For his part in the HCCA scheme, Germany paid $150,000 in restitution to his victims, served two years probation and performed 540 hours of community service work. He was also required to write a letter of apology to residents in the TLHCD. He faced a maximum sentence of three years.

Former HCCA attorney Bruce Greene faced an identical set of charges to those alleged against Benzeevi and Germany. However, Greene rejected a plea bargain deal similar to those offered by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office to his former co-defendants. In May of 2024, the Tulare County Grand Jury found sufficient cause to indict Greene on 11 felony charges and five misdemeanors.

Greene pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The ongoing criminal case against Greene is in addition to a disciplinary hearing against him before the California State Bar. The state’s attorneys accuse Greene of using his influence with HCCA and TLHCD to benefit himself and his client, Benzeevi. The matter is pending, awaiting the outcome of the criminal charges.

Greene’s criminal trial is scheduled to resume next week before Judge Michael Sheltzer. A pretrial conference is set for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The department location will be announced.

A jury trial for Greene is currently scheduled for 10 a.m. on September 26, with Sheltzer presiding.

The post Benzeevi surrenders medical license after conviction in Tulare hospital corruption case appeared first on Valley Voice.