Snapshot of Catastrophe

At press time, what most disappoints me about the 2020 Presidential Election is, actually, the electorate. Sure, Joe Biden has so far garnered north of 73 million votes–an all-time record–but more than 69 million have voted, inconceivably, after everything, for the incumbent. An incumbent who, at press time, is dishonoring the process with lies, lawsuits […]

Mothertruckers

A letter to the Editor from Steve Pendleton Recently Mooney Blvd was afflicted by another visitation by Trump motorists. The most annoying we now call mothertrucks. They’re huge, have never seen the inside of a farm field, and are festooned with all kinds of flags. I haven’t seen any swastikas, but American flags are much […]

This is Not an Article

Back in the day, as the saying goes, when we were actually in print, my wife, The Chief, used to pen a column called “Political Fix.” I remain convinced it was the best feature of the paper. She has abstained from that effort, largely because we have been shifted to an online presence, but I’ve […]

I support Drew Phelps

The water issue is on everyone’s mind these days and we are at a critical crossroads in our area. As a farmer and Mid-Kaweah GSA water board member, I know firsthand the challenges and the need for strong leadership. We need an exceptional assemblymember with a solid grasp of the complexities of SGMA, storage and […]

Visalia Chamber of Commerce Nov 3 Ballot Recommendations

PROPOSITION 15 – OPPOSE Changes Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Split roll taxes commercial and industrial properties based on current market value instead of purchase price. Reasons for Position: Proposition 15 is a $12.5 billion a year property tax increase—the largest in state history. The measure is riddled with flaws […]

LWV: “How voters can help make our election work smoothly”

People may think administering elections is easy. It’s not.  It’s very complicated.  In Tulare County alone, there are 161 different ballot types for the upcoming election, due to variously overlapping congressional districts, state assembly and senatorial districts, city council districts, school board areas, hospital zones, and water districts.  And, yes, the pandemic has added more […]