County News 2012

Tulare County’s History of Farm Labor & Agriculture Museum will debut a new exhibit on Saturday – “Perseverance in Strength – Japanese Experiences in Tulare County.

The public is invited to attend a reception to honor the opening of the new exhibit from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum, located inside of Mooney Grove Park in Visalia. Admission to the park and the museum is free.

“Like all immigrants who came to the San Joaquin Valley to farm and earn a decent living, the Japanese played a significant role in agriculture,” said Allen Ishida, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “I would like to extend an invitation to the public for this important event.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department will enforce County Ordinance Section 2-03-1140(f), which limits vessel speeds to 5 miles per hour when water levels in the Kings River are low.

Tulare County Parks Manager Neil Pilegard said the reduced speed limit will be lifted once the flows in the Kings River reach 800 cubic feet per second (cfs), as measured at the Highway 99 bridge crossing.

Tulare County this week filed for injunctive relief against a Cutler-based medical marijuana collective.

According to the complaint filed on Monday with Tulare County Superior Court, Tulare County alleges that the medical marijuana collective violates the requirements of County zoning ordinance, which states that marijuana collectives and cooperatives must be located on land zoned for commercial or manufacturing use within the unincorporated county. The collective is located in an agricultural zone. In addition, the complaint states the collective violates county ordinance by not being grown “within a secure, locked, and fully enclosed structure.”

Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Allen Ishida said medical marijuana operations are a threat to the public safety of residents. From October 2010 to October 2011, there were eight homicides linked to marijuana operations. Since September 2011, there have been three attempted homicides linked to marijuana in Tulare County.

“Tulare County will not tolerate illegal medical marijuana operations in our unincorporated areas,” Chairman Ishida said. “We will continue to take the appropriate actions to combat illegal medical marijuana operations.”

Library patrons in Tulare County will have two more ways to check out their favorite reading materials.

Tulare County Deputy Librarian Jeff Scott said the library is expanding access to residents through making 30 Nook e-readers available this week and by purchasing two additional Lending Library book machines.

Tulare County Registrar of Voters, Rita A. Woodard, would like to notify the Public and, in accordance with Elections Code 19320, all County Central Committees, of the dates, times, and place, where the logic and accuracy testing of the voting machines will occur.

Residents who interact with Tulare County government employees can expect an even greater level of customer service in the future thanks to a new program unveiled at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

The County Customer Service Training Program aims to provide customer service training to all County employees through lectures, videos, and interactive sessions. More than 4,000 Tulare County employees will participate in the program over the next two years. Each new hire will be required to take the training.

Fifth District Supervisor Mike Ennis, who pushed for the creation of a countywide customer service program in 2011 while serving as Chairman, said he is pleased that the initiative came to fruition.

 “Customer service is the lifeblood of any successful business, including local government,” Supervisor Ennis said. “Thousands of residents utilize Tulare County services every day. These residents expect and deserve great customer service.”

Tulare County Registrar of Voters, Rita A. Woodard, is reminding all Tulare County residents that the upcoming Presidential Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.

There are a number of deadlines the public should be aware of.

Tulare County is giving its employees an option this Wednesday to wear jeans in recognition of Denim Day, an awareness day for sexual assault victims, and is asking residents to consider doing so as well.

Denim Day came about in 1999 when an Italian court overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans. The court overturned the rape conviction, arguing that because the girl wore tight jeans she must have had to help remove them, thereby giving consent to have sex.

The case made international headlines, and the young woman’s jeans became a symbol of awareness that what someone wears is never an excuse for rape.

Prompted by a request by members of the Zonta Club of Porterville, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors passed a proclamation on Tuesday recognizing Denim Day.

“Denim Day encourages the public to wear jeans to educate society about the injustices and seriousness of rape,” said Allen Ishida, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “The Board of Supervisors commends the Zonta Club for bringing this important issue to our attention and encourages all Tulare County residents to consider wearing jeans on Wednesday.”

The Tulare County Fish and Game Commission will hold its annual meeting to hear requests for funding from the County’s Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund. 

The funds, derived from Fish and Game fines and forfeitures imposed by the court system, are to be expended solely for projects related to the protection, conservation, propagation, and preservation of fish and wildlife during the 2012-2013 fiscal year.  The County Board of Supervisors must approve all projects. 

Such projects may include:

- Public education relating to the scientific principles of conservation
- Temporary emergency treatment and care of injured or orphaned wildlife
- Breeding, raising, or purchasing fish or wildlife to be released onto public areas
- Improvement of fish and wildlife habitat
- Predator control actions for the benefit of fish or wildlife
- Scientific fish and wildlife research

The meeting is at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at Exeter City Hall, 137 N. F Street, Exeter, California, and is open to the public.

For further information, contact Stevie McNeill, Assistant Agricultural Commissioner Phone: (559) 684-3350; Fax: (559) 685-3335; E-mail: smcneill@co.tulare.ca.us

Tulare County is seeking statement of qualifications from firms to provide architectural and construction management services for the design and construction of the new $68 million South County Detention Facility in Porterville.

A statement of qualifications describes the firm’s previous work related to similar projects, personnel information of assigned staff involved, references, and other items.

Interested parties should contact Tulare County Assistant Administrative Officer Kristin Bennett at 559/636-5005 to obtain Request for Qualifications (RFQ) materials.

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors met with Devin Rhinerson and René Hanna, Legislative Assistants to Senator Dianne Feinstein, to request the Senator’s support regarding a variety of local issues.  The Board discussed support from the U.S. Forest Service for law enforcement efforts of illegal marijuana grow sites on public lands and the U.S. Attorney’s Office support for increased federal prosecution of illegal marijuana grow sites on private lands. Additionally, the Board discussed the need to utilize Lake Success at full capacity, and other local funding needs, such as the need for USDA Rural Development Program funds to upgrade disadvantaged community water systems throughout the County.

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors met today with the Director and Deputy Director of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Forest Service, David Ferrell and Tracy Perry.  Discussions included the ongoing efforts to suppress illegal marijuana grow sites on public land and the inherent safety and environmental concerns associated with these sites.  Director David Ferrell pledged his continued support in the investigation and eradication of these sites.

Tulare County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau announced today that Michael Washam has been selected to serve as the new Tulare County Economic Development Manager.

“Michael has proven expertise in real estate matters, business finance, land use and planning regulations,” said Jake Raper, Director of the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA). “He is an expert in large scale industrial development, such as food processing, solar and alternative energy generation, and wholesale distribution facilities.”

Washam will serve as a key member of the RMA’s Office of Economic Development – comprised of a highly-experienced team charged with effectively marketing and positioning Tulare County for business creation, expansion and attraction.

A coalition of agencies who serve Tulare County and are charged with the planning and implementation of AB 109 - The Public Safety Realignment Act - will host an educational conference for community leaders in March.

The Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) will hold the Tulare County Public Safety Realignment Conference from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 9 at the Visalia Convention Center. The conference is designed to inform an invite-only list of community leaders on impacts of AB 109 and how they can assist in educating their communities.

“We hope that by providing community leaders with useful information about the Public Safety Realignment Act they can in turn educate their respective communities in Tulare County,” said Bill Wittman, Tulare County Sheriff-Coroner, and CCP member.

Tulare County youth who want a say in teen services at the Visalia Branch Library can join an advisory board this Saturday.

“There is no better way to jumpstart teen programs at the library than by having input from our local youth,” said Jeff Scott, deputy librarian. “This is an excellent opportunity for youth who want to be future leaders and have fun at the same time.”

The Board of Supervisors is seeking applications from residents who are interested in serving as a “public member” on one of eight Successor Agency Oversight Boards in Tulare County. The deadline to submit applications is February 22 and appointments will be made at the February 28 Board of Supervisors meeting.