Visalia city government provides its citizens with many services, including the senior meal program. This program is run through the Parks & Recreation Department. Lunches are served Monday through Friday at the Senior Center located at 310 N. Locust. These nourishing meals are provided through an outside vendor. Recently, I decided to drop by, sample the food, and visit with some of our seniors.
On the day in question, they were serving macaroni and cheese with ham. I was able to purchase lunch for the very reasonable price of $4.50. It would have been only $3.50 had I qualified for the senior’s discount rate (it won’t be too much longer). Not only was the food warm and tasty, but the company was excellent. I learned about the concerns and issues important to our seniors, and heard old war stories and remembrances about Visalia. Our seniors come from all walks of life. After lunch, I didn’t have time to stay for bingo, although it looked like fun. Our seniors are provided with many activities and social opportunities at the Senior Center. Seniors who would like to attend with their spouse, caregiver or guest, should call 713-4481 for reservations, or 713-4381 for more information. Certainly, we appreciate Visalia’s senior community for their wisdom, humor and the contributions they have made to our community.
Speaking of local treasures, in response to one of my prior articles herein, I received a telephone call from Viola Coppola. Viola wanted to talk a little bit about city politics. She then proceeded to recite for me some interesting local historical facts. She stated that she is 85 years old now. When she was 22, her parents moved their family (nine children) from Boston to Visalia. It was the year 1947, soon after the end of WWII. She indicated that at that time Visalia had a population of about 9,000. Visalia looked like a one-horse town, in comparison to Boston. Her father would be 119 years old if he were alive today. She mentioned that Tony Salierno, whom some of you may know, is her little brother. Most of the family remained in Visalia, raised their own families, and helped populate this town. She let me know that she has seen a lot of changes here, and that she has always loved this community. Working on the City Council, I enjoy interacting with delightful people like Vi. She is truly one of our local "gems."
Changing the topic, we have all been amazed and disgusted by the news coming out of the city of Bell, California in recent weeks. In that blue collar community of 37,000 people, we have read about exorbitant salaries (as much as $800,000.00!) being paid to the City Manager and other city staff, along with $100,000.00 being paid to their part-time city council members. More information keeps trickling in, such as senior city staff receiving up to 20 weeks (five months) paid vacation annually! It is this type of overreaching and misuse of public funds which cause citizens to distrust their government leaders. Visalia officials and staff have attempted to be transparent in this regard. Current salary information for Visalia council members, the city manager, and department heads has been posted on the City’s website at www.ci.visalia.ca.us. We believe that local salaries and benefits are in line and consistent with those of similarly situated cities throughout California.
A final note. In August, I had the opportunity to participate in National Night Out with the Visalia Police Department. I rode along with Captain Rick Haskill of the Visalia P.D. to visit a few of the neighborhood watch organizations in Visalia. There were 38 neighborhood watch groups participating from throughout the community. These groups met that night to enjoy barbeques, pot lucks, and desserts. I was even invited to help judge a barbeque rib cooking contest held by one of the groups, which I was happy to sacrifice my waistline for. I was impressed by the level of organization in these groups, and as a side benefit, how it helped neighbors to get to know each other and have some fun. These neighborhood groups are the eyes and ears of our local law enforcement, reporting suspicious activities and possible criminal conduct. They help make their neighborhoods safer, and help extend our police department’s ability to canvas the city and fight crime. I would encourage anyone who would like to start their own neighborhood watch organization to contact Angie DeAlba at the Visalia P.D. at (559) 713-4370.
If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.
Warren Gubler
Visalia City Council Member
