In November, our thoughts naturally turn to family, friends, and the Thanksgiving season. It’s a special time when we hopefully remember to say “thank you” for our many blessings. Recently, Visalia’s solid waste department received a nice “thank you” from Nasser Kadkhodaian.
Mr. Kadkhodaian telephoned the city regarding his mother, who is almost 90 and lives alone here. He related that he was visiting his mother and noticed her solid waste driver, Stan Padilla, taking her heavy garbage can out to the curb so that it could be dumped. Stan told Mr. Kadkhodaian that one day he saw Mr. Kadkhodaian’s mother struggling to put her can out, so he stopped and helped her. Since then, Stan had taken it upon himself to retrieve her garbage can and pack it out if the can was not by the curb. Mr. Kadkhodaian indicated that he was so touched by this kindness that it made him cry, that someone was so nice to look out for his mother in such a thoughtful way.
I telephoned Mr. Kadkhodaian back to thank him for letting the city know of Stan’s quiet service in this situation. Mr. Kadkhodaian replied that he has lived in Visalia for many years, that he loves his neighborhood, and that he is proud of his city.
We have many fine city employees who give service over and above that required of their jobs. We always enjoy hearing from people like Mr. Kadkhodaian. I might add that his mother has now applied for and qualified for free pack out service from the city. Stan was also recognized in a morning briefing and applauded for his outstanding customer service.
HOMELESS ISSUE: The city recently enacted a new ordinance prohibiting shopping carts in our parks and along our city trails. Shopping carts piled high with the belongings of the homeless have admittedly become an eyesore, and as part of this ordinance, we have required local merchants who provide shopping carts to monitor their use and to promptly retrieve them if located elsewhere around town. However, at the same time, the city has purchased four Seatrains and donated storage containers whereby the homeless can store their belongings at no charge. These Seatrains and containers will be overseen by the Visalia Rescue Mission and the homeless will have free storage and access to their personal belongings without having to cart them around town with them. This is an attempt by the city to clean up our parks and streets, but at the same time deal compassionately with those who are less fortunate. We recently received a report from the VRM that they sleep 100 homeless men per night. That is their capacity. About half of those are in their Next Step program, whose goal is to assist the homeless to find employment and housing. The VRM has taken approximately 92 homeless men off the streets through this program, according to Kurt Salierno of the VRM. We thank them along with the Samaritan Center, the Salvation Army, Visalia Emergency Aid Council, and the many other non-profits, churches and individuals who partner with the city to feed and care for the needs of the homeless. May I recommend that if you are approached for a handout, you refer the person to our local resources, and instead make your financial contributions to these experienced charitable organizations so that they can provide for the needs of the homeless.
BASEBALL MOVIE: By the time you read this, a short movie will have been filmed at Rawhide Stadium. This was a “promo/concept” film, about 45 minutes long, with the hope that it will get picked up and become the basis for a full-length movie. This will likely generate some good publicity for Visalia, and contribute to the local economy by way of additional hotel occupancy and restaurant meals purchased. I am told that the crew looked at other locations, but liked the feel of our local Rawhide Stadium and the cooperation that they received from our community and local ball club.
COPS AWARD: Visalia has been awarded a $375,000.00 COPS grant from the federal government. This will provide partial funding for three more police officers to be stationed at our local junior high schools. The city and school district will work together to come up with the funding for the balance needed to implement this program.
Finally, many thanks to my loyal readers, and to Direct Magazine for giving me a venue in their great magazine to express my thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving to all this holiday season!
Warren Gubler
Visalia City Councilmember
wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us
(559) 713-4400 x 3313
