WE GIVE THANKS

We've just finished Veteran's Day and the Thanksgiving season and look forward to our wonderful December religious holidays and celebrations.  During this special time of year, we tend to reflect more upon the importance of giving thanks for our many blessings.  My family feels especially blessed to live in this great city of Visalia and to call it home.  It's not just the bricks and mortar that make our city great, but the many wonderful people and friends that we have here.  The Gublers have resided in Visalia for 35 years, and have watched the community grow from 57,000 to 133,000 people during that time.  I receive many compliments about what a well-planned city Visalia is, and how we have experienced smart growth.  But I still believe it is the quality of our citizens that makes the difference.

With the many natural disasters this country has experienced in the last few months, including in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and fires in our own state, we should give thanks that we live in a stable environment here in Central California, that food is plentiful, and our infrastructure is sound.  Even flooding, which Visalia has historically experienced, is now a rare occurrence. 

Visalia also has the lowest crime rate in the county, and one of the lowest in the state.  We thank our public safety officers, both police and firefighters.  You might be interested to learn that we recently received a federal grant for $153,000.00, covering 50% of the cost of purchasing body cams for our police patrol staff of 112 officers.  Visalia actually applied for this funding previously, but got turned down because the federal agency determined that our local police efforts were effective, and we didn't have problems with community relations like more needy communities.  It was actually a compliment, recognizing that local law enforcement is on such good terms with our citizens.  Now that the initial federal funding has gone to more needy communities, our turn has arrived.  The City Council previously chose to take a wait-and-see approach on body cams, but are ready now to move forward on this.  By holding off a little, we were able to learn from the experiences of other cities who already have implemented body cams, and we were able to obtain this extra funding to help defray expenses.

We should also be thankful for our straight, wide roads throughout the city.  Our Public Works Department is constantly vigilant, timely resurfacing our roads to make them top quality for traveling purposes.  I was recently asked by a citizen for an update on the coned-off area of westbound Visalia Parkway, just east of Demaree.  The coned-off area of the roadway is closed to traffic due to a subgrade settlement.  The city performed an inspection by boring, and learned that a previously unknown organic cavity underneath the roadway had caused the settling.  The cost associated with this boring and repair requires a formal bid and city council authorization.  Staff is working to put this project out to bid now and once the bid period closes, staff will take the report to the city council for review and authorization.  While this process continues, the roadway will remain coned off to prevent further safety concerns.

We also sometimes take for granted the ease with which we dispose of our garbage.  We appreciate our solid waste department for making this appear effortless.  The plan in 2018 is that Visalians will convert from split cans to a three-can system.  As part of the implementation of this project, the city will bring in-house a new utility billing system and solid waste operation system at a cost of approximately $1.5 million.  Currently the city is using an outside vendor in Phoenix, Arizona to handle this, and by bringing it in-house, we will create more local jobs and there will be a cost savings factor.  It should pay for itself within three years.  Included in these new garbage cans will be computer chips so that the city can monitor trash pickup, time of pickup, and location of the trucks.  If the city receives a complaint from a citizen, it will be able to determine immediately what occurred and how to remedy the same.

I could wax eloquent about many other services provided by the city which we sometimes overlook.  Suffice it to say that we are very blessed to live in this great valley and city.  Let us all give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy, and continue to contribute in our own ways to make Visalia our home.

                                                                                    Mayor Warren Gubler

                                                                                    warren.gubler@visalia.city

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

On Saturday, October 28, 2017, the community of Visalia again came together to help "Make a Difference."  According to our head count, approximately 300 volunteers turned out to assist the city in freshening up our local parks and city properties, including planting trees and plants, spreading bark, weeding, painting, and trash clean up.  The projects included Rotary Park, the Piano basin, Packwood Creek, Soroptimist Park and Oval Park.  In addition to private individuals who came out to show their civic mindedness, the event was supported by Downtown Rotary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Alpha Gamma Sigma Club at COS, Redwood Key Club, World Link, Sequoia Visalia Kiwanis, West Coast Believers, Ismaili Community Engaged in Responsible Volunteering (ICERV), Visalia Sunset Rotary, V-Town Roller Derby Team, Center for Spiritual Living, and Soroptimist International of Visalia.

Afterwards, most of the participants came to Lions' Park where my wife and I served free root beer floats to say "thank you" for a job well done.  Two thumbs up to the many Visalians who came out and donated their Saturday morning to make "Make a Difference Day" a success!

Mayor Warren Gubler

Valley Voice, Nov. 2, 2017

REFLECTIONS

Recently I took a moment to reflect back on the almost eight years that I have served on the Visalia City Council.  I have served with a number of hardworking and diligent council members and staff and together we have accomplished a lot.  As always, there is still a lot to be done.

While I was in this reflective mood, I compiled a list of what I felt were some of the most significant accomplishments by our council since I have been on it.  Let me share that list with you, in no particular order:

▪           Created work program for homeless (Environmental Cleanup Opportunities ECO) 2017

▪           Re-instated the city’s 4^th of July fireworks celebration, 2017

▪           Started Visalia Senior Games, this year is the 3^rd annual, last year over 500 participants

▪           Built 10 pickle ball courts

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Visalia Emergency Communications Center 2017

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Animal Control Facility 2015

▪           Discontinued Retiree health care benefits in 2010, when the city was in the midst of a recession, saved city $2 million annually in premiums, would be double that now

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Fire Station 53, 2016

▪           Voted to not allow recreational marijuana dispensaries within city limits, 2017

▪           Led Visalia delegation to sister city Miki Japan in November 2016

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Miki Sister city park 2017

▪           Started V Line, bus service between Visalia and Fresno 2015

▪           Planned and built Visalia Water Conservation Plant upgrade, largest public works project in Visalia history, $130 million upgrade, to be dedicated Fall 2017

▪           Expanded Riverway Sports Park, working now on plans to add 4 Women’s softball diamonds

▪           Balanced the city budget each year since 2009

▪           Currently changing Residential Waste from split containers to separate containers

▪           Added miles of walking trails

▪           Navigated city through change from at large to district elections, 2015

▪           Remodeled Visalia Convention Center

▪           Purchased land for future East side sports park combined with ponding basins

▪           Started Sequoia Shuttle partnership between National Park Service and Visalia, our transit center runs buses to Sequoia National Park and within the park

▪           Finished update of the Visalia General Plan 2014

▪           Planned and built the Plaza Drive Interchange widening with Cal Trans 2014

▪           Rebuilt city reserves after the Great Recession to approx.. 20% of General Fund

This is just a partial list of many accomplishments, and of course there are many more.  I compliment this city council and prior city councils along with our dedicated city manager and staff for all that they do to keep Visalia moving forward as the jewel of the valley.

ECO Update

July marked the beginning of our homeless work program, which has been renamed the Environmental Cleanup Opportunity (ECO).  For a 3-month period, we have recruited 10 homeless people who have been doing trash pickup and various odd jobs around town to make our city look even better.  On September 28, I took the opportunity to work with one of our ECO crews for the morning.  Joseph was the crew chief from Able Industries.  The five-man crew included Mike, Robert, Jesse, Frank and Kevin.  We picked up trash along the St. John's Parkway.  I had an opportunity to visit with them all about the ECO program, and they were all grateful to be a part of it.  The best news was that of the three original participants, all three of them are still on the job, Mike, Robert and Jesse.  Frank actually has a second part-time job now with a local petroleum company.  They told me that they really enjoy it when passersby tell them "thank you" for their good work.  I would hire any of these gentlemen, they were bright, articulate and eager for another opportunity.  They have been down on their luck, but this is a chance for them to make a comeback.  If any of you know of employment opportunities for them in the private sector, please shoot me an email with that information.  And if you see one of these crews out working in their yellow vests and their ECO t-shirts, please tell them "thank you" for a job well done.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

VISALIA CITY UPDATES

ECO:  The Environmental Cleanup Opportunities (ECO) project, previously known as the homeless work program, is off and running.  Under this program, the city, with the help of Able Industries and the Workforce Investment Board, is employing two crews of five for a total of ten homeless people part time for three months to work on trash abatement and graffiti removal around our community.  The program started the end of July, and we are now fully staffed.  The crews have averaged 20 yards of trash material collected per week, including clearing two homeless camps and covering about ten miles along Highway 198.  They are now spreading out into cleaning up along city ditches, alleys, and trails.  I hope you've noticed the difference!  We’re looking forward to helping these trainees transition into full time employment in the private sector, and we appreciate their help in improving our clean city.

In God We Trust:  At our August 21 city council meeting, we had on the agenda the issue of whether to place the national motto "In God We Trust" on the wall of council chambers.  The council voted not to do so.  There are many wonderful mottos and slogans out there which we fully appreciate and support, including In God We Trust, E. Pluribus Unum, and Do A Good Turn Daily.  How do you select just one?  In the Gubler home, we have the words "One Nation Under God" posted on our kitchen wall.  The City staff cost estimate to mount the requested phrase was approximately $2,000.00, and as public stewards of city monies, we have to be careful how each dollar is spent.  Finally, the council for many years has begun every meeting with the flag salute and a prayer given by various local ministers and pastors, and we always appreciate those additional blessings and thoughts.  Certainly, we should all live so as to demonstrate our trust in God.

2018 Senior Games:  Planning is now underway for our third annual senior games, to be held March 10-11 and 17-18, 2018.  We just got the final numbers in for our successful 2017 games, and we came out in the black by $1,308.65.  With over 500 participants from throughout the State of California and from as far away as Washington and Texas earlier this year, we're looking to build upon that success in 2018.  Start getting in shape now and more details will be forthcoming.

VECC:  The Visalia Emergency Communications Center (VECC) building was turned over to the city by the contractor the last week of August.  Fire administration, along with our 911 call center immediately began moving in equipment, furniture, consoles and highly specialized computer equipment.  Network fiber was also brought into the building to make high-speed connections.  The ribbon cutting was held September 20 and this beautiful new building is up and running. 

Next, look for the ribbon cutting for our newly remodeled Water Conservation Plant in the near future.  The plant has been testing the new membranes and filters for the last few months, and we hope to have the new facility up and working as soon as the city receives the permit from the state for tertiary water.

KTIP Radio:  Since last year I've been interviewed each Wednesday at 7:40 a.m. by Hopper and PK about current issues before the Visalia City Council.  Be sure to tune to AM 1450 to listen in.

Caldwell Widening:

The city, county and TCAG have held the groundbreaking, and work has commenced to widen Avenue 280 (Caldwell Avenue) from two lanes to four lanes between Akers Street and Highway 99, with signalization.  This will be a terrific infrastructure improvement to Visalia's southern gateway, in essence making Caldwell Avenue four lanes throughout the city, using Measure R funds.  It will take approximately 16 months to complete.  Also, the Betty Drive interchange upgrade in Goshen is  underway, and will greatly improve access to Visalia’s Industrial Park along Riggin Avenue.  It is scheduled for completion in Fall 2019.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

THE BUSINESS OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

Issues relating to marijuana usage, cultivation and retail sales have come before the Visalia City Council a number of times during the eight years that I've served.  Although medical marijuana was legalized in California a number of years ago, our city council chose to not allow medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits.  Now, with the passage of Prop. 64, which the vast majority of Tulare County residents voted against, California has moved to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.  However, even under Prop. 64, local governments may restrict or completely prohibit any type of business licenses relating to marijuana.  That issue is currently being debated in a number of local towns, particularly those with budget problems who see marijuana cultivation or retail sales as being their tax salvation.  I believe that they are being very shortsighted if they allow such.  There are those few who look to make a profit off this drug at the expense of public health and safety, who are very vocal in support of licensing such businesses.  The licensing issue relating to recreational marijuana will again come before the Visalia city council in the near future.

Is this type of business good for our community, business districts, and neighboring businesses?  Let me summarize from an article I recently read entitled "Should We Welcome the Business of Drug Dealing?" 

Per this article, crime is common near pot shops, including assaults, robberies and shootings.  On July 19, four individuals were shot at a pot shop in L.A. during a would-be robbery.  Gangs and drug dealers don’t consider marijuana dispensaries as pharmacies, rather, they see them as rival drug dealers.

When pot shops open in a business district, the complaints of the business neighbors are numerous, including fights, drug use and street drug dealing increasing in the area.  This in turn affects the type of clientele in that area, and thus the neighboring businesses.

It is well known that homelessness has increased in the Denver and Seattle areas after legalization.  Also, drug dealing dramatically increases law enforcement costs.  The San Diego Association of Governments published a report finding that 52% of male arrestees tested positive for marijuana in 2015.  35% reported that they commit crime to support a drug habit.  The Denver district attorney warned in 2016 that every crime type in that city increased after legalization of marijuana.  He said, "The Denver Police Department is busier enforcing marijuana laws and investigating crimes directly related to marijuana, including murders, robberies and home invasions, than any other time in the history of the city." 

And it can get even worse.  Pot industry profits are used to buy political influence.  For instance in San Diego several planning commissioners indicated relationships with the marijuana industry.  They made dozens of land use votes on marijuana businesses while in these relationships.  None appeared to have had a connection prior to becoming commissioners.  They appear to have been approached by prop-marijuana influencers while in office.  The former mayor pro tem of Coalinga, which has welcomed the industry, is now a marijuana consultant.  And in those states that have legalized usage, there are no pharmaceutical protocols such as you would find at any legitimate drug store or pharmacy, as marijuana is sold as pseudo medicine.

Marijuana is still illegal under federal law.  Common sense and history dictates that marijuana is still a harmful gateway drug. 

Don't drink the Kool Aid associated with claims that Visalia needs the purported additional dollars that would come from taxing recreational marijuana sales.  Aside from the difficulty of enforcing full payment of such taxes on this largely cash industry, particularly with the recent passage of Measure N our city finances are sufficient.  And there are social costs involved were we to grasp the brass ring of marijuana tax money.  In states that have legalized marijuana, teen use has increased.  Colorado now leads the nation in teen usage.  Traffic fatalities associated with marijuana have doubled in states that have legalized.  Homelessness and other social ills have become worse, where the drug is made easily accessible.  Marijuana smoke has nearly all the same carcinogens as cigarette smoke and it is just as addictive, and it impairs judgment and perception.  In Colorado about 40% of marijuana being sold is black market marijuana despite its legalization.  Visit calmca.org for statistics and other articles opposing recreational marijuana.  We will be failing our youth if we allow this drug to become normalized locally.

For the foregoing reasons, I have been against and will continue to vote against allowing any type of business licenses relating to the cultivation and/or distribution of marijuana within city limits.  Visalia and our neighboring communities need to continue to just say no to marijuana and other harmful drugs.

Post script: On Aug. 7, 2017, the Visalia City Council voted 5-0 to not allow commercial growing or retail sales of marijuana in city limits.

                                                                                                Warren Gubler

                                                                                                warren.gubler@visalia.city

                                                                                                directfromwarren.blogspot.com

VISALIA'S HISTORIAN LAUREATE

In ancient Greece, the laurel was sacred to Apollo and as such sprigs of it were fashioned into a crown or wreath of honor for poets and heroes.  According to Wikipedia, in English the word "laureate" has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory.  It is also used when referencing winners of the Nobel Prize.

Now Visalia has its very own "Historian Laureate" in the person of Terry Ommen.  Terry is the successor to the wonderful Annie Mitchell who helped preserve so much of Visalia's history, and who has a room in the local library and a school named after her.  The City of Visalia and our council had been working on this special presentation for a few months, but when it was about ready, we learned that the Chamber of Commerce was also in the process of naming Terry the "Man of the Year."  It didn't seem right for the City to make its presentation the week before or the week after, as one or the other might have seemed anticlimactic.  The Chamber was gracious enough to allow us to piggyback on their June 8, 2017 awards program, and a well-deserving Mr. Ommen was presented both the Man of the Year and Historian Laureate awards.

The "Historian Laureate" title is not just for a year, but is a lifetime recognition for what Terry has done for a our community and for local history.  Let me extol some of Terry's accomplishments, since he is too modest to do so himself.  He has written three books on Visalia and Tulare County history.  I have personally attended some of his frequent downtown walking tours which he gives to local groups as well as to out-of-town tourists as he pulls his little cart with built-in PA system and microphone and shares his insights.  He speaks often to local service clubs, churches, Leadership Visalia classes, and has volunteered at the Annie R. Mitchell history room at the library for fifteen years.  He is a resource for the Chamber and the City with regard to information on historic buildings and seems to have a limitless supply of historic Visalia photos.  He has written countless articles for local newspapers and magazines, and is a past president of the Tulare County Historical Society.  He currently is assisting the Convention and Visitor's Bureau in the creation of the giant sequoia interpretive project at the downtown post office.  He assisted the city in creating the Historic Recognition Program which places plaques on historic buildings downtown.  I always enjoyed the Historic Visalia photo calendar he helped Visalia Community Bank produce annually.  My personal favorite was when Terry helped my 13-year-old son Eddy complete his Eagle Scout project, which was researching and producing the Historic Visalia Walking Trail brochure along with bronze plaques marking each site.  Eddy awarded Terry his mentor's pin at his Eagle Court of Honor.  My little scout is now a grown man in his second year of dental school, but he will always appreciate Terry's assistance.  As far as I know, Terry has never accepted a cent for all that he does in preserving Visalia's heritage.

For all of these reasons, Terry Ommen is well deserving of our thanks and our praise.  We know that Terry will continue to give freely of his time and expertise, and we look forward to his continuing to promote Visalia's history as our Historian Laureate!

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Speaking of history, on May 30, 2017, we revived a Visalia tradition known as the Mayors and City Council Dinner.  We invited all those who previously have served on the city council to dinner at Fugazzi's to renew acquaintances, and to have a little fun.  The honorees and their guests had a delightful evening of reminiscing, and even gave a few pointers to the current council!

Present was David Allen who served on the city council back in the 1960's before becoming a Tulare County Judge, and we had representatives from each of the decades since then.  Former Mayor Wally Gregory came all the way from Arkansas to be with us that evening.  As we walk down memory lane, let me list the names of those in attendance, in no particular order, and see how many you recognize:  Berkeley Johnson, Bob Link, Evan Long, Don Sharp, Greg Collins, Wally Gregory, Dave Allen, Basil Perch, Alan McIntosh, Laurel Barton, Don Landers, Amy Shuklian, and Warren Gubler.  Others couldn't attend, and many are no longer with us.  But to all we say a great big "thank you" and hope to make this an annual tradition again.

                                                                                                Warren Gubler

                                                                                                warren.gubler@visalia.city

                                                                                                directfromwarren.blogspot.com

A TYPICAL WEEK

In my day job as an attorney, I recently "got stuck" in Orange County in trial.  That county has what they refer to as "trial call" where you have to show up ready for trial.  However, if the presiding judge doesn't have a courtroom available, he orders the attorneys back day by day, until a courtroom becomes available.  As a result, my trial stretched out over a two-week time span.  Fortunately, meanwhile the rest of the city council and the city manager stepped in to cover some of the events I usually have as mayor.

It was nice to return to Visalia once my trial eventually finished.  The week after I returned I had a number of functions to attend to as mayor.  Let me share with you my calendar of events for that week.  On Monday morning I spoke to a combined civics/economics class at VTEC High School, and that evening I addressed the Sunset Rotary Club.  On Tuesday, I attended the new Smart & Final Extra ribbon cutting on South Mooney Blvd.  Wednesday morning I attended my board of directors meeting for the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation in Exeter.  Early Thursday morning, I did a police ride-along for a few hours to observe our new Hope team involving the homeless.  That evening the city council interviewed seven candidates for two open positions on the planning commission.  On Friday, I wrote this article for Direct Magazine.

When I look back at the end of each week I'm amazed that I'm able to fit it all in, maintain my law practice and still see my family on occasion.  The best thing about serving on the city council and as mayor is the opportunity to meet and interact with many terrific people in our community.

Dump On Us Again

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite city services is Dump On Us day put on by the public works department every few months.  On those Saturdays, Visalia residents can haul their trash and dump it for free at the Visalia corporation yard on North Cain Street.  On May 20, having trimmed a number of trees in my backyard, I took my load to dump.  Speaking with some of the city personnel who greeted me there, I learned that they had started accepting waste about 6:15 a.m. (normally 7:00 a.m.) because the vehicle line was already stretching all the way back to Lovers Lane!  Friendly city staff assisted those in line to quickly dispose of their waste.  Not only does this event encourage Visalia residents to get our yards in shape, but much of the waste is recycled.  The next Dump On Us day is scheduled for August 26, 2017.   For more information, visit www.dumponus.org.

Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) Team

As previously mentioned, I recently did a morning ride-along with Officer Hickey of the Visalia Police Department.  The city police department recently started the Hope team whereby, due to the large volume of calls regarding homeless issues received, two officers are assigned to focus on homeless related issues.  We picked up a number of shopping carts, and interacted with a few homeless.  One homeless gentleman that we visited along the railroad tracks was pushing three grocery carts full of his possessions, and obviously struggling that morning.    Officer Hickey was very courteous at all times to this gentleman and others we met.  He recommended resources that are available including some related to crisis intervention, housing resources, and mental health programs.  We also visited a business on Mooney Blvd. that is part of TEP (Transient Enforcement Program).  Through this program, merchants and businesses can sign up and preauthorize police officers on their private property so that they can promptly deal with trespass issues.  On this particular TEP visit, Officer Hickey was able in a cordial way to remove this particular transient from the business premises.  In conjunction with the police department, code enforcement likewise has a crew available to retrieve grocery carts and dispose of unsightly waste.  The homeless issue is one that we are all concerned about, and we will continue to use all of our resources, including non-profits, religious organizations and other interested citizens to work on a solution.  Also, the city council recently approved a new work program for the homeless whereby two five-member teams of specially selected individuals will be given part-time work and paid to clean up and do routine jobs around the community.  The idea is to help the homeless to become employable and find jobs so that they can help themselves get back into housing and be productive in society.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

MIKI PARK DEDICATION

Visalia has a brand new park known as "Miki Park."  This half-acre park, at the corner of Mineral King and Stevenson, near City Hall, has been in the works for many years.  The park is designed to reflect Japanese landscaping, including stone lanterns.  These lanterns light up and make the park particularly attractive for viewing in the evening.  The entrance to the park is an Americanized version of a Japanese torii, which is a traditional Shinto gate.

We dedicated our new park on Saturday, April 22, with the assistance of a 14-person delegation from our sister city of Miki Japan.  There were speeches, a ribbon cutting, the unveiling of the monument at the center of the park, then the planting of a "sakura" or cherry tree to symbolize the friendship between our sister cities.

Included in the Japanese delegation was the vice-mayor of Miki Japan, Shigetoshi Inoue and the chairperson of the Miki city council, Minoru Hatsuda.  Our sister city relationship began in 1966, and in November 2016, Visalia sent an 11-person delegation to Japan to celebrate our 50^th anniversary.  The dedication of this park celebrates the beginning of our next 50 years as sister cities.

We thank the various local host families who housed our Japanese visitors for several days.  We took our guests to a Rawhide baseball game, Sequoia National Park, to see the Riata Ranch cowgirls, and to tour various businesses and COS to get a taste of American lifestyle.  Their trip concluded with an all-American barbeque in the Gubler backyard.  A highlight of the program that evening was vice-mayor Bob Link and I singing and dancing to the hit Japanese music video "The Apple Pen Song."  If you're curious, look it up at youtu.be/0E00Zuayv9Q.

We thank all of those who helped make this a memorable trip for our Japanese guests and we look forward to our next visit to our sister city, maybe in 2018?  Be sure to drop by and check out our new Miki Park.  P.S.  I might add that the word Miki translates to "three trees."  Our new park even has three stately old growth sycamore trees, which someone pointed out is symbolic of the "three trees."

The Patio Place

I recently received an email from a local businessman, Ron Bock.  He wrote to mention that while in a prior article I had made mention of his business neighbors on either side, DSW and Home Goods on South Mooney Blvd., I had failed to mention his new store.  So my wife and I dropped by to check it out.  Ron's store is known as "The Patio Place."  Ron was raised in Visalia, moved away and opened stores elsewhere, then came back to Visalia to open this store.  He knew from experience how nice people from Visalia are and had been wanting to go into business here.  If you're looking for high-quality outdoor furniture of all types, drop by The Patio Place.  There you go Ron, I hope I made up for failing to mention you and your store previously, and good luck.  We appreciate all of our local businesses, and I enjoy attending as many ribbon cuttings as I can as a representative of the city of Visalia.

Visalia's F-15 Fighter Jet

On March 9, 2017, Vice-Mayor Bob Link, City Manager Mike Olmos, myself as Mayor and others from Visalia were honored to attend the dedication of a F-15 Fighter jet at the Air National Guard base in Fresno.  After some speeches by myself and Colonel Reed Drake, Commander of the 144^th Fighter Wing, we unveiled the city's crest/logo which will now be on the jet flown by Lt. Colonel Chris Corliss.  Visalia is working with the Air National Guard to arrange to have Ranger Corliss and our jet fly over Groppetti Stadium on July 4^th as part of our city fireworks display this year.  I should mention that we also had the opportunity to meet a number of Visalians who are members of the Fresno Air National Guard and we appreciate their service to our community, state and country.  And by the way, CASA of Tulare County was awarded the opportunity to put on this year's community fireworks celebration.  They have big plans for a day-long celebration.  Mark your calendars and plan on attending.  Together we can make this the best 4^th of July celebration ever!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

SENIORS ARE WINNERS

It's a wrap for the 2017 Visalia Senior Games, held for five days over the last two weekends of March.  The goal was to double the attendance from the first senior games held in the fall of 2015, which had 239 participants.  We exceeded that goal, this time having a total of 513 register and compete.  New events that were added included track and field, swimming, disc golf, and trap shooting.  About 25% of the participants were from Visalia and the Tulare County area.  We had competitors from 90 different California cities, including San Diego to the south, and Sacramento, Santa Rosa and other towns to the north, and some came from as far away as Washington and Texas.  Some were grizzled, experienced senior games participants, having competed elsewhere in California and other states, and some were competing for the first time.  In 2017, senior games locations in California include Pasadena, San Diego, the Bay area, Sonoma and the Inland Empire.  Visalia's Senior Games were the earliest of the year and are the only ones being held in central California. 

As impressive as these statistics are, they only tell part of the story.  Let me share with you the personal stories of three of our gold medal winners, that in my opinion are the true measure of the success of Visalia's Senior Games.

At the Saturday evening social put on by our local Lions clubs at the Garden Street Plaza, we enjoyed appetizers and dancing to a live band.  Dan Overstreet came over to introduce himself to me.  Don is a retired local businessman, and these were his first senior games.  He participated in golf.  I should add that Don is 90 years old.  I was a little startled when he told me that, because he looked much younger.  Obviously, he lives an active lifestyle and is enjoying good health.

At the track and field events, I got to meet another young man by the name of Bill Ferrell.  Bill told me that he lives in Murphys, north of Yosemite, and had driven down with his daughter to participate in our games.  His wife had passed away a few months prior.  He won gold medals in the 50 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter races.  Bill is also 90.  He stated that he started running when he was 52, and stopped counting how many miles he had run when he hit 75,000 miles.  What an inspiration!  Bill indicated that he is a regular participant in senior games throughout the west.

The last gentleman I want to mention is Donald Welton of Visalia.  Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him, but I learned from a colleague about how well he did in bowling.  You see, Donald is 95 years old.  I was told that his children, grandchildren and others came out to watch him bowl six games and to cheer him on.

These three gentlemen are representative of the competitive spirit and can-do attitude of the participants in the 2017 Visalia Senior Games.  Our ten oldest competitors were ages 82-95.  As more and more Baby Boomers retire, they are looking for ways to stay fit, stay healthy, and to enjoy a better quality of life.  There's no need to retire to the rocking chair, and exercise and fitness are a great way to avoid the never-ending medical care debate emanating from Washington D.C.!

For me personally, these games were the motivation I needed to drop 10 extra pounds I've been carrying around, and I even came home from the track meet with a little bling myself. I want to thank our Parks and Recreation Department, the many volunteers, the Lions clubs and all those who made our 2017 Senior Games the best ever.   For those of you lucky enough to be 50 or older, start working out now and getting in shape, select an event to participate in to prove to yourself what you can do, and plan on joining us for an even bigger and better Visalia Senior Games in 2018!

Happy City

According to the 2016 Community Wellbeing rankings by Gallup.Healthways, the Visalia-Porterville metro area ranked 25^th in the nation (out of 189 metro districts).  Their article noted that "where you live can impact your health and wellbeing.  Innovative leaders are transforming their communities to create improvements in how people socialize, work, eat, play and move. These changes are empowering citizens to make healthier choices, be more productive and have better quality of life."  The rankings were based on social, financial, community, and physical indexes.  I'd suggest that our Senior Games are an example of a healthier choice by our community.  While there were two or three California coastal communities that ranked up there with us, Visalia scored the highest ranking in the entire San Joaquin Valley.

                                                                                                Warren Gubler

DOWNTOWN'S DECORATIVE LIGHTING

If you've been downtown at nighttime lately, you've probably observedthat decorative lighting has been added to the trees.  This was particularly noticeable at Christmastime when Visalia also had its Candy Cane Lane lighting on display.  This new lighting has lent a festive look to our historic downtown and I have received many positive comments regarding the same.  You might be interested in knowing about all the work and effort that went into making this possible.  I credit downtown businessman Myron Sheklian for providing me with most of the following information.

The downtown Christmas lights upgrade began in the fall of 2011.  Some of the wiring on the decorations was frayed and a safety hazard.  The cost to completely replace the decorations with state-of-the art LED lighting would have been in excess of $100,000.00!  The Downtown Visalia Property Owners Association (POA) instead donated over $9,000.00 to remove and replace the old wiring and replace the lights with LED lighting in order to reuse the existing decorations.  Labor parties of POA members, downtown merchants, service clubs and church members were organized to replace the lighting on all of the decorations.  Because the new lighting could not be plugged into the fluctuating antiquated streetlight power, local merchants allowed the Christmas lights to be plugged into their business locations along the parade route and paid for the additional electrical use.

The following year, the POA spearheaded a project to power one side of Main Street, Court and Locust with permanent wiring strung from the light posts, and the next year the electrical upgrade included powering the other side of the streets.  The total cost for the parts and labor for this two-year electrical upgrade project was $48,852.35. 

In 2016, the POA operations committee was given permission to installdecorative tree lighting to remain for up to three years at a time.  Tree pruning was coordinated prior to installing the new lighting on the trees.  A survey of trees on Main Street was conducted to determine which trees were appropriately sized and near enough to power sources.  There were roughly 100 trees that were considered and the POA decided to illuminate 48 of these trees based on cost.  The trees selected were evenly balanced out on both sides of Main Street.  A professional holiday lighting company was contracted to do the actual installation of the lights.  Volunteers such as Mr. Sheklian and Mike Fistolera and their employees ran power to each of the selected trees to greatly reduce the charges by the professional company.  The cost for the electrical cords, additional lights and the installation came to $24,614.55.  The tree lighting project could not have happened had the POA not installed the electrical wiring upgrade in previous years.  The total cost to refurbish the Candy Cane Lane light decorations, to purchase replacement bulbs and strings as needed for maintenance, to install electrical upgrades, and to light the trees was well in excess of $80,000.00, with the entire amount being contributed by the POA.  At our February 21, 2017 city council meeting, a Resolution of Commendation was presented by the city council relating to these lighting projects.

So the next time you're walking down Main Street enjoying the new twinkle lights, remember the time, effort and money that went into making it all possible.  To conclude this article, let me share a recent letter received by the city from Rachel Mano, a Visalia resident since 2001: "My husband and I would like to let you know that Main Street is our favorite weekend hang out.  So much to choose from (dining).  I'd like to congratulate whoever is responsible for the decisions and dedication that goes into keeping Main Street a safe and thriving atmosphere.  I hope you can pass on this credit where credit is due.  Anyway, I wanted to comment on the "tree lights" that have been lit up since Christmas, what a wonderful idea.  Love, love, love, love, them.  It reminds me of being in a different city (i.e., SLO, Cambria, etc.).  It's warm and welcoming.  I hope they stay up forever!  Everyone we talk to feels the same way.  I have noticed more and more people walking down Main Street and commenting about the lights.  Please thank those responsible for the idea and the effort of the business owners."

Let me add my thanks and appreciation to the many individuals, merchants, the POA, City of Visalia employees and all those who made these lighting projects possible so that the rest of us can enjoy them, now on a year-round basis!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot

VISION FOR VISALIA

On Friday, January 27, 2017, the Visalia City Council, along with our City Manager, city staff and members of the public held our annual planning retreat.  We reviewed the city's mission statement and values, identified issues needing to be addressed, and developed an action plan on priority issues for 2017.  We were ably assisted by Vicki Stasch, a professional facilitator.  Attendance from the public was the highest I've seen, this being the eighth such annual retreat which I've attended since being on the city council.  Another way of describing this gathering was a "brainstorming" session.  We started at 8:30 in the morning and went through 5:00 p.m.  We took public comment and the council informally shared ideas and priorities.

One of the more interesting aspects of the meeting was a panel discussion we had regarding the homeless issue.  We had representatives from Family Health Care Network, CSET, Health and Human Services, the Rescue Mission, Self Help Enterprises, Tulare County Housing Authority and the Visalia Police Department giving their insights into the causes of homelessness and suggestions on how we can address it locally.

The following is a summary of our action plan for 2017.  This will serve as a roadmap and direction for the year.  Feel free to follow the city council and staff in 2017 to see how we do on accomplishing these goals. 

·      Reduce homelessness – Visalia will participate on the new Tulare County Task Force on Homelessness to see what can be done countywide to address this issue.  We will have presentations at future council workshops from other successful cities to hear their ideas.  Another goal will be to locate at least five people who are currently homeless and to develop a work program with funding from Workforce Investment to help them become employable.  We will also look to partner with entities which can assist in building and managing housing for the homeless.

·         Circulation and Transit – We will investigate possibly opening up more streets which cross the railroad tracks on west Goshen to improve circulation patterns.  We will hold a future work session on all roads in the city to see where we can improve traffic circulation.

·              Business friendly - The council will look into continuing to make Visalia a business friendly city.  We'll survey the development community about their experiences with our staff and continue to use best efforts to streamline permitting and fees.  We want to continue to support Kaweah Delta Health Care District and Family Health Care Network downtown.  We will explore a possible branch campus in Visalia from a four-year university such as Fresno State and we will get a status update from the developer of Sequoia Mall.

·               Visalia as a Destination – We approved going forward with re-establishing the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebrationat Groppetti Stadium in 2017, seeking to develop a public/private partnership for this project.  We'll continue to emphasize sporting events such as the Senior Games, the Cal League Summer All Star Game, and holding other allstar games and championships here in Visalia, which is centrally located. We will investigate further the possibility of an aquatics complex.

·                     Water –We will continue to encourage conservation of this precious resource.  We will look to our landscape and lighting districts for reduced consumption, seek additional funding for recharge basins on the east side in particular, and bring the new water conservation plant online this year to assist in recycling water.

·                  Sustainable Community – We'll use Measure N funds as a tool for improving our parks, streets and public safety.  We'll continue to emphasize connectivity between subdivisions and parks.  We'll work to complete more trails such as the St. Johns Parkway and Modoch Ditch Trail.  And in a future city council work session, we will receive a report on the status of downtown lighting and how to improve and update that system.

·                Strong Downtown – We will explore ways to fund the new east downtown civic center, including a new city hall.  We will also review city-owned properties and identify those to sell to help raise funds.

Last Call for the Visalia Senior Games

Just a reminder that Visalia's second annual Senior Games will be held March 17^th - 19^th and March 24-26,2017.  If you haven't signed up yet, visit www.visaliaseniorgames.com and come join the fun!

If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.