REPORTING BACK

September was an especially busy month, as I attended a number of community events, meetings and forums in my capacity as Vice Mayor.  Two of the events that stand out for me were my appearance before the Tulare County Grand Jury, and participating in the State of the City Address to our community.  I believe it’s important as elected officials that we keep the public informed of what we are doing, in essence, reporting back to our constituents.

I met with the Tulare County Grand Jury on September 12 for a little over an hour.  It was a very cordial  meeting, even though I was peppered with questions about Visalia city government.  According to their website, our county’s grand jury is composed of 19 volunteer members.  It is a fact-finding body that acts as the public’s watchdog, investigating and reporting on the affairs of county and local governments.  They have the potential to make recommendations for constructive changes and possible solutions to a wide range of local government problems.  The name “grand jury” is derived from the fact that it has a greater number of jurors than a traditional trial (petit) jury.  California’s constitution mandates a civil grand jury be chosen in each county every year.  I appreciate the willingness of these volunteers to put in so many hours, and that they shared some of their valuable time with me.

Another opportunity to report back to the community was the State of the City Address given by mayor Steve Nelsen and myself on September 23, 2014.  City staff, members of the public and the press were present at this meeting at the Convention Center.  After our PowerPoint presentation, we opened the program up to a spirited question and answer session.  If you missed this presentation, you may watch it online at video.valleypbs.org/video/2365337651.

Topics at both of these meetings included the city budget, water conservation efforts, city construction projects, road improvements, the water conservation plant upgrade, the future of air service in Visalia, the general plan update, district elections, homelessness, and a future regional park to be located on the east side of town, that will include groundwater recharge facilities.

As citizens of Visalia, you are entitled to know what’s going on with your local government and to have input.  As your elected officials, we will continue trying to use all available means to keep you informed.

Ribbon Cutting:  Serving on the city council is not all work.  On September 23, I also had the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting at El Pollo Loco on South Mooney, and to sample some of their fare.  This business has brought fifty new jobs to Visalia.  Expect soon a new Five Guys Burgers & Fries opening up in the Packwood Creek Shopping Center.  The shell of the building has already been completed and plans have been submitted to the city.  I first tried this burger chain while visiting our nation’s capital, where they started out.  This will be another welcome addition to our local fast food choices.  Speaking of which, I enjoyed helping again this year with the Waiters Race on September 25.  My job this year was to wield a broom and sweep up broken glass from the dropped bottles and glasses by the contestants.  Although there was a brisk wind blowing during the race, it seemed like our local waiters dropped fewer things than in the past.  Congratulations to the winners and to all who participated.  I look forward to attending this great event again next year.

Community Food Bank:  This non-profit is new to our area.  With 1 in 4 Tulare County residents struggling with hunger on a daily basis, the need is great.  All funds raised in Tulare County will stay in our county.  A minimum of 4 million pounds of food, mostly fresh produce, will be provided in their first year of service.  They already have 20 partner agencies here receiving food from them, including the Visalia Rescue Mission and Visalia Emergency Aid.

Water Conservation:  Since Visalia implemented new stage 4 water restrictions in April 2014, water usage has dropped an additional 12%, representing a savings of 683,636,200 gallons or 2,098 acre-feet.  Congratulations Visalia, keep up the good work!

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

Visalia is one of the best kept secrets in California.  Locals know and appreciate what a great place this is to live, work, and play.  If anything, Visalia is guilty of not tooting its own horn enough.  There are no commute times.  The city continues to grow and prosper, especially as the national economy is  rebounding.  We are close to the mountains and beaches.  When I visit other areas, I am amazed at the cost of living, for everything from gasoline to food to home prices.  I recently deposited  my kids in various out-of-state colleges to start the new school year.  As I usually do, I take each of them grocery shopping so that dad can fill up their fridge and cupboards with food to start the semester off right.  (Did I mention that I have four children enrolled in college this year?)  I was amazed at the price of fruits and vegetables that we take for granted here.  For instance, one daughter required that I buy her two Fuji apples at 98 cents a piece!  Grapes, citrus, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables were similarly overpriced.  Housing here is still very affordable.

Let me share with you a few specific examples of Visalia’s greatness that have come across my desk recently.

Number One in Driver Safety:  Quoting from the Fresno Business Journal, Visalia is number one in the state in terms of driver safety, and seventh in the U.S., according to a new report by Allstate Insurance Company. Visalia drivers were revealed in the report to be 19.1% less likely to be involved in a collision than the average American driver.  Visalia drivers also had an average of 12.3 years between collisions compared to the national average of one collision every ten years.  Visalia was named the third safest driving city in the country in terms of city density, eleventh safest for population and fourteenth for weather conditions like rain and snow.  However, be careful if you’re driving through Glendale, which came in last in the state, with drivers 72.6% more likely to be involved in a collision than other American drivers at 5.8 years between collisions!

Hilti Expands:  I recently attended the ribbon cutting for Hilti, Inc.  Actually, Hilti has been in Visalia for two decades now.  It is in the business of manfacturing hand tools and power tools for commercial use, with the parent company originating in Lichtenstein (next to Switzerland).  Previously, it operated both its west coast distribution and service center in one 50,000 square foot building in the Visalia Industrial Park.  However, it split off its service center which moved into a new 15,000 square foot building on West Goshen Avenue.  Hilti  could have expanded elsewhere, but likes doing business here in Visalia, and thus, is reinvesting locally.  Hilti’s Visalia center ships out about 1,200 orders a day, and fixes approximately 35,000 tools a year.

Home Ownership:  Guess who is ranked number twenty out of 178 metropolitan areas in California for home ownership?  That’s right,  it’s Visalia!  NerdWallet, a financial services company, ranked California cities based upon the following criteria: Are homes available?  Can you afford to live there?  Is the area growing?  According to this report, the home ownership rate in Visalia is 61.2 % with median monthly homeowner costs of $1,663.00, median monthly household income of $4,477.00, and homeowner costs as a percentage of household income of 37.1%.  The median home value in Visalia is $190,500.00, and population growth from 2010 to 2012 was 3.8%.  Brentwood, CA was ranked number one and the San Francisco and Los Angeles metro areas were at the bottom of the list.

In Memoriam:  While many people are moving to Visalia for the foregoing reasons, one of our residents was recently transferred out of town.  Judge Paul Vortmann packed his bags and moved to a place with pearly gates and gold paved streets.  I can’t really blame Paul for relocating to such a place, Visalia just can’t compete with our ongoing reclamite street repairs!  My first job as a lawyer in Visalia was working as an associate with Paul’s law firm, and I later became one of his partners, prior to his serving on the Tulare County bench.  After three years at law school learning how to “think” like an attorney, Paul and others taught me how to be an attorney.  Despite all the accolades Visalia receives from various studies and comparisons, the bottom line is that it’s the people here, such as Paul Vortmann, who make Visalia what it is.  Condolences to Jan and the boys, and I suspect that Paul is already bragging to his new associates about how great a place Visalia is.

Reminder:  To further conserve our precious water resources, local ordinance requires that in October you cut back your landscape watering to two times per week (Tuesdays/Saturdays for odd addresses, Wednesdays/ Sundays for even addresses.)

Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor
wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us
(559) 713-4400 ext. 3313

WHAT SHOULD VISALIA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS LOOK LIKE?

Visalia City Council members will be elected by district beginning in 2016. What should the districts look like? Where should the five district boundaries be? We want your ideas, input and help to draw the boundaries.

The City of Visalia must comply with legal criteria when developing these districts. The legal criteria for boundaries include: districts are at least as nearly equal in population as required by law; they do not result in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote on account of race or color; and are not gerrymandered.

In addition to the legal criteria, the City Council adopted criteria to be used in the development of the districts. The criteria for the boundaries of the districts include:

*Observing communities of interest;

*Take visible features into account, such as topography and geography;

*Be compact, created to contain contiguous territory;

*Avoid pairing two or more incumbents in a single district;

*Maintain a longer-term population balance, and;

*Preserve the corresponding existing district’s population.

Two information meetings will be held to help you understand the process and criteria used to draw the districts. They will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Linwood Elementary School’s Multi-Purpose Room, 3129 S. Linwood St., and Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at Manuel Hernandez Community Center, 247 W. Ferguson Ave.

These meetings are a first step. Doug Johnson of National Demographic Corporation will lead the meeting discussion. NDC has a unique understanding of the Tulare County area because the firm worked with the Visalia Unified School District, and the Tulare District Hospital, when those agencies developed their district boundaries.

Want to draw your own map? Free public participation kits are available to give you the tools to submit your own boundary proposal for discussion and consideration by the public and the City Council. The kits include a map of the City and demographic information. They are also on the City’s website and at City Hall, 7007 W. Acequia Ave.

Even if you come to the meeting with an idea scribbled down on a napkin, you are doing your part as a responsible resident of this City and your ideas will be taken into consideration. Community input is vital to this process.

The City Council’s goal is to adopt the district boundaries by June, 2015 to ensure there is ample time for the citizens and any potential City Council candidates to understand the districts prior to the election cycle in 2016. I urge you to be a part of the process. Share your ideas and individual maps.

For more information on the meetings or the district election process, please contact Community Relations Manager Nancy Loliva at 559-713-4535 or go to www.ourvisalia.com.

August 30, 2014 Times Delta Editorial

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

Every other year the city council reviews and approves a two-year budget, prepared by city staff under the direction of city manager, Mike Olmos.  The council just recently went through this process again for the next two-year cycle.  Going forward, every six months we will get an update from city staff on how we are doing budget wise, and will be given the opportunity to tweak the same based upon any changed circumstances.

Let me share with you a few highlights from our fiscal year 14/15 and 15/16 budgets as contained in a short city publication entitled “Budget in Brief.”  You may pick up your own copy of this publication at City Hall.

The “great recession” and the loss of redevelopment monies have impacted Visalia.  However, based on current trends, Visalia is on a path to recovery and has successfully weathered the recent recession.  This is the first budget since 2008 that does not include reduction in services, programs, maintenance or employees.  The total budget for FY 14/15 is $231 million and for FY 15/16 is $199 million.  Included in FY 14/15 is the Waste Water Treatment Plant’s Tertiary Project.  The FY 15/16 general fund projection includes construction of the new Visalia Emergency Communications Center (VECC) in east Downtown.

During recent hard times, our general fund emergency reserves dipped down close to one million dollars, but have now been built back up to five million dollars.  In the next two-year cycle, we anticipate increasing the reserves by at least $1.6 million more.  The goal is to increase the emergency reserves balance to 25% of general fund operating expenditures.

In 2007, Visalia sales tax revenues reached a record of approximately $23 million dollars, before falling back in 2010 to approximately $19 million.  However, our sales tax revenues recovered to $25 million in 2013, and at a projected 3% annual increase, will hit $29.2 million by FY 15/16.  Additionally, the city’s property tax has increased 5.7% due to improvement in residential and commercial real estate sales and values.  These two revenue sources are the city’s two main general fund revenues.  They are projected to total $49.2 million in FY 15/16 or 78% of the general fund revenues.

There are still some budgetary challenges ahead.  CalPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System) is still requiring cities to make up for CalPERS’s poor investment decisions in the mid to late 2000’s.  This means that pension contribution rates for the city are expected to increase 13.2% for miscellaneous employees and 15.2% for public safety employees over the next five years.  By FY 19/20, the city’s annual CalPERS cost will be an additional three million!  Don’t forget that another employee benefit expected to increase is health care costs due to the Health Care Reform Act.  As employee costs increase, future budgets will become more and more difficult to balance.  Ongoing fiscal discipline will be needed to stay within our means.  But we can do it.  Meanwhile, we need to continue to assist with strengthening our business community so that increased tax revenues will continue to be generated.  Don’t forget, shop Visalia!

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.


Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor

BUS vs. CAR

Recently, on a Friday evening, I gathered my wife and two daughters and walked to the bus stop in front of Hurley Elementary School.  Thus began one of our standard family adventures.  I wanted to check out for myself how efficiently our city bus system runs.  We intended to catch the 5:24 p.m. bus, route 6b.  We waited in the shade since the bus was late.  After a while, my wife called the phone number on the bus stop sign, and the transit operator efficiently told her that the bus was still on Doe Avenue and would be at our bus stop momentarily.  The transit department has a computer program which can track all city buses instantaneously, and can determine exactly where each bus is located at any given moment.  Sure enough, the bus soon turned the corner onto Hurley and stopped to pick us up.  I fumbled in my pocket to produce the $1.25 x 4 fare to give the bus driver, then we found our seats.  I noted immediately on this hot day how nice the air conditioning was on this new, natural gas powered bus.  We must not have looked like “regulars,” as the other riders watched us, then engaged us in conversation.  All were pleasant, and I heard about their bus riding tips and experiences.  One disembarking passenger, done riding for the day, generously handed me his day pass (which can be purchased for $3.25) to use for our return trip.

We passed through a few neighborhoods on the route, picking up and dropping off passengers, and in about twenty minutes arrived at the transit center.  We disembarked and took a tour of the transit center, again noting the good air conditioning, along with the cute model train set on display there.  We also noted the return times displayed both inside and outside of the transit center.  Then we walked across the street where I treated the girls to dinner at the Hong Kong restaurant.  We ordered the #2 combo, family style, with sides of honey walnut shrimp and Kung Pow chicken.

We then explored downtown, to walk off our dinner.  We returned to the transit center a few minutes early to catch the return bus 6A to our point of origin.  We arrived back at the bus stop near our home right on time.  It was a fun family experience which I’m sure we’ll long remember.

Visalia operates twelve fixed bus routes that provide quality and affordable public transportation.  The bus system isn’t as convenient or direct as taking our own car would be, but certainly provides an alternate  means of transportation around town for many people, and was a fun and different way to see Visalia.  More details about Visalia transit and our bus system are at ci.visalia.ca.us.

PICKLEBALL
Pickleball is the latest rage for senior sports.  As I mentioned in my article last month, my wife and I recently signed up for an 8-week beginner pickleball class sponsored by our parks and recreation department.

While our children all played city sports when they were growing up, this was the first class my wife and I have enrolled in.  It was ably taught by Dan Fox who instructed us in the basics and rules.  Soon we were in heated pickleball battles with M.J., Cheryl, Grace, Glenn, Johnnie and others.  We enjoyed meeting other adults with similar interests.  Classes were held Monday evenings, and it was unseasonably hot, at least until the sun went down, but Rec has very little control over the weather.  There was even a little bit of jousting for courts, as some of the local tennis players felt the pickleball players were intruding upon their domain.  There will be future pickleball classes, and two new dedicated pickleball courts will soon be constructed at Recreation Park.  I predict they’ll be very popular.

WATER USAGE DOWN:
Due to the drought, Governor Brown has asked that all Californians decrease their water usage by 20%.  The Visalia City Council earlier this year imposed Stage 4 water restrictions.  I’m pleased to report that according to Kim Loeb, our natural resources manager, there was a decrease in water usage of 17% in April, 12% in May, and 9% in June.  This is encouraging, because the mandatory new stage 4 water conservation regulations didn’t go into affect until mid-April, and this is a decrease from an already water conservation conscious community.  Visalia has been under stage 3 water restrictions for approximately twenty years.  It’s a little easier to decrease your usage 20% when you haven’t already been conserving water as Visalia has.  There are still a few who haven’t caught the vision and complied, but for the most part, gauging from the dry looking lawns around town, Visalians are doing their part to conserve.  For a reminder on watering days and restrictions, visit www.gogreenvisalia.org.  For available water conservation rebates, visit www.calwater.com/conservation.


Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor
wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us
(559) 713-4400 x3313

PRAYER AT PUBLIC MEETINGS

In May 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision in favor of Greece, New York, which town has opened its public meetings with prayer since 1999.  Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, said the prayers are ceremonial and in keeping with the nation’s traditions.  “The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers.”  The tradition of legislative prayer began with the very first session of Congress.

During the five years that I have served on the Visalia City Council, and long before that, our council meetings have opened with prayer.  Ministers of various faiths and religions are invited to invoke blessings upon the council and the city.  A little extra help is always appreciated.  If your faith or congregation would like to have your religious leader give an invocation at a future council meeting, please contact city clerk Michelle Nicholson at 713-4512 or michelle.nicholson@ci.visalia.ca.us.

FLIC:  Visalia’s newest canine police officer is “Flic,” and his handler is Officer Ryan Park.  We want to thank the Friends of Visalia PD Canine for financing the acquisition of Flic, at a cost of $10,000.00.  Depending on where such dogs are trained, it is interesting to note that they actually respond to commands in a foreign language.  Flic was trained in Holland, so he understands commands in Dutch; and thus Officer Park had to learn to speak the commands in that language.  Flic will be assigned to the patrol division as a “protection canine.”  Other canines are trained in different ways, such as Visalia PD’s “Kate,” who was trained in narcotic detection and who can detect the odors of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

RECON: In May I took a couple days off work, and attended the ICSC Retailers Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada along with city staff.  We met with various developers, retailers and franchisers, to publicize Visalia as being a great place to do business and to encourage them to locate here.  I was amazed at how many of those we spoke with were already very familiar with Visalia.  In particular, there was a lot of interest in locating new businesses on Mooney Blvd., since it is the retail center of Tulare and Kings counties.  While it would be premature to divulge whom we spoke with, there are some exciting businesses looking to locate in Visalia in the near future.

RECREATION: My wife Alisa and I have signed up to participate in a beginners pickleball class put on by our Parks and Recreation Dept.  We are looking forward to learning a new sport.  The city should be breaking ground soon on the new pickleball courts it is constructing at Recreation Park.  As of the end of May, the city had 108 softball teams registered for the summer league.  Its mother/son camp is full.  The 50+ Rocks Hiking Club had its first hike scheduled for June 8 and was full.  Through the end of May, 1,390 participants were registered in programs and classes put on by the city, not including sports and swim teams.  Adult classes had 206 participants, family programs had 550 participants, pre-school programs 64 registrants, seniors 173 registrants, and a new line dance class had 28 registered for the first month.  Fire camp already has 54 participants, and youth enrichment had 396 participants.  Kudos to our Parks and Recreations Dept. for getting our citizens active and  involved.  For more information, visit liveandplayvisalia.com.

GRANTS:  The city was recently awarded $1,566,886.00 by the State Water Resources Control Board to improve water quality runoff in the downtown area into the Mill Creek and to help replenish groundwater.  Planting areas will be added or expanded to assist with on-site overflow catchment of storm water, and permeable pavement and interlocking concrete pavers will also be added.  The city was also awarded a $400,000.00 hazardous substances grant from the federal EPA.  These monies will be used to clean up approximately two acres north of the Riverway Sports Park.  Also, these funds will help the city complete the St. Johns Parkway, whose terminus is at that location, as well as to expand public green space.  Kudos to city staff for writing terrific grant applications.  The more grant money we can obtain from other sources, the less local taxpayer funds we need to spend on improvement projects.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.


Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor

INNOCENTS ABROAD

My daughter Lora and I recently returned from a trip overseas.  Years ago I made a deal with each of our children that if they study a foreign language for four years in high school and get all A’s, then dad would take them to visit a country where that language is spoken.  For some reason, each of our children have taken me up on this bribe, and I too have gotten to see a bit of the world as a result.

Of course, being the youngest, Lora has higher expectations, so in addition to Spain, we had to drop by England, Gibralter and Morocco.  As we traveled, I couldn’t help but draw some comparisons with Visalia.  The following are some of my observations:

Strong City Center:  I noted that in each successful city we visited, they had a strong city center, whether it was Puerto del Sol in Madrid, Placa de Catalunya in Barcelona, Main Street in Gibralter, or the Kasbah in Tangier.  Visalia’s downtown and Mooney Blvd. are its vibrant core.  As we continue to emphasize this area it will remain a draw, not only for our citizens, but for visitors to our city.

Nature Connection:  We visited a monastery and took hikes in Montserrat outside of Barcelona.  Although it was high in the mountains, we had easy access via local train, then cable car and funicular.  Visalia enjoys a similar natural setting close by in our national parks.  Visalia has contracted with the National Park Service to provide bus service to Sequoia National Park, as well as within the park itself.  The more we can identify with the national parks, the better for local tourism dollars and to put Visalia on the map

Culture:  I was struck by the beautiful architecture and age of many of the monuments and buildings of Europe.  Art and museums everywhere enhanced the experience.  Add to this the unique inventiveness of such geniuses as Antoni Gaudi, who created the Sagrada Familia basilica and Park Guell in Barcelona, designed in modernistic style.  While Visalia is only about 160 years old, we have our own historic homes, western era downtown, and more recent buildings of interest  such as the Fox Theater and Merle’s Drive-In, which is now The Habit Burger.  We have the county museum in Mooney Grove Park, and soon will have a new Imagine-U children’s museum which is being built downtown.  Don’t forget Rawhide Stadium.  The more that we can add to the mix, the better.  The historic buildings of Europe have been maintained, restored as well as retrofitted to modern purposes.  Likewise, we need to preserve our buildings and heritage.

Size: Many of the cities which we visited were huge.  I enjoyed just as much the towns and tourist attractions that were on a smaller scale and took advantage of rural settings.  Part of Visalia’s attraction is that it has so much to offer, but on a smaller scale in an ag setting, such that visitors can enjoy the unhurried and relatively simple lifestyle of Visalia.

History:  Again, the history of Europe is part of its vibrancy.  Visalia has its own unique history dating back to 1852, the oldest town between Stockton and Los Angeles.  Recently, Councilman Greg Collins and I assisted town historian Terry Ommen in giving a tour of historic downtown to a group of convention visitors.  They seemed to enjoy just strolling down our Main Street, soaking it all in, along with the amenities such as the numerous restaurants there.  Downtown also has a historic walking trail with plaques and markers which has been well received.  I hope that some day we can develop an app whereby people can follow the historic walking trail while listening on their smart phone to a narrative of our history.  www.visitvisalia.org.
High Speed Rail:  I’ve enjoyed riding the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan and the Eurostar high speed rail in Europe in the past.  The AVE high speed rail in Spain was not as convenient or as high-class, it felt a little bit like they were just herding cattle.  When high speed rail comes to California, we need to have a nearby station for not only the locals to use, but also for visitors to our area.  We need to ensure that high speed rail is done correctly and is first class.

As much as Lora and I enjoyed our travels, it was good to return home to America.  This trip made me appreciate what we have locally, as well as the bright future that Visalia has in store.  P.S. my apologies to Mark Twain for borrowing his title for this article.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.



Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor