Visalia City Council Meeting – December 4, 2023
Visalia City Council Meeting – December 4, 2023
The Visalia City Council met on December 4, 2023, beginning with a work session at 4:00 PM and a regular session at 7:00 PM. Council Member Emmanuel Hernandez Soto was absent. The council approved a 14-item consent calendar (with one item pulled for separate discussion), heard a federal lobbyist presentation, conducted a public hearing on a special events ordinance, and recognized a local priest for 50 years of service. All votes were 4–0.
Consent Calendar
- Items Approved (Motion by Nelsen, second by Taylor, vote 4-0): Routine approvals including authorization to read ordinances by title only; a one‑year contract with Bedrock Engineering for land surveyor services (up to $200,000 per year, renewable four additional years); a grant application for the Encampment Resolution Program (approximately $2.5 million for the Visalia Navigation Center and Majestic Gardens); a reimbursement agreement with San Joaquin Valley Railroad for the Goshen Trail Reconstruction Project ($75,000 from Measure R Trailways); acceptance of COPS Program funds ($222,386 plus $189,083 growth funds, total $411,469, with $111,300 appropriation); a design contract with 4Creeks, Inc. for Riggin Avenue widening ($470,035); submission of a $25.7 million transit‑related project list to TCAG; second reading of Ordinance 2023‑04 for Cemetery District Zone Change (Item 8 – pulled and voted separately); notices of completion for Highland Park Units 1 and 2 (76 and 49 lots); authorization for Visalia Police to apply for a $500,000 State Homeland Security Grant for a bomb squad vehicle; on‑call electrical contracts for street light and traffic signal repairs (each $160,000 per year, renewable for four years); and the reassignment/appointment of Jason Huckleberry as department head overseeing Engineering, Development Services, and Building Safety at a salary of $175,000.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Don Nuckols (Visalia) – Spoke during the work session about a hazardous, bumpy railroad crossing on Walnut Avenue between Ben Maddox and Santa Fe, and about dangerous driving, red‑light running, and blinding headlights from raised trucks.
- Lucia Vasquez (Visalia) – Pulled Consent Calendar Item 8 (Cemetery District Zone Change) for discussion. Later commented on the special events ordinance, expressing concern that the attendance threshold (1,000 people) and exemptions for established events were not fair to newer or smaller events.
- Barry Caplan (Visalia) – Asked Council Member Steve Nelsen to recuse himself from the special events hearing due to his role with the Downtown Visalians; criticized the Measure N Committee for lacking published minutes and for “rubber‑stamping” approvals.
- Bill Kitchen (Visalia, downtown property owner, vice‑chair of Downtown Property Owners Association) – Expressed support for the special events ordinance.
- Dewayne Rodriguez (Visalia, president of Downtown Visalians) – Expressed full support, saying the council had done a “fabulous job.”
- Janine Robins (Hanford, business and property owner in Visalia) – Supported the ordinance, noting that successful large events bring business while unnecessary street closures hurt merchants.
Discussion Items
- New Employee Introductions – Public Works Director Nick Barch and Parks & Recreation staff introduced 12 new employees: Ben Litwack (WWTP Superintendent), Jason Villalva (Streets Maintenance Worker), Michael May and Mark Bradley (Solid Waste Operators), Lance Turner (Park Ranger), Christopher Godinez (Lead Custodian), Zach Huff (Parks & Urban Forestry Supervisor), Guy Schiff (Landscape & Irrigation Technician), Julia Kirkman and Brian McAlister (Landscape Inspectors), and Anthony De la Cruz (Park Maintenance Worker/Trails).
- Federal Lobbyist Presentation – Economic Development Manager Devon Jones and Greg Burns of Thorn Run Partners reviewed 2023 national legislative activity. Burns noted the House’s narrow Republican majority, the Senate’s slow pace, and key items: a bipartisan China Select Committee, debt‑ceiling agreement, and pending funding bills. He highlighted the city’s successful request for $959,752 in EPA funding for the Recharge Basin F project (the first earmark for Visalia in a decade). Council approved a one‑year contract extension (motion by Nelsen, second by Taylor, vote 4‑0) and sang “Happy Birthday” to Jones.
- Cemetery District Zone Change (Item 8) – Community Development Director Paul Bernal explained the second reading of Ordinance 2023‑04 to rezone 15 parcels (14 from R‑1‑5 to Q‑P, one from R‑M‑2 to Q‑P) for cemetery expansion. After public comment (Lucia Vasquez expressed concern about displacement of low‑income renters), the council approved the ordinance (motion by Taylor, second by Nelsen, vote 4‑0).
- Special Event Ordinance – Neighborhood Preservation Manager Tracy Robertshaw presented the first reading of Ordinance 2023‑12 amending Municipal Code Section 12.48. Changes included replacing “Special Events Committee” with “city staff,” designating six long‑standing large events (e.g., Candy Cane Lane Parade, Taste the Arts) as “regional events” exempt from the good‑neighbor signature requirement, adding denial criteria for health/safety and street‑closure frequency (max 12 per year), and requiring trash, security, and traffic plans. Council debated the definition of “regional event” and the treatment of the Visalia Farmers Market (which currently closes streets weekly). Council Member Wynn stated she does not support permanent weekly street closures. Staff noted the Farmers Market has been offered alternative locations (Garden Plaza, Recreation Park). The ordinance passed (motion by Taylor, second by Wynn, vote 4‑0).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar (except Item 8) – Approved 4‑0.
- Contract Extension for Thorn Run Partners – Approved 4‑0.
- Cemetery District Zone Change (Ordinance 2023‑04) – Approved 4‑0.
- Special Event Ordinance (First Reading) – Introduced and approved 4‑0; a second reading and adoption will follow at a future meeting.
- Special Recognition – The council presented a resolution of commendation to Archpriest Rev. Father Vartan Kasparian for his 50th anniversary of ordination, his service as a police chaplain, and his community contributions.
- Upcoming Meetings – Monday, December 18, 2023, at 7:00 PM and Tuesday, January 16, 2024, also at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Caller, the work session of the Visa City Council. We are going to begin with public comments. Citizens are now invited to comment on issues within the jurisdiction of the Visalia City Council. The council asked that you keep your comments concise and positive. Creative criticism presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes and the timer will notify you when your time is expired. Please begin your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence. This thing, yes, you can hear me. I may have to excuse myself. I've developed a cough, but I'm going to try to get this out and my time's running. First off is the uh Walnut Avenue between Midmattox and Santa Fe. The railroad crossing that that's there. I've called the city and they said it's not our responsibility. I've called the railroad, they said it's not our responsibility. So we got to figure out someone that's responsible because that there's uh a crossing on uh uh Pinkham and K Street that is cemented in the middle, cement on both sides, nice and smooth. This thing is rudded, go in both directions. Um to really get a good idea of it. I encourage each of you to go out there and drive but uh at the speed limit on Walnut Avenue and go across there because I watch and try to hit the the lanes that aren't pitted out where the traffic runs, but it is a hazard. Uh it will knock your front end out of alignment, and it's getting worse. So I don't know what needs to be done. I've made server a few phone calls to the city and to the railroad, and it's still there just bumping along. So that uh without going into further, that's it for number one. Whew, that thing is quick. Uh number two is I don't know what can be done, but it's getting increasingly uh bad here in Visalia. People speeding up on the last part of a yellow light and running a red light on multiple intersections. This happened also at Pinkham and K Street, which is a four-way stop sign. I pulled up and stopped coming from the uh north. Another car came up and stopped coming from the south. A car coming down K Street. I was waiting for him to slow down to make a to go across. He never did. He speeded up about 35, 40 miles an hour and ran both stops sign. And that that's not uncommon. I mean, people just don't care. It's a horrible driving in this town anymore. Um, I don't know if there's something digitally that can be mounted on stoplights to where it can come on and and catch uh license plate numbers or whatever, and people that are just belligerently running red lights because I've witnessed several of those in the last few months. And uh it's it's crazy. You gotta drive defensively defensively in this town or get killed. And uh and it's getting worse. Uh number three was uh there used to be a law regarding headlight adjustments, uh low beam high beam. Um boy, there's nothing anymore because as these guys raise these trucks up with the bright white lights, and a lot of the new cars have the bright white. Uh basically, I drive an older 200 Ford Wind Star. You can adjust the center mirror, but the side mirrors you can't. A lot of these trucks, these little bright white lights of theirs are right in both rear view mirrors and totally blind you sitting in the driver's seat. And whether you're stopped or not, or whether you're driving down the road andor coming towards you. I have a few times my own bright. Can we bring the comments to the end? Your time's expired. We didn't get his name. Can we get your name?
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