Visalia City Council Work Session and Planning Appointments - August 4, 2025
Visalia City Council Work Session and Planning Commissioner Interviews - August 4, 2025
The Visalia City Council convened a work session on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 3:00 PM to introduce new employees and conduct interviews for two Planning Commissioner vacancies. After the interviews, the Council voted unanimously to appoint Pura Cordero and Chris Bruce to the Planning Commission for the term starting July 1, 2025.
New Employee Introductions
- The City introduced 16 new employees across multiple departments:
- Streets: Joseph Gonzalez (Sr. Street Maintenance Worker) and Cody Looper (Utility Locator).
- Wastewater: Manuel Alvarez and Saul Guzman (Maintenance Mechanics at the Water Reclamation Facility).
- Information Systems: Dallas Crow (GIS Analyst), Kimberlynn Verdugo (Computer Technician), Sean Nourie and Gavin Silveira (IS Analysts).
- Purchasing: Angie Harill (Purchasing Specialist).
- Police: Officers Osvaldo Panduro-Salas, Tyler Richwine, Kevin Renard, and Joaquin Rodriguez-Ortega.
- Fire: Squad Paramedics Brent Eichelberger and Efrain Munoz.
- Each employee was introduced by their department manager, highlighting their background, experience, and personal interests. New employees expressed gratitude and commitment to serving the community.
Planning Commissioner Interviews
- The Council interviewed seven candidates for two Planning Commission vacancies: Pura Cordero, Mario Fierro, Mario Hernandez, Chris Bruce, Eva Pacera, Luis Valencia, and Nathan Merriweather. (A fifth candidate, Davis Avila, was not present.)
- Council members asked questions about the candidates' familiarity with the General Plan, zoning ordinances, concentric growth, and their ability to handle pressure and public criticism. Candidates demonstrated varying levels of knowledge; some had attended recent Planning Commission meetings or served on other city committees (e.g., Citizens Advisory Committee).
- Key points from candidate responses:
- Pura Cordero: Professor at COS, attended county planning meetings, expressed commitment to community-focused decision-making.
- Chris Bruce: Former CAC chair, had met with staff and reviewed agenda materials, emphasized research and listening.
- Mario Fierro, Mario Hernandez, Eva Pacera, Luis Valencia, and Nathan Merriweather had less planning-specific knowledge but expressed willingness to learn and contribute.
Key Outcomes
- Appointments: The Council voted 5-0 to appoint Pura Cordero and Chris Bruce to the Planning Commission for the term July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. Both candidates received strong support from all council members.
- Future Consideration: Council members noted that Mario Hernandez would be a strong candidate for any future vacancies and suggested reaching out to Luis Valencia for the Parks and Recreation Commission.
- Adjournment: The work session adjourned to a closed session at approximately 4:15 PM, with the regular session scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the Visaya City Council uh work session. We're gonna go ahead and get started. Uh today's Monday, August fourth, and we'd like to call this meeting to order, and we will go into public comments. So anybody who would like to speak, uh citizens are now invited to comment on issues within jurisdiction of the Visaya City Council and items listed on the closed session agenda. The council asks that you keep your comments concise and positive. Creative criticism presented with appropriate courtesy is welcome. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes and a timer will notify you when your time is expired. Please be in your comments by stating and spelling your name and providing your city of residence. Good afternoon, Council. Danny Glindo, Public Works Manager. We have two new employees, one from the traffic division and one from the streets division. You guys come on up over here. Like to introduce them. First here, we got uh Joseph Gonzalez. He started here on uh June 9th. Joseph was born and raised in Viselia. He started uh with the city in June as our newest senior street maintenance worker. Prior to working for the city, Joseph was employed by Tularie County Roads Department. He has three sons uh with his fiance and one dog. In his spare time, you can find him spending time with his family, going on bike rides, going to the beach, or watching his oldest son play football with the minors. He enjoys working for the city and being part of our streets team. And then we have Cody Looper. He started here May 5th. Cody has lived in Fresno his whole life. He was an EMT and then transferred to into construction safety. He's been uh locating, been locating for uh close to a decade. Cody is uh newlywed to Brandy and has two daughters, ages seven and three. Um, in his free time, you can find him spending time with his family, tea parties, and pool time. He also enjoys bow hunting, which is grandfather taught him. Cody started in uh our new position as a utility locator in May and has enjoyed being in the city's locator ensuring safety for our community. You guys want to say anything? All right, welcome. So tonight. You guys want, come on up and we'll shake your hand and uh congratulate you. No speeches. Thank you very much. Thank you for joining us. All right, wastewater treatment. Good afternoon, council. My name's Ben Litwack. I'm a public works manager, and uh we have two new employees to introduce today. Um we have Manuel Alvarez and Saul Guzman. You guys want to come up here? Both Manuel and Saul are in our mechanical maintenance division out of the wastewater plant. Manuel was born and raised in Visalia, graduated from Redwood High School and received a vocational certificate in industrial maintenance technology from COS. Manual's a father to an 18-year-old daughter and three sons, ages six, seven, and eight. He has an electromechanical and industrial maintenance background. Manuel started at the water reclamation facility on April 7th this year as a maintenance mechanic. Manuel's looking forward to working for the city of Iselia at the water reclamation facility and being a valued member of the maintenance team.
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