Documented by Dani Huerta

Summary — What you need to know

  • Micari was elected chair of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, with Vander Poel as vice-chair. The 2023 chair, Dennis Townsend, was given a plaque. 
  • The 2024 Resource Management Agency staff calendar was presented. This year’s theme is “back to school” and is styled like a yearbook.
  • An amendment to the Tulare County ordinance code was introduced that exempts some vehicles from the local preference ordinance to allow for more flexibility. This was introduced because local vehicle vendors were experiencing trouble fulfilling all county vehicle orders. 

Follow-up questions

  • How will the vehicle ordinance be changed in the future for the long term?

Board of Supervisors

  • Larry Micari –chair, District One
  • Pete Vander Poel III – vice-chair, District Two
  • Amy Shuklian, District Three
  • Eddie Valero, District Four
  • Dennis Townsend, District Five
  • Jason T. Britt, County Administrative Officer
  • Jennifer M. Flores, County Counsel
  • Melinda Benton, chief clerk

The Scene

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting was held simultaneously both in-person and live streamed via YouTube at 9 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2024. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.

Actions

  • Election of the chair and vice-chair of the Board of Supervisors for the year 2024.
    • Townsend said he is thankful for the board and staff for the past year.
    • Micari was elected chair, with Vander Poel as vice-chair.
    • Townsend was presented with a plaque from Micari.
  • Board of Supervisors matters
    • Townsend
      • The national motto has been installed in the Board of Supervisors room.
      • Earlier there was a Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) meeting, Sequoia Transitional Care ribbon-cutting, Adventist Health meeting and a Tule River Joint Powers meeting.
      • Upcoming is an Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting, Rural Counties Representatives of California meeting, Porterville Chamber of Commerce awards, Tulare County Association of Governments, Tulare County Transportation Authority meeting, Mooney Grove playground ribbon-cutting. 
    • Valero
      • Earlier he decorated floats for the Roseville parade, met with Woodlake for the Antelope Valley area improvements and attended a law library meeting. 
      • Upcoming is Good Morning Dinuba, Eleanor Roosevelt school board meeting, Orosi public utility meeting, Mooney Grove playground ribbon-cutting, Woodlake Antelope Valley meeting, Latino Caucus of California Counties meeting, Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce gala and a town hall meeting about fentanyl in Dinuba.
    • Shuklian
      • Upcoming is a mental health board meeting, Workforce Investment Board meeting, Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber awards, Homeless Task Force meeting, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District board meeting, museum board, Parks Advisory Committee and the Mooney Grove playground ribbon-cutting.
    • Vander Poel
      • Earlier was a Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting and a Water Commission meeting, 
      • Upcoming is a Retirement Board meeting, HHSA meeting, Highway 99 Coalition meeting, Guadalajara market ribbon-cutting, Tulare Kiwanis club, Eden cafe ribbon-cutting, Kings Tulare Area Agency on Aging and Tulare County Association of Governments meetings. 
    • Micari
      • Earlier was a medal of valor service, Lindsay City Council meeting, Tulare County Association of Governments training day and the Spartan parade. 
  • (Approved unanimously) Consent calendar (Items 4-40)
    • Items 22 and 31 were pulled off the calendar. The remainder of the consent calendar was approved.
    • Some of the approved items included the purchase of a set of Hurst Extrication equipment for the Fire Department (item 10), an extension of the funding period for epidemiology and laboratory capacity, enhancing detection and expansion to July 31, 2026, (item 18), and the acceptance of an allocation for the COVID-19 bridge access program (item 27).
  • Receive a presentation from the Resource Management Agency (RMA) introducing the 2024 staff calendar.
    • Mike Washam, RMA director, gave a presentation showing the 2024 staff calendar. The theme was “back to school” and was styled like a yearbook.
  • (Approved unanimously) Request from the General Services Agency (GSA) to introduce an ordinance temporarily suspending the motor vehicle portion of the Tulare County ordinance code, local preference, through Dec. 31. Set the adoption of the ordinance for Jan. 23, 2024
    • Cher Castellini, purchasing division manager, explained the item. Local vehicle vendors are having trouble fulfilling all county vehicle orders. This amendment exempts some vehicles from the local preference ordinance to allow for more flexibility. 
    • Vander Poel asked how outreach will be conducted. Castellini said the county reaches out to vendors when they are looking for a vehicle. They use a public system to post their solicitations. Vander Poel said this ordinance should be looked at at a later time for long-term benefits. 
  • There were no board matter requests

Public Comment

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

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