Tulare County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tulare County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Streambed permitting breakthrough with Fish and Wildlife
NOAA projects a 61% chance of El Niño this summer, making channel maintenance urgent. The district is still waiting on Fish and Wildlife routine maintenance agreements and exploring emergency declarations as a workaround.
Kit fox habitat protections at Road 166 site
Neighbors produced trail-camera videos claiming kit foxes — a protected species — live in the White River/Wachumna Ditch area; staff concluded the animals look like common gray foxes but added conditions halting construction if a kit fox is ever confirmed.
Golden mussel invasion risk
Invasive golden mussels have infested the lower 30 miles of the Friant-Kern Canal and aren't going away. Control will cost at least $3 million next year, and costs flow to water districts and ultimately growers.
Illegal Dumping Reporting Access
A Lindsay resident urged the county to build a mobile app for reporting illegal dumping, saying the current website system is hard for older and Spanish-speaking residents to use. The chair noted the county is already working on an app with IT.
Assembly Bill 2494 and Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest
Supervisor Townsend opposes a bill that would limit Cal Fire's timber harvest tools in the Mountain Home Demonstration Forest, which he says saved old-growth sequoias in past fires and supports Balch Park management.
Utility-scale solar farm extension near Ducor
The Avantus solar project got two more years to finish utility power upgrades before its permit deadlines.