Tulare County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tulare County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Deed fraud protections — ordinance and recorder notification program
Scammers can forge deeds and steal your home title without you knowing. Under SB 255, the county will now mail property owners a notice within 30 days whenever a deed, mortgage, or deed of trust is recorded on their property — and the new ordinance requires parcel numbers on the first page so the system works reliably.
AB 109 criminal justice realignment funding, FY 2026/27
Nearly $29.5 million distributed among inmate healthcare, pretrial court, Sheriff, Probation, and Community Corrections reserves.
ICE access and Truth Act transparency
Annual community forum on federal immigration access to county jail and probation custody. Sheriff data show 26 of 404 ICE requests led to transfers in 2025; residents argued courthouse ICE activity isn't captured.
Deer Creek flooding threat to Alpahtchi and Allensworth
The board again reaffirmed the county's local emergency declaration for winter storms and flooding, keeping emergency response and recovery authorities in place.
Developing 2026–2027 El Niño Event emergency preparedness
The county has proclaimed a local emergency ahead of the developing El Niño event to position itself for storm and flood response. The Board ratified that proclamation and let county agencies fast-track purchases of emergency supplies and equipment.
Leadership of County Behavioral Health Services
Tulare's brand-new shelter holds an open house June 5 with residents moving in by early summer. The county's behavioral health urgent care center has its roof and walls and should open by year's end, with the larger Casa Grande campus targeting 2027.
Sheriff-DEA task force and dispatch agreements
The sheriff's office locked in a five-year DEA task force deal and Lindsay signed on for county emergency dispatching through 2031.
County cybersecurity posture
IT staff reported local governments are now the most-targeted hacking victims, with public sector break-ins rising from 36% to 61% of breaches. The county blocks tens of thousands of phishing emails monthly and joined a no-cost state monitoring partnership worth roughly $300,000 a year commercially.
Behavioral health services contracts and grant oversight
The state's BHSA overhaul is shrinking county behavioral health flexibility and money — the state now keeps 10% off the top (about $6 million more), prevention funding dropped from 30% to 5%, and the county's housing funding bucket is already over capacity. Crisis services may also stop being fully reimbursed, a potential $2 million-a-year hit.
Public Health Linkage During Homeless Counts
The count found 20 people reporting HIV/AIDS, up from 12 last year, prompting discussion about getting public health nurses and resource materials to outreach teams and navigation centers.
HHSA Director Appointment and Leadership Transition
Natalie S. Bolin takes over the agency that runs public health, behavioral health, child welfare, and animal services. She flagged coming challenges from federal HR 1 changes and budget uncertainty, saying the agency is already preparing. If you rely on county services, this is the person steering them.
Suicide Prevention Initiative Moves to Public Health
The county is restructuring its suicide prevention work: Public Health now convenes prevention efforts under new state BHSA mandates, while Behavioral Health keeps the loss team and postvention services. A new community health coalition kicks off this winter. Local data shows a sharp spike in 2023 at 13.9 deaths per 100,000.
Behavioral health urgent care and wellness campus progress
The behavioral health urgent care center on the Tulare CARES campus is nearing construction with an operator RFP coming, and the Walnut Wellness Campus — 136 beds across three facilities — aims to start construction early next year.
Grand Jury Food Cart Report Response
The county is drafting tougher rules to license mobile vendors and fine repeat offenders who set up in public rights-of-way near established businesses and outside normal hours. Enforcement now depends on the chief building official working nights with the sheriff and environmental health.
Rural health and re-entry grants
The county is chasing up to $3 million in rural health transformation funding and ratified more than $10 million in grant requests plus $600,000 in accepted awards for re-entry services for people leaving jail or prison.
Sheriff fleet replacement
The county is spending up to $2.36 million to replace 40 aging Sheriff vehicles, using an internal borrowing program from the General Fund rather than outside financing.
Pinon civil rights lawsuit defense
In closed session, the Board directed county lawyers to defend the County and named employees in two lawsuits — a federal civil rights case and a wrongful termination case.
Jail-based mental health treatment
The county's program treats people found incompetent to stand trial locally with better results than the state average — 90% restoration versus 76% statewide — and stays under its state-imposed cap.
Sheriff Boudreaux fitness to serve allegations
Several speakers, including two who say they were stalked by Mike Boudreaux decades ago, urged the board to investigate the sitting sheriff and place him on administrative leave, citing alleged abuse of power and a substantiated CPS report involving a child. The board has limited authority over an elected sheriff.
Wildfire County Coordinator Program
The county's wildfire coordinator connects state priorities to local action — Firewise communities, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and GIS tools. Statewide, coordinators have helped secure over $104 million for mitigation. An extension with expanded funding comes back to the board in July.
Fourth of July Fireworks Safety
Fire Chief Charlie Norman urged residents to use safe-and-sane fireworks and attend public shows, noting the county runs about 100 nuisance-fire calls the night of July 4th.
Strathmore substandard housing and code enforcement complaint
A resident reported a disputed housing inspection at a Strathmore apartment complex, alleging a missing smoke/carbon monoxide detector, a reversed inspection finding, and unsafe conditions for a dialysis-dependent neighbor. The board can't act on non-agenda comments but the concern is on the record.
Probation department performance and recruitment
Chief Kelly Vernon reported the department's lowest vacancy rate since 2023 (21.1%), 34 new hires, joint operations that seized 50+ illegal guns, and school-based prevention programs in eight districts.
HUD immigration-verification requirement paused
A November HUD notice would have required local jurisdictions receiving HUD grants to verify immigration status, but several states including California challenged it in court and enforcement is on hold. Officials stressed it doesn't affect the county's work right now.
School resource officer services for Cutler-Orosi schools
The Sheriff's Office will keep providing officers at four school districts — Porterville Unified, Kings River Union, Buena Vista Elementary, and Tulare Joint Union High — through the 2026-27 school year.
LGBTQ proclamation walkout controversy
Two residents blasted Supervisors Townsend and Vander Poel for walking out during a Pride proclamation presentation, saying county rules say proclamations aren't endorsements. The supervisors have defended their walkout publicly.
Firefighter rescue near Cutler
A rookie county firefighter pulled a man from a burning mobile home east of Cutler in 103-degree heat, and three firefighters were treated for heat and smoke exposure.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Month
Adult Protective Services received 1,920 reports of elder abuse last year. The Board proclaimed June 2026 Elder Abuse Awareness Month and highlighted caregiver burnout resources.
Sheriff armored vehicle purchases after Deputy Hoppe incident
The Sheriff's Office bought two armored vehicles — a Lenco rescue vehicle up to $500,000 and a Ring Power vehicle up to $645,000 — as sole-source purchases. Undersheriff Tom Sigley said borrowed Bearcats and a Rook saved lives during the April shooting that killed Deputy Hoppe, and the county will now stage armored resources north and south.
Wildfire season and power shutoff warnings from SCE
Southern California Edison's representative warned the board to expect more public safety power shutoffs this fire season due to heat, humidity and wind, and noted Edison remains the insurer of last resort until the state changes the system.
Tulare Public Cemetery District governance
Nine months after the county took over the troubled cemetery district, staff say it has turned around — new management, county bookkeeping, and safety policies — and the Board is starting the process to hand it back to an independent trustee board. Two supervisors will screen applications for the new board.
Task force bylaws and membership changes
Two seats sit effectively empty — one member retired without resigning, another has stopped attending. The newly adopted bylaws let the commission declare vacancies after three missed meetings, speeding up replacements.
Draft Tulare County homeless encampment ordinance
The state finally responded to Tulare County's HHAP6 application — submitted in June, still unapproved in January — with three corrections. One possible sticking point: the state may require a county-based encampment resolution policy, which is an enforcement matter the health and human services agency can't issue. Organizations waiting on this money are already halfway through the fiscal year.
Sheriff's Office equipment and grants
The county closed out the $5.9 million Sheriff Morgue project, ratified a $900,000 federal street-safety grant, and bought patrol jet skis and a side scan sonar system.
Closure of Agricultural Commissioner's Lindsay satellite office
The Lindsay District Satellite Office at 240 E Honolulu Street will close May 1, 2026. Residents in the Lindsay area who rely on in-person ag services will need to travel to another office.
District Manager appointment
After years of instability, the cemetery district finally has a permanent manager. Trilby Barton's five-year contract ends the county's interim stewardship, and residents at the meeting said the county takeover restored trust and transparency.
Human trafficking collaboration MOU
The county signed an MOU with the Central California Family Crisis Center to build a coordinated framework on human trafficking response through October 2029.
Autumn Oaks senior care facility and state licensing failure
Residents at a Porterville care home endured bed bugs, cockroaches, no hot water, and unsafe food over years while the state's Community Care Licensing Division sat on 53 complaints. The county stepped in to relocate all 22 residents, and now the Board wants the state to permanently revoke the operator's license, reimburse the county, and apologize to victims.
Weights and Measures consumer protection
The Ag Commissioner's division checks every gas pump and store scale in the county annually so you get what you pay for — and they're gearing up to inspect EV charging stations too.
Nonprofit equestrian ranch permit and code compliance
A&JM Ranch, a 501(c)(3) horse program north of Visalia, got the use permit it needed to operate legally — clearing an existing county violation in the process. The ranch plans five full-time and three part-time jobs and 50 parking spaces.
Tobacco Enforcement Grant
The Sheriff's Office gets up to $117,486 from the state DOJ Tobacco Grant Program to enforce tobacco laws and reduce illegal sales to minors, through June 2029.
Invasive pest detection dogs
Agricultural Commissioner Tom Tucker explained how detector dogs at mail hubs intercept invasive pests hitchhiking in shipped fruit and plant material, and said Tulare County can borrow Fresno County's dog team when needed.
Use-permit enforcement in Three Rivers
A Three Rivers resident says law enforcement shuts down permitted outdoor events without checking what conditions the permit actually contains — and with the sheriff now based out of Woodlake, enforcement is harder. The commission will talk about whether the county needs to better educate deputies and CHP about permit conditions.
Task Force on Homelessness appointments
Seven members were seated on the Tulare County Task Force on Homelessness through December 31, 2028, including one correction — Erica Lutterbein was a new appointment to the affordable housing developer seat, not a reappointment.
Health Care Program for Children in Foster Care funding
The Board accepted up to $1,341,315 in state funding to continue the health care program for children in foster care through June 30, 2026, keeping health services for kids in the county's foster system running.