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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.