-April 30,2020-
Builder plans new subdivision on former city land
Visalia City Council will hold a public hearing May 26 on an application by San Joaquin Valley Homes to build a new subdivision on land they bought from the City along Hillsdale east of Shirk and along 198. The hearing will look at a general plan amendment on 10.32 acres of an overall 16.38 acre parcel from Conservation to Residential Low Density. The remaining 6.06 acres will remain Conservation. The property is located on the south side of W. Hillsdale Avenue between N. Preston and N. Tommy Streets. The land was planted to walnuts as part of the scenic corder plan.But council decided to sell the land to the home builder.
Citrus growers ask for help
Sales of orange juice are up during the coronavirus pandemic but other citrus sales have dropped by $200 million nationwide, according to three citrus grower associations. Schools and restaurant sales have collapsed.
Growers from Florida, California and Texas recently wrote a joint letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking to receive disaster relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. CARES Act promises $2 trillion in economic relief to individuals, small businesses, state and local governments, and industries.“We have reason to believe based upon damages to date [through April 9] that the immediate COVID-19 impact to certain varieties of citrus will be over $200 million,” says a letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue. The letter writers includes Casey Creamer, president and CEO of California Citrus Mutual based in Exeter.
“The biggest challenges we are seeing across the industry are due [to] the shutdown of schools and restaurants,” the letter continues. “Additional movement in the retail sector have not compensated for losses in food service for lemons, grapefruit juice, and most specialty varieties.”
Lemons, mostly grown in California have lost 30 percent of their sales, accounting for lost revenue of $4 million to $5 million per week, the letter says.
GDP sags under virus lockdown
Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 (table 1), according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2019, real GDP increased 2.1 percent.
Coal production down 41%
The EIA says for the week ended April 18, 2020 the estimated U.S. coal production totaled about 8.6 million short tons. That is 41.5% lower than the production estimate in the comparable week in 2019.
Go to Costco-wear a mask
Starting May 4 your Costco location and gas stations will return to regular operating hours. In addition customers and employees will have to wear masks.
McFarland ICE prison moves forward
Private prison firm operator The GEO Group, Inc has applied to the City of McFarland to modify Conditional Use Permit to allow the Central Valley Modified Community Correctional Facility located at 254 Taylor Ave, to be repurposed to house federal inmates and detainees, adult male and/or female, pursuant to an agreement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of the Department of Home Security.
A City Council public hearing held by video last Thursday night voted 4-0 to approve the GEO Group’s proposal to convert its two 700-bed prison facilities in McFarland — the Central Valley and Golden State modified community correctional facilities — into annexes for its 400-bed federal immigration detention center in Bakersfield, the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center.
The council action follows a rejection by the city planning commission in February on the issue that has divided this farmworker community.Supporters says the city needs the money.