December 22,2105
Tulare Basin Precipitation Watershed At 123 Percent of Average
The Tulare Lake Basin watershed stands at 123 percent of average today on a “wettest year” pace seen last in 1968/69. The Kaweah and Tule watersheds are getting early season snow and rain this year allowing the Sierra forest to take a first big gulp of water in years. Researchers worried last summer that the Giant Sequoias were being weakened by the years of drought.Tree mortality has been called critical in the Sierra in recent months.
Last year the Tulare Basin saw only 13.5 inches of precipitation and already this water year we stand at 9.4 inches.
No WinCo Expected At Hanford Shopping Center
The developer looking to fill a proposed shopping center in Hanford may be crossing grocery stores off their prospective tenant list. The 140,000 square feet center got the green light earlier this month at the Hanford City Council after a SF-based attorney pulled their client’s appeal of an August Planning Commission action That allows the proposed shopping center at Lacey and 12th to move forward.
“There was a private agreement the city was not party to” explains an official.
So who wants what? The developer wants to build a shopping center and a group called The Hanford Clean Air Coalition has vowed to slow it down using the CEQA process. The group is represented by the same attorney – M.R .Wolfe – that has done the same thing in Visalia and Porterville with a Walmart plan, still pending after years of litigation- to expand their grocery business.
The law firm of M.R. Wolfe & Associates has used CEQA to challenge many Wal-Mart projects. A web search indicates this firm has used CEQA to challenge proposed Wal-Marts in the Northern California and Central California cities of Antioch, Fremont, Hayward, Suisun City, Madera, Porterville, Visalia, Delano, Atascadero, and Rohnert Park.
Sources say they likely represent the Savemart business interests headed by a former Savemart official, Jim Watt. Mr Watt ahs been doinbg this for the past 10 years. Mr Watt and Mr Wolfe have teamed up to oppose WinCo stores as well which may have been the prospective tenant here. There is no WinCo store in Hanford.
Now it looks like they will look elsewhere in town.