Category: Business

June 1,2015-

California could get an early Christmas gift next week – an El Nino spawned Hurricane spreading wet weather over a good portion of the state. El Nino typically visits this part of the world around Christmas but its surprisingly strong strength this summer could yield an early season surprise or two.

In the past week the National Hurricane Center issued its eastern Pacific hurricane outlook, saying that there’s a 70 percent chance of an above-normal number of storms this year as El Nino strengthens and Pacific waters warm.

Right on cue Hurricane Andres is rotating off the Baja coast  with 125mph winds,with latest NOAA GFS model forecasting the storm approaching the extreme southern end of California on June 4, ( the top left frame in the graphic) moving up the state on June 6 and spreading showers across much of the state by June 7 ( the lower right frame on the map).

The potential for showers here comes at a time of the year when no one expects any rain even though we desperately need it.

Watch your local forecast in coming days for an update on the path of the storm that of course could just as easy head into Arizona without much impact on the rest of the California.

May 30,2015-

from ACWA

Will Cut 90% Of Ammonia Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a record $1.6 billion infusion of funds to help upgrade the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant so it may remove nearly 95% of ammonia from wastewater discharges into the Sacramento River and Bay Delta.
The allocation of Clean Water Act State Revolving Funds loans – touted as the largest single block of financing ever issued by the EPA – was announced by EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld at a groundbreaking event at the existing treatment plant in Elk Grove. The wastewater treatment plant is part of the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District.
According to EPA officials, the project – dubbed EchoWater – will bring the wastewater plant to advanced treatment levels that will allow the removal of nearly 95% of ammonia from wastewater discharges, thus protecting the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary.
“California’s economic security depends on a healthy Bay Delta, the largest and most important estuary on the West Coast,” said Blumenfeld in a prepared statement. “EPA’s Clean Water Act State Revolving Funds are a key investment in clean water infrastructure to protect this precious resource.”
Construction of the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade is expected to cost $2 billion and require more than eight years to complete. When finished, the wastewater discharges from the treatment plant are expected to meet new state water quality requirements to reduce discharges of ammonia, nitrates and other pollutants. The existing wastewater plant, which serves approximately 1.4 million peopl , is one of the largest sources of ammonia and nitrate pollution to the Bay Delta.
EPA officials stated in a press release that the $1.6 billion in low interest loans for the EchoWater Project will save ratepayers at least a half billion dollars during the life of the loan compared to traditional bond funding. Since 1989, EPA has invested $2.8 billion in the California Clean Water State Revolving Fund to help communities address critical infrastructure needs like wastewater treatment. The revolving funds are reinvested to provide a constant source of money to meet the state’s clean water infrastructure needs.
More information on the EchoWater Project is available at: www.EchoWaterProject.com

May 28,205

MWD Increases Turf Removal- 175 Mil Sq Ft

In response to the continued drought, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors Tuesday approved a $350 million increase to its existing budget for turf removal and water conservation programs bringing it to a total of $450 million. According to MWD, the conservation budget is now the largest of its kind in the nation.
With Tuesday’s actions, MWD greatly expanded its turf replacement program which has been besieged with requests since Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 1 order mandating 25% statewide water use reductions. MWD’s turf removal program currently has rebate requests for more than 100 million square feet (or about 60,000 front lawns) and receives up to 10,000 applications per month. In early May, the district also says it reached a new record, receiving $49 million in requested conservation rebates in one week.
The expanded program is expected to result in the removal of about 175 million square feet of turf and projected to save about 80 million gallons of water per day for Southern California.
In addition to the expanded budget, MWD also approved changes to the turf removal program that establish tiers based on the amount of turf being removed. Residential customers will now receive $2 per square foot for up to 3,000 square feet. Public agencies, commercial and other non-residential properties also may receive similar rebates but are subject to specific terms and annual limits.
“Our goal is to equitably provide rebate funds to as many people as possible and lock-in permanent changes in water use by transforming to drought-tolerant landscapes that better fit our Mediterranean climate,” said MWD Board Chair Randy Record in a statement released Tuesday.
According to MWD’s General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger, the water conservation program increase was made possible by higher-than-expected water sales revenue and fiscally responsible budgeting and is not expected to result in higher rates for customers.
“This is a historic one-time investment in conservation as opposed to a new long-term spending initiative that would have rate impacts,” said Kightlinger.

May 28,2015

NPS Solicits Concessionaire For Sequoia

The National Park Service is seeking a 10-year contract for a concessionaire to operate commercial visitor services in Sequoia National Park. Offers are due by September. More people appear to  be visiting Sequoia making the bid  attractive and also good news for the park’s gateway cities.
From the solicitation figures revenue has grown from $9.1 million in 2012 to $9.4m in 2013 and up $10.4m in 2014 – over 10%  jump. The operator would pay 3.8% to the government.  The current operator is Delaware North who also has the Kings Canyon and Yosemite contracts.
The soliciting for proposals is in response to a business opportunity to operate lodging, food and beverage, retail service, and other related services at Lodgepole Village, Wuksachi Village, and Bearpaw High Sierra Camp within Sequoia National Park.The new operator will be required to build a dining deck off the Wuksachi restaurant at the cost of around $500,000.

 

Visalia Makes Top Ten Metro Areas For Logistics Labor

How do international distribution centers decide where to locate? One key factor is trained labor. Visalia made the top ten list of metro areas identified by Site Selection Group this Spring. Given recent developments in sophisticated automation systems, distribution centers now require more technical labor than in the past.
What cities have a strong pool of skilled labor? Site Selection Group identified metropolitan statistical areas with a population of more than 250,000 that have the highest concentration of industrial forklift operators, freight and stock laborers, and material movers.
While number one was Memphis – in California the Visalia metro area was the only metro area to make the list. Our metro area has over 7000 workers trained in logistics or 3.4% of the workforce, a high percentage of the labor pool.

Visalia Bank To Open Kingsburg Location

Suncrest Bank, 400 West Center Avenue, Visalia, California has filed an application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish a permanent branch to be located at 1580 Draper Street in Kingsburg.

LAX FORECASTS 811,000 TRAVELERS DURING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND;
SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON TO BREAK RECORD WITH 24.6 MILLION PASSENGERS

Officials at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) estimate nearly 811,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport this Memorial Day weekend – an increase of 6.7 percent over the 759,776 passengers of the 2014 holiday period.  Airport officials also forecast 24.6 million passengers this summer travel season, also an increase of 6.7 percent over last summer’s record 23,066,723 travelers.

Memorial Day weekend begins Friday, May 22, and ends Monday, May 26.  Friday is expected to be the busiest day with an anticipated 218,000 passengers.  The summer travel season begins May 22 and ends Labor Day, September 7.  Almost all of June, July, and August will experience higher passenger levels compared to last summer.  The busiest day of the summer is expected to be Monday, July 27, with a projected 245,000 passengers — a single-day record for LAX.  With the July 4 Independence Day holiday to be celebrated on Friday, July 3 this year, the first two weeks of July are expected to be extremely busy.

Travel experts attribute this year’s increase at LAX to several factors:  more available seats as airlines at LAX continue transitioning to larger aircraft with extra seats on most existing flights; the addition of several new international destinations by airlines new to LAX, as well as added flights on existing routes; increased tourism in Los Angeles from growing markets in the Asia-Pacific Region; and favorable exchange rates making overseas travel far more affordable for Americans going to destinations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada – all popular with Southern Californians.

Hawaii Travel Up

More travelers from the West are heading to Hawaii, many from LAX. Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands in March 2015 rose seven percent to 780,056 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Despite lower average daily spending (-2.9% to $183 per person), total visitor expenditures grew three percent to $1.3 billion1 due to a 6.2 percent increase in total visitor days2 compared to March 2014.

May 25,2015

Japanese car makers now enjoy nearly 50% of the California market

The California new vehicle market continued to post consistently strong results in the First Quarter of 2015 says an industry group. New light vehicle registrations in the state increased 12.1 percent during the first three months of this year versus last year, the 18th consecutive quarterly improvement, and the fourth in a row that exceeded 8 percent. US car sales improved just 2.9 % by contrast.

New car sales were up 10% compared to 15% for new trucks .

California New Car Dealers Association predicts that new vehicle registrations for all of this year will exceed 1.9 million units, and it’s possible that the total could reach 2 million in 2015 or 2016. Other key trends in the state market.

Among the top 15 selling brands, Jeep, Subaru, Mazda, BMW, Lexus, and Kia had the biggest percentage increases during the first three months of 2015. New registrations for each of the six brands increased by more than 15 percent.

Japanese car makers now enjoy nearly 50% of the California market compared  to 27% for domestic made cars.Japanese brand registrations increased 13.3 percent in the First Quarter and market share was up 0.6 points. Korean brand registrations improved 14.5 percent.

Hybrid car sales declined by market  share to 5% compared to7% in 2013.

Used vehicle registrations declined 4.1 percent. Three year old or newer vehicles were up 7.8 percent.

May 11,2015-

While most of us have about given up on more rain at this point – given the calendar – a series of cold winter storms seem to be bearing down on Mid California from about May 15 through the 24th. These storms originate in the Gulf of Alaska and look to drop snow up and down the Sierra and rain on the Coastal  and SJ Valley floor just as you are gearing up for Memorial Day.

On Friday May 15 the first of these lows has a bulls-eye on Central California  before it moves up the Sierra with perhaps half an inch both on the Coast and in the Central Valley ( see map).

Beyond this coming weekend May 18 through the 20th looks good for a wet pattern for Northern California where reservoirs need it badly. (see 6 to10 day outlook map.)

Of course it typically does not rain much in Middle California in May with Visalia receiving an average of 0.23 inches for  the month. Hopefully Visalia will see that much this weekend.

Also helping to boost hopes for a wet fall/ winter to come are censuses forecasts that El Nino,the warming of the Pacific waters along the equator – is likely to get stronger, that is warmer as the year goes on. Right now the water temps have increased from just the past few months from about 0.5 degrees warmer than normal to 1 degrees today, considered a moderate to strong El Nino. El Nino 3.4 SST anomalies shows this winter.

El Nino could reach 2 to 3 full degrees warmer than normal, a very strong El Nino ( black dotted line). That would increase chances for a rainy winter in 2015-16 around here.

May 5,2015

Hispanics mortality rate is 25 percent lower than whites says the CDC. That‘s true even though  Hispanics are three times less likely to have health insurance and twice as likely to be in poverty
The latest CDC Vital Signs is CDC’s first national study on Hispanics’ leading causes of death, disease prevalence, risk factors, and access to health services in the United States. Hispanics are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the U.S. Currently, nearly one in six people living in the U.S. is Hispanic (almost 57 million) and this is projected to increase to nearly one in four (more than 85 million) by 2035. The report used recent national census and health surveillance and mortality data to determine differences among whites, Hispanics, and Hispanic subgroups.
As with non-Hispanic whites, the two leading causes of death for Hispanics are heart disease and cancer, accounting for two out of five deaths. Compared with whites, Hispanics have lower death rates for most leading causes of death, but are about 50% more likely to die from diabetes or liver disease and cirrhosis.
Despite lower overall death rates, the study found that some Hispanics may face challenges in getting the care needed to protect their health. Some important social factors include educational level, living below the poverty line, not speaking English very well, and being uninsured.
The report emphasizes that Hispanics are not all alike: health behaviors (such as smoking cigarettes) and health outcomes differ by country of birth and self-declared cultural heritage.  U.S.-born Hispanics had higher prevalences of obesity, smoking, heart disease, and cancer than foreign-born Hispanics.
Ways to improve the health of Hispanics include:
Medical home—a doctor they can reliably go to for help;
Lay community health workers (promotores de salud) to guide Hispanics to needed care by doctors and nurses;
Communication in Spanish, including health education materials and, for patients who need them, interpreting services.
To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns

Visalia Council May Seek Additional Revenue

Increasing internet sales are reducing the City’s sales tax revenues. At the same time changing demographics mean a smaller percentage of individuals’ income is subject to sales tax.

As a result of these trends, it is likely that the City’s ability to fund needed projects and current service levels will not be sustained over the long term says a new city report. “The most obvious area of concern is the City’s most recent sales tax measure, Measure T, which is not meeting what was considered at its inception to be modest sales tax projections of 3% growth per year.”

A Blue Ribbon Citizens group to be formed will make a recommendation to council on whether to move forward on this or not.Depending on how it is structured it could need only a a 50% approval to pass or require two thirds voter approval.

Farm Jobs Head Lower – Non Farm Stays Strong

The unemployment rate in the Tulare County was 13.2 percent in March 2015, down from a revised 13.4 percent in February 2015, and below the year-ago estimate of 15.9 percent.

A closer look shows March farm jobs saw the first real sign of the impact of the drought with ag-related employment down 1400 – down 4.6%f from a year ago. Meanwhile nonfarm jobs increased 2990 – up 2.6%. Construction related jobs rose 11.6%.

March Home Sales Rose

Tulare County existing home sales rose 20% in March – month over month-  and were up 7% from a year ago.The median price of a home sold in March was $182,630 – up from $160,830 a year ago.

March New Home Construction Strong In Visalia

Visalia permitted 53 new homes in March 2105 compared to 26 in March 2014. For the year to date – new home permits are up 52%.

New Shoe Seller On Mooney

Developer Dave Paynter has signed a lease  with Designer Shoe Warehouse at his shopping center on south Mooney anchored by Dicks Sporting Goods.They will take10,330 sf in the center. DSW operates 431 stores in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as 370 leased departments for other retailers in the United States under the Affiliated Business Group.The shoe retailer will open this year.

Pacific STIHL  Expanding Again.

Pacific STIHL has purchased a140,000 sf ft building on Ferguson in the Visalia Industrial Park. So says plant manager Larry Blamer. The power tool distributor is in a leased 53,000sf building now.They hope  to move in July after construction is complete.The new facility, nearly triples the square footage available to Pacific STIHL to approximately 140,000 sq. ft. on eight acres, more than doubles its dock doors from eight to 18, and enables it to continue same day fulfillment of dealer orders.

Derrels Mini Storage Seeks South Visalia Location

Derrels Mini Storage is on the grow again hoping to get County approval t o build a 19 acre min storage on Ave 280,Caldwell and South Roeben- just outside the city limits. Phase one would be 130,000sf,and Phase two 149,000.Phase Three would cover 96,600sf.

May 4,2015-

Single family home permits continue strong in Visalia during the month of April. Builders got  permits for 67 new homes in April, the high of  the year. The number compares  to 51 in April 2014. For the year the number home building permits are up 44% and valuation is 48% higher.
The value of all permits so far this year are up 50% led by improving commercial numbers.So far in 2015 the value of new commercial projects are at $7.4 million compared to $1.6 million for the same period in 2014.