Category: Central Valley

-September 2,202300-

Parts of the high speed rail construction route through the Valley were swamped earlier this year by widespread flooding. Today work carries on along the 63-mile stretch through Kings,Tulare and Kern counties.The HSR Authority has targeted running trains in the Central Valley by 2030.

One of the most visible high speed rail structures locally is the Hanford Viaduct – the largest in the Central Valley spanning over a mile – nearly 6,330 feet lon

Picture: Highway 198 in background

Located in Kings County just east of Hanford , the viaduct or bridge will allow high-speed trains to cross over Grangeville Boulevard, San Joaquin Valley Railroad, and State Route Hwy 198 as they travel north or south. This section of the viaduct – just north of 198 – will also be the home of the future HS Rail station.

For the past year passerbys traveling along 198 have watched what seems to be slow but methodical progress to erect the long row of giant concrete pillars or columns that will support the elevated rail line that now march across the horizon like massive chess pieces. Today the vertical columns have been erected on both sides of Hwy 198.

So what ’s next?

HSR Spokesperson Augie Blancas says work will begin soon to cross over busy freeway 198. arguably a significant milestone.

“We anticipate beginning work on State Route 198 in mid-October. This will include substructure work and traffic shifts along the highway. We will also have some traffic impacts on the north and south sides of SR 198 on Lacey and 7th Road in September. Please note construction schedules are subject to change.”

All the while, work continues along the Hanford Viaduct to the north of SR 198. Horizontal precast girders are still being placed to form the superstructure. To date, over half – 494 of the 978 precast concrete girders that connect the columns have been placed.

Once the columns and the girders are attached, the diaphragm is placed horizontally to support the rail tracks. A diaphragm of a structure does double duty as the floor system on a bridge, which simultaneously supports gravity loads.

In place since 2018,the Dragados Flatiron Joint Venture Precast facility continues its work, manufacturing thousands of these gigantic concrete building blocks to help the nation’s first high-speed rail system stay flat and 200 miles-per-hour-fast in the Central Valley.

Rain or shine the Hanford manufacturing facility hums along, often working at night and early in the AM. The pieces get catalogued and stored until they can be placed on structures where needed.

The precast facility will be the site of the new rail station as well.

Concrete beams are key support pieces for elevated rail structures including the seven high-speed rail structures in Fresno, Kings, and Kern counties completed so far in 2023.

Time to order trains

In other HS Rail news, in the past few weeks the High-Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors approved a plan to ask for Request for Qualifications from prospective vendors to manufacture and maintain the electrified high-speed trains. They want to create a shortlist of qualified teams capable of delivering high-speed trainsets and formally release a Request for Proposals in the first quarter of 2024 to qualified teams.

This trainset procurement process will allow the Authority to:

• Procure six trainsets capable of operating at 220 mph and tested up to 242 mph;
• Receive two prototypes in 2028 to support static/dynamic testing and trial running;
• Receive an additional four trainsets by the end of 2030 to support revenue operations on the 171-mile Merced to Bakersfield section.

“These trainsets ensure that we are procuring the latest generation of high-speed trains for this first-in-the-nation project,” said Authority CEO Brian Kelly. “We look forward to working with members of the industry as we strive to develop a market for high-speed trains in the United States.”

US-located train manufacturers include German-owned Siemens, with a manufacturing plant in Sacramento and new one on the drawing board in North Carolina and Alstom, a French industrial conglomerate that competes with Siemens in rail production. Alstom has expanded U.S. production of locomotives and passenger cars at its Hornell, New York, factory that’s making next-generation Acela trains for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

HSR is mandated to buy American-made units as it chugs forward with this and other projects.That includes funds to aid high-speed rail projects planned by private companies such as Brightline, which expects to build a bullet train between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Off-highway vehicle electrification pioneer to be listed on NASDAQ

-August 11,2023-

ZeroNox plant in Porterville  has electric powered utility vehicles ready to go

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Ghana refuse company employees watch conversion of heavy duty garbage trucks to far cleaner electric power

Nasdaq listed Good for Growth will combine with ZeroNox and be be named “Zero Nox Inc.” with its common stock listed on the NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol “ZNOX”

From the fields of Tulare County, the founders of ZeroNox started by tinkering with farm utility vehicles back in 2017 by converting them to cleaner electric power. The key insight – they could convert existing fleets far cheaper than replacing them with new electric vehicles.

Today the fast growing company has spread its vision,products and technology worldwide to both retrofit opportunities and new vehicles. Now in a giant step forward – they will be publicly traded on the Nasdaq.

August 23 merger will spur Porterville expansion

An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Growth for Good Acquisition Corp is scheduled for August 23, 2023 to approve a merger with a Porterville start-up- ZeroNox. Upon closing, ZeroNox will be listed on the NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol “ZNOX” The boards of directors of ZeroNox and Growth for Good Acquisition Corp. have unanimously approved the business combination.The Securities and Exchange Commission has declared they will recognize the business combination.

Growth for Good is a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company listed on Nasdaq, which is essentially the stock market for up and coming companies. The merger represents a value of $306 million for ZeroNox according to a news release.

ZeroNox, now privately held, was founded by partners Vonn Christenson and Robert Cruess in 2017. The partners have vowed to make Porterville the Silicon Valley of green energy by electrifying fossil fueled fleets of off-road vehicles- a mission that started with farm vehicles.

They set out to convince local farmers they could economically convert existing farm vehicles to electric that spewed no emissions and were cheaper than buying new.

“Having been raised in the Central Valley of California, (ZeroNox president) Robert (Cruess) and I returned home to build a business that would first and foremost support our community,” Christenson said in an interview.

“We are motivated to bring our neighbors — who use off-highway vehicles for work across ranches, farms, and construction sites — high performing, affordable and zero emissions equipment that can help grow their businesses. Simply put, that’s our mission, and we are thrilled to partner with Growth for Good, a SPAC with a social impact and sustainability mission that aligns with our own.”

With merger at hand,ZeroNox plans expansion in their home town.

CEO Vonn Christenson says the company is adding more jobs and buying land.
“We are in the process of closing on the purchase of our current location and 3 adjoining properties.  This will allow expansion of our facilities.  We are also in the process of hiring new positions.”

The small company made the news this May when they announced an agreement with a Ghana company Jospong to convert a fleet of 1000 heavy duty garbage trucks to electric – said to be the world’s largest fleet retrofit electrification project. The two also signed a joint venture agreement to mark significant milestones for both companies and leverage Ghana as the gateway to electric vehicle and related technology distribution throughout Africa

The deal was projected to generate $130 million in revenue for ZeroNox. The conversion of the fleet of 1,000 trucks to electric vehicles is projected to save Jospong $84,000 per vehicle over five years in maintenance costs.

The projected fuel savings for the fleet is $223,000 per vehicle every year over five years. The projected total savings in fuel and maintenance costs is $288 million.

ZeroNox will also train Jospong employees in the installation and the maintenance of the E-kits into the fleet.

The transportation sector is responsible for one-quarter of all global greenhouse emissions and one third of all emissions in the U.S.Growth for Good has stated the company’s market is potentially $1.3 trillion and spans the world in agriculture, construction and mining as well as forklifts, energy storage and electric retrofits.

With 75 percent of the off-highway vehicle sector stating it will or might take steps toward electrification, Growth for Good states “there is a significant unmet need for ZeroNox’s products and services.”

Growth for Good noted three strengths of ZeroNox: It’s production of LFP batteries and Electric Powertrain Platforms (ZEPPS) they announced in a news release.

Also attractive- It’s ability to distribute products to targeted, underserved areas. ZeroNox distributes through 50 dealerships with recent contracts that expand to nearly 1,500 dealerships in the U.S.

Beside the garbage trucks deal, ZeroNox has agreements with LAX, Baird, Ritz-Carlton and Universal Studios. Those include luxury shuttles for Universal Studios along with work utility vehicles. ZeroNox is one of only a few companies that develop forklifts powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Utility vehicle market

Then last month ZeroNox announced it has signed distribution agreements with E-lix Elektromoblie GMBH and Chateaux Des Langues to deliver ZeroNox-powered Tuatara electric utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) across Europe.

With this agreement, the two European firms will add ZeroNox-powered Tuatara vehicles to their offerings for off-highway vehicle customers. Their customers will now have the option to purchase a more environmentally friendly off-highway vehicle without compromising on the performance demands required of UTVs.

The vehicles are the ZeroNox-powered Tuatara -a powerful electric UTV with a 2,200 load and towing capacity as well as a 4-6 hour driving range. Utilizing the ZeroNox proprietary electric powertrain platform (ZEPP) with lithium-ion phosphate battery (LFP), the UTV provides top speeds of 35 MPH and is able to recharge in 6 hours using a 110-volt plug along with a rapid charge option of 3.5 hours using a 220-volt outlet.

Vonn R. Christenson, CEO of ZeroNox, said “Within the first 12 months of bringing the ZeroNox-powered Tuatara electric vehicle to market, Tuatara witnessed a year over year sales increase of over 800%. ZeroNox and Tuatara’s partnership has enabled us to drive enormous growth of off-highway electric UTVs, which we hope to now bring to key growth markets like Europe.”

Race car branding

Start your electric motors . . . ZeroNox is joining Seasons 10, 11, and 12 of Formula E, a motorsport championship for electric cars!
As a partner with NIO 333 Formula E Team, “you will find our ZeroNox logo on racing cars, race overalls, team apparel, and more.”
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-August 11,2023-

Decades of land subsidence caused by unregulated and continued groundwater overdraft has caused the Friant-Kern Canal, which is a 152 mile long gravity fed canal, to sink as much as 14 feet in the area between Porterville and Delano. This damage has resulted in a 60% loss of carrying capacity along the Friant Kern Canal.

This water supply impact has caused harm, not only to the farms that make the economic engine in the San Joaquin Valley run, but also to cities and communities, whose primary source of drinking water is from the underground aquifer.

Now a fix is underway and progress is being made says Friant Water,s’ GM Jason Phillips.

“At a time when political conflict seems to be the norm, our project is, in every way, a great example of how Federal, State, and local partners can coalesce to make a major infrastructure project possible.

The there is historic flooding in the region that has impacted the equipment, workload, and the schedule of this project- nevertheless “it remains on schedule. “

“Now the canal lining has begun. Recently, the heavy equipment that is designed specifically for projects like this began the steady process of pouring the concrete that will become the new realigned canal.” Starting just north of Deer Creek, and headed north, every day that passes, about 2000 linear feet of canal lining are being poured “signaling the end of the project is approaching.

The canal should be ready handle this coming winter’s new water supply.

Population Surprise

-August 7,2023-

New population projections from the state Department of Finance (DOF) are shocking leaders with estimates that the state and formerly fast-growing counties in the Central Valley will each experience very slow to no-growth or even shrink over the next 40 years.

California now stands about 39 million residents and by 2060 – a July 2023 DOF projection says we will be right there – around 39 million residents.

Who will be the biggest loser? Los Angeles is expected to lose 1.3 million residents, falling from 10 million people today to 8.3 million by 2060. The good news? Maybe LA’s clogged freeways and housing shortage will ease. Maybe the Southland won’t suck up so much imported water?

Surprisingly, the trend is similar in Central Valley counties like Tulare and Kings.

Baby Bust

A key component – births statewide and locally continue to fall while deaths go up due to an aging population. Regards births, a sea-change has happened as far fewer young mothers are giving birth. Statewide there were 70,000 births in 1990 to mothers who were 16 to 19. By 2022 there were just 8000 in this category. Also there were 160,000 births to mothers 20 -24 in 1990. In 2022 the number fell to 58,00 and is expected to drop further to 38,000 by 2040.

Statewide we currently see about 408,000 births annually but that is expected to decline to 341,000 by 2059 – over 20% lower. Families are choosing to have fewer kids.

In Tulare County there were 7248 births in 1990 – increasing to 8151 in 2010 but falling to 6819 in 2022 and expected to fall further to 5908 in 2040. The lower numbers are impacting local hospitals like Kaweah Delta seeing fewer patients in their maternity wards. Indeed, total admissions at the area’s largest medical center for all reasons are down.

Annual births in Kings County are trending lower as well. There was a high in 2008 of about 2800 to its 2100 births in 2022.

A few years ago California lost population for the first time in state history.The decline is a product of more people moving to other states and the pandemic’s effect on births, deaths, and immigration says the Public Policy Institute of California.

“Although birth rates have been falling for years, they reached new lows in 2021. Birth rates are not just falling in California: since 2007, the fertility rate across the country has fallen from 2.1 to 1.6. But the California rate fell faster, from 2.2 to about 1.5, and spanned race and ethnicity. Notably, Latina women had the largest decline in California and now also have birth rates below replacement. And teen birth rates are the lowest on record.”

Kings numbers

Kings County is expected to continue its very slow to flat line growth, says the DOF report. Today the population is about 151,00 and should climb to 157,000 by 2030, 161,000 by 2040, fall to 160,000 by 2050 and down to 159,000 ten years later in 2060.The ratio of Hispanics to Whites should be about the same as today – 88,000 Hispanics by 2060 and 46,000 Whites.

Growth estimates keep falling

In Tulare County, the DOF has continually lowered expected growth estimates in the past decade as can be seen in this chart. The chart, put together by Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) a few years ago shows the trend by the state agency to lower periodic projections down -now even lower projecting minus growth in the latest July 2023 numbers (not shown).

The popular wisdom is that Tulare County is growing fast with an influx of industry and retail in recent years. But the state report predicts our 475,000 population today will actually shrink to 446,000 in 2060!

That is quite a contrast with news that four Tulare County cities were among the fastest growing in the state in 2022.

Visalia ranked 25th in the state for population increases adding 965 residents in the last year. A 2013 DOF projection estimated that Tulare County would reach 837,000 residents by 2060 reflecting the trends that were seen 20 years ago. Then in 2021 they suggested the county would grow to only 592,000 by that date. In July of this year the number was down to 446,000.

That is got to be sobering to the Visalia business community and home builders who are busy planning new developments in town including the annexation of land into the city for thousands of new homes. Even if Visalia was one of the fastest growing cities in the state – growth was under 1% compared to 3 to 6% increase seen in years before.It is a wake up call for city and school planners as well.

It is not just births that are down. In-migration has reversed. In 2019 Tulare County saw 573 persons migrate toTulare County. In 2004 migration was a plus 4437.

Likewise in Kings County where a half a dozen new annexations are underway around Hanford and Lemoore that will result in enough land for another thousand homes.

So is everybody heading to the Coast? Nope. San Luis Obispo at 279,00 today will also shrink in 40 years to 265,000 says DOF.Many residents there who favor slow growth in any case- might get their wish.

What about Cal-Exit?

One factor in population stories that has gotten plenty of press is the news that more people are leaving California due to high cost of living – so called Cal-Exit.

The latest DOF projection shows that indeed – in 2020 there was a net minus migration out of state of over 350 thousand people in part due to the pandemic. That statewide number fell to 318 thousand exiting in 2021 and down to 140,000 last year and expected to be 96k in 2023. DOF says by 2027, net-migration should be to the positive again averaging 50,000 to 60,000 annually.

Still, as we have seen the California Department of Finance keeps changing their mind and suggests wildly different outcomes.

Baby pic courtesy Public Policy Institute
chart: TCAG

-July 20,2023-

More problems for Faraday Future

Faraday Future announced this past week that its interim finance chief has resigned and the company will restate its financial statements for 2022 and the quarter ended March 2023 after it uncovered some errors, highlighting continued problems at the electric vehicle firm. The company has their manufacturing facility in Hanford.

Reuters reported that the company also said its annual report for 2022, quarters ending September 2022 and March 2023 “should no longer be relied upon” due to certain errors.The company will file restated financial statements and the move will not affect its vehicle delivery timeline, it added. The company needs to reach a $1 per share stock valuation to keep it from being delisted on the NASDAQ. The price this week of stock is around 28 cents.

South Valley reservoirs are brimming

With these temperatures, it is no surprise that rivers in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley are running fast – full of snowmelt. From Lake Isabella in the south to Millerton in the north, our lakes are near full or already spilling over in the case of Friant Dam above Fresno. The temperature this week reached 91 degrees at the 6600 ft elevation in Giant Forest, sending what is left of the snow down to Lake Kaweah – now holding 178,000AF out of a capacity of 185,000. Nearby Success Lake, above Porterville, sits at 75,000AF out of 84,000AF capacity. Kings River’s Pine Flat is holding 955,000AF -just short of its 1 million AF capacity, The Corp is releasing more water than is coming in.

Lake Isabella now stands at 536,00AF with 568,000 AF capacity. As mentioned, Friant Dam has been spilling for more than a week.The upshot – our foothill reservoirs are well stocked for the next season that could be wet again in 2024.Precip in the Tulare Lake Basin this water year is 184% of average -just behind the 83’ and 68’ water years.

Forecast: expect moderate to strong El Nino this winter

NOAA is predicting a better than 90 percent chance that an El Nino weather pattern will be happening this winter with the latest forecast suggesting a moderate to strong El Nino. The warming Pacific waters will favor a good chance for a wet winter across mid and southern California as shown in this June 15 map.

More 100 degree days

Forecast for Hanford suggests we will be above 100 degrees F for the rest of July. That will mean 26 days in July 2023 at or above 100. That is more days than last year but less than July 2021 when every day but 2 was above 100.

Cool off by painting your roof white

In 2021, researchers at Purdue University announced that they had developed the whitest paint on Earth. The color is so white that it can reflect over 98% of light. This is particularly useful because light generates heat — and we – here on Earth- are running a bit hot these days.
Business Insider reports if used on a building, the paint would reduce the temperature on the surface, lowering the temps inside and decreasing the need for air conditioning. But what if there was an even bigger application, like reducing the temperature of the entire planet?

According to Jeremy Munday, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, who researches clean technology, if a material like Purdue’s paint covered 1-2% of the Earth’s surface, the amount of light being bounced back into space would reduce the amount of heat being absorbed by the planet enough to stabilize global temperatures. In other words, it could do a lot to solve climate change. Plus, Munday told the New York Times, the amount of light being bounced back into space wouldn’t harm the cosmos very much. “It’d be like pouring a cup of regular water into the ocean,” he told the Times.

Kings County has lowest cancer rate

A July 12 report from media company Stacker compiled the counties with the highest cancer rates in California using data from the CDC. Cancer rates fluctuate by jobs: Higher rates of cancer can be found among meat industry and rubber manufacturing workers, and farmers. Despite that,Kings County has the lowest cancer rate of the 58 counties, says their report.Kings cancer rate per 100,000, 2016-2020: 322.7 – Age-adjusted rate per 100,000, 2016-2020: 364.4. The county with the highest rate is Amador with a cancer rate per 100,000, 2016-2020: 777.0 – Age-adjusted rate per 100,000, 2016-2020: 434.9.

Electric truck stop with 31 charging stations

The Bakersfield Californian reports that Kern County’s first all-electric truck stop is on track to open 31 charging stations this year — about half of them to be powered by solar panels on-site.

Landmark Visalia restaurants are changing hands this summer while new ones are opening

-July 20,2023-

In Downtown  Visalia, Little Italy owner Joe Vaccaro has sold his longtime Italian bar and restaurant to a local businessman, Ashok Patel ,who will open Hungry Elephant Bar & Grill. The menu will be Indian food.Patel says he has purchased both the property and the business that has been closed for the past few years during the pandemic. The Italian eatery at 303 W Main has been a fixture across from the Fox Theater since the mid-1990s The interior was adorned with murals of Italy. Patel hopes to open his new place this summer.

Along Mineral King Ave the family who owned the Lampliter Inn led by Robert Lee have sold the restaurant and convention facility there to the Naxon Group led by Sam Ramirez. The property, owned by the Hyde family, is at 3300 W Mineral King. The buyers of the business are a Visalia-based hospitality and catering firm who are already running the convention center to hold events and plan to remodel the restaurant to open later, says Ramirez.

The restaurant will be named -The Hyde -in honor of the family who won the property. Ramirez says the new eastern will market itself as a new “brunch spot” for locals and visitors , something not seen in Visalia currently.

Open this week in Downtown Visalia is House of Ju Ju featuring
gourmet hamburgers and salads.Located at 114 W. Main St #101, the new restaurant is next to Book Nook in the former Picnic Sandwich building – now transformed and owned by Family Healthcare Network with their corporate office upstairs.The owners of the House of Ju Ju first opened in Clovis and now have a location in Morro Bay and in Idaho too.The name comes from Scott and Julie (also called JuJu) Glenn, owners.

caption: Goodbye to Little Italy

-July 12,2023-

UPDATED

It is mid July and the state’s national parks are seeing the biggest crowds of the year. Plenty of heat across California may be driving visitors to the Sierra. While entrance roads into Yosemite,Kings Canyon and Sequoia are finally open after record snowfall, many of the popular destinations inside those parks remain shuttered.

In Yosemite the opening of the Tioga Road, connecting Yosemite Valley to the park’s high country has been delayed with no estimate of when it will happen.

The Tioga Pass entrance station received over 18ft of snow this past winter at the 10,000ft elevation. It is clear that after months of plowing to connect the 46-mile road across the Sierra that this will be the latest opening of the road ever.

A recent report says the last time the Tioga Road remained closed this late in the season was in 1938, when the highway opened July 9. The late opening is the direct result of this winter’s historic snowfall that besides piling up, caused serious damage to portions of the route and adjacent facilities.

“Everyone’s been talking about what a crazy epic winter we’ve had and just the monumental task of getting that road open,” said Steve Lyon, a Yosemite National Park ranger, this week.

That work has involved months of plowing with tracked vehicles, bulldozers, rotary plows and other heavy equipment. As it does every year, it has also involved trying to clear the more than two dozen segments of the road that are prone to avalanches.
The best known and perhaps most dangerous of those avalanche zones is adjacent to Olmsted Point, a site famed for its spectacular views.

Lyon said that crews have cleared that section of road but that avalanche damage to one lane there will require traffic control regulated by temporary stop lights when the road opens.

Damage in Sequoia/Kings Canyon

Heavy snow and rainfall in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks delayed the opening of the main road that connects the two parks but the General’s Highway has finally been cleared recently. If you want to see Giant Sequoias you are in luck. Head to the Giant Forest or Grant Grove areas.

But a number of other areas are off limits this year due to major damage to roads and bridges.

The 25-mile iconic Mineral King Road was washed away along several stretches and you are not likely to be able to visit the alpine valley this season.That will mean no visitors for the Silver City Resort this year.

In Kings Canyon, landslides have closed visitor access beyond Grant Grove to Cedar Grove – the popular destination along the Kings River that will remain closed this year. Visitors to Hume Lake will have to take the back road.

There are other casualties. The road to Crystal Cave and the cave itself will not open this year. In Lodgepole, the park’s biggest campground, is open but the only market in Sequoia is closed without an estimate of opening.To reach Sequoia Park’s only lodge -Waksuchi- you willed to access your room from the Big Stump entrance up 180 from Fresno.

Also closed this summer is the Bear Paw wilderness camp that will require overhaul of its water system before it can open the summer of 2024.

The Sequoia Shuttle from Visalia is not operating as of this writing and in fact the in-park shuttle service is not running this month due a labor dispute that started July 8.

Three Rivers area

Travelers coming to the park from Three Rivers will have trouble reaching the South Fork NPS site and up the North Fork of the Kaweah due to partial road closures, says the NPS.

You won’t be able to camp his year at Buckeye Campground near Hospital Rock due to damage there. In the high country of the park Dorst Campground is closed this summer due to damage.

Off limits this year are the road and trails in Redwood Canyon and Redwood Mountain near Grant Grove due to heavy damage caused by a calamitous wildfire that hit the are in 2021 – the same two fires that caused the loss of some 20% of all Sequoia trees here and south of the park along Hwy 190.

Other closures in Yosemite

Back in Yosemite , expect heavy traffic congestion in the park, says NPS. Be prepared for multi-hour delays at park entrances and traffic congestion, especially in Yosemite Valley. Glacier Point won’t open until July 15.

Campgrounds in Yosemite that remain closed for now include Bridalveil Creek, Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat, and Tuolumne Meadows

The Merced Grove of Giant Sequoias will be closed for about three months starting July 10, 2023.But the Mariposa Grove is open with but accessed only by shuttle.

Visitor to Sequoia National Forest up Highway 190 are also out of luck if the want to reach the top at Quaking Aspen and Ponderosa with repairs to the highway not likely to be completed until the end of the year, says CalTrans.

Visitation Down

The rough winter and spring has dampened visitation in Sequoia through May 2023 at roughly 50% the numbers we saw through May 2022 Likewise in Yosemite that is down 43% YTD through May.

The decline in visitation is having its negative economic effect on gateway communities like Three Rivers and Visalia, Mariposa and Fresno.

NPS photo in Yosemite

Mineral King Road

-July 5 2023-

CapRock’s plan is to develop 156 acres and divide it into 4 parcels. First to be developed will be a 75 acre piece with permits now in hand to build a 1.27 miilion sf warehouse valued at  $77.6 million.

Besides the on-site improvements, the developer will do road work and add a traffic signal at  the formerly rural intersection of Ave 320 (Kibler) and Plaza. This will now be the back entrance not only to Center Point 111 but Center Point 1 and 11- the two Amazon warehouses to the east.

-June 28,2023-

In a letter to its golfing members management announced “It is with great regret that we must inform you that River Island Country Club will be closing the doors effective June 24th, 2023 at the close of business.”

The club in operation for some 18 years on the Tule River between Springville and Porterville added that they are retaining a bankruptcy attorney after a failed attempt to sell the 18 hole course.

Like other residents and businesses around Springville the recent flood caused damage to the facilities and the course said foo added upon the millions in damages including the loss of bridges that connect the course. Serveral holes were completely wiped out.