Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tulare County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
29 issues with high priority
Local Election Results
Tulare County is posting live election results for county supervisor seats, city council races, and ballot measures. If you vote there, these races decide who writes and enforces local rules for the next few years, so it is worth checking who is winning.
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.
Matheny tract water and sewer consolidation
East Orosi's tap water is contaminated with nitrates, so residents rely on bottled water while the county runs the system as administrator. The $13 million project to connect East Orosi to the Orosi PUD finally broke ground after 20+ years.
Election Results
Tulare County's key races are being called, and the results will shape who runs local government for the next term. If you care about budgets, services, or local policy, this is the scoreboard to watch.
Monson ag hauling facility dispute (PSP 26023)
A family ag hauling operation wants to store up to 25-30 trucks and 30 trailers on four acres near Monson, running 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with about 20 round trips a day. The neighboring Elkhorn Dairy says the site currently looks like a commercial truck repair chop shop, and its attorney argues the project can't legally be approved without environmental review. The commission put off the decision until January 13, 2027.
Countywide zoning code overhaul (Ordinances 3672/3673)
The county rewrote its agricultural and residential zoning rules for the first time since 2012 — clearer matrices, updated setbacks, and 1,200-foot notifications for event venues instead of 300. It touches about 92% of the county's land, so rural property owners will notice the changes when they build, subdivide, or host events.
ICE access and Truth Act transparency
The county adopted state-required policies limiting how county agencies interact with immigration authorities, with departments implementing them by January 1, 2027. A public commenter argued county edits removed a mandatory vendor data-protection provision and could fall short of the legal standard.
HAP Round 7 homelessness funding allocation
Westcare's veterans program and the VA introduced themselves and want a future presentation slot — timely, since Visalia and the Housing Authority just landed Home Key funds for veteran housing units.
Deer Creek flooding threat to Alpahtchi and Allensworth
Nearly 2,000 people live in Alpahtchi and Allensworth, two rural towns that nearly flooded in 2023 — including a deliberately cut levee. An advocate is asking commissioners to meet with the Deer Creek district manager about emergency floodway options before this winter's storms.
Aging flood pumps and capital improvement program
Most of the county's flood pumps are over 40 years old, and a five-year replacement plan from years ago never got done. Roughly 30 grant applications are pending with the state to standardize and replace them — and pumps keep breaking in the meantime.
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.
Goshen development and infrastructure
The county awarded a $1.9 million contract to rebuild Road 67 in Goshen, approved a countywide guardrail safety project, added a stop sign near Exeter, and adopted its official road mileage of 2,960.99 miles — while supervisors noted rural counties get far less per mile for road maintenance than urban ones.
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.
Data center moratorium and future zoning rules
The Board of Supervisors adopted a moratorium on data centers, partly in response to a developer pitching fairgrounds sites. Members debated whether the county could eventually welcome data centers if developers prove their water use is sustainable and bring local benefit.
SGMA implementation and Tule subbasin probation
Well permits are running higher than last year, partly from a West Tulare project that destroyed some wells. GSAs are working to fix shortfalls and get the Tule Subbasin out of probationary status.
Mineral King Road & Wishon Drive Permanent Restoration Bid Dispute
The 2023 storms washed out roads near Three Rivers and Springville. The Board rejected low bidder Synergy Construction over sloppy bid paperwork and unlisted subcontractors, awarding the $3.57 million job to Walsh Montgomery instead — but delays mean the work may slip past the good-weather construction window. Micari also wants county bid rules tightened to prevent this recurring problem.
Road Conditions in Pixley, Matheny Tract and Tuleville
Residents described pothole-ridden, unpainted roads in Pixley where a man fell and was injured, poor pavement in Matheny Tract, and speeding and gravel hazards near Tuleville's school bus stop — asking for Measure R dollars to be directed to their communities.
Remote meeting attendance to fix quorum problems
The subcommittee discussed adopting a resolution to stream Water Commission meetings online, similar to the flood control commission, though elected members would still be required to attend in person.
Flood Control District budget squeeze from liability insurance
The district takes in about $1 million a year in property tax but will pay roughly $790,000 a year in self-insured liability costs through 2031 after past flood-related claims. That leaves about five years of essentially no net revenue, with projects funded from one-time reserves.
Drought conditions and drinking water assistance
Local officials worry the state's SAFER program — which funds safe drinking water projects — has become slow and overly bureaucratic, and that diverted cap-and-trade money has left it short. A presentation and possible commission position are planned for the next meeting.
Measure R renewal on the horizon
Supervisors Micari and Vander Poel warned the 30-year Measure R half-cent sales tax — which has delivered billions for county roads — is past halfway and will need voter renewal, in a tough tax climate.
Failed special districts in Plainview and Poplar
Supervisor Micari says the private Plainview water company has collapsed — broken pumps, no board — and the elected Poplar CSD is feuding with a nonprofit after a grand jury inquiry. The county says it has no legal authority over either but is trying to help anyway.
ERF Round 5 grant competition
The state's fifth Encampment Resolution Funding round has only $93 million — a third of prior rounds — and half of it must target encampments on state highway right-of-way. County mapping found zero unsheltered residents on the right-of-way in unincorporated areas, so the county likely won't apply alone and will instead support Visalia and Tulare city applications.
Shrinking funding and rising recidivism
People placed into housing through earlier ERF rounds are timing out and falling back into homelessness — recidivism is over 30 percent in Continuum of Care programs. With federal HUD dollars shifting away from permanent housing and Emergency Housing Vouchers ending in December, members urged helping tenants boost income and coordinating scarce vouchers across agencies.
Sheriff armored vehicle purchases after Deputy Hoppe incident
The Sheriff's Office bought two armored vehicles — a Lenco rescue vehicle up to $500,000 and a Ring Power vehicle up to $645,000 — as sole-source purchases. Undersheriff Tom Sigley said borrowed Bearcats and a Rook saved lives during the April shooting that killed Deputy Hoppe, and the county will now stage armored resources north and south.
Nurse practitioner classifications to fight provider shortage
The county is creating new nurse practitioner job levels under AB 890 so experienced NPs can practice with less physician supervision — a response to Tulare County's ratio of roughly 2,000 patients per provider versus 1,200 statewide. Nine positions will be reclassified, with salary steps about 10% apart.
Wildfire season and power shutoff warnings from SCE
Southern California Edison's representative warned the board to expect more public safety power shutoffs this fire season due to heat, humidity and wind, and noted Edison remains the insurer of last resort until the state changes the system.
East Orosi sewer system administration
The county took over the East Orosi sewer system in June 2025 and faced a $75,000 lift station emergency a month later. The long-term fix is years away, so the county is using ARPA money to pump holding tanks and fence the lift station against vandalism.
Water Outage
A town in Tulare County has completely lost running water during a dangerous heat wave, and officials are treating it as a public health emergency. If you're in the area, find the official water distribution points now and don't wait until it gets hotter.