Page 1 - PARLIER POST 1-17-18 E-edition

VOL. 35 NO. 3, PARLIER (FRESNO COUNTY) 93648 1 SECTION, 8 PAGES WEDNESDAY, January 17, 2018
Jan. 24
is Post's
final issue
Citing excessive production costs and lack of supporting revenue, Mid Valley Publishing has announced that The Post will cease publication with the Wednesday, Jan. 24 issue.
"It is our sad duty to announce that the economic viability of The Parlier Post could no longer maintain pace with ever-increasing costs of producing and distributing a newspaper," said Fred Hall, publisher of Mid Valley Publishing, in a Jan. 15 statement. "The Post will pass into history on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018."
Hall said that newspaper publishing is "an odd combination involving the dedication to serving
POST.. Continued on Page 9
Council discusses fire services tax
Staff report
On Jan. 11 the Parlier City Council heard a number of public financing options for fire services in the city.
David Taussig & Associates (DTA) — a public finance, urban economics and clean energy bond consulting firm — is assisting the city to identify the most appropriate method and approach to create additional revenue for fire safety services.
Nathan Perez, DTA representative, presented a number of options to council members during the Jan. 11 council meeting.
This comes after a June 13, 2017 vote in which the Parlier city council authorized placing a property tax measure on the November 2017 ballot for the funding of fire protection services by the Fresno County Fire Protection District. The council has now decided to place a
Karina Vargas / The Post
The city's ownership in real property and equipment at the fire station located at 1300 E. Parlier Ave. was wholly transferred to the fire district as full compensation for all sums due and owing to the fire district as of June 30, 2016.
question (B). The outcome of the advisory question will not result in a new, changed or rejected law or constitutional amendment. Rather, the advisory question symbolically makes heard the general opinion of the voting population in regard to the issue at hand.
"You could either make it a general measure that just goes into the city's general fund, or you could include an advisory measure which is sort of and A-B approach," Perez said.
"The A-B approach is the A measure — number one measure — it is general yet requires a 50 percent threshold. Then there's a B component or supplemental measure which says 'if passed we will commit to try to use these moneys in this way,'" Perez said.
Perez said it is essentially two separate votes on one ballot which
COUNCIL.. Continued on Page 8
utility user tax on the Nov. 2018 ballot
According to the presentation, the amount due to continue to provide fire safety services is estimated at $312,509.42. This amount is expected
to escalate two percent annually. The Utility User Tax (UUT) measure will include an advisory
measure — A-B measure.
This would mean there is an initial
ballot question (A) with a follow up
Tree brings down power lines
Photo Contributed
The Parlier Police Department responded to a call regarding power lines down along with a tree in the area of Fett Drive on Jan. 9. Fresno County and PG&E also were on the scene making sure the area was safe and public hazards were removed.
Time in Destiny brings more services to Parlier
By Karina Vargas
parlierpost@midvalleypublishing.com
Paul Zavala, pastor of Time in Destiny in Sanger Christian Center in Sanger, is planning to bring more services for the community of Parlier.
Zavala has been running a warming center for the homeless at 741 1/2 Tulare St. since Dec. 20.
Now, he is planning to add services not only for the homeless but for everyone who may need them.
Warming center update
Zavala said an average of four to eight people have made use of the warming center when it is open. Volunteers open the center when it is below 38 degrees.
"Out of those people, two of them have left the streets of homelessness," Zavala said. "One of them went to live with his son in Fresno and another one left with his family and is going to school to become a truck driver."
There is a sign up sheet for every night that the center is open. Zavala said there are more who can come to the warming center but may be hesitant to do so. He is confident that when word gets out they will decide to come.
"A lot of them have not come but we want to reach out to those
someway, somehow we're not going to forgetter about them," Zavala said.
Council members commended Zavala and those who volunteer for their help and assistance.
"We have gotten to an area where we've started to gain their trust, we're building a relationship with them," Zavala said. "We're pretty proud of the fact that they've come to us and they've shared their problems and their struggles."
Zavala said he is able to offer a wide range of services, from counseling and mentoring to services related to alcohol and drug problems, anger management, job training and placement, parenting classes, community services and many others.
Zavala said a certified drug and alcohol counselor has recently joined and will help Parlier residents.
As a result on Jan. 11, the council amended and approved a new contract for the location at 741 Tulare street to allow Zavala to make use of the location for such services.
"Our ultimate goal is to be a hub where they can come for everything," Zavala said. "We
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Police arrest man after pursuit Contributed
City officials hear out training center plans
On Jan. 10 at approximately 10:57 p.m. officers of the Parlier Police Department were flagged down by a female who said there was a suspicious vehicle parked near the intersection of Wrico and Cortco Streets.
When the officers showed up the vehicle was no longer there. A few minutes later officer Hector Zavalza observed a vehicle matching the description drive by at a high rate of speed.
Zavalza caught up to the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop.
The vehicle slowly came to a stop; as the officer approached the vehicle on foot, the driver sped away from the scene.
Officer Estevan Felix, who had just arrived at the location of the traffic stop, saw the evading vehicle and began pursuing it.
The vehicle fled Parlier southbound on Academy Avenue.
The officers pursued the suspect for a few miles until the vehicle became disabled in a dirt field.
The driver grot out of the vehicle and ran from the officers into the field.
The California Highway Patrol helicopter, Kingsburg police officers and Selma police assisted Parlier police officers and surrounded the suspect.
The car Salinas was driving was found parked on a dirt road.
After a short search, officers located Fernando Salinas Jr. hiding in a shed.
Salinas was positively identified as the suspect who fled; he was arrested and later booked into county jail.
Fernando Salinas is a convicted sex offender who is required to register as such. Salinas is also on both parole and probation, and was recently released from jail on Dec. 26, 2017.
Photo Contributed
Suspect Fernando Salinas, a convicted sex offend- er, who
led Parlier Police on a chase was arrested on Jan. 10.
By Karina Vargas
parlierpost@midvalleypublishing.com
Parlier officials held a phone conference with Starrrhub President Harpreet Bali on Jan. 12 to discuss the possibility of a training center in the city.
City Manager Sam Escobar said the city still is interested in working with Bali to make her initial plan of bringing a training call center to the city.
Bali also has shared the desire to bring the call training center to town.
Although an agreement for the purchase of an initial lot at the city's industrial park didn't go through, Escobar said he already has identified potential land in the downtown area.
"We are open to the idea and so is the council," Escobar said. "I think the downtown location is a prime location for you. Both for your operation and also for us as a city where something like this could generate a lot of traffic in the downtown area and revitalize our downtown."
Plans
Starrrhub is now planning to offer artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the training.
"What we are going to be doing
is training the candidates in AI and then hiring them."
Bali said jobs like these pay anywhere from 35 to 45 dollars an hour.
She said another organization has reached out to her and will be working with her company.
A high school diploma and some computer knowledge will be required for those interested in the training.
Cost for the training is estimated to be at about $7,500 for a 14-week program. Bali said the training is very advanced and as a result an exact amount has not be set.
Mayor Alma Beltran asked Bali whether those interested in the training would have to pay out of their own pocket.
Bali said she is currently working with Fresno County to identify funding for Parlier candidates.
"The candidates for Parlier, we don't expect them to come forward and pay for themselves," Bali said. "The training dollars will be a little high so we will work with the county to see where we go."
Bali said she is also looking for grants that can assist trainees with the costs.
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