Gurrola takes Oath of Office, Reyes appointed as Vice Mayor
On Tuesday evening, the Council Chambers inside City Hall were nearly full, and many people were there to witness Virginia Gurrola take her Oath of Office. Gurrola was chosen out of three candidates to fill the vacant seat left by previous Vice Mayor Brian Ward.
The meeting began with the opening of Oral Communications, and a representative from the Tulare Chamber of Commerce approached the microphone to announce to the Council that the Tulare County Fair will be honoring veterans this year, and invited the community of Porterville to nominate veterans that they would like to have recognized and honored at the Tulare County Fair.
Oral Communications was closed after the announcement, as no one else stepped forward, and the meeting continued on to the swear in ceremony for Gurrola.
Retired judge Glade Roper stood in front of the Council and presented a bible to Gurrola after she made her way to the front from her seat. She placed her left hand on the bible, and raised her right hand to begin the oath. Gurrola repeated each phase after Roper and was met with a wild round of applause at the completion of the oath.
Gurrola made her way to the dais, and was welcomed with hugs from each of the other Council members. She situated herself in her new seat, and the meeting continued.
Mayor Martha Flores introduced the next time, which was the appointment of a new Vice Mayor. She opened the floor for nominations, and Council member Milt Stowe nominated Council member Monte Reyes. Council member Daniel Penaloza seconded the nomination. Reyes became the new Vice Mayor with a vote of 5-0.
Tuesday’s meeting had one public hearing scheduled, which concerned the relocation of Eagle Mountain Ca
sino and potential infrastructure improvements.
The casino is closer then it ever has been to relocating out to the west side of Porterville, and a proposed water tertiary treatment structure was up for discussion on Tuesday.
When the public hearing was opened to public comment, several members of the Tule River tribe stepped forward to express their support for the project. Neil Peyron, chairman of the Tule River Tribal Council, presented the Council with roughly 200 letters of support as well.
Justin Nuckols approached the microphone to express his concern about the placement of the tertiary treatment center. He explained that he feared it would harm the appeal of hosting events out at Nuckols Ranch, because one of the proposed sites for the building is directly behind their venue.
Nuckols was the only person to express any concerns about the proposed project, and several other people approached the microphone after him to express their support.
In the end, Gurrola motioned for approval, Penaloza seconded and the memorandum of understanding, draft resolution and negative declaration of environmental impacts was approved 5-0.