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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Tulare County Grand Jury • 2010-2011

Tulare County Grand Jury Report 2010-2011 Resource Management Agency Letter from the Judges Part 5 Housing Element

98 pages
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Findings 27 findings

F1
There were a total of 23 Grand Jury reports in the 2009-2010 Final Report, 22 of which required 141 responses from 101 different entities.
F2
There were 327 findings and 124 recommendations.
F3
The following diagrams indicate the percentages of concurrence with or disagreement to the findings; and implementation or non-implementation of
F4
Voter registration closes 15 days prior to the next County wide election.
F5
Voters must live in Tulare County for a minimum of 15 days prior to the election.
F6
Precinct workers were reminded during training NOT to ask for identification, unless the voters’ names were red flagged.
F7
Mail-in/absentee ballots can be uncounted for the following reasons: a. person is deceased b. no signature c. signatures do not match d. received too late e. resident’s address is an issue
F8
The table below speaks for itself. The most significant is the 2008 General election where 452 ballots had unmatched signatures. In some cases, it can take less than 200 to change the outcome of an election. CHALLENGED RETURNS LLEETTTTEERR FFRROOMM TTHHEE JJUUDDGGEESS No signature No Received Residence Deceased Match Signature Too Late Address Issue Other Totals Primary 2004 1 57 29 326 102 12 527 General 2004 210 51 348 199 37 845 Primary 2006 100 15 525 7 647 General 2006 2 253 42 330 14 3 644 Pres. Primary 2008 30 276 72 389 1 10 778 Primary 2008 125 35 468 5 60 693 General 2008 452 95 147 1 35 730 Primary 2010 5 171 124 335 4 639
F9
The Tulare County Registrar of Voters has a form letter that is sent to voters who have forgotten to sign their envelopes. This enables the voter the opportunity to return their ballot so it can be counted. All ballots must be received by the deadline of 8pm on Election Day.
F10
In the recent June 2010 election, mail-in ballots were sent to the rural Post Offices with street names and addresses on them, not PO Box numbers. The Post Office returned them to the Election Board for the proper PO Box numbers, causing a delay to the voter in receiving their ballots. These voters had been forced into using mail-in ballots because their precincts were closed.
F11
Costly touch screen voting booths are “hardly used.” The precinct workers interviewed stated they were advised not to encourage their usage.
F12
There are 108 Tulare County overseas civilians and 228 military personnel worldwide. Their ballots and information are mailed 60 days prior to the election. For the November election, the ballots and information were mailed on September 3, 2010.
F13
The California Secretary of State verifies legality of registered voters and relays this information to the county elections board.
F14
According to the Registrar of Voters, there is no national program in place to verify if a person votes in more than one state.
F15
Only names and addresses can be asked for to verify identification at the polls – unless the name has been red flagged by the Secretary of State’s office. Then the following ID is deemed acceptable. The following “ID required” notice was given to all Tulare County precinct workers and the wording at the bottom of the page shows how easily fraud can happen. “ID REQUIRED” NOTICE Voter:You are a newly registered voter and you are being asked to provide appropriate identification or other documentation according to Federal law. But please note that every individual has the right to cast a provisional ballot even if he or she does not provide the documentation. It is against the law to represent yourself as being eligible to vote unless you meet all of the requirements to vote under federal and state law. Identification may include any ONE of the following that contains a photo and name of the voter: LETTER FROM THE JUDGES • Driver’s license (current and valid) • State issued identification card • Passport • Employee identification card • Identification card provided by a commercial establishment or business (Example Costco card) • Credit card or debit card • Military identification card • Student identification card • Health Club identification card • Insurance plan identification card • Any photo identification, prepared by a third party in the ordinary course of business that includes the name and photograph of the individual showing it Identification may include any ONE of the following without a photo of the voter, but containing voter’s name, address and a current date: • Current utility bill • Bank Statement • Government check or paycheck • Sample Ballot booklet • Voter Notification Card • Student ID Card • Any document issued by a government agency that shows the name and address of the voter (Examples could include: public housing ID card, tuition statement or bill, an insurance plan card, a drug prescription card, property tax statement, vehicle registration, etc.) Pollworker: Interpret the requirements above loosely. If the voter’s proof is close to what is listed, go ahead and let the voter vote a regular ballot. If no proof, they should vote provisionally. If questions, call the Elections Office at 559-733-6276. -HA VA Section 303(b)(2)(A)(i) & Cal Code of Reg Title 2 Section 20107 (Rev 212005) CONCLUSIONS While mail-in ballots are vulnerable, no visible signs of tampering with mail-in ballots were found by the Grand Jury. A mail-in ballot should be mailed or returned allowing enough time for it to be received by 8pm on Election Day. Voters who send in ballots that are not received by this deadline are not notified. Voters are notified by mail after the election if their signatures are invalid and their ballots are not counted. If you vote a mail-in ballot and are a senior citizen and/or have had any medical problems since last registering, it is possible your signature has changed. This could cause your ballot to be among the uncounted.
F16
The museum has stuffed wild animals, natural stones/rocks, a Native American display and much more. CONCLUSIONS Since the time SCICON was first a dream, a wonderful thing happened to all the citizens living in Tulare County. County citizens came together and made a dream come true. The students of yesterday and the students of tomorrow did, and will, come away from SCICON with a better understanding of what nature is and how it works. They did, and will, experience what a book cannot truly teach. A book is one thing; actually seeing, touching and feeling is the best educational tool of all.
F17
Stone Corral School District: a. There is one school in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are four teachers and an ADA of 131 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,159 with a TRL of $685,260 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Thursday of each month at 5:00 pm. e. A meeting held on February 10, 2011 started late, at 5:15 pm. f. No agendas were available and had to be requested. g. Board members did not appear to be knowledgeable on the agenda items. h. Board members did not stick to the agenda items and there was too much table talk between them. i. Of the three board members, two were present.
F18
Strathmore Union School District: a. There are three schools in the district, serving grades K-8. 35 a. There are three schools in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are 39 teachers and an ADA of 761 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,090 with a TRL of $3,814,639 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm. e. A meeting held on March 15, 2011 was held a day late due to a catastrophic leave situation. It was posted as being held on the day following the original scheduled meeting and was at 11:30 am. f. Board members appeared to be professional and knowledgeable on the agenda items.
F19
Sundale Union School District: a. There is one school in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are 33 teachers and an ADA of 696 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,099 with a TRL of $3,462,162 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm. e. At the January 25, 2011 meeting, board members were knowledgeable on the agenda items.
F20
Terra Bella Union School District: a. There are two schools in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are 46 teachers and an ADA of 873 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,103 with a TRL of $4,444,185 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. e. At the board meeting held on January 13, 2011, board members appeared to have marginal knowledge of the agenda items. f. There were no microphones available and it was difficult to hear what was being discussed. g. It appeared that some board members tended to over explain some of the agenda items, causing the meeting to last longer than necessary.
F21
Tulare City School District: a. There are 15 schools in the district, serving grades Pre-school – 8. b. There are 441 teachers and an ADA of 8,760 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,129 with a TRL of $44,109,785 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. e. A meeting held on February 22, 2011 was well run. f. Board members appeared knowledgeable on the agenda items.
F22
Tulare County Office of Education: a. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 pm. b. At the February 9, 2011 meeting, it was noted that the meeting room is too small and there was standing room only. c. Board members were knowledgeable on agenda items. d. The meeting was well run and board members were courteous to each other 36 d. The meeting was well run and board members were courteous to each other and to the public. e. Board members appeared genuinely interested in what the audience had to say during the public comment time.
F23
Tulare Joint Union High School District: a. There are eight schools in the district, serving grades 9-12/Adults. b. There are 237 teachers and an ADA of 4,676 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $7,392 with a TRL of $29,324,749 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the first and third Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. e. A meeting held on February 17, 2011 began on time. f. Board members appeared to have read the agenda, were prepared for the meeting, and were knowledgeable on the agenda items. g. The meeting was well run and all items were discussed in a timely manner. h. There was only one microphone available making it difficult to hear.
F24
Visalia Unified School District: a. There are 38 schools in the district, serving grades Pre K-12/Adults. b. There are 1,161 teachers and an ADA of 25,548 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,390 with a TRL of $133,016,222 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. e. A meeting held on November 9, 2010 began on time and all board members were present. f. Board members were prepared for the meeting, courteous to each other and to the audience.
F25
Waukena Joint Union School District: a. There is one school in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are nine teachers and an ADA of 255 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,095 with a TRL of $1,240,127 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm. e. A meeting held on March 14, 2011 began at 6:10 pm. One board member arrived two hours late. f. Some of the board members asked questions on certain agenda items, for clarification. g. The Superintendent was asked to thoroughly explain each agenda item to board members.
F26
Woodlake Union High School District: a. There are two schools in the district, serving grades 9-12. b. There are 38 teachers and an ADA of 754 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $7,365 with a TRL of $4,806,287 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. e. A meeting held on November 3, 2010 had three of five board members present. f. Board members appeared to have read the agenda and were prepared for 37 present. f. Board members appeared to have read the agenda and were prepared for their meeting. g. After two agenda items had been discussed, the board members went into closed session for a hearing on Student Expulsion(s)/Reinstatement and dinner. After 1¼ hours, the meeting resumed. h. There was unnecessary talking between the board members. i. At 10:00 pm, the board members went into a second closed session for discussion on the Superintendent Evaluation.
F27
Woodville Union School District: a. There is one school in the district, serving grades K-8. b. There are 35 teachers and an ADA of 540 students. c. The Revenue Limit per ADA is $6,103 with a TRL of $2,843,428 per year. d. Board meetings are scheduled to be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm. e. A meeting held on February 8, 2011 was well organized and the Board members appeared businesslike and professional. f. Of the five board members, one appeared not to be prepared for the meeting. g. Board members were courteous to each other and to the audience. h. Microphones were not used, making it difficult to hear what was being said. CONCLUSIONS With the exception of a select few, school board meetings appeared to be well run by well-informed board members. Some of the board meetings did not have microphones available and others had microphones available and not used. It was difficult to hear during those meetings. During some school board meetings, there was unnecessary talking between board members and/or agenda discussions took too long.

Recommendations 11