A few days ago me and my new friend and food freedom activist Susan attended the Site Review Plan meeting with the City Planners to discuss the ordinance change to allow miniature goats in the City of Visalia.
Our application was approved and we have been given the green light to proceed and submit the Zoning Amendment Application ($3532) and the Environmental Fee ($66) to move into the next stages of changing the outdated animal ordinances in Visalia to allow miniature goats.
The BIG question we had, which the City has been unusually hesitant about openly answering, was – “WHO is footing the bill for the chickens in Visalia that is currently in the process of passing?”
After much evasion, runaround and skirting of the question over the past few weeks, we finally received an answer today.
During the meeting, Paul Scheibel, the City of Visalia Planning Manager said, “Ultimately during an open city council comment session, there were three City Council members that directed staff to look into what it would take to make chickens legal in Visalia. We started research and we reported back to them. Basically, we work for the City Council and they said to initiate the municipal code amendment, and this is why it didn’t cost the chicken proponents anything because the majority of the City Council initiated it.”
When we pressed for the possibility of a fee waiver in initiating a similar ordinance change for the miniature goats (especially since it’s the EXACT SAME ordinance that is currently being amended), Paul added,“The City Council controls the budget, the cost of running the city, and our salaries to process this paperwork. So they are the only ones who can say, “Yes, do this for free” or, “No, we’re not going to do this for free.”
So to clarify – For the chicken ordinance that is currently in process there were no community petitions. There were no rallies. No one asked that it be put on the agenda. The council simply decided, hey! We want to do this!
Being pro-food freedom, I think that legalizing chickens is great, and I applaud the City for taking the initiative in expanding property rights and food freedom in our city when the majority of Visalians WANT the animal ordinances updated to include food producing animals. But therein lies the problem.
VISALIANS ALSO WANT MINIATURE GOATS TO BE LEGALIZED IN VISALIA. Visalians WANT to see my goats returned home. The longer this drags on, the longer we are without a milking goat to supplement my inability to breastfeed my daughters. Visalians have DEMANDED that the Council amend this ordinance.
In less than one week there was a petition with Visalia residents signatures approaching the 1000 mark. There was a large rally with well over 50 individuals and standing room only in City Hall. And there were ten individuals who spoke out during public comment DEMANDING that the issue be brought to the agenda for consideration. Yet the council simply decided, hey! We don’t care what the public wants. We don’t want to put this on the agenda. Go pay the city $4000 and then we’ll talk!
When viewed side by side, (how the Council approached chickens vs. goats) this is a case of clear and blatant discrimination and abuse of office that is approaching local government corruption. When city officials vote their personal whims and desires in one area with little to no citizen initiation, and then completely ignore the overwhelming requests and demands of the majority of their constituency, it’s downright shameful.
There are public funds supplied by the taxpaying citizens for use in initiating ordinance changes, and when a majority of the citizens demand an initiation, the bill SHOULD NOT be foisted onto the citizens – or onto an individual family under financial hardships who are fighting for their personal property rights and right to food freedom.
Let me be clear, to initiate this change, the council members DO NOT even have to even agree with the ordinance amendment proposed! They simply have to say, “Let’s look into this” and the $3598 application fee is waived. It’s really as simple as that.
TELL THE CITY COUNCIL TO LISTEN TO THE CITIZENS AND WAIVE THIS EXORBITANT APPLICATION FEE!
You can contact our council members at:
– Mayor Steven Nelsen; snelsen@ci.visalia.ca.us
– Vice Mayor E. Warren Gubler; wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us
– Council Member Greg Collins; greg.collins@ci.visalia.ca.us
– Council Member Bob Link; blink@ci.visalia.ca.us
– Council Member Amy Shuklian; ashuklian@ci.visalia.ca.us
You can also call the City Council and voice your concerns at 559-713-4512
We are still raising funds for the extortion money application fee. If you would like to donate, you can do so at our GoFundMe below. If the City Council Members decide to waive this fee, all funds will go toward Food Freedom activism in the Central Valley (and to cover the personal expenses of the volunteers pouring money, resources and time into this campaign).
So there’s a quick update for you folks! In the meantime, enjoy some fun pictures of us gathering signatures and raising public awareness at one of our cities weekly Farmers Markets! <3
I used the link to send the form letter to each person on the list…then used the area to add my own personal message!
It’s much more effective if you send a personal letter.. I’m only chiding you on this because you’re my mother, haha. The forms are for lazy people who care but not enough to actually write a letter. Go write to them again!! Go dooooo it! <3
Wow Gingi, Visalia is like a miniature (no pun intended) Chicago in regards to its politicians. You and your neighbors are doing the right thing by exposing this. I bet you can’t wait for the next election!
On a more positive note, those goats are cuter than I thought. Your previous pictures didn’t show how tiny they actually are. How could anyone not like the idea of making them legal. They’re so adorable and obviously gentle. I want them!!
Looks like there’s even more controversy.. They just redrew our boundaries to where the voting districts all line up conveniently around the council members homes.. haha. Our city is getting pretty fed up! This should be a fun summer, getting all of this sorted out! <3
Oh things like that drive me crazy! Our City Council does the same kind of stuff.
Now, I want to go pet a goat after looking at your pictures!
LOL, you should! They are the most adorable creatures EVAR!
Oh, the cuteness! The cuteness! I enjoyed those photos so much. Thanks for the update! Pro goat over here!
Doesn’t the cuteness just melt your face?!?!
Hope you for the best my friend!!!
sorry, but i thinking about cabrito just by this posting thou, lol
Aw this post is so cute. Amazing little buddies :)that’s wonderful.
xx
cvetybaby.com
I really hope you reach your goal and, as the Spartans said “never give up! never surrender!”. And looking at those miniature goats, how on Earth can anyone not want them around, they’re the sweetest things I’ve ever seen!!
♥.•*¨ Amanda Says ¨*•.♥
Yeah, they’re real monsters, aren’t they? Quite the domestic terrorists. 😉
Absolutely looove the cuteness of these goats <3 Wish I could pet them! I wish you all the best Gingi 🙂
Serene | I Am Serene L
Yeah, it’s fun taking them out in public and watching everyones face melt with the cuteness overload! hehe!
Gingi… the minature goats are SO cute… they are tiny… I hope you get them back soon… I will Tweet this to my followers.. I hope your city council understands how fair it would be to waive that horrible fee… xox ♡
Thank you for the tweet! I always see you’re #progoat hashtags, it means a TON to me!!! <3
I am definitely pro goat. They are SO cute.
If you have a moment, hashtag #progoat on Twitter!! <3 <3
Oh sheesh! It really sounds like the city should fund this. It seems completely unfair that they’ll do it for chickens but not for goats… I hope they decide to waive the fee. The pictures of the goats are adorable.
I hope so too!! In the meantime, try to hashtag #progoat on Twitter!! The city is watching their twitter feed for that, haha..
Great photo’s Gingi – I wish you well in your continued endeavour.
All the best Jan
It is obvious that everyone love the miniature goats and I can certainly see why! They are so adorable and seem friendly too! Thanks for sharing!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
I really hope that all the council members will change their mind and finally approve those cute cute cute miniature goats!
Progoat over here!
I think they’re coming around. 😉
Some places in this world would take a 100 and let everything happen the way you want but then harass you every week for more money, or so it has happened in the past. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck to reach your goal Gingi!
Thank you so much for the update! It looks like you are kicking butt!
xo,
Jessica
http://www.fortheloveofbubbly.com