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Board backs letter urging Cal Fire to restore access at Balch Park Pack Station
Summary
Tulare County supervisors approved a board letter supporting the Balch Park Pack Station operators, citing recent CAL FIRE lease modifications that staff said restrict access to on-site facilities. The board will cc. the county’s state delegation and Secretary Wade Crowfoot on the amended letter.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on July 15 approved a letter of support for the operators of the Balch Park Pack Station and directed county staff to include the county’s state legislative delegation and California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot on the distribution list.
Israel Sotelo, Chief of Staff to the Board of Supervisors, said the pack station’s continued operation is threatened by recent lease modifications initiated by CAL FIRE that “restrict access to essential on-site facilities.” Sotelo asked the board to authorize a letter asking CAL FIRE to restore access or to make other arrangements that would allow the pack station to continue operating.
Supervisor Dennis Townsend, who had raised the item for separate consideration, told the board the subject has drawn heavy public interest. “There’s been a tremendous amount of meetings. And I think it's in the top two of the public letters that I’ve received and emails that I’ve received in the seven years that I’ve been here,” Townsend said.
County economic development staff said the pack station contributes to local tourism and provides an access option to the backcountry for people with limited mobility; speakers noted the Southern Sierra has relatively few pack stations compared with neighboring counties.
Supervisor Townsend moved to approve the letter with an expanded cc list; Supervisor Eddie Valero seconded. The motion passed 4–0 with Supervisor Larry McCarrie not voting because he was not in attendance.
The board’s action asked staff to send the letter to CAL FIRE and to notify the county’s state delegation and Secretary Crowfoot, and the county clerk recorded no public opposition at the time of the vote. The City of Porterville, Sotelo said, plans to send a separate letter of support.
The board did not adopt any binding requirement on CAL FIRE and did not direct litigation or other enforcement actions; the letter is a statement of the county’s position and support for the station’s operators.
