Mayor's Message

On behalf of the City of Tulare, its Council, staff and citizenry, I would like to welcome you to our community.

The heart and soul of any community are in its people. Tulare is a vibrant city because we have vibrant people. Our spirit of volunteerism may be unrivaled in California. One example is the World Ag Expo, which is the largest farm equipment show in the world. Over 1,500 volunteers make this happen every February in Tulare. Another example is our first class Museum with over 1,000 active supporters.

In 2005, the City Council adopted a new Mission Statement, which is “To promote a community making Tulare the most desirable place to live, learn, play, work, worship and prosper.” If we are not already there, we are certainly on our way.

We are a full service community that has maintained a home town feel. We take pride in putting the safety of our citizens as the top priority of the City Council. Our citizens support this goal as witnessed by the passage of a Sales Tax increase in 2005 for the purpose of providing reliable funding for public safety and quality roads.

Our Parks and Recreation Department provides many opportunities for our citizens to participate in a multitude of activities. We have great parks and trails along with soccer and softball complexes. We have a Senior Center and a very active group of senior citizens who enjoy many services provided through the City. We also have a Youth Facility and offer several programs designed specifically for our youth.

Our population of 56,000 continues to grow. We have a solid economy based on the rich agricultural resources all around us. While Tulare County is the top dairy producing county in the world, we also provide an astounding variety of other types of food and fiber.

We have ample opportunities for shopping, dining and entertainment. A Target Greatland opened in 2007 close to our recently opened Lowes and Home Depot. Preferred Outlets of Tulare continues to expand providing patrons with a variety of shopping opportunities, from Aeropostale, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Banana Republic Factory Store, Billabong, Calvin Klein, Eddie Bauer, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Jones New York, Polo Ralph Lauren, Van Heusen and Zales, the Diamond Store Outlet, to name but a few.

The College of Sequoias will begin construction of a new Tulare campus in 2010. In 2006, we approved a new Airport Master Plan that will significantly extend the runway and expand other airport services.

We are in the process of constructing a new state of the art Library that will also function as a City Center capable of hosting a variety of community activities. It will open in May, 2010 and is located downtown in close proximity to our new Transportation Center.

I could go on describing the many attributes of our community but will close with this final thought – our water tower is painted to look like a glass of milk with the words, “Tulare – We’ve Got It.” That’s because we do.

Sincerely,

Craig Vejvoda
Mayor