Visalia City Council hopes to combat catalytic converter theft with new ordinance

Wondering what happened during this week’s city council meeting Monday night?

Here’s a recap of what you missed:

City council members listened to the first reading of Ordinance 9.24.060, which would establish regulations prohibiting the unlawful possession of a catalytic converter in Visalia.

“Catalytic converter thefts have risen dramatically over the last five years,” Visalia Police Department Capt. Andrew Swarthout said. “Contributing to this increase is the fact that there is no state or federal legislation to define and punish catalytic convertor thefts without an identifiable victim.”

The Visalia Times-Delta and other businesses with big trucks have been plagued by thefts totaling thousands in parts and repairs. Most thieves are in and out in minutes.

In 2017, Visalia reported one catalytic converter theft, compared to more than 325 catalytic converter thefts last year, according to data provided by the Visalia Police Department.

Catalytic converters do not have serial numbers or other identifying markers, making it difficult for law enforcement to track down owners, Swarthout said. Once the converter is removed, it is usually sold for cash. A replacement part can hit upward of $5,000.

The ordinance would allow the police department to issue fines for the misdemeanor.

Violators are defined as those in possession of any catalytic converter(s) not attached to a vehicle unless they have valid “documentation or other reliable proof” they are in lawful possession of the catalytic converter(s).

“I will be supportive of anything that lowers crime in our city,” Mayor Brian Poochigian said. The proposed ordinance isn’t the first in the state, as Irvine adopted a similar ordinance in October 2021, and Huntington Beach adopted one in April 2022. Fresno adopted a similar ordinance last month.

Visalia City Council members also voted to extend the state of emergency declared on March 13 due to the threat of danger to the community following a series of atmospheric rivers that have left areas throughout town flooded and inaccessible.

The emergency proclamation must be ratified by the city council every seven days, or it must expire.

Consent Calendar

Following public comment, Visalia City Council members unanimously voted to accept the agenda’s consent calendar, meaning no discussion on the calendar’s contents occurred.

Through accepting the calendar, Visalia city council members approved a mural application request from the Visalia Veterans Mural Restoration Foundation, Inc. for a temporary banner near the World War II Greatest Generation mural at 6320 S. Mooney Boulevard.

The original mural was approved in 2005 and installed in 2006. The Glen Hill painting consists of 36 4-foot by 8-foot panels, which have deteriorated over the last few years. Hill now lives out of state; the applicant works with the artist to restore the painting before December.

Council members also accepted the city's cash and investment report for the second quarter of the fiscal year (October, November, and December 2022). The Dec. 31 investment portfolio managed balance was $480,990,753, and the city’s earning rate was 1.93%.

Council members also reauthorized Stage 2 of the Visalia Water Conservation Ordinance.

Stage 2 implements restrictions on outdoor water use, including limiting the number of watering days to two days per week and eliminating irrigation of ornamental turf grasses during December, January, and February.

“The Division of Water Conservation recognizes that Water Year 2023 has produced significantly more precipitation than in years prior,” the agenda attachment reads, “but there is concern that alternating between water conservation stages too drastically or often can lead to confusion about appropriate watering days and regulations.”

Visalia is a part of the severely over-drafted Kaweah Sub-basin and, therefore, must meet the state’s water regulations. Visalia Water Conservation Ordinance began implementing Stage 2 in June 2015.

City council members also authorized City Manager Leslie Caviglia to enter into a contract with Don Berry Construction to install a vehicle detection system at the intersection of N. Plaza Drive and W. Riggin Avenue.

New video detection equipment — recently damaged by an automobile accident — will also be installed at North Akers Street and West Riggin Avenue.

Don Berry Construction was also contracted to install video detection systems at six intersections as part of the city’s pavement rehabilitation project along Walnut Avenue and Murray Avenue.

Out of the 132 intersections throughout the city, 46 are signalized.

City council members also authorized Caviglia to move forward with a new contract with Kings Petroleum to supply and deliver petroleum products. The city’s prior agreement with Kings Petroleum expired in December.

The new contract is for one year, with four optional one-year renewals, and is projected to cost $1,300,000 in 2022-23 and $1,400,000 in 2023-2024.

The Visalia City Council meets again at 7 p.m. on April 3 in the Visalia City Council Chambers.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Catalytic converter theft targeted by Visalia City Council