2020 Press, News & Updates

Tulare County District 1 supervisor candidates present their differences

Micari said, “There is more to being a supervisor than just sitting on a board and rubber stamping an agenda item. And there are no complaints about my not returning calls.”

What separates him from the others, Micari said, is that “I have 33 years of public service that neither of them have. I have worked with the constituents of my district and the county for 33 years and I know how to navigate that system.”

Micari said that he has built a reputation as the “go to” guy who can solve problems.

Tulare County chairman announces his supervisor picks. Which incumbent is missing? - Times Delta

Tulare County Chairman Pete Vander Poel isn't pulling any punches and for the first time in his tenure is endorsing candidates for supervisor. It's a decision Vander Poel says he doesn't take lightly. "I don't believe it's the role of a supervisor to endorse candidates in other districts," he said. "We have to work with whoever's elected." Vander Poel called Micari the "most qualified" candidate for the seat after working with Crocker, a Strathmore citrus farmer, for the past four years. "I had the opportunity to work with Larry for 10 years when he was a lieutenant and captain in the sheriff's department," Vander Poel said. "I know from those experiences first-hand his character and prioritization of constituents — the primary function of a county supervisor."

Supervisor Vander Poel Takes over Gavel from Crocker

Micari expressed concern that Crocker has a pattern of making exaggerated claims about himself. When Crocker first ran for supervisor in 2016 he was working for Edison and living in Fresno. Micari takes issue with Crocker’s saying in the same breath that he is a fifth-generation farmer in Tulare County.

“I have three acres of cherries next to my property that I take care of. Does that make me a farmer?” said Micari. “Growing up on a farm does not qualify someone as a farmer.

2020 Historical Media