Heat rises in Strathmore at SPUD special meeting

STRATHMORE — A special board meeting by the Strathmore Public Utilities District on this evening became heated before the meeting started when Anthony Vidrio announced he was recording the meeting and a verbal confrontation between Vidrio, board president Rod Sanders and district counsel J. Patrick Sullivan rapidly escalated.

“Are you asking me to leave?” Vidrio shouted at the board. “I have a right to record this. I’m calling the sheriff.”

Vidrio settled back into his seat after being advised to make his call outside.

Both the state’s Ralph M. Brown Act and the Bagley-Keene Act, which govern public meetings, allow members of the public to make tape recordings of the proceedings unless doing so would “constitute a disruption of the proceedings.”

Amendments to the Brown Act further allow members of the public to videotape or broadcast Brown Act meetings in the absence of a finding that to do so would cause a disruption, including excessive noise, illumination or obstruction of view.

The Strathmore district's meetings are governed by the provisions of the Brown Act, the state’s primary open meetings law.

The special meeting was called for one purpose — to make a resolution asking the Tulare County Voters Registration office to allow a proposed recall of Sanders to be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot. Recently, more than 180 signatures were collected by a small group of Strathmore residents in hopes of recalling Sanders.

“It’s really nothing personal against him,” said David Chandler, who started the petition. “There has been a lot of anger in the community over the way the board as a whole has been operating.”

When the open-comment section of the meeting opened, tempers again flared.

Vidrio, holding a Tulare County grand jury 2007-2008 final report, approached Sullivan, placing the report in front of his face and demanding he read a section on taping and broadcasting from page 7.

“Do not tell me what to do,” Sullivan said.

Vidrio turned to Sanders and was quickly reprimanded by Sanders.

“Don’t ever touch me again,” Sanders raised his voice as Vidrio returned to his seat.

Chandler said messages left at Sanders’ home were never returned. Sanders said he only returns calls placed to his work and cell phone.

“I never got those messages. But my wife did and she’s made several tapes of them,” Sanders said. “My wife is ready to call the District Attorney’s Office for coercing an elected public official. You’ve injured me more than you realize. I’ve done nothing but try to do the right thing for this board. I’ve shown nothing but integrity.”

-- Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.