Hanford Insider
Welcome the Hanford Insider, I’m your host Rob Bentley. I’m a lifelong resident of Hanford and I’m very involved in the local history scene and podcasting so I decided to start this show as a resource to Hanford area residents for covering issues, promoting events, sports, and reflecting on some local history.
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Hanford Insider
Mayor Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up of the October 21st Hanford City Council Meeting
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Quick wins matter, but so do the quiet calls that shape a city’s future. Mayor Travis Paden’s Wednesday wrap-up delivers a clear, helpful tour of the October 21 Hanford City Council meeting—what moved forward, what paused, and why it affects your street, your park, and your wallet.
We start with people power: three new hires in surveying, engineering, and building maintenance, the backbone roles that keep growth safe and services reliable. Then we zoom into parks and recreation decisions—softball tournament fees adjusted to match neighboring cities and a community-backed choice to keep Civic Park as grass. Public safety gets a spotlight as two new officers are sworn in, followed by a strong consent calendar: a memorandum with SEIU Local 521 for a 4% wage increase over two years and competitive benefits through 2027, two Ford F-250s for public works funded by Measure H, completion notices for key subdivision projects, and a $29,000 ABC grant to support alcohol enforcement.
Growth and access take center stage in three public hearings. The council advances annexations for the Stonehaven subdivision, bringing new homes into public safety and maintenance districts to ensure services scale with population. A zoning text change opens the door for banks and credit unions to operate beyond downtown, expanding financial access while keeping an eye on downtown vitality. On general business, the updated legal services agreement with Griswold LaSalle is tabled to November 4 to ensure a full council review. And in a notable decision on governance, the council declines a stipend increase allowed under SB 329, holding steady at $500 per month.
If you want transparent local government and practical results—greener parks, better equipment, steady public safety, and thoughtful growth—this recap connects the dots. Watch the full meeting replay, share it with a neighbor, and tell us what you want prioritized next. Subscribe, leave a review, and join us at livestream.hanford.city.
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This is a special edition of the Hanford Insider Podcast with Mayor Travis Payton and his Wednesday wrap-up of the October 21st Hanford City Council meeting.
SPEAKER_00:Hey Hanford, Mayor Travis Payton here with this Wednesday wrap-up with everything that we discussed at last night's Hanford City Council meeting for October 21st. In our study session, the city's staff introduced three new employees, and we'd like to welcome Associate Surveyor Caitlin Rowling, Senior Engineer Adrian Rubikava, and Senior Building Maintenance Technician Stephen Harrow. Welcome to our team. Council also reviewed updates from the Hanford Softball Complex, where we gave direction to staff to increase our tournament fees to be more in line with the neighboring cities from outside organizations hosting softball tournaments. Also, we listened to the public in the community survey regarding the hardscaping of Civic Park. We elected to keep it grass instead of moving it to concrete. During our regular session, we um welcomed and we recognized two new members of the Hanford Police Department. We'd like to congratulate Stephen Officer Stephen Sitter and Officer Eric Magania, who were both sworn in during our badge pinning ceremony. During our consent calendar, there were several key items: a new memorandum of understanding with SEIU Local 521, setting a 4% increase in wages for the next two years and competitive benefits until 2027. We also purchased two Ford F-250 trucks for the public works department using our newly funded and fully funded by our Measure H funding. And we also had completion notices of our major subdivision projects on 13th Avenue in Granesville and Fargo and Centennial Avenue. We also accepted a$29,000 ABC grant to support alcohol enforcement efforts by the Hanford Police Department. We also had three public hearings, and two of those public hearings were in regards to the Stonehaven subdivision annexations, adding new homes to the city's public safety and maintenance districts. We also had a hearing focused on the proposed zone text amendments to allow banks and credit unions to go outside of downtown Hanford and be able to operate outside in other zones outside the center of town. In our general business items, council considered an updated legal services agreement with Griswold LaSalle, who is our city attorney. But due to not all council members being present, we elected to table this item until our next meeting on November 4th. Also, in regards to council compensation, Gavin Newsom desired an increase for all city councils to increase their monthly pay. In Hanford situation, right now we have$500 stipend, and this new Senate bill SB 329 would increase it to$1,600 per month. We as a council decided not to increase our pay and keep it at$500 monthly. Thank you for staying connected, Hanford. You can always view our full city council meetings on or replay them on livestream.hamford.city, and our next meeting is Tuesday, November 4th. So let's stay informed, get involved, and thank you for helping make Hanford great.
