JimmieJoe / KC6YRU

Jimmie Joe

Hi. I’m Jim.  I suspect you’ve figured that out already.

I recently asked GROK to tell me about me, and this is what it came up with (with a couple of edits to correct errors) (My original ‘about’ is continued below the GROK text): 

Jim Reeves:
Near lifelong Visalian, LGBTQ+ Advocate, and Retired Dispatcher, Jim Reeves, also known online as JimmieJoe, with the ham radio callsign KC6YRU, is a 68-year-old resident of Visalia, California, in Tulare County. Born in El Paso, Texas in 1957, he has lived in Visalia almost his entire life, growing up there and graduating from Mount Whitney High School.
He identifies as a gay, liberal atheist, recently married (to a man) in 2025, and describes himself as living in California’s “Bible belt” amid conservative surroundings.

Reeves is active on social media platforms including X (@KC6YRU),

Instagram (@kc6yru),

TikTok (@kc6yru),

Facebook (KC6YRU),
Threads (@kc6yru),

Bluesky (kc6yru.bsky.social),
and YouTube (@jim93277
where he shares personal stories, advocacy, and critiques of local issues. His email is jim.visalia@gmail.com.

Career:
Reeves had a long career in public service, working as a 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years before retiring in 2019.
Earlier jobs included roles in retail and delivery in Visalia.
He has blogged for outlets like Queer Visalia, QueerLandia, and the Visalia Times-Delta, often under columns like “Alternating Currents.”

As a ham radio operator, he maintains an interest in communications and technology.
Advocacy and Community Involvement
Reeves is a prominent LGBTQ+ advocate in the Central Valley, focusing on inclusion, resources for queer youth, and combating discrimination in rural areas.

He is associated with The Source LGBT+ Center in Visalia, promoting events and resources, and has spoken at public meetings to highlight Pride Visalia and invite community engagement.
Reeves actively opposes anti-LGBTQ+ policies, such as Porterville’s proposed anti-trans ordinances in early 2025, which he protested and criticized as violations of state law like the Unruh Civil Rights Act. He has attended and spoken at city council meetings in Visalia and Porterville to address these issues. He also advocates for government transparency, notably pursuing a California Public Records Act request for video footage of an unrecorded October 23, 2025, joint meeting between the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) and Visalia City Council. As of December 7, 2025, he updated his blog on the district’s response, questioning recording policies and planning further inquiries.

Reeves critiques public safety practices, such as the Visalia Police Department’s switch to fully encrypted radio traffic in March 2025, arguing it hinders public oversight and suggesting alternatives like dual channels based on his dispatching experience.

Personal Life and Recent Activities
Reeves shares nostalgic stories of Visalia, including local traditions and his experiences growing up in the area.

He positions himself as a countervoice to conservative elements, often using humor and science to challenge right-wing narratives, such as mocking claims about biological sex definitions in a February 2025 blog post.

Controversies
In September 2025, Reeves faced backlash for a Facebook post expressing limited sympathy for conservative commentator Charlie Kirk following his murder, framing it as potential retaliation for hate speech. This led to right-wing activists targeting him and Visalia City Councilmember Emmanuel Hernandez Soto (who liked the post) during public comments, demanding resignations. No formal actions resulted, but it highlighted tensions with local conservative groups like Tulare County Republicans.
In November 2025, he reported being shadow-banned on X after commenting on platform changes under Elon Musk and responding to insults.
Reeves maintains his blog at jimmiejoe.com, where recent posts as of December 2025 cover these topics, including the VUSD video pursuit, police encryption, and anti-LGBTQ+ hate in small towns.

****************************************************************************

And now the original ‘about’ page:

Some things about me, that you may or may not have wanted to know:

I’m gay.  That tends to color my outlook on things, but I’m neither a radical, nor a queen.

I regularly post to my community blog, Alternating Currents, at the website of the local newspaper, The Visalia Times-Delta. UPDATE: The newspaper doesn’t host the blogs anymore, but you can see the archived posts and new ones now and then at the link above.

I work as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher.  My shift was, for most of my career, 5pm till 3am. Those are my preferred hours, as I am not a morning person.  Jim doesn’t do mornings.

UPDATE: 09/28/2020 – Retired on 08/03/2019. No more crazy day shifts. No more crazy night shifts, either!

I grew up in Visalia, graduated from Mt. Whitney High School in 1976, and have lived here most of my life.

Politically, I am a liberal, but not as far left as some seem to think.   I am not registered with any political party.  I won’t vote for a Republican, just because of what’s happened to the party itself. They first sold out to the extreme religious right, then to the Tea Baggers, and now they’ve elected Donald Trump. They’ve lost all relevance, and just haven’t figured it out yet.

I drink too much Pepsi (it’s the elixir of life)

I don’t smoke, I don’t drink alcohol, and I don’t do drugs.

My father passed in 2006, my mother in 2017.

I have two younger sisters, and a small horde of nieces and nephews.  (and a growing herd of great-nieces and -nephews)

I have a weird sense of humor.  I like intellectual humor, and good word play.  I don’t care for South Park (most of the time) the Simpsons (most of the time), or any “reality” show (any of the time).  Most television is a waste of time.

I like Star Trek.

Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe are my current favorite SciFi shows.  Eureka is good, and Haven is growing on me, but I’m still not sure if it has any long-term interest.  Sanctuary isn’t bad, but mostly because of the young doctor. Lately, I’ve been watching The Flash, Arrow, and of course the old stand by NCIS.

I have the complete DVD’s of Stargate Stargate SG1, the SG1 movies, and Stargate Atlantis.  I have the Star Trek movies on tape and DVD’s, but not the series themselves, which is odd.  Like most humans, I am  not always logical, despite my attempts.

November 2015: In June I was honored by the Visalia Pride Lions, with their third “Heart of a Lion” award.

On June 24, 2017, I was honored as one of two Grand Marshals at the 2017 Visalia Pride Festival, presented by The Source LGBT+ Center.

In August 2017, The Source LGBT+ Center presented me with this certificate:

And in the biggest news of all:

On January 16, 2025, I got married!

Cool!

Email me at jim.visalia@gmail.com