Tuesday, June 3, 2025, will forever be remembered in Porterville as The Day The Movies Died.

The iconic Porter Theater will be no more. The theater at Mill and Second was being torn down on Tuesday.

City of Porterville Assistant City Manager Michael Knight said a fire at the theater in February was the reason why the theater had to be demolished. A homeless person who had to be rescued from the structure as a result of the fire was accused of starting the fire and was arrested.

As a result the Porterville City Council was scheduled at its meeting on Tuesday to discuss revising its ordinance dealing with homeless encampments the council passed last year. “We're adding some teeth to the ordinance,” Porterville mayor Greg Meister said.

The Porter Theater has been around in Porterville for

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