Valley Headline

Almond anger overflows

Valley Solutions. Fireworks at Almond Board meeting in Modesto.
Synopsis: Nearly 100 almond growers and processors attended the Almond Board of CA directors meeting in Modesto on Thursday, and most of them were angry from the outset. The volume wasn’t lowered until Stanislaus Supervisor Mani Grewal stepped to the front of the room and asked for calm. Growers are angry over a lack of transparency in the formula for determining how many almonds will be held in reserve – perhaps 60 million pounds. They are also frustrated with what they believe are faulty estimates of the crop. This year’s “objective estimate” was for a near-record 3 billion pounds. After it was made public, the price of almonds fell precipitously. USDA attendance is required for market-order meetings, and there was one USDA staffer there in person and another on Zoom. After withering criticism of both the USDA and Almond Board, the USDA representative on Zoom said she was leaving the meeting and declared it ended two hours before its scheduled end time.

StanCOG boss dumped 9-0

Modesto Bee. StanCOG dismisses executive director under investigation.
Synopsis: Rosa de Leon Park was fired on a 9-0 vote of the Stanislaus Council of Governments board of directors, which includes all five county supervisors and representatives of the county’s cities. She had been on paid leave since the release in late June of a scathing grand jury report detailing extravagant expenses she charged to the county and a wildly generous vacation buy-back scheme. “The facts were clear, the conduct was indefensible, and taxpayers were owed immediate action,” said Supervisor Mani Grewal. “Accountability shouldn’t be delayed when public trust is at stake.” Park insisted there were mistakes in the grand jury report but never refuted the details. She spent more than $100,000 on luxury rental cars for daily use despite an annual $4,500 car allowance. She flew first class and always stayed at luxury hotels instead of in discounted rooms at hosted conferences. She failed to produce receipts for around $10,000 in purchases on her agency credit card. She got 10 weeks of vacation, which she was able to cash out each year. Her $412,000 total compensation was $138,000 higher than the Sacramento COG director is paid.

Keep predators out of Turlock

Modesto Bee. Modesto fears of having a sexual predator next door should be heard.
Synopsis: The editorial board – whose members are unnamed – applaud DA Jeff Laugero’s efforts to keep sexual predators Kevin Scott Gray and Timothy Weathers from being paroled to a rural area near Turlock. The parole location would be a home owned by Liberty Healthcare which abuts residences with children. Laugero says the state has failed in its due diligence in looking at the Denair residence. The editorial’s bottom line: “The innocent deserve peace of mind.”

A tunnel with benefits?

Maven / Gov. Newsom. Newsom launches Delta Conveyance accountability plan.
Synopsis: The governor’s office acknowledges there will be significant impacts on Delta communities in the path of his 40-mile tunnel. So, he has established a $200 million “Community Benefits Plan” to minimize the anticipated dust, noise, mud, air pollution, minor flooding, traffic, vandalism and environmental damage. It has 5 key components: An ombudsman, regulatory mitigation (the $200M), community benefits, a community advisory group and project communications.

Fresno’s ugly politics

Fresnoland. Mysterious company that funded Fresno’s political controversy has a familiar address.
Synopsis: Blue Horseshoe Agency is one of three companies owned by political consultant and web-publisher Alex Tavlian. The others are Local Government Strategic Consulting, Valley Future Foundation and Park West Associates. He’s also the person behind Fresno Future Forward. Fresno State poli-sci professor Thomas Holyoke speculated several entities are needed so money can be moved between them with less notice. Tavlian was apparently behind the scurrilous (even by political standards) mailers accusing city council candidate Brandon Vang of being a rapist. Tavlian agreed to pay $1,000 fine for having mailed out the flyers; the fine was paid on a check from Park West Associates. Tavlian also acts for a lobbyist for FrontPoint Partners of Orange County, which is called a source of “dark money” in Fresno politics. Supervisor Luis Chavez and city councilmember Mike Karbassi are two of Tavlian’s most prominent clients.

Valley Sun. Jasmeet Bains wants a seat in Congress; could she draw her way in through redistricting?
Synopsis: Daniel Gligich starts a “news” story by asking, “Is it fair for Asm Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield) to potentially play a role in drawing a new Congressional map while concurrently running for congress?” Only in the last paragraph does the story mention that Bains herself opposes mid-census redistricting efforts. It never mentions that such redistricting could not take place without a vote of the people. But it does quote her saying that the “Texas redistricting scheme is an affront to democracy.”
MAD Take: Daniel Gligich’s boss, Alex Tavlian was deeply involved in redrawing Fresno County’s supervisorial districts – a process so steeped in politics and anger that one legislator is carrying a bill to require supervisors to turn it over to a citizen’s committee. So, here’s a better question for Daniel: Is it fair for a newspaper owned by a political consultant who specializes in spreading lies and redrawing political boundaries to ask anyone else should redraw the lines? The answer is that this isn’t a news story. There’s no indication Bains will be involved in any redrawing of anything. The sole intent of this story is to cast shade on Dr. Bains – who is likely to win any race against Valadao. After all, she got 57% of the vote for her Assembly seat in the last election compared to Valadao’s 53% of the vote for Congress.

‘An infinite sea of rats’

Fresno Bee. Almond farms battle Central CA rodent surge: ‘An infinite sea of rats.’ 
Synopsis: Robert Rodriguez reports on the surge in rodent populations – rats, gophers, ground squirrels – that are ravaging across South Valley farms. “They are everywhere,” said UC Cooperative advisor Niamh Quinn. “We live in an infinite sea of rats.” So far, they’ve caused an estimated $300 million damage by chewing through irrigation pipes, hosing, machinery lines and trees. The surge stretches from south Merced through Kern counties. The Almond Board says rats are now nesting underground and using irrigation berms to move from orchard to orchard. One grower had to replace an entire drip system, costing $20,000. Another said rats destroyed half his crop though he was killing up to 100 a day. Don Cameron said this year’s infestation “is the worst I’ve ever seen” and they’re resistant to the usual methods of control – fumigation, bait stations, gas. Quinn blames abandoned orchards, which have created “little refuges” for rats.

Hey, Texas started this stuff

Modesto Bee. Texas struck first; don’t tell California to turn the other cheek.
Synopsis: Columnist Stephanie Finucane, always an eloquent voice when irritated, lays it out: “Donald Trump is attempting to steal an election by demanding that the state of Texas gerrymander Congressional districts to give Republicans an edge in the midterms.” And “What Trump is attempting is shocking … yet many are treating Newsom like the moral pariah” for countering that move. That’s not only wrong, it’s silly. California’s voters will decide, not the governor. Finucane called out columnist Dan Walters for his “sermonizing” and the naivete of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Her conclusion: “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

McClatchy Editorial Board. CA Republican leaders hypocritical over Texas gerrymandering. 
Synopsis: Editors from Fresno, Sacramento and San Luis Obispo collaborated on this editorial which points out the hypocrisy of Republican leaders decrying redistricting plans in California while remaining silent on the theft of congressional seats in Texas. Chief among the hypocrites is James Gallagher, the new GOP State Senate leader. The only one who has suggested both sides should step down is Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, who stands to lose his seat if Democrats proceed.

America’s favorite couple

Patterson Irrigator. Local couple participating in ‘America’s Favorite Couple’ competition.
Synopsis: Jeff and Emilie Goldblum are hosting this reality contest whose prizes include a glamor photo session with Variety magazine, $20,000 and other goodies. James Leonard and his wife Kelley have lived in Patterson since 2009, when James was the managing editor of the Irrigator. He’s now a worship leader at The Gathering. They’re first in their age group. Vote at James and Kelley | America's Favorite Couple

Investing in Westside cities

Westside Express. Exchange contractors invest in local communities.
Synopsis: Chris White writes about the Exchange Contractors’ Community Infrastructure Fund, which funded five projects in its first year. “From rehabilitation trails and installing solar lighting to improving water quality and creating new conservation education areas, each of these efforts is a testament to what can be achieve when we work in partnership,” he wrote. The projects were in Firebaugh, Newman, Los Banos and Gustine. This year, the fund will help rehab bike trails in Firebaugh, create a pollinator garden and fitness course in Newman, provide solar lighting in Los Banos and improve water quality in Gustine’s Schmidt Park pond.

CalPride opens quiet facility

Modesto Bee. As LGBTQ resources dwindle nationally, in Modesto they’re expanding. 
Synopsis: CalPride Stanislaus opened a second location Friday due to increased demand for services. The ribbon was cut at 111 Modesto Ave. The quiet location in a residential neighborhood was selected because it is considered more discreet. As anti-LGBTQ rhetoric escalates, such discretion is important said Roman Scanlon, CalPride’s executive director. The organization has also gotten two new vans to transport clients to appointments. Among those partnering with CalPride were La Familia Central Valley, Golden Valley Health Centers, Turning Point and Project Sentinel.

Saving vets from high co-pays

Firebaugh Mendota Journal. Bill to limit veteran co-pay costs passes committee. 
Synopsis: The newspaper picks up on Rep. Adam Gray’s bill to limit the co-pay costs for veterans and dependents at VA clinics. It passed with unanimous approval from the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. “Our veterans shouldn’t have to wait for relief,” said Gray. “This bill is an effort to correct an historic wrong. Our veterans should never be on the hook for costs incurred through no fault of their own.”

Dot-Marie on a screen near you

Modesto Bee. Turlock-born Dot-Marie Jones – arm wrestler to actor – stars in film now streaming.
Synopsis: Dot-Marie Jones, the Turlock/Hilmar native who parlayed her arm-strength into appearances on Glee, The Al Yankovic Story, Boondock Saints and American Horror Story, is now starring in Don’t Tell Larry. She plays a detective investigating shenanigans by co-star Patty Guggenheim.