Valley Headlines

Telling PG&E to get lost

Modesto Bee. Oakdale explores switch from PG&E to MID. 
Synopsis: Alarmed over the skyrocketing price of electricity, Oakdale’s city council voted 5-0 to recruit a consulting firm to help figure out how more of the city can switch to MID for power. Homeowners could save up to $257 a month on average, say some. PG&E charges 63 cents per kilowatt hour; MID charges a maximum of 18 cents to residential clients. Both are operating in the city. Any switch would require approval from MID, LAFCO and the CPUC. And a court could rule that Oakdale residents might have to reimburse PG&E for the costs of transmission lines, poles and even some generation capacity – known as “stranded assets.” Councilmember Jared Pitassi, an MID customer, said he has never spent more than $160 for electricity while many of his neighbors spend more than $600 per month. PG&E’s Eric Alvarez, who lives in Modesto and thus benefits from MID’s lower rates, warned the city against following South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s example in trying to use eminent domain to take over the power system. That effort has been tied up in the courts for nearly 20 years.
MAD Take: That “warning” from PG&E means the company is scared of such actions – a good reason to try it. It should be pointed out that all those power poles and lines that belong to PG&E were installed with generous support from the state.

Who is killing rooftop solar?

SF Chronicle. CA wants to kill rooftop solar – all because officials were duped by this flawed theory. 
Synopsis: The founding partner of M.Cubed, Richard McCann, wrote an op-ed explaining how the big utility companies duped legislators into believing that homeowners who installed solar systems were being greedy. The big power companies continue to insist that when homeowners put solar panels on their homes that shifts the cost of maintaining the statewide grid onto poor people. PG&E makes this argument while paying record dividends to bond and shareholders. “Embedded in the seemingly dire calculations of the role cost-shift plays in rising energy costs is the idea that PG&E deserves a profit on the energy generated by home solar owners. PG&E is not entitled to those profits,” writes McCann. Instead of taking a serious look at why PG&E and SoCal Ed demand ever-rising rates, “the state is going after low- and middle-income families just trying to make living in CA affordable by generating their own electricity from the sun.”
MAD Take: There’s a reason this is the top-trending story on the Chron’s website.

Has Planada been forgotten?

Merced Focus. ‘I’m still waiting’: Some Planada families frustrated by slow flood recovery. 
Synopsis: More than 2 years after a clogged Miles Creek jumped its banks and flooded 400+ homes and businesses in Planada. Many residents say they have yet to receive the state aid they were promised. Merced County reports that half of the $20 million state relief has been either spent or dedicated. Habitat for Humanity and Self-Help Enterprises were supposed to oversee the rebuilding process. The County offered data on how much has been given out: There were 1,009 applications for assistance, 843 for direct aid, 287 for lost wages or business losses and 350 for home repairs. The “direct aid” applications have been handled by the county’s Human Services Agency, with 858 residents getting a portion of $4 million. The Dept of Workforce Investment has handed out $855,000 to 33 people claiming lost business (that’s $25,900 on average). The EDD has given an average of $1,383 to 195 individuals. Of the 350 home-repair applications, 48 have been completed, 185 are in progress and 119 were either withdrawn or denied.

‘Community’ schools funded

Merced Sun Star. Merced schools win $21 million in state grants. 
Synopsis: Fifteen Merced City Schools facilities will become “resource centers” sharing $21 million to provide comprehensive services to families over the next 5 years. They will provide tutoring for students, instruction for adults, counseling, clothing, food pantries and more. Of the district’s 19 schools, 15 qualify for the program with 83% of the district’s 12,000 students technically living in poverty. A similar story says 10 Fresno Unified schools will receive state grants worth $14 million. A third of Fresno Unified’s 19 elementary schools will become “community schools.”

Is that an unmarked Hemi?

Modesto Bee. Drive like you’re in a video game? Modesto CHP has new tool to catch you.
Synopsis: All those idiots who drive onto the shoulder or play chicken by pulling into oncoming traffic to pass, might find themselves under arrest. The CHP has purchased 100 “specially marked patrol vehicles” it will station throughout the state. A reporter rode along with a CHP officer who promptly spotted a driver who decided to pass on the shoulder. These unmarked cars come with Hemi engines and produce around 300 horsepower. The CHP says it gets 1,000 reports each day of reckless driving and last year issued 18,000 citations of people going 100+ mph. One person asked for comment called increased enforcement “fantastic.”

SWAT helping 2 orphans

Modesto Bee. GoFundMe tied to Stanislaus tragedy set up, along with fraud warning.
Synopsis: The Stanislaus SWAT Association set up a page to raise money for the two daughters of Dinella Madrigal and Daniel Hutsell, who died on May 4 – one of murder, the other suicide. Hutsell was a detective Stanislaus SO detective. Apparently, there are several other pages purporting to raise money for the girls. But the SWAT page promises that everything it raises will go to the girls. By Friday, it had raised $80,000, mostly from law enforcement groups.

Can Shasta Dam go higher?

Cal Matters. Why a contentious project to raise CA’s Shasta Dam could go forward under Trump. 
Synopsis: Alastair Bland reports about the McCloud River – sacred to the 140 members of the Winnemem Wintu tribe -- that flows into the Sacramento just above Shasta Reservoir. The river is designated wild & scenic, prohibiting any dams or impounds. But the Trump administration has ordered those rules waived so the height of Shasta Dam can be raised 18 feet. That would back up the reservoir into the lower McCloud. The Bureau of Reclamation estimates the project would cost $1.8 billion and will face many court challenges. It would provide an additional 51,300-acre feet of storage. Bland talks to several folks, mostly those in the environmental movement who hate the concept.

Do something bold on water!

Maven’s Notebook. Costly, unnecessary infrastructure delays put CA’s water supplies at risk. 
Synopsis: Jennifer Pierre, GM of the State Water Contractors Association, writes about our current abundant water while promising that it won’t last. Prolonged drought has devastated farming and harmed communities that have run out of drinking water. It will happen again. “We need to flex a muscle that seems to have atrophied in CA. We need to build – a lot – and take creative and decisive action to address water-supply challenges in new ways and on an unprecedented scale.” She insists the Delta Tunnel is such a project. She also wants to have “a long-deferred conversation” about paying for it.

Do we need to protect coyotes?

Western Farm Press. CA panel to discuss protections for coyotes.
Synopsis: The CA Fish & Game Commission will meet Thursday to consider limits on hunting coyotes – something the CA Cattlemen’s Association feels is unnecessary and counterproductive. Kirk Wilbur of the CCA says cattlemen are too busy to bother with coyotes unless they threaten their herds. When coyotes gather in packs they often hunt for calves, forcing ranchers to take aim. If the commission establishes a hunting season on coyotes, they won’t be able to deal with predation problems as they arise.
MAD Take: Coyotes are one of the most adaptable predators on the continent, having increased their population from 2.8 million to 4.7 million in the past 30 years. They’ve also expanded their range from the plateaus and mesas of the west to every corner of the US. In CA, the coyote population is “burgeoning” as they have moved into urban environments. All this happened without any rules limiting the culling of problem coyotes. What’s next, speed limits on roadrunners?

What’s up with Fresno cops?

KVRP. Fresno police officers named as defendants in lawsuits alleging unlawful arrest, retaliation. 
Synopsis: Three different business owners have sued the Fresno police department in federal court after being arrested – then released – on charges related to firearms and narcotics. All the charges were eventually dropped. The three arrests had two officers in common – Gustavo Gutierrez and Rey Medeles. Another officer, Manuel Romero, was named in one case. Among those suing is the owner of a bike shop, a cannabis retailer and the owner of “Valley Hydroponics.”

Valley Sun. Fresno police officer arrested for sexual battery.
Synopsis: Seven-year officer Obioma Agbowo has been arrested on two misdemeanor counts for off-duty actions. He was immediately put on administrative leave as the Sexual Assault Unit investigates.

Los Banos moves for an audit

Westside Express. Los Banos looks for auditor to investigate financial projects in previous years.
Synopsis: Mayor Michael Amabile is moving to fulfill a campaign promise by asking for bids to perform a full forensic audit of the city’s finances. He says it is necessary to provide “a full and honest accounting of how public funds have been managed.” The audit would cover the timeframe of July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024 – roughly former city manager Josh Pinheiro’s tenure. “The intention of this audit is not to cast blame, but to shine a light on the facts and better understand what changes, if any, are necessary to safeguard the public trust,” said Amabile.

Luke-mania could slow traffic

Merced Focus. Country star Luke Bryan brings his Farm Tour to Castle Commerce Center.
Synopsis: One of the biggest country music entertainers in America is coming to Atwater’s Castle Commerce Center on Thursday. Luke Bryant’s Farm Tour is already sold out. To sing about the plight of West Coast farmers, he will also have shows in Fresno and Kern counties (they’re sold out, too). County officials say that if you don’t have a ticket, stay away from Castle – it is likely to be the site of traffic trauma. Other rules: no fireworks, coolers, animals, professional cameras, footballs, golf carts or glass. The SO will have a real-time traffic map on its website.