Valley Headlines

Stopping dangerous tariffs

KFBK 1530AM. Impact of tariffs on the San Joaquin Valley.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray points out that 75% of the state’s $4 billion almond crop is exported, and Trump’s last tariffs, in 2018, resulted in retaliatory tariffs that cost California farmers over $6 billion in losses.
MAD Take: There were also hidden consequences to the 2017-18 tariffs, such as the difficulty recovering market-share for American products after tariffs are removed. Walnuts, for instance, are selling for half what they did in 2017 before retaliatory tariffs were imposed and foreign markets lost. Consumers in nations such as Canada will not easily forget or forgive what they consider an act of betrayal.
CLARIFICATION: In yesterday’s Valley Solutions, Adam Gray mentioned Republican efforts to cut $30 billion from nutritional assistance contained in the farm bill. Those proposed cuts were in the last Congress, and the bill was never passed. The current Congress has not released a draft for a new farm bill. However, the Republican majority is pushing for a $230 billion cut to ag funding through the reconciliation process.

Office of Rep. Adam Gray. Gray cosponsors bipartisan legislation to limit president’s tariff authority.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray joined other legislators of both parties in the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would reaffirm the role of Congress in approving all tariffs before they go into effect. It echoes a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate last week by Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) that requires any president to seek congressional approval before invoking tariffs. The bill would reassert Congress’s authority to end any tariff it deemed unsatisfactory. Gray joined the effort, he said, because “no one person should have the power to shape trade policy, which could impact the lives and livelihoods of farmers across the country.” He also noted, “The last time blanket tariffs went into effect under President Trump’s first administration, California farmers lost an estimated $683 million in crop revenues.” Most of those losses were felt by tree-nut farmers. Overall, the USDA estimated losses by farmers in the 2018 tariffs at $27 billion.

Sierra Times. CA House Democrats say Republican incompetence is crashing the economy. 
Synopsis: This story provides full details on the press conference in which the Democratic Caucus slammed the Trump Tariffs and their impacts on American retirees, workers and farmers. Rep. Pete Aguilar called the tariffs the “largest tax increase in 50 years on every single American” that will be “bleeding the accounts, the retirement accounts, of Americans dry.” Rep. Ted Lieu wondered why Trump couldn’t take time away from his club golf tourney to be with the families of fallen soldiers being returned from Lithuania. Lieu read the comments of a Military Police Corps veteran saying: “I have never been so embarrassed to be an American. President Trump should have been at that transfer ceremony for the four fallen US soldiers instead of at his golf tournament.”

How handicappers see Congress

Modesto Bee. How will Trump tariffs affect CA Republicans’ congressional races?
Synopsis: DC reporter David Lightman starts by quoting Adam Gray’s press release warning that the tariffs pose “a serious risk to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and across the country.” Then he went on to say even unpopular tariffs might not help Gray win re-election. He bases this on the Cook Report and Inside Elections, which call most Valley districts toss-ups in 2026. He also looked at the chances of David Valadao, Tom McClintock and Doug LaMalfa.
MAD Take: Citing handicappers as main sources for a story is, well, uninformative. Why not talk to the Valley’s bankers, store owners, farmers, union reps? Maybe a retiree? Does the reporter know any?

Medicaid battle lines drawn

Fresno Bee. Keep GOP hands off Medicaid, town-hall callers tell Fresno congressman.
Synopsis: The Editorial Board – Juan Esparza Loera and Tad Weber – write about Jim Costa’s telephone town hall on Tuesday. The hottest topic was Medicare and Medi-Cal. “We want you to do everything you can to stop all these chainsaw cuts that are happening because of DOGE,” said one caller. Another worried that Republicans will “push through this cruel, cruel cut; this inhumane cut will be the green light for Republicans to eviscerate Medicare and then onto the Affordable Care Act.” Costa commiserated. Costa’s district has 456,000 people who rely on Medicare or Medi-Cal. The editorial writers offered this observation: “It would seem politically foolish for congressional Republicans to jeopardize coverage with major cuts – unless they value something more. They do: Tax cuts that would largely benefit the wealthiest Americans.” Conducted by phone and on Facebook, 8,000 people tuned in. The Bee concludes by urging Costa, Valadao, Gray, Fong and McClintock to vote no on any cuts to healthcare funding.

Demanding police review board

Patterson Irrigator. You call it ‘internal review’ – we call it abuse of power. 
Synopsis: Bianca Lopez of Valley Improvement Project writes a powerful op-ed about the video circulating on social media that purports to show a Patterson police officer (and sheriff’s deputy) trying to remove a man from his car, eventually tazing him and the woman riding with him. “This is exactly why we demand a civilian review board with teeth – one that’s independent, community-led and has the power to investigate, subpoena and discipline law enforcement when they step out of line.” In the op-ed, she admits, “Yes, you must exit the vehicle if ordered to during a traffic stop…” which is something the young man did not do. In her demand for a citizen-review board, Lopez closes: “Enough is enough. We’re not asking. We’re demanding.”

Columnist skeptical of mayor

Ceres Courier. You’ll have to prove to me that Javier Lopez is the GOP’s good answer to Gray. 
Synopsis: Jeff Benziger tees off on the Ceres mayor who announced his candidacy for Congress last week. He notes that Javier Lopez made his announcement in “of all places, a tap room. Daniel Whitmore must be rolling over in his grave (Ceres was a temperance town in its early days).” Benziger says he’s not a fan of pols who run for office then a short time later abandon that office to run for some other prize. “Local folks be damned, they have a better plan for themselves.”

Gang couldn’t shoot straight

Fresno Bee. Officers respond to 15-round ShotSpotter report in Fresno; one victim found.
Synopsis: Using ShotSpotter as a guide, police rushed to Valeria and Grant streets just before midnight to find one victim and lots of shell casings. Despite the volume of shots fired, the victim had a single gunshot wound.

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Methdup.
Synopsis: The CHP pulled over a black Honda on Hwy 99 in Merced County and found gallon-sized zip-locked baggies of what officers suspected to be methamphetamine. Two people, whose stories weren’t straight, were arrested. BTW, the license plate in the photo was digitally applied by the CHP.

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Do you know her?
Synopsis: The Merced PD has some wonderful, though not flattering, images of a woman who carried a large shopping bag out of Family Dollar store without paying. She is said to have threatened an employee with a knife.

Fixing a ‘squalid’ trailer park

Ceres Courier. City pressures state to do something to remedy squalor in trailer park.
Synopsis: A deadly fire last week called attention to the “deplorable living conditions” at the Lazy Wheels Mobile Home Park in Ceres. City and fire department officials say they can’t do anything about those conditions because the state has jurisdiction over all trailer parks, even within cities. The fire victim was living in a small shed on the property. The CRLA and residents have sued the Calabasas-based owners over deficiencies but to no avail. Ceres police say the park is a frequent destination, often for DV calls. Some of the park’s residents are squatters. Apparently, TID shut off power 18 months ago, and most of the trailers are powered by generators. City manager Doug Dunford says, “Nobody deserves to live here. But we don’t have the authority to go in and clean it up.”

4-story building OK in Ceres

Ceres Courier. Four-story senior living complex approved.
Synopsis: Variances allowing an 81-unit assisted-living facility to be built at the corner of Mitchell and Roeding have been approved by the Ceres Planning Commission. Commissioner Gary Condit called it a “noble project.”

Ceres Courier. Ceres losing planning director.
Synopsis: Lea Simvoulakis will step down as Ceres director of community development as of April 14. She’ll be working for Northstar Engineering. Senior planner Teddie Hernandez is out on maternity leave, so the city will have no planning staff.

More on Diablo Grande water

Patterson Irrigator. Diablo Grande residents concerned after water service termination notice.
Synopsis: Jessica Wilkinson follows on the heels of Ken Carlson’s reporting in the Bee about the 600 homes west of Patterson in danger of losing their water because their water district has fallen behind in paying its bills. Kern County Water Agency says it will shut off the service on June 30. Members of the community call it an “alarming situation” that threatens “the health, safety and basic living conditions of hundreds of families.” Supervisor Channce Condit told Wilkinson he has been having “very fruitful” discussions with “various irrigation districts” about providing water. Patterson Mayor Mike Clauzen says he is fully committed to helping his neighbors. The failed golf resort needs about 400-acre feet per year to meet the needs of residents, but the community has been paying for 10x that amount because the former developer contracted to buy enough water to provide for 6,000 homes and 3 golf courses. Condit told the Irrigator he’s also trying to find a developer to build out the project.

OT’s unintended consequences

Ag Alert. Rising wages test targeted grazing sector. 
Synopsis: The state has been using sheep and goats to eat away dry grass and shrubs that accelerate wildfire. Grazing is considered the third-most effective way to protect against fire, trailing only mowing and prescribed burns. Since 2019, wages for shepherds and goatherds have doubled making keeping animals in remote locations “just untenable,” according to Andree Soares of Star Creek Land Stewards in Los Banos. Most of her herders are brought in through H2-A guestworker visas from Peru and are technically working 24 hours a day. Under the new farmworker overtime law, that works out to around $15,000 a month. “It’s blown a hole in our business,” said a Kern County farmer.

Billions needed to fix levees

Cal Matters. Miles of Delta levees are at risk of floods; repairs could cost $3 billion. 
Reporter Alastair Bland writes about the 1,100 miles of levees protecting communities and farmland around the Delta, mostly on private land. Already, Jones Tract west of Stockton has been flooded after a levee failure. And last year the seepage at Victoria Island threatened to flood the pumps that send water to the South Valley and millions of Angelenos. The Delta Stewardship Council says more than $10 billion in ag, residential and commercial assets are in real danger if levees are not repaired. One hydrologist described the levees around Stockton as “more like dams in that they have to hold back water” all the time and not just during high-water events. Meanwhile, the cost to pump away water is becoming untenable as PG&E rates rise.
MAD Take: While Stockton is clearly in danger, sitting at the “bottom” of the Valley is Lathrop, just a few miles away. The river runs through it, and the water table is only a few feet below the surface. Paradise Cut and other measures might make a difference, but they’ve never truly been tested.

News from the JCs

GV Wire. Fresno native Denise Whisenhunt returns home to lead City College.
Synopsis: Ending a nationwide search for a new president, Chancellor Carole Goldsmith appointed Denise Whisenhunt to replace Robert Pimentel as president of Fresno City College. The school has been without a president since August. Whisenhunt has been president of Grossmont College since 2021 and worked at two other CA community colleges. She graduated from UC San Diego and got a JD from Catholic University of America. “She’s not seeking a steppingstone; rather, she is coming home to serve,” said Goldsmith.

ABC30. Merced College hosts ‘State of the College’ address. 
Synopsis: For the first time, the annual speech was delivered at the Los Banos campus. President Chris Vitelli shared highlights and presented his President’s Medallion to developers Larry and Georgeann Anderson, who donated 125 acres to the college in 2001.

Dairy news: Emissions, flu

Ag Alert. CA dairies make progress in cutting emissions.
Synopsis: California’s dairy farmers are ahead of schedule in meeting the state’s ambitious goals for reducing methane emissions by 5 million metric tons. Though anaerobic digesters are credited with most of the reductions, they wouldn’t be enough to beat the deadline. Farmers have embraced sustainability methods by enhancing the land, the cattle genetics and the bottom line. UC Davis professor Frank Mitloehner credited state incentives with making a huge difference. Among those quoted is Merced farmer Simon Vander Woude, who has been using genetic testing since 2012 and is now “an integral part of the beef supply chain.” Interestingly, farmers are getting more results with fewer cows.

Farms.com. H5N1 detections in US dairy cattle reach 1,000.
Synopsis: The USDA reported 2 more bird flu detections Tuesday, one each in CA and Nevada. That makes an even 1,000 since March 2024. CA has been the hardest hit, with 759 infected herds. Nevada has had 11. More worrisome, there are now two distinct genotypes active in cattle. The toll for poultry is more grim with 168 million birds in all 50 states and Puerto Rico culled.

CA Ag Net. Bird flu causes massive impact on CA and national milk production.
Synopsis: CA’s Central Valley remains the epicenter of bird flu in cows, having been detected in 758 herds. New cases have slowed with the onset of spring, but farmers are seeing lower milk production. CA Ag Net spoke with Rabobank’s Lucas Fuess about the prospects going forward.

MLB killing Cal League

Fresno Bee. MLB’s strong-arm tactics killing minor-league baseball in Central CA.
Synopsis: Columnist Marek Warszawski provides a short history of professional baseball in the Valley dating back to the 1940s. “Those days are likely numbered, and Major League Baseball’s corporate greed and strong-arm tactics are to blame,” he writes. After having taken over all minor leagues during the COVID emergency, MLB is now trying to milk small and medium-sized communities for more money even as those communities must deal with housing, healthcare and more dire emergencies. “Folks in Modesto already know the drill. The 2025 season will serve as a curtain call for the Modesto Nuts following an 80-year run in the California League, 70 of them at venerable John Thurman Field.” Visalia, Stockton and Fresno will all be in similar straits soon enough. While Modesto refused to make $32 million in stadium improvements demanded by the MLB, Fresno ponied up $7 million and Stockton $6.1 million to upgrade Banner Island Ballpark; Visalia is paying $7 million to rebuild Valley Strong Ballpark. Even with these expenditures, there are no guarantees baseball will remain in any city beyond 2030. Good riddance, says Marek.