Valley Headlines

Good news for dairy farms

Farm.com. Dairy profits rise with falling feed prices.
Synopsis: Dairy farmers are seeing an unexpected reversal of fortunes as profit margins are “swelling due to a spike in milk prices coupled with a drop in feed costs,” says the USDA. Milk is selling for $23.05 per hundred-weight due to reduced national dairy herd numbers, resulting in 400 million pounds less milk. With lower costs for corn and beans, that leaves $12.33 for farmers. Experts say the milk price could go higher, reaching $23.45.
MAD Note. Dairy is the No. 1 commodity in Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties and No. 2 in Madera and No. 5 in Fresno. So, this story is good news.

Bad news for dairy farms

GV Wire. Rapid spread of bird flu in CA dairy herds raises pandemic concerns.
Synopsis: Bird flu in cows is spreading far more rapidly in CA than in other states, with the number of infected herds rising to 34 from 17 in four days. Nationwide, bird flu has impacted 234 herds in 14 states. The most are in Colorado, with 64 infected herds but none in the past month.

Merced Sun Star. Thousands of turkeys killed in Merced County as officials battle avian flu outbreak.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez looks into Monday’s report that bird flu was found in a commercial turkey flock, resulting in the destruction of 64,000 birds at an undisclosed location. Since 2022, some 92 million chickens, turkeys and ducks have been destroyed in an attempt to stop avian flu’s spread. Meanwhile, the number of dairy herds with infected cows has jumped to 34 in CA from 7 just 10 days ago. Cows generally recover quickly from the disease.

Successful Farming. Missouri health worker who had contact with bird flu patient has symptoms.
Synopsis: A Missouri nurse was the second person to develop mild respiratory symptoms after treating a sick farmworker. That makes two persons with symptoms who did not work on farms or come into contact with sick cows. While not confirmed through testing, this hints at human-to-human H5N1 transmission, the great fear of scientists. The state is taking the lead in this investigation with CDC support. Experts say, “Don’t panic.”

‘Lost’ Vaqueros Reservoir

SJ Mercury News. $1.5 billion project to expand major Bay Area reservoir collapses.
Synopsis: In a “stunning setback” for Northern CA water storage, Los Vaqueros Reservoir’s enlargement plan has “collapsed” despite expenditures of millions. The Contra Costa Water District pulled the plug on a plan that would have added 115,000 AF of storage for use in the Bay Area. The plan had gotten $477 million in state funding, mainly through 2014’s Prop 1. The decision was based on three factors: Costs had ballooned 3-fold above original estimates; new state regulations regarding the Delta smelt, which appears to be extinct in the mid-Delta; a squabble between the 8 Bay Area agencies pushing the project, with several withdrawing from the project.
MAD Take: This means all three of the most likely surface-storage projects expected to be funded through Prop 1 have now been at least temporarily derailed – first Temperance Flat was eliminated, then Sites didn’t get approval from the feds (at least for now), and finally Los Vaqueros has cratered.  

Just store it under ground

Fresno / Modesto Bee. Solution to CA water storage needs lies in underground, not more dams.
Synopsis: Columnist Marek Warszawski goes to the top of President’s Hill at San Luis Reservoir to examine plans to increase storage at San Luis Reservoir. He doesn’t like what he sees. The dam height is being raised 10 feet during earthquake-safety retrofits, but another 10 feet is being considered for additional storage. In all, it means the reservoir could hold an additional 130,000 AF. Included in the $2 billion cost is $450 million to protect the major commuter route of Hwy 152 on the Merced side of Pacheco Pass. Eventually, Marek gets around to explaining the “drawbacks of dams” – they’re expensive, they create bathtub rings on our geology, they lose water to evaporation, and they are not well adapted to emerging climate realities. (He leaves out worries about the sediment that collects behind in-stream dams and wildlife impacts.) Marek prefers massive groundwater storage projects like the one built by Metropolitan WD in the Mojave Desert. He wants to use 3D mapping to find “paleo river valleys” beneath the surface. “This is the future. Dams represent the past.”

Water board gets a bigger stick

The Hill. Californians who steal water from rivers will be subject to much steeper fines.
Synopsis: Gov. Newsom signed AB460, which will increase fines up to $10,000 a day for water scofflaws – the big stick the State Water Board says it needs to discourage districts and farmers from stealing water. That’s 20x the amount previously allowed. The story offers Siskiyou County, whose farmers diverted rivers from the Siskiyou River, as an example of why bigger fines were needed. Those farmers paid roughly $50 each in fines, making the decision between letting their cattle and crops die or paying a fine obvious. The Farm Bureau removed objection to the bill after provisions were removed that would have given the water board authority not subject to judicial review.
MAD Take: The stipulations for judicial review were incredibly important. Courts ruled the water board grossly overstepped its authority in fining the Bethany-Byron Water District $5 million for water it used during the 2015 drought. Currently, the water board’s decision to invoke additional costs in Tulare County has been halted by a judge.

A ‘tough love’ crackdown on homeless

Fresno Bee. ‘Tough love’ for homeless: How Fresno leaders will enforce new no-camping law.
Synopsis: A new city ordinance banning encampments will be “strictly enforced” says the city of Fresno, with violators going to jail if they refuse shelter or treatment. Elected leaders insist that this is a “treatment-first” approach. The city currently has 840 shelter beds but a count of 3,027 homeless people. The desire to enforce the new rules cuts across the usual ideological divides. As Miguel Arias put it, “Enough is enough.”
MAD Take: The ordinance says, “no person may sit, lie, sleep or camp on a property designated as a sensitive use,” which includes parks and cooling/warming centers. So, anyone sitting on a park bench or cooling off on a 110-degree day is subject to arrest? By arresting only the homeless, isn’t that selective enforcement? Isn’t that illegal? Just asking.

Your daily politics story

Modesto Bee / McClatchy. How abortion could affect Valley elections with House Republicans.
Synopsis: Gillian Brassil and David Lightman write exhaustively about the role of abortion in the campaigns of John Duarte, Kevin Kiley and David Valadao and the role they could play in enacting a national abortion ban. They quote a UC Irvine professor, campaign managers for Kiley and Valadao and an ad against Kiley. The last quote goes to someone named Pablo Rodriguez, who says that even though abortion access is the top issue for young Latino women, it doesn’t mean they will vote for Democrats.
MAD Question: Not a single voice from young Latino women living in the Valley; why?  

Big fire in downtown Merced

Merced Golden Wire News. Structure fire in Merced.
Synopsis: Minerva’s Furniture Gallery at 11th and MLK in Merced had flames and smoke belching from the roof when firefighters arrived Monday afternoon. One person was rescued from the second floor via ladder. A PG&E worker narrowly avoided injury, and train traffic on the nearby UP line had to be delayed. No injuries were reported, according to the MFD.

High hopes being dashed

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County voters to decide on cannabis sales tax on November ballot.
Synopsis: Measure P would apply back-end fees and taxes to the 14 legal weed operations in unincorporated areas of the county requiring them to pay taxes in line with the city of Modesto. The county’s weed revenues have fallen steadily since legalization in 2018, mainly because competition from illegal dealers is fierce. In 2021-22, weed sales brought in $3.9 million; this year it is projected to be $1.7 million for the county. Of those 14 businesses, only 4 are retail outlets; the rest are cultivation operations. A UC professor blames falling revenues on having too much “local control” (i.e., taxes). Fiona Ma thinks taxes and a lack of enforcement are the problem.
MAD Question: Such a conundrum. Is it in the best interest of taxpayers to increase enforcement – and costs -- to benefit 4 specific businesses? Or should the county risk even that small amount of revenue by refusing to add enforcement? What to do? Many jurisdictions are glad not to be in the weed business.

Slimy but tasty? Cacti

Modesto Bee. You can eat cactus? Ripon business bringing awareness to staple Mexican ingredient.
Synopsis: Reporter Dominique Williams offers one of her “Look-What-I-Found” profiles of Eric’s Nopales. It was founded by first-gen Eric and his wife Jillian Ruiz, based on a nopales recipe from Eric’s mother in Riverbank. The couple offers several varieties, from chili ginger to “heat wave.”
MAD Note: Don’t be surprised, these are very tasty treats … but slimy.