Valley Headlines

This could be a ‘red mirage’

Substack. Don’t fall for the ‘red mirage.’
Synopsis: Robert Hubbell writes that Democrats are continuing to make incremental but steady gains in districts where counting continues. Among those is CA 13 where Adam Gray now trails by around 1,900 votes with 30,000 to count. The key, say Democrats, is that 90% of those votes are in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties which Gray has carried. If the trends continue, the Republicans’ hold on Congress might vanish. That, writes Hubbell, is the red mirage.

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County GOP and Democratic parties reflect on election results.
Synopsis: Reporter Julietta Bisharyan talked to leaders in both major parties, noting the county went for Trump with 54% of the vote, which pleased Joel Campos. She also notes that Stanislaus gave Adam Gray 53% of its votes. Eventually, Bisharyan quotes Lise Talbott, who chairs the county Dems, who is already looking forward to the midterms.

Trump will use military in US

LA Times. Trump confirms deportation strategy will include national emergency and military.
Synopsis: That didn’t take long. Monday morning, Donald Trump said he will unleash the US military on American soil for the first large-scale operations since the attack on Bonus Marchers in 1932. Calling the presence of immigrants “the Biden invasion,” Truth Social has already declared the presence of so many working people a national emergency. No word on whether or not constitutional rights would be suspended.

Hospitals report cards: Few A’s

Fresno Bee. How safe is your hospital? Only 1 Fresno hospital earns ‘A’ in national report card.
Synopsis: The Hospital Safety Grade, compiled by Leapfrog Group, gave Kaiser Permanente Fresno an A. Last year, Kaiser got a B. Clovis Community got a B (up from a C). The huge Community Regional system and St. Agnes got Cs, better than the Ds both got in 2021. Some 3,000 hospitals were graded nationwide. CA ranks No. 6 nationally for quality of care with 44% of our hospitals getting an A. It’s the first time we’ve been in the top 10 since 2014. Noted well down in the story is that Mercy Medical got an A, a first for the hospital. CEO Dale Johns is happy.
MAD Note: Not in the story were grades for Modesto-area hospitals. The Kaiser units in Modesto and Manteca both got A’s, Memorial MC got a B, DMC and Emanuel C’s. In Stockton, St. Joe’s got an A; San Joaquin General near Lathrop got a C.

CA bracing for TrumpCare

Cal Matters. How will Trump change health care? CA braces for fights over insurance, abortion.
Synopsis: The abolition of Obama Care remains a high priority for Republicans, foremost among them Donald Trump. That will have significant impacts on DACA recipients (assuming they remain in the nation) and the poor – many of them living in the Valley. As federal funding diminishes, the state is unlikely to be able to fill the financial chasm, resulting in loss of benefits and reduced coverage for hundreds of thousands. But Mia Bonta says CA is ready to counter the most obvious moves. She says the state will rely on the courts to help thwart the new majority. But Republicans insist a more vigorous marketplace will lower medical costs for everyone.
MAD Take: Weren’t we relying on the “marketplace” when 40 million American were denied insurance through either exorbitant prices or simply refusal of coverage? Wasn’t the “marketplace” responsible when the leading cause of bankruptcy in America was medical costs? How about when pharmaceutical companies were getting patents on drugs developed at public universities then reaping 10,000% profits? You mean that marketplace?  

‘Doom fish’ or just a dead fish?

NBC News. A mythical harbinger of doom washes up on a CA beach.
Synopsis: Two Doom Fish – which grow up to 20 feet long and have a head like a catfish -- have washed up on California beaches, says UC San Diego. Normally, they like to stay about 3,000 feet beneath the surface, so it is unusual for an Oarfish (its other name) to be seen on the surface. In 2011, some 20 oarfish washed ashore in the months before a 9.0 earthquake hit Japan, killing 15,000. Since 1901, only 21 Doom-oar fish have been seen on CA beaches. This year’s first arrival was 12 feet, the second 10. A 2019 study in Japan found no “solid” evidence linking oarfish to earthquakes.

SRC forfeits over trans player

Merced Sun Star. Christian school in Merced forfeits state volleyball match, cites ‘Biblical truth.’
Synopsis: Merced’s Stone Ridge Christian said Friday it had forfeited its Division VI NorCal playoff match with SF Waldorf because the team has a transgender player. It means Stone Ridge finishes 20-12. Athletic Director Julie Fagundes calls it heartbreaking to end the season with a forfeit, but says she is proud of her athletes for adhering to God’s word.

Smithfield fined for hiring kids

Ag Daily. Smithfield Foods settles child labor violations for $2 million.
Synopsis: The Chinese-owned company that controls 26% of America’s pork market employed 11 minors, from ages 14 to 17, for more than two years. Worse, Smithfield worked them more than the legally permissible hours and all of them were doing “hazardous tasks.” This was at a single facility in Minnesota. The company’s defense is that all 11 minors passed the E-Verify system by using fake IDs. Minnesota fined Smithfield $2 million – its highest fine ever.
MAD Take: Hmm. Smithfield Foods is also deeply invested in the pork industry’s efforts to overturn Prop 12, which requires that adult pigs have enough room to turn around. Seems the company and its midwestern growers don’t like attention from consumers or regulators. The National Pork Producers Council used part of the massive dues paid by Smithfield to draft legislation – sponsored by John Duarte and 36 others – that would take away the rights of Californians to vote on their own food standards. Standards that require humane treatment of animals before they’re slaughtered. Well, you say, this isn’t the same thing. But it is.

More on tawdry lawsuits

Valley Sun. Alvarado-Gil fires back at Chad Condit, claims he was involved in murder of Chandra Levy.
Synopsis: According to Sen. Alvarado-Gil, Gary Condit’s only son once claimed to have been involved in the disappearance of murdered intern Chandra Levy back in 2001. On the other side, Chad Condit has claimed that his former boss required sex as part of his job duties. She claims he was a drunk who abused drugs on the job, sometimes carrying a gun to work, and embezzled $50,000 from her campaign. Some of Alvarado-Gil’s new fellow Republicans are accusing her of a lack of judgment and being a poor judge of character.
MAD Note: Last week’s KCRA story did not draw a distinct connection between inferences around Chandra Levy’s disappearance and the Condit family. That did not seem fair to either Condit or the former Modesto Bee sports assistant. More comprehensive reporting explains why such a connection was mentioned.

School board and chilled speech

KVPR. Did Merced City Schools board stifle free speech? Legal group seeks changes.
Synopsis: The First Amendment Coalition has accused Merced City Schools of chilling free speech and undermining democracy based on what the district considers a routine statement read at each board meeting before the public-comment period. In that statement, the board reminds speakers that “derogatory comments against district employees or others … can be actionable as defamation under certain circumstances.” Coalition lawyer Annie Cappetta considers that a threat, and cites immunity granted to those who make statements at public meetings. Also, not every derogatory comment is defamatory. Among those who feel the board is squelching free speech is Donna Polk, the board’s former executive assistant.

Farmland prices falling in ’25?

Successful Farming. Farmland prices come back to Earth after years of growth.
Synopsis: Comprehensive story about land prices nationwide shows that prices continued to rise in 2024, but not as rapidly as in the preceding decade. Experts are expecting an actual drop in 2025. Chart with the story shows that in 2010 the average acre sold for $2,150. In 2024, it sold for $4,170. There was a pricing pause during COVID. A national map shows year-to-year increase by each state, with CA at 2.3%, among the lowest. Florida was 15.3%. An expert says we have “a more rational market right now than I’ve seen in a long time.”
MAD Note: Averages are funny things; they almost never apply to us.

Farmer: RFK Jr. is dangerous

Ag Daily. Perspective: RFK Jr. poses a danger to American agriculture.
Synopsis: Amanda Zaluckyi, aka The Farmer’s Daughter, says she is really, really, really worried about the nomination of RFK Jr. to head Health & Human Services. She doesn’t accept the common notion among bemused conservatives that it’s just a ploy to “troll the libs.” Instead, she writes, “I want to focus on the absolute danger he poses to agriculture.” For instance, RFK Jr. wants to do away with herbicides. As a candidate, he promised to “weaponize” the government regulatory process to eliminate pesticides and get rid of “factory farming.” He says “large-scale” agriculture is bad for all of America and accuses big ag of engaging in “the massive poisoning of Americans.” The Daughter then assures readers that she hasn’t switched sides: “My disdain and distrust of RFK Jr. has nothing to do with my (fond) feelings about Trump.”
MAD Note: Amanda, when you buy the pig, you also get the poke.