Valley Headlines

We need water détente

Maven / Rep. Costa. Costa, Gray call on Trump, Newsom for bipartisan action on water projects. 
Synopsis: Representatives from contiguous Valley districts called on Gov. Newsom and President Trump to work together on regulatory structures that allows “better capture,” “increased storage” and “enhanced conveyance infrastructure” of water in California. If done right, it would balance species protection with supply and respond to changing climate conditions. The letter described water politics in CA as “an everlasting story of controversy and complexity” and “regulatory ping-pong.”
MAD Take: Ping-pong, at least, has a winner. Not always true in California water.  

Fire hazards in the Valley

LA Times. Cal Fire rolls out new fire hazard maps for Central CA. 
Synopsis: Counties that formerly had zero acres of land considered a fire hazard now do. San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced have a few spots of “very high” threat along the west side – but you have to look closely at the map to see them. In Tuolumne, Mariposa and the east side of Madera and Fresno there are significant dangers. It’s the first update of Cal Fire hazard zones since 2021. The big change is that Cal Fire now considers ag land covered in almond, pistachio and walnut orchards as being similar to urban landscapes when it comes to fire. “Cal Fire is adamant the hazard maps have no direct effect on residents’ insurance rates…”

Sheriff’s plan rejected?

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County officials tell sheriff it’s time to connect with 911 CAD system.
Synopsis: The board of supervisors appear poised to sign a contract with CentralSquare to provide a dispatch system for Stanislaus Regional 911. That would greatly disappoint Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, who has been adamant that the system is inferior to one offered by Oracle. Dirkse has even threatened to start dispatching deputies through the Ceres PD, which uses an Oracle system. The dispute threatens to fracture the long-tenuous partnership between the county and city of Modesto which have jointly operated the dispatch center. CentralSquare will be installed by September. If the SO isn’t onboard, deputies could be without dispatch services since Ceres can’t get up to speed that quickly. Supervisor Buck Condit is concerned over response times and how either system would impact fire, law enforcement, ambulance and the fire warden. Both Patterson and Riverbank want in on the discussions since the SO provides their police response. Supervisors appear to be trying to keep all options available, perhaps an effort not to antagonize a popular sheriff.

Some ‘what ifs’ for the Assembly

Politico. California Playbook: Katie Porter is in.
Synopsis: Katie Porter’s entry into gubernatorial politics merits one sentence at the top of this daily political roundup. But the fight for control of the legislature’s Republican caucus merits much more. Heath Flora is mentioned as the likely leader since this is Jim Gallagher’s last term in the Assembly, leaving the leadership role vacant. Flora is seen as a sane successor. Rookies David Tangipa and Alexandra Macedo are considered a bit extreme. … In other Playbook news, Gavin Newsom invited Michael Savage onto the second episode of his podcast. It was low-key in comparison to Charlie Kirk, even chummy.

Valley Sun. Social justice activist Celedon files paperwork for 2026 Assembly run.
Synopsis: Sandra Celedon, president of Fresno Building Healthy Communities, is considering a run in Assembly District 31 – which Joaquin Arambula will vacate in favor of the Fresno City Council in 2026. The reliably conservative Sun recalled Celedon’s tweets from 2020 when she wrote “No justice, no peace” and “Enough is enough.” Annalisa Perea is a likely candidate for the seat, too.

Gavin ignores his own edict

Merced Sun Star. Newsom wants state workers back in offices; shouldn’t he govern in person, too? 
Synopsis: Sacramento Bee columnist Tom Philp gets snarky about the governor’s orders to return to the office. He notes that Newsom is spending a lot of time on his new podcast series, which he does from his Marin home. Writes Philp: “Why do rules seemingly apply to everybody else, save for Gavin ‘French Laundry’ Newsom?”

LA Times. Newsom’s money grab targets bond funds for climate projects.
Synopsis: Revered columnist George Skelton writes “Governors are like card sharks when dealing out budgets. They’ve usually got gimmicks tucked up their sleeves.” Hidden “in the weeds” is Newsom’s plan to use $300 million from the $10 billion climate bond to balance his budget. He would backfill with other money, but it all looks like 3-card monte. Says George, “The news media and public should keep their eyes on the card shark.”  

Trade wars have us worried

Ag Daily. China retaliates with new tariffs on US ag products.
Synopsis: China fired off another economic salvo, levying an additional 10% on vegetables, fruit, soybeans and sorghum. Wheat, corn and cotton will get an extra 15%. Good news: Canada has delayed its second round of retaliatory tariffs until it sees what Trump will do next. This is the definition of uncertainty which financial markets abhor.

Successful Farming. A timeline of Trump’s trade wars between US, Canada, Mexico and China.
Synopsis: The website’s lead story starts with Oct. 17, 2024, when the Soybean and Corn associations warned of billions of dollars in lost production if Trump proceeded with tariffs. On Nov. 4, an economist said Trump’s tariffs would mirror the 1930s when trade wars caused the world’s economy to collapse. After more than a dozen additional entries detailing various trade groups decrying tariffs, we arrive at March 11 as Bloomberg reports tariff fears have already impacted corn acreage as farmers fear they can’t afford the fertilizer for corn they’ll never be able to sell.

SF Chronicle. Trump doubles planned tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum to 50%.
Synopsis: “After a brutal stock market selloff on Monday and further jitters Tuesday, Trump faces increased pressure to show he has a legitimate plan to grow the economy,” the story says. Oh, and he renewed his invitation for Canada to “become our cherished fifty-first state.” Ontario reacted by imposing a surcharge on Canadian electricity supplied to residents of three states. Former treasury secretary Larry Summers says we are headed for recession as inflation continues unabated and jobs are disappearing due to the tariffs – not federal firings.

Ag Net West. Senators urge Trump to reconsider tariffs.
Synopsis: Some 15 senators, led by Amy Klobuchar, have called on the White House to abandon tariffs at a time when farmers face razor-thin margins and foreign nations are targeting them for harm.

Calling the dogs on nutria

KCRA. Crews use new tool to fight nutria in CA’s Delta.
Synopsis: Sherman Island, long a haven for wind-surfing enthusiasts, has become a home to at least 50 nutria. Called “one of the most destructive” invasive species in the world, nutria can grow to 40 pounds and destroy huge swaths of native vegetation. The nutria were found by dogs brought in from Louisiana and funded by a Congressional grant.

Calling the dogs on druggies

KSEE / CBS47. Truck full of marijuana leads to money laundering arrest in Merced County.
Synopsis: The CHP stopped a truck carrying 350 pounds of bagged marijuana. Officers didn’t even need a K-9 officer to smell the weed coming from the Dodge Ram on Hwy 165, they could smell it themselves. Shei did come to the scene and helped find $70,000 in cash. Robert Dagostino faces several charges.

Courthouse under wraps

Merced Sun Star. Merced courthouse museum restoration under way, paint scraped, bees removed.
Synopsis: It’s hard to miss the scaffolding and netting covering the historic Merced County Courthouse. Work by Spectra Historic Construction began Jan. 13 and will continue for all of this year. It was built in 1875, designed by the same architect who created the state capitol building. The $3.7 million project is funded by Joe Biden’s ARPA program, the county and state.

DP fire station still ahead

Merced Focus. Sales tax measure to support Dos Palos fire services on track to pass.
Synopsis: In the Dos Palos special election on March 4, voters appear to have approved a half-cent sales tax with the intent to keep the downtown fire station staffed. With final counting of mail-in ballots taking place today, some 76% of voters have said yes so far. Turnout was “extremely low” with only 486 of DP’s 2,636 registered voters voting. Even if S passes, the county will have to find more money to hire staff and it’s not clear the county can do that.

Musical anchor chairs

KCRA. Kurtis Ming joins KCRA as co-anchor.
Synopsis: Long-time reporter and weekend anchor at CBS13, Kurtis Ming has moved down the dial to KCRA. Known for his Call Kurtis program, which earned 11 regional Emmy awards and worked with a team of local volunteers to resolve consumer complaints and ferret out problems, he will work with Andrea Flores and Edie Lambert.

Swastika found at UC Merced

KSEE / CBS47. Swastika burned into floor at UC Merced residence hall; college investigating.
Synopsis: Someone used a scooter to burn the hate symbol into the carpet at the Half Dome residence unit. “Such actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our school…”

They look like little brains

Ag Net West. Study reveals walnuts can enhance cognitive performance.
Synopsis: The University of Reading (in England) says eating 50 grams of walnuts each day can improve reaction times and memory. That’s good news for walnut farmers, who don’t get much good news these days. But researchers only tested those 30 and under.