Valley Headlines

Politics 1: Gray visits Westside city

City of San Joaquin. Congressman Adam Gray’s visit to City of San Joaquin.
Synopsis: The city welcomed Rep. Adam Gray, who is visiting cities throughout the district during the weeks Congress is not in session. He met with key officials including Mayor Adam Conejo, councilmember Cristina Covarrubio and city manager Elizabeth Cabrera. Gray provided a quick rundown on what is happening in Washington while hearing from city leaders about their concerns over immigration, clean drinking water, job opportunities and affordable housing. City officials said they were delighted to see a representative so early in his tenure and that they are looking forward to cooperation in addressing the city’s priorities.

Politics 2: Gavin, Kamala, no raises

Cal Matters. Gavin Newsom’s MAGA-curious podcast mystifies listeners, and sets Dems on edge.
Synopsis: As Anthony Rendon put it, “WTF is the most common text message I get.” Sen. Ben Allen says, “We’re all asking those questions.” The story lays out some of the more perplexing, and troubling, Newsom statements during his lurch away from the left. 

Politico. Dem rivals to Kamala Harris: Hurry up and decide.
Synopsis: Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she would decide whether or not to accept, er, run for Governor of California by the end of summer. That’s not soon enough for folks like Betty Yee, Katie Porter, Tony Villaraigosa and others who are trying to raise money for their own ambitions. “You can’t get in at the end of the rainbow. Get in now,” said Villaraigosa. Says Katie, “This moment calls for leadership, and I’m not waiting.”

SF Standard. Politicians need performance-based pay; I’ll go first.
Synopsis: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan says in an op-ed that in private business raises aren’t guaranteed, so why should raises be guaranteed for elected officials in public service? He’s asking the city council to approve a “no-raises-without-results” reform that will reward elected officials only when they cut costs, improve services and complete projects. He suggests starting with reducing homelessness.

Valley Sun. Brandon Vang still in position for outright win for Fresno city council.
Synopsis: After Thursday’s vote totals were released, Brandon Vang had 50.14% of the vote in the special election to replace Luis Chavez on the Fresno City Council. That’s down from 50.5% on Tuesday. Mrs. Luis Chavez, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, moved up to 34.9%. The next update will be March 26. If Vang doesn’t hold a lead of at least 50%+1, there will be a runoff between Jonasson and Vang.

Chowchilla prison condemned

Modesto Bee. CA corrections officer who abused female inmates is a symptom of failing system.
Synopsis: Prison reformers April Grayson and Emily Wonder wrote this story for the Sacramento Bee, detailing the problems at the Chowchilla prison – the largest women’s prison in the world. Earlier this year, officer Gregory Rodriguez was convicted of 64 charges of rape and battery involving 9 women. They say the state is complicit in his violence and the violence that inmates continue to endure. Those who testified against him faced retaliation from other guards. The real problem is that prisons are not meant to fix broken people, just punish them.

Outrage over cutting programs

GV Wire. Fresno leaders, farmers outraged by Trump’s axing of food programs.
Synopsis: Rep. Jim Costa and Fresno County Schools superintendent Michele Cantwell-Copher are among those speaking out against cuts to programs that purchased food from local farmers then turned it over to local schools and food banks. The USDA’s move “ignores the realities of families who depend on school meals and food banks … children who are food insecure,” said Costa. The school district pointed out that 1-in-4 people in Fresno County experience food insecurity at some point. “The reduction of access to fresh, healthy food is a tremendous threat to our ability to educate a child,” said Cantwell-Copher. The Central CA Food Bank says 55 food banks in the Valley depend on the programs. Costa said 500 small farmers in CA have sold produce through the program. One of those is Bryce Loewen who sold $30,000 worth of produce through the program last year. “If the idea of cutting these programs is trimming the fat, it’s the wrong fat to be trimming,” he said.

Gravel pit plan abandoned

Fresno Business Journal. CEMEX expanded mining operations will not happen on SJ River.
Synopsis: The Mexican company has decided not to pursue a 600-foot pit beside the San Joaquin River. The decision came after protests at a public meeting on March 10. The company blamed misinformation from “a few project opponents” for poisoning its efforts to expand an existing gravel quarry.

It’s all about bird flu

Morning Ag Clips. Update on progress of 5-pronged strategy to combat bird flu and lower egg prices.
Synopsis: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins held a session Thursday to insist that egg prices are falling, and farmers are seeing “meaningful progress” in the fight against avian flu. USDA stats say wholesale eggs cost 50% less today than they did on Feb. 26. The other prongs: Biosecurity has been expanded to 130 poultry processor plants. The USDA has increased the indemnity rate for laying hens to 2.4x, making it $16.94 per bird. The USDA and FDA are looking at ways of expanding supply while guaranteeing food safety. The US is looking at temporarily adjusting the egg import numbers from Turkey and South Korea to ease prices. The USDA has promised to spend $100 million on a vaccine and “therapeutics” for poultry.
MAD Note: That part about expanding ways to safely expand supply sounds like the USDA and FDA want us to start eating culled birds. That idea must have come straight from Kennedy’s brain.

Ag Daily. Bipartisan bill aims to cut food waste and lower egg prices.
Synopsis: Democrat Josh Riley of NY and Republican Dusty Johnson of SD have introduced a bill that would overturn federal regs that force farmers to discard nearly 400 million eggs laid by broiler hens annually. Current rules say eggs not refrigerated within 36 hours must be destroyed. The bill would allow them to come to market as “breakers” -- eggs to be used in products like mixes. The bill aligns with the National Chicken Council’s request.

Farms.com. CDC confirms D1.3 genotype in recent H5N1 case in Ohio.
Synopsis: The D1.3 genotype was found in a human who had been working to cull a large commercial poultry facility in Ohio. It is similar into the infection that sickened a child in San Francisco. The Ohio man sickened by D12.3 had to be hospitalized. The CDC says the new variant offers no indication that it won’t respond to current treatments. As for the kid in SF, he developed antibodies, but his parents and siblings did not – meaning they didn’t get the disease. That’s a good thing. Lastly, more outbreaks have been reported in four states.

Businesses coming and going

Modesto Bee. Decline in sales causes Modesto store owner, 88, to close ‘good business.’
Synopsis: Marcy’s Hallmark Store in McHenry Village is closing because Norm and Connie VanHorne want to retire. The golden years for the store were in the late 1990s, but now “its time is spent.” Of 7,500 Halmark Gold Crown stores nationwide, only 1,200 are left.

Modesto Bee. Modesto’s newest Burlington store announces grand opening.
Synopsis: Burlington, aka Burlington Coat Factory, is opening a second Modesto store on Sisk Road on April 4, replacing the defunct Bed Bath & Beyond. If you come to the grand opening, you’ll get a $10 gift card.

Turlock Journal. Balanced Books celebrates return to downtown.
Synopsis: Sean and Crystal Stapleton cut the ribbon on their new location at 331 East Main; they do payroll, taxes and property tax statements. They don’t do personal taxes and “we don’t’ sell novels.” The company has been operating for 11 years and has 16 employees and needed more room.

Patterson Irrigator. Keller Williams ribbon cutting ceremony.
Synopsis: The new real estate office opened on North Second Street on Thursday.

The price of power in CA

Sacramento Bee. Electricity in CA could cost even more if we don’t work with our neighbors.
Synopsis: Columnist Tom Philp writes that our power already costs too much, but if the state doesn’t join with larger “balancing authorities” consumers will be forced to pay even more. It’s a complicated story, but he says it might be time to abandon Cal ISO. “Regionalism, done right, is our cheapest and most reliable future,” writes Philp.
MAD Take: But what if this is “regionalism done wrong”? Tom is generally on top of things, but if he is suggesting we turn over our state’s purchasing prerogatives to speculators, then I fear Enron redux. The fact that the NRDC supports just such a move convinces me that this is not the way to go.

Fox26. PG&E wants rate hikes again, this time to pay investors.
Synopsis: After being granted four rate hikes in the past two years, PG&E is now asking for another specifically so it can pay bond buyers 11.3% return. They say it’s because of the “risk of doing business” in CA. Such requests are allowed only once every 3 years.
MAD Take: Normally, bonds issued by investor-owned public utilities return around 3.5% to investors. What do you want to bet the CPUC will allow 6% and then try to tell us how much money they saved us?

Desal breakthrough in CA?

LA Times. New desalination technology being tested in CA could lower costs of tapping seawater.
Synopsis: OceanWell Co. is putting two 40-foot pods on the seafloor in deep water several miles offshore. The pods leave the salt in the ocean “in low concentrations” then use ocean pressure to “pump” the purified water to Malibu. Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is overseeing the pilot project, financed through $700K in grants from Met and the US Bureau of Reclamation. But lots of agencies are anxiously tracking developments. Former Met exec and ACWA leader Tim Quinn is behind it, saying it can be scaled up by 2028. Even the NRDC is supporting it. If it works, desal could relieve pressure on the Colorado River and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to send water south, perhaps ending the endless arguments over the Delta tunnel. Current desal plants pencil out to about $1,200 to purify an acre foot of water and leaves behind lots of briny problems. No estimate was provided on the cost per AF, but the salt residue is said to be minimal.

Measles on our doorstep

Modesto Bee. Two measles cases in Tuolumne County a concern for Stanislaus County.
Synopsis: Tuolumne County health officials confirmed two cases of measles and warned the public about the highly contagious illness.  Stanislaus County says it is increasing testing.
MAD Note: Story doesn’t mention it, but two cases have also been reported in Fresno County. 

Rolling donut? Taco tornado?

GV Wire. FresYes Fest: Big downtown party expects 25,000 people on Saturday.
Synopsis: There will be lots of food, crafts, music and beer. Along with 100 craft vendors, you can expect 60 food trucks and 2 stages. Soccer stars will be on hand to sign autographs and a roaming rock’n’roll violinist will entertain. It all happens from 1 to 11 pm Saturday. The food trucks are one of the biggest draws, with “rolling donuts,” a pico de gallo tornado and steak tacos.