Valley Headlines

Gray, Costa looking for docs

Merced Focus. Costa, Gray propose bill to address critical physician shortage in rural areas. 
Synopsis: Adam Gray and Jim Costa have introduced the Medical Education Act which is designed to bring doctors to rural areas across the nation. They’re extremely familiar with their best example -- the San Joaquin Valley, which has only 47 primary care docs per 100,000 residents. Compare that to 300 per 100,000 in coastal areas and 84 nationwide. Said Dr. Tom Utecht of Community Health System, “We have the lowest physicians-per-capita rate in all of California in the San Joaquin Valley.” Gray recalled securing millions from the state to improve medical education at UC Merced and to bring UCSF to Fresno. That plan is working as UC Merced says it is seeing a surge of students enrolling in the medical arts program.

Safety net being shredded

Merced Focus. Trump orders mean uncertainty for Valley’s ‘safety net’ of health clinics. 
Synopsis: Reporter Tim Sheehan provides a thorough look at how Medicaid cuts being negotiated in Congress will jeopardize dozens of clinics that care for Valley residents. Trump already tried to shut down clinics over fear they might be treating undocumented immigrants, but a federal judge halted his order. There are 11 nonprofits operating 340 clinics in the Valley, all of them utterly dependent on Medi-Cal financing. Together, they provide 5 million client appointments for medical, dental, mental and other medical services each year. A heat map shows the state’s hardest hit areas would start in San Joaquin County and run through the Valley to Kern County. Justin Preas, CEO of United Health Centers, said he has reached out to David Valadao and Vince Fong, and has been assured Medicaid and Medi-Cal won’t be cut.
MAD Note: Why are Valadao and Fong important to this issue? Because it’s their fellow Republicans who are demanding cuts in healthcare funding. Democrats Adam Gray, Jim Costa and Josh Harder are standing firm to fully fund Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. But Republicans say they must cut the federal budget by a trillion dollars to fund their tax cuts. If three Republicans vote against the cuts, they won’t pass.

KVPR. ‘I’m devastated’: Trump administration guts millions from health programs in Fresno County. 
Synopsis: Fresno County has notified nearly a dozen nonprofits that $11 million in federal grants for community health have been canceled by Robert Kennedy Jr. as he guts the Centers for Disease Control. It will impact roughly 120 community health workers in the region. Yolanda Randles of West Family Fresno Resource Center said, “I’m devastated.” The Nisei Farmers’ League lost a $340,000 grant to provide testing kits to farmworkers. Nisei’s Manuel Cunha said the government is “stiffing” the very people who feed the nation. Funds to operate 200 UCSF mobile health clinics for rural areas have also been cut. The upshot is more crowding in emergency rooms and urban facilities. Said Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, “People will get hurt, and this will cost them their lives.” Sarait Martinez offered an example: A taxi or ride-share from Huron to Fresno and back costs $100, meaning people will not seek treatment for communicable diseases.

Who does it hurt? Kids

Fresno Bee. SJ Valley children will be first impacted by politicians slashing Medi-Cal. 
Synopsis: Samantha Leon wrote this op-ed urging people to call their Congressional representatives to demand Medicaid be saved. “This is not about government waste. It is not about fiscal responsibility. (The cuts are) about protecting the wealthy and punishing the vulnerable.” Cuts to Medicaid will mean fewer beds at Valley Children’s and the likely closing of Kaweah Health in Visalia and Madera Community.
MAD Note: Clearly, some folks are part of the problem while others are trying to find solutions. Good to see that Adam Gray and Jim Costa are searching for those solutions.

Becerra wants to be governor

LA Times. Former federal health chief Xavier Becerra announces run for CA governor. 
Synopsis: The race to replace Gavin Newsom got a little more crowded as Xavier Becerra jumped in. He pointed to his experience fighting Trump (as CA AG, Becerra filed 122 lawsuits against Trump in his first term) and managing disasters, including COVID-19. “This is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” he said. That may or may not be a dig at presumptive favorite Kamala Harris, who has delayed making an announcement until this summer. Becerra says he’s in the race regardless. Others running include Katie Porter, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, Eleni Kounalakis and Betty Yee.

Essayli leaves Assembly for DOJ

LA Times. Trump ally and rising CA GOP star Essayli named top federal prosecutor in LA. 
Synopsis: Pam Bondi has appointed a sitting Assemblymember to be US attorney for LA, prompting him to send a one-sentence letter to Speaker Robert Rivas resigning his seat. Essalyi needs confirmation from the Senate and is promising fidelity to “the President’s mission.” Trump fired the former LA US attorney last week because his office was investigating an executive who had contributed significantly to the Trump campaign. Essalyi is first-generation Lebanese and a Muslim.

Celebrating Cesar Chavez Day

Fresno Bee. Thousands march on Cesar Chavez Day for immigrant rights in California.
Synopsis: A 3-mile march commemorating Cesar Chavez’s 98^th birthday took place in Delano as speakers denounced the Trump administration and praised the United Farm Workers. And then got down to some serious partying. Organizers put the number at 7,000, including attorney general Rob Bonta.

How to find more water

LA Times. More recycling could help fix Colorado River shortfall; CA has a ways to go. 
Synopsis: UCLA reports that the state must reuse more of its sewage. Of the 7 states that rely on the Colorado River, CA ranks a distant third in reuse of wastewater. Nevada recycles 85% of its water, Arizona 52% and CA 22%. Utah recycles 1% (ahem). Even “modest gains in water reuse could make an enormous difference on the Colorado,” said study author Mark Gold, who also works for the NRDC.

Monterey Herald. Sierra snowpack sees most bountiful 3 years in a row in 25 years. 
Synopsis: As for water, we’re on a roll. The past three years of normal or above-normal precipitation is the longest such stretch this century. “Gosh, what a relief,” said UC Davis Prof. Jay Lund. He noted good rainfall but little flooding, calling it “a near Goldilocks amount – just right.” It means our reservoirs are at or above 100% of normal. Lund offered a warning: “A year like this is a good time to prepare for the next drought. We should be building projects, upgrading old facilities, and hiring new water engineers to replace the ones who retire.” 

Valley Ag Voice. Current SWP and CVP water supply allocations.
Synopsis: DWR’s Karla Nemeth talked about the need, even in a good water year, to plan and build “new infrastructure to move and store enough water for California as dry spells last longer and wet periods become shorter and flashier.” In other words, what Jay Lund said.

Building in CA is costliest

Cal Matters. Daily newsletter: High cost of CA construction.
Synopsis: Reporter Ben Christopher looks at a RAND study which found building in CA costs twice as much as most other states. Texas has the lowest per square-foot average cost at $157. In CA it costs $415. That’s because local jurisdictions are notorious for piling fees onto every project and house. The Bay Area is the worst, at $531 per square foot. The reason for the elevated costs includes a higher minimum wage but multiple impact fees with extensive “requirements attached to public funding sources.” BTW, in Texas it takes 2 years to complete a project, in CA it takes 4 years.

Benefits of almond, grape orders

Ag Net West. CA almond producers vote to continue marketing order.
Synopsis: In a vote among farmers who produce 93% of the state’s almonds, 90.5% voted to keep the marketing order. That means they will continue to tax themselves based on volume to pay for research, marketing and quality control. The Modesto-based Almond Board oversees the program which is, apparently, very popular.

Western Farm Press. Pierce’s disease research saves wine producers $56m annually.
Synopsis: UC Davis says the program to control glassy-winged sharpshooters, who spread a vine-destroying bacteria, saves growers $56 million each year. The school is pointing out the benefits because growers are assessed $1.25 per $1,000 of crop value to pay for the work and they’d like that funding to continue. “The economic data is clear as day – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Joe Damiano, the CDFA’s Pierce’s Disease Control Program coordinator.

Future fire chief gets a ride

Merced Sun Star. Merced middle schooler dreams of being Merced’s first Black fire chief.
Synopsis: Hoover Middle School 7^th-grader Lailah Brooks was surprised when a fire engine pulled up and invited her onboard. She has written about her dream to become the fire chief in an essay which found its way to fire Capt. Morgan Madruga. Lailah was inspired when firefighters responded to her father’s heart attack and her brother’s gunshot wounds. “It was scary, but it showed me that I could do that for other people. I want to be that light that saves someone else’s family members.” If Lailah makes it, she would be the first woman on the department. 

Column of the day

SF Chronicle. I flew combat missions against Houthi rebels; damage from Signal is incalculable.
Synopsis: Until 2022, Erin Edwards was a Navy attack-helicopter pilot deployed to the Middle East including the Bab-el Mandeb Strait at the Gulf of Aden. She writes about the necessity to keep Information about a mission’s time, location, route, weapons and capabilities secret. To do otherwise, she said, “would compromise the mission and increase vulnerability.” The Houthis have fast-attack boats, rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles and are fully capable of shooting down our assets. Now we learn that top defense officials are discussing military operations over Gmail and Signal. The stuff they shared is highly classified. While America’s top-secret networks are designed to protect against hackers, Signal and Gmail are not. Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz, JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard “should lose their security clearances and, ultimately, their positions. … If Hegseth were a man of honor who cared about the security of our nation, he would demonstrate an ounce of leadership to our troops and resign,” wrote the retired captain.  

Turlock’s ‘Favorite Chef’

Turlock Journal. Pitman culinary arts instructor part of ‘Favorite Chef’ contest.
Synopsis: Mohini Singh came to Turlock from Fiji, but knew all along that cooking would be part of her life. Now she’s going to compete in the Food Network’s Favorite Chef contest for a $25K first prize. She’ll be judged by celeb chef Carla Hall. Mohini’s husband LeRoy Walker owns First & Main and Bistro 234. Hailey Ware calls her former teacher at Pitman “the sweetest and best person I’ve ever met.” Singh has created her own line of spices. If she wins, she will use the money to take her children to Fiji. BTW, her kids, Jacinda and Elias, were among the Turlock students who helped create Kitchens for Change. You can vote at https://favchef.com.