Valley Headlines

What political reporters got right

Cal Matters. CA’s path hinges on the presidential race: ‘No state has more to lose or gain.’
Synopsis: Reporter Alexei Koseff seems to have just noticed that Kamala Harris is from California, and that Donald Trump hates the state that hates him back (we filed more than 100 lawsuits against the federal government during his first term). If she wins, expect a renaissance; if he wins, expect to become part of the resistance. “What lies ahead is a nerve-wracking fork in the road that hinges on perhaps tens of thousands of voters in a handful of states thousands of miles away.”  

Cal Matters. Biggest potential impact in CA’s election? Hundreds of bonds and tax measures.
Synopsis: Dan Walters writes about the impact of the education (Prop 2) and environmental (Prop 4) bonds and Prop 5, which lowers the threshold for approval of local bonds. Dan points to 531 bond and tax measures on local ballots. Of those, 269 are for education totaling $50 billion with a payback of $100 billion. Dan says that if school districts didn’t give away all their money to teachers, they could afford basic upkeep without further burdening property owners.

What political reporters got wrong

SF Gate. CA voters could be the only people stopping Trump from total control.
Synopsis: Reporter Lester Black takes note of six crucial congressional districts. Like everyone else, he starts by writing about CA 13. Lester says Adam is a “former state senator.” Lester says, “Duarte has come out opposed to a national abortion ban while Gray tried to reduce gasoline taxes while in the state senate.”
MAD Take: Lester’s fulltime job at SF Gate is “Cannabis Editor.” Figures. Not sure what he was smoking before he wrote this story, but he inhaled too deeply. Senator? Against a national abortion ban? It is disheartening when someone lists among the most important races in the nation then – following voluminous coverage for the past year – gets so much wrong. No wonder journalism is dying.

Cal Matters. These CA toss-ups may decide which party controls Congress.
Synopsis: Reporter Yue Stella Yu writes a long story rehashing lots of polling, debates, etc. Eventually, she provides the same list of districts – starting with CA 13 – that so many others have offered in their stories over the past year. Like all those past stories, she offers nothing new, other than to say Adam and Duarte provided “similar answers on several issues during their last debate.”
MAD Take: Yu obviously didn’t watch that debate. She writes the candidates “remained mum on abortion policies” – which is utterly insane. Adam’s answer was unequivocal: “I support a woman’s right to choose.” Where did Yu get such an idea? Her story was linked to coverage of the debate by McClatchy’s Gillian Brazill – who might not have tuned in, either. CalMatters suggests we link to their page to track results. With this kind of coverage, I will not.

Patch. Palm Desert 2024 Election Guide: What to know.
Synopsis: Reporter Toni McAllister writes that John Duarte “flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974.”
MAD Take: Huh? The district was entirely redrawn for the 2020 election, combining districts previously represented by Josh Harder and Jim Costa. There was no “flip” because the district didn’t exist. Prior to 2020, District 13 was made up of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Maybe that’s the district Duarte flipped. He doesn’t live there, either.

Mother Jones. How a drastic drop in Latino support in CA could cost Democrats the House.
Synopsis: Reporter Noah Lanard posted this story after walking through Keyes, which he said is “not the typical town in which a Republican spends the precious final days of a close campaign.”  He quotes political consultant and Never-Trumper Mike Madrid saying the district and the demographic is shifting rightward. He says it’s not a “shift,” but a lurch. Lanard quotes a Democrat pollster saying that young Latinos are fully backing Trump. He quotes others, perhaps more thoughtful, who recognize that the GOP presents itself as a nativist if not racist party. It bothers them.
MAD Take: This story is disconcerting. I can’t help but wonder why the reporter put so much stock in the house he and Duarte visited while walking precincts. It just happened to be the home of one of Duarte’s employees. Wow, what a coincidence. The fear of having a nativist’s regime in Washington, and Duarte’s endorsement of that regime, should carry some weight.

Those who know Adam, speak up …

AdamGray4Congress. What people are saying about Adam Gray.
If you want to see what voters in this district have to say about Adam, quite a few took a few moments to talk to interviewers from Team Gray over the past few months. There are about 20 films, ranging from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Click on the headline, click the film above or follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVxXxmAzFfc&list=PLf8-4QFK591SnHCETkzmUh-ThQk6VSaaO&index=4.

Queen Bean suffers break-in

Modesto Bee. Break-in at Queen Bean causes a few thousand dollars in damages: ‘Gut punch.’
Synopsis: The popular coffee & talk shop in Modesto, recently purchased by former city poet laureate Sam Pierstorf and his partner Ruhi Sheikh, was hit by a bearded guy in a hoodie and a beanie. He took the cash register and POS system. The Bean was closed Sunday to clean up. Too bad; “The Ninja Poet” and Ruhi invested a lot to keep this important gathering place alive.

Farmers lean right, mostly

Fresno Bee. SJ Valley farmers anxious about US presidential election, future of agriculture.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez talks to grower Joe Del Bosque, who says he is turned off by the rhetoric of both sides (huh? Joy vs. anger?). Joe worries that Donald Trump doesn’t realize who actually does the farming in our Valley. Bill Lyons says Kamala Harris will get things done, providing water to grow and global markets to buy our products. Sarah Woolf, a marketing consultant for one of the South Valley’s most important farming families, says Trump is more sympathetic to her water needs.

Homeless ban almost in place

Merced Sun Star. Merced city council approves first reading of public encampment ordinance.
Synopsis: One more reading and a council vote, then the ban on camping on sidewalks, parking lots, in parks or within 1,000 feet of a school will be official. Shane Smith calls it a consensus. But there was one dissenter, Fue Xiong. He calls it punishment for being poor. Camper “Wizard” says this will lead to needless confrontations, frustration and tension. There are fines for violating the new law.
MAD Take: Fines? What are you going to take from them? As for the headline calling this a “Homeless ban,” it’s factual. Who else is “camping” in Merced?

Off-roaders fight restrictions

GV Wire. ‘Leave it the way it is’: Off-roaders, hikers react to proposal to change 1.4M acres.
Synopsis: Edward Smith talks to off-roaders about their opposition to creation of the Range of Light National Monument linking Yosemite and Kings Canyon national parks. Among the elected leaders who support it are Joaquin Arambula, Anna Caballero, Jim Wood, Toni Atkins, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Esmeralda Soria and at least 40 others. But such a designation would limit off-road access in summer and winter. The area now has 209 acres dedicated to off-roading and 190 miles of vehicle trails. A designation might also limit access for dogs. Oh, and you’d have to pay entry fees. Among those who couldn’t be reached about their support were Jim Patterson and newly minted Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil.

Bird flu’s spread still worrisome

Farms.com. Why finding bird flu in a US pig for the first time is raising new worries.
Synopsis: The sick pig was on a family farm in Oregon, not a commercial operation. But the fact H5N1 has mutated to infect cows, pigs, humans, cats and all kinds of birds is worrying the USDA and CDC. Why? Because pigs are considered “mixing vessels” for infections that can hit humans with deadly affect. Pigs are considered the source of the 1918 flu strain that killed 100 million worldwide.  

Fresno Bee. Avian flu outbreak in CA leads to depopulation of 1.5 million chickens, turkeys.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez writes about the commercial flocks being destroyed in three counties -- 48,300 turkeys in Sacramento, 117,200 chickens in Kings and 204,600 in Fresno. That brings the toll in Kings to 527,000 this year and 1.5 million statewide. The virus has spread across the globe, hitting every inhabited continent except Australia.

Yes, there is a free lunch

SF Standard. Eat for free on Election Day at classic SF restaurant.
Synopsis: Willie Brown’s Election Day Free Lunch is an ongoing tradition in SF. Public figures, candidates and just curious onlookers will gather at John’s Grill, the 115-year-old restaurant. They eat from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, before the counting begins. The line starts forming hours earlier. Willie has always been on hand to greet those who want to eat. Among those you can expect to see is Joe Cotchett, who says “everybody is welcome, regardless of party.”  Even a glass of wine is free. One.

Finally, coach Kerr’s gameplan

SF Chronicle. Warriors’ Steve Kerr urges Americans to vote: ‘Tomorrow’s a big day.’
To make his point, the five-time NBA champion Kerr wore a Nike long-sleeve tee at courtside during his team’s game in Washington. All it said was “VOTE”. Steve has made it clear his choice for your vote. He’s not a fan of the orange garbage man.