Valley Headlines

Trying to get rid of PG&E

CBS13. Stockton city leaders vote to change power provider for thousands to save money.
Synopsis: The city wants to give residents the option of getting rid of PG&E by signing up with something called Ava Energy. Ava says it can provide a 5% reduction in electricity bills. Customers would have a choice to stay with PG&E.
MAD Take: More than 20 years ago, South San Joaquin Irrigation District – which creates its own power as a partner in the Tri-Dam Project -- attempted to wrest control of PG&E’s customers and facilities within its district. The privately owned utility tied up SSJID in the courts for so long that most people have forgotten about this effort. But it isn’t over yet. The last hearing was a PG&E victory in 2023 – 19 years after the lawsuits began. The next hearing, however, is set for June, 2026 and could turn the matter over to the CPUC where SSJID has already won once. SSJID says it could lower rates by 15% if given the opportunity. With Ava looking to expand into other areas of San Joaquin County, it might be good for folks to know that an even cheaper alternative is on the horizon.

More crap hits the Bay

KQED. SF dumps millions of gallons of sewage during big storms; surfers say that must stop. 
Synopsis: The cities around San Francisco Bay have been incapable of treating runoff from rainstorms for decades. That means the runoff, and whatever is in it, flows through their 47 treatment plants and straight into the ocean or Bay, carrying everything from fast-food wrappers to human excrement. No big deal, says the SFPUC, it only happens about 10 times a year and it’s only a billion or 2 billion gallons each time. State and federal EPA regulators have been trying to force peninsula cities to the same discharge standards that every other city in the state must meet. But the SFPUC has sued to be allowed to continue polluting, saying that creating enough capacity within its system to handle runoff would cost $10 billion. A Berkeley professor is suggesting the entire state should chip in to clean up the mess.
MAD Take: Not mentioned in this story is the role our Valley plays. There is only one way to mitigate all that pollution pouring into the Bay – by diluting it with fresh water. Where does that freshwater come from? Our rivers. This is one of the reasons the environmental community demands so much of our rivers be allowed to flow into the Bay -- to flush away their mess. 

Marin Independent Journal. Greenbrae sewage leak fouls parking lot, creek.
Synopsis: The city of Greenbrae – across the Bay from SFPUC – allowed 88,000 gallons of “effluent” to flow into a parking lot and then into Corte Madera Creek on Feb. 6. From there it flowed into the Bay.

Water: CA ‘in really good shape’

SJ Mercury News. CA’s largest reservoir has risen 22 feet as more rain drenches state.
Synopsis: Parts of the state remain exceptionally dry, but the northern parts are exceptionally wet – including the Sacramento River watershed. Lake Shasta is up 22 feet. Lake Oroville is up 23 feet. Even Jeffrey Mount of the PPIC says, “I can confidently say we are in really good shape. It’s unusual to get three wet years in a row.”
MAD Take: With all this water, can someone explain why farmers are being told to expect only 20% of their “promised” water allocations? Maybe it’s because all that water is needed to flush the Bay.

OB/GYN deserts in California

PPIC. Cuts to hospital maternity care raise concerns about access.
Synopsis: The PPIC released survey results that confirm the data revealed more than a year ago that there are “OB/GYN deserts” developing throughout the state. It’s part of a national trend and due to lower birth rates, hospital consolidation and lower profits. The good news is that 85% of CA women live within 15 minutes of a hospital offering maternity care. The bad news is that nearly half-a-million women live at least 30 minutes away. A chart shows that only Madera and Mariposa counties fall into that category, though folks in Patterson, Gustine and Newman might beg to differ.

Predators: There’s an app for that

The Markup. Dating app cover-up: How Tinder, Hinge and their owner keep rape under wraps.
Synopsis: The Markup, a subsidiary of CalMatters, joined with the Pulitzer Center to do an 18-month look at how dating apps owned by the Match Group respond to allegations of misconduct, including rape. The company says it bans any user after a report of misconduct, but that doesn’t always happen. One case was described in which the man remained on the apps until he was arrested two months after the first complaint. A different study, conducted by BYU, found that attacks facilitated by dating apps are more violent and happened more quickly than when victims met the perpetrator through other means.

SF Standard. Uber drivers sexually assaulted 24 women, 3 men, lawsuit says.
Synopsis: Uber drivers either groped, exposed themselves or sexually assaulted 27 people according to two new lawsuits filed against the company. The lawsuits say the company should have warned customers or banned certain drivers.

‘New’ roles for police chiefs

Merced Focus. Veteran police chief returns to Los Banos interim city manager role.
Synopsis: Gary Brizzee came out of retirement to take the job of city manager, which he held twice before. Mayor Michael Amabile thanked Brizzee for ending is retirement. Brizzee replaces Josh Pinheiro, who had been city manager for three tumultuous years.

GV Wire. Mindy Casto becomes Fresno’s top cop, shedding interim tag.
Synopsis: Mindy Casto became Fresno’s police chief on Thursday morning, a job she has been doing for the past nine months and ending a nationwide search for a successor to Paco Balderrama. Her first day was Tuesday. She had support in both the ranks and from some city councilmembers.

Farm income should rise

Ag Net West. USDA’s February farm income forecast.
Synopsis: The USDA says farmers will be making 22% more money in 2025 than they made in 2024 due to decreases in production expenses. Net farm income, which reached a record of $193.7 billion in 2022, declined in 2023 and 2024. It is expected to approach that record again in 2025 at around $180 billion. Most of the difference in 2024 and 2025 will be from direct government payments, which are expected to rise by $33 billion. Total inflation-adjusted cash receipts are forecast to fall by $14.2 billion (2.7%) in 2025. The good news: income from fruit, nuts, vegetables and melons is expected to rise by around 1.0% and dairy is expected to be up nearly 2%.

Oil for blood

KCEE / CBS47. Donate blood, get a free oil change commemorating Madera man.
Synopsis: The Garcia family is remembering Javier by offering a free oil change for anyone donating blood. Javier died of breast cancer several years ago. The blood drive will be at the Toyota Chevrolet dealership on Country Club on Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. 

73 new units for homeless

GV Wire. City Center unveils Real Solutions for Fresno homelessness.
Synopsis: The Fresno Mission opened its $35 million City Center full-service support facility for families in crisis. It’s at 2025 E. Dakota on the grounds of the former Sierra Hospital. “City Center is more than just a building – it’s a movement” said CEO Matthew Dildine. A third of the cost for the 73 residential units came from donations with $5 million from tax credits and $2.4 million from the federal American Rescue Plan. It includes an adult vocational school, grocery store, clinic, laundromat, coffee shop and conference center.
https://youtu.be/8_A_eXSbIBk

A fun ride with a siren

Westside Connect. Grant adds two new motorcycles to Newman fleet.
Synopsis: The city of Newman purchased two zero-emission Zero electric motorcycles with help from a state grant. Story didn’t specify the type of motorcycle, but an internet search says they were made by CA-based Zero Motorcycles exclusively for police-department use. They have crash bars, a PA system, radar-gun mounts, full LED lighting and can be bulletproofed. Oh, and they’re silent as they go from 0 to 60 in roughly 4 seconds, topping out at 100 mph. So yes, they can sneak up on you and you’ll have a hard time getting away. Cpl. William Parrott and Officer Corey Bayer will be the riders.