Valley Headlines

Rethinking San Luis expansion

SF Chronicle. One of CA’s biggest reservoirs is about to expand – if it can clear a major hurdle. 
Synopsis: Kurtis Alexander reports on long-standing plans to earthquake-proof Sisk Dam and expand San Luis Reservoir by 130,000-acre feet. Santa Clara Valley Water District will be the top beneficiary but Del Puerto WD, Byron-Bethany, San Benito WD and the city of Tracy are all involved. While there is no environmental opposition, half the cost of the $1 billion project is because Hwy 152 has to be moved out of the path of a rising reservoir. Complicating the road work is the presence of several fault lines, including the San Andreas and its little sister, Ortigalita. The nearly $500 million cost of that part of the project has caused two of the original sponsoring agencies to drop out. Cannon Michael of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority says the road costs make the “overall project financially unfeasible.” He suggests more state and federal dollars should be used considering “these important safety upgrades benefit the broader public and should not be solely borne by the agencies.” Reporter Alexander compares San Luis to the recent decision by local water agencies to kill the expansion of Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County, also due to cost. Regardless, Westlands and Santa Clara say they’re all in. Esmeralda Soria is pushing a bill to put another $455 million of state money into the project. Lon Martin of San Luis District called the expansion “a once in 10 lifetimes opportunity,” but the cost of the highway upgrades “make it unfeasible.”
MAD Take: Not mentioned is that Hwy 152 has become a major commuter corridor for thousands of people going from Los Banos to San Jose each day. The road needs expanded capacity, not just to be elevated. That will cost even more, but ignoring that reality will stymie the Valley’s potential to help solve the state’s housing crisis.

Impacts of raids in Valley

Cal Matters. Raid or rumor? Reports of immigration sweeps are warping life in Central Valley. 
Synopsis: Reporter Nigel Duara begins his exhaustive story in Modesto where seeing one or two white panel vans strikes fear in the hearts of undocumented immigrants. Valley Response Network tracks reports of these vans and issues moment-to-moment warnings. Fear is the purpose. Meanwhile, attendance at mass and in schools is down. Valley Response has been doing “know-your-rights” lectures at Catholic and Methodist churches, including in Merced where attendance at regular Spanish-language mass is down 60%. Duara described how ICE tracked down Alfredo Naranjo, who came to California legally but overstayed his papers. He has no criminal record – not even a speeding ticket -- but now he’s being held in a Bakersfield detention center. His distraught children are American citizens. Now scammers pretend to be ICE agents then shake down victims or make laughing videos at their fear; other scammers offer “immigration services.” Blanca Ojeda says she hasn’t heard anything from those representing the Valley in Washington and Sacramento. 
MAD Note: While Ojeda might not have heard about it, Adam Gray is co-sponsor of a bipartisan act to grant young people brought to the US 10 years of protection from deportation.

Fake agent speaks up

GV Wire. Who is Fresno’s ‘fake’ ICE agent? He speaks up.
Synopsis: David Taub writes about Abad Sandoval Gonzalez, who was one of two men arrested for impersonating ICE agents in Fresno. He appeared before the Fresno city council to sort of tell his side. After ICE raided fields and parking lots in Kern County, Gonzalez and Thomas Avila came to Fresno dressed in heavy vests marked ICE and POLICE then attempted to film interactions with immigrants. He was arrested for harassing customers at 11 different Fresno stores. He says he was just making videos.

Murphy’s hat is in the ring

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Former Merced Mayor Murphy announces for AD 27.
Synopsis: Late Monday, former Merced Mayor Mike Murphy officially announced what has been rumored for months -- that he will run for what is expected to be a vacant assembly seat in 2026. Current Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria has said she will run to replace Sen. Anna Caballero. In his announcement, Murphy lauded his ability to create a budget surplus, make Merced more attractive, ensure clean drinking water and revitalize downtown while he was mayor.

Column: Demand a town hall

Fresno Bee. It’s time to demand your CA congress member hold a town hall meeting.
Synopsis: Columnist Tad Weber makes a strong statement: “Republican House members, thy name is coward.” He notes that Republican leaders have willingly ceded their constitutional power to Trump and DOGE. Anger over that dereliction has driven Mike Johnson to recommend his members to not appear in public and deny angry constituents the opportunity to create viral videos. “What a sorry statement on democracy,” writes Tad. But he’s not letting Democrats off the hook. He quotes one constituent, saying “Are the Democrats here to represent us or to make excuses?” Jim Costa will have a town hall April 8. 

Trade war hurt our Valley

Modesto Bee. CA farmers fear tariff trade war losses in billions, uneven bailouts.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez cites a letter from two dozen influential farming organizations decrying the trade war launched by the Trump administration. The CA Farm Bureau, Western Growers and American Pistachio Growers were among co-signers to the letter addressed to members of Congress. The USDA has promised to provide bailouts to farmers, but in the previous trade war under Trump v1.0, some 97.7% of those payments went to big commodity crops (corn, beans, etc.) and only 2.3% went to specialty crops such as nuts, fruit, tomatoes, winegrapes, etc. Since most of the state’s nuts are grown in Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Madera and Kern counties, this is a very local issue. And with 70% of almonds and 80% of pistachios exported, this will have a real impact on the Valley’s economy. Winegrape growers are already feeling impacts, as Trump’s tariffs sparked an angry backlash in Canada where 40% of America’s exported wine is headed. “Many Canadian provinces have stopped accepting shipments from any American wineries,” said Natalie Collins of the CA Assn of Winegrape Growers. She said her growers feel like “collateral damage” in Trump’s trade war. Researchers predict up to $6 billion in losses for CA farmers this year.

Western Producer. US dairy exports make big inroads to Canada.
Synopsis: Since 2021, US dairy farmers have sold 67% more cheese, butter, whey and powdered milk to Canada than they did during the previous four-year period under Trump. “It’s a big win for US dairy farmers, but that’s not the story being told by President Donald Trump” who has insisted Canada has a 250% tariff on dairy products. While technically true, the tariffs are incrementally applied and the 250% hits a tiny amount levied only after quotas have been met. Prof. Chris Wolf of Cornell says: “Trump is … ignoring the export data. I would guess that’s why this administration has latched onto those tariffs, because they seem outrageous and most people don’t know what’s really going on.”

Morning Ag Clips. Producer sentiment slips due to rising policy uncertainty.
Synopsis: The monthly Purdue University producer survey fell 12 points (about 9%) from February. Falling crop prices and uncertainty around trade policies are making farmers more pessimistic, though a lot of cognitive dissonance remains.

Do layoffs compromise safety?

Modesto Bee. As Modesto City Schools lays off campus supervisors, concerns grow over safety.
Synopsis: The layoffs of 47 people, including 7 campus supervisors and school support managers, will return the district to pre-COVID staffing levels. Several students spoke at the board meeting to insist campus supervisors are necessary to stop fights and drug use in restrooms. Lindsey Bird – an outspoken critic of the district when a teacher – said seniority was not the best way to do the layoffs. Bird also wondered if money spent on fencing could have been redirected toward keeping workers.

Did lecturer go too far?

Valley Sun. Fresno St. prof doles out extra credit for Tesla protests, calls for death of Trump, Musk.
Synopsis: Katherine Shurik is a lecturer (not a “prof”) in Fresno State’s Anthropology Dept. and not shy about expressing her feelings about #FelonTrump, #TraitorTrump, #RapistTrump. On her Facebook page was a photo of Trump in a coffin flanked by smiling ex-first families, including Melania. The university “strongly” condemned the “abhorrent social media posts.” FSU President Saul Jimenez-Sandoval said the university will “communicate with her.” The last lecturer to wish for Trump’s demise in a post was suspended for a year.

Op-Ed: Vote was a betrayal

GV Wire. State Center trustees vote for special-interest giveaway over students.
Synopsis: Matthew Estipona, who works for the Associated Builders & Contractors of Northern CA, rails against the community college district’s decision to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement behind closed doors. “Let’s be clear: This was not a mandate from the voters, it was a political kickback. This was a backroom deal, slipped into the agenda on Friday prior to the meeting, designed to avoid scrutiny and reward members of the board with aspirations for higher office.” The district has $698 million to spend thanks to Measure Q. But the PLA will exclude local construction firms from bidding on parts of projects. The board “should be ashamed,” writes Estipona.

Suspicious, deadly fires

Merced Sun Star. Suspicious fire leads to discovery of burned body in Merced County homes.
Synopsis: The fire was in the back yard of a vacant home on Beachwood Drive, which started around 8:45 a.m. Authorities said this appears suspicious.

Modesto Bee. Victim found in burning shed in Ceres pronounced dead at scene.
Synopsis: This fire started behind a mobile home late Monday night on the 1900 block of Whitmore. Again, authorities say this looks suspicious.

Best national parks? A list

Fresno Bee. 3 CA national parks ranked ‘very best’ in US.
Synopsis: Lonely Planet guide books looked at 63 national parks in the lower 48, and came up with a top-12 list. Ranked No. 6 is Yosemite, which is not just a park, but “a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers and the persistence of life.” Down at No. 12 were sibling parks Sequoia and Kings Canyon. The top 5 parks were Yellowstone, followed by Grand Canyon, Mt. Ranier, Olympic, Acadia. LP warned visitors to expect longer lines, less service, reduced hours and dirtier parks following the firing of 1,000 National Park Service employees by Elon Musk.