Valley Headlines

How they’re saving the Valley

River Partners. Breaking Ground: RP pioneering innovative research for imperiled species.
Synopsis: Sean Murphy writes about the $40 million grant that River Partners got from the CA Wildlife Conservation Board for use in the San Joaquin Valley. That money is going into floodplain restoration projects up and down the Valley. But $4 million has been earmarked for monitoring. And it might be the most important part. Continuously checking both progress and results is essential to effective conservation. That’s why 67 data collectors at 8 sites have been installed, including on projects near Turlock, at Dos Rios State Park, on Bear Creek near Merced, the San Luis NWR near Los Banos and other areas. Two areas of particular concern are birds and pollinators say those in charge. Bird data is an excellent way to measure restoration success. Among those delighted with the project is Jim Cogswell of the USF&WS. “River Partners is very unique in their capacity. They are THE experts in riparian and river habitat restoration, and they have a long history. … River Partners is spectacular at being able to pull all of that together.”
MAD Take: One of those proudest to have played a role in these projects is Adam Gray, who proudly received an award from RP two years ago.  

CA-13’s worldwide attention

Valley Citizen. Congressman Duarte can run, but he can’t hide.
Synopsis: Eric Caine shreds the façade John Duarte has tried to create as a “moderate.” As Eric puts it: “Duarte’s ‘moderation’ includes backing both Jim Jordan and Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House, both of whom helped kill a bipartisan bill that was supported by the Border Patrol union, the South Texas Alliance of Cities, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Wall Street Journal. The bill was killed because Donald Trump needed a campaign issue.” And “Duarte has remained silent while Donald Trump and JD Vance spew vile lies about legal immigrants …” And “Duarte likes to boast about his record on water, but it was John Duarte who paid a $1.1 million fine for violations of the Clean Water Act….” And then this, “If voters really want an independent voice in Washington DC, they can look to Adam Gray’s record as an Assemblyman.”
MAD Note: Uh, Eric, can we quote you?

KSEE / CBS47. John Duarte, Adam Gray face off in congressional rematch.
Synopsis: Reporter Katherine Phillips talks to the candidates, starting with Adam Gray, who discusses being a “radical centrist” and his deep roots in the community. Duarte talks about the policies coming out of Washington that are “crushing families” without noting that he has spent the last two years in Washington helping craft those policies. He claims to be working on Westside water projects, though it was Adam Gray who was invited to the groundbreaking of Dos Palos’ new treatment facility.

Zeitung Aussiedlerbote (Germany). Democrats’ ambitious aspiration to overturn House control hinges on substantial donations.
Synopsis: Story looks at fundraising efforts in which Democrats have greatly reduced the monetary advantage that millionaire John Duarte and his big-money donors had at the start. The reporter Includes this: “Privately, Republicans believe they may lose at least two incumbents in the blue states – Reps. Brandon Williams in New York and John Duarte in California …”

Bird flu is getting scarier

Politico. Avian flu and seasonal flu are colliding in California.
Synopsis: A team of three reporters provide an exhaustive and sobering look at avian flu in CA. With human-flu season upon us, they worry the two viruses will create “a virulent combo that could spread beyond dairy workers to the rest of the population.” So far, 105 dairies have been hit. CA’s 11 human infections make up half of the world’s cases so far. “It will mutate to become increasingly optimal in humans as soon as it gains any foot in the door for human-to-human transmission,” said eMed’s chief science officer. How quickly that happens is “entirely unknown right now.” But he noted the swine-flu outbreak of 2009 was very similar, and it sickened 60 million people and killed 12,500. Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo at Brown University is “very frustrated” over the paucity of information on human cases. But an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins says CA is being very proactive in its approach. And after COVID, most Valley people are more receptive to vaccines.
MAD Note: We are Ground Zero for this disease. So, forgive the continued emphasis.

Yes, this matters here

Courthouse News Service. Justices’ ideologies dump EPA controls on sewage down the drain.
Synopsis: SCOTUS jurists argued between themselves from the bench as they heard testimony on whether or not San Francisco should be required to clean up sewage before dumping it into the Bay, streams and the Pacific. Elena Kagan pointed out, “We know you’re not supposed to leave toilet paper floating in Mission Creek.” But Brett Kavanaugh said he didn’t believe it is happening. According to court observers, this is going to go 6-3 in SFPUC’s favor.
MAD Take: Why is this important here? Because SF Bay is being polluted by the 23 cities surrounding it, operating 47 out-of-compliance facilities. Instead of fixing them (at a cost estimated at $10 billion), the SFPUC says “dilution is the solution.” That means more water will be required from our rivers to flush all the nasties out of the Bay. Instead, they just prefer to require more of our water.

LA Times. Column: Something is rotten in Metropolitan Water District.
Synopsis: Sammy Roth looks into the troubled tenure of Met GM Adel Hagekhalil and asks the question: “Is this a story about a bad boss … Or is it yet another water conspiracy in a region with a long history of schemers and plunderers?” People like Restore the Delta say Hagekhalil’s only crime is being too friendly with environmentalists. Others say he is trying to force self-reliance on the LA region that has long been dependent on water imported from the Delta and Colorado River. This could be “Chinatown Part 2” or it could be about a guy who can’t keep his hands to himself.
MAD Take: Could be both. Regardless, Roth’s a good writer and this is a good read.

Your MAMA turns 25

Modesto Bee. 25 years of celebrating music in Modesto: What do the MAMA awards mean?
Synopsis: The Bee plays catch-up in writing about the city’s annual red-carpet event, the Modesto Area Music Association awards. They were handed out on Oct. 15 at the State with tuxedoed Chris Murphy and Chris Ricci doing the honors. They created this event at the old Club Maxx in 2000. This year’s winners included Perfect Nightmare, Payton Mahoney, Friday Night Riot, Julian Moonlight and Persuasion Brewery. David Dow won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Patterson bumps up fees

Patterson Irrigator. Council approves downtown plan, increases DIF.
Synopsis: The Patterson council voted 4-0 to update development and traffic impact fees, the first increase since 2006. They figure the fees will generate $16 million for city hall, $45 million for recreation and $197 million for transportation. There’s also a new downtown master plan, meaning the city will apply for grants to put it in motion. Also, the city thanked the SO’s Joshua Clayton for serving as chief, but Shivaugn Alves said the city needs to investigate creating its own police department. Mayor Mike Clauzel pointed out that Lathrop’s new PD cost $11 million just to buy cars and equipment.

Law & order and more

Patterson Irrigator. New police chief sworn in.
Synopsis: Casey Hill is the new chief, celebrated in a ceremony with his family – who didn’t have to drive far. He has been with the Stanislaus SO since 2005, serving in Salida, South Mo, Westley and Grayson.

Merced Golden Wire. Change in locations you can carry.
Synopsis: Sheriff Vern Warnke lets his frustration show over state mandated rule changes on where you can take your concealed weapon. The state has ruled out hospitals, banks, youth centers, state parks, casinos, schools and churches to name a few of the 26 new restricted areas.

Merced Golden Wire. Thief alert.
Synopsis: MGW picks up a Facebook post from the Merced PD showing a man accused of stealing a lot of Tide liquid detergent. It’s a clear photo. The PD notes that he might be a slippery crook and calls this #detergentdrama.
MAD Note: This could turn into a real soap opera.

Ceres Courier. Officer makes allegations against police chief.
Synopsis: Detective Matt Berlier has sued Ceres Chief Chris Perry for pervasive “derogatory remarks” about his appearance, including “you look like a dog wrapped in a dog bed.” The former Merced deputy, who says he has been passed over for promotion, feels he’s being attacked for being a veteran. The lawsuit mentions concerns with Perry’s leadership expressed by the CPOA.

Inspiring students near and far

Modesto Bee. Turlock teacher inspires students to engage in politics.
Synopsis: Issac Farhadian teaches at Pitman where he encourages students to express their thoughts. Lately, that has been through letters to the editor in The Bee and Turlock Journal. He has created the Civics Leaders of America club. His mantra: “Don’t wait until tomorrow to make a difference.” One assignment was to write a break-up letter to a romantic partner that just happens to be another nation.

Ceres Courier. Japanese students drop in for a visit.
Synopsis: Three groups of students totaling 250 are in America, visiting places like Shane Parson’s Diamond Bar Ranch, Stewart & Jasper, MJC and Stanislaus State. While the scenery is different, the kids are the same as kids here, say those involved.