Valley Headlines

Women running farms

Ag Net West. Analysis finds majority of CA farms have a woman at the helm.
Synopsis: The organization Trace One found that 63.4% of all farms in CA have at least one female operator and 37.7% of all farmers are women. In the realm of specialty crops, it is women who are driving the industry. Nationwide, 36.3% of all farmers are women, managing 407 million acres and generating $222 billion. As the total number of farmers has declined since 2007, the percentage of female farmers has risen. While women dominate small-scale and specialty ag, they are “underrepresented” in commodity farming such as grains and tobacco.
MAD Take: Most female farmers, says the study, prefer not to grow commodity crops. They might be onto something. 

How to help homeless … or not

Turlock Journal. City council withholds support for We Care to apply for state funding.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez reports on $270,000 in state funding that could be lost to Turlock if the city council fails to write a letter of support for the We Care homeless shelter. This arose at last week’s council meeting when a 40-minute debate erupted leading to what was supposed to be a routine item was tabled until the April 8 meeting. Mayor Amy Bublak, saying “I’ll be the problem here,” is demanding the county to provide answers about funding 24-hour restrooms and street cleaning before she will support the proposal. Councilmembers Kevin Bixel and Cassandra Abram forcefully disagreed.

Valley Citizen. Modesto’s Dignity Village for homeless: the back story.
Synopsis: Eric Caine writes about Nick Bavaro’s efforts to help the least fortunate with help from Mani Grewal and Frank Ploof of SHARE (Stanislaus Homeless Advocacy & Resources Enterprise) among others. The village is made up of “truly tiny homes” of roughly 70 square feet that includes a bed, desk and shelves with heat and AC. Community facilities are nearby. The village houses 42 people.

Was it Tavlian all along?

GV Wire. Is Fresno political consultant Alex Tavlian behind election attack mailer?
Synopsis: Senior reporter David Taub finally says the quiet part out loud, linking Valley Sun publisher, lawyer and well-known political consultant Alex Tavlian to the ugly flyer that accused Brandon Vang of statutory rape. The UPS store owner from which the mailer was sent insists she had no involvement and has filed complaints with the State Bar and Fresno County DA’s office against Tavlian. The legally required address on the mailer was apparently incorrect, and the correct address leads to a box rented by Tavlian. He sort of denied any connection to the mailer. Vang was seeking to replace Luis Chavez on the Fresno City Council when the mailer was sent came out.
MAD Note: Maybe this is why Tavlian’s website hasn’t had a single word about this entire episode. Or maybe it is because the plan backfired. Vang is currently sitting on 50.16% and could win the vacant seat outright despite four other candidates in the race. So, is it worse to have sent out a scurrilous mailer or giving bad political advice?

Standing up for Musk

Sacramento Bee. See MAGA and anti-Tesla protesters face off for first time in Rocklin.
Synopsis: When about 200 people demanding “Deport the Nazi” arrived at the Rocklin Tesla dealership they were met with about 100 MAGA red hats and a caravan of flag-flying pickup trucks circling the Tesla dealership. Rocklin police cruised the demonstration, too, making sure violence was kept at bay.

GV Wire. Dueling protests clash at Fresno Tesla dealership.
Synopsis: Dozens of red-capped MAGA supporters and anti-Trumpers stood on opposite sides of the street holding signs like “Making liberals cry,” “Deport the Nazi” and “We voted for Doge.” Report said there were about 40 or 50 red hats vs. more than 100 in the “Tesla Takedown” rally across the street. There was lots of noise, but no violence.

Turlock getting flat burgers

Modesto Bee. Merced burger shop owners smashing their way to Turlock to open second location.
Synopsis: Smash Bros Burgers opened last June in Merced and now the owners are expanding to Turlock. Wahab Muheyaddin and his cousins Qais and Mohammad Mohammad think the building across the street from In-N-Out is perfect. Recent UC Merced graduate Wahab says people come to the area to buy burgers and finding more than one option works to his advantage. The burgers are different, being paper-thin and verging on crispy, served on a potato roll. They start at $5.99 and top out at $7.99.

Merced Sun Star. New boba tea location in Merced offers variety of drinks, Korean corn dogs.
Synopsis: Mocha Boba will open soon in the remodeled Merced Mall. Managed by Mai Yang, who lives in Visalia, the store will offer 80 drinks, snacks, shaved ice and more. They’re coming to Merced because it’s hard to find Korean food in the city.

Wineries for sale, cheap

SF Chronicle. Historic CA wine region is in peril: ‘Never seen it this bad.’
Synopsis: Falling sales and a lack of interest from tourists have staggered grape growers and winemakers in Amador County. Throw in tariffs and the sudden loss of foreign sales as Canadian consumers boycott American beverages, and a lot of vintners want out. David Ashcraft, who specializes in selling wineries, says he has twice as many listings as usual. Of the 22 available, 15 are in Amador County. Cooper Vineyards is listed for $7.95 million, Skinner for $5.5 million, Stevenot for $3.5 million and Terra d’Oro (aka, Montevina) for $17.5 million. Turley, which bought Karly Winery in 2012, recently closed its doors because there were no customers. Meanwhile, growers left 60% of their grapes on the vine last year and now they’re pulling out the vines. The Amador Winegrowers Assn has 62 members and no contracts for the upcoming vintage. Says one 90-year-old winemaker, “Wine is going to come back. It is impossible that it will go away.” Younger vintners say the old “belly-up-to-the-bar” model of tasing rooms is dying as a new “hospitality-driven” model takes over. 

Water, water everywhere

Merced Sun Star. Water in Merced reservoirs essential to local farmers, advocates say.
Synopsis: Reporter Andy Kuhn talks to farmers like Gino Pedretti III about the “lifeblood of our community,” water. Farmers in Merced ID have Lake McClure, but farmers outside its boundaries usually pump for irrigation. That option is problematic since sustainability rules passed in 2014 have curtailed most pumping. Pedretti said without McClure’s water, up to 70% of the county’s farmland would be fallowed. Hicham Eltal says the district expects McClure to be filled this year, just as it has been the last two years.

Sacramento Bee. CA’s snowpack sees solid rebound.
Synopsis: The string of cold, wet storms that crossed the Sierra have left behind a lot of water with the entire range at 90.1% of normal. The northern Sierra is closer to 110%. Meanwhile, Shasta is at 111% of normal, Oroville 120%, New Melones 133% and Don Pedro 109%. The figures all represent a “sharp recovery from early January.”

Impacts of Medicaid cuts

Modesto Bee. How could potential cuts and changes in Medi-Cal affect Californians?
Synopsis: Over the next two weeks, Congress will again consider massive spending cuts, including $880 billion to Medicaid programs nationwide. If that happens, the healthcare of some 83 million Americans, including 15 million Californians, will be in jeopardy. Republicans say the cuts are needed to pay for their massive tax cuts. They’re willing to end healthcare for low- and middle-income folks to save the tax breaks. David Valadao and 7 other GOP lawmakers say they are speaking out against the cuts, but they all voted for them the first time they had a chance. Other Republicans insist they can cut a $880 billion out of healthcare and not remove any services. Medical professionals are extremely concerned.

Is 700 years a record?

CBS13. Modesto man faces 700 years to life for 2023 crime spree, shootout with deputies.
Synopsis: Jason Dingler, 45, was convicted of 5 counts of attempted murder of a police officer, being a felon with a firearm, carjacking and more. His spree began when he broke into a home and stole a gun, then used it to rob a convenience store. He refused to pull over, sparking a high-speed chase. When he crashed into an orchard near Patterson, he waved the gun at deputies.

Iconic Fresno builder passes

GV Wire. RIP, Bill Lyles: One of Fresno’s most iconic builders and philanthropists. 
Synopsis: The CEO of Lyles Diversified died Wednesday at 91. His son, Will, said he finds solace in that his father had a “wonderful life.” Among his companies were American Paving and New England Sheet Metal. He was key in creating the Tesoro Viejo project in Madera and built all or parts of Madera Community Hospital, the Clovis Community Medical Center and Valley Children’s Hospital. Fresno city manager Georgeanne White said, “The entire Lyles family have been a pillar of the Fresno community for decades.” Lyles was known for donations to the Fresno chamber, Fresno State, Lyles College, Fresno Arts Council, Metropolitan Museum and symphony. He was also a founding member of the Maddy Institute.

Horse racing’s last gasp

Sacramento Bee. 170-year-old horse racing tradition comes to an end at State Fair.
Synopsis: It’s official, horse racing at Cal Expo this summer has been canceled. With the closure of Golden Gate Fields in June and county fair horse racing last month, the sport is on its last legs. “This decision marks the end of an era,” said Cal Expo CEO Tom Martinez.