Valley Headlines

Rural counties lose funding

Cal Matters. Rural CA schools and roads lose millions in federal funding after latest cuts. 
Synopsis: The Secure Rural Schools Act, which is normally renewed with bipartisan support, has been abandoned in the House of Representatives without so much as a hearing. The bill brings funding to counties with lots of federal land, making up for lost taxes since the feds don’t pay property taxes. In CA, it means about $33 million to the counties. “The loss is nothing short of catastrophic,” said the head of the Trinity board of supervisors, whose county will lose $3.5 million. “It just wasn’t a priority for Congress,” said the superintendent of schools in Lassen County. It’s a double whammy in forested counties, where the federal government has laid off or refused to hire seasonal workers. The loss of income has hurt residents. Many counties say they can no longer afford to clear roads or repair winter damage. In Alpine County, where the feds own 96% of the land, the SRS Act has covered 20% of all road repairs.

What dirt can tell you

River Partners. eDNA study to reveal cryptic wildlife in restored areas.
Synopsis: Considering River Partners’ spectacular restoration work, it’s easy to overlook the scientific research being carried out by RP’s biologists and staff. Much of it takes place on restoration sites in the San Joaquin Valley where hundreds of soil samples have been collected to detect the presence – past or present – of rare or just unexpected species. In February, researchers took 600 samples at 22 sites. Restoration scientist Diego Garcia has been working at Dos Rios State Park and Bear Creek Ranch in Merced County. Among the things he’s collecting is “exhaust” from the soil. As he turns a spade, tiny air bubbles are released. That air is captured and sent to UC Santa Cruz for analysis. The results of the data will better inform restoration efforts going forward at sites such as Hidden Valley Ranch, just south of Dos Rios.

Funding, porn plague Tunnel 
SJV Water. Kern districts want strings on money to continue funding Delta tunnel.
Synopsis: Several water districts want to tie future funding for the tunnel to a better understanding of construction costs, the cost of water after completion and guarantees of availability. The head of Rosedale-Rio Bravo said an anticipated cost of $3,000 an acre foot is “laughable.” He warned that his agency’s continued participation “doesn’t look good.”

Daily Kos. Delta tunnel project hearing canceled after hacker takes over Zoom platform.
Synopsis: Dan “Fishsniffer” Bacher reports on the State Water Board Zoom meeting scheduled to take testimony remotely on what Bacher calls “potentially the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history.” As the meeting commenced, one attendee posted a pornographic video then took over the audio controls insisting, “Shut this Zoom call down.” The water board then shut it down.

Smelt to lose protection?

Valley Sun. LaMalfa introduces resolution to increase pumping by repealing longfin smelt listing.
Synopsis: Vince Fong, Tom McClintock and David Valadao are joining LaMalfa in an effort to remove the longfin smelt from the endangered list. The longfin smelt – which is a close relative of the Delta smelt -- was listed under Joe Biden’s administration.

Center for CA Water Resources & Management. New strategy to protect Delta smelt.
Synopsis: Story says a proposed pumping regime is a “game-changing resource management strategy to identify, in real time, the specific circumstances that decrease risk of delta smelt losses” due to pumping in the State Water Project and nearby Central Valley Project. The computer model was developed by three researchers and presented in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Education. They say recognizing the smelt’s movement toward spawning locations and what triggers that movement is key. They claim that using the new model, retroactively applied to pumping schedules over the past 22 years, “keeps losses of delta smelt under specified limits in all years while increasing water deliveries from the Delta by an average of 250,000 acre feet.”

Newman festival lives on

Westside Connect. Newman Fall Festival lives on.
Synopsis: About a month ago the Fall Festival Planning Committee announced they were in danger of canceling the Labor Day event due to having too few volunteers. But a “well-attended” March 18 meeting calmed their fears. New volunteers want to continue the much-loved parade and festival, even expanding it by bringing back the basketball tourney and other activities.

Broadband coming to Gustine

Westside Connect. unWired broadband brings NextGen fiber internet to Gustine.
Synopsis: The project promises to bring 5 Gbps service to all 2,500 residences in the city, according to unWired CEO Matt Murphy. The Fresno-based company specializes in bringing rural services and has 200 towers across 17 CA counties serving 17,000 customers.
MAD Take: The story doesn’t mention it, but the company’s service “starts” at $59.99 per month.

What happened to Ak-mak?  

Fresno Bee. Mystery of the disappearing Armenian cracker; what happened to Sanger’s Ak-mak?
Synopsis: The cracker had been made in Sanger for 72 years, but no more. The factory is closed. Third-generation baker Tanny Soojian says, “I got old, and I closed it.” He ceased production 3 months ago and took down the sign. The company started 131 years ago in Lowell, Mass., moving it to CA in 1936.

LB fixes job rules

Westside Express. Los Banos city council rescinds action to make employees ‘at-will.’
Synopsis: Under the reign of city manager Josh Pinheiro and the previous four-member majority, 13 city employees were reclassified as “at-will” -- meaning they could be fired by the city manager or refused the ability to return to position after accepting promotions. By rescinding the status, “it will greatly help with recruitment and retention of this vital group of employees,” said city HR director Lucy Mallonee.

Valley postal workers protest

Modesto Bee. ‘Hands off the US mail’: In Ceres, Postal Service workers rally against privatization.
Synopsis: Carriers and back-office postal workers packed the Mitchell Road sidewalks Sunday as the Trump administration floated the idea of turning over the postal service to private industry. The large group said their protest was well-received by passing motorists who honked in support. The USPS employs up to 500 workers in Stanislaus County, depending on the season. The head of the USPS, Trump-appointed Louis DeJoy, has quit because the current board of governors has rejected his proposed changes.

Interested in Fresno council

GV Wire. Fresno business advocate AJ Rassamni will enter council race.
Synopsis: The head of the Blackstone Merchants Association will run for District 7 in 2026. He immigrated to the US from Lebanon in the 1980s and arrived in Fresno in 2021. He is the third person to announce for the seat, joining Ariana Martinez Lott and Nav Gurm. Rob Fuentes, an assistant US attorney, has also entered the race, but hasn’t said which district he is running for.

GV Wire. Keshia Thomas wants same Fresno council seat Arambula covets.
Synopsis: Topping his Politics 101 column, David Taub writes that Keshia Thomas, a two-term FUSD board member, will take on Dr. Joaquin Arambula to fill Miguel Arias’s seat after 2026. … Also, Aubrey Bettencourt is joining the Trump administration’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. … Write-in ballots could determine whether or not a run-off is needed to fill the District 5 council seat. Brandon Vang has 50.14% of the vote with 142 ballots to be cured.  

Final ‘escort’ for cadet

Westside Connect. Memorial planned for fallen GPD volunteer.
Synopsis: Abraham Guzman was killed the morning of March 16 when he stopped to help those involved in a single-car crash on Hwy 99 near Atwater. While he was helping those in the car, a woman smashed into the car, killing Guzman. She was arrested for DUI, as was the driver of the original vehicle. Guzman’s services will be Wednesday at Sacred Heart in Merced and will include a law-enforcement procession. Wolfsen’s Meat & Sausage will have a tri-tip or chicken dinner to help raise money for the family.

Columnist: Thank God, Pope lives

LA Times. Near death, Pope Francis rallied; we need his voice more than ever.
Synopsis: Columnist Gustavo Arellano writes about the prayers offered worldwide for the recovery of the one man many believe is capable of standing up those “politicians, tech bros, captains of industry, podcasters and influencers” who “yearn for the era of kings and emperors.” The Pope has defended migrants, welcomed gay and trans people back to church and told his employees to get out of their churches and into the places they are needed. Arellano notes that Jesus assailed the rich, lionized the poor and preferred to mingle with the meek, something Pope Frances reminds us of.
MAD Note: Best column I read today.