Valley Headlines

It’s Friday, let’s have a laugh

Source. Valley Solutions
Synopsis: What once was Election Day has become “Election Season,” dragging on interminably and keeping many of us poised at the edge of our seats, it’s a tense time. So, the Valley Solutions editors have decided to lighten the news. Instead of photos, today’s images are all editorial cartoons. We hope they lighten the mood; cause a smile; create a laugh. Enjoy it now, there could be precious few laughs coming over the next few years.

It’s close and getting closer

Merced Focus. These races still close; more Merced County election results released.
Synopsis: Victor Patton writes that It’s been more than a week (10 days, actually) since the election, and with 16,350 unprocessed ballots still sitting at the Merced registrar’s office, many races are too close to call. One of those has national implications. Adam Gray pulled ahead of John Duarte in Merced County for CA-13 but remains behind by 1,764 votes districtwide. There are more votes to count in the blue-leaning counties than there are left to count in the red. This is a cliffhanger. Other closes races: Jose Moran leads Jason Roth by 46 votes (of 2,314 cast) to be Livingston mayor. In Los Banos, incumbent Ken Lambert is the only member of the 4-man majority who has a chance to remain on the city council. He’s leading challenger Tommy Leyva by 93 votes. Two other members of the council have been recalled by overwhelming votes and the incumbent mayor is third in a three-way race.

Merced Sun Star. What to know about 4 CA congressional races that are too close to call.
Synopsis: Gillian Brassil reporting. This story doesn’t say much, other than to explain timing issues. Brassil reports that CA gives county registrars until Dec. 6 to certify votes, taking the time to get it right.
MAD Take. The headline and story are misleading. If you want to know what is actually happening in the races, skip this story and read the Merced Focus. Gillian’s numbers are already outdated and at least one of her facts is wrong -- votes must be turned into the state by Dec. 3, not Dec. 6, which is the date most people consider the certification deadline.

Shifting allegiances or priorities?

Cal Matters. ‘A pivotal moment?’ Why many Latino voters in CA chose Trump.
Synopsis: Esteemed GOP consultant Mike Madrid says Democrats have been steadily losing the Latino vote since 2012, and this year it turned into a “five-alarm fire.” Not so fast said Adam Gray, who challenged John Duarte in a race that is still too close to call. “What you want to call a rightward shift, I would call a rejection of more of the same,” said Gray. “Voters are saying, ‘We want you guys to change.’ I think people want to see us get back to the basics.”  The story quotes one Trump-voting Latino woman saying the same thing: “I just wanted a change already.” The often-brilliant Madrid guesses the Latino population has forgiven the GOP for its avid support of Prop 187, which cast them as second-class residents. Or forgotten.
MAD Take: Regret can be a bitter dish, a taste not soon forgotten.

Another predator for the cabinet?

SF Chronicle. Trump’s defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, was named in Monterey sex assault.
Synopsis: It was 7 years ago when Pete Hegseth – Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary -- was investigated for an incident near the seaside Hyatt Regency. No charges were filed, but the woman filed a report, and the police report shows she was left bruised. It happened around midnight on Oct. 7, 2017. The victim’s name was kept confidential. The city is now refusing to release what should be public information. Hegseth said it was consensual. The Trump team said it hadn’t heard of the allegations until Wednesday night.
MAD Take: Hegseth has been an outspoken critic of allowing women to serve in combat roles. At least overseas.

Higher fees needed on housing

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County district proposes higher fees as growth puts pressure on services.
Synopsis: Ken Carlson reports on Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District’s plan to collect 81 cents per square foot on new construction within its massive boundaries – from Riverbank to La Grange to Hickman to Beard Industrial Tract. On a 2,000 square foot home, that amounts to $1,620. In most jurisdictions, that will push fees upward of $45,000. The current fees range from 29 cents to 49 cents. There are plans to build 4,700 homes in Riverbank – so that comes to about $8 million. Throw in the 2,800 homes set for Waterford, and you’re well over $12 million – enough to build a new fire station in Riverbank. Supervisor Buck Condit – a captain for Stan Consolidated -- says he will take a close look at the new fees.
MAD Take: Considering the ever-soaring cost of fire insurance, we’re going to need more than just a couple of new fire stations to bring it down.

Judging impacts of UC Merced

EdSource. Legislative analyst looks back at UC Merced’s first 20 years.
Synopsis: It’s a mixed report, saying the school has yet to live up to its mission of improving the Valley’s educational and economic outcomes. The student body differs from every other UC campus, being more diverse with first-gen students and Pell Grant recipients. It is the UC’s only Latino-majority campus. The workforce also differs, with more non-tenure track lecturers and assistant professors. It also hires more students to provide support. Unfortunately, the campus consistently fails to meet enrollment targets. The LAO did notice an increase in Merced median wages and growth in non-farm occupations.

Bronco gets a new CEO

Modesto Bee. New CEO at Bronco Wine Co. near Ceres has done craft beer and pomegranate juice.
Synopsis: Bronco has appointed Dominic Engles as its new CEO, replacing Dan Leonard. The company has 750 employees in Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera and Napa counties, not counting those employed on affiliated farming operations. Engles spent 3 years as CEO of Revolution Foods in LA and 4 years as CEO of Stone Brewing in Escondido; before that, he worked for Stewart Resnick’s POM Wonderful. Engles will be the company’s second CEO who is not a Franzia.

Hi-tech tracking helps cops

Turlock Journal. Police arrest Turlock shooting suspect with help from license plate reader tech.
Synopsis: The report of a shooting on Lander Avenue came in at 3:33 a.m. Tuesday, and the 18-year-old victim died on the scene. Using license-plate reading programs, police were able to identify the shooter then track his movement through Ceres and to Modesto. Troy Cannon, 59, was arrested just three hours after the incident. Chief Jason Hedden calls this “a powerful reminder of how technology is reshaping law enforcement, helping us protect the public and resolve cases more quickly.”

IBEW jobs program that works

Cal Matters. This Central Valley program helps Californians get six-figure jobs.
Synopsis: An interesting look at IBEW apprenticeships managed by ValleyBuild, which was started by the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board. We see a touching story about a woman who found a discarded flyer in a homeless shelter and signed up. It changed her life and the lives of her children. The program is now operating in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and 10 other counties to the south, training people in HVAC, pipefitting, electrical and plumbing. Those big paychecks? Grads get union jobs. Enough said.

Finally, more lurid details

KCRA. State Sen. Alvarado-Gil files cross-complaint against former chief who sued her for assault.
Synopsis: The bitter and lurid battle between Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil and her former chief of staff, Chad Condit, just got a bit more bitter and a lot more lurid. Last summer, Condit sued his former boss accusing her of, among other things, demanding oral sex in the back of a car; performing those duties, he said, injured his back. It wasn’t sex that ruined his back, says the senator, but his substance abuse. Deep in the story it is pointed out that Chad is the son of Gary, who served in Congress and “faced scrutiny in the high-profile death of Chandra Levy.”
MAD Take: Dueling lawsuits are fair game, especially when they include such, uh, interesting details. But trying to somehow connect this to the tragic death of a young woman – a murder that had no connection to any Condit – seems a step too far. My father helped put a man on the moon; that doesn’t make me an astronaut.