Valley Headlines

Who gets hurt in GOP plan?

GV Wire. GOPs huge health care cut could cost Valadao’s district $5 billion in aid.
Synopsis: The spending resolution that passed the House on a party-line vote instructs the Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in spending cuts. The Center for American Progress looked at each congressional district, and found such cuts would mean that people living in the “average” congressional district will lose $2 billion. But not all districts are created equal. David Valadao’s 22^nd District would lose roughly $5 billion, since 67% of his constituents are enrolled in Medicaid. That’s the most for any CA district. Valadao is pointing out as loudly as he can that this is “only the first step” in the budget-cutting process and he insists he won’t vote for such austere cuts to Medicaid or SNAP – though he did vote for the blueprint. Interestingly, the only Republican to vote against the blueprint was from Kentucky, and his district would lose only $3.6 billion if Medicaid and Medicare are gutted.
MAD Take: The full report from CAP lists projected losses in every congressional district, and the Valley will be hammered if the Republicans get their way. Adam Gray’s CA-13 will lose $4.09 billion as 69,000 lose their health insurance. Vince Fong’s CA20 would lose $2.5 billion and 54,000 would lose their insurance. Jim Costa’s district would lose $4.4 billion with 75,000 losing insurance.

Merced Sun Star. CA’s Medicaid and tax fight heats up: Who’s right, Democrats or Republicans?
Synopsis Reporter David Lightman says framing the budget debate as saving Medicare (Democrats) vs. lowering taxes (Republicans) is too simplistic. Regardless, since the 217-215 vote “the political world has erupted.” Republicans are trying to accuse Democrats of favoring higher taxes. National Republican Congressional Committee chair Ben Petersen specifically targeted Adam Gray, saying he supports “government boondoggles.” But that argument is being drowned out by people terrified of losing their health insurance. What Petersen leaves out is the study from the Tax Foundation showing that 62% of all tax filers will pay more under the Republican plan. Meanwhile, at least 8 Republicans have signaled they won’t always go along with their cohort in killing Medicaid and SNAP – though they have so far.

Resisting the Trump bulldozer

SF Chronicle. Trump is bulldozing Congress; why aren’t lawmakers taking him to court? 
Synopsis: Reporter Raheem Hosseini talks to first-term Rep. Lateefah Simon, who says Congress is a very “tense place” where a “fight for this country’s very existence, for its democracy, for its Bill of Rights, for its Constitution” is taking place. Jared Huffman called it a “shit show.” Meanwhile, Tom McClintock canceled three town halls, afraid of facing voters after he voted for the preliminary plan to gut Medicare and Medicaid. Republican Jay Obernolte was shouted down at his one town hall last week. Now, some are recommending that representatives sue the president.

Merced Sun Star. McClintock is failing his constituents and he doesn’t want to hear about it.
Synopsis: Samantha Leon offers an op-ed concerning McClintock’s decision to cancel his three town halls. She says it’s part of a larger problem: “Congress is losing its power,” ceding it to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. A true conservative wouldn’t let that happen. She concludes by asking McClintock’s staff how they live with themselves.

Dealing with bird flu … maybe

Successful Farming. Ag organizations react to changes in USDA bird flu strategy.
Synopsis: The USDA says it will use a 5-pronged approach to deal with bird flu. 1) $500 million for biosecurity. 2) $400 million to help farmers repopulate flocks. 3) $100 million to work on new vaccines. 4) Working with the FDA to expand the egg supply, including strategies to limit depopulation as a first step. 5) Import more eggs. The National Chicken Council and various dairy organizations applauded the commitment to finding a cheap, effective vaccine. There were reactions from state officials in Texas and Iowa, but no reaction from the ag secretary of the nation’s most important farm state – CA.

Ag Net West. Canada stocks avian flu vaccine as H5N1 detected in US rats.
Synopsis: Ag Net catches up to Monday’s story about bird flu being found in two rat colonies in Riverside County. Meanwhile, Canada is stockpiling 500,000 doses of a vaccine for humans that was developed in Finland but is not available in the US.

LA Times. As egg prices soar, Trump administration targets CA law and H5N1 bird flu.
Synopsis: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal trying to convince everyone that bird flu is Joe Biden’s fault, while promising to spend $1 billion to “make eggs affordable again.” Tucked into the details was her insistence that Prop 12 – which has nothing to do with eggs or chickens – should be overturned. As upheld by the Supreme Court, Prop 12 gives CA voters – and voters in any state – the right to set rules on how the food sold in their stores will be produced, handled, etc. The story points out that Rollins’ claims that this will have an impact on egg prices is duplicitous. “Prop 12 is mostly irrelevant to bird flu impacts and bird flu is mostly irrelevant to Prop 12,” said UC Davis ag professor Daniel Summer.

How about nutria jambalaya?

Stocktonia. Eat a nutria, save the Delta.
Synopsis: Chris Woodyard recommends, not sarcastically, that we should all be out on the Delta trapping and eating the large rodent. He says the flavor is akin to rabbit and it has more protein than chicken. You can barbecue, broil or simmer in a stew. Folks in Louisiana, who have been killing nutria for decades, suggest nutria jambalaya or nutria chili.

How tariffs, tax cuts work

Merced Sun Star. Trump steals from CA’s poor (tariffs) and gives to the rich (tax cuts).
Synopsis: Fresno Bee columnist Tad Weber says there is proof, if you believe studies by college professors and the Tax Policy Center, that Trump’s plan will hurt our Valley. While the top 1% will win $70,000 in new deductions, median-income earners will get an extra $1,000 and lower-income earners will get nothing. Don’t forget, 17.8% of Fresno County’s residents are “lower income”, as are 18% in Madera. But when you factor in tariffs, that $1,000 is buried under $4,000 in anticipated higher costs fo everything from cars to cellphones.

Farm Co. donates $3 million

GV Wire. $3M donation to Valley Children’s aids cancer survivors, kids with disabilities.
Synopsis: The JG Boswell Co. made the huge donation to support scholarships, sports programs and to renovate the hospital’s chapel. CEO Todd Suntrapak says the hospital is “deeply grateful.”

Incinerator goes cold March 31

Westside Connect. Crows Landing incinerator to close at end of March.
Synopsis: The last waste-to-energy incinerator in the state of CA will shut down on March 31, laying off the remaining employees. That will mean more material will have to be buried in the landfill west of Crows Landing. Instead of meeting the county’s needs through 2058, the landfill will now fill by 2040. The incinerator will be demolished over the next 2 years. Among those celebrating the closure was Valley Improvement Projects.

Fair horse racing is finished

GV Wire. It’s official: Horse racing out at The Big Fresno Fair for 2025.
There will be no horse racing at the Fair this year, and possibly not ever again. The CA Association of Racing Fairs had already given up their four dates this year, but Fresno held out in an effort to salvage the sport. But it didn’t work. Racing at the Fair dates to 1883, but horse deaths at CA venues have increased calls to abandon the sport.

Home prices, sales falling

Merced Sun Star. CA home sales drop 10% as prices dip; what’s next for real estate market?
Finally, having skipped two “normal” cycles, the price correction has begun. Real estate is supposed to fluctuate in 7-year cycles, but CA has been on an upward swing for the past 16 years. That’s changed as the median price statewide dropped 2.6% to $838,850. Meanwhile, only 254,110 homes sold in the state compared to 282,490 the month before. The year-to-year figure dropped 6.4%. All that said, home prices are still higher now than they were a year ago, including in the Central Valley.

Wrestlers advance to State

Turlock Journal. Pitman, Turlock programs qualify 14 to CIF State Wrestling Championships.
The state finals will be in Bakersfield Mechanics Bank Arena this weekend. Pitman has 12 wrestlers attending, including 4 Section champions – Edward Sheeran (138), Brodie Johnson (165), Troy Ceja (285) and Baya Austin (140). Baya is the reigning state champion in the women’s division.

Welcome sign or gravestone?

Merced Golden Valley Wire (Facebook). Two new ‘Welcome to Merced’ monuments installed.
Caltrans is “graciously” installing two concrete markers on Hwy 99, one near South Sixteenth and other at Campus Parkway.
MAD Note: Commenter asked: “Did they steal it from a graveyard? Why did they pick a brutalist monument? You can’t even see the ‘Welcome to’ from the road. Good question.