Valley Headlines

$100,000 to rent empty house

Turlock Journal. Thousands in taxpayer dollars going to rent empty child-molester homes.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes that the state is paying $10,500 a month to rent a home that two convicted-but-paroled child molesters were supposed to occupy but have yet to move into. Judge Carrie Stephens enjoined the state from placing the two convicted sexual predators in the home outside Turlock last year. But last month, the state supreme court threw out her reasoning. Now there’s a lawsuit between the property’s owner – Surjit Mahli – and a real estate agent, who apparently occupied the property for a portion of time. Mahli wants an additional $17,900. A very messy situation.

CA’s real water problem

Cal Matters. Trump takes step to overhaul Delta water deliveries to farms, cities.
Synopsis: Alastair Bland writes about Trump’s executive order that focused on setting aside the Biden-era Biological Opinion in favor of his administration’s previous order. That 2019 BO, Trump insists, would facilitate additional pumping from the Delta into the Central Valley Project and thus to farmers. In reality, pumping from the Delta has actually increased under rules implemented just last month that are based on the Biden-era BO. Folks at Westlands are taking Trump’s order as a good sign, saying it signals his attention to the issue. But the environmental community seems to be either confused by the order or in denial over potential impacts.
MAD Take: At least half a dozen stories were written on this issue, from the LA Times to the Daily Kos. In most, reporters went immediately to the environmental movement’s most shrill voices -- SF Baykeeper, Restore the Delta and Save CA Salmon – for reaction to Trump’s order. This sets up a nice “fight,” but such reporting misses an extremely important point. The biggest reason so many in the Valley are frustrated with the state and federal water programs, and seek relief from Trump, isn’t because they hate fish; it’s because they hate being left in the dark through the state’s water-allocation process. The state makes little effort to explain how it decides indefensible allocations. This year, farmers have been told to expect 15% of allocations -- even though the state’s reservoirs are at 100% of seasonal capacity and the snowpack is average or better. While that allocation could go up, farmers are making planting decisions now. By being inexplicably cautious, the state penalizes people today because it fears a dry tomorrow. Considering the state’s record at predicting the weather (remember 2023), that is an outrage. This isn’t fish vs. people; it’s people vs. a non-functioning bureaucracy.

Fresno Bee. Trump’s water ignorance is glaring; two SJ Valley lawmakers know better.
Synopsis: Columnist Tad Weber writes about the bill introduced by Jim Costa and co-sponsored by Adam Gray, David Valadao and Josh Harder, among others, that would make it easier to create groundwater recharge projects in basins throughout the Valley. This bipartisan approach provides real solutions to California’s water issues, which is in stark contrast to Trump’s executive order on pumping.

FAT sets passenger record

KSEE / CBS47. Fresno’s airport breaks passenger record: Here’s why it could drive down costs.
Synopsis: Fresno Yosemite Airport – known as FAT -- served 2.6 million passengers last year, a 9.6% increase over 2023. You can fly direct from Fresno to Guadalajara, Atlanta, Dallas and Vegas.

‘Ember’ fires up $7,800 for LA

Turlock Journal. Teen creates online campaign to aid victims of LA fires.
Synopsis: Ryan Nazari, son of Emanuel Medical Center cardiologist Reza Nazari, created Embers of Hope to raise money for victims of the LA fires. He has raised $7,800 so far and will give it to the Red Cross. Nazari is a Modesto High junior.

Modesto driving down crime

Modesto Bee. Why do Modesto police solve some kinds of crimes at higher rate than others?
Synopsis: Reporter Julietta Bisharyan writes that MPD has a higher percentage in solving homicides than it does for solving property crimes, according to CA Dept of Justice data and wonders why. The more important story offers comparisons between Modesto, Sacramento, Stockton and Fresno across several crime categories. The DOJ charts show Modesto is better than the others in solving rape, robbery and assault, and very good at solving homicides. In solving burglaries and larceny, Modesto is higher than the three comparable cities, while near the top in solving vehicle theft. The question posed in the headline – why some crimes are solved more easily than others – is answered by a Stan State professor deep in the story. Just as deep in the story is a quote from Chief Bandon Gillespie applauding his department’s success in “reducing crime rates year after year.”
MAD Take: The reporter here is fairly new, so some slack can be allowed. But an editor should have told Bisharyan that she buried her lead. The most important element of this story is that Modesto police are doing a good job -- better than Sacramento, Fresno and Stockton – in solving a wide range of crimes. Instead, we have a story that begins by stating that property crimes are going unsolved, which is true. But then we learn much later that the incidence of property crime is lower now than it has been at any time in the past 10 years. That’s the story. Framing this data as some sort of failure is misleading.

Stan State told to cut $8M

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus State facing $8.1 million in permanent cuts in wake of proposed budget.
Synopsis: Like every other CSU and UC, the university is facing budget cuts through early retirements, reduced course offerings and tightening of belts. A faculty spokesperson warns this could lead to “catastrophic consequences” for students. President Britt Rios-Ellis is urging “friends and supporters” to increase their advocacy for the “resources necessary to ensure Stan State continues to transform lives…”

Consulate helps immigrants

Fresno Bee. Mexican Consulate ‘working tirelessly’ to protect immigrants’ rights in CA. 
Synopsis: Immigrants, even those without documents, have a right to “consular notification” when picked up by US authorities. And they must be notified of that right. The consulate officials says anyone picked up should demand consul notification before making any statement. It gives those detained a right to contact family, ensure legal representation, get medical care if needed and access to various materials. Relatives of those detained can also request help. Says the consul, detainees should always be respectful but never sign anything until after speaking with their embassy. The Fresno consulate serves 1.5 million Mexican citizens living in eight Valley counties part-time each year.

Sweeps diminish citrus harvest

Ag Net West. Decline in the citrus harvest in the Central Valley.
Synopsis: The Farm Bureau reports a decline in the citrus harvest due to the absence of workers to pick the fruit. It started when the Border Patrol began its roundups in Kern County, causing a panic that kept workers out of the orchards. The Farm Bureau estimates that 55,000 migrant workers are needed to harvest citrus fruit across California. The Monterey County Farm Bureau is predicting a similar labor shortage for the Salinas Valley harvest, which is just starting.
https://agnetwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01-22-25-Decline-in-the-Citrus-Harvest-in-the-Central-Valley-aw.mp3

Water plant is honored

Turlock Journal. New surface water plant serving Turlock, Ceres receives national recognition.
Synopsis: The $200 million treatment plant opened by Turlock and Ceres has been given the Design-Build Institute of America’s Award of Merit.  Due to its excellent design, only 55 change orders were required in construction. That’s a very small number for such a large project, representing less than 1% of the total cost. The build had few safety issues, with only 0.9% of all hours impacted compared to 3.9% normally. Plant manager Selena Estrada was applauded.

Del Monte files layoff notice

Valley Sun. Del Monte sets March date to shutter tomato plant.
Synopsis: The Hanford tomato-processing plant will close by March 28, putting 378 employees out of work. Del Monte insists none of its other 10 processing plants are in danger, presumably including the big one in Modesto.

Trump pardons crypto trafficker

SF Standard. Dread Pirate pardoned: Trump grants clemency to illegal crypto market founder.
Synopsis: Ross Ulbricht -- the man who made it safe for drug dealers, sex traffickers and thieves to sell their wares on a “dark web” site called the Silk Road -- has been pardoned by Donald Trump. Ulbricht had been arrested in San Francisco in a public library while using his site to contract a “hit” on someone who threatened to release the identities of Silk Road users. His release became a cause célèbre in Libertarian circles, having gathered 600,000 petition signatures.