Valley Headlines

World’s top cow is in Hilmar

CA Ag Net. Vierra Dairy Farms’ Baily named supreme champion at World Dairy Expo.
Synopsis: A cow named Stoney Point Joe Bailey won the Supreme Champion award at the World Dairy Expo – the planet’s most prestigious cattle show. Bailey traveled to Madison, Wisc., all the way from Vierra Dairy Farms off Williams Avenue in Hilmar. There were 2,597 head of cattle entered from 1,804 different owners in this international show. Vierra Farms was created by Tony and Angie Vierra in 1967 and today milks 5,000 cows – the most impressive being Bailey.

Politics, politics, politics …

Merced Sun Star. Turnout has been key to Valley tossup House races.
Synopsis: Reporter Gillian Brassil talks about the historical aspects of this race, then quotes DC operative Paul Mitchell, who runs Political Data Inc. in Washington. Next up is Republican strategist Mike Madrid of Sacramento and finally the PPIC’s Eric McGhee of San Francisco. There is nothing from anyone who actually has a vote in CD 13, or a proverbial dog in the race.

Merced County Times. Election Coverage (special section): Duarte, Gray in rematch for the ages.
Synopsis: Quick story offering sound bites from both campaigns. Adam Gray says people in the Valley work hard, and “deserve a congressman who works for us.” Duarte says he’ll work with Republicans, Democrats and Independents – though he has mainly worked with Republicans for the past two years, getting almost nothing done.

KVPR / Merced Focus. In a rural CA House district, young people could tilt power in Congress.
Synopsis: Rachel Livinal writes about John Duarte’s campaign in Los Banos. The campaign walker she interviewed said people in his age group are “disaffected this election cycle.” The rest of the story is mostly about those who support Donald Trump and John Duarte. But keep reading and you’ll eventually find that Livinal interviewed a voter who is actually enthused about voting – and she’s voting for Adam Gray.
MAD Take: There is a glaring lack of balance in this story, but mostly a lack of context. The entire top two-thirds is about the perceived lack of enthusiasm among young people and how Republicans are attempting to deal with that. No mention of how a Republican-appointed Supreme Court killed student debt relief. When the reporter finally finds one enthusiastic voter, it turns out to be a Democrat. So why wasn’t that interview higher in the story? No mention of the 200 new voters registered at UC Merced – nearly all of them Democrats. No mention of the 29 volunteers walking in Gustine and Newman for Adam Gray or the 370 volunteers walking throughout CD 13 last weekend or the 350 the week before that. No mention of the two dozen young people working on Gray’s campaign in Merced on the day Adam Schiff stopped by. Instead, we learn that the small faction of pro-Palestinian students at UCM doesn’t want to vote for anyone. Disappointing.

… and more politics

Patterson Irrigator. Candidates square off: Council, state assembly candidates participate in forum.
Synopsis: The Patterson-Westley chamber conducted the forum, attracting about 25 interested residents to hear seven candidates. Answering questions were council candidates Michael Clauzel, Gabriela Hernandez, Shawun Anderson, Dom Farinha and Kendra Mora. Assembly candidates Jessica Self and Juan Alanis were also on hand. Clauzel wants the city to have its own police force. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office provides services to the city. Farinha, Mora and Hernandez all said such a move must pencil out. The Assembly candidates talked about water, with Self bringing up clean water. Alanis talked about finding $40 million for local water projects.

A threat to LB councilwoman?

Westside Express. LB council meeting shocker: Another top official quits.
Synopsis: Reporter Mike Dunbar (yes, this Mike Dunbar) reports on councilwoman Deborah Lewis’ bombshell announcement at last week’s council meeting that yet another department head has quit the city’s executive team – finance director Vanessa Portillo. She lasted only 8 months working for city manager Josh Pinheiro. She joins the previous finance director, a fire chief, police chief and public works director in heading out the door. Her resignation, tendered on Sept. 18, had been kept secret from the public – and the councilwoman – by Pinheiro. After the meeting, Pinheiro loudly berated Lewis in a closed meeting, calling her “wholly self-righteous” and loudly insisting that Lewis “would pay” for her behavior. Lewis is being challenged by a neighbor of Mayor Paul Llanez’ while Llanez is challenged by both Mike Amabile and Refugio Llamas.

What about all that garbage?

Modesto Bee. Closure of garbage-burning plant raises questions about waste disposal.
Synopsis: Ken Carlson looks at the closure of the Covanta waste-to-energy plant and adjacent Fink Road Landfill west of Crows Landing. Without the incinerator, the volume of trash being disposed of will double, reducing the lifespan of the dump. Officials say they don’t have additional options, and even looking for them will be costly. Vito Chiesa says that any discussion of future plans is mere speculation at this point. Bianca Lopez of Valley Improvement Projects offered a “Path to Zero Waste Plan,” but most of VIP’s ideas require societal change.

Want happiness? Try Fresno

KSEE/CBS47. Fresno is the happiest county in the Central Valley, report says.
Synopsis: The Assembly Select Committee on Happiness commissioned a survey of all CA counties, and the results are in. Apparently, being the happiest county in the Valley is a little like being the coolest guy in the sauna. Fresno’s “life satisfaction” score was 7.06, which ranked 27^th statewide. Alpine County was No. 1 at 7.92. Back in 1998, 28% of Californians said they were “very happy” but in 2023, only 16% said the same.
MAD Note: Not mentioned in the story, but found on the state report, is Stanislaus County’s score of 7.00 and San Joaquin 6.95. Merced County had a score of 6.97, Madera 6.92. Lake County folks were the unhappiest at 6.64. Even in Marin, folks only scored 7.40.

Bird flu hits CA cows harder

LA Times. Bird flu is spreading rapidly among CA dairy cows; will milk prices rise?
Synopsis: As of Wednesday, there have been 93 dairy herds with at least 1 infected cow in CA. Most troubling is that the disease appears to be more lethal to CA cows than those in other states. One industry analyst says that 4.8% of America’s dairy cows have been infected, but many farmers in other states have failed to report. Dairy farmers in states that did not mandate testing are admitting they held back infection numbers. In CA, farmers are trying to do it right. The numbers are making epidemiologists nervous; they worry more infected cows gives the virus more opportunity to mix with human viruses, creating a new disease that can jump from human to human. A UC Davis researcher says, “Things are going to get worse before they get better.” One USDA veterinarian said this could become “the most serious and widespread infectious animal disease outbreak in history.” The only good news is that there are almost no new bird flu cases outside of CA. Worrisome to farmers: It’s taking CA cows longer to recover to pre-flu production levels.
MAD Take: Though the LA Times usually displays a lack of awareness of issues affecting our Valley, this time the reporters have done an excellent job providing broader context for what could become a serious problem – but hasn’t yet.

Farms.com. CA reports 2 more likely Avian flu infections in dairy workers. 
Synopsis: That makes five confirmed cases over the past month, with another two likely. Meanwhile, 13 more farms reported infected cows on Thursday, as the outbreak grows to 96 farms. All are in the Central Valley. “The rapid pace of spread in CA – the nation’s largest dairy producer – has already made it the hardest-hit state.” Nationwide, infected cows have been found on 296 dairies across 14 states. Samplings in areas with higher infection rates have found wild birds carrying H5N1.

Not your daddy’s podcaster

SF Standard. ‘Daddy Gang’ babes roll out in force for their queen Alex Cooper in Oakland.
Synopsis: The Paramount Theater was packed when “Call Her Daddy” podcaster Alex Cooper – fresh off her Kamala Harris interview – brought her show to Oakland. The topics were racy, including a lot of talk about Alex’s signature “Gluck, Gluck 9000.” The audience made up of almost entirely women was thrilled, entertained and partying hard. If you don’t know what young women are talking about, this story might help. Or not. She is rated the No. 2 most influential podcaster in America.

And yet more politics

Politico. Senator-not-yet-elect Schiff is already boosting likely future colleagues.
Synopsis: The man who led the Congressional probe that uncovered much of Donald Trump’s inappropriate ties to Russia is well ahead of Steve Garvey in polls. Adam Schiff has $7 million in the bank. So now he’s helped raise $2 million for Bob Casey in Pennsylvania with trips planned to New Mexico, Michigan and Nevada. On Wednesday, he was in Merced campaigning with Adam Gray.

Fresno Bee. Here’s who is contributing big money to Fresno supervisor candidates, so far.
Synopsis: Reporter Tim Sheehan writes about the $285,000 raised by Garry Bredefeld, who is challenging Steve Brandau ($156,000) for Fresno County supervisor. Of that, Bredefeld gave himself $100K. Challenger Luis Chavez has outraised his former boss, Sal Quintero, by a 2-to-1 margin at $151,000. Among the biggest contributors to anyone is contractor Richard Spencer, who has given Brandau a sizeable contribution. Other big donors: Curtis Lovett of Outback Inc, Dignity CA SEIU, District Council of Iron Workers and the CA Real Estate PAC, among many others.

A slow-motion getaway

Fox26. Why did the tortoise cross the road? Two found wandering Atwater.
Synopsis: Atwater PD officers rescued two huge tortoises found ambling down Bellevue Road near Gibson in Atwater earlier this week. The owners of the big turtles were located, and the tortoises were, eventually, reunited with their family.