Valley Headlines

All eyes on the Valley

Cal Matters. Why CA Democrats believe abortion issue can win them back the US House.
Synopsis: This story begins by talking about last year’s efforts by 166 Republicans to create a national abortion ban with no exceptions. It failed, but many are waiting to try again. Among the Republicans who say they are being unfairly lumped in with others is John Duarte. He calls himself pro-choice but says it’s perfectly OK to deny reproductive rights to women in other states. The story looks at the impact of the abortion debate statewide, ending in CA-13, “the heart of the Central Valley.” The issue has “galvanized young women,” but “misinformation and rhetoric” has turned some religious voters away from Democrats, said Gray Campaign volunteer Jared McCreary. Geovanni Vera and Angela Romero-Waterman are also quoted.  Adam Gray says Duarte is “just lying to people.”

LA Times. In close House races, winning could come down to who appeals to the most Latino voters.
Synopsis: The Times comes to the Valley to see if Democrats have a chance to flip 4 seats and take control of the House. A poll of 1,000 Latino voters in districts 13, 22 and 27 found Dems have big leads in all three but 25% of voters haven’t yet picked a candidate. Meanwhile, the GOP has closed some of its offices created to attract Black, Asian and Native American voters. Adam Gray notes that he’s got more volunteers walking precincts than he had in any of his previous 6 campaigns. One Duarte spokesman felt compelled to say Republicans aren’t racist.

Turlock Journal. Duarte-Gray rematch remains tight as challenger reports third-quarter haul.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez reports that Adam Gray “is poised to make a strong run to the finish line after a massive fundraising haul in the third quarter.” Gray raised $2.3 million compared to Duarte’s $830,000. Duarte claims “big-money donors” are trying to take him out. But both candidates have about the same amount of cash – so it appears Duarte’s “big money donors” just contributed early and now aren’t. Gray says he is looking forward to the Oct. 25 debate so voters can hear directly from both candidates about their differences.

Speaking out on local politics

Valley Citizen. Rules of thumb for local elections in the San Joaquin Valley.
Synopsis: Eric Caine offers his “rules” for voting after first waxing poetic about a bygone era when Republicans like Peggy Mensinger championed smart growth, farmland preservation, recycling, campaign finance limits and economic opportunity for ordinary folks. Today, such Republicans are nearly extinct. So, Rule No. 1: Don’t support fascists. Ask generals Milley, Mattis or Kelly if you need to know how to identify them. Rule No. 2: Vote for middle-class candidates. In other words, says Eric, the richer the candidate the more untrustworthy. Locally, he endorses John Gunderson, Jessica Self, Austin Grant and Rhodesia Ransom.

Modesto Bee. Letters: We deserve fair rates; it’s time for a new direction at MID.
Synopsis: Chris Mantini says he’s voting for Chris Ott (which means he’s not voting for Nick Blom). … Another letter writer urged votes for Jake Kilatchko and Mary Ann Saunders. … Jeani Ferrari writes that Turlock voters deserve someone who actually lives in their district; i.e., not Rebecka Monez. … Steven Grenbeaux, a former Modesto City Schools trustee, thinks Donald Trump is a draft dodger. … Jack Heinsius says a vote for Trump is a vote for indecency. (this was before Trump’s Arnold Palmer fixation.)

Merced Focus. Merced County’s seeing a high volume of early votes; how many have been counted?
Synopsis: Registrar of voters Melvin Levy says 7,600 ballots have been returned out of 132,000 eligible voters in the county. That’s “far more” than were seen last March. Meanwhile, Shirley Weber’s office says 1.9 million voters have already returned ballots, including 500,000 in drop boxes.

More made-for-TV mayhem

Modesto Bee. New docu-series revisits Salida’s 1990 Elm Street murders; what happened?
Synopsis: Reporter Marie Figueroa writes about a new series called “The Real Murders on Elm Street” airing on Max. She notes interviews with former Detective Gary Deckard, one of the first on the scene of a quadruple murder in Salida in 1990. It has always been considered a skinhead/motorcycle gang crime but the TV show is adding some sort of cult element.
MAD Note: For an old Bee guy, it’s fun to see the bylines in the old newspapers – Diane Nelson, Ron DeLacy, Jeff Jardine, Mike Winters, Stephanie Sansom, Terry Lightfoot, Diane Flores, Frankie Garland, Glenn Scott, etc.

First-responders save Ceres toddler

Modesto Bee. Toddler saved by Stanislaus first-responders after near-drowning incident in Ceres.
Synopsis: Ceres PD got to Chandra Court first and began CPR; Modesto Fire Engine 15 pulled in next, took over CPR and set up an area for a helicopter to land so the 2-year-old boy could be flown to UC Davis. No word on his condition, but the toddler was breathing on his own before taking to the sky.

How many tomatoes can you eat?

Westside Express. Tomato-eating contest planned for festival.
Synopsis: This year’s Tomato Festival just finished, but already there are plans to bring back one of the most popular events – a tomato-eating contest. Details are being worked out. But in the original contest, in 2018, winner Ruben Mendez ate 3.8 pounds of tomatoes in 5 minutes and earned $100.  The contest was discontinued during COVID, but is coming back to join the car show, Lucha Libre and cornhole.

Ninth Street plans unveiled

Modesto Bee. Neglected 9^th Street corridor gets draft plan for major facelift.
Synopsis: A workshop at Tuolumne Middle School last Wednesday laid out the plans and gathered local input. Residents say they’ve always been ignored. What they want are sidewalks, parks, slower traffic, a better Seventh Street bridge, bike lanes, more traffic signals, etc. Paul Tischer – who once taught at Modesto High – is especially keen to see traffic slowed. He says the entire corridor is very dangerous.

Is ‘breaking even’ worth it?

Successful Farming. Ten years is enough for methane credits on manure digesters, says analyst.
Synopsis: The CA Air Resources Board is considering a change in the terms of its digester-incentive program. Instead of guaranteeing payments for the current 30 years, at least one CARB analyst is suggesting that incentives should only be paid for 20 years for digesters coming online by 2030 and then for 10 years for digesters after that. The UC ag economist blogged that “prevented-methane emissions cover the cost of construction,” but “after the initial 10-year crediting period, there is little economic justification to continue the credits.” Analysis shows it costs around $8.6 million for a farm with 2,500 cows to install digesters. At current prices, that generates about $3,540 per ton of methane abated, which allows the farmer to break even.
MAD Take: Perhaps someone should open a dictionary and offer the UC analyst a definition of the word “incentive.” The question becomes, is it an incentive if you’re just breaking even?

Church of Crazy visiting Frenso

GV Wire. Fresno, Westboro Baptist Church is coming for your kids.
Synopsis: Anthony Haddad writes about a planned visit to Fresno from the craziest of the crazies, the hate-spewing anti-gay Baptists from Westboro, Kansas. They are well known for disrupting the funerals of those killed in combat. They say such deaths are God’s justice for having too many gays in America. Writes Haddad: “My immediate reaction to them coming is annoyance and disgust.” Then, “Their twisted interpretation of faith is precisely why Millennials, Gen Z and many others are turning away from religion in droves. … Their version of God is a weapon used to justify hate.”

KSEE/CBS47. ‘Stand up’: Local groups to counter Westboro Baptist Church valley visits.
Synopsis: The Westboro protesters will be outside Roosevelt High on Oct. 28 and Reedley High on Oct. 31. Several LGBTQ groups are planning to be there. Schools are worried about security.

Will Turlock council blink?

Turlock Journal. Council to consider program that will pay 25% of industrial users’ sewer bills.
Synopsis: After the council voted 5-0 on Oct. 8 to impose new sewer rates that will raise fees on industrial customers by up to 300%, those industrial customers got angry. The big hitters -- Foster Farms, Blue Diamond and CA Dairies – will attend the next council meeting to express their ire. Maryn Pitt, a former assistant to the city manager and now policy director for the Manufacturers Council, insists such increases are not “business or economic development friendly.”

Valley’s culinary delights

Modesto Bee. A taste of Jamaica in Modesto: New restaurant brings Caribbean flavors to diners.
Synopsis: Chef Abel Cano opened Cariblue Restaurant on Yosemite, between Starbucks and Little Caesar’s. Cano has been cooking at home for 30 years and Jamaican is his favorite flavor. He’s pretty good with Mexican, too. He retired to Modesto to open his restaurant.  

Merced Sun Star. Taco shop in Merced serves authentic fast Mexican food for 30 years.
Synopsis: Reporter Andy Kuhn offers a look at Maria’s Taco Shop on R Street, which immigrant Enrique Valencia opened in 1992.  He now has four more taco shops but is still bending tortillas and filling them with all kinds of good stuff. His son Chayanne, 33, runs the original and he says rolled tacos are the most popular.