Valley Headlines

All building halted in Fresno

GV Wire. Hundreds of homes impacted by court ruling on Fresno enviro docs.
Synopsis: A judge ruled that the city’s standard environmental documents – called a PEIR review and used by developers to comply with CEQA demands -- did not adequately address impacts on impoverished areas of South Fresno. That means every project that depends on the PEIR must be halted. And that, say officials, creates a de facto “moratorium” on all construction – homes, businesses, parking lots, everything. “The public has no idea of the real consequences,” said councilmember Mike Karbassi. The judge wants to see 6 criteria met by the city in its PEIR, going back to projects already under way. Reporter Edward Smith found 11 industrial projects and 12 residential projects that are impacted. “We have to start from scratch,” said council president Annalisa Perea.

Homes rising in Hughson

Ceres Courier. Hughson home building in full swing at KB project.
Synopsis: KB Homes is building 300 new homes over 5 years in Homes Orchards, south of Hatch and east of Santa Fe. Hughson has 7,734 residents, more than double its population of 2002, and has no intent to slow down. The cheapest home in this development is $449,000; the most expensive $510,990.

There’s lots of water … for now

Maven / Bureau of Reclamation. Start of 2025 water year is a reminder of the need for caution.
Synopsis: The Central Valley Project has 7.43-million-acre feet of water in storage, or about 120% of its 15-year average for this time of year. Shasta is at 113% with New Melones marginally higher. Last year at this time we had 8.0 MAF in storage.

Best schools in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee. These are the best public schools in Stanislaus County, Niche says.
Synopsis: Click-bait company Niche ranked county schools based on 16 criteria. A similar list was released Tuesday for Merced County. Rated the No. 1 public school in the county is Whitmore Charter High School in Ceres. Others, by category: Elementary: Gratton Charter, Denair. Middle: Hickman Middle School. High School: Whitmore, followed by Enochs and Gregori. The county’s largest district, Modesto, did not have a top school in any category.

Cool, old hotel reopens

Fresno Bee. Take a peek inside this 112-year-old Fresno hotel as it reopens to the public.
Synopsis: The long-abandoned, 8-story Hotel Fresno reopened on Thursday morning with 81 units of market-rate and affordable housing and four commercial spaces. It will front the new high-speed rail station. Miguel Arias calls it the most modern hotel in Fresno. It once had 250 rooms, hosting Gary Cooper, Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis. Dick & Pat Nixon once hosted a reception there in 1962. But 10 years ago, it was inhabited by homeless folks and pigeons.

Nation’s top ag county? Kern

Western Farm Press. Kern values unfazed by Tropical Storm Hilary.
Synopsis: Kern County’s farmgate receipts hit $8.62 billion in 2023 as the prices for table grapes rose, pistachios held steady and a huge citrus crop rolled in. That made Kern the No. 1 farm county in the nation, surpassing both Fresno and Kings. Kern has three $1 billion crops – grapes, citrus and pistachios. They also grow a lot of almonds, vegetables and feed corn.

Lemon law’s sour taste

Cal Matters. Newsom wants a do-over on the lemon car law he just signed; will it hurt buyers?
Synopsis: Reporter Ryan Sabalow looks at a law purported to address the rising number of lawsuits being filed over defective cars. Gov. Newsom signed it last week, but with a caveat – that the legislature take up the topic again next year. That did little to mollify consumer groups, who said the new law lets GM and others off the hook. A chart in the story shows that GM – a huge backer of the bill – is growing the most lemons, with 1 complaint for every 78 cars sold. Others: Jaguar (1 in 83), Chrysler (207), Nissan (115) and Ford (149). Fewest: Tesla (1 per 1,553), Mazda (1,571), Toyota (2,029).

Politics by any other name …

Westside Express. ‘Accountability,’ ‘transparency’ – what does it mean in Los Banos?
Synopsis: While some candidates talked about accountability, others talked only of new paint and pickleball. Only one council candidate talked about the “big, pink elephant in the room” – embattled city manager Josh Pinheiro. He is blamed for many of the 80 employee departures during his tenure, having gotten an undeserved $1.8 million payment, the council’s decision to require a 5-0 vote to fire him, secret budget planning and misuse of the consent agenda. About 60 people attended. All five of the city’s councilmembers are on the ballot this year – three per normal, two due to recall.

Patterson Irrigator. Candidate Profile: Kendra Mora, District C.
Synopsis: Editor Jessica Wilkinson continues her series of Q&As with city council candidates. Mora is running against long-time incumbent Dominic Farinha. She worked on Love Patterson and as a Chamber volunteer. She is a finance manager for Federal Construction and wants better connections to I-5.

Merced Sun Star. When can I mail my CA ballot for general election? Drop it off?
Synopsis: Ballots should arrive in your mailbox by Oct. 7; if they haven’t, call. Ballots can be dropped off at your county elections office or in a mailbox. You can also drop them off at polling places. A few polling centers in Merced, Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties will open Oct. 26. San Joaquin County does not offer early in-person voting. You must cast your ballot by 8 p.m., Nov. 5.

State water agencies must go

What’s Current. Time to gut and amend CA’s rogue water agencies.
Synopsis: Edward Ring writes about unelected state bureaucrats who “make decisions that affect millions of people and cost billions of dollars and there is almost no recourse.” There is also “very little public criticism of the decisions.” Why? Because the only people who understand the impacts are also the people who must come hat-in-hand to these agencies to get water permits. Those in the industry say the board “doesn’t care about farmers and their policies aren’t even helping our fish populations.” Ring calls out the CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife, which he says “needs to be reborn as an organization that embraces scientific debate over green dogma.”
MAD Take: Huh. I thought he was talking about the water board.

Fun stuff coming up …

Central Valley Voice. Lighthouse Youth Rib Cook-Off.
Synopsis: The Atwater church is offering ribs along with raffles, music, games and even hotdogs (palate cleansers?) on Oct. 5. All yours for $25. Youth pastor David Manning is throwing down a challenge, something about his ribs being the best in the Valley.

SF Chronicle. SF Fleet Week 2024: Most awe-inspiring air shows, parades, ship tours and more.
Synopsis: Fleet Week is Oct. 7-14, offering an opportunity to be inspired by the Blue Angels, tour destroyers, cruisers and carriers and then listen to the Marine Corps Band in a memorial concert. But there’s more! The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is in Golden Gate Park and there will be a car parade, an Italian parade, a boat parade, block parties and more.
MAD Take: Fleet Week -- so damned cool! But the traffic …