Valley Headlines

Is worst of bird flu behind us?

SF Chronicle. Worst of avian flu outbreak may be over in CA, health officials say.
Synopsis: The HPAI outbreak that began last summer might be winding down, finally, says the state’s top public health officer, Dr. Erica Pan. “We feel we’ve gotten through the worst of this,” she said. Officials at UCSF, however, warn that this could be a temporary lull in new cases of H5N1. Regardless, it’s a good feeling for the state that became the “epicenter of the US outbreak, with about 70% of cases in dairy cattle and the majority of case in people” last summer. By September, 766 dairy herds in 12 counties had been infected with 38 known cases of human infection. Pan says 80% of those dairies are out of quarantine. But the UCSF researcher warns: “The worst thing we can do is forget about it. Just because we’re not seeing much now doesn’t mean that for the future.”

Newsom: Fast-track my tunnel

Politico. Newsom asks lawmakers to fast-track Delta tunnel project. 
Synopsis: As part of the May Budget Revise, in which he detailed a $12 billion shortfall in state finances, Gov. Gavin Newsom doubled down on the value of the Delta Tunnel. He said siphoning water from the Sacramento River before it enters the Delta is essential to preparing the state for a hotter, drier future. He wants the legislature to pass a “trailer bill” that will eliminate judicial review and streamline water-rights procedures so the paperwork can be done by the end of his term.
MAD Take: The story says Delta residents and environmentalists are fighting the tunnel. That ignores farmers in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the residents of San Francisco who are also opposed. To make up for the Sacramento River flows that would bypass the Delta, the state has demanded double the water from the San Joaquin River’s tributaries – the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced. San Francisco relies on the Tuolumne River for at least two-thirds of the water it provides to 23 Bay Area cities. As the former mayor of SF, Newsom knows very well the impact of his tunnel on the city and on the Valley.

Governor blames middlemen

Cal Matters. Newsom says these middlemen drive up drug prices; he’s got a plan to fix it. 
Synopsis: The governor has apparently changed his mind about regulating “benefit managers” who control the list of approved drugs available to patients and the reimbursement rates paid to providers. They add special fees for processing requests and keep manufacturer discounts for themselves. After the last legislative session, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have eliminated those practices and added licensing requirements; now he wants to achieve similar results through the CA Dept of Managed Health Care via his budget revise. Benefit managers blame big pharma and insist they are working to provide transparency. A USC expert says putting a fiduciary duty on the benefit managers – meaning they would have to act on behalf of their clients, not themselves – will solve the problem.
MAD Take: Just two days ago, an altruistic small-town pharmacist named Katie Bass explained how she was driven out of business by benefit managers who squeezed her drug stores in Planada, Mariposa and Coarsegold while providing price breaks to bigger players. When her drugstores closed it left behind a prescription-drug desert in each community.

Election season starts early

Politico. CA Playbook. Not-so-happy deficit day, everyone.
Synopsis: The daily “Playbook” first focuses on items in the governor’s May Revise – a push for the Delta Tunnel, cuts to colleges, Medi-Cal pullbacks, damage from the Trump Tariffs, etc. -- then shifts its focus to Dr. Jasmeet Bains, the Assemblymember from Delano. She made an ad instructing Rep. David Valadao to vote against any cuts to Medicaid. Playbook suggests this is a signal Bains could challenge Valadao next year. His district has the highest number of Medi-Cal / Medicaid recipients in the nation. Any cuts would have significant impacts on the district. SEIU paid for the ads, saying: “Dr. Jasmeet Bains is showing the Valley what strong leadership looks like: standing up for the health care a half-million people in CD-22 – 200,000 of them children – rely on … Dr. Bains is actively working to save their lives.”
MAD Take: Valley residents already know what “strong leadership” looks like on healthcare. Adam Gray led the drive to create a medical school, fund medical residency programs, expand rural clinic hours, lower costs to treat diabetes and access to dialysis among other things. In Congress, Rep. Gray has told Republicans that as much as he wants a farm bill, it won’t come at the expense of keeping poor children hungry – which the GOP is trying to do.

Turlock Journal. Local 2026 elections kick off with mayor, council candidates.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez reports on what appears to be an early start to the 2026 election. Turlock planning commissioner Jim Reape is running against Amy Bublak for mayor and private investigator Kelly Coelho is challenging Kevin Bixel in District 1. “My kids are all grown and buying their own groceries now, so I’ve got the time, I’ve got the energy and there’s an opportunity to improve things,” said Reape.  

GV Wire. Karbassi running for Fresno County Elections Clerk, say he can ‘do better.’
Synopsis: David Taub reports that Fresno councilmember Mike Karbassi will challenge James Kus in 2026. Karbassi thinks it takes too long to count votes in Fresno County. Kus responds that elections “can be run accurately, quickly or cheaply. But you can only do two of those three things.”

No snacks in this bag

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). CHP finds heroin in a Honda.
Synopsis: A CHP officer stopped a Honda Accord on Sunday at the scales near Santa Nella on I-5. Noticing suspicious activity, he got permission to allow a K-9 officer to search the car. The good dog found 2.5 pounds of heroin in a Cheetos bag. The driver has been booked.

Restaurants come and go

Merced Sun Star. Where can I find poke in Merced? New restaurant to serve ‘seafood in a bowl.’
Synopsis: Reporter Angela Rodriguez writes about a new Poke Bowl restaurant opening soon in Merced. It’s part of a San Jose- based chain with a location already serving marinated fish near Stan State. It’s sort of a buffet bar with little tubs of ingredients.

Merced Daily (Facebook). New restaurant hiring in downtown Merced; expected to open in July.
Synopsis: La Tia Juana will have a full bar and what appears to be 8 big-screen TVs at its 425 West Main location. Owner Cristopher Tristan promises a family-friendly atmosphere through dinner then adult-oriented activities at night.

Westside Connect. Taco Bell closes in Newman; Starbucks set to open shop.
Synopsis: The town’s only Taco Bell has closed in Newman, having been open just under 5 years. A Starbucks will take its place. When remains “hazy.” The “swap” of tacos for coffee has sparked a lot of social media buzz. “Newman has failed me as a community,” posted one local. Another wrote: “We need to keep large businesses out of Newman or we will end up like Patterson.”

Gallo will alter water disposal

Modesto Bee. Gallo Winery practices threaten Fresno drinking water, regulators say.
Synopsis: The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued a tentative order for the Fresno unit of E.&J. Gallo to stop putting roughly 400 million gallons (1.2-million-acre feet) of untreated water on several hundred acres of ag land near the winery. The winery has agreed to stop over the next 5 years. The state says the water contains too much nitrate, which can migrate into groundwater and pollute city wells.

Surprise firing of superintendent

Westside Express. Firebaugh school board releases superintendent Mendiola.
Synopsis: Reporter David Borba calls the dismissal of Roy Mendiola by the Firebaugh/Los Deltas USD a “stunning development.”  Board member Ron Parker made the announcement after the board’s May 9 meeting. Milagros Delgado will step up from Director of Educational Services to lead the district for the time being. Last summer Mendiola was accused of unprofessional behavior following complaints from two female employees. An independent investigation said some of his actions were inappropriate but did not rise to the level of termination.

College invites LB’s mayor to speak

Westside Express. Mayor Amabile to speak at Merced College Los Banos campus commencement.
Synopsis: Showing an about-face in relations between the city of Los Banos and Merced College, Mayor Michael Amabile will deliver the keynote speech on May 22 for 200 graduating students. This year’s cohort earned 278 degrees, 355 certificates and 10 students are graduating with 4.0 GPAs. While Amabile got his AA degree from Merced College, the previous city council angered college officials and many residents when they voted to abandon a bike path connecting the college and the city.

High-speed arrives in Riverdale

Valley Sun. Comcast launches broadband service to Riverdale residents.
Synopsis: For the first time, 162 people in Riverdale will have access to high-speed internet. It is being paid for by a Federal Funding Account Grant and Comcast. Supervisor Buddy Mendes called it “big” for students.  

Tragedy hangs over service

Ceres Courier. Annual Peace Officers Memorial overshadowed by murder-suicide.
Synopsis: As they do every May, law enforcement came together at Lakewood for the Peace Officers Memorial. But for many, the death of Sgt. Daniel Hutsell and his wife was still fresh. It appears Hutsell killed his wife, Dinella, then committed suicide leaving two orphaned daughters. Several speakers talked about the emotional toll of police work.

Ceres Courier. When public protectors end up committing murder. 
Synopsis: Columnist Jeff Benziger writes well about the difficulties of police work and the impact on families without giving Sgt. Hutsell a pass for subjecting “his two precious little girls” to a trauma that will affect them their whole lives. “The reality is that murders and suicides happen far too often and less commonly murder-suicides. Mental health is a real issue in our world.” … Benziger then switches gears, offering comments from a reader on Mayor Javi Lopez’s decision to run for Congress: “Ditching the office for which you have just been elected to move on to ‘bigger and better’ things is a huge red flag. … We’ve had enough bad agents representing us, why add a non-trustworthy person to the mix?” The reader won’t vote for a Democrat, so that line on the ballot will remain blank.  

‘He came home to die’

Ceres Courier. Longtime Lions member Runyan dies after serving at Street Faire.
Synopsis: Bud Runyan, the 2019 Ceres Citizen of the Year and a 24-year member of the Ceres Lions, died May 5, just a few hours after working at the Ceres Street Faire. Ken Lane said Bud didn’t look sick and never complained, but “he’d never let you know.” The Runyans moved to Arizona 4 years ago, but they came back to Ceres for special events such as the Street Faire every year. “It’s like he came home to die,” said Lane. He will be remembered May 18 at the Tuolumne River Lodge.