Valley Headlines

Farmers are trade-war targets

Modesto Bee. Farmers are the ones taking the bullets in Trump’s on-again, off-again trade wars.
Synopsis: Adam Gray points out that tariffs are paid by Americans, not foreign countries; that “tariff” is the same as a tax on every buyer. “Walk around your house and pick up anything that says ‘Made in China.’ Now, imagine the price of this item is double or triple what you paid,” he writes. Gray points out that the last time we played this game, American farmers lost $27 billion in ag exports. CA alone lost $683 million. This round could be significantly worse, as exports to just 3 nations – Canada, Mexico and China – will cost farmers $30 billion. Writes Gray: “Some will say tariffs are necessary to protect American industry. But which American industries are we protecting when we invite tariffs against our farmers?” This is why Gray introduced the Stop Raising Prices on Food Act, which will revoke the president’s unilateral authority to impose tariffs and return it to Congress – as the Constitution requires.

Our ag is too big to fail

Fresno Bee. Farmers deserve trade war for backing Trump, critic says; but industry can’t fail. 
Synopsis: Columnist Tad Weber responds to The Atlantic’s David Frum, who wrote that farmers are reaping their just desserts in Trump’s trade war: “Tariffs are the dish that rural America ordered for everyone,” wrote Frum. “Now the dish has arrived at the table. For some reason, they do not want to partake themselves or pay their share of the bill.” Then Tad explains that California sold $2 billion in ag products to China in 2023 (under Joe Biden), but that wasn’t even the top destination for what we grow, falling well behind Canada and Mexico. Weber urges people to set aside feelings about Trump and recognize that agriculture is an enormous business and must be considered “too big to let fail.”I

Tariffs, inflation worry growers

CA Ag Net. Almond market concerns loom, and not just retaliatory tariffs.
Synopsis: One of three videos released by the website Monday. Once you get past the narrator’s incredibly long opening question, RaboResearch’s Roland Fumasi notes that profitability was finally back for the almond business. But it might be short-lived. “There’s a lot of risk out there right now. The obvious one is the risk of retaliatory tariffs. But everything is changing every day.” Worse than tariffs, RaboBank believes that under the new political regime inflation will go much higher. And that will be bad for farmers.

Even more tariffs tremors

CA Ag Net. Opportunities for US dairy exports despite trade and tariff uncertainty. 
Synopsis: In another short video, sources explain how the CA dairy industry relies heavily on exports to sell all cheese, powder and whey farmers produce. The ever-optimistic Rebecca Nyman, chair of the US Dairy Export Council, believes those exports will remain strong.

What the NRCC finds terrifying

Modesto Bee. Republicans call Central Valley congressman ‘terrorist sympathizer’: Is it true?
Synopsis: DC bureau chief David Lightman sets the record straight, immediately answering his headline’s question: “He’s not.” For proof, Lightman notes that Gray was endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America and that Gray’s first vote on an issue involving Israel was pro-Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said only one vote has arisen during Gray’s tenure, and he voted in Israel’s favor. Gray’s office called the slur “an outright lie.” What would cause the National Republican Congressional Committee to make such a stupid and scurrilous statement? Apparently, they believe that because Gray once shook Gavin Newsom’s hand he is somehow linked to Hamas. Huh?
MAD Take: To paraphrase a guy named Twain, there are lies, damned lies and downright stupid lies. This particular Republican lie falls into the latter category.

In construction, time is money

Cal Matters. Why is it so expensive to build affordable homes in CA? It takes too long.
Synopsis: The RAND Corp.’s Jason Ward writes about the spiraling cost of housing in CA and its impact on every Californian, from the wealthiest to the homeless. His team compared what it costs to build market-rate apartments in CA compared to Texas and Colorado. A single unit costs $150,000 to build in Texas, $240,000 in Colorado and $430,000 in CA. Part of that is due to seismic and fire safety requirements. Part of it is energy efficiency requirements and part of it is higher labor costs. But the largest factor is higher “soft costs” such as engineering (3x higher), architectural fees (3x) and – the real driver – permitting. In San Francisco, it costs $30,000 to get an apartment permitted. In Texas it costs $800. But all this pales in comparison to the cost of time. It takes 50 months to build an apartment complex in CA, during which the developer must pay for labor, taxes and interest. Says Ward, we need to be more like Texas.

Vernal pools are blooming

Merced Focus. Merced’s super bloom is here; how grassland reserve protects endangered species.
Synopsis: The Merced Vernal Pools & Grassland Reserve is in UC Merced’s “backyard.” It is 6,500 acres of grass dotted with patches of flowers springing up around seasonal pools filled with fairy shrimp. Originally part of the Virginia Smith Trust, the “bio-diversity hotspot” can be toured along a dirt road. Many of its 6,000 vernal pools are populated by “fairy shrimp.”

What waste?

Ag Net West. Bill to ease waste-reporting rules for nut processors advances.
Synopsis: Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains’s bill to ease reporting requirements on hull and husk waste has passed out of committee on a 14-0 vote. Since they are used in a variety of feeds and building products, they’re not wasted. The report stating how much is going to landfills is always zero.
MAD Take: Duh.

A remedy to high utility bills

Politico. Squeezed by Trump, blue states try squeezing utilities in return.
Synopsis: Democrats in NY and CA are writing legislation to limit how much investors can earn from buying bonds and stocks in gas & electric companies. As investors get returns of up to 11%, people from Rhode Island to New Jersey to CA are saying the same thing: “I don’t know how I’m going to pay my electric bills.” Electricity bills rose 3% nationwide last year, but they rose 11% in NY, NJ and Conn. In CA they were up 14% on the heels of two increases totaling 20% in 2023. Meanwhile, investors who get 4% on corporate bonds are getting 12% from PG&E. Some legislators want to limit returns on investments to 4%. Others want to cap electricity rates while others want to cap profitability. 
MAD Take: There is another route. You don’t hear folks in Modesto, Turlock or Sacramento complaining about being gouged. That’s because they own their power companies.

Sniffing out 13 pounds of coke

Fox26. CHP K9 traffic stop in Fresno County uncovers 13 pounds of cocaine.
Synopsis: The CHP pulled over a 2-24 Buick Enclave on I-5 at Nees Avenue on Thursday and immediately smelled weed smoke. Officers then called in HIIT – High Impact Investigations Team – which found 13 pounds of cocaine. Oops.

Fonda in Fresno; Bernie in Folsom

GV Wire. Is Fresno ready to hear Jane Fonda speak her mind?
Synopsis: Iconic actor and activist Jane Fonda will close the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall on Wednesday. Her dream is to “mobilize voters across the country – especially young people – to show up, show out and take back our future.” She will speak at the Saroyan Theatre on “Resilience, Passion and Purpose.” The Valley Town Hall is in its 87^th year, sponsored by GV Wire among others. Coincidentally, Fonda is also 87. Tickets are $60.

Sacramento Bee. How to get to Bernie Sanders’ rally.
Synopsis: Parking, traffic and general congestion is expected today as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bring their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to Folsom Lake College at 3 p.m. Rallies in Salt Lake City drew 20,000 Monday while 36,000 turned out in LA and 34,000 in Denver. “People should expect to do a little bit of walking to get into the venue,” said one organizer. RT is putting on extra trains and the school is adding a bus line to the venue.

Modesto: CA’s party town

Modesto Bee. CA’s best ‘party city’ is … Modesto? 
Synopsis: Sarah Linn writes about a “study” by something called Bonus Finder -- a casino review website. It listed the top 170 party cities across the US based on nightlife, drink prices and the number of hotel rooms. The No. 1 spot was Key West. Surprisingly, there were only 17 California cities on the list – and Modesto was the highest ranked at No. 137. Fresno was No. 145 and Sac 152. Just so you know, among Bonus Finder’s top 10 were those well-known part-tee towns of Charleston, WV, and Albany, NY, and Biloxi, Miss.
MAD Take: I’m guessing the publication date on this story was April 1. Albany?