Valley Headlines

Shhh! There’s a truce on water

Politico. Trump’s quiet truce on CA water.
Synopsis: Reporter Camille Von Kaenel writes that President Trump is “working within” the state’s water rules instead of suing to dismantle them. Those rules were established during the Biden administration to limit water deliveries during dry periods but increase them following wet winters. That’s what is happening now with marginally higher flows to farms. Why no rules change? Four reasons: “For one, CA had a wet winter, which tends to smooth over political differences.” No. 2, dumping 7,500-acre feet of water into the dirt didn’t help the president’s credibility. No. 3 might be more surprising: Gov. Newsom has “aligned himself more with Trump on water, as when he jilted Delta-area Democrats last month in pushing to expedite a tunnel to move more supplies from Northern to Southern CA.” Finally, Valley water districts recognize (but seldom talk about) the fact that those Biden-era water rules actually work for moving more water south. This angers Delta activists, who would prefer to see less pumping under all circumstances. Regardless, both Johnny Amaral of Friant Water Authority and Allison Febbo of Westlands are unhappy for different reasons. They say the Biden rules are inadequate and so is Trump’s reaction. “The clock is ticking,” said Amaral.

Save money or find water?

NOTUS / Stocktonia. Water security program not as important as budget cuts, secretary tells CA. 
Synopsis: In response to questions from House Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee, Interior Sec. Doug Burgum made it clear he’d rather cut costs than deliver water. “When you’re trying to make the kind of reductions we are … sometimes even programs that are solid programs end up on the (reduction) list,” he said. Rep. Adam Gray had questions about more than just water, asking about Reclamation having cut staff members who support the “largest agricultural valley in the world.” Gray told Burgum, “Frankly, I have grave concerns over the ability to actually manage the (water) system. How do we justify those cuts?” Burgum said he wanted to follow up with Gray “because your knowledge of that district, you and other representatives that represent the Central Valley, would be key to these deliberations.”
MAD Take. Shortly before Burgum’s testimony, Reps. Gray and Jim Costa introduced the Valley Water Protection Act to make water deliveries to farming more reliable. Among those supporting the bill is Brad Koehn, GM of Turlock Irrigation District: “We appreciate Congressman Gray for introducing this bill, which recognizes that improving conditions for species does not need to come at the expense of water security, reliable power and economic prosperity for our communities.”  

Farmers stand with workers

Western Farm Press. CA Farm Bureau stands with workers after ICE raids.
Synopsis: CA’s largest grower group is standing behind farm workers after last week’s immigration raids in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. “CA agriculture depends on and values its workforce,” said Bryan Little of the Bureau. “The current approach to federal immigration enforcement is having a disruptive effect on CA’s rural communities and the farmers, ranchers, workers and families who live and work there.”

GV Wire. Immigration raids add to absence crisis for Valley schools.
Synopsis: Stanford researchers have found that immigration raids led to lower school attendance, and harmed student achievement. The study looked at 100,000 students in the South Valley who were impacted by “Operation Return to Sender” that picked up workers at Home Depots and other parking lots. The absences led to lower reimbursements for local school districts from the Dept of Education.

258 groups question MAHA

Morning Ag Clips. 250+ food & ag groups call for greater transparency in MAHA Commission.
Synopsis: To put it bluntly, most of the people in the food growing and processing sectors don’t trust what they’ve seen from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That’s why 258 of them have demanded a closer look at who, exactly, is involved in the Make America Healthy Again Commission. The commission’s first report was riddled with errors, lies and references to phantom studies that never existed. The consequences of making “uninformed decisions for US food production based on misinformation and unproven theories would be sweeping for our nation’s farmers,” said the letter. The “listening sessions” promised by Kennedy after the errors were uncovered are not enough; they want a seat at the table. Groups signing the letter included the Almond Alliance, American Dairy Coalition, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sugarbeet Growers Assn., and a host of CA organizations representing apple, blueberry, citrus, cotton, fresh fruit, specialty crops, tomatoes and rice growers.

Finally, easy test for bird flu

Ag Daily. Paper-based test offers fast, field-ready detection of avian flu.
Synopsis: Bird flu has resulted in the destruction of 166 million domestic poultry since 2023. That has cost producers $3 billion and driven up the prices of chicken and eggs. Now, a Purdue scientist has created a “novel test” that can be used in coops and barns across all species. An oral or nasal swab is wiped on a piece of biosensor paper, providing Results within minutes. It works with 100% accuracy through RNA sensors. This is important beyond the barnyard since H5N1 has shown “an increasing ability to cross species barriers” from birds to cattle to rats to cats to humans.
MAD Note: The story gives a few more details about how this test works, based on ribonucleic acid – the same form of science RFK Jr. has expressed extreme skepticism.

Teen takes his case to DC

Fresno Bee. Fresno teen with rare disease advocates against Medicaid cuts in Washington.
Synopsis: Cruz Hernandez, who celebrated both his birthday and graduation from Bullard High last week, flew with his mother and siblings to DC so he could talk to legislators about neurofibromatosis – which is causing tumors to grow all over his body. The Children’s Hospital Association picked up the tab, hoping Cruz and 60 other pediatric patients can help convince legislators to protect Medicaid from devastating cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill. The House version of the bill includes cuts of $700 billion from Medicaid, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Cruz has been traveling to and from the Benioff Children’s Hospital in SF for the past 14 years and is among the 70% of patients there receiving care through Medicaid benefits. In the Valley, 225,000 children are covered by Medi-Cal, which is funded in large part by Medicaid.

Number of homeless falling

Merced Sun Star. Merced County homeless population dropped in 2025, according to report.
Synopsis: Last January’s Point In Time count found 717 unhoused people in the county, down from 837 last year. That’s a 14.3% drop and the lowest figure since 2020 when 636 were found in camps. The city of Merced had 520 unhoused individuals, down from 573. “It gives me some hope and optimism,” said John Ceccoli of the Human Services Agency. He said 100 volunteers canvassed the county last January, finding 41 homeless children with only 3 unsheltered.

All that’s left is smoke

KSEE / CBS47. ‘Cooking fire’ destroys homeless encampments, buildings near Merced Marketplace.
Synopsis: A fire started near the BNSF tracks at Merced Marketplace and spread quickly into dry grass Monday afternoon. Firefighters responded to 1379 N. Bear Creek just after 1 pm. It burned 2 acres and threatened two homes but destroyed four outbuildings and four campsites.

ABC30. Raymond Fire fully contained in Madera County.
Synopsis: A fire in eastern Madera that started Monday was fully contained after only a few hours. It burned 40 acres near Raymond Road and Avenue 16. There was an evacuation warning, but no evacuations.

Madera schools chief retiring

Madera Tribune. Massetti announces retirement after 56 years.
Synopsis: Cecilia Massetti, the Madera County Superintendent of Schools, will retire June 30. She was elected superintendent in 2010 and has been an educator for 46 years. As superintendent, she worked with nine county school districts and championed programs such as Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, College Night and early reading.

Retirement haven: Modesto

Modesto Bee. Modesto ranked one of the best places to retire; see where it ranked.
Synopsis: US News & World Report rated retirement communities based on housing, jobs, access to healthcare and public safety among others. Not many places in CA qualify for a high ranking due to the state’s high cost of living. One study said $1 million and Social Security will last only 16.2 years in California. Modesto checks in at No. 7 due to a median home price of $451K. About 14% of Modesto’s 221,000 residents are 65+. Despite higher costs, San Diego was rated No. 1 in CA, mostly due to proximity to healthcare, followed by LA, Sacramento, Fresno, Visalia and Santa Barbara.

Fresno ag official: ‘Ag’s in crisis’

Ag Net West. Ryan Jacobsen: Defending CA agriculture.
Synopsis: Ag Net West continues its conversations with ag leaders, talking to Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen. The lack of reliable water is a “crisis,” said Jacobsen. Like many in farming, Jacobsen truly believes “we can find a win-win for the environment and agriculture. But we need long-term solutions. Without a reliable water supply, our small- and mid-sized farms simply cannot survive.”

Having fun with hay

Patterson Irrigator. The J. Schali Hay Games recognize strength, skill, special memories. 
Synopsis: The Patterson Apricot Fiesta featured the Hay Games, celebrating an idea hatched by Jeremiah Schali. He died in 2022 at the age of 22. The Hay Games include a lot of traditional farming fun such as hay bucking (stacking), tractor rides and a Chicken Drop Fundraiser. No chickens were harmed or even dropped in an activity that involves a grid and a well-fed chicken. Among the winners were Gael Garibay, Jacob Anson, Kalaya Weyhrauch, Katealynn Cadera and Chief Casey Hill.

To win, ‘embrace the suck’

Turlock Journal. City councilwoman earns pro bodybuilding title. 
Synopsis: Councilmember Erika Phillips won the Toronto Pro Supershow body-building title last week and will next compete in the Masters Olympia in Tokyo, Aug. 9-10. She owns Fit Kitchen and represents District 4 on the city council. Her parents, Sam and Livudina Moreno, will accompany her to Tokyo. Her trainer is husband Mike Phillips, also a pro body builder. She works out 6 days a week, starting at 3 am on the treadmill. It’s tough fluctuating between her “normal” weight of 170 and competition weight of 155. “You just have to embrace the suck. But I really love the sport.”