Valley Headlines

Podcast turns into cowpie

Cal Matters. Newsom shocks LGBTQ allies with criticism of transgender athletes.
Synopsis: If first-time podcaster Gavin Newsom was looking for attention, he got it. By linking arms with right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk on the issue of transgender athletics, the governor unleashed a wave of criticism from the LGBTQ+ community. Lost in the clamor were Newsom’s follow-up comments, urging Kirk to look for grace in embracing a solution for people who feel ostracized and rejected. Many Democrats say Newsom walked into a Trump trap: “Until Donald Trump began obsessing about this issue, it hasn’t actually been a problem in CA,” said Chris Ward. As for Republicans, they’re not impressed: “It’s all empty rhetoric. It’s just political posturing and pandering,” said Bill Essayli. 

Sacramento Bee. CA needs Newsom to be a leader, not another mediocre white man with a podcast.
Synopsis: Columnist Robin Epley calls inviting “right wing troll Charlie Kirk” onto his inaugural podcast a “public blunder.” It resulted in “two mediocre white men who think their conversations are interesting enough to be recorded.” Epley says the world doesn’t need more mansplaining. She’s betting the podcast won’t last beyond 10 episodes. Then she really got mean.

More hate for Democrats

LA Times. Democrats are drifting dangerously out of sync with the American people. 
Synopsis: Columnist Josh Hammer basically says that even most Democrats are fed up with identity politics and the party needs to course-correct to the center. He excoriates Rep. Al Green and even takes some shots at Barack Obama, the most popular president in America. He called Ketanji Brown Jackson “the first explicitly DEI Supreme Court Justice” and Kamala Harris “a seemingly DEI vice presidential running mate.” He concludes saying “Democrats are going to have to repudiate the entirety of their post-2008/post-Obama cultural legacy.”

Rolling out non-sanctuary mat

Fresno Bee. Madera calls itself a ‘welcoming city’; how that differs from a sanctuary city.
Synopsis: The city council made a distinction between being a “welcoming city” and a sanctuary city on Wednesday night. Councilmember Steve Montes said the declaration is a means of showing “a very vulnerable group in our community … that we are not demonizing them and we’re not using them as political pawns.” The resolution, which passed 4-2, affirmed SB 54 and its limits on cooperation the city can show ICE and Border Patrol. Former mayor Santos Garcia was happy, saying it’s important that citizens not live in fear. Mayor Cece Gallegos and Rohi Zacharia voted against the “welcoming” designation, fearing “negative attention” from the Trump administration.

Who sent ugly mailer?

GV Wire. Fresno special election turns dirty with ‘false’ attack mailer.
Synopsis: David Taub reports on a mailer in the special election to fill a vacant Fresno City Council seat that includes an accusation that Brandon Vang committed statutory rape in the early 1990s. He is one of four candidates to replace Luis Chavez. The mailer says a 1993 court document establishes Vang’s paternity for a child born to a 15-year-old girl when Vang was 20. That “girl” has been Vang’s wife for 30 years, and their son still lives at home. Vang says he is pursuing legal options against whomever is behind the mailer – which isn’t clear. Fresno Future Forward is headquartered in a downtown UPS mailbox.

GV Wire. Editorial: City attorney Janz must investigate malicious election mailer.
Synopsis: Editor Bill McEwen writes that city attorney Andrew Janz has the skills, power and duty to ferret out who is behind the mailer (see above) and he must do it fast -- the election is March 18. Deep in the take we see why McEwen won so many awards for writing editorials: “Fresno politics has been a slimy sinkhole of behind-the-door deals, elected officials perpetually seeking higher office, and campaign dirty tricks. … (This) is not only a stain on our city, but one of the reasons Fresno has failed to prosper.” He concludes, “The people of District 5 deserve better than this. An entire city deserves better than this.”

Help for ‘special’ parents

Patterson Irrigator. Local autism, special-needs group growing quickly.
Synopsis: Alicia Pacheco-Canepa and Kim Neighbor started Autism Connections + Special Needs as a private Facebook group to provide help for those dealing with the rigors of raising kids with special needs. There are already more than 200 members. The founders are selective to protect privacy and keep out trolls. Their event, “Dare to Rest” night, is Saturday in Patterson. “We know how it feels,” they post. Groups like Valley Mountain Regional Center, McDonald’s, the Sheriff’s Office and fire department are partnering in various ways.

Salmon season in jeopardy

LA Times. Low salmon numbers in CA could prompt shutdown of fishing for a record 3^rd straight year.
Synopsis: The Pacific Fishery Management Council will decide in April what limits to put on the commercial and recreational salmon seasons. The past two years, commercial fishing has been banned. If the same holds true this year, it will be the first time that commercial fishing has been banned for three consecutive years. Their decision will be made based on the number of fish Sacramento River spawning returns. The CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife say only 166,000 fish spawned, down from the expected 214,000 fish and even worse than 2023’s 169,000. Reporter Ian James starts and ends the story by quoting Scott Artis of the Golden State Salmon Assn., who basically blames poor water management and Big Ag for the loss of salmon. State bureaucrats say the decline from 600,000+ spawners 30 years ago is due to dams and global warming.
MAD Take: Yes, the number of spawning salmon has been disappointing on the Sacramento this year. But this story fails to mention the thousands of salmon spawning on other rivers – 39,000 on the Mokelumne, 16,000 on the Big Garcia and Navarro, thousands more on rivers south of San Jose and north of San Francisco. And while reporter Ian James mentioned the drought of 2020-22, he neglected to note it was the driest three-year period on record. Why does that matter? Most salmon have a three-year life cycle, returning to natal rivers in the third year to spawn. So this year’s poor results are a reflection of the drought. More water in the rivers, as we’ve seen in the past three years, should improve numbers going forward. The reporter also decries warm water released from dams without explaining that California suffered its hottest summer on record and, while warmer, the water behind the dams is the coldest that can be found anywhere outside a refrigerator. There is no mention of other ways to improve salmon numbers -- reduction of predators (including poachers), habitat restoration, dam removal, etc. BTW, we continue to see steady improvement of salmon numbers on the Tuolumne River –roughly 1,400 this year. While not great, it’s well above the 360 seen in 2010 and continues a positive trend. The Stanislaus had over 2,500 spawners. And on the Merced, there were 1,520 – which is excellent. Such significant improvements are seldom, if ever, acknowledged. The bottom line remains: If you want to save salmon, stop killing them. Cancel the season.

Medicaid cuts would doom MCH

Fresno Bee. Madera Community Hospital could ‘face challenges’ if Medicaid cuts are OK’d. 
Synopsis: Even before the only hospital in Madera has reopened, CEO Steve Stark is warning that cuts to Medicaid could doom the effort. The actual cuts haven’t been detailed, but the only way to pay for billionaire tax cuts will be to cut Medicaid. Stark calls Medicaid “our main payer,” and is counting on it to allow the hospital to reopen. The previous management said low payments from Medi-Cal – which is largely funded by Medicaid -- was the reason the hospital closed two years ago. If Medicaid payments are cut “it would compound the financial challenges to overcome.” Clinic operators throughout the Valley are equally concerned, with quotes coming from Camarena Health, United Health Centers and Clinicia Sierra.

Tragedy for Madera family

KSEE / CBS47. Madera father dies picking up daughter from school: ‘It makes me so sad.’ 
Synopsis: Greg Bonogofsky went to St. Joachim’s Catholic School to pick up 11-year-old Mackenzie Grace. While waiting, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He had been to the doctor the day before complaining of shortness of breath and was referred to a cardiologist. But Bonogofsky told his family he was too worried about the cost, so hadn’t made an appointment. Said Mackenzie’s older sister: “I know that he’s not the only one that has passed away from being afraid of a high medical bill.”

Sports complex nearly ready

Merced Sun Star. Merced’s $10 million sports complex nears completion.
Synopsis: The lights are up at the Merced Regional Sports Complex, aka Community Park 42. It’s a 40-acre park at Mission and Tyler in south Merced that is “going to be the best facility by far that we have available in Merced County,” said Christopher North. It features soccer/football fields and courts for basketball, pickleball and futsal. Futsal? Soccer played on pavement. Eventually, there will be more soccer, more parking, more restrooms and some tennis courts. All paid for by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Merced County Office of Ed, First Five and the city.

Graffiti legend passes

Modesto Bee. Modesto cruise icon Gene Winfield dies; took his love of hot rods to Hollywood.
Synopsis: For gearheads, Gene Winfield is an icon. The company he started, Winfield’s Custom Shop, is now based in Kern County but for years it was a mecca for car enthusiasts in Modesto. Chris Murphy says Winfield “led the pack and will be forever celebrated at the Graffiti USA Museum.” Winfield’s first shop started in a repurposed chicken coop behind his parents’ home. It’s where he turned a 1928 Ford Coupe into a work of automotive art. Oh, and it was fast. In 1953, he and his ’46 Ford made the cover of Rod & Custom magazine. His customized vehicles appeared in Batman, Blade Runner, Sleeper, Get Smart and Man from UNCLE. Winfield, 97 when he died, entered the Modesto High Hall of Fame in 2019.

After a game off, Daijon shines

Merced Sun-Star. Stone Ridge star bounces back from suspension to lead Knights to NorCal win.
Synopsis: After Daijon O’Neil was ejected from a D VI Section semifinal game, he was forced to sit out the final – which his teammates won anyway. He was back Wednesday, leading his team to a 71-60 win over Point Arena in the NorCal Division VI tourney.