Valley Headlines

Helluva water rate hike

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County community faces huge water rate increase to $600 a month. 
Synopsis: Ken Carlson reports on the water woes of Diablo Grande, the development of 600 homes in the foothills west of Patterson. Rates for residences there will jump from $145 to $569 starting July 1. By 2030, it will be $626. Kern County Water Agency, which has supplied water for the development’s homes and golf-course, has given the community until June 30 to decide whether they want the $600 water or not. If they do, the contract will run through Dec. 31. In the meantime, if the homeowners’ group can find a cheaper water supplier, they can make a better deal. But, if homes have no water, the county could be forced to “red tag” them -- meaning residents would have to vacate. Said resident Linda Powell: “We don’t feel like we have a choice.” The homeowners are in talks with Patterson Irrigation District, but any solution could take up to 3 years to build.

What to do with a river?

Fresno Bee. How can Fresno attract people to its riverfront? These CA cities got creative.
Synopsis: Reporter Erik Galicia takes Fresno to task for not turning the San Joaquin River into a more integral element for Fresno. He contrasts Fresno with Bakersfield, which has the longest city bike path in the country along the Kern River, and Sacramento’s American River Parkway. The San Joaquin River Parkway could provide something similar, assuming riverfront landowners are willing to provide access.  Deep in the story it mentions that the Kern runs dry for most of the year.
MAD Take: The Kern is one of the most contentious rivers in California with lawsuits over rights and having enough flow to keep fish alive year-round. The American River Parkway is little better, often being set on fire as the campfires of homeless folks get out of control. The reporter should have looked at Stockton, whose waterfront is downtown and kind of nice place with a baseball stadium, city park and lots of commercial development.

Fresno plans Innovation Village

GV Wire. Millions invested in land for Innovation Village; will it be a Fresno game-changer?
Synopsis: David Taub reports on a plan to turn raw land into a research hub for health care, construction and cyber security. It would include housing for thousands of workers. Officially, it’s called Semiconductor Suppliers’ Technology Entrepreneur Parks Inc. and is the brainchild of Mike Betts. With help from Taiwanese investors, his firm has purchased property at Peach and Tulare avenues in the eastern portion of Fresno about 2 miles south of the airport. Mayor Jerry Dyer believes it will stimulate and diversify the region’s economy; Fresno State president Saul Jimenez-Sandoval met with the investors last month.

Dems get loud and rowdy

LA Times. Yelling, finger-pointing and cursing galore as CA Democrats gather near Disneyland. 
Synopsis: Columnist Mark Barabak writes, “It’s not easy being a Democrat in these Trumpian times.” Still, some 4,000 “stiff-upper-lipped partisans showed up” near Disneyland over the weekend “to engage in their own bit of escapism and magical thinking.” Adam Schiff, Corey Booker and Tim Walz were all on hand to raise spirits. Interestingly, Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris were not.
MAD Take: One of the many seminars during the weekend concerned why young working-class men are abandoning the party. Perhaps that explains the cursing, volume and drinking being reported.

SF Chronicle. Foul-mouthed, frustrated Democrats seek a spine. 
Synopsis: Columnist Joe Garofoli writes about the Democratic state convention in Anaheim, echoing much of what was reported in the Times. Garofoli reports on Dem efforts to showcase the basic lack of fairness in a tax plan that gives people $50K or less a $300 tax break while giving those earning $1,000,000 a break of $90,000. Tim Walz put it all in a nutshell: “We gotta be honest. We’re in this mess because some of it is our own doing. … We didn’t lose the working class to just anybody. We lost to a grifter billionaire giving tax cuts to his grifter billionaire buddies.” Garofoli points out that just yelling and swearing will not win back voters. Only 16% of respondents in one poll thought Dems could “get things done”; twice as many say Republicans can. Another Walz observation: “Nobody votes for roadkill.”  
MAD Take: Two things. 1) If this is an issue of fairness, the GOP plan is indefensible. If low-income earners are getting a $300 break, a fair tax break for someone earning 20x more would be $6,000 – not $90,000. 2) For a lot of folks, a $300 refund is a welcome windfall. Democrats need to promise a better deal.

Modesto Bee. McClintock attends GOP fundraiser in Modesto, unseen by protesters outside.
Synopsis: Tom McClintock appeared at the Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser inside Whiskey Jack’s where tickets cost from $125 to $3,500 for the 250 attendees. Outside roughly 100 people carried signs and shouted at those going inside. A 75-year-old woman says she’s worried about rising fascism in America.

More drama for Fresno Unified

GV Wire. Fresno Unified’s Misty Her says she was assaulted; police have no reports. 
Synopsis: Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her, six weeks on the job, says she has been assaulted and blames a Facebook post from the Fresno Teachers Association. “People were coming up to me and physically putting hands on me and referencing the post,” she said. Police in Fresno, Clovis and Sanger have no reports of any attack. The post she referenced concerns a dossier compiled by the district publicist that included 39 supposed “attacks” on Her by union representatives. All those attacks turned out to be spurious, several concocted by artificial intelligence. Despite the attacks being false, Her insisted she is the victim of union criticism leading to threats, harassment and “hate-filled messages.” Board chair Valerie Davis says the FBI has been asked to look into the threats.

Suspected drunk kills 2

Merced Sun Star. Woman, toddler killed in suspected DUI crash in Merced County.
Synopsis: A 19-year-old pickup driver is suspected of driving drunk, blowing a stop sign and hitting a Honda Civic broadside. A 20-year-old woman and 3-year-old in the back of the Honda were killed while two people in the front survived. Moises Haven Castillo ran but was found a short time later.

Cherry ring busted in act

ABC10. Cherry theft in San Joaquin County linked to statewide criminal operation. 
Synopsis: Deputies were called to Waterloo and Fairchild roads in eastern San Joaquin County after witnesses saw people picking cherries without permission. Three were arrested with 20 boxes of fruit worth around $2,000; they caused “significant damage to the trees” and sprinkler system. Inside a vehicle parked in the orchard, deputies found cash and ledger books they believe documents thefts in several counties. The Farm Bureau’s Andrew Genasci said the fruit was destined for local fruit stands.

Fresno must follow election law

KVPR. Judge rules against Fresno County, extending terms of sheriff, DA – at least for now.
Synopsis: Fresno Superior Court Judge Tyler Tharpe sided with the state of CA and threw out Measure A, which made changes to Fresno County elections. The county voted to elect its sheriff and district attorney in non-presidential years, which state law forbids because far fewer people vote in such elections. The county is considering an appeal.

Stalker was toe-nailed

Modesto Bee. Modesto man accused of stalking woman, licking and biting her toes as she slept.
Synopsis: Cristian Alejandro Anguiano, 27, broke into a woman’s home in Ceres and started kissing and licking her feet. The woman awoke and pushed him away then called 911. By the time cops arrived, he was hoofing it down the street. Anguiano first met the woman at her workplace in February and began returning to the business just to speak with her. He eventually followed her home then began sleeping in his car parked in front of her house. He also sent signed love letters. That’s how police caught him. BTW, he has been in the US for four months, arriving without permission.

Laughing at a sloppy list

LA Times. Homeland Security’s ‘sanctuary city’ list riddled with errors; sloppiness is the point.
Synopsis: Columnist Gustavo Arellano points out that putting Huntington Beach – whose city council calls itself the “MAGA-ificent 7” – is, uh, nuts. He notes that Santa Ana and Livingston – which declared themselves sanctuary cities -- are not on the list while Fresno and Santee (aka, “Klantee”) are. So is Represa. It’s not a city, but a post office serving Folsom State Prison. The list has been removed, but the jokes continue. Arellano says it isn’t all that funny. “The sloppiness is the point. The cruelty is the point.” He concludes: “Let’s laugh while we can, because things are going to get much worse before they get better.”
MAD Take: Did anyone check to see if the Represa post office is staffed by penguins?

Rats at the Ahwahnee?

SF Chronicle. Yosemite contractor slammed for failings, including rodents at Ahwahnee bar.
Synopsis: Aramark got “unsatisfactory” grade for a host of problems throughout Yosemite National Park – shoddy food service, dirty facilities, repairs left undone and “squirrels and raccoons” ransacking the Curry Village Store. Unsatisfactory is the lowest mark Aramark has gotten in the 9 years since taking over vendor operations. Such a low rating means the NPS can terminate the contract, as it did at Crater Lake last year. But the NPS probably won’t because no other company is “qualified” to offer food service, manage the campgrounds and maintain recreational activities ranging from horseback riding to rock climbing. The company offers similar services at a dozen other national parks. But no other park has seen the “suspicious” death of an employee in a staff dormitory or faced charges of employee-on-employee sexual assault. The dining room at the Wawona Hotel was shut down last year due to health hazards. Aramark got “satisfactory” grades in 5 of the last 9 years and three times was rated “marginal.” Concessions generate over $100 million in receipts each year in Yosemite.