Valley Headlines

Gray’s bill to protect farmers

Westside Connect. Legislative Update: Adam Gray introduces legislation to protect farmers.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray introduced his first bill in the House on April 10 to defend farmers against the effects and impacts of retaliatory tariffs. The Stop Raising Prices on Food Act would revoke the president’s emergency power to impose tariffs, returning the authority to the Congress where it belongs under the Constitution. “The last time sweeping tariffs went into effect, specialty crop growers and agricultural producers in the Valley lost millions of dollars in revenue. We can’t afford to let it happen again,” said Gray. The tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China alone will result in $30 billion in losses for American farmers, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Farm bankruptcies rising

Successful Farming. Farm bankruptcies on the rise again in 2025.
Synopsis: Story based on Bloomberg Law’s report that family farm bankruptcies increased 55% in 2024 over 2023 and are trending even higher this year. “Trump has quickly nudged farmers closer to the brink of going under and created turbulence for producers trying to make ends meet,” wrote Alex Wolf. “Unpredictable tariffs, immigration overhauls, federal program cuts, and frozen Agriculture Department funding are now part of the discussions farmers are having as they seek financial help.” According to the Kansas City Federal Reserve, farm-loan delinquency rates have increased from their historic lows of the last four years. Iowa leads the nation in farm bankruptcies. Experts say they see “further economic hardship for farmers” due to tariffs and higher input costs. 
MAD Take: Across the last decade, the four lowest years for farm bankruptcies were 2021, 22, 23 and 24 – the Biden years. During the Trump years of 2019 and 2020, Chapter 12 filings reached their highest levels this century and now are climbing again.

They want tariff hearing moved

Ag Net West. Trump administration challenging CA Governor’s lawsuit against tariff regime.
Synopsis: The Trump administration wants to move the tariff lawsuit out of the San Francisco Federal Court to the Court of International Trade in NY. Rob Bonta is suing to block Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada due to the harm being done to California’s agriculture and entertainment sectors.

More NRCC lies debunked

Modesto Bee. Republicans say Valley congressman voted for higher taxes. Is it true?
Synopsis: Another of the “Reality Check” stories from David Lightman in which he explores the facts behind ad campaigns from the National Republican Congressional Caucus targeting Adam Gray. Gray did not vote to raise taxes, but he did vote against legislation that will make it easier for Republicans to cut taxes on wealthy individuals. That bill, if it becomes law, will result in the gutting of Medicaid, slashing the child tax credit, and huge cuts in funding for farm-based conservation projects; already, the administration has dramatically cut funding to food banks. “Republicans are attempting to distract Valley families from the fact that they have done nothing to counter the economic fallout from reckless tariffs on our trade partners,” Gray said. Not one Democrat voted in favor of the GOP’s spending blueprint.
MAD Note: Last week’s NRCC fib tried to portray Adam Gray’s handshake with Gov. Newsom as support for terrorism. These guys sound pretty desperate.

Aqua Park gets new features

Merced Sun Star. New zip-line attractions added to Snelling water park for 2025 season.
Synopsis: The Splash-n-Dash Aqua Park will open for its eighth season this year and will now include a 150-foot inflatable zip line. Thrill-seekers can ride it before jumping off into the lake. Splash Attack is an extreme water-tag experience which will be located near the water slides. The park opens May 24 and closes Sept. 1. Prices are the same as they were last year, BTW.

Homeless camp bulldozed

KSEE / CBS47. ‘Unsafe, unsanitary, unacceptable’: Merced homeless camp off Hwy 99 removed. 
Synopsis: Merced County, the city, Caltrans and “non-profit partners” began cleaning up one of the largest encampments in the county at Hwy 99 and East Childs. “You come down Hwy 99 and this is what you see. This is not what Merced is about,” said spokesperson Mike North. The county said notice was provided to the 60 or so camp residents. All were offered support services and the opportunity to relocate to shelters; roughly 40 accepted offers of help. Using bulldozers and front-loaders, the county removed “several tons of trash” from the site on private property.

Feeding millions of Monarchs

River Partners. Seeding a lifeline for Monarch butterflies. 
Synopsis: Sean Murphy writes about one of the most colorful, and beautiful insects, found in our Valley – the Monarch butterfly. It feeds exclusively on milkweed and is famous for its epic migration from CA to the Rocky Mountains. RP will plant 15 million milkweed plants statewide by 2030. To get enough seeds, RP has created the nonprofit Heritage Growers Native Seed & Plant Supply, based in Colusa. It has 208 acres of seed plants and has supplied nursey plants and seeds for many of the organization’s river restoration projects. It has already agreed to Monarch projects with Merced Irrigation District, the Pollinator Partnership, East Bay Regional Park District and others. Now RP is looking for more partners, from schools to garden clubs to individuals, to plant milkweed and help save the Monarch. 

Worst & best nursing homes

Modesto Bee. Best and worst-rated nursing homes in Modesto, based on federal scores.
Synopsis: Reporter Kendrick Marshall looked at the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to find two lists. Looking at either end of the scale, he found three nursing homes cited for abuse (Golden Modesto Care Center, River View Post Acute and Garden City Healthcare Center) and three that had 5-star ratings. Oddly, none of them actually are in Modesto. Bethany Home Society is in Ripon, Covenant Village Care in Turlock and Grace Home Inc. in Livingston.

We’ve got how many bears?

SF Chronicle. CA may be the world’s black bear capital, according to state’s bear plan.
Synopsis: Black bears are “having a moment in California,” writes reporter Gregory Thomas. That’s because they have the “densest recorded population in the world.” In 1992 there were roughly 10,000 to 15,000 bears in the state. Today there are said to be 60,000, but that census could be low. They now range across 40% of the state. Arjun Dheer of the CDF&W says “we need to adjust and put in good practices to coexist with bears. Bears are very charismatic … but they are not necessarily easy to live alongside.”

Projects going up in Merced

Merced Sun Star. Project to build more than 50 units of housing for homeless people in Merced. 
Synopsis: There was a groundbreaking at 125 East 13^th Street for 58 units funded by the state’s HomeKey program. They will be one- and two-bedroom units up to 574 square feet. Total cost will be $11.1 million, or $192,000 per unit. Dean Sparks and Adam Conour are driving the project, largely to help veterans like them. Construction starts this summer.

Merced Sun Star. Merced developer envisions thriving shopping plaza off Hwy 99.
Synopsis: Daniel Moradzadeh is finishing a 133-room Hilton Garden Inn on Campus Parkway and now wants to bring in a gas station, restaurants and more retail. But there’s more. On the 17-acre parcel across the road he’d like to build “something similar to what they did with River Park in Fresno.” He’s thinking Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Bass Pro.
MAD Take: Big dreams.

Gustine park gets makeover

Westside Connect. Harry Schmidt Park blossoms with new life thanks to city, community support.
Synopsis: The city of Gustine’s Public Works and Recreation departments combined with volunteers to spruce up the park’s Peterson Shelter and playground equipment. Maria Lopez said it makes her “proud to live in Gustine when I see the city investing in our community.” Rec coordinator Tiffany Vitorino said the shelter’s renovation was long overdue. Retired teacher James Nguyen called it “a joy to see it clean, updated and welcoming again.”

Tesla settles with Black worker

East Bay Times. Tesla settles lawsuit by Black worker who alleged racism at Fremont car factory.
Synopsis: According to the lawsuit, one manager frequently referred to the Tesla factory as “the plantation” or the “the slave house” or worse. The employee who sued was assigned tasks impossible to complete alone and had been denied workplace accommodations given to others. Other lawsuits report similar things. Terms of Tesla’s settlement were not disclosed.
MAD Take: Why is this important in the Valley? Because Tesla operates assembly and manufacturing operations in several of those huge, unlabeled warehouses you find throughout southern San Joaquin County. The company even ranks among the top private employers in Lathrop.

Recast these 3 ‘ambassadors’

LA Times. Trump named Gibson, Stallone and Voight as ‘special ambassadors’ to save Hollywood.
Synopsis: Trump is worried about Hollywood, which he calls “a very troubled place.” To fix it, he has chosen three men to be his “eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest.”
MAD Take. A list of, uh, A-listers. Stallone? He famously abandoned California for the “free state of” Florida last year. Voight? There’s a reason Angelina Jolie legally dropped “Voight” from her name. And what about those charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. Gibson? Trump should ask his pal Netanyahu about Malevolent Mel. Or ask the ex-girlfriend he beat up years ago. These are perfect fits for Team Trump.