Valley Headlines

‘Don’t forget this betrayal’

McClatchy Newspapers. Nine CA Republicans voted for Trump’s cruel budget; remember them.
Synopsis: The editorial board members from McClatchy’s newspapers in Sacramento, Fresno, Modesto, Merced and San Luis Obispo combined on this hard-hitting editorial calling out all 9 California Republicans who voted to remove food from the mouths of children, cut medical care to half the Valley and slash funding for those living nursing homes. The “Big, Beautiful Budget Bill” passed the House by 1 vote, meaning any one of the nine could have killed this awful bill. The editorial singles out David Valadao and Kevin Kiley for their “profiles in cowardice.” Valadao, in particular, wrote a letter saying he would never vote to cut Medicaid funding, which helps pay healthcare costs for 67% of his constituents. “While we slept, Valadao and his group of letter-writers joined 215 representatives” and voted to threaten the health care of 61,437 of his constituents. But don’t ignore the others: Ken Calvert, Vince Fong, Darrell Issa, Young Kim, Doug LaMalfa, Tom McClintock and Jay Obernolte. “For Californians, it’s more important than ever to stand united in efforts to overturn the Republican majority in Congress and seek out ways to assist those whose safety net has been so cruelly yanked out from under them.” 

Bains: Censure ‘Negligent 9’

Politico. California Playbook.
Synopsis: Delano Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains introduced a resolution to censure the House Republicans who voted for the budget that will gut Medicaid and wipe out food benefits for schools, poor families and food banks. “Instead of standing up for us, our Republican delegation sold us out,” she said. “The Negligent Nine betrayed California, putting loyalty to Trump and their political party above the 40 million residents of the greatest state in the union.”
MAD Take: Doctor, doctor give me the news | this might be a cure | For the bad budget blues. (Apologies to Moon Martin.)

Capital & Main. The Great Food Bank Robbery: Hungry Californians face losing daily bread.
Synopsis: Story describes a long line at a rural food bank in Woodland and the fears of those in it. With the federal government poised to gut SNAP support, such programs will lose 60 to 75% of their financial support. Farmers stand one step behind the food banks in the long line of losers these cuts will create. BTW, who is eating the food? Farmworkers. “We grow the food, but we can’t afford it,” said a young woman in the line.

Farmers furious over MAHA

Successful Farming. Ag Secretary praises MAHA findings; industry groups ‘strongly rebuke’ report. 
Synopsis: President Trump called the Make America Healthy Again report “amazing.” But the majority of farming organizations are saying MAHA makes them sick. Released Thursday by Health & Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr., it attacked farming on a foundational level. Wrote the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Zippy Duval: “It is deeply troubling for the White House to endorse a report that sews seeds of doubt and fear about our food system. … Farmers are identified as ‘critical partners,’ yet were excluded from development of the report.” The National Corn Growers Assn said MAHA “is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information.” Soybean growers: “Both farmers and members of Congress tried to warn the administration that activist groups were trying to hijack the MAHA Commission … it appears that is exactly what happened.” The International Fresh Produce Assn was generally complimentary but pointed out that MAHA “includes some questionable assertions, some contrary to federal regulatory findings” that “could confuse Americans about the safety of their food.” Pork producers were downright irate, saying the report “undermines” the “work of farmers serving our nation” and that it is an effort “to galvanize attention to achieve particular ideological outcomes” that “are harmful.” There is a lot more like this. But if you want to see Trump fawn over it, watch the video. 

Ag Daily. Make America Healthy Again report delivers scathing assessment of farm pesticides.
Synopsis: The 68-page report delivered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA Commission condemns pesticides for making children sick and poisoning the nation. As Ag Daily’s reporter pointed out: “Despite its urgent tone and sweeping conclusions, the MAHA Report relies heavily on many outdated or tangential studies to support its claims – particularly those related to agriculture. For example, on page 38 it cites a 1982 study on insecticide residue in breast milk despite the fact that most of the chemicals referenced have been banned or strictly regulated” for the past four decades. Roger Isom of the CA Cotton Ginners & Growers said, “Crop protection tools (i.e., pesticides) … have gone through the most rigorous, scientifically based and health-protective process in the world.” The group Farm Action, on the other hand, praised the report and said it justifies their endorsement of Kennedy for president and then for H&HS Secretary.

Officials see ‘challenging’ future

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County CEO foresees unsteady fiscal outlook; Medi-Cal and shelter cuts. 
Synopsis: County CEO Jody Hayes gave Stanislaus supervisors a “challenging” fiscal update. The state’s in a budget hole, the feds are likely to kill programs supporting healthcare for thousands and job growth has been slowing for the past four months. With those headwinds, there will be impacts from child services to probation to homeless shelters. Hayes’ new budget is set up to “keep the lights on” but not add new projects, services; or improvements.

Making Kiddieland even better

ABC40. Changes coming to iconic Kiddieland in Merced.
Synopsis: The Kiwanis raised $1.3 million to revamp the park within a park, and the work is now under way. There will be a new train, entryway and tables and chairs. The grand reopening is May 31, but work won’t finish until this fall.

Court orders 2 pay settlements

Modesto Bee. Judge orders closure of Modesto company to repay workers owed wages.
Synopsis: Judge Ronald Sargis ordered Martinez Pallets to sell off its assets to pay 9 workers who were victims of wage theft. The company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but the court’s auditor said the company’s plan wouldn’t pay off its tax debt much less make the workers whole. So, Judge Sargis converted Chapter 11 to Chapter 7, and ordered the sale.

Fresno Bee. Judge OKs deal in wage theft claim against Valley Children’s; some nurses upset.
Synopsis: A Madera County judge approved a $400,000 class-action settlement in a case filed in 2022 by two nurses on behalf of all the rest working at VCH. The hospital failed to pay OT, provide breaks or reimburse expenses. The hospital admitted no wrongdoing and Judge Michael Jurkovich limited damages to two months. At least 40 staff members objected in writing and 5 showed up in the courtroom. The nurses are vowing an appeal. The story recounts controversies hitting the hospital for the past two years, including extravagant pay packages for the hospital’s executive staff.

Happening on Memorial Day

Westside Express. San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery to hold Memorial Day ceremony.
Synopsis: There will be a wreath-laying ceremony, solemn music by the Air Force Band of the Golden West and speeches by various dignitaries include Rep. Adam Gray, state Sen. Anna Caballero and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria. The cemetery holds the remains of 47,500 of those who served.

SF Chronicle. Yosemite’s Tioga Pass scheduled to open on Memorial Day.
Synopsis: Hwy 120, which stretches through Manteca and Oakdale then into Yosemite and over the Sierra, will open at its highest point – 9,943 feet at Tioga Pass – on Monday. But starting this year, you can’t just drive into the park and over the pass; you have to have a reservation.

Fresno mayor ‘ashamed’ of city

GV Wire. Fresno affordable housing take a huge hit; state kills ‘pro-housing’ status. 
Synopsis: Over the past 2 years, Fresno’s “Pro-Housing” designation made special state grants available. But those grants came with deadlines, and “we’ve not done enough in their eyes to accelerate housing within our city,” said Mayor Jerry Dyer. “In fact, we’re the only city awarded the designation that missed the deadline. I’m ashamed of that as the mayor of this city.” The city can regain Pro-Housing status but only if the entire council and staff are on board. A decision to kill an affordable housing project in 2023 put the city in a bad place, said Dyer. Annalisa Perea, Dyer and Nelson Esparza were on the losing end of a 4-3 vote against it.

Valley Sun. Fresno takes in tens of millions in taxes for parks; they’re still ranked near bottom.
Synopsis: Despite a 30-year tax dedicated to parks, the Trust for Public Land ranked Fresno 98^th out of 100 major US cities. That’s the same score Fresno got last year. Since the tax has been collected, starting in 2021, it has brought in $46 million. But there are no new parks in the city, which scored poorly in total park acreage and having parks in low-income neighborhoods. 

Homelessness up in South Valley

Fresno Bee. Homeless population in Fresno, Madera up 3%; why that number likely to grow. 
Synopsis: The Point in Time count shows unsheltered populations in the two-county region are up 10% over the past year while the entire homeless population, including those in shelters, is up 3%. “While we are housing more people than ever before, more people are becoming homeless for the first time or returning to homelessness after being connected to permanent housing,” said Deputy Fresno County admin officer Amina Flores-Becker. Worse, “we will likely see a continued rise in those experiencing homelessness due to the proposed federal budget related to homeless funding.”

State should embrace river deal

Merced County Times. It’s time to settle Merced River – fairly, sustainably.
Synopsis: Merced ID director Stephanie Dietz writes that the “fish or farms” narrative is outdated and false. We can have both along with clean drinking water, recreational spaces and a healthy ecosystem. But that can’t happen if the State Water Board succeeds in taking “as much as half of Lake McClure’s water.” The state should do as Merced Irrigation District is asking and enter a Healthy Rivers and Landscape Voluntary Agreement to provide investment in river restoration, increase flows while leveraging state, federal and local money. “Leaders like Congressman Adam Gray, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and state Senator Anna Caballero support our proposal.”

Are solar panels dangerous?

Ag Net West. Are solar panels safe on farmland?
Synopsis: Apparently there is a “new debate” over the safety of solar panels. In Italy the government has banned solar panels on farmland. And what happens when panels wear out? Where do they go? Or do they just stay put?
MAD Take: Here in California, there is a rush to cover farmland – and even irrigation canals -- with solar panels. So, if there’s anything to these objections, it might be a good discussion to have. Or maybe RFK Jr. is the one complaining.

Garlic Fest: We hardly knew ye

Modesto Bee. CA Garlic Festival shuts down as Gilroy event prepares return.
Synopsis: After two years in Stockton and one year in Los Banos, the California Garlic Festival has closed up shop. That’s because Gilroy, where the Garlic Festival was originated, is bringing back its festival in July. It will be the first Gilroy Garlic Fest since 2019 when a shooter killed 3 and wounded 17.