Valley Headlines

Revolt! Stop PG&E’s gouging

Cal Matters. Over a century later, CA may need another revolt against its utility companies. 
Synopsis: Loretta Lynch, a regulatory lawyer and former president of the CPUC, says California’s ratepayers should stage a revolt against privately owned public utility companies such as PG&E and Southern California Edison. Their outrageous charges for electricity are not justified and the companies are horribly mismanaged. She points to the disappearance of roughly $2.5 billion in fire-prevention funding in 2021. It simply disappeared. Or the outrageous return rates (13%) paid on bonds issued by the three companies. She invokes FDR’s warning against “a systemic, subtle, deliberate and unprincipled campaign of misinformation, of propaganda, lies and falsehoods” waged by the companies as they have sought – and received – rate increases of 47% over the past four years. The CPUC approved six increases for PG&E last year alone even as the company was raking in “record-breaking profits.” In short, “the commission gives them whatever they want.” Finally, “What’s surprising is why, for so long, we have tolerated the (CPUC’s) abdication of its central duty: To protect us… When will we require our elected officials to stop the gravy train?”
MAD Take: Amen.

Power industry flex decried

GV Wire. Fresno mayor says AB942 anti-solar bill poses ‘significant threat’ to city, residents.
Synopsis: Jerry Dyer says AB 942 would retroactively change the rules on net metering, lowering the value of electricity generated by the city and all of its residents. Fresno is deploying 34 megawatts of solar energy which will save the city $154 million over the next 20 years. But if Lisa Calderon’s bill is passed, it will cut those savings in half. “Retroactive policy making is a detrimental practice that undermines responsible city planning,” he wrote. Dyer is not alone. Former CPUC president Lorretta Lynch is also against the bill that would shovel more profits into the privately owned utility companies at the expense of homeowners. BTW, Lisa Calderon is a former Southern California Edison employee.
MAD Take: Is Jerry sure that Calderon isn’t still working for SoCal Ed?

Group sues SF over river

Tuolumne River Trust. Complaint filed against SFPUC for water mismanagement.
Synopsis: The TRT has filed a formal complaint alleging the SF Public Utilities Commission, which operates the water system for 23 Bay Area communities. The Trust says the SFPUC is using faulty models for determining how much water needs to be held in storage for drought. “The SFPUC’s planning is based on a drought that is 72% worse than any CA has experienced in the last 1,100 years,” wrote Peter Drekmeier, who called that “water hoarding.”
MAD Take: Such lawsuits are only popular in wet years, because during drought people understand the value of stored water. SFPUC isn’t perfect by any means, but it is responsible for providing water to roughly 3 million Bay Area residents. So far, the city has never run out. Meanwhile, the TRT continues to ignore study after study and abundant anecdotal information showing that habitat restoration and predation control are more important to restoring salmon populations than flows alone. The TRT has a history of cherry-picking data and ignoring new information if it doesn’t fit its flow, flow, flow narrative.

To create carbon sink, add water

Maven’s Notebook. How restoration could transform Delta from carbon source to carbon sink. 
Synopsis: The Delta’s soil is peat, made of decomposed organic matter that – when dried – crumbles into dust then blows away, spewing carbon into the air all the while. “It’s like a chimney of greenhouse gases,” said The Nature Conservancy’s Sydney Chamberlin. After intensive farming, parts of Staten Island sit 25 feet below sea level – meaning the river flowing on the other side of the levee is at least 20 feet above the dirt. But peat is “the best carbon sequestration system in the world,” according to the Delta Stewardship Council. The key to having peat absorb carbon or release it is to put water on it. That’s now happening on the 1,000 acres of Staten Island, where rice is growing in a partnership with Ducks Unlimited. The island will become a semi-permanent wetland, hosting ducks, cranes, herons and geese and holding back a lot of carbon from entering the atmosphere.

Wolves feasting on ‘prime rib’

Ag Alert. Ranchers grapple with growing wolf numbers, losses. 
Synopsis: State officials have succeeded in resurrecting two things: California’s wolf population and the anger of ranchers. Though the state will allow greater non-lethal hazing to keep wolves away from cattle, ranchers have no faith it will work. With livestock depredations now numbering in the hundreds, wolves are growing bolder, attacking calves in pastures in daylight. A Modoc County supervisor said wolf tracks have been found in areas where children play. “They have zero fear of humans,” the supervisor said. A Sierra County rancher calls plans for hazing away wolves just “feel-good” nonsense. “They’re not going anywhere because they’re getting plenty of prime rib.” Meanwhile, ranchers are spending millions erecting electric fencing, installing noisemakers, flying drones and hanging “fladry.” Said one UC researcher: “This conflict is real and escalating. People are not crying wolf.”

MPD’s process is ‘sound’

Modesto Bee. Report finds Modesto police oversight system sound, offers areas for improvement.
Synopsis: The second independent assessment of the MPD praised the department and its leaders for the reforms they have adopted. OIR Group, a SoCal law firm, evaluated how the department handled 28 internal investigations throughout 2024. “We can say with confidence that the fundamentals of MPD’s internal review mechanisms are sound.” The establishment of a Major Incident Review Team and body cams were considered essential. OIR offered some suggestions, such as eliminating delays in investigations, but said overall the department is doing very well.
MAD Take: Good job, Chief Gillespie.

We Care still seeking support

Turlock Journal. We Care seeks donations as city denies support for state grant.
Synopsis: Time is running out for the We Care homeless shelter in Turlock to qualify for a $270,000 state grant. A requirement for the grant is to show community support. If the city had designated $1 to the shelter on March 25, it would have fulfilled that requirement. But three council members -- Mayor Amy Bublak, Rebekka Monez and Erika Phillips – voted against the donation. Supervisor Vito Chiesa has been acting as a go-between for the city and We Care, which has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money and show support. A special meeting has been set for Monday.

Governor: Don’t ignore Prop 36

Fresno Bee. Californians want tougher penalties for crimes; Gavin Newsom, get on board.
Synopsis: The Bee’s ed board (Juan Esparza Loera and Tad Weber) write about the governor’s May budget revise, which is likely to show vastly reduced revenues. What the revise cannot sacrifice is funding to implement changes required by Prop 36, which passed in all 58 of the state’s counties. Democrats must make it work or “risk the wrath of their voters in the next election.”

Ag land values falling

Ag Alert. Annual report shows major declines in farmland values.
Synopsis: The value of CA farmland fell last year across all regions. The Trends report from the state’s farmland appraisers organization notes significant valuation differences in land with two reliable surface-water sources and “white lands” without any. In the northern SJ Valley, where the report’s co-author Janie Gatzman farms, almond orchards have lost half their value. She said, “fully 25% of the value decline” was “fully attributable to SGMA.” Vineyards in Lodi have lost 40%. Basically, says Gatzman farmers are being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.

Racist convicted of hate crimes

Modesto Bee. Modesto man, tied to racist flyers, is convicted on felony charges. 
Synopsis: Anthony Ruben Rodriguez, 39, was arrested 4 months ago for distributing flyers containing hate speech in the Parklawn neighborhood in south Modesto. Rodriguez admitted targeting Latino residents because of their ethnicity. He also admitted to stalking a woman and making criminal threats – both with hate-crime enhancements. His message: “Kill wetbacks.” DA Jeff Laugero says the fact Rodriguez wasn’t charged with more crimes has more to do with the First Amendment than Rodriguez’s innocence.

He got away with killing

Fresno Bee. A Fresno driver killed a woman and dragged her body for miles; he won’t be tried.
Synopsis: The charges against Shawn Ginder were dismissed after he was found incompetent to stand trial. He ran over Monique Contreraz, 29, last year. The homeless woman was pushing a cart and walking her dog along Cornelia Avenue; he dragged her body 8 miles to Golden State Blvd. After stopping, he took off again. The next day police found him hiding in a cabin in Bass Lake. To escape, he jumped out of a top-floor window and suffered severe head injuries. His lawyer said Ginder is never going to regain competence, and serving a prison sentence would be preferrable to his current state.

Aargh! He’ll need a peg

ABC30. Merced firefighter loses foot in accident, works toward recovery.
Synopsis: Firefighter Rhett Avant crashed his motorcycle into the back of a truck on the way to work. It crushed his foot. Avant applied a tourniquet to his own leg while calling 911 and helping dispatchers figure out where he was. While in the hospital he learned that missing a foot might cost him his job, but if part of his leg was removed too he could go back on the job. So, he had most of his shin removed. When they visited him, his daughters dressed as pirates.