Valley Headlines

Another dam bites the dust?

Mercury News. State funders criticize pace, progress on $2.7 billion plan to build new reservoir.
Synopsis: State officials are unhappy with the progress (not) being made to build a new dam near Pacheco Pass in extreme eastern Santa Clara County. The CA Water Commission dedicated $504 million from the 2014 water bond to build the project which would store 140,000-acre feet, mostly for use in Bay Area communities. That money is in jeopardy because so little has been done to move the project forward in the past five years. Contributing to delays are escalating costs and lawsuits from activist groups to halt the project. At this point, Valley Water won’t even say if it remains interested in proceeding with the project or when it might get started.
MAD Take: Not in the story, but this would be the second of four major Prop 1 projects to lose funding. Last year, the Commission was forced to end support for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion after the original parties decided to abandon it. In the decade since the bond’s passage, not even one storage project has been completed. It makes you wonder if the commission actually wants to see any storage created in California. If it does, there’s a project less than 20 miles far from the Pacheco site that could use some of that funding. And they seem serious about getting Del Puerto Canyon Dam built.

One way to kill a lawsuit

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus railroad using eminent domain to acquire neighbors’ home, orchard. 
Synopsis: The Sierra Northern Railway in Oakdale has started condemnation proceedings for a 113-acre property belonging to Robert and Margo Cushing on Sierra Road. Their property borders a grain-loading facility the SNR built in 2020 without the benefit of any county permits – something railroad companies are allowed to do. Construction of that facility upset the Cushings, who sued over dust and noise. Instead of settling with them, the company now appears to be trying to take their property. Sierra Northern President Kennan Beard III says the land is needed for expansion of his rail facility, which will remove polluting trucks from the road.

Who’s running for what

Valley Sun. Bains’ bid for Congress warms up with TV blitz, courtesy of CA unions.
Synopsis: Jasmeet Bains, an assemblymember and practicing doctor from Delano, is considering a challenge to David Valadao, who on Wednesday night voted to gut Medicaid as part of the “Big, Beautiful Budget Bill.” Politico reports the SEIU is paying for some recent TV ads supporting Bains. Among those who also might challenge Valadao are Rudy Salas (who lost to Valadao twice) and Randy Villegas, a Visalia school board member.

Sacramento Bee. Shirley Weber to seek reelection as CA Secretary of State.
Synopsis: After 5 years on the job as Secretary of State overseeing CA’s election, Shirley Weber wants to keep the job. She’s 76, and some folks say that’s too old. Others, mainly on the right, insist CA’s mail-in voting should be abandoned. And everyone would like to see election results calculated more quickly. Among those endorsing Weber are AG Rob Bonta and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

Funding for new clinics

Patterson Irrigator. Del Puerto Health Care District receives $27,000,000 state grant.
Synopsis: The DPHCD – which covers Patterson, Westley, Grayson and Crows Landing – has gained funding to build a downtown health-care campus. It will allow the district to proceed with purchasing and planning of a 14,000-square-foot clinic and mental health services. Eventually, an ambulance center will be added. In a sidebar, the district approved the concept of higher impact fees for developers, though it is unclear from the story exactly what those fees will be – somewhere between the current $1,200 and $9,286 per house recommended by a study.

Modesto Bee. Sutter Health to provide urgent care and health clinic in Riverbank.
Synopsis: The clinic at 1901 Claribel near the new Costco will cover 10,000 square feet. It is one of 27 new urgent-care facilities Sutter plans to open this year, including in Modesto, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop and Los Banos.

News about nuts, apples

CA Ag Net. USDA forecasts slightly larger almond crop.
Synopsis: The USDA’s Subjective Forecast for almonds, published May 12, says this year’s crop should come in around 2.8 billion pounds. That’s about 3% more than last year’s 2.73 billion. Charts show that almond acreage reached 1.4 million this year, a slight increase over last year. Production peaked in 2020 at 3.1 billion pounds.

Ag Net West. ABC making significant strides in boosting almond exports.
Synopsis: The Almond Board of CA’s Taylor Hillman says exports to Turkey have doubled in 2025 and will be 151 million pounds. Interestingly, Turkish almond exports have also doubled to 73 million pounds. Morocco also buys more almonds (84 million pounds) than in the past.

CA Ag Net. CA Apple Commission grows staff. 
Synopsis: The Apple Commission hired Michelle Borges, Mary McDonnel and Ethan Cranmer to focus on selling fruit outside CA. This “dynamic team is also charged with similar responsibilities in leading the CA Blueberry Commission, Olive Oil Commission of CA, CA Olive Committee and CA Wild Rice Advisory Board.” Borges was raised in Oakdale while Canmer attended Fresno State and was also raised in the Valley.

Alums send off new grads

Merced County Times. Merced College to honor class of 2025.
Synopsis: Some 1,260 students are eligible to receive certificates and degrees at the third annual Los Banos Campus Commencement Ceremony tonight in Los Banos and Friday night in Merced. Each event features a distinguished Merced College alum as keynote speaker – Rep. Adam Gray in Merced and Mayor Mike Amabile in Los Banos. MC President Chris Vitelli calls commencement “one of the most inspiring days of the year.” Of the 1,260 grads, 316 are graduating with honors, meaning they compiled a GPA of 3.5 or better; 60 finished with a 4.0 GPA.

Agency spent all its reserves

GV Wire. Fresno EOC spending depleted $8 million reserve; agency needed $5M loan to survive.
Synopsis: In the past 5 years, the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission – which runs the Head Start, Local Conservation Corps, WIC, transit and energy assistance programs for the county – burned through $8 million in reserves and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Only one bank – Self-Help Enterprises -- willing to keep them afloat with a loan this year. That news was delivered by interim CEO Brian Angus, who took over last month from fired CEO Emilia Reyes. “If you don’t worry about how much money is coming in, it doesn’t matter how much money is going out,” is how Angus summed up the previous philosophy. Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula blew the whistle on the agency’s problems, calling for a forensic audit late last year. So far, Angus has laid off 32 administrative staffers and killed the free lunches provided at board meetings. The agency was founded in 1965 and is one of the longest-serving anti-poverty agencies in the US.

Cities unveil wish lists

Westside Express. Los Banos city council unveils department goals at budget workshop. 
Synopsis: A May 6 workshop of top city officials offered insight to staff priorities – homelessness, first-responder staffing and grant writing for public works. Housing manager Christy McCammond proposed a village-concept emergency shelter of up to 30 “easy to build” accommodations. The first 20 would cost around $655,000 with an additional $237,000 to provide community bathrooms and laundry facilities. Fire Chief Paul Tualla talked about staffing that has fallen below recommended levels even with volunteers. Public works director Chuck Bergstrom says he needs a grant writer. Police Chief Ray Reyna said he needs four new officers, including two to work traffic. There’s more.

Merced County Times. Merced leaders get first look at proposed budget plans. 
Synopsis: Four members of the city council heard details of a $438.5 million budget package that included a general fund shortfall of $429,375. The city has 560 employees, 1 more than last year, and staff suggested a hiring freeze might be needed. “These are difficult times for a lot of cities,” said Mayor Matt Serratto. “We know you guys worked very hard on this. There is a decent amount of belt-tightening involved, but … this is a pretty decent place to land relative to other places.”

Cars, music, summer, Graffiti

Modesto Bee. Massive Modesto summer blowout readies for return.
Synopsis: Modesto’s star turn as the setting of “American Graffiti” and hometown of George Lucas requires three days to celebrate, June 6-8. There will be a “Cruise” and lots of official festivals and car shows. The film will be screened on May 31 at The State, there will be a monthlong art exhibit on Tully, and the Modesto Area Street Rod Classic will be June 2-6. There are many more shows at the State, the Gallo and the Fruit Yard and more car shows, sing-alongs, movies scattered around.
MAD Take: Having this celebration in June is, well, wrong. The movie is set in early September, the last weekend before the new school year begins and the protagonists – Ronnie Howard and Richard Dreyfus – head off to college, leaving youth and summer nights behind.  

From the police blotter

Madera Tribune. Sheriff’s K-9 Tonka retires.
Synopsis: After 8 years on the job, Tonka checked out for the last time Saturday. Over the years, he partnered with three officers, including Deputy Steven Corner since 2022. Tonka was a SWAT Team member for three years and was trained in narcotics detection.

KSEE / CBS47. Speeding driver stopped at 114 mph on Gurr Road near Merced.
Synopsis: A driver was going 2x over the posted speed limit on Gurr Road on Thursday, according to the CHP. At that speed, “there’s not room for error or even a slow-moving vehicle.”
MAD Take: From 2021-2023 there were more than 48,000 CHP citations of vehicles traveling 100+ mph. Most of those were on 4-lane highways. Gurr is a county road.

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County woman gets 10-year sentence in embezzlement case.
Synopsis: Lana Casey of Hughson pleaded guilty to stealing $212,456 from Oak Valley District Hospital. She will be sentenced June 13. An audit by the CA Franchise Tax Board found she had $1.45 million in unreported income from 2018 through 2021.

Renner saw the light

SF Chronicle. Jeremy Renner says he was ‘pissed off’ after being revived from snowplow accident.
Synopsis: The Modesto native was interviewed on Kelly Ripa’s podcast and spoke of being crushed by a 14,000-pound snowcat outside his Lake Tahoe home on New Year’s Day 2023. It left him “clinically dead” with 38 broken bones and various punctured. “I didn’t want to come back,” he says. “I remember, I was brought back, and I was so pissed off. It’s a great relief, is all I can say. It’s a wonderful, wonderful relief to be removed from your body. It’s the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel.” The experience changed him. “Time is a human construct. Language, all these things – it’s all knowing, all experience, all at the same time.” He’s written a book about it.