Valley Headlines

It was all just made up

GV Wire. Fresno teachers call for probe after superintendent orders up dossier against union. 
Synopsis: New Fresno Unified superintendent Misty Her distributed a dossier purported to contain 39 instances of “inflammatory, unprofessional or dismissive” comments made by union members against their new boss. But “there was one huge problem. A dive into the nine-page document showed that every quote attributed to FTA was fabricated by the district – possibly created by artificial intelligence.” Reporter Edward Smith reviewed the document, and the news stories it cited, finding that all were invalid. He also checked with other media sources to confirm “none of them contained the material” quoted by the district. Union leadership wants an investigation. The document was compiled by Chief Information Officer Nikki Henry and included 7 news reports, 3 social media posts and 29 FTA emails. Every link in the report ended with “utm_source=chatgpt.com” – which, the union says, shows they were fabricated by a chatbot.

Dos Palos losing fire station

Merced County Times. Supervisors agree with plan to close Cal Fire station at Dos Palos Wye. 
Synopsis: Despite vigorous dissent from Supervisor Scott Silveira, Merced County supervisors voted 3-2 to close one of the two fire stations serving Dos Palos. Station 75 at the Wye will be shuttered this year and its apparatus merged with Station 76 downtown. The decision reversed the original plan to close Station 76 and move operations to the Wye, but supervisors were swayed by arguments that a centrally located station was needed. In November, Dos Palos residents voted in a half-cent sales tax raising $250,000 a year to keep both stations open. County staff says the cost to operate both is $1.5 million.

Fighting fire with a dozer

Modesto Bee. Where there’s smoke … there are crews training at Turlock Lake for fire season.
Synopsis: A 5-day Dozer Operations Academy started Tuesday and wraps up Saturday at Turlock Lake. The training will take place from 9 am to 6 pm each day, so expect to see a lot of smoke and fire apparatus in the area. It’s being hosted by Modesto Fire and Cal Fire with support from TID. The departments are trying to “standardize skills” needed to create fire lines and work in coordination with aircraft and other equipment.
MAD Take: With temps predicted to be 105 on Saturday, this might be more realistic than Modesto Fire had wanted.  

Powerball payoff in Newman

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County gas station sells $1.3 million Powerball ticket.
Synopsis: Someone bought a ticket with 5 correct numbers in last night’s drawing. We don’t know who, but we do know where – the Arco station in Newman. Another ticket with 5 correct picks was sold in Orange, near LA. The $207 million prize went unclaimed.
MAD Take: The odds of winning the big jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338 – or about the same as being bitten by a shark. In Montana.

Good news about almonds

CA Ag Net. Almond Alliance honors industry leaders and advocates.
Synopsis: At its annual convention earlier this month, the Alliance presented awards. The first, for the Junior Almond Advocate, went to Josiah Wenger -- a 10-year-old student at Hart-Ransom Elementary School near Modesto. He is the grandson of Paul, former CA Farm Bureau Federation president. Josiah’s story-telling ability in “Not Just Another Nut Story” earned the award. The Alliance’s members of the year were Blake Vann and Waterford’s Katie Staack, a grower with Grizzly Nut. She also has served as a member of the Almond Board.

Farms.com. Make Ag Great Again trade win: Rollins secures greater trade access to Costa Rica.
Synopsis: Sec. Brooke Rollins announced a trade deal with Costa Rica, the first approved under a new process. “This latest action is the first of many wins ahead for American dairy producers,” said a USDA press release, which also detailed efforts to increase bourbon exports to India, make American pork exempt from duties in Panama and eliminate bans on GMO corn in Pakistan. The USDA said it is negotiating to end the requirement for aflatoxin testing for almonds, resulting in an expected 8% increase in exports to Japan.
MAD Take: More exports to anywhere is good news, but Costa Rica’s population is 5.2 million – or about that of the Bay Area, minus San Jose, San Francisco and Hayward. Hope they’re hungry.

Blame regs for puny allocation

CA Farm Water Coalition. Why is the CVP south-of-Delta allocation so low?
Synopsis: Mike Wade writes that CA has had good water years for three straight years. So why are south-of-Delta farmers being given only 55% of promised allocations? He says this is a blow to farmers, farmworkers and rural communities and illustrates the unreliability of the CVP. The CVP’s 20 dams, 500 miles of canals and 11 power plants manage 9 MAF annually, “yet its ability to deliver water is hampered more and more by inflexible, outdated regulations.” Meanwhile, voters approved $7 billion in water-system investments more than a decade ago with only marginal results and no additional storage to show for it. “The recent increase to 55% is a welcome step, but it’s not enough to fully support the San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural engine or ensure equitable water access.”

Can Salida ever be a city?

Modesto Bee. Salida has sought city status for decades but faces challenges. 
Synopsis: Reporter Kathleen Quinn writes about Salida, an unincorporated community of 14,500 at the top of Stanislaus County. Should it be a city or should it be annexed to Modesto? That question has come up repeatedly for at least 25 years. Katherine Borges remains adamant that Salida should be a city with its own police and fire protection and, presumably, a mayor. On the other side, Modesto councilmember Chris Ricci echoes his predecessors by pointing out Salida can’t do without the water Modesto supplies.
MAD Take: Just wondering, since CA makes all its cities almost entirely dependent on sales-tax revenues for funding, how much sales tax would the city of Salida have each year? Who are its biggest sales-tax generators? And speaking of Flory, does the company want to be part of Salida, Modesto or neither?

Dems cast critical eye inward

Politico. Musk sours Democrats on EVs, poll finds. 
Synopsis: An industry polling group, Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report, shows that Elon Musk has complicated the EV landscape for Democrats. While liberal voters are the most likely to buy an EV, they overwhelmingly support CA’s ability to restrict polluting vehicles. But 56% no longer approve of the “credit-trading system” that gave Tesla a steady income stream from other manufacturers who don’t build enough EVs and must purchase credits. Meanwhile, new Tesla registrations in CA have fallen 21% year-over-year even as sales of other EVs rose 14%. Dan Sperling of the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies says this is all “about hostility to Tesla,” which has extended to Europe.

SF Standard. Newsom defends podcast, doubles down on labeling Democrats ‘toxic.’ 
Synopsis: Gov. Gavin Newsom said while in San Francisco that the Democratic Party’s “brand is toxic” and defended his decision to highlight conservative guests on his new podcast. It’s time, he said, to “get out of our own damned bubble” and figure out why so many people – 49% of the total – voted for Donald Trump. He said the party’s agenda is not resonating with the American people. The key, he said, is to win back young male voters. “If you’re at 27%, you’re struggling,” said Newsom, “it’s a toxic brand.” One Democrat, Steve Maviglio, said name calling is counterproductive and that Newsom should rebuild his party rather than tear it down. “Let’s try to make government work so we can point to success.”

Low marks for High Noon

SF Chronicle. We taste-tested High Noon, does America’s most popular spirit live up to the hype?
Synopsis: On Wednesday wine critic Esther Mobley wrote about the phenomenon of High Noon – the E.&J. Gallo Winery vodka-based product that “is everywhere.” But Thursday, Mobley decided to review the product, and she does not agree with the folks who will purchase 25 million cases of the drink. Most High Noon flavors are much too sweet, she says, and “taste like candy.” The best, in her opinion, is the “pleasantly tart” grapefruit.

Vegas for $38? Fly Fresno

Fresno Bee. Ready for summer vacation? We found 4 flights under $100 from Fresno airport.
Synopsis: If you’re in the mood to visit Vegas, San Diego, or Portland, you can get there for a reasonable cost this summer. Fresno Yosemite International Airport offers 16 non-stop flights each week to destinations like Atlanta, Guadalajara and Salt Lake City. The best bargains: Vegas $38, Portland $83, San Diego $54, Seattle $84. Flying to SF will run $194.
MAD Take: None of these flights go through Newark, right?

A pope for all (even atheists)

Westside Express. Why I have Pope Hope. 
Synopsis: Columnist John Spevak – a Catholic from Chicago – is pretty enthused over having a fellow Southsider as Pontiff. He believes the new “Poperoni Pizza” that one Chicago pizzeria is selling will bring a smile to Robert Prevost’s face. On the subject of popes, everyone – even atheists -- should read departed Pope Francis’ autobiography, the first ever written by a pope. It’s where we learn Francis enjoyed films by Fellini, Bergman and Rossini and had a sense of humor. He also believed “tenderness is not a weakness.”
MAD Take: Tenderness? Didn’t he work as a bouncer for a time in Buenos Aires?  

Bulldogs or Under Dogs?

Fresno Bee. Fresno State will be back in spotlight with 10 games on national TV.
Synopsis: Under first-year coach Matt Entz, the Fresno State Bulldogs will be on TV a lot this year. Last year, Fresno State games were televised 8 times, this year it will be 10 – including games against Michigan, Kansas, Oregon State, Colorado State, Hawaii and five Mountain West foes.  Last year, Fresno finished 6-7 and gave up 323 points, including 59 to UNLV.