Valley Headlines

Lots of nuts on those trees

Western Farm Press. Almond crop booms after rough weather in bloom.
Synopsis: The USDA is now forecasting the almond harvest will hit 3.0 billion pounds, up 7% from May’s subjective forecast and 10% higher than last year’s crop. It’s on pace to be the second-largest crop ever. One farm manager said this is the third year in a row of excellent harvests. Nonpareils are up 9% from last year. “It doesn’t count until it’s in the bin, but so far it looks pretty solid,” said Ryan Jacobsen, Fresno County FB CEO.
MAD Note: This is good news for farmers, but also for every business in the Valley. When farmers bring in bumper crops, they’re more likely to invest in new tools, trucks and toys.

Immigrants laying low

Merced Focus. Immigration crackdown is hurting business at Merced-area swap meets. 
Synopsis: Many immigrants are more comfortable shopping at the region’s giant swap meets and flea markets than at department stores. But due to last week’s ICE incursions into Kern and Ventura counties, many farmworkers are staying away from the “remates.” That’s hurting business. One vendor at the Atwater flea market said that since January, business has fallen from 70% to 80%.

Ag Net West. Labor crisis still looms over CA’s fresh fruit industry.
Synopsis: Interviewer Nick Papagni talks to Daniel Hartwig of the CA Fresh Fruit Assn. who says getting enough people into the orchards to pick fruit is “an uphill push. We’re here to reiterate the fact that we need these people that work for us every day.”

Only ‘winners’ in tawdry fight

Modesto Bee. Sen. Alvarado-Gil reprimanded for retaliation against Stanislaus supervisor.
Synopsis: As with many argument involving politicians, everyone claimed to be a “winner” in this bit of tawdry melodrama between Sen. Maria Alvarado-Gil and the family of her former chief of staff Chad Condit. The Legislature’s Workplace Conduct Unit reprimanded the senator for filing an ethics complaint against Stanislaus Supervisor Channce Condit – Chad’s son -- only after Chad had filed complaints against her. Basically, that’s retaliation. The criminal activities Alvarado-Gil claimed a year ago – that Channce had made misrepresentation in his grant application – were tossed out by prosecutors at the time. On the issues of sexual harassment, Alvarado-Gil says she was cleared by the committee. This isn’t over. A lawsuit is due to proceed this summer.

Some fossilized political fiction

Modesto Bee. Republicans blame Rep. Adam Gray for higher gas prices; is that true?
Synopsis: Reporter David Lightman asks if the Republican claim that Adam Gray is the “proud architect of California’s pain at the pump” is true. His answer is unequivocal: “No.” Lightman writes that the “National Republican Congressional Committee has been blasting away all year at Gray” over a bill that was passed into state law nearly a decade ago in Sacramento. In 2017, Gray and Sen. Anthony Cannella, a Republican from Ceres, negotiated as a team for additional aid to their overlapping districts. Their negotiations brought $1 billion to the Valley for roads, UC Merced and the extension of the ACE train – which, starting next year, will connect Stanislaus County to the Bay Area every day.
MAD Take: Bottom line, the desperate NRCC is dredging up old lies because they’ve got nothing. Truth is, it’s been 8 years since the vote that brought multiple projects to the Valley. The price of gas in CA was higher than the national average then, just as it is now and by about the same percentage. The real culprit is the “mystery surcharge.” That’s around 50 cents of extra profit oil refiners tack onto the price of every gallon they sell. Greed, not politics or any legislation, is the only explanation UC Berkeley could find for this “surcharge.”

Local schools ‘blindsided’

ABC10 (Sacramento). $3 million held up for Modesto schools due to Dept of Education.
Synopsis: Some $3 million will be withheld for programs that teach students to speak English, a move Modesto City Schools Superintendent Vanessa Buitrago says “blindsided” the district and thousands of others across the nation. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond pointed out that the funding had been authorized by Congress and said the president does not have the authority to remove it.

Betting the bottle isn’t empty

Merced Sun Star. Wine Group expands amid industry slump; see its plans in Modesto area.
Synopsis: The Wine Group has purchased six labels from Constellation Brands, along with 6,000 acres of vineyards and three wineries. The labels include Cook’s, Meiomi, Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi Private Selection. The wineries include the huge Woodbridge facility near Lodi. Wine Group exec Mike Donich says despite the turndown in wine consumption, “we’re actually quite optimistic.” The company is developing new products such as pressurized mango mimosas and wine-based cocktails like spiked lemonade. Wine Group is the largest producer of boxed wine in the world and second-largest winery in the world behind E.&J. Gallo.

Dos Palos has new chief

Westside Express. Merced native takes over as DP’s top cop.
Synopsis: Dayton Snyder has been sworn in as Dos Palos chief of police. Mayor Katy Reed says the Merced native and Merced High grad will lead by example. He has spent the last 23 years working in Merced and Atwater, rising to sergeant in the Atwater PD. He’s already met a few residents at the Coffee Saloon. The department has 10 sworn officers, 3 reserves and 6 non-sworn staff.

We need a bird-flu vaccine

Kerman News. Congressman calls for vaccine to fight Avian flu.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray joined a bipartisan group from the Central Valley calling on Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to continue efforts to develop a flu vaccine for birds. More than 160 million chickens, ducks and turkeys have been destroyed at commercial facilities worldwide in the past two years, including 12 million in California last year alone. Avian flu jumped from wild birds to commercial birds to cows. Even a minimum of 70 humans in the state have been infected.
MAD Take: This shouldn’t be a political issue. Unfortunately, the US government no longer believes in vaccines.

UCM soccer player mourned

Merced Sun Star. Community mourns UC Merced and ex-Mendota soccer player killed in crash.
Synopsis: Isaias Ruiz was killed on July 7 near Coalinga when the car he was in crashed with a semi. Among those mourning was his Mendota coach, Luis Del Rio, who called Isaias a “wonderful person.” UC Merced coach Albert Martins called him “the most uplifting person that we could have had in our program.”

Fresno shelters in jeopardy

Fresnoland. Two Fresno homeless shelters will close by end of year, sparking uncertainty.
Synopsis: The Golden State Triage Center and Journey Home are similar. Both are in west Fresno, both have waiting lists for folks trying to get a bed in their shelters and both are running out of funds. Many of their clients say they will end up on the streets if the shelters close. The city kept both open by using federal pandemic funding, which has run out. So has funding from the state’s Project Homekey, which refurbished several old Fresno motels to create them. Mayor Jerry Dyer says the city will lose 247 shelter beds this year, calling that “unacceptable.”

Valley hospitals are worried

Merced Focus. What the Big Beautiful Bill could mean for hospitals in SJ Valley.
Synopsis: Sometime in 2026, Medicaid will be severely cut nationwide. There will be work requirements for those who seek aid and fewer medical expenses will be covered. That will mean many patients won’t be able to pay for services hospitals are obligated to provide. Adventist Health says it will remain open despite any cuts, even though units in Reedley and Tehachapi were both listed as endangered by the cuts. In each of the past three years, the Sutter hospital in Los Banos would have lost money if not for endangered Medicaid payments. The KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) provided much of the data, showing 45% of those receiving medical care through Medicaid-supported programs were identified as MAGA supporters. Republicans Vince Fong and David Valadao insist cuts to Medi-Cal “will be structured” to keep Valley facilities alive. Adam Gray and Jim Costa say several Valley hospitals are already on the edge and that you can’t cut $800 billion from Medicaid without pushing many out of business.

KQED (Sacramento). On Medi-Cal? When to expect new rules, higher costs and freezes. 
Synopsis: Will you be kicked off your insurance? Will treatment programs be discontinued? Is your personal medical information safe? These are the most frequent questions asked by Medi-Cal patients. So far, there have been no changes to benefits or eligibility and new measures have been instituted to protect information. The changes, however, are coming. On Dec. 31, subsidies for Covered CA will be ended, meaning patients will have to pay roughly 40% more of their costs when policies renew. On Jan. 1, 2026, Medi-Cal will freeze new enrollments for undocumented residents. On Dec. 31, 2026, the state will limit who can be covered through the Affordable Care Act. And on Oct. 1, 2028, dramatically higher minimum co-pays will kick in nationwide.

Madera MC gets new CEO

GV Wire. Madera hospital in full swing with new permanent CEO.
Synopsis: Sony Sidhu has been named CEO of Madera Medical Center, moving over from Modesto’s Central Valley Specialty Hospital where she was CEO for 6 years. Both facilities are owned by Modesto-based American Advanced Management. She holds a doctorate in Nursing Practice from UCSF and began her professional career as a registered nurse in 2000.

Sports focus of new bar

Merced Sun Star. La Tia Juana sports bar aims to keep Merced sports fans local.
Synopsis: If you’re looking for classic pub grub, tons of TVs and adult drinks, then La Tia Juana on West Main is the place. Cris and Sal Tristan just opened the bar, saying folks won’t have to drive to Modesto or Fresno for fun. They kept the name of the former Mexican restaurant on the location, but have shifted the menu to wings, cheese-steak sandwiches, burgers, fries and maybe a shrimp quesadilla. The owners say if there’s a game being played, it will be on TV.