Valley Headlines

CA calamities? Add dust storms

SF Chronicle. CA dust storms are expected to become more common – some as ‘big as a city.’ 
Synopsis: Last November, powerful winds in the South Valley knocked out power and kicked up a massive dust storm. As visibility hit zero, traffic on roads and in the air halted. Human activity has made these storms more likely and more likely to be worse. The UC Dust Center – with significant leadership from UC Merced’s Adeyemi Adebiyi -- will study the potential for much larger storms and their impacts. One interesting finding: SGMA, which reduces pumping to irrigate crops, has significantly increased the potential for larger and more frequent storms. Oh, and Valley Fever will become more rampant along with asthma and more birth defects.

‘Sound bites’ obscure truth

Sacramento Bee. CA’s Capitol lost its mind over disputed sex-trafficking bill. 
Synopsis: The Sacramento Bee editorial board says the very loud argument over increasing penalties on those who solicit sex from minors is a tempest in a teapot. Democrats have already increased penalties on those seeking to pay for sex, making the current brouhaha nothing more than political opportunism. The real question is how does our state “heal a broken deliberative process vulnerable to being hijacked in a court of public opinion that cares more about divisive politics than the substances of our proposed laws?” It explains that if any of the “rage-baiters” bothered to read Maggy Krell’s comprehensive bill addressing solicitation, they’d know the facts. Best line: “the sound bites are better than the truth.”

Cal Matters. Clash over teen sex solicitation reveals rift within the CA Democratic Party. 
Synopsis: It always happens, writes Dan Walters. Once a party achieves dominance, it begins to fracture over issues of ideology, gender, economics, geography and even personality. That’s what is happening with the human trafficking bill. Last year, Shannon Grove allowed a carve-out for 16- and 17-year-olds when it comes to selling sex. Now, Democrat Maggy Krell – a former prosecutor – wants to restrict those carve-outs and get tougher on the sex buyers. Other Dems insist they want a “nuanced” conversation. Both sides accuse the other of going soft on bad people.

Don’t let the truth stop you

Merced Sun Star. CA Democrats, Republicans clash over who’s harsher on sex offenders. 
Synopsis: In an astounding conflation of fact and fantasyland, the GOP is trying to tie Reps. Adam Gray and Jim Costa to the Maggy Krell’s state legislation over how to charge adults trying to pay minors for sex. Gray & Costa have absolutely nothing to do with the Assembly Bill. Both Gray & Costa work in Washington, not Sacramento. Regardless, the National Republican Congressional Committee – which is paid to disparage opponents – is making “completely false” allegations, in the words of the reporter. One source says, “It’s hard to say how much any of these claims matter at this stage in the cycle.”
MAD Take: It should “matter” in one regard: It demonstrates that the NRCC will say anything -- including outright lies – to attack people they know they can’t beat on issues such water, tariffs, healthcare, tax windfalls for billionaires, etc.

Gov. Kamala? Two views

Fresno Bee. Kamala Harris, don’t run for CA governor: You’re not right for the job.
Synopsis: Bee columnist Tad Weber implores the former CA senator and attorney general to stay out of the gubernatorial fray. “I write this column not as a discouraged Democrat … but as a lifelong Californian who now hopes his adult children will somehow be able to buy a starter home in this state.” He wants to see cheaper gas, lower-cost insurance and utility bills that he can afford to pay. He wants a governor who will address pocketbook issues – not fight Trump.

San Luis Obispo Tribune. Voters deserve strong candidates – of course Kamala should run for gov.
Synopsis: Columnist Stephanie Finucane takes the opposite approach. She admits up front that Kamala is not perfect, but her resume is unmatched by any of the other candidates on the very long list of those running. While her election is no slam-dunk, she is the only candidate polling 50% of the vote.

Where is CA growing? The Valley

SF Chronicle. This small city is the fastest-growing in CA. 
Synopsis: Shafter is 4.7% bigger today than it was last year. The city of 20,000 plans to build a lot more homes this year. Of the 309 units added last year, all were single-family homes. Of the 10 fastest growing cities in the state, two are in CA-13 – Lathrop (+4.0%, or 1,500 people) and Patterson (+3.6%, or 900 people). Riverbank added 800 people for a growth rate of 3.2%. CA’s population grew by just 0.3% last year, but the Valley’s population appears to be rising.

Disaster could hit CA prisons

KVPR. State audit says CA’s prisons are not prepared for natural disasters. 
Synopsis: The Office of the Inspector General decided to look at prison preparation after Corcoran came close to flooding in 2023. It found the prison would have needed at least 72 hours to evacuate prisoners. Worse, it said none of the state’s prisons have an evacuation plan that can clear the cells in less than 72 hours. Considering that more than half of the state’s prisons are in areas with wildfires, floods and “extreme heat,” that’s bad. Most prisons have failed to run any evacuation drills.
MAD Take: Why does this matter in the Valley? Because we’ve got prisons in Chowchilla, Corcoran, Stockton, Avenal and Delano (the Atwater prison is a federal facility). If there is an emergency at any of these facilities, it will be up to folks in the Valley to save the day. As for those evacuation drills, I can see why that might be problematic.

You can trust CA dairy products

Morning Ag Clips. CA milk and dairy products: Safety you can rely on, thanks to CDFA. 
Synopsis: With federal regulators and inspectors being either fired or retired out of their jobs, who is making sure that what we eat is safe? In California, the CDFA is still on the job with their “cow to cup” approach. The story details the four checkpoints where testing is performed by field reps then sent to UC Davis and the CA Animal Health & Food Safety Lab.
MAD Take: First time I can recall anyone felt compelled to produce such a story.

So many seniors, so few doctors

Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Senior population in SJ Valley outpaces care resources. 
Synopsis: The fastest-growing demographic in the Valley is those who are 65-plus. Considering the shortage of gerontologists treating age-specific maladies, that’s bad. “The healthcare system, as currently constructed, is underprepared for the onslaught of demands this aging population will impose,” said a study published last year. A local doc, Bill Redmond, agrees: “We don’t have enough services in the Valley to begin with, across the board, not just in geriatrics.” Only 37 doctors in the 8-county SJ Valley have geriatric certification – 10 in Stanislaus, 9 in San Joaquin, 8 in Fresno and none in Merced and Tulare.

New CEO, houses, buildings

Merced County Times. Hilmar Cheese names new CEO.
Synopsis: Greg Schlafer will take over as CEO of Hilmar Cheese on July 1. He has been CEO of Foremost Farms USA, a dairy processing co-op in the upper Midwest. Jim Ahlem, Hilmar’s chairman of the board and one of its founders, made the announcement. David Ahlem is stepping aside as CEO after 10 years.

Turlock Journal. Planning commission approves housing, adult day center, cannabis extensions.
Synopsis: There will be 22 single-family homes on 11 acres developed by Torre Reich Construction on Tuolumne Road, west of the Balisha Ranch subdivision.

UC’s one-stop ag policy shop

Western Farm Press. UC launches institute to inform policymakers.
Synopsis: The UC Ag & Natural Resources Policy Institute will be a “one-stop shop” for all things ag, forestry, water, public nutrition and more. UC VP Glenda Humiston says the timing is perfect. Anne Megaro is the “interim director” of the new organization.

CA goes to court over tariffs

Cal Matters. CA sues over Trump Tariffs. 
Gov. Gavin Newsom and AG Rob Bonta were back in court to sue the Trump administration over the tariffs that will harm CA farmers (via retaliatory tariffs on almonds, walnuts and dairy), kill jobs at the state’s ports (layoffs have already occurred in Oakland and Long Beach), and reduce inventory on store shelves. It all adds up to big problems for the Golden State, hence the state is suing.

UC students drilling well

KSEE / CBS47. ‘It’s a dream’: 2 UC Merced students plan to bring clean water to Ethiopia.
Synopsis: AJ Heard and Fasha Lennon are part of Beyond Merced, which is sending the two to Ethiopia to help create two wells in an arid region. The nonprofit Water For Good is sponsoring the trip. They will arrive in Ethiopia in June and hope to have their project complete by August. They’re doing a fundraiser at UC Merced on May 17.