Valley Headlines

Can’t kick around Kamala

New York Times. Harris will not run for CA governor.  
Synopsis: Perhaps heeding the advice of her longtime mentor Willie Brown, former Vice President Kamala Harris has opted not to run for governor of California. Instead, she looks “forward to helping elect Democrats across the nation.” In retrospect, it was fairly clear she lacked enthusiasm for the race. She was in England last week and has traveled to New York and Australia in recent months.
MAD Note: The last time a failed presidential candidate from California decided to run for governor, Richard Nixon lost to Pat Brown. And what does this do to California’s wide-open gubernatorial race?

We Care shelter to reopen

Turlock Journal. We Care shelter to reopen in August. 
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes that the embattled We Care Shelter is reopening after a one-month hiatus. Sandy Singh says her board got $100,000 from a trio of benefactors – Stanislaus Community Foundation, United Way and Kaiser. “That’s enough to keep us open for about 3 months.” The money was needed after the Turlock city council voted 3-2 to discourage the state from giving the shelter a $267,000 grant. In addition to 49 beds for homeless men, the board operates two supportive housing programs and six low-income apartments. Singh says the shelter has applied for grants totaling roughly $400,000. At the heart of the council’s objections was access to restrooms.

Seeing opportunity in Modesto

Modesto Bee. From Chick-fil-A to soccer stadium, Stanislaus County leaders talk economic growth.
Synopsis: The chamber of commerce is running a series of four discussions based on Modesto’s famous arch: Water Wealth Contentment Health. The second, at the Peterson Event Center, focused on “wealth.” Among luncheon speakers were Supervisor Mani Grewal and councilmember Nick Bavaro. They spoke of the need for more training opportunities and the challenges for most in meeting a household budget in the county. “We are vastly low on … jobs that have upward mobility, have health benefits,” said Grewal. Bavaro said Modesto should become an “economic hub” for the region. The city needs better airline connections and maybe a soccer stadium. The next session will be Aug. 15 at MJC focused on education and other aspects of “contentment.”

CA ag gets cold shoulder

Fresno Bee. USDA reorganization snubs ag-rich CA; that is not good.
Synopsis: The Fresno Bee editorial board looks at the much-ballyhooed USDA reorganization that closed offices in Washington and moved them closer to the nation’s farmers in Utah, Colorado, North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri. The most productive, important, richest and significant ag region in the world is the Central Valley of California – about 800 miles from Utah. Not having a “hub” in CA is, well, ludicrous. We’re not alone in that thinking. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar calls the plan “half-baked.”

Expect water prices to rise

Ag Alert. As supplies thin, price of recycled water could go up. 
Synopsis: Monterey County Farm Bureau exec director Norm Groot says communities are facing hard choices over where to get their water. It’s leading to “a rush to claim all rights to recycled or reclaimed water supplies.” You can’t just dump effluent into the ocean as if it has no value, he says. In the Salinas Valley, farmers have been taking tertiary-treated water and putting it on fields for 30 years. It works. But too few people are following suit statewide. “We cannot allow farmers to be priced out of the marketplace by the staggering water costs in a changing environment of groundwater equity.”
MAD Take: First, Modesto joined Salinas a decade ago in finding better uses for wastewater. Second, the real problem here is the commoditization of water – as proposed by the PPIC and others who plan to profit from it. When even “wastewater” is “claimed” then bartered and sold, farmers will be priced out.

That’s a big ‘oops’

KCRA. Stanislaus County worker accidentally exposes personal data of nearly 10,000 veterans.
Synopsis: A Stanislaus County employee accidentally sent an email to 500 people containing an Excel spreadsheet with the personal data of 10,000 veterans. The county is trying to make sure such a breach does not happen again.

Gerrymandering: Pros, cons & Texas

Politico. California Playbook: How Newsom redraws career ambitions.
Synopsis: Apparently, CA plans to present a map to voters for a single up or down redistricting plan. That would sidestep the 10-year citizen plans and thwart Republican efforts to disenfranchise Democratic voters in Texas by disenfranchising Republican voters in California. Those who lived through the bad-old days of gerrymandering recall how tough it was to fix the problem and institute a citizen-drawn plan.

Modesto Bee. Don’t upend fairness: Say no to mid-cycle redistricting in CA.
Synopsis: Gloria Chun Ho, statewide president of the League of Women Voters, says doing a backroom deal in California to fight Donald Trump’s backroom deals in Texas will lead to further distrust of the process and undermine democracy nationwide. We worked too hard for too long to get fair redistricting, don’t throw it out now.

New York Times. Texas Republicans unveil gerrymandered House map. 
Synopsis: Late Wednesday morning, Texas Republicans unveiled “an aggressively partisan” map redrawn to remove virtually all Democrats from the state’s Congressional delegation and provide 5 additional votes for Donald Trump’s agenda. Considering that 46% of Texas voters are registered Democrats, and they hold only 5 of 38 Congressional seats, the state already has significant gerrymandering. This map just finishes the job.

Sweet news for apples, peaches

Ag Alert. State’s fresh apples compete against old Washington fruit.
Synopsis: The gala apples are ripening beautifully with early results showing more fruit and better quality than anticipated. CA Apple Commission’s Todd Sanders says CA fruit is picked, packed and shipped as quickly as possible as opposed to apples in Washington that are put in cold storage. Grower Jeff Colombini says this has been a closer-to-normal year compared to the past few years. The state will produce 60 million pounds from 9,390 acres for the fresh market, up from 49.1 million pounds last year. Washington will produce 7.6 billion pounds. Steve Chinchiolo of Stockton says fujis are doing well, too. Everyone is concerned about tariffs cutting exports to Mexico and Canada. Look for the Modi variety, a cross between Pink Lady and Liberty named for the painter Modigliani – a sweet-tart apple with “undeniable” crunch.

Ag Alert. Peach growers praise quality as yields dip. 
Synopsis: There aren’t as many peaches on those trees, but they are larger and heavier than last year. Growers are about a tenth of the way through the Stanislaus-variety harvest and like what they’re seeing. Nearly all of CA’s peaches are sent to Lodi (Pacific Coast) and Walnut Creek (Del Monte, which is in financial trouble). Predictions are for 224,000 tons, down from last year’s 228,000 tons, which is still 12% higher than expected three months ago. UC Davis says lower yields are due to last year’s extreme heat; better peaches are due to December’s chill.

Turlock High broke the rules

Modesto Bee. Sac-Joaquin Section rules on Turlock football program ahead of season.
Synopsis: Turlock High assistant football coaches organized an off-season “club” team called The Lock and used it to recruit five to eight players from nearby high schools, according to an internal investigation. As a penalty, Turlock cannot host a playoff game this season and is on probation for two years. There are other “self-imposed” sanctions, including a “corrective plan” developed at the school. Coach James Peterson called the violation a “clerical error” and said “we never wanted to cross lines. We wanted to do everything we’re allowed to do.”

New Catholic HS in works

Turlock Journal. Turlock mother launches campaign for local Catholic high school.
Synopsis: Elizabeth Costa, mother of six, doesn’t want to drive her kids all the way to Modesto when they reach high school age. So, after listening to “the Holy Spirit,” she came up with a plan to bring a Chesterton Academy school to Turlock. Classes begin in 2026 at Our Lady of Assumption Church, with Bishop Myron Cotta’s blessing. GK Chesterton was an English writer from 90 years ago, who stressed intellect, character and spirituality. There are 100 schools named for him nationwide. If you’re interested, parents are meeting Sept. 9 at Our Lady.

Looking for spicy chicken?

Turlock Journal. Dave’s Hot Chicken plans for Turlock expansion. 
Synopsis: The Nashville-based spicy chicken fast-food restaurant is planning to open a location at 2741 Countryside Dr. in Turlock. While you’re in the shopping center, you can pick up a Mango Crazy drink and a Crumbl cookie for dessert. Permits have not yet been issued, but the company is advertising for shift managers. Investors include Drake, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Strahan. There are already 74 Dave’s in CA, the closest in Livermore.

His ancestors say ‘when’

Modesto Bee. What is hibachi soul food? What to expect at new Modesto-area restaurant. 
Synopsis: Edward and Gabriella Jackson opened Kurbside Eatery N Thingz back in 2019 to help get restaurant-quality food to COVID shut-ins. Raised in Merced, Edward attended a culinary academy in San Diego. His delivery service morphed into a catering service and now a restaurant in Denair. Edward says his family comes from Louisiana, which is famous for its spicy cooking. Expect a fusion of Japanese cooking style with Creole flavors. Instead of a cookbook, “I season until my ancestors tell me that’s enough.”