Valley Headlines

We need a better water plan

Sacramento Bee. CA’s water system must be prepared for climate change.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray writes about the impacts of climate change on California’s water cycle – mainly, precipitation arrives earlier as rain, not snow, and evaporates faster. “Climate change is not going to wait for us to get our act together and infrastructure projects cannot be built overnight. Without action today, our farms, wildlife refuges and communities throughout California will be insufficiently prepared to meet our water needs.”

City drops mask charges

Modesto Bee. Modesto drops charges against protesters arrested for wearing masks. 
Synopsis: The city attorney’s office dropped the charges against 5 people for wearing face coverings during the June 14 “ICE Out” protest in downtown Modesto. “This decision reflects the city’s desire to … encourage greater community cooperation with local ordinances moving forward.” The ICE Out protest was a small gathering downtown preceding the “No Kings” rally at Graceada Park -- which drew an estimated 5,000 people and resulted in no violence, no vandalism and no arrests. The charges have been the subject of debate and protest since the arrests were made. Longtime Modesto activist Wendy Byrd applauded the decision for aligning “with the best interests of the community.”
MAD Take: Sanity prevails. Hopefully civility will, too.

No wonder ‘bullet train’ is slow

Merced Sun Star. CA high-speed rail wants special laws, court to hear land cases; can it speed work?
Synopsis: CA High Speed Rail CEO Ian Choudri wants a faster way to resolve eminent domain cases against property owners who are unwilling to sell right-of-way. He says it would allow construction to move forward and be far less costly. In the 17 years since voters approved $10 billion in bonds to build the train from LA to SF, the organization is struggling to complete the segment from Bakersfield to Merced at three times the cost. The state legislative analyst confirmed that changing the rules would, likely, speed up construction and cost less.

Fresno Bee. CA’s famous overregulation claims new victim: High-speed rail.
Synopsis: Columnist Tad Weber writes that Donald Trump got one thing right in his attack on high-speed rail: It is over-regulated. Between studies, environmental reviews, local government foot-dragging and lawsuits, it’s a wonder anything has been built. For instance, it took 5 years, 37 change orders and $26 million to finalize a handshake deal to permanently close a single street in Wasco so the train station could be built. Most of the foot-dragging is due to third-party delays, not problems with the state or engineering.

MID directors in turmoil

Valley Citizen. Former ranch manager claims MID director ‘seldom pumped’ groundwater. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine questions assurances from MID Director Larry Byrd that he pumped “almost daily” from wells on the AB La Grange Ranch he farms with Ty Angle. Caine quotes Nick Blom and Robert Frobose who recall Byrd saying he used surface water to irrigate his land. Caine also talked to a former farm employee who told Caine “we seldom ran those pumps.” Byrd refuted that, saying he frequently pumped water onto trees that are on his property but outside MID boundaries. Why is this important? If Byrd is moving water to trees outside district boundaries, he is violating district’s rules – which were upheld in the case Nichols vs. MID in 2023. “The one undeniable fact here is that well over 100 acres of Director Byrd’s trees are outside MID boundaries and they are thriving. They’re getting water from somewhere.”
MAD Note: Larry Byrd was the leading proponent of a plan to sell billions of gallons of MID water to farmers outside district boundaries.

Modesto Bee. MID director unanimously censured after allegations of workplace violence.
Synopsis: The Modesto Irrigation District board voted 4-0 to censure director Janice Keating for what was described as a “steadily escalating series of incidents.” MID employee Dana Ferreira accused Keating of yelling at her and tossing a clipboard in her direction. Board member Chris Ott said his interactions with Keating have been positive, but he was swayed by the “independent investigation” into the claims. The board voted to require additional training and written apology from Keating and to restrict her travel on behalf of the district. Larry Byrd pushed to have Keating removed from committee assignments.

Buck’s Palace is closing

KVPR. Iconic ‘Buck Owens Crystal Palace’ in Bakersfield will shut down, owners say.
Synopsis: Named after HeeHaw star and iconic country singer, the Buck Owens Crystal Palace is succumbing to a “challenging business climate.” Residents were saddened by the news. Owens died in 2006 while HeeHaw went off the air in 1994.

Planada throws class party

ABC30. Planada Elementary’s first day of school following major renovations after 2023 flooding.
Synopsis: Video reporter Alex Ruiz visited on opening day to find a thoroughly renovated school, thanks to $15 million in state funding. The kids came in on a blue carpet as a DJ played and teachers and principal Erica Villalobos lined up to offer high-fives and encouragement. Superintendent Jose Gonzalez says school enrollment has grown since the flooding, and the school will soon start work on a new library and fifth-grade wing.

US Attorney has Valley roots

GV Wire. Eric Grant is new US attorney for region that includes Fresno. 
Synopsis: Modesto native, and son of Stan State Prof Curtis, attorney Eric Grant is the new interim US attorney for the Eastern District of California. He will be based in Fresno, but his jurisdiction includes most of the Central Valley. He replaces a Democrat who was fired by the Trump administration. Grant has been profiled by the Federalist Society and has appeared before the US and California supreme courts. He clerked for Warren Burger and Clarence Thomas.

Congressman gets an earful

Cal Matters. CA Congressman faces constituents’ wrath.
Synopsis: Doug LaMalfa felt secure bucking instructions from party bosses and conducting a town hall meeting. More than 650 people packed into a Chico hall Monday, and for 90 minutes they cat-called, booed, hooted and made life miserable for the Republican congressman. Most are angry over Medicaid cuts in the Trump budget – which LaMalfa insisted “made no cuts to the people themselves.” A veteran explained that he is now forced to drive 3 hours to receive PTSD therapy. Asked about LaMalfa’s response, the veterans called it “extremely false.” Other questions concerned Gaza, Epstein, authoritarianism and more. In the words of the reporter, “There was little appetite for civil discourse.”

Growing season? ‘Pretty decent’

Western Farm Press. ‘Pretty decent’ growing season for Fresno almond farmer.
Synopsis: Reporter Tim Hearden talks to Fresno Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen, who thinks conditions “have been pretty decent” for growing nuts this year. A “gorgeous bloom” was followed by mild rainstorms and no hard freezes. The summer has also been mild. Even pests have been held in check, largely due to the “mummy shake” he gave his trees at the end of the season. “The trees have done exceptionally and have what looks to be a decent crop out here right now.” The biggest problem facing almond growers “has been tight or non-existent profit margins because of low pricing,” wrote Hearden. Prices were rising earlier this year, but after the National Ag Statistics Service forecast of 3.0 billion pounds in July, prices reversed course and fell by at least 20 percent.

Tunnel ‘garbage’ makes him angry

Manteca Bulletin. Newsom’s tunnel vision: Sacrificing Northern SJ Valley to keep LA water cheap.
Synopsis: Columnist Dennis Wyatt writes that Gavin Newsom is ignoring his own dire climate warnings to forge ahead with a water solution born in the “stone age of environmentalism.” Wyatt is talking about the Delta Conveyance Project, aka Delta Tunnel. He points out that desalination is a better option for halting salt incursion and producing water. But it’s expensive. Wyatt distrusts those who say levees are unstable in earthquakes, attributing that thought to “some DWR hack” using Loma Prieta as an excuse to build the tunnel. He sneered at Newsom’s decision to turn two tunnels into one. “You can repackage garbage from two cans into a larger can but can’t change the fact it is still garbage.” As the ocean rises, as Newsom predicts, it will turn the Delta salty all the way to Stockton.
MAD Take: I enjoy Dennis’ wordplay and enthusiasm. But the bit questioning the fact that levees turn to Jello in an earthquake – well, that comes from engineers and geologists, not DWR “hacks.” Soil liquification is real. You can read about it at https://ascelibrary.org/

A scary story about killer

SF Standard. Alleged killer is living near Golden Gate Park in facility where patients go missing. 
Synopsis: Other than morbid curiosity, why would anyone in the Valley care about an awful situation at a UCSF facility used to house criminals deemed incompetent to stand trial? Because there’s a Valley connection. Michael Jacobs killed a San Francisco woman and almost killed another a few days after arriving in San Francisco. In 2018, his first arrest, for burglary, was in Merced County. He was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial in Merced, so he was shuttled off to Napa State Hospital. When he got out, he went to SF and allegedly committed a heinous murder. People who haven’t been convicted can’t be locked away in a prison, no matter how overwhelming the evidence. Instead, he’s kept under an involuntary conservatorship in a UCSF facility next to Golden Gate Park. In the past three years, 10 people have walked out of that facility. Even people who work there want to see violent criminals kept in a “well-staffed, locked facility.” Fascinating and scary.

Teen’s body recovered in canal

ABC30. Body of Los Banos teen found in aqueduct after crash in Stanislaus County.
Synopsis: Aaron Ramirez, 15, was traveling with his father on Aug. 5, when their SUV veered off I-5, went 1,000 feet down the embankment and into the California Aqueduct. On Monday, Aaron’s body was found about 1.5 miles from the crash site. The family believes his father suffered a heart attack while driving. A GoFundMe page to support Elvira Ramirez, wife and mother, has been created.

Battle of the ‘Babes’

Successful Farming. ‘Farm Babe’ vs. ‘Food Babe’ influencer rivalry is a lopsided battle.
Synopsis: Michelle “Farm Babe” Miller has been producing videos for the past 9 years defending GMOs, pesticides and farming practices. She has 300,000 followers. Vani “Food Babe” Hari is aligned with the RFK-driven MAHA movement; she rails against pesticides, fertilizers, sugar, medicines and processed foods. She has 2.3 million followers. Food Babe even has a line of sugar-free products you can buy at Walmart and Target. Except in farming communities, the Food Babe (the first to use “Babe” to describe her podcast) is winning this battle. But both are important to their followers. As one researcher put it: “People are more likely to trust someone who looks like them, thinks like them – who they believe IS like them.”