Valley Headlines

Budget bill is cruel, deadly

Merced Sun Star. Federal cuts threaten Merced residents’ ability to eat, simply survive. 
Synopsis: Robert Hypes, the CEO of Merced County United Way, writes passionately about the safety-net programs that many people never think about until they need them. During a period of unemployment, programs like SNAP and WIC “weren’t luxuries, they were lifelines,” writes Hypes. “They gave us just enough stability to hold on. … These are not abstract issues. They are lived experiences for so many in our community.” He says the county’s 211 call center is taking calls every day from people who are scared they will lose medical care, their electricity, or rides to doctor offices. These are people who “are doing everything right and still falling behind.” Merced County has 150,000 people who rely on Medi-Cal and 45,000 who get SNAP benefits. The budget bill was passed Thursday by Republicans in the House. As Hypes writes, is being touted as bringing “balance to the budget … if that means cutting SNAP, Medi-Cal and the Child Tax Credit, we are not balancing a budget. We’re balancing pain on the backs of those already struggling.”

Stocktonia. Republican megabill will mean higher health costs for many Americans.
Synopsis: Four researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation produced this story using projections from the Congressional Budget Office. The version of the Trump budget bill that passed the Senate will cut 12 million people from insurance by 2034, “harm the finances of hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers” and force employers to cut services and benefits to employees. States that have provided the highest level of healthcare would be required to force recipients to fill out onerous paperwork, while people in Republican-led states could skip it. Belt-tightening would be worse in rural areas with 300 hospitals in Kentucky, Louisiana, CA and Oklahoma pushed into bankruptcy. People using Medicaid would be saddled with higher co-pays and legally present immigrants would become ineligible for benefits among many other measures. 

Office of Rep. Adam Gray. Rep. Gray slams House passage of reckless GOP reconciliation bill. 
Synopsis: Not a single Democrat in the House or Senate voted in favor of this bill and several Republicans – though not enough – crossed the aisle to vote against it. Among those who voted against the bill Thursday was Rep. Adam Gray, who said he “couldn’t be more disappointed.” Gray said the bill will “blow up our federal deficit, increase our national debt, raise healthcare premiums on Valley families and put our rural hospitals at risk of closing. … The stupidity and cruelty doesn’t end there: Cuts to food assistance programs embedded in this bill mean that the over 47,000 Valley families who rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table could go hungry.” Gray decried the harm expected to befall seniors, veterans, single parents and children. Why? Because Republicans were “bending over backwards to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy – and add trillions to our national debt to pay for it.”

Bee: Rosa Park should resign

Modesto Bee. StanCOG CEO should resign or be fired over excessive spending.
Synopsis: The Modesto Bee editorial board – made up of Sacramento and Fresno Bee editorial writers and columnists – say “It’s simple: Rosa de Leon Park – who was put on $25,000-a-month paid administrative leave Monday night – must resign from her post as executive director of StanCOG. If she will not, then she must be fired.” They’re reacting to the Civil Grand Jury report that says she spent $100,000 of taxpayer money on rental cars -- while taking a $4,800 a year auto stipend – and traveled first class on the county dime. The Bee throws in additional outrages– such as being allowed to cash in 9 weeks of unused vacation each year. As for the “many inaccuracies” her lawyer says are in the grand jury’s report, well, what are they? The StanCOG board should follow all of the grand jury’s recommendations. Another thing the grand jury got right: “No problem should ever get this big, and more so, it should not be a civil grand jury discovering these facts.” In other words, where were the board members while this was going on? Ouch.

Councilmember: It was me

Modesto Bee. Modesto council member discloses luxury hotel stay, upgrades on StanCOG trips. 
Synopsis: Modesto city councilmember Rosa Escutia-Braaton cleared up one of the mysteries found in the Grand Jury report detailing lavish spending by StanCOG executive director Rosa de Leon Park. Escutia-Braaton said she was the unnamed elected official who benefited from upgrades and perks provided by the other Rosa during official trips. That included a trip to Detroit, when an upgrade to first class cost $4,000. Escutia-Braaton said she reimbursed the county the difference between coach and first class. As for staying at the Ritz, Escutia-Braaton said she was not given a choice. She also noted the grand jury never asked about her spending or reimbursements. The grand jury noted that at least one elected official refused the first-class upgrades.

Another grand jury controversy

Ceres Courier. Civil grand jury offers scathing review of sheriff’s push for new dispatch service.
Synopsis: Lost in the tumult over the StanCOG executive director’s lavish spending was the grand jury’s report on the debate over a new dispatch system for county emergency services. The grand jury was critical of Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and his threats to sue to get his preferred system which included the jail service. Other emergency services providers preferred a competing system. The report repeated several personal attacks on Dirkse and recommended creation of an oversight committee by the end of the year.

Ceres to spend third of reserves

Ceres Courier. City passes budget without two councilmembers’ OK.
Synopsis: Mayor Javier Lopez joined councilmembers Daniel Martinez and Rosalinda Vierra to approve a city budget that relies on reserves to make up for spending that outpaces city revenues by roughly 10%. That will require about a third of the city’s rainy-day fund, taking it below the minimum threshold mandated by prior councils. Pension obligations, insurance increases, animal services and stagnant city growth contributed to the shortfall, said finance director Shannon Esenwein. Resident John Warren criticized giving police officers 5% raises for each of the next four years; that alone accounts for half of the city’s deficit. “We can’t keep dipping into reserves because they’re going to be gone pretty quick,” he said. The budget director also noted the new $5,000 discretionary spending account for each councilmember enacted this year.
MAD Take: Deficit spending? Mayor Lopez et al must have passed their own Big Beautiful Budget Bill.

Ceres Courier. Condition of Ceres’ new $2 million park draws public ire. 
Synopsis: Dead grass, sporadic flooding from broken sprinklers, rampant weeds all are plaguing Guillermo Ochoa Park, which the city spent $2 million fixing up just last year. Councilwoman Cerina Otero says she has been promised by staff the flooding will be fixed soon and then sprinklers can resume operation to save the grass. Public Works director Sam Royal says he has 5 employees and 14 parks to take care of, so “we’re really struggling.” If anyone wants to volunteer, he’ll happily take the help.

Trump freeze hurts Valley schools

Fresno Bee. Millions in grants for Fresno, Clovis districts delayed as Trump freezes money.
Synopsis: Fresno-area school districts are at risk of losing millions in federal grants after the Trump administration’s last-minute decision to withhold $6.2 billion in money already budgeted and allocated by Congress for the nation’s K-12 schools. Fresno Unified could lose $7.1 million, Clovis Unified $2.2 million. The grants are for districts required to provide services to English learners. The CA Dept of Ed was notified of the freeze less than 24 hours before the funding was supposed to arrive but after the districts were required to finalize their budgets. Losing federal funds throws all district budgets out of compliance. Fresno Unified, where 1-in-5 students is learning English, had already cut $49 million from its budget this year, cutting 59 full-time staff positions.

Coach: Valley is the ‘Midwest’

Fresno Bee. ‘Fresno is the Midwest’: Bulldogs football coach settles in as season nears.
Synopsis: Columnist Marek Warszawski talks with Matt Entz, the new Fresno State football coach, who says he calls Fresno “Midwest California.” He’s serious. “Fresno is no different than Des Moines, Iowa, except it doesn’t have snow,” he said. “Both are in agriculture-rich areas with a university as the hub and fan bases that love the program.” That’s a compliment from Entz, who grew up in Iowa and coached at 5 Midwestern schools before joining the USC staff then moving to Fresno. His greatest success has been convincing several players not to enter the transfer portal and convincing 21 players to transfer to Fresno State. Expect a strong running game, like those you see in Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma. Midwest, CA.

Hendrickson will get top job

Merced County Times. Board to hire Hendrickson as County Executive Officer.
Synopsis: Mark Hendrickson has been the county’s interim executive since Raul Mendez stepped down in May. Supervisors are expected to give him the job at their July 8 meeting. He has worked 19 years with Merced County and was director of Community & Economic Development for 15 years. His pay will be $282K per year with A level benefits.

Marshal imposter killed in SLO

GV Wire. SLO deputies fatally shoot man in Los Osos weeks after US Marshal impersonation arrest.
Synopsis: Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested two weeks ago in Madera County for impersonating US marshals. His homemade vest, old pickup with a star painted on the side and other gear were comically crude and unconvincing to those he attempted to pull over. Wednesday, the Chowchilla man was found in Los Osos where a woman, concerned for her safety, called police. As officers approached, Biscay displayed a weapon. Officers reacted and he was shot and killed.

Madera schools have new boss

Madera Tribune. Tricia Protzman sworn in as Madera County Superintendent of Schools.
Synopsis: Cecilia Massetti passed the figurative torch to Tricia Protzman, who began her career as a teacher in the district. The county office provides support for the county’s 9 districts and oversees programs such as Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial and ArtsFest along with providing teacher-development programs.

Patterson upgrades water plant

Patterson Irrigator. City breaks ground on $28.4 million wastewater treatment facility upgrade.
Synopsis: The city brought the ceremonial shovels to begin Phase 3 of the wastewater treatment facility, a $28 million upgrade that has been in the works since 2010. The new features will include an activated sludge treatment system with pump stations, headworks and a membrane bioreactor.

It’s all about the sauce

Modesto Bee. Fried chicken popup becomes restaurant; menu offers 15 house-made sauces.
Synopsis: Saucin’ It Up Fried Chicken owners Brittnie and Damian Ramsey say sauce is the key to good chicken. They’ve been creating new flavors for the past 5 years in their food truck. Now they’ve taken over a takeout-only space on Spyres Way near Bangs. At long last this story gets around to telling us about the sauces – including “Rodeo,” “Hot Honey Blueberry Barbecue” and “XXX.” Don’t feel limited, says one customer, who mixes the sauces to create his own, like Hot Honey XXX Rodeo.