Valley Solution

They ‘had’ to sacrifice Merced

McClatchy CA. By throwing Merced under the train, CA high-speed rail can succeed. 
Synopsis: The combined editorial boards for McClatchy’s newspapers – likely still three people in Sacramento, two in Fresno and one in San Luis Obispo – have concluded that removing Merced from route the “only hope” of success. The editorial lays out the threat from Donald Trump’s defunding of the “train to nowhere.” They note that the area’s representatives – from Sen. Anna Caballero to Mayor Matt Serratto – are upset. But shrugs: “With actual rail scheduled to be laid next year, the (High Speed Rail) Authority has reached the point of no return. Political survivability requires support from Los Angeles and Bay Area legislators and providing a plan that connects the state’s most populous regions and generates profit is a good step.”
MAD Take: McClatchy’s NorCal editorial board often tries to speak for the entire Valley. Sometimes it shouldn’t. What’s good for Fresno or Sacramento might not be good for Merced or Modesto. Here’s what should have been said in the Merced Sun Star:
“The High-Speed Rail Authority expects us to take this change like helpless damsels tied to their tracks? It’s going to be crowded, because this hurts a quarter-million Merced County residents — and that’s just the start. What about all those who hoped to find new commuter jobs at UC Merced on one end of the line or Silicon Valley on the other? Or all the Bay Area folks who could ride the train half-way to Yosemite? Or those waiting for the promised links to Amtrak and the ACE train in a single station?
We’re not done. Serious people have invested money and dreams in downtown Merced -- all based on your promises. Others who dream of building equity in the Golden State were hoping that quick commuter links into our Valley would help them find a home for their families. They won’t come if they have to fight the daily traffic jam over Pacheco Pass.
If you believe jettisoning 10 or 12 miles of track to Merced will save your project, then you’ve already missed your most vital connection. And there’s more wreckage ahead. The bridge is out. The tracks are bent. This train is running out of gas.”

Another blow to CA colleges

Stocktonia. Trump to end funding for Hispanic-serving institution, affecting many CA colleges.
Synopsis: Hispanic-serving colleges, with 25% of the student-body classified as Hispanic, will no longer be eligible for the $350 million in annual federal grants. California has 167 such colleges, more than any other state. Included are 5 UC campuses – UC Merced has the highest percentage of Latino students in the system – and 21 of 23 CSUs. Chancellor Mildred Garcia said the change will cause “irreparable harm to our entire community.”

Americans can’t trust RFK

Fresno Bee. It’s a sad reality: Americans cannot trust RFK Jr. and his health agencies. 
Synopsis: Columnist Tad Weber writes about a co-worker who wants a COVID vaccine, but can’t get one because they aren’t yet 65 and they’re healthy. No shot can cure what is now ailing America: “I cannot trust the federal government anymore for health advice.” Why? Because Kennedy is “making a shambles of America’s health programs that, for decades, have been the envy of the world.” Tad asks, who is more believable – the American Medical Association or RFK Jr.? Thankfully, the governors of CA, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington are filling the void. If you don’t want the shot, don’t get it. But don’t take away the opportunity from those who believe it works.

Ag Daily. Perspective: Does 2^nd MAHA report temper RFK Jr’s anti-ag crusade?
Synopsis: Amanda “The Farmer’s Daughter” Zaluckyj recounts how the original MAHA report last May was filled with outdated (by 40 years) information, false citations and outright fabrications courtesy of ChatGPT and RFK Jr. And while this latest iteration “throws around words like deregulation, research and innovation,” the report “isn’t very good at hiding his real agenda.” For instance, the MAHAs are more worried about “cHemiKillz” hidden in sunscreens than the cancer-causing UV rays they block. “This is literally the type of stupid we’re dealing with here.” She offers plenty of other examples then concludes: “The overall theme is clear: Pesticides are bad, farmers use too many and we need to drastically reduce their use.”

You can see it from space

Fresno Bee. See dramatic views from space of CA’s raging Garnet Fire.
Synopsis: The satellite view of the Garnet Fire shows a huge plume of smoke heading northeast into the Sierra and Yosemite. So far, it has burned 57,000 acres and forced the NOAA to issue a “dense smoke advisory.” The Air Board put out an advisory last week, which is still in effect.

Valley’s ‘maternity care desert’

Fresnoland. Hospital cuts to labor/delivery threaten to create maternity-care ‘deserts’ in Valley. 
Synopsis: The Madera Community Hospital has reopened after two years, but the county’s only hospital no longer offers maternity care. That means Madera is one of 9 such counties in the state. To give birth, you’ve got to go to Fresno or Merced – with the average travel time more than 30 minutes. Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria says that’s unacceptable. The eight-county Valley region has 35 acute-care facilities, and 8 no longer offer maternity care. Nationwide, more than 100 rural hospitals have discontinued maternity care -- Oak Valley in Oakdale, Dameron in Stockton, Kaiser in Manteca and Adventist in Selma among them. Worse, there are 1,640 nurse-midwives licensed by the state, but only 85 in the Valley. Why doesn’t Madera offer maternity services? “Honestly, this hospital failed once and a huge contributing factor was obstetrics and labor and delivery,” said CEO Steve Stark. Next year, Medicaid reimbursements for deliveries will be cut even more.

U turn on food trucks

Modesto Bee. Ceres council reverses approval of food-truck court. 
Synopsis: The Ceres planning commission approved a third food-truck plaza two weeks ago, but that decision sparked out outcry from the owners of the under-construction Ceres Grub Hub. In a letter to the city council, they said they had been promised no more food-truck areas would be built. Worse, the Truck Stop Grub Hub would be allowed to sell alcohol and have live music and they can’t. The Ceres Grub Hub owners can’t apply for an alcohol license because they also have a weed store. The council voted to enact an ordinance limiting the number of such truck plazas to two – leaving Ashley Ranuio, whose approval was voided by the council, “extremely disappointed.”

No swimming in the dead pool

Western Farm Press. Water rights won’t matter when ‘dead pool’ arrives. 
Synopsis: Editor Todd Fitchette writes about a rapidly falling Lake Powell, where water from the Colorado is stored. He writes that “a catastrophe is brewing for billions of dollars’ worth of farming in Arizona and California.” The only hope is to reverse “decades-old overuse” of the river. The problem is that upstream cities use more water every year, leaving less for contracted uses downstream. Inflows this year have been 4.8 MAF, a little more than CA’s contracted uses. But upstream at Glen Canyon Dam, officials have released 6.9 MAF. “The bucket is draining faster than water is being poured in.” In 8 months, the lake’s elevation is down 40 feet. The dead pool is only 75 feet away, meaning there won’t be enough water to reach the power-generation outflows. Another 20 feet, and no water can exit the lake at all. As Fitchette writes, those “senior rights” to the water – held by Imperial and Palo Verde valleys – will be meaningless if there is no water.

Tunnel shortcut rejected

LA Times. Newsom’s push to fast-track Delta water tunnel stalls in the CA legislature. 
Synopsis: Efforts by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Metropolitan Water District et al hit a major setback when their efforts to fast-track the 45-mile tunnel lost in a vote in the Senate. Sen. Jerry McNerney called the vote a “major victory for California and the Delta,” forcing a “very expensive” and “damaging to the environment” project to be subjected to CEQA review. The State Water Contractors said the need for “modern delta conveyance has never been greater” and the sooner we get started, the less it will cost. The state says the tunnel will cost $20 billion, but others say it will cost $60 billion.
MAD Take: Yes, this story and the one about Lake Powell are linked. LA and San Diego get the bulk of their water from either the Colorado River and the Delta. One is drying up, the other lacks capacity. Something has to give.

Tell us the cost first

Merced Sun Star. Could Merced require hospitals to give cost estimates for ambulance transport?
Synopsis: Caleb Sprous writes about the Merced couple who needed non-emergency transport to Fresno so that a surgeon there could remove gallstones. They weren’t given a choice or a price, just a bill for $7,300 to go 61 miles. Councilmember Mike Harris says everyone else has to give you an estimate before doing the job. Unfortunately, state and federal laws supersede anything the city council might do. Darin DuPont says requiring estimates is overreach; Harris called it consumer protection.

Los Banos finds city manager

Westside Express. Nirorn Than coming ‘home’ as LB’s newe city manager.
Synopsis: The public works director who left Los Banos and eventually became city manager in Gustine, will return to the city where he still lives to take the top spot in 45 days. He’ll need the time to finish  projects in Gustine. Meanwhile, Gary Brizzee will continue as city manager in Los Banos. Said Mayor Mike Amabile: “He’s trustworthy. He’s competent. He’s smart. But most importantly, he cares about our city. To me, caring about the city is the most important thing. You can’t teach somebody to care.” He will be the first non-interim city manager since the departure in January of Josh Pinheiro.

NCAA bans 3 CSU players

GV Wire. NCAA permanently bans 3 Fresno State, San Jose State men’s basketball players.
Synopsis: Mykell Robison, Steve Vasquez and Jalen Weaver have been released from their teams and are no longer enrolled in classes. Vasquez and Robinson were roommates in the 2023-24 season at Fresno State before Vasquez transferred to San Jose State. The violations came last season when Robinson and Vasquez coordinated over text messages to manipulate scores. Their efforts resulted in a $15,590 payout from a $2,200 bet, said the NCAA. Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy sports prop bets and coordinated multiple bets for at least one Fresno State teammate, according to the NCAA. Fresno State finished 6-26 last year, the worst record in Bulldog history. San Jose State was 15-20.

Who needs the Cal League?

Modesto Bee. Pioneer League team coming to Modesto after City Council’s unanimous vote. 
Synopsis: The Modesto Nuts, one of the California League’s original teams in 1946, has left the city. No matter. Tuesday, the city council approved a deal for a Pioneer Baseball League team to come to Thurman Field. The contract is with Main Street Baseball, headed by Dave Heller. He already owns three teams – including one in the Pioneer League – and was named the Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year in 2016. The city promises $950,000 in improvements, including better padding on the walls, safety nets, drink rails and a lot of renovation in the clubhouses, bathrooms and offices.
MAD Note: Who plays in the Pioneer League? There are 13 teams, including the Oakland Ballers, Missoula Paddleheads, Idaho Falls Chukars, Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers and Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The Ballers are this year’s best, going 73-23. The Sky Sox, meanwhile, finished 49 games out of first.