Valley Solutions

Uh, that’s our $105 million

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County auditor says $60M state payment error was caught right away. 
Synopsis: The State Controller’s office sent a payment meant for Stanislaus County schools to Sutter County, meaning Stanislaus got $62.8 million less than it was supposed to get. In all, 11 counties were affected by a glitch that sent correct payments to incorrect addresses. Stanislaus was supposed to receive $105.9 million. Instead, that amount went to Sutter, which expected to receive $25.8 million. Stanislaus Auditor Mandeep Dhillon noticed the discrepancy right away. “Our people were paying attention,” he said. Sutter officials noticed, too, and deposited the money in the bank. Still, it has taken two months to get this worked out. On Tuesday, Sutter supervisors reluctantly voted to return the money – but keep the interest ($200,000) accrued.
MAD Take: Uh, don’t want to be picky, but that $200K rightfully belongs to Stanislaus, too. Maybe the county should give Sutter 10% and a thank-you basket of nuts, wine and cheese.

It’s official: Gray a candidate

Turlock Journal. Gray officially kicks off reelection campaign for CA-13. 
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray tells reporter Joe Cortez, “We’ll be putting a campaign team together, establishing an office, organizing volunteers, engaging supporters and announcing some big endorsements over the next few weeks.” He added, “I’m eager to get back into the district and begin knocking on doors – in addition to doing my day job.” The district has been the closest in the nation over the past two election cycles. But after Prop 50 passed, pollsters show it “leaning Democratic.” “These last two elections were two of the closest in history, back-to-back. Whether you’ve been in office two years or 10 years, you can’t take any voter for granted,” said Gray, who is facing challenges from former one-term Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln and newcomer Vin Kruttiventi. Neither lived in the district two years ago. Gray said he was proud of the work he’s done so far, pushing a Farm Bill out of committee to the House floor, focusing on affordability and developing funding for water infrastructure and conservation.

Hear Gov candidates in Fresno

GV Wire. Politics 101: Leading CA governor candidates to appear at Fresno State forum. 
Synopsis: In his weekly political compilation, David Taub reports that at least six of the candidates for governor have committed to appearing in Fresno on April 1, hosted by Western Growers. Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa have all committed. Eric Swallwell and Tom Steyer were invited but have not yet responded. Those wanting to attend must register through the Maddy Institute website. In other news, Taub had notes on Fresno County supervisor races and the latest sighting of city council candidate and sitting Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula.

Less water, more agave

Fresno Bee. More agave farming – and fallow fields – in Fresno after unstable 2025 water deliveries.
Synopsis: Growers in Westlands Water District are searching for drought-tolerant crops after being told they would get only 15% of water allocations this year. Tuesday, the district said that an unreliable water supply in 2025 resulted in 242,712 acres being fallowed, up 13% from 2024. Fallowed land now makes up 43% of Westland’s total acreage. The district’s 700 farmers grow 50 commercial crops. One of the most recent is blue agave, the basic ingredient in tequila. Stuart Woolf is credited with bringing it to the Valley, mainly because it requires so little water and can survive long periods of drought. Woolf said he will plant another 90 acres this year, giving him 550 total. Meanwhile, winegrape acreage fell 34% in the district but basil, broccoli and cannabis all expanded.

Council upbeat over salmon

Pacific Fishery Management Council. PFMC releases options for 2026 West Coast salmon fisheries.
Synopsis: The Council has published three options for the 2026 commercial fishing season off the Pacific Coast. The final decision will be made at the April 8-12 meetings. Forecasts for coho salmon are “largely encouraging” throughout the coast, with populations either stable or higher than last year. The past three years the Council banned commercial salmon fishing off California. While numbers were up across the board, the largest exception to that good news was on the Sacramento River. Still, “This year brought encouraging signs for both salmon and fishing communities,” said Council Chair Pete Hassemer.
MAD Take: Salmon spawning numbers are up spectacularly in many streams, creeks and rivers across Northern California. While some insist that’s due to more water being released into the system, we’ve seen that volume of water before without seeing additional salmon. The single difference the past two years has been the ban on commercial fishing. Despite reports of significant poaching, one thing is clear: If you want more salmon in our rivers, stop killing them in the ocean.

Grant for mental health beds

Stocktonia. Stockton vice mayor’s nonprofit could receive $12.4 million from state. 
Synopsis: The state has tentatively awarded Hollywood Cares Foundation, established by Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee six years ago, $12.4 million, according to the governor’s office. The money, from a voter-approved mental health initiative approved in 2024, will be used to help build a mental health clinic and respite center. “After what I’ve gone through in Stockton, this is a huge win,” said Lee in a celebratory video. Five months ago, the city refused to authorize matching funds for such a center. “When the door closed locally, God opened one at the state level,” said Lee. The proposed clinic will have up to 60 beds near Edison High School.
MAD Take: The announcement came a day after San Joaquin County’s board of supervisors explained that federal Medicaid cuts will mean $76 million less to spend on healthcare, mental health and social services.

Ribbons are cut in Patterson

Patterson Irrigator. Ribbon-cutting ceremony marks opening of new clothing boutique.
Synopsis: Harleen Lal is only 4 years old, but she already has a boutique named after her. Alvin and Sandy Lal named their new business – Harleen’s Essentials – after one of their daughters. They have a brick-and-mortar store in Patterson, or you can order online.

Patterson Irrigator. New memory care facility holds ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Synopsis: Lotus Assisted Living opened its newest facility last Monday. The fully renovated home has room for six people who will receive round-the-clock care. The facility offers meals and activities.

1,000 trees planted in Merced

ABC30. Merced College students plant more than 1,000 almond trees. 
Synopsis: Trees have been planted on 10 acres, providing a “hands-on experience that really hooks you into farming and really gets your heart involved,” said Almond Board CEO Clarice Turner. The orchard is affiliated with the new Ag-TEC innovation center, which is expected to open later this year. The center was made possible, in part, through funding initiatives carried by Adam Gray and Anna Caballero through the state legislature. The trees were provided by Duarte Nursey.

Western Farm Press. Momentum builds for pistachio growers despite headwinds. 
Synopsis: Even as the annual harvest approached 2 billion pounds and plantings have spread from CA to Arizona and Texas, pistachio growers worry about headwinds. The biggest growth is in shelled products. The big dog is Wonderful Pistachios, which commands the end-cap space in virtually every grocery store in America. But Costco has developed its own brand, and others are jumping in – from Love’s truck stops to Planters. Americans grow 63% of the world’s pistachios. Those headwinds? Water, input costs and a weakening dollar.

‘Shark Tank’ for brainiacs

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced holds Grad Slam competition. 
Synopsis: Basically, UC Merced master’s degree and PhD students are asked to create a 3-minute video to encapsulate all their years of research. Finalists were chosen from among the 10 submissions, and the researchers were then given three minutes to make their pitches in person. It was like merging doctoral dissertations with “Shark Tank.” Presentations ranged from quantitative biology to applied mathematics to several forms of engineering. Jamaican immigrant Tahirah Williams won the in-person competition as she explained how fungal pathogens interact with the mucosal immune system in human lungs. She got $5,000 and a chance to compete against the winners from other UCs in April. Zachary Malone was second, beating out his wife among others. Back in 2021, UCM’s Shayna Bennett won the title for all UCs.

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced receives $1 million grant to support postdoctoral scholars.
Synopsis: UC Merced said Wednesday it has gotten $1 million to support research into natural sciences. It was one of 30 universities getting the grant from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. The grant will allow UCM to add from 5 to 8 post-doc scholars to its programs.

Why coddle bad drivers?

Cal Matters. ‘We’re talking about people’s lives’: CA lawmakers grill DMV director on deadly failures. 
Synopsis: After a searing series of stories detailing the hundreds of deadly mistakes made by the DMV and CA’s blind-eye attitude toward drunken and dangerous driving, legislators called DMV director Steve Gordon on the carpet. They learned little as he said he didn’t have the statistics, didn’t know the answers and didn’t want to guess. He called DMV’s operations “very complex” and “extremely nuanced.” The senate also heard from police chiefs, DAs, MADD and road engineers. One senator asked Gordon why DMV can institute tolls within weeks but can’t answer simple questions after years. Part of the problem is information bottlenecks within the department. The Napa DA offered the angriest testimony, recounting a driver with 13 DUIs who applied for, and was granted, a new license. A few witnesses told the committee that better roads, not stricter enforcement, would reduce accidents and improve driving. There are a dozen bills proceeding through the legislature to enforce the laws and punish offenders.
MAD Take: Better roads? Seriously?

Fox26. Parlier crash driver, arrested 26 times, sentenced to prison in 2024; why is she out?
Synopsis: Details are emerging about Tiffany Maribel Mercado of Parlier, who was driving the car that killed a teenage boy in Parlier on Tuesday. Police say she was under the influence of something, though they’re not yet sure what, at the time of the accident. In 2024, Mercado was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Of her 26 arrests, only two involved traffic infractions, but eight were felonies. She was apparently paroled.

Practicing for ‘Doomsday’

LA Times. ‘Doomsday plane’ performs exercises in Fresno, stoking fears as war escalates.
Synopsis: Folks around Fresno were spooked, at least a little, by a huge plane doing touchdowns at FAT last weekend. It’s called the “Doomsday Plane,” and carries an emergency operations hub for the president and others in case of severe security threats. From the plane, officials can launch ICBM missiles loaded with nukes. Normally, spotting the plane would be a mere curiosity, but with Trump dropping bombs on Iran people were nervous. The airport said such exercises are common.

What’s Ken doing in Fresno?

GV Wire. ‘Jeopardy!’ host Ken Jenings will bring game-show insights to Fresno. 
Synopsis: Quiz king Ken Jennings, who hosts the longest-running TV game show in history, will appear at the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall on March 18 at the Saroyan Theatre. “We know we’re not just a TV show. We are like a companion and a bedrock of North American life for people.” What will you learn if you attend? Well, sportscasters are among the best celeb players, said Ken, and journalists in general make great champions. Oh, and contestants actually get 5 minutes to calculate their Final Jeopardy wagers.
MAD Take: Five minutes? And some still get it wrong.