Valley Solutions

Gray safeguards Valley paychecks

Turlock Journal. Gray helps Farm Bill move along. 
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes about Rep. Adam Gray’s decision to join 6 Democrats and 27 Republicans in voting to advance the Farm Bill out of committee for a full vote by the House of Representatives. There hasn’t been a new Farm Bill since 2018. During negotiations, Gray offered two amendments – both adopted unanimously. Additionally, Gray secured additional support for specialty crop growers, which have been hit hard by retaliatory tariffs in the Trump trade war. Alexi Rodriguez of the Almond Alliance praised Gray for “helping to safeguard paychecks for farmworkers, growers, processors and transportation workers who all depend on a competitive, resilient almond industry.” The Senate is expected to pass a different version of the bill, meaning the two would have to be reconciled before becoming law.

Time for some ‘ballot bedlam’

Modesto Focus. June 2026 primary is approaching; see who has filed to run in Stanislaus County. 
Synopsis: Garth Stapley points out that Supervisor Terry Withrow and Assemblymember Juan Alanis didn’t even attract an opponent and have won by default. Other races won’t be so easy. The CA 13 House race became a little crowded at the last minute as a Democrat named Daniel Rodriguez decided to challenge incumbent Adam Gray. Former one-term Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln, who appears to live just outside the district, and CEO Vin Kruttiventi, who moved to Lathrop within the last two years, are also in the field. Assembly District 9 has lots of interest with Heath Flora running to keep his seat while Jim Shoemaker, Brandon Owen and Matt Adams try to take it. Other races are also noted.

Merced Focus. June 2026 primary election is on the horizon; see who has filed to run in Merced. 
Synopsis: Victor Patton writes about some of Merced County’s most important races – Congress, state senate, Assembly and school superintendent. Perhaps a little under the radar is a Merced candidate for statewide office – termed-out state Senator Anna Caballero is running for treasurer. Meanwhile, Esmeralda Soria, Darin DuPont and Esmeralda Hurtado are running to replace Caballero.

Fresnoland. West Fresno County voters get first look at new supervisor candidates. 
Synopsis: A few dozen residents attended a candidate forum Thursday at Fresno City College to meet candidates for supervisor. Felipe Perez of Firebaugh, Lupe Flores of Mendota, Eric Payne of Fresno, Maria Pacheco of Kerman and Omar Hernandez are all on the ballot. Not attending was Mike Karbassi, the likely front-runner. The seat is being vacated by Brian Pacheco, who is running for the Assembly.

Politico. CA Playbook: An impressively messy governor’s race.
Synopsis: Calling it “ballot bedlam,” Politico writes about the “eight notable Democrats” running for governor. All are “itching and clawing” to reach 20% by June 2, which would likely put them in a runoff with the top-finishing Republican. Eric Swalwell leads the field now, but Tom Steyer has edged up and is tied with Katie Porter for second. … Playbook also notes that Alice Reynolds has stepped down as chair of the CA PUC, ending the career of “one of the most powerful figures in CA energy policy.”

Valley Sun. Sex offender Campos fails to qualify for Fresno City Council race. 
Synopsis: Rene Campos, a registered sex offender who wanted to serve on the Fresno City Council, said Friday he had failed to make the ballot. He needed 20 signatures from registered voters to qualify but failed to get enough.

How will we pay for healthcare?

Turlock Journal. Valley being squeezed between budget austerity and unfunded mandates. 
Synopsis: David Quackenbush, CEO of Golden Valley Health Centers, writes about the twin problems squeezing healthcare in the Valley. The state demands higher pay for staff while federal policies slash the Medi-Cal reimbursements needed to pay for them. Medicaid, through Medi-Cal, provides 80% of Golden Valley’s funding. “The math is simple,” he said. “Every person who loses Medi-Cal coverage but still walks through our doors shifts from reimbursed to uncompensated, widening a budget gap we cannot close by goodwill alone.” He concludes: “If CA truly believes health care is a human right, then it must stop balancing the budget on the backs of the Central Valley’s clinics and clinicians.”

UOP wants to build a med school

Stocktonia. University of the Pacific aims to open medical school in Stockton. 
Synopsis: Stockton’s private university has invited the city to partner in its quest for federal funding to create a medical school. Such a partnership would “transform the regional health landscape” by “expanding access to care and sustaining local educational and workforce opportunities,” in the words of UOP President Chris Callahan. The school says it needs $150 million to build a 100,000 square-foot school. It hopes to have the building complete by 2030. UOP says it will put in $50 million and has gotten commitments from donors for $20 million more.

Mayor’s controversial pal

Stockton Record. Grand jury urged Stockton council to cut ties with 209 Times; mayor honors founder. 
Synopsis: Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi cast aside concerns expressed by the San Joaquin Civil Grand Jury and issued a city proclamation honoring Motecuzoma Patrick Sanchez -- a political consultant and founder of the controversial political website 209 Times. The grand jury said Sanchez and his affiliates at the site have created an environment of harassment and intimidation in city hall by publishing frequently misleading or false accusations. Sometimes they attend meetings, say false things, then quote themselves on the site. Sanchez also chairs the city’s Salary Setting Commission, urging the city to increase council pay to $40,000 a year. Fugazi admitted not everyone agreed with her decision to honor Sanchez. Councilmember Michael Blower left the dais as the proclamation was being read.

‘Silence in Fresnoland’

Valley Sun. Silence in Fresnoland: Arambula family’s ties hover over news outlet amid scandal. 
Synopsis: Fresnoland Media has been “conspicuously silent” about the divorce papers filed by Dr. Joaquin Arambula’s wife that detailed accusations of drug and alcohol abuse and an addiction to electronic gaming. Arambula admits spending a month in rehab, ending in February. According to the Valley Sun, Fresnoland has “deep financial and organizational ties” to the Arambula family. Miguel sat on the Fresnoland board of directors until last week and another brother, Diego, was a board member until 2022. The story notes that Fresnoland has often pointed out connections between the Valley Sun and various politicians supported by its publisher and political consultant Alex Tavlian.

New bus center in Ceres

Ceres Courier. StanRTA planning to move operations to southwest Ceres. 
Synopsis: The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority has purchased 28 acres at the corner of Crows Landing and Service roads to build a $100 million operations yard and administrative facility. The move to zero-emissions buses requires additional space, said CEO Adam Barth. The facility will include a 10-bay maintenance facility and space for training.

DMV protecting bad drivers?

Cal Matters. After a crash killed a child, the DMV renewed his license -- then it hid his records. 
Synopsis: The sixth installment in the “License to Kill” series is certain to outrage readers. It describes a Placer man who racked up 16 convictions for everything from street racing to speeding but still had his license renewed. A year later, he killed a 23-month-old child when tried to enter the highway on the shoulder and crashed into a disabled car. When Placer prosecutors went to find out why DMV had renewed his license, the agency wouldn’t explain. Worse, it fought the DA in court to keep its records secret. The DA says DMV knows there are thousands more out there just like this killer – people DMV should have denied the privilege of driving. “There is either moral culpability or legal liability on them, and they are actively seeking to prevent that from being disclosed,” said the DA’s office. Safe-driving activists call it a “total failure.” Over 3 years, there were 55,000 fatal or serious-injury accidents in CA, yet the DMV has opened only 3,300 investigations. DMV’s response? More silence.

What the war is costing us

GV Wire. CA gas hits $8 a gallon, but Fresno prices much lower. 
Synopsis: Bill McEwen looks at the price of gas and finds “it’s insane, insane,” in the words of one LA resident who paid $8.21 a gallon. In Fresno, the price was around $4.40 a gallon Sunday but can be found for less … or more. “It’s not just the US-Israeli war with Iran that’s inflating gas prices,” writes Bill. “Refinery closures in CA and the state’s strict regulations for cleaner burning gas also are contributing, analysts say.”

ABC10. Gas prices jump more than 50 cents in CA in a week, AAA says.
Synopsis: Gas stations across the area raised prices as the price of crude oil jumped to $100 a barrel as the war in Iran raged and Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz blocking oil shipments. “This is ridiculous,” said one driver. Others said they are canceling plans for vacations.

Morning Ag Clips. Prolonged Iran war could shrink US corn acres, analysts say. 
Synopsis: Clips provides a look at various news stories tracking the price of nitrogen fertilizer. Reuters reports the price is up 32% to $683 a ton since the US attacked Iran. The chief USDA economist suggested that farmers “could cut back on corn” as planting decisions are made. AgWeb says “corn is far more fertilizer-intensive than soybeans.” Bloomberg reports that up to 1 million acres of corn could be switched to less nitrogen-dependent crops. Meanwhile, products that often substitute for corn and soybean oil, such as palm oil, are also seeing big prices bumps.

Protesting war with Iran

Merced Sun Star. Indivisible Merced organizes protest against US war with Iran.
Synopsis: Nearly 100 gathered at M and Olive in Merced on Saturday morning to express anger over Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. The majority of drivers honked to show support, though a few showed their disagreement. The group has been protesting Trump’s presidency every week for months but drew a larger group this week. “I have to worry about a war that I don’t even understand,” said Olga Rivas. “Our voice has been silenced, so we’re out here trying to be a voice,” said veteran Terry Gunter.

Bringing the bulls to town

ABC30. Historic Chowchilla Stampede travels through town to kick off rodeo season.
Synopsis: The Chowchilla Western Stampede kicked off the rodeo season over the weekend as cattle were herded through the city followed by lots of cowboys, cowgirls and a chuckwagon. Several thousand city residents lined the streets to see the festivities.

‘Weed nuns’ and Oscar

Merced Sun-Star. ‘Weed nuns’ in Merced County have rooting interest in the Oscars. 
Synopsis: Jim Silva writes about the Sisters of the Valley, a group of women who dress like nuns but have no religious affiliation. The book from which the movie “One Battle After Another” was drawn mentioned the Sisters as a hideout for one of the characters. While the movie kept the mention, it changed the name.