Valley Solutions

Want to buy a Greek temple?

Merced County Times. Local owners saying goodbye to ‘Parthenon’ House. 
Synopsis: The most recognizable house on W Street in Merced is for sale. From the outside, the home looks like the Parthenon, which is what everyone in town calls the home. John Brockman and Joseph Silva have lived in the house they redesigned for 40 years. The original structure was built in 1952 by Miller Parker. After his death in 1988, the home was purchased by Brockman and Silva, who completely renovated the exterior to resemble the Greek temple dedicated to Athena. The inside is more, uh, conventional. Forty years later, the couple has decided to move to Carmel. The home has not been officially listed yet, so there is no price attached.

What’s that in the sky?

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Blimp spotted.
Synopsis: Residents across Merced County might have noticed a blimp flying overhead in recent days. The large, unmarked aircraft is operated by a private company with facilities at Castle Commerce Center, where it does maintenance. It was suggested folks might want to get used to such a sight.

CA’s unofficial six ‘parties’

SF Chronicle. CA politics isn’t just left vs. right; our analysis found a third extreme. 
Synopsis: The Chronicle’s politics team last week wrote a story describing six distinct groups that comprise CA’s political geography. Now they’ve done a deep analysis of voting records across 65 specific issues, mapping outcomes across every precinct in the state with more than 700 voters. They’ve plotted results on an axis, stretching from the most liberal (Berkeley) to most conservative (Kern County). There’s more. Further mapping shows folks often fall into one of three groups: conservative, left-populist and left-technocratic. What is a technocratic voter? Generally well educated and idealistic, they trust the process but lean toward liberal solutions. They are the most likely to vote. Left-populists are more working-class, and want problems solved more quickly. Conservatives are, well, a bit more distrustful and less liberal. Interesting graphics. Cleverly, the Chron has named each of six groups: Urban Working Class; Left Coast; Standard Liberals; Tesla Liberals; Moderate Conservatives and Staunch Conservatives.

Election near, it gets testy

Politico. CA Playbook: Mods fight back. 
Synopsis: The New Democrat Majority PAC is putting $750,000 into ads saying Randy Villegas is the choice of Republicans to run against David Valadao in CA22. Those Republicans believe Villegas will be easier to beat than Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a doctor who has a knack for explaining the difference between someone who provides healthcare for poor people and one who takes it away. “Why is MAGA propping up Randy Villegas’ campaign? Maybe they know something we don’t,” says the ad. Villegas calls the ad “sad.” … To the north, Doris Matsui has loaned her campaign $1.4 million after facing an unexpectedly vigorous challenge from Sacramento councilmember Mia Vang – who is half Matsui’s age. Matsui is even recommending Republicans, hoping to knock out Vang in June.

Fresno Bee. Who does Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer support in the city, county, gubernatorial races?
Synopsis: Fresno’s most high-profile elected leader offered his recommendations, starting with folks he hopes to see on the city council: District 1 Rob Fuentes. District 5 Danielle Parra. District 7 Nav Gurm. For supervisor, he likes Mike Karbassi and Margaret Mims. For governor? He wouldn’t say but did lean toward the mayors in the race (Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa).

GOP scolds Duarte

Turlock Journal. Has the Duarte campaign misfired?
Synopsis: Reporter Joe Cortez writes that the CA Republican Party has condemned Alexandra Duarte for a campaign flyer in which she appears to be shooting at her foremost opponent. In the ad, Duarte points a handgun with a flash emerging from muzzle. Opposite the gun is a photo of Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. The state Republican party called it a “troubling” image, noting that it is “important for all campaigns, whether Republican or Democrat, to work toward calming our political climate and encouraging respectful dialogue.” Party organizations in Stanislaus and El Dorado counties both “strongly” condemned the ad. Consultant Tim Rosales called the ad “completely tone-deaf to the moment we are living in.” The only Democrat in the race, Jaron Brandon, had no comment.

News about nuts

CA Ag Net. Almond hulls get GRAS status. 
Synopsis: Almond hulls have been recognized as a low-cost animal-feed ingredient for at least three decades. But now they could start showing up in other places, like human food, after having been designated “Generally Recognized As Safe” for human consumption. While this might sound ho-hum to most, for almond growers this has the potential to enhance at least one income stream. While it doesn’t change anything “overnight,” the designation “expands what’s possible.”

CA Ag Net. Walnut Commission applauds House passage of Farm Bill. 
Synopsis: The CA Walnut Commission applauded the passage of the 2026 Farm Bill in the House of Representatives, saying “a comprehensive, five-year farm bill plays a vital role in helping specialty crop producers remain resilient, competitive and able to deliver nutritious products that support the health of Americans and families around the globe.”
MAD Note: It should be noted that two previous Congresses failed to pass the Farm Bill, leaving farmers operating under rules passed in 2018. While no member of Congress was singled out, Rep. Adam Gray was appointed to the House Ag Committee in 2025 and was a driving force in negotiations.

China tariffs cost ag $14.9B

Ag Daily. Study: China tariffs cost US ag $14.9 billion in lost exports. 
Synopsis: North Dakota State researchers crunched the numbers and found that US farmers lost $14.9 billion in sales to China alone thanks to the Trump Tariffs. About half of that due to lost soybean sales with beef, cotton and specialty crops making up the rest. Lost sales in Europe, Africa and the rest of Asia were not factored into the study but are considered “significant.” States hardest hit were Iowa, California and Illinois.

Deadlock over healthcare

Modesto Bee. Healthcare costs sticking point in Modesto teachers union’s ongoing negotiation. 
Synopsis: Anyone passing the Modesto City Schools administration building Monday night could see hundreds of people dressed in matching T-shirts and carrying signs. They were teachers unable to get inside for the school board meeting. They are demanding the district do more to help with rising health insurance costs. The union and district proposals are roughly 25% apart. Superintendent Vanessa Buitrago acknowledges the difficulty: “Healthcare must become far more affordable for our teachers and staff.” But how?

DA throws book at dealer

Merced Sun Star. Merced County DA files murder charges against San Jose man in 3 fentanyl deaths. 
Synopsis: Merced DA Nicole Silveira has charged Raymond Jose Claudillo with providing the fentanyl that killed three people in Los Banos last March. Silveira’s office released a statement, saying the charges send “a clear message that those who knowingly distribute fentanyl causing death will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Let investigation proceed

KSEE / CBS47. ‘That’s not a gun’: Paco Balderrama on deputy shooting unarmed man in Tulare. 
Synopsis: The former police chief of Fresno explained how investigators will proceed after Tulare deputies shot and killed a man who ran from a residence holding a black cellphone. While the headline makes it sound like Balderrama was critical of the officers, he was more reserved. Holding up his own phone, Balderrama said, “Obviously, that’s not a gun.” But it is not normal for someone to run from officers. And if an object is pointed at an officer, safety requires them to react to protect themselves and the public. The state is required to investigate all police shootings of unarmed people. Balderrama cautioned people not to jump to conclusions.

We need another Leland

Cal Matters. 18 years after CA voters approved bullet train, progress and finances still stalled.
Synopsis: Columnist Dan Walters notes that it took only 6 years to build the transcontinental railroad connecting CA with Commodore Vanderbilt’s eastern rail lines. It should have been completed more quickly, but we had to fight a civil war in the midst of the construction project. We’ve been trying to build CA’s high-speed rail since 2008 and it remains a “hot mess,” marked by managerial incompetence, missed deadlines and staged events. We still don’t know how it’s going to be paid for. 

School gets new name

Madera Tribune. Board renames Chavez Elementary.
Synopsis: The Madera Unified School Board voted to rename one of its schools Cottonwood Creek Elementary, jettisoning the name of Cesar Chavez, the now disgraced labor leader. Choosing a new name was “not a slam dunk,” requiring a couple of rounds of voting by the board. Madera Unified Superintendent Ed Gonzales suggested the school be named after longtime educator Carles Beckett, but that idea failed on a 4-3 vote. 
MAD Take: It’s true that it is safer to name buildings after landscape features than humans. But what happens if Cottonwood floods? At least the monograms won’t have to change.