Valley Solutions

Valley Solutions offers a daily look at the top headlines appearing on media websites affecting the San Joaquin Valley. It is compiled by Mike Dunbar, who worked in Stockton, Modesto, Merced and Los Banos media for 40 years and later served as Adam Gray’s press secretary when he was in the Assembly. Valley Solutions is brought to readers by Rep. Adam Gray.

Split council approves River Walk

Modesto Bee. Riverbank council votes 3-2 for 2,400-plus homes to west. 
Synopsis: After a five-hour meeting, the Riverbank city council voted to expand their city all the way to McHenry Avenue – leapfrogging two miles of open farmland – so developers can build 2,400 new homes. The city of 22,000 has around 7,200 housing units, so the River Walk growth will expand the city by 33%. The council’s vote sidesteps a measure on the November ballot to ban the city from turning the farmland into houses and businesses. The Local Agency Formation Commission, made up of representatives from across the county, must approve the city’s annexation. Mayor Rachel Hernandez and councilmember Cindy Fosi opposed the expansion, while Stacy Call, John Pimentel and Luis Uribe were in favor.

KCRA. Riverbank residents push back against proposed 1,500-acre annexation project. 
Synopsis: Despite a packed city council meeting in which most of those attending were in opposition, the Riverbank City Council approved the River Walk Project. It will put 2,400 housing units on 1,500 acres. “When is enough enough?” resident Cindy Higbee asked before the vote. “Gobbling up prime farmland for what purpose, at whose expense?” The project would provide $4 million in community benefit fees.

Ceres Courier. West Ceres commercial project approved with one being Chipotle.
Synopsis: The Ceres planning commission voted 3-0 to approve four standalone buildings on the south side of E. Whitmore east of Dutch Bros. The 4-acre project will include a Chipotle.

41 Days until the election

Modesto Focus. Meet the candidates running for Modesto City Schools board of education. 
Synopsis: There are certain to be at least two fresh faces on the Modesto City Schools board of trustees. In Area 5, Jolene Daly is stepping away meaning either Debra Brady or Michelle Tomlinson will join the board. Unopposed newcomer Stephanie Poulson will take over in Area 3. In Area 1, longtime board member Cindy Marks is facing Nefi Lopez, and in Area 7 incumbent Adolfo Lopez is facing Fabiola Garcia. The story provides a look at each candidate. Some details: Lopez has lived in Modesto four years, having moved to the Valley from the Bay Area. Cindy Marks has been on the board since 1998. Debra Brady was a pastor and executive at a Methodist church and has lived in Modesto for decades. Michelle Tomlinson is another recent arrival from the Bay Area and wants to remove sex ed from the curriculum. Fabiola Garcia and Adolfo Lopez are both graduates of Modesto City Schools.

Valley Sun. ‘A piece of crap’: Opponents rev up to tear down Fresno County’s transportation tax. 
Synopsis: Opponents of Measure S – which extends the 40-year-old transportation sales tax – say the measure will spend too much on public transportation and not enough on roads. Led by Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, the foes launched their campaign in Clovis. Measure S would extend the half-cent tax for 30 years. Of the $7 billion expected, 65% would go to road repair, 25% to public transportation and the rest to regional projects and zero-fare transit such as providing rides to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

Fighting over high-price diesel

Farmdoc. US weighing diesel export ban pushed by ag lawmakers. 
Synopsis: This compilation of reports from several sources shows the efforts to rein in diesel prices. Treasury Sec Scott Bessent, who owns farmland, said Trump was considering a ban on diesel exports and that a decision would be made quickly. CBS noted the average cost of diesel is $6.53 per gallon, and well over $8.40 in CA, prompting Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa to call for a total export ban. Politico reported that Trump called various cabinet members for input on such a ban. The Wall Street Journal reports that a ban could backfire, prompting US refineries deprived of foreign customers to cut back on diesel production, leading to higher prices. “It’s a bad idea in the long run,” said one analyst, adding, “in politics, there is no long run.” The American Petroleum Institute opposes any ban.
MAD Take: There are other governmental mechanisms beyond a ban. For instance, 26% of all crude oil pumped in the U.S. is extracted from public lands. Those lands are leased at minimal cost to oil companies to encourage drilling. But with oil companies reaping windfall profits estimated at $426 billion in the last seven months, those leases could be voided and renegotiated to return more money to the U.S. treasury which could be distributed to those being gouged by the oil companies. Just a thought.

Wall Street Journal. Energy secretary hints at voluntary cap on diesel exports rather than a ban. 
Synopsis: Oil industry execs say they feel betrayed by Trump’s endorsement of a diesel-export ban on Tuesday, saying privately that Trump has “made colossal blunders prosecuting the war with Iran” and that it’s his fault there are no good options in mitigating energy costs. “They should have done some basic planning months ago, but they didn’t. Now they’re scrambling to figure out options,” said one exec. The oil industry is warning the Trump administration against banning the foreign sale of diesel fuel, saying such a ban would create “a cascade of unintended consequences that would throttle supplies of diesel and gasoline in the U.S. and lead to higher prices.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested a voluntary price cap but offered no details on how it would work.

Data centers get really hot

Bloomberg. AI data centers release heat, posing new problem for cities. 
Synopsis: Phoenix has seen the development of at least 100 data centers in the last decade. The CyrusOne center just south of town uses enormous fans to cool the building’s interior, pushing out heat generated by computers. An Arizona State study shows downwind communities are 4 degrees warmer than upwind cities. “Put your hand behind your computer and feel the heat coming off that fan,” said one researcher. “Now imagine if you had 1,000 computers in your office – 10,000 or 100,0000. That’s the amount of heat that we’re talking about.”

Fresno Bee. Data center moratorium extended in Tulare County; community calls for permanent ban.
Synopsis: Tulare County supervisors extended the county’s ban on data centers past its original Oct. 2 expiration. It will give the county time to study impacts. The board required regular updates as a condition of the extension.

‘A quick 5 hours to Yosemite’

Fresno Bee. Yosemite’s ‘All-Year’ highway opened 100 years ago; Mariposa celebrates Hwy 140.
Synopsis: Highway 140 opened in 1926, making it possible for the first time to drive from Fresno to Yosemite Valley. All it took was about 5 hours, if you didn’t speed. A century later it “still stands as one of the most accessible and well-traveled year-round passages through the park.” You can pick up the highway off I-5 near Gustine, follow the Merced River toward El Portal then into the Park.

Competing visions of fast rail

SF Chronicle. Planners want to make high-speed rail a gateway to Yosemite; Valley residents unhappy.
Synopsis: Rachal Swan writes about the resistance developing in Merced to the CA High Speed Rail Authority’s new business plan. The plan would move a train station out of downtown Merced to an area south of town then market it as a gateway to Yosemite. CHSRA execs insist the move would save “at least $1 billion for the floundering megaproject.” The location would border the Campus Parkway and Hwy 99, offering easier access to SR 140. But it would kill plans (some say “dreams”) to revitalize downtown Merced. Mayor Matthew Serratto, however, appears to be in favor of the move. A letter has been sent by CA Rural Legal Assistance, threatening a lawsuit if the station is moved out of downtown.
MAD Take: No mention about how a location change “saves” $1 billion on a building that is estimated to cost less than $250 million. The comments following this story are interesting. Two mention co-location of data centers in the Valley – something found in the CHSRA business plan but rarely discussed.

What caused Dome Fire?

Fresno Bee. Did the National Park Service just hint at a possible cause of Yosemite’s Dome Fire?
Synopsis: The Dome Fire has spread to over 3,600 acres and the Forest Service wants to talk to anyone who saw a campfire burning in the Chilnualna Falls area this month. Since fires are not permitted in the area, this one was illegal. Two firefighters, Greg King and Ryan Cutter, were killed when their helicopter crashed during a water drop. King was from Alaska and Cutter from Utah. Their bodies were transported in a procession from Yosemite into Modesto on Wednesday.

Where did mercury come from?

Maven’s Notebook. Rethinking mercury reduction in the Delta.
Synopsis: The Central Valley Water Board studied mercury in the Delta and concluded the goal of removing the neurotoxin by 2030 is “unattainable.” Mercury damages the brain, nervous system and impairs reproductive function. Some mercury enters the Delta after leaching from volcanic formations in the Coast range. More of it enters as a legacy of gold mining that took place 100 years ago. There are an estimated 47,000 abandoned gold and mercury mines in the Sierra, most of which are still leaching mercury into streams and groundwater. The study found the 2,460 grams (about 5 pounds) of mercury enter the south Delta each year.

City keeps Army shelter afloat

Modesto Bee. Modesto approves $591K to keep Salvation Army homeless shelter open through 2026.
Synopsis: The city of Modesto will spend $591,000 to support the Salvation Army’s shelter and services centered on South Ninth Street. Most of the funding is through the state’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation with $100,000 from the Cannabis Community Benefit fund. The money is needed to fund services at the 182-bed facility through Dec. 31. The Salvation Army offers 410 shelter beds at its campus and feeds around 600 people each day.

Madera claims Governor’s Hat

Madera Tribune. Coyotes reclaim Governor’s Hat.
Synopsis: The Madera High Coyotes beat Merced High 56-33 to earn the Governor’s Hat, a memento from the Goodwin Knight administration (1953-59). It was the ninth time the hat has changed hands. Last year, Merced had had it for only a year.

Renowned journalist in Fresno

Fresno Bee. NYT journalist behind Chavez investigation to speak at alma mater Fresno State.
Synopsis: Manny Fernandez, the editor-at-large for California at the New York Times, will return to his old Fresno State stomping grounds next week. Fernandez is one of two journalists who broke the story about rapes and child abuse committed by civil rights leader Cesar Chavez during his time in Delano. Fernandez, a two-time Pulitzer finalist, is considered the top journalist ever to graduate from Fresno State. “This is where I not only learned the art and craft of journalism, but where I fell in love with it, too,” he told The Bee. He appears Sept. 30 at the Satellite Student Union from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Campus Parkway a race track

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Driver clocked at 111 mph on Campus Parkway.
Synopsis: CHP Officer Noe Lomeli was driving quietly along Campus Parkway when a car blasted past him in the blink of an eye. Lomeli quickly turned around and gave pursuit with his radar showing the car he was chasing hitting 111 mph. Authorities say there have been numerous complaints about excessive speeds on the road. Any driver cited for going more than 100 mph is automatically referred to DMV for possible (likely) revocation of their driver’s license.