Valley Solutions

Grand Jury: Stockton’s a mess

Stocktonia. Stockton city council turmoil has become governance problem, says civil grand jury. 
Synopsis: The San Joaquin Civil Grand Jury says the infighting, instability and failure to fully address past oversights have weakened Stockton city governance and distracted officials from their real purpose of serving the public. The report pointed to clashes between Mayor Christina Fugazi and Vice Mayor Jason Lee and time wasted investigating differences and purported misconduct. The report is a follow-up to 2024’s report what pointed to the city’s “Crisis in Government” and the 2025 report that said half of the recommendations made in 2024 had been ignored. The grand jury also pointed to undue outside influence, specifically Mayor Fugazi’s relationship with the website 209 Times and its owner Motecuzoma Sanchez.

Columnist rips a neophyte

Sacramento Bee. From El Dorado Hills to Modesto, voters should reject this Trump-loving candidate.
Synopsis: Columnist Robin Epley says electing Alexandra Duarte to represent CA’s sprawling 4^th Senate District “would be making a costly mistake.” Duarte, like her husband, is a “Trump-aligned firebrand with no governing experience.” She notes that voters in Shasta who elected candidates with “no experience” now regret that decision and are electing moderates in their place. Even the Republican Party called Duarte “dangerous” and “divisive.” Voters have a better choice in Jaron Brandon, a Tuolumne County supervisor. As Epley concludes: “Duarte’s only selling point is anger, and that’s never been enough to be an effective leader.”

Oakdale will show its Pride

Modesto Bee. ‘Love draws a bigger crowd’: Oakdale to hold first Pride event despite opposition. 
Synopsis: CalPride Stanislaus is working with organizers in Oakdale to host a Pride event Sunday – the first in Oakdale’s history. Originally, the event was set for a city park Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. But when some members of a local church expressed anger over the event, the city offered to move it to the Bianchi Community Center. “This isn’t like San Francisco Pride, and we’re not trying to become the Bay Area. We know our communities, and so when we say ‘family-friendly,’ when we say ‘all ages,’ when we say ‘accessible,’ when we say all that, we really mean it,” said Ryann Hall of CalPride. Among those expected to participate is drag queen Sasha Devaroe, ska band Horizon Point and others.

Modesto Focus. Community rallies to support LGBTQ+ residents as Oakdale prepares for Pride event. 
Synopsis: Oakdale will host its first Pride Month event, but not without some controversy. Story notes that Pride Month was established nearly 30 years ago by President Bill Clinton. Most Pride events do not conflate sexual content with a celebration of sexual identity. While there was some backlash in Oakdale, the vice chair of MoPride was “amazed” many more people in Oakdale step up to support the event. David Allen is a hair salon owner in Oakdale who performs as Sasha Devaroe, and he’s excited to emcee the event in his hometown.

Making plans for the Fourth

Merced Focus. Where to celebrate the Fourth of July in Merced County. 
Synopsis: Focus staff provides a look at the parades and celebrations scheduled for Merced County. It started Thursday with the “America 250 – Merced County” exhibit, which will be open at the Courthouse Museum for the next few weeks. Merced Speedway will have Diamonds in the Sky on July 3. On July 4, there will be parade in Atwater starting at 9 a.m.; Livingston will have music and performances from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Foster Sports Complex; Los Banos will celebrate from 6 to 10 p.m. at Henry Miller Plaza; Gustine’s annual downtown parade starts at 10:30 a.m.; and a light show at Lake McClure after dark.

GV Wire. Happy 250^th, America! Guide to July 4^th fireworks in the Valley. 
Synopsis: Pyrotechnics begin Tuesday with America Fest at the River Park farmers market. July 1: Shaver Lake fireworks, 7-10 p.m. July 3: There will be shows in Caruthers, Selma, Kerman, Kingsburg, Island Waterpark, Pines Village in Bass Lake and Visalia. July 4: Woodward Park in Fresno; Tioga Sequoia Brewing Co.; the Fresno Grizzlies; the city of Clovis at the high school; Bass Lake will have fireworks with its boat parade; Sanger’s show starts at dark; Coalinga has fireworks as part of an all-day event; Hanford is hosting an all-day Freedom Fest; Mariposa also has a full day of music, parades and a drone show. July 5: Chowchilla will have a free event for kids and families concluding in fireworks.

Melon shortage will end soon

CA Ag Net. CA cantaloupe industry reports temporary supply shortage. 
Synopsis: Imperial Valley and Arizona cantaloupe growers say production in the southern desert has been reduced by weather. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my more than 30 years of growing cantaloupes,” said Barry Zwillinger of Legend Produce in Yuma. The fruit is simply unavailable. While there are shortages of melons now, the southern San Joaquin Valley will begin harvesting melons “right on schedule” next week, which should supply demand by mid-July. “California growers are looking forward to a great summer season with an abundant supply,” said Garrett Patricio of the CA Cantaloupe Advisory Board.

Docs in, food staff out

GV Wire. Valley Children’s will welcome 14 pediatric residents with white-coat ceremony. 
Synopsis: Valley Children’s in Madera will welcome 14 medical school grads as they master their clinical skills in primary care, advocacy and leadership. Five of the 14 are graduates of California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Clovis. The 14 are from across the West, with four from the Valley, three from the Sacramento area and the others from New Mexico, Nevada and SoCal.

Fresno Bee. Valley Children’s farming out food services to Idaho Co.; laid off workers to be rehired.
Synopsis: Valley Children’s Hospital, which last year withstood exposure of extravagant pay packages for its executives, is laying off all its food-service workers and turning over operation of its kitchens to Thomas Cuisine of Idaho. The hospital says no employees will lose their jobs, and the food service will be “elevated” for patients, families, doctors and staff. The story failed to note the number of employees affected, but WARN notices normally are not triggered for fewer than 50.

Debate rages over data centers

Fresno Bee. Data centers ‘will be a big issue’ for CA high-speed rail; officials debating idea. 
Synopsis: Reporter Erik Galicia looks at the latest business plan proffered by the CA High-Speed Rail Authority, which calls for using the corridor’s electrical infrastructure to accommodate power-hungry data centers. This would entice investors to fund the train line, which will need supplemental income to remain solvent. Before that becomes reality, board members insist there will be “ample” discussion of data center pros and cons. Some has already begun. The Union of Concerned Scientists had an online event Tuesday laying out problems with data centers – increased heat, noise, higher power costs, pollution. “The pollution is mostly local, but the profits are not,” said a water scientist. Board member Henry Perea said, “we owe the public a very strong presentation of what a data center is and isn’t.” 

Prisons cut programs

Cal Matters. CA prisons clamp down on overtime, limit access to classes for incarcerated people. 
Synopsis: The Dept of Corrections & Rehab is restricting access to some rehabilitative programs for prisoners as it clamps down on overtime spending in an effort to cut costs. The rollback started in early June and will end June 30. The department is asking for an additional $18 billion on top of its budget, which has been flat since 2022. In that timeframe, however, the state has closed five prisons. So, the amount of money spent per prison or per prisoner has risen. Corrections Sec. Jeff Macomber wants $91 million to cover unbudgeted personnel costs, i.e., overtime, and another $100 million for workers comp. Prisoner advocates and former prisoners say attending classes presented by local community colleges humanizes the inmates and provides a sense of hope and accomplishment that nothing else provides.
MAD Take: Why is this important to the Valley? Because we have the highest concentration of prisons, prisoners and prison workers in the state, with facilities from Stockton to Coalinga.

Dangers of ride-shares

SF Public Press. CA regulators voted to release ride-hailing safety reports. Then they didn’t.
Synopsis: The state’s Public Utilities Commission has kept 10 years of data about sexual assaults in Uber and Lyft vehicles secret even as complaints against passengers and drivers rise. There are more than 3,000 lawsuits nationwide against Uber drivers and the company, many alleging Uber failed to take simple steps to prevent assault. Lyft has thousands more. Despite hundreds of cases in CA, the CPUC failed in its duty to release information it was collecting or even divulge which drivers it had taken action against. Instead, it allowed the companies to go through lengthy appeals or delays. The CPUC didn’t hire enough staff to even check the records. A former CPUC president calls withholding this data “an egregious dereliction of their statutory responsibilities. This clearly affects safety.”

When those big boxes burn

Cal Matters. Big box tinderboxes: Warehouses are exposing more Californians to costly, toxic disasters. 
Synopsis: Susan Phillips, a professor of environmental analysis at Pitzer College, writes about the hidden dangers created by massive warehouses packed to the rafters with flammable and toxic substances. These warehouses are often built in rural areas, many of which have courted them as job-creators. Insurance companies consider such giant buildings “too dense, too tall” and a greater fire hazard than other types of buildings. Big-box conflagrations require multi-agency collaboration with hundreds of firefighters and days before containment is achieved. The most recent example is in Boyle Heights in LA, but there are others – Redlands, Carson, Ontario. Smoke from the fires is often toxic, but so is the ash and what remains of the buildings. Clean-up takes time, expertise and money. Done poorly, it creates a hazard greater than the fire.
MAD Take: The story didn’t mention the Tracy warehouse fire, in which tons of medical supplies burned. It was concerning that people in the region were warned not to touch any of the ash or debris that fell from the sky. The question becomes, how are we protecting our communities against such hidden threats?

Mussels: An ‘immediate threat’

Stocktonia. Golden mussels pose ‘immediate threat’ to Stockton’s water supply, official warns. 
Synopsis: The Stockton city council made an emergency declaration to say that the rapid spread of golden mussels in the Delta is an “immediate threat” to the city. Screens covering intake pipes for Stockton’s water supply were found to be 40% clogged by the tiny mussels. The city will spend $209,000 this week to clean its screens and pumping machinery. “If we lose our Delta intake station, it’s going to be really tough to meet summer demand,” said water official Travis Small. The San Joaquin board of supervisors passed a similar declaration a month ago. Both are aimed at making the city and county eligible for state and federal funding to combat the problem.

Blame balloons for power outages

Merced Sun Star. Popular party decoration caused 4 power outages in Merced County. 
Synopsis: PG&E is asking residents to be more aware of the safety risks associated with helium-filled foil balloons. If they drift into powerlines, the balloons can cause surges and outages. In the past five months, PG&E has seen 100-plus such outages interrupting service for 46,000 customers. Even plastic balloons that become untethered can cause problems as their strings wrap around wires and force them together causing a spark. In Merced, four outages this year disrupted power for 842 customers over 11 weeks total. There have also been outages in Fresno and Stanislaus counties.