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.

Judge: Measure S will proceed

Fresnoland. Judge sides against Fresno County in lawsuit; Measure S will be on November ballot. 
Synopsis: Judge Jonathan Skiles ruled that AB 1923 is valid and enforceable, and that the Fresno County Board of Supervisors attempt to stop Measure S was legally invalid. That means the “Better Roads, Safer Streets” tax measure will be on the ballot in November in an effort to keep a 40-year-old half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation in place. Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig tried to derail the measure earlier this year by insisting on a study before allowing a vote to proceed. The county’s mayors worked with legislators Esmeralda Soria and Anna Caballero to bypass the supervisors’ plan, followed by their lawsuit. That lawsuit was rejected Monday.

GV Wire. Fresno Judge’s ruling clears way for Measure S; Bredefeld vows ‘ballot box’ fight.
Synopsis: Having been rebuffed in his efforts to keep the renewal of a 40-year-old tax measure off the ballot, Supervisor Garry Bredefeld says now that he’ll try to defeat it at the polls. He will not appeal Monday’s ruling.

Stockton city clerk quits

North Valley Review. City Clerk Roland resigns.
Synopsis: City Clerk Katherine Roland has turned in her 30-day notice of resignation. She was already on leave, and two closed-door sessions of the city council failed to resolve her employment status or appoint an interim replacement. The clerk’s office has duties during elections, so this could cause problems in the next 65 days. Roland accused an aide to the mayor, Jason Teramoto, of inappropriate contact with her office – an action that the city’s former city attorney said was protected under whistle-blower laws. Roland accused Teramoto of trying to influence her office inappropriately. The city attorney quit after just five weeks in June.

38 new homes start to rise

Modesto Bee. Partners celebrate 38 low-cost houses coming to east Modesto; when and how much?
Synopsis: John Holland writes about the “old-fashioned wall-raising” Friday near Empire as Stanislaus Equity Partners, the city of Modesto and Self-Help Enterprises began construction of McClure Meadows. When complete, it will have 38 homes for those who can’t otherwise afford housing in the Valley. The goal is to build generational wealth. Among those participating were representatives of Congressmembers Adam Gray and Tom McClintock, Modesto councilmember Nick Bavarro, Mayor Sue Zwahlen, Supervisor Terry Withrow and others.

Valley’s message to Arizona

SJV Water. ‘Over our dead bodies’ response to Arizona proposal to harvest CA rivers to fill water gap. 
Synopsis: A reporter in Phoenix writes, “A nascent proposal by Arizona to fill the water gap from dwindling Colorado River and groundwater supplies by reaching into California’s rivers likely won’t go over well in the Golden State.” You think? Eric Averett of Kern County Water Agency summed up his reaction to the plan to take water from the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers like this: “Over our dead bodies.” Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Arizona’s proposal is that it brought together ag and enviro groups in their derision. Said Gary Bobker of Friends of the River called the plan to bank water in the Valley so it can be sent to other states “kind of delusional.”

More talk on water

SJV Water. AI data center experts advise farmers, residents and officials to dig for water details. 
Synopsis: During an Agri-Pulse webinar, panelists from across the nation described their efforts to get the details of plans to build data centers in their midst. Mike Turner farms in Loudoun County, Va., which has the highest concentration of data centers in the world with 253 of the facilities. In Loudoun County, the centers consume 10% of the county’s potable water supply. Turner advised attendees that they should insist on closed-loop water systems with no connection to potable supplies and an independent power system for any data center. He warned elected leaders that they should never sign non-disclosure agreements with developers.

Stocktonia. There’s good news and bad for Stockton boaters who launch at Buckley Cove.
Synopsis: Buckley Cove Boat Launch will be closed from October through December as the area is dredged. The marina off Tenmile Slough is home to the Stockton Sailing Club and a large flotilla of recreational boats. Dredging will create a channel of at least 8 feet below low-tide depth, removing 70,000 cubic yards of sediment. The sludge will be barged to the Montezuma Wetlands Restoration Project near Roberts Island. 

Turlock Journal. McClintock talks water, regulation at Turlock forum.
Synopsis: Some 100 people – elected officials, reps of federal agencies and irrigation districts – attended a forum on water hosted by Rep. Tom McClintock. A panel included Bureau of Reclamation’s Adam Nickels and Aubrey Bettencourt and Fish & Wildlife’s Don Ratcliff. They talked about the difficulties of getting projects funded and completed in California.
MAD Take: Huh. I can recall a celebration of the Los Banos Creek Dam Project, which increased storage by 8 TAF, and removal of levees and barriers at Dos Rios Ranch State Park so more water can be stored underground. What did those have in common? Not much, but Adam Gray was deeply involved in both.

Did protest end with Kaepernick?

SF Chronicle. Colin Kaepernick’s era of sports activism ‘vanished with him’ – but another is coming. 
Synopsis: Columnist Ann Killion looks at the summer of 2016 when Turlock’s Colin Kaepernick took a knee rather than stand for the national anthem. He was angry over the killing of unarmed teen-ager Trayvon Martin in Florida and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Kaepernick was also following the actions of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony who had accepted awards with speeches expressing their anger over the incidents. The retaliation against Kaepernick was severe and swift and he soon was out of the NFL. Now, a decade later, more athletes are protesting – mostly from the right, where they express hatred for trans-athletes and gay people. “One of the reasons we don’t have more Colin Kaepernicks today is because of what actually happened to Colin Kaepernick,” writes Killion. With the leagues tied to mega corporations, being a dissident risks “cutting yourself off from almost the entire culture,” said author Howard Bryant.

Turlock Journal. Kaepernick earns national humanitarian accolades. 
Synopsis: The Muhammad Ali Center honored former NFL quarterback and Pitman High grad Colin Kaepernick. After leading the nation in offense at the Univ of Nevada, Kaepernick became the 49ers quarterback and led the team to two NFC title games and the Super Bowl. But he sparked a national debate when he went down to one knee during the playing of the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality against people of color. After every team colluded in refusing to hire him, he sued and settled with the league. Others honored by the Center include Jimmy Carter, Harry Belafonte, Shaquille O’Neal, Dr. Anthony Faucci and others.

Board vows new YCCD boss soon

Modesto Bee. YCCD aims to hire chancellor just before election and after yearlong vacancy.
Synopsis: Yosemite Community College District says it hopes to have a new chancellor in place by Nov. 1. That’s more than a year after the departure of Henry Yong – the district’s ninth chancellor since it expanded to include Columbia College in 1968. Trustees Milt Richards, Don Davis and Antonio Aguilar are on the search committee along with representatives of school unions and faculty and student associations.

Problems with Stan’s buses

Modesto Bee. StanRTA concerned about bus operator’s staff shortage, vacancies, service interruptions.
Synopsis: Stanislaus Regional Transit officials say in a letter to operator Transdev that prolonged management vacancies, staff shortages, recurring issues for disabled riders and increase in missed trips are jeopardizing the service. Transdev has responded with a corrective plan but so far the issues “have not been fully resolved.” Records obtained by The Bee show 585 preventable incidents since 2022 when Transdev took over. Several former employees say that many of the issues impact rider safety.

No verdict in deadly crash

Merced Sun Star. Mistrial declared in Merced DUI crash; what the DA says.
Synopsis: A Merced County jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a Yessica Partida, who was accused of killing Abraham Bustos-Guzman in a DUI crash in March 2025. Partida’s new trial will begin on Sept. 15, the DA said in an email. Bustos-Guzman was a Newman police officer who stopped to help victims in an earlier crash involving a DUI driver. As he worked to free people from that car, Partida’s Honda struck the crashed car, killing Bustos-Guzman. The drivers of both vehicles were arrested.

UOP will train midwives

Stocktonia. University of the Pacific adding midwife degree program amid maternity health crisis.
Synopsis: UOP is launching a new degree program to train nurses who want to be midwives. “We created this program because we’re experiencing a huge maternal health crisis nationally and locally,” said program director Bethany Sadaki. The nation’s 50,800 OB-GYNs are unable to meet demand nationwide, and many are retirement age. The shortage is especially acute in rural America, where 140 hospitals have closed since 2020. Of those still operating, many no longer offer maternity care. In CA, only 25 of 59 rural hospitals offer obstetric services, creating “maternity care deserts.” This exponentially increases the risk to both women giving birth and their newborns. St. Joseph’s Medical Center is among the organizations supporting the program.

UC poet’s sudden passing

Merced Focus. Community mourns UC Merced humanities leader and poet who had local roots. 
Synopsis: Christina Anne Lux, director of the UC Merced Center for the Humanities, died unexpectedly of a blood clot on July 28 at the age of 48. The published poet helped set up the Scholars at Risk program, which brought in academics from war zones. She began working at UC Merced in 2013 but was raised in Planada between extended stays in areas where her missionary parents were stationed. Her book of poems “War Bonds” is available at Flowersong Press. She died the day before her wedding anniversary.

Festivals come and go

Modesto Bee. Fall-focused fests to hit Modesto region; one’s been canceled, 2 hold on.
Synopsis: This year’s Local Author Fair will be canceled after renovations at the Modesto downtown library have taken longer than anticipated. Another construction project has gotten in the way of Family Fun Festival at the Gallo Center as a shade structure over the outdoor music garden has yet to be completed. The Blues & Bones Music Festival in Angels Camp has been canceled after 14 years. Festivals still on tap: Newman Fall Festival Sept. 4-6; Open Cockpit Day at Castle Sept. 5; Sierra Nevada Arts & Crafts Festival Sept. 5-6; Turlock Anime Comic Con Sept. 7; Acorn Festival Sept. 12-13; Assyrian Festival Sept. 12-13; Denair Farm & Family Festival Sept. 12; Greek Food Festival Sept. 19-20; Wild Planet Day Sept. 19; Turlock Melon Carnival Sept. 19-20; Edible Extravaganza Sept. 24; Mexican Independence in Riverbank Sept. 25; Sweet Potato Festival in Livingston Sept. 25-27 and Coulterville’s CoyoteFest Sept. 26.