Valley Solutions

Cracking down on drunks

Cal Matters. More DUI bills following Cal Matters investigation. 
Synopsis: Following the spectacular journalism done by Cal Matters reporters Robert Lewis and Lauren Helper showing the infuriating numbers of deaths at the hands of drunks who remain legally behind the wheel in California, nine state legislature have swung into action. A bipartisan coalition intends to reinvigorate California’s once strict enforcement; they introduced a suite of nine bills Thursday. Cottie Petri-Norris calls it “CA’s largest and most significant anti-drunk driving and anti-DUI push in over two decades.” Among the authors of the changes were Tom Lackey, Bob Archuleta, Nick Schultz, Lori Wilson and Dawn Addis. Their laws will lengthen sentences and restrict reissuance of licenses and more. A bill by Juan Alanis would provide funding to train law enforcement.

Merced Sun Star. New CA bill would add ‘no alcohol sale’ to IDs of repeat DUI offenders. 
Synopsis: Assemblywoman Rhodesia Ransom would make it harder for drunks to buy alcohol, adding a designation to their ID requiring merchants to reject their purchases. It would limit “access to alcohol for individuals who have demonstrated that they are not responsible,” said Ransom, of Tracy. Utah enacted a similar bill last year.

Gray comes through for Valley

Merced County Times. Rep. Gray secures more than $16 million in district funding. 
Synopsis: The Times detailed all 15 funding projects carried by Rep. Adam Gray through Congress this year. Worth a combined $16 million, they range from a Wellness Center at Gustine High School to sewer treatment facilities in Dos Palos and Madera, to street lights in Biola and renovation of Fire State No. 1 in Modesto.

They’ve been voted off an island

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County begins project to improve neglected neighborhood in Modesto. 
Synopsis: Stanislaus County has begun making improvements in the Colorado/Rouse area, an unincorporated county pocket surrounded by the city of Modesto. Once sidewalks, storm drains and sewer mains are installed and streets improved, the area will meet city standards and become eligible for incorporation. Work was kicked off with a shovel ceremony Wednesday thanks to $13.4 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, $9.6 million from the State Water Board and $3.1 million from the city of Modesto. At least 50% of residents agreed to abandon septic tanks and hook into the city sewer line.

ICE protests continue

Fresnoland. ‘I’m not an alien’: Fresno Unified anti-ICE protests continue, but they stay on campus. 
Synopsis: Following two weeks of high school student walkouts to protest ICE and the Trump anti-immigration policy, students at Edison Computech Middle School organized a protest on the school lawn. It allowed students to speak up in front of peers and the media. “We are young, not silent,” said one. “As students, we’re often taught that we’re too young to understand politics. But we’re not too young to understand fear,” said another. “People in our community are scared.”

Fresno Bee. Adults who attended Clovis ICE protest sought to maintain safety, volunteer says. 
Synopsis: After having been threatened with retaliatory misdemeanor arrests by Clovis police, adults who accompanied student protesters from two Clovis high schools are speaking up. They said they were merely walking alongside the students to make sure they remained safe. Student organizers had asked for volunteers on social media and about 20 adults responded. “The only thing we had a part in was just making sure … that they were traveling safely,” said one parent. Police say they used a network of 500 surveillance cameras to track the protest. Police say they received complaints about students blocking bike lanes. One student said Clovis police questioned several adults accompanying the march but did nothing to stop or interfere with those who harassed marchers or yelled obscenities. Several protesters called police after a man stopped his car and confronted one of the marchers. “We’re like, where was Clovis PD? Where were their 500 cameras? How are they protecting the students? In that case, they weren’t.”

Eggman on Delta Council

Maven. Former State Senator Susan Eggman appointed to Delta Stewardship Council.
Synopsis: The Senate Rules Committee has approved the appointment of Susan Eggman to the Delta Stewardship Council. Her “deep understanding of Delta issues” was lauded by chair Julie Lee. Eggman represented San Joaquin and parts of Stanislaus counties in the Senate from 2020-24 and sat on the Delta Protection Commission, frequently aligning with the group Restore the Delta. Ann Patterson, an attorney who worked on environmental issues for Stanford and Gov. Newsom, was also appointed.

Daily Kos. It’s final: No Delta smelt found in annual survey for 8 years.
Synopsis: Activist reporter Dan “Fish Sniffer” Bacher writes that the Delta smelt is, essentially extinct. No smelt, which once swam in the millions in the Delta, were found in the “Fall midwater trawl” for the eighth year in a row. Bacher calls it “raw, stark evidence of dramatic decline.”
MAD Take: The demise of this species is traumatic. However, it is not complete. Smelt have been found in other parts of the Delta, having moved to places where they are less likely to be eaten by the non-native bass that make up 97% of the Delta’s entire biome. Other, related, species of smelt (there are 12 smelt species in all) are still surviving in shallower areas of the Delta and its tributaries.

More Motown roundabouts

Modesto Bee. As Modesto expands north, city opts for narrower main streets, roundabouts.
Synopsis: The Modesto City Council unanimously voted to keep key arteries narrow and use roundabouts to control movement along Oakdale Road and Claratina Avenue. Roundabouts planned for the Tivoli development would be similar to the roundabout at Coffee and Claratina, which has been deemed a success. Roundabouts marginally reduce accidents in intersections but dramatically reduce injuries.

The case for moving station

Merced County Times. A case for HSR station outside of downtown.
Synopsis: Merced city councilmember Mike Harris provides three reasons to build the high-speed rail station about 4 miles south of town near Campus Parkway and not downtown as originally envisioned. 1) It “aligns with how major regional transportation infrastructure is typically designed.” 2) The differences in cost are substantial. He quotes the Rail Authority’s estimate of savings at “roughly one billion dollars.” 3) A downtown station has financial risk because downtown “is already built out.”
MAD Take: Not to be argumentative, but this op-ed leaves me befuddled. Using Harris’ logic for choosing a site, we’d put the next BART station in Banta because no one lives there. About the purported $1 billion savings, has anyone asked for an explanation of exactly how the state can save so much more than it would cost to build all of the Valley’s stations? The entire downtown Fresno station is estimated to cost $50 million. So how can we “save” 20x that by moving the Merced station to an orchard? Finally, has anyone looked inside those downtown buildings? A lot of them are empty. Isn’t that the point?

Volunteering to help kids

Merced County Times. Fourteen CASA volunteers sworn in to help foster youth.
Synopsis: One of the most active Court Appointed Special Advocates chapters in the state got 14 new members on Feb. 4. “This is the biggest class I’ve ever said any words to for swearing in,” said Dena Traina. With the new members, there are 120 people qualified to help young people navigate the court and education systems in Merced County. Since 2010, CASA has helped more than 600 children.

3,000 Club’s newest member

Stockton Record. Weston Ranch’s Romello Bruhn joins elite club with 3,000 points. 
Synopsis: Weston Ranch High’s star guard scored 24 points Thursday night against Bear Creek, and now has 3,008 for his high school career. He becomes only the 16^th player in California history to reach 3,000 points. This is his only year playing at Weston Ranch, where he is averaging 30.4 points per game. Bruhn played his first three years at Woodland Christian in Yolo County. He is already a McDonald’s All-American. Because of CIF transfer rules, he had to sit out the first two months of this season.

UC Merced star to Mexico

Merced County Times. UC Merced soccer star Trinidad Quiroz signs with pro club in Mexico.
Synopsis: Trini Quiroz will play football with Necaxa Femenil next year, the highest level of women’s soccer in Mexico. The San Jose native was a two-time NAIA All-American and an All-CCAA selection this year. In three years at UC Merced, Quiroz started 55 games, scored 48 goals and had 14 assists. She scored 20 game-winning goals.

Speaking of great players …

Merced County Times. UC Merced to host summit for aspiring female athletes.
Synopsis: The “Together We Will” summit will be March 8 at UC Merced, bringing together speakers, teachers, coaches and athletes to talk about empowering the next generation. Speakers include Olympians (Danielle Slaton), researchers (Casey Watkins) and wellness coaches (Victoria Garrick Browne) among others. Conference co-chair Lesley Slaton Brown says the summit’s goal is to make the possible visible. “I want the girls to who attend this summit to feel seen, valued and capable.”

They’re Valentines times 60

Merced County Times. From 1962 to forever: A Merced College love story.
Synopsis: Dennis and Kathleen Chew were among the very first students to attend Merced College, going to class at the county fairgrounds. They met 63 years ago, in 1963, in John Mehrens’ geology class. They’ve been together ever since, 60 years as husband and wife. About their love affair, “It definitely was not instant,” recalls Kathleen. “It was something that grew over many months, then years and now decades.” They married in 1966 in Yosemite and both became teachers. Kathleen’s advice: “Enjoy life, but keep a goal in mind.”