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.

Sikh mariachi, it’s a thing

Merced Sun Star. Valley duo find viral fame with ‘melting pot’ of Mexican, Punjabi music. 
Synopsis: A true only-in-California story as a Mexican singer, who has adopted a black turban seen in Sikhism, is backed by a Sikh musician to make something truly different. That’s Talibelico, named after the lead singer who is a 28-year-old Mexican-American man who grew up in the Bay Area. His musical partner is Harveer Singh, who lives in Bakersfield and speaks and sings in Spanish. Their TikTok has millions of views. Modesto promoter Middagh Goodwin says this is a unique sound and is attracting fans from several cultures. Talibelico grew up singing corridos and broadened his sound. Singh grew up in the Punjab, singing as he drove a truck. When he got to America, his favorite style of music was mariachi, which he found on the truck radio. He still drives, giving him time to write new songs. Why does Talibelico wear the turban? He admires the discipline of the Sikh faith – no drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco. Besides, he says the two cultures are sympatico: “We love spicy food and we both sing loud.”

Facing ag’s biggest challenges

Ag Net West. Dave Puglia breaks down CA agriculture’s biggest challenges. 
Synopsis: Dave Puglia, CEO of Western Growers Assn, discussed the challenges and opportunities he sees in CA’s ag industry. The challenges are familiar – high energy and labor costs, the regulatory costs in the nation, lack of water investment, etc. He notes that the same crops grown in Arizona cost the farmer only a tenth as much due entirely to state regulatory fees. Puglia also explains the “complicated relationship” between CA and export markets in Canada and Mexico. He said the House Farm Bill that passed after five years could “be transformative for specialty crops” with greater support for pest and disease research, mechanization, automation and crop insurance.
MAD Take: The Ag Net West interviewers didn’t mention it, but the Farm Bill languished for five years in the House until Adam Gray’s arrival. He helped push it forward and was largely responsible for those improved specialty-crop investments – which is why the CA Farm Bureau Federation has endorsed him. A different version of the bill passed through the Senate’s Ag Committee but has not yet been voted on by the full chamber. When passed, the two bills will have to go through the reconciliation process to iron out differences. Meanwhile, the legislation that extended provisions of the 2018 bill expired last week.

Gray wants to cut red tape

Turlock Journal. Gray supports bipartisan legislation on federal permitting reform.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray signaled support for a Senate proposal to change how large infrastructure projects obtain federal approval. The new rules would ensure that data centers pay their fair share and not pass costs to residents or existing utility customers. Gray called the changes a “long overdue first step toward fixing a broken process that has held back our ability to build things in the Central Valley.” He pointed to the Los Banos Creek detention dam, which he helped dedicate earlier this year. “No project that takes six months to build should take over a decade to permit,” said Gray.  

29 Days until election

Politico. California Playbook: Who won the day?
Synopsis: Deep in the daily roundup of political news, we see that Kevin Lincoln got $1.5 million in new funding from Speaker Mike Johnson and his Congressional Leadership Fund. The money will be spent to tear down Rep. Adam Gray, who won the seat by 187 votes in 2024. Republicans see Lincoln – who doesn’t live in the district and was one-term Stockton mayor – as one of the few opportunities to pick up a seat in California.
MAD Take: What will that money buy? Lots and lots of negative, lying TV ads. They’re already airing during football games and “Jeopardy!” – shows watched by voters Republicans believe are still persuadable. The ads never mention what Lincoln would do, or what he believes or what kind of policies he would favor. That’s because Lincoln will do anything Donald Trump tells him to do. Lincoln bragged that he was “Trump endorsed” on his campaign signs, guaranteeing he would be a rubber stamp for more tariffs, bombs dropping on school children, higher-cost diesel and more measles. Since these aren’t popular positions in California, Lincoln’s new campaign signs have removed Trump’s name entirely.

North Valley Review. Johnson impersonates Trump in talking about Lincoln.
Synopsis: Mike Johnson was in Stockton Sunday to promote Kevin Lincoln, talking on a Facebook “reel” about why the one-term mayor was chosen by Donald Trump to run for Congress. It was his looks. “Doesn’t he look good?” Johnson recalled Trump saying. “He’s out of central casting. … So handsome. He looks good; he looks like he walked out of a Ralph Lauren magazine.”

Cal Matters. Will Dems’ midterm wave reach Central Valley? Bernie Sanders rallies vote. 
Synopsis: Bernie Sanders was in Bakersfield – the heart of conservative California – to rally voters for Randy Villegas. He was greeted by hundreds of “sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday” to hear the “modern-day Moses” of the progressive movement. “I want you to do everything you can, between now and election day, to make sure that Randy is your next congressman,” said Sanders. His Republican opponent, David Valadao, has tried to cast Villegas as too liberal.

Modesto Focus. Assembly District 9 challenger talks data centers, climate and his no-show foe. 
Synopsis: Matthew Adams is challenging Heath Flora in Assembly District 9, a sprawling district that stretches from Folsom to Hughson and Rio Vista to Waterford. Adams is a substitute teacher taking on a candidate once thought unassailable in a district with 41% Republican registration. But Flora now stands accused of misusing campaign funds and lying about where he lives. He hasn’t answered any of those questions, and didn’t respond to the Focus.

Now it’s time to vote

Turlock Journal. Yikes! Now we have to vote! 
Synopsis: Columnist Mike Lynch says we are finally facing the moment of truth – voting. The campaigns are in full swing, and it’s up to voters to choose the winners. But where do voters turn for help in deciding how to vote on complicated issues – like the 14 statewide props and local tax issues? Since newspapers have been scaled back, there aren’t as many trusted sources as there were a decade ago. His advice: 1) Don’t vote on party affiliation. A representative willing to work with both sides gets more done that an ideologue. 2) Be careful about candidates whose only claim to fame is that someone else likes them. 3) Voting is important, so don’t put it off.

Hilton ad angers his base

LA Times. Provocative, sexually suggestive ad by Hilton condemned by allies on the right.
Synopsis: An ad showing what appears to be a gay seduction is being blasted by those on the right. The ad featuring two young women is for Steve Hilton. Michael Gates, a Republican running for state attorney general, is incensed. “I emphatically denounce the use of young women as a political tool,” he wrote on Twitter. Sonja Shaw, a Moms of Liberty candidate running for state superintendent of schools, ripped Hilton: “Shame on you … for reposting and cheering this creepy, weird, disturbing garbage.” She said this is the reason “good people are walking away from the Republican Party.” Two prominent Democrats, both gay, called the ad “bizarre and desperate” and “AI slop.” Hilton later sort of apologized, saying it “grieves me to understand” there has been a negative response. But he said it was necessary to “try new campaign tactics.” Which is the same as saying, “Sorry you’re upset.”

Pear-caramel bread pudding

Turlock Journal. Celebrity chef to cook dinner for Turlockers to benefit Westside Ministries. 
Synopsis: Food Network star and Turlock native Susie Jimenez will bring her cooking skills to town to prepare a takeaway dinner on Oct. 7. Proceeds will benefit Westside Ministries and Ghetto Gardeners. “Let’s help inspire these kids to stay out of the streets and do good for their futures,” said Jimenez on social media. The menu will include caprese salad, steak stir-fry, veggie-fried rice and pear-and-caramel bread pudding all for $25. Pre-order at 209.667.8593 for pick up after 5:30 p.m.

El Niño has them worried

Merced Sun Star. El Niño hype is loud; numbers back it up, but here’s what they really mean. 
Synopsis: There’s been so much talk about El Niño that people are either scared or tired of hearing about it. Ben Kirtman, who teaches Earth sciences at the Univ of Miami, is a CA native who has seen his share of El Niño events. He has created an aggregator model that compiles and ranks different predictions. He says there should be lots of rain, but maybe not record-breaking rain. It will be warmer, so less snow in in the mountains. That will lead to more flooding. He notes that heat creates weather, and this is by far the hottest El Niño ever recorded. The most important thing we can do is prepare – sandbags, clear drains and streambeds, etc.

Stocktonia. Incoming El Niño is so extreme it doesn’t have a scientific name. 
Synopsis: This story is based on scientist Daniel Swain, who studies climate and extreme weather for the UC. He calls the current El Niño “the strongest in over a millennium,” adding “the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up.” What follows is a Q&A.

Stanislaus almonds lead way

Turlock Journal. Almonds soar in value to claim top crop in Stanislaus County.
 Synopsis: The value of almonds soared 25%, and the nut remained at the top on Stanislaus County’s list of valuable crops. Total ag production reached $3.3 billion in 2025, up 6% from 2024 but well off the $4.4 billion in pre-tariff 2024. Milk was No. 2 at $676 million with poultry at $272 million and walnuts at No. 7 at $99 million. Melons came in at No. 9 at $51 million. The big numbers hide problems, said Supervisor Terry Withrow. “I had a phone call a couple of days ago from a client who was spending $20,000 a week in diesel and now is spending $40,000 a week in diesel. So, you just look at what that does to your margins.”

Time for a crude surcharge?

Successful Farming. US states take steps to curb diesel and gasoline prices. 
Synopsis: With the federal government having caused the problem, and doing nothing to alleviate high diesel prices, states are stepping up. Over-the-road diesel hit $6.53 a gallon nationally, with the price varying from CA’s $8.90 to Louisiana’s $5.85. States such as North Dakota, Texas, Alabama, and Nebraska now allow over-the-road use of red-dye diesel. CA suspended its summer-blend requirements for gas early. Illinois canceled a 1.3-cent tax increase. Indiana suspended all gas taxes. 
MAD Take: Suspending taxes are nibbles around the edge of this issue. Oil companies are making enormous windfall profits (estimated at $416 million two weeks ago) from the global shortage. The more diesel they export, the more it costs here. But 26% of all crude oil refined in the U.S. is pumped from beneath publicly owned lands and seabeds. That means it technically belongs to the people now being gouged at the pump. Under Article IV, Section 3 and the modification clause found in every federal lease, the federal government could affix a surcharge on that oil. Just the threat might encourage refiners to lower the price; if not, the surcharge could be rebated to drivers.

Heart of Bee newsroom passes

Fresno Bee. Longtime Fresno bee editor John Rich, who inspired many, has died. 
Synopsis: A sad obit for the Valley’s journalism community. Modesto native John Rich, brought to The Bee by Larry Minner, succumbed Thursday to Parkinson’s Disease. He was 64 and had retired some five years. “He was a really amazing journalist,” said former editor Joe Kieta. “I never worked with anyone who had a stronger sense of the mission of journalism and understood the hard work it takes to produce quality journalism.” Said longtime friend Bill McEwen: “He died much too young from a terrible disease, and it breaks my heart.”