Valley Solutions

Better to govern, not grandstand

Modesto Focus. Was Rep. Adam Gray’s vote to end the shutdown a show of courage or betrayal?
Synopsis: Reporter Garth Stapley talks to North Valley leaders – and many Gray constituents – about the Congressman’s controversial vote to reopen the government. Gray was one of only 6 Democrats to vote in favor of ending the shutdown, citing the toll it was taking on people in his district – food banks running out of food, families unable to feed their kids, small businesses unable to get support, loss of healthcare for veterans, etc. Stapley spoke to Stan State poli-sci professor David Colnic, who called it “a big gamble, politically.” But Merced Mayor Matt Serratto saw it differently: “We need leaders who would rather govern than grandstand,” he said. Even progressive Marjorie Sturdy said she understood Gray’s “desire to prevent suffering.” Modesto councilmember Chris Ricci expressed faith in Gray’s instincts: “Let Adam do his thing. It’ll pay off in the end.”
MAD Take: Rep. Gray explained his vote in an op-ed that appeared in the Turlock Journal. He pointed out that his vote will keep SNAP recipients from becoming pawns in similar disagreements for at least a year. As for bucking his party, nothing new in that for Gray: “I don’t see it as standing alone. I see it as standing with my community.” Read it at “We shouldn’t run a government by holding hungry families hostage.”

How will they get healthcare?

Merced Focus. Covered CA enrollment open; without tax-credits will thousands be unable to pay? 
Synopsis: Reporter Tim Sheehan describes the plight of the self-employed – barbers, farmers, Uber drivers, etc. – who will no longer be able to afford to buy health insurance once federal ACA subsidies are abandoned by the Trump administration. The numbers are staggering – 202,000 people in the San Joaquin Valley. That includes 18,160 in Merced whose average monthly premium is $769; another 28,460 in Stanislaus, who receive an average subsidy of $605. All will experience extreme “sticker shock” at seeing their new premiums. Most work fulltime but will be forced to go without health insurance. Democrats Esmeralda Soria and Mia Bonta last week conducted a town hall, explaining their extreme concern over the human toll the changes will require following passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, that rerouted ACA subsidies into tax cuts for the wealthy.

Kids follow in Ruby’s footsteps

Modesto Bee. Modesto students walk to school honors civil rights icon Ruby Bridges.
Synopsis: Students at Woodrow Elementary took part in Ruby Bridges Walk-to-School Day last Friday, meeting at Davis Park Church of Christ and walking a quarter mile down the Virginia Corridor to their school. Mayor Sue Zwahlen and councilmember Jeremiah Williams joined the students to commemorate the walk made by 6-year-old Ruby Bridges – accompanied by federal marshals -- to her new school in New Orleans. The children were given pennants, bags and caps from AAA.

Making power in the Valley

Cal Matters. Data centers are putting new strain CA’s grid; report estimates the impacts. 
Synopsis: Electricity consumption for CA data centers has doubled since 2019 as some 321 new projects have come online. The Next 10 think tank and UC Riverside are quantifying the impacts, but data is hard to get. Worse, with AI expanding exponentially, power use must expand exponentially with it. Experts say we need more transparency in power use. But the legislature and Gov. Gavin have bowed to Big Data and refused to provide it. As Next 10’s Noel Perry put it, “To solve a problem we have to understand what the problem is.” It’s not just electrons; data centers consume huge amounts of water, too. The data Center Coalition says the alarm is exaggerated.
MAD Take: Story makes no mention of it, but we are GROUND ZERO for the impacts of this power consumption. Look at where the industry is putting solar panels – outside Crows Landing, Los Banos, Firebaugh, south Fresno and other places where the sun shines. These facilities will have roughly 10 million solar panels and utterly enormous battery storage, all of it directed west. They’re telling us it’s better for the planet to stop farming food and farm electrons instead. In a lot of places, people don’t even know these facilities even exist though they’re in their midst.

A tilde that defines a city

Fresno Bee. A CA city hides its history, culture by mispronouncing its name.
Synopsis: Juan Esparza Loera, the outgoing Opinions Page Editor at the Fresno Bee, writes about Los Banos – which he says is “whitewashing its history” by mispronouncing its name. Phonetically, it’s Lohs BAN-yohs, not the more common Lohs BAN-ohss. The area was named for the pools that Padre Felipe Royo de Laquesta once bathed in. Henry Miller, who owned all the land around it, moved the old Volta post office to the current city in 1889 as the railroad came through. Along the way, the tilde was lost. Gene Lieb, publisher of the Westside Express, believes it’s because the Spanish character -- ñ -- did not appear on typewriters. Loera posits that’s no longer an excuse as computers provide diacritical markings.
MAD Note: While Los Baños should be spelled correctly, the “ñ” does not exist on my keyboard nor are there any easy ctrl-+ keys to recreate it. The only way to get the tilde for this report was to copy and paste it from an online source.

Strong start to rainy season

GV Wire. Slow-moving storm pushes Fresno rainfall to 353% of normal.
Synopsis: The storm that sloshed its way through the state dumped 2.5 inches on parts of Fresno over the weekend, soaking roads and fields. It also has pushed the state’s reservoirs up to or past their historic averages. Oroville, Shasta, New Bullard’s Bar, Folsom, Millerton and San Luis are at or just above average while New Melones, Don Pedro, McClure and Camanche are all well-above.

Salmon not extinct after all

Maven / Daily Kos. Fall-run salmon returns looking much better this year on Sacramento, Klamath.
Synopsis: Dan “The Fishsniffer” Bacher reports with wonder that there appears to be quite a few salmon on the Sacramento River this year. An estimated 40,000 have come past the Coleman National Hatchery on Battle Creek, allowing workers to collect 30 million eggs. Another 39,580 salmon have been counted on the Feather, compared to 7,144 in 2024. On the Mokelumne – which stunned the environmental community with spectacular returns the past two years – 6,400 have returned this year. On the Klamath, where there were no salmon last year due to now-destroyed dams, there have been 883.
MAD Note: There has been enormous hand-wringing the past five years over the predicted demise of salmon. The numbers have been down, and Bacher et al have been insisting we are on the brink of losing an entire species. But the disastrously low salmon numbers were primarily due to two things: 1) The five-year drought that ended in 2023, predictably limiting the number of fish returning to spawn until this year; 2) A gross miscalculation by state officials about the number of salmon that could be sustainably caught by commercial fishers in 2022, leading to catastrophic overfishing. With normal water flows and restrictions on fishing, salmon numbers are rebounding. These strong returns are NOT the result of 50% flows or emptying Shasta. They are the result of hard work, perseverance and a fish that can put off spawning for up to 3 years. Floodplain restoration, managed flows and, most crucially, limits on commercial fishing are working. Stay the course.

What’s happening in schools?

Merced Sun Star. Principal at Merced’s Golden Valley High put on administrative leave.
Synopsis: Mike Richter has been removed as principal at Golden Valley High School. Parents were notified in an email that provided no details other than to say associate principal Tiffany Grossman will take over. 

KVPR. Halloween costume contest under investigation at Madera college.
Synopsis: State Center Community College District officials are looking into photos from a costume contest featuring director of marketing Cory Burkarth. His costume consisted of clothing similar to that frequently worn by math instructor Todd Kandarian, who is also president of the academic senate. Kandarian considers that ridicule and has filed a complaint. Someone liked the costume; Burkarth won a prize.

KVPR. State Center CC chancellor Carole Goldsmith to retire in 2026.
Synopsis: Carole Goldsmith has announced she will retire in September. She has been chancellor of the district that includes Fresno City, Reedley, Clovis and Madera community colleges since 2022. Goldsmith said she will leave a “thriving” district with “solid” finances and great student success.

CHP gets 4 new K-9 crime fighters

Turlock Journal. CHP’s newest four-legged crime fighters officially promoted to K-9 officers. 
Synopsis: The CHP has added four new K-9 teams, including three Belgian Malinois and one Dutch Shepherd. Each is trained to detect drugs, apprehend offenders and protect their partners. “They are hardworking, loyal partners who wake up each day ready to serve,” said CHP Commissioner Shean Duryee. Each has been trained for more than 400 hours. The CHP now has 53 K-9 teams statewide. Last year, K-9 teams seized 7,000 pounds of meth, 5,000 pounds of cocaine, 250 pounds of heroin and 750 pounds of fentanyl along with 213 guns. Among the new officers is Jag, who has been assigned to the Central Valley with partner Christopher Keeler.

Water Coalition’s new exec

CA Farm Water Coalition. Michelle Paul selected as new CA Farm Water Coalition executive director.
Synopsis: Michelle Paul will replace Mike Wade, who is retiring in February. Wade, who lives in Modesto, has been a strong voice for wise water use across California. Johnson has been the VP of Outreach for AgWest Farm Credit and once worked as a legislative analyst in Sacramento.

ODs in Stanislaus jail

ABC10. 6 inmates may have overdosed at jail in Stanislaus County, fire officials say.
Synopsis: Modesto Fire units and three AMR ambulances were dispatched to the Stanislaus jail after six inmates overdosed on, well, something Saturday. No further details were provided.

A Shaq Attack in Fresno

GV Wire. Shaq shows off DJ skills at Fresno Club’s premier event. 
Synopsis: Shaquille O’Neal, the former NBA great and ubiquitous TV pitchman, was in Fresno over the weekend to help open The PM Lounge. He appeared as DJ Diesel, spinning tunes and introducing acts like Meagan Good, Michael Huntley and Kendra Wilkinson.

Permanent parking for taco truck

Fresno Bee. Popular taco truck expanding with sit-down restaurant near Tower District.
Synopsis: There’s always a line at Shaw and Maroa when the Tacos El Cabezon truck is parked at the corner. Serving “Estilo cachanilla” street food, the truck’s owner – Armando Arias – has decided to move into an empty restaurant in the Tower District. He hopes to open the sit-down operation and a second truck by December. He thanked his customers for their “long waits in line” that helped his family build their dream. “Food is everything. It’s a blessing for us to be able to eat.” 

They picked wrong store to rob

ABC30. Madera jewelry store owner opens fire on group of masked robbers. 
Synopsis: Five masked robbers ran into Olivia’s Fine Jewelry on North Country Club on Saturday, and soon wished they hadn’t. After hearing breaking glass and shouting, the owner came out of the back of the store gun in hand. He fired at least three shots before the robbers took off. He and his family chased them out the door. No one was hit, but the robbers did make off with at least $170,000 in jewelry.
MAD Note: A police spokesman said he doesn’t recommend such a reaction, but he didn’t sound as if he thought the owner did anything wrong. Except miss.