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.

Fighting words: ‘Data centers’

Modesto Focus. ‘Data centers’ – two toxic words that frighten Stanislaus leaders. Threat or opportunity?
Synopsis: The words “data center” have become “insanely toxic” across America, and no less so in the San Joaquin Valley. Some 200 people told the Modesto city council of their fears recently. Patterson and Riverbank have banned them for the time being. So far, 379 communities in 44 states have established moratoriums. That’s because “People’s relationship to AI has become broadly pessimistic,” said Prof. Greg Wright of UC Merced. Instead of creating jobs, like previous tech advancements, data centers are simply machine warehouses that suck up vast amounts of power and water employing mainly security guards. A decade ago, a company called Aquifer leased space in the Riverbank ammo plant, then set up of rows of servers to “mine” bitcoin. Hardly anyone noticed until Aquifer went bankrupt and left the city holding the bag for $500K in back rent. One Riverbank official said her city should serve as a “cautionary tale.” Turlock, apparently, paid attention. “With the best farmland in the world, I don’t want data centers anywhere near it,” said councilmember Rebecka Monez.  

Modesto Bee. How Ceres city council candidates say they’d approach data centers. 
Synopsis: As Riverbank and Patterson paused consideration of new data-center proposals, Ceres council candidates are being more cautious. Gary Condit wants more information but supports a moratorium. Dorie Perez wants greater regulation to assure “social benefit to the community.” Jorge Guerrero Jr. wants more research to see “if it really affects people’s health.” Before agreeing to a moratorium, he would have a public forum. Rosalinda Vierra says she is undecided but doesn’t know of any proposals.

Fresno County OKs new city

Fresnoland. Fresno County planning commission OKs new $1.1 billion Friant-area city for seniors. 
Synopsis: Fresno County planning commissioners approved a $1.1 billion project to build thousands of new homes on a 1,000-acre cattle ranch in Fresno County. Called Friant Ranch, it envisions homes for roughly 7,000 people over age 55 in a “resort-style” retirement community. The project is the longtime dream of former Assemblymember Frank Bigelow. His previous attempts to build it faltered due to opposition from the Sierra Club and League of Women Voters over environmental concerns. Those concerns remain, but the commission approved it 6-0. A final vote is set for Oct. 20.

Born beneath an overpass

SF Chronicle. Newborn found living in soiled Northern CA tent under I-5 overpass. 
Synopsis: Yolo County deputies removed a 7-day-old baby from a filthy makeshift tent set up beneath an I-5 overpass on Thursday. The baby’s mother is Melissa Rivera, 29, who was living there with Fernando Esparza, 48. Deputies said there was a lot of evidence of drug use at their camp. The baby was taken to the neonatal ICU, and the adults were arrested for endangering a child.

Right, left agree: Cameras bad

Wall Street Journal. Red, Blue America have found something to agree on: Flock cameras must go. 
Synopsis: The national backlash against AI-enabled license-plate readers is uniting both ends of the political spectrum. “Nobody wants to be surveilled, it doesn’t matter what your political leanings are,” said a Georgia county supervisor. “Government has got to be restrained.” This year, more than 100 city and county governments have paused or canceled Flock contracts. A candidate for the Senate in Montana posted a video of himself shooting a Flock camera. Gov. Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania is asking for a ban. Still, there are 120,000 Flock cameras operating in the US, and police departments call them indispensable in helping them solve crimes more quickly -- plus they have the stats to back them up. Flock says it is adding safeguards to curtail misuse. Now, some people are spray-painting the lenses while others are driving trucks into the poles.

Suspects hate cameras, too

Merced Sun Star. Merced police seek public’s help to ID and locate robbery suspect.
Synopsis: Merced police are looking for the man who they say stole merch from the Home Depot store back in August. He also is wanted for assaulting an employee who tried to stop him. Conveniently, police have a pretty good photo.
MAD Take: Don’t say “cheese,” say “Flock”!

Fresno Bee. More than 2,000 lbs of meth seized in major operation across San Joaquin Valley. 
Synopsis: A multi-agency task force swung into action Thursday, arresting nine people and seizing 2,000 pounds of meth, 20 firearms and 4,000 marijuana plants. Operation Klean Strip dismantled drug labs in Bakersfield and Visalia. Klean Strip is the brand name of an acetone cleaner drugmakers use to color their products. They also seized 475 gallons of highly volatile liquid meth. Those arrested were from Tulare, Porterville, Selma, Yokuts Valley, Sanger, Visalia and Mexico. The operation began when deputies stopped a car and found 320 pounds of meth a few weeks ago.

Rat problem? Get an owl

Ag Alert. Owl study assesses rat management in nut orchards.
Synopsis: Farm Bureau reporter Vicky Boyd looks at a new study to see if barn owls can help diminish roof rats. A Cal Poly Humboldt professor says they already know owls reduce populations of voles, gophers and mice in vineyards. “Now we’re really excited to try some similar approaches in orchards.” Some Stanislaus County growers are way ahead of the professors, who are looking for 12 “Goldilocks” orchard blocks – not too many rats, not too few. Previous studies have shown a single barn own can kill up to 4,000 rodents every year.

San Joaquin’s dog-school plan

Stocktonia. San Joaquin County hopes to become site of USDA detector dog training center. 
Synopsis: San Joaquin County is hoping to land a training center for detection dogs used to find pests in soil, on plants or in packaging. The USDA is looking for a site of at least 15 acres. The county should know by November if it is in the running. The county has one detector dog, Waylon, a black lab mix. He is one of only 17 detector dogs in the state.

Sikh trucker stabbed 17 times

Fresno Bee. Sikh trucker stabbed 17 times in ‘horrific’ attack at Wyoming rest area. 
Synopsis: A Sikh trucker from Sacramento pulled into a Wyoming truck stop for a bathroom break. While in there, he was approached from behind by a stranger who struck him in the head then stabbed him in his arms, chest and back 17 times. “I thought that now my final time had come,” said the driver, identified only as Singh. The Sweetwater Sheriff has arrested a suspect. “There is no known motive for the attack at this time and there is no threat to the public,” said the SO. A family parked nearby helped the driver and stayed with him until help arrived. The incident occurred a few days after someone at the Dept of Homeland Security posted a message on Twitter telling Sikh drivers to “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh.” It has since been removed. The DHS reacted angrily at the insinuation that its post provoked the attack.
MAD Take: The DHS’s denials would carry a little more weight if the agency identified the person responsible for posting the tweet … then fired him.

Setting stage for El Niño

LA Times. Clearing out the mountain basins in case El Niño brings flooding rain. 
Synopsis: Reporter Ian James talks to county officials in SoCal who are sending heavy equipment into dry ravines to remove vegetation and accumulated mud and silt while it’s still dry. Their hope is to increase the carrying capacity of the streambeds and reservoirs so that El Niño’s water can pass through more efficiently. The plan is to remove 1.3 million cubic yards – enough to fill the Rose Bowl three times. The material is being dumped in old gravel pits. “It’s really critical that our dams and debris basins have capacity to hold back water and debris,” said a public works official. LA County has taken this work seriously since the 1930s when floods gained speed and weight in sediment-clogged canyons, often cutting channels to the ocean and destroying dozens of buildings. Urgency was added in 2004-05 when a previous El Niño filled the reservoirs and the dams spilled. Some researchers fear there’s not enough time to complete the work.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Why a looming El Niño makes Coastal Cleanup Day more urgent than ever.
Synopsis: The CA Coastal Commission is hosting its 42^nd CA Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, the state’s largest annual volunteer event. More than 40,000 people are expected to participate in all 58 counties. With severe storms predicted, cleaning streambeds of vegetation and debris is important.
MAD Note: Clogged streambeds, not just water volume, were blamed for flooding in in Planada and Pajaro three years ago.

The Guardian. El Niño and global heating pushes water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere to record levels.
Synopsis: The planet’s atmosphere holds more water vapor than at any other time in recorded history. August normally registers the highest readings, but this August is exceptional. That water vapor is what fuels the atmospheric rivers that accompany El Niño systems and produce flooding. Scientists say there are 27.35 kilograms of moisture per square meter, beating the 27.29 in 2024. That 0.04 kg increase is equivalent to 20 trillion liters of water – or about 5,283,441,047,162 gallons. In more manageable numbers, that’s 16-million-acre feet or about 8% more than normally falls on the state.

Roadsters thank baseball fans

Modesto Bee. Modesto Roadsters thank fans for a successful first year in Pioneer League. 
Synopsis: Dave Heller, owner of the Roadsters, writes an op-ed to thank baseball fans for welcoming his team to the community. He pointed out that he promised to make going out to the ballpark affordable for the whole family. He did that by eliminating the $10 parking fee, cutting the price of hot dogs to $2 and $3 for a beer. “And you showed up!” he told fans. There were candy drops, fireworks, music and, of course, baseball. With JT Snow managing the team, the Roadsters made the playoffs. “The city of Modesto was a true partner. Parks director Jeremy Rogers is a genuine public servant; I wish there were more like him. Mayor Sue Zwhalen and the Modesto City Council supported baseball’s return.” The commitment from Modern Woodmen of America didn’t hurt.

Yes, that’s smoke you smell

SF Chronicle. Yosemite’s Dome Fire now spans nearly 2,000 acres.
Synopsis: Firefighters have gotten 10% containment on the fire burning near Badger Pass Ski Area, but it has doubled in size in the last 24 hours. The fire was first reported Tuesday at the Chilnualna Falls trailhead near Wawona. The area is rugged and steep, making response difficult. Some of the fire is burning in the footprint of the 2017 Empire Fire, which could make it less dangerous.
MAD Note: There are several other fires burning in Northern California – the Plaskett Fire in Monterey County (29,000 acres), Lucas Fire in Mendocino (4,128) and Floriston Fire in Nevada County (600 acres).

Merced Sun Star. Another battery fire erupts at Moss Landing; shelter-in-place order issued.
Synopsis: The battery facility at the old Moss Landing powerplant in Monterey County started burning on Friday morning, forcing nearby residents to shelter in place. It is the third time the facility has caught fire in two years. The buildings house batteries capable of storing 1,060 megawatts of power. The first fire at the facility occurred in January 2025, putting heavy nickel, manganese, cobalt and mercury into the air.