Valley Solutions

Rep. Gray gets another opponent

Sacramento Bee. Republican Kevin Lincoln to face Rep. Adam Gray after Prop 50 redraw. 
Synopsis: The former mayor of Stockton, who has twice lost to Josh Harder in runs for Congress, hopes to have better luck against Rep. Adam Gray in a district with newly drawn lines. He could have chosen to run against Harder a third time but opted to take on Gray after CA 13 was extended from Lathrop into south Stockton. Despite the redrawing, the district is rated a “tossup” or “leans Democratic.” Presumably, Lincoln will first have to face other Republicans hoping to run against Gray. Lincoln wasted no time trying to portray Gray as a “Washington politician” despite the fact he has been in Washington for only 10 months. Gray’s camp noted that Lincoln “can run for Congress wherever he likes, but he can’t run from his record of skyrocketing housing and utility costs, rampant crime and taxpayer-funded perks for himself.” A DCCC spokesperson said of Gray, “he knows every inch of the Valley, shows up and delivers.”
MAD Take: Lincoln’s entry into this race was not unexpected. Interesting, and aggravating, is the fact that this story appeared only on McClatchy’s Sacramento website. While the company is laying off its longtime local journalists like Don Blount, Tad Weber and John Esparza Loera, its remaining employees – sitting in North Carolina or Texas -- don’t realize that Gray represents Merced, Modesto and parts of Fresno and they fail to post the story on websites serving those communities. As a former McClatchy employee, I am dismayed.

Valley Sun. Kevin Lincoln to challenge Adam Gray in Prop 50 aftermath.
Synopsis: The Valley Sun reports on Kevin Lincoln’s decision to change districts so he can run against Adam Gray instead of Josh Harder. This story, unlike the one that appeared in the Sacramento Bee, mentions the other Republican candidates already in the race – Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez, Bay Area businessman Vin Kruttiventi and the unaffiliated Alberto Escobedo.

Prop 50 implications for Valley

Modesto Focus. Prop 50 could nudge Stanislaus, Merced counties to the left, experts say. 
Synopsis: Reporter Garth Stapley looks at two of the counties at the heart of the redistricting debate and provides some surprising insights. Statewide, 64% of voters supported the measure; in Stanislaus the “Yes” vote was only 49% and 53% in Merced. Republican activist Joel Campos said the “results speak for themselves.” True enough, but what do they say? The region is filled with “Valleycrats,” said UC Merced poli-sci prof Nate Munroe. Added political strategist Mike Lynch: “We’re not lock-step voters.” As proof that Valley elected officials know how to work together, Stapley points to the friendship between Republicans Kristin Olsen and Anthony Cannella and Democrat Adam Gray. Not only did they end the “negative bailout” that was costing Stanislaus County millions every year, they engineered the extension of the ACE train to Modesto and made huge improvements at UC Merced.

Food demand spikes; Trump fights on

SF Chronicle. Trump administration seeks to halt SNAP food aid after a court order.
Synopsis: Team Trump has asked an appeals court to block a judge’s order forcing it to distribute money earmarked by Congress to feed poor Americans. The Trump team says it doesn’t have enough money to follow the court’s orders. Meanwhile, some recipients are already reporting their EBT card balances are rising following the court’s initial order.
MAD Note: The Northern San Joaquin Valley has half-a-million residents who rely on SNAP subsidies through CalFresh, including 220,000 children. The Republican governor of Nebraska laughed off any hardship due to loss of SNAP, saying no one in his state would go hungry because food banks, churches and families would fill the nutrition gaps.

Fresno Bee. Demand spikes at Fresno-area food banks as SNAP stalls: ‘Almost everything is gone.’
Synopsis: The story focuses on the town of San Joaquin in western Fresno County, where the food bank is already out of food. One regular visitor said she had “never seen so many people at the food bank” before this week. Some left empty-handed “because there just wasn’t enough.” Central CA Food Bank co-CEO Kym Dildine said traffic has tripled in a week with phone lines flooded as people who have never before visited called. She said that for every meal her organization provides, SNAP provides 9. In Fresno, lines at Saint Rest Baptist Food Ministry wrapped around the building even before the food bank opened. Others are seeing the need and volunteering to help their neighbors.

Modesto Bee. Cuts to food assistance will be a bit less severe for 92,000 Stanislaus residents.
Synopsis: Ken Carlson reports that the county’s 92,000 CalFresh recipients will get an estimated 65% of their November benefits, up from 50% announced last week. County officials don’t know exactly how or when those funds will arrive. The Trump administration refused to make required payments under the federal SNAP program during the shutdown, but a federal judge ordered him to relent.

Not waiting for SNAP, Trump

KSEE / CBS47. Mariposa farmer turns stand into temporary food pantry. 
Synopsis: Mariposa farmer Adam McLane has turned his fruit stand into a community pantry. The owner of Farm at Worman Mill urges visitors in need to take “anything that you could possibly give your family. Don’t be shy.” When asked about his generosity, he explained, “That’s how we work.” There are more than 36,000 people in Madera and Mariposa counties who rely on CalFresh benefits. That includes a few Yosemite workers who have been without a paycheck for more than a month. In 5 days, he says he has served “close to 500 people.” One of those is Katie Ramirez, who provides in-home care for veterans. “Usually, it’s me donating. Now it’s me having to receive.”
MAD Note: Pop-up pantries are showing up in all kinds of places, including front lawns where neighbors are leaving canned goods on tables and shelves with signs inviting those in need to simply take them.

Road fixes coming … eventually

Modesto Focus. After years of complaints, Empire part of planned $131M road upgrade.
Synopsis: If Empire can just hold on for 7 more years, it will begin to see the sidewalks, streetlamps and traffic signals it has long needed. It’s part of a project to improve Hwy 132, which extends from Modesto through Empire to Waterford and beyond. Residents say the roads flood and become dangerous, especially around the railroad tracks. In all, the project will have 68 new curb ramps, 11,400 feet of sidewalks, 25 traffic signals and 28 miles of repaved road. 

Graft in the wine business?

SF Chronicle. Super Bowl tickets, a gift-card ‘bank’: How wine producers allegedly bribed CA stores. 
Synopsis: Reporter Esther Mobley writes of the seamy side of selling wine, detailing charges against an Alameda County event planner who ordered “millions of dollars’ worth of gift cards later used as bribes.” Jessica Goebel is the fifth person to be charged in a string of complaints. FTC rules prohibit industry members from doing anything to “unfairly advantage” one seller over another. Goebels worked closely with SGWS – presumed to be the nation’s largest beverage wholesaler, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Among the businesses involved are Josh Cellars and Deutsch Family Wine and Albertson’s.

Crime still doesn’t pay

GV Wire. CHP officer ends stolen vehicle pursuit in Atwater; suspect arrested.
Synopsis: A suspected car thief learned Friday morning that even if you lose sight of the CHP officer chasing you, the CHP hasn’t lost sight of you. CHP Officer Justin Mason heard the report of a stolen car, then saw it go past moments later. He gave chase, but the driver took off so Mason backed off. Eventually, the suspected car thief pulled over on the shoulder of 99 south of Applegate. Mason soon joined him, ending the “chase” safely.

Fox26. Merced County man sentenced to over 10 years for running a chop shop.
Synopsis: Carl Joseph Means, owner of Fat Cat Recycling, pleaded guilty for tax evasion, ID theft and operating a chop sho for stolen vehicles. When arrested, he had 7 stolen cars in his shop. An investigation involved the CHP, Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force, Merced Probation, Merced Sheriff’s Office and the Merced DA. Means will be out in 10 years, 8 months. Merced DA Nicole Silveira suggested this should serve as a warning to others.

Downgrading medical centers

Fresno Bee. Fresno’s largest hospital system hit with Moody’s credit rating downgrade.  
Synopsis: Community Health System’s bond rating fell to Baa1 from A3 and its “outlook” was downgraded from “stable” to “negative.” That’s due to “significant headwinds” facing all hospitals, including cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, wage increases and a “very challenging payer mix.” The lower a credit rating, the higher interest rate the institution must pay. CHS has $772 million in debt with revenues of $2.7 billion. As reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid fall under the One Big Beautiful Bill, higher rates to those covered by the Affordable Care Act are doubling or even tripling. Many will drop insurance altogether, going to medical center emergency rooms if they get sick. Also, it didn’t help that CHS was fined $31.5 million for participating in a kickback scheme with a healthcare tech firm.

Renner ex makes accusations

SF Chronicle. Jeremy Renner accused of threatening to ‘call ICE’ on filmmaking partner.
Synopsis: Chinese-born producer Yi Zhou is accusing Modesto-born Jeremy Renner of some serious stuff, including threats to have her deported. She asked him to participate in her documentary “Chronicles of Disney,” and AI-animated “Stardust Future” and told the London Daily Mail that they began dating. She said Renner sent her “intimate photographs of himself” during that time.

Killing Valley’s opinion pages

GV Wire. The day the Opinions pages died in Fresno. 
Synopsis: Jim Boren, the Fresno Bee’s opinions page editor for 20+ years and now the executive director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust, writes about the value of local opinions pages. The Bee’s once “sparked conversation, challenged assumptions and reflected the heartbeat of the San Joaquin Valley.” Now, McClatchy Corp’s hedge-fund owners are laying off both local opinion writers having already fired the columnist. Content for the website’s editorial pages will be produced in Sacramento, 180 miles north, where the company promises to be “the best in the world.” But, Jim asks, “What does it mean to be the ‘best in the world’ if, in the process, a company stops being the best in the community it serves?”
MAD Take: Applause to Jim. But opinion journalism will remain alive in Fresno so long as the GV Wire carries on. Bill McEwen, who followed in Jim’s footsteps at the Fresno Bee, helps run GV Wire and occasionally airs out his still-powerful editorial lungs.

The passing of a great doctor

Modesto Bee obituary: Dr. Roland Nyegaard (Modesto). 
Synopsis: In times long past, Dr. Roland Nyegaard’s obituary would have been prominently featured on the news pages or website. An immigrant to the US in 1942, he graduated from Modesto High in 1953, went to USC for his medical degree then returned home to marry sweetheart Kate Lucas. For half a century, he treated the people of Modesto and led efforts to bring doctors to our community. He helped get the Gallo Center off the ground, chaired the Stanislaus Medical Society and consulted on medical cases across the nation. He championed women’s rights, education and liberal causes in letters to the editor. As his obit said: “Roland came here as a Spanish-speaking immigrant … on the eve of World War II. He leaves us as a giant in the California medical community.” One enduring memory is the 88-year-old doctor showing up ready to work at a clinic treating sick patients in 2020 -- COVID be damned. Services will be Nov. 15. Oh, George Lucas is his brother-in-law.