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.

Spending millions on CA13

Cal Matters. Republicans are spending millions to oust Adam Gray; should he worry?
Synopsis: When Adam Gray ousted incumbent John Duarte by 187 votes in 2024, it took a month to finish the count. Now, two years later, Republicans have targeted California’s 13^th district as their best shot at flipping California seat. And they’re spending millions of dollars to make it happen, dominating advertising channels. Gray relies on shoe leather, the truth and a host of volunteers -- including many from outside the district. Republicans settled on Kevin Lincoln, a one-term mayor of Stockton, to face Gray. But Lincoln appears to dislike making public appearances, relying instead on easily debunked TV ads. One of Lincoln’s commercials tries to blame high gas prices on Gray because he voted nine years ago to fund infrastructure projects through a 12-cent bump in the gas tax. Lincoln conveniently ignores the $2 gasoline price spike when Donald Trump began bombing Iran – raising the price from $4.29 a gallon to $6.44. Other ads accuse Gray of profiting from a road project he helped push through the legislature. Lincoln’s ad ignores two things: 1) The road was the result of a bipartisan vote that included every Democrat and a few Republicans; 2) Planning for the project predated Gray’s time in the Assembly by almost 20 years. Lincoln tries to hide the help he’s getting from Donald Trump’s MAGA PAC or explain why he has refused to debate Gray or speak to reporters. Like Duarte, Lincoln doesn’t even live in the district. “They’re literally running him so that they can get another yes-man for Trump,” said Gray. “With me, voters get somebody that actually puts the Valley first.”

Demanding ICE accountability

KSEE / CBS47. Rep. Gray pays a visit to the Central Valley amidst ICE unrest. 
Synopsis: A bipartisan group of mayors, farmers, supervisors and city councilmembers joined Adam Gray in Mendota on Friday to demand that ICE agents act within the rules and provide greater accountability for their actions. Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez hosted the meeting and was joined by Gray, Firebaugh Mayor Freddie Valdez, farmers Joe Del Bosque and Don Cameron, and several other elected officials. “Our immigration system isn’t working the way it should,” said Gray. “Washington has failed to deliver lasting solutions. We need secure borders (and) enforcement that prioritizes public safety and a system with clear rules.” Gray said he is co-sponsoring the Dignity Act to provide rules for working in the US and returning to Mexico. Meanwhile, “people we represent deserve to know what’s going on in their communities.” Fresno Supervisor Garry Bredefeld said the agents are just “doing the jobs” they were hired to do. He made no attempt to explain why one agent has been charged with assault, being drunk in public and elder abuse after attacking a 72-year-old man and his adult daughter on their front lawn. Said Valdez: “Our families deserve solutions, not excuses.”
Correction: In last week’s story about the Mendota event, Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi’s was misidentified as a supervisor. He is running for supervisor.  

Fox26. Kerman mayor accused of following, confronting Fresno hairstylist: ‘You look like ICE.’ 
Synopsis: Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco is facing accusations that she confronted a Fresno man in the mistaken belief he was an ICE agent. Complaints were filed with the Fresno Police and district attorney on behalf of hairstylist Eric Bridges, who said Pacheco followed him for 25 minutes and then blocked his vehicle. His attorney called Pacheco’s action “careless politicking” that “seriously harmed” Bridges.

15 Days left to vote

LA Times. ‘No Kings’ protests mobilize across CA as activists push for early voter turnout.
Hundreds of protesters – not thousands -- gathered at various locations in Los Angeles on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations. As in the previous “No Kings” rallies, many of those attending brought clever signs, such as “Not voting is the leading cause of unwanted presidencies” and “Dethrone Dementia Don.” Speakers talked about Trump, but also the ICE sweeps in Central Valley communities. Three weeks ahead of the elections, the Trump administration accused CA of allowing 20,000 non-citizens to vote. That provoked many county registrars – including Republicans – to call that demand bunk.
MAD Note: There were also protests in several Valley cities, though they got little media coverage. Like most protests across California, they were smaller than the four previous “No Kings” protests.

Union revolts, pulls backing

Valley Citizen. MID union revokes clown endorsement. 
Synopsis: Members of a Modesto Irrigation District union bucked their leadership and voted to revoke the executive committee’s endorsement of Dominic Giorgi. Members were angered by a flyer Giorgi sent out accusing an MID employee of getting a large raise because of her relationship with Board Chair Bob Frobose. Since the union members knew the person in the flyer, they also knew the accusations were untrue. The union’s executive board had endorsed Giorgi, a former rodeo clown, without consulting the membership. So, last Tuesday members demanded the endorsement be rescinded and the union’s contribution to his campaign refunded.

Fed cuts mean transit changes

Modesto Focus. Stanislaus County transit authority sans plan is ‘least harmful way’ to cut bus services. 
Synopsis: Facing a $3 million shortfall due to cuts in federal funding, StanRTA leaders divulged a plan to reduce the number of routes and other operational changes starting next summer. Youth, military, veterans and MJC students currently ride StanRTA buses for free thanks to funding support from Measure L. But that might change as well. Routes vary wildly in popularity. There were 339,400 riders on Route 22 which goes up and down McHenry last year. But some routes see only 500 passengers per week. Route 24, which carries passengers to the Riverbank Costco, had only 250 riders the entire year.

Gathering for coffee in Turlock

Turlock Journal. Former baseball star brewing up coffee at downtown café. 
Synopsis: Brett Cumberland and his wife Brittany have opened Grace & Gather Coffee at 133 West Main in Turlock. The standout catcher for Turlock High earned a scholarship to Cal and was drafted in 2016 by the Atlanta Braves. He reached AAA, but an injury ended his pro baseball dreams. Through all his years in baseball, Cumberland also spent a lot of time in local coffee shops. So, it was natural that he would want to open one in his hometown. Brittany, also a THS grad, earned a degree in psychology from Stan State.

4x more salmon on San Joaquin

Maven / Hoodline. San Joaquin River sees record 448 salmon return, but decades of work remain.
Synopsis: A record 448 salmon made it up the San Joaquin River all way to Fresno this year – the largest migration since the river was reconnected in 2015. The largest number of spawning salmon previously was 93 in 2021. Most were returning hatchery fish released in 2023, meaning they were 2 years old.
MAD Note: The story doesn’t mention it, because it’s an inconvenient fact, but the record salmon return follows three years of a commercial fishing ban in the Pacific Ocean. The evidence is clear: If you want more salmon, stop killing them. BTW, salmon can choose to spawn after 2 years or after 3, 4 or even 5 years in the ocean. Fish who spend longer in the ocean develop more eggs but are more likely to be caught. So, overfishing tends to select for younger fish, meaning we get fewer eggs being deposited in rivers – another byproduct of overfishing.

Fights lock down Beyer High

Modesto Bee. Modesto’s Beyer High will have extra security Monday in wake of several student fights.
Synopsis: On Friday, five fights erupted at Beyer High, forcing administrators to lock down the campus to restore calm. As a precaution, the school requested extra security for Monday, according to principal Sarah Cox. Four of the fights occurred around lunch. Three students were taken to the hospital for observation; no weapons were seen.

Fresno Bee. Valley Children’s lockdown lifted following threats, deputies say.
Synopsis: Valley Children’s Hospital was locked down Saturday following threats received by the facility. Those needing immediate medical care were told to seek treatment elsewhere. By late Friday, Madera deputies determined the “threats may have been intentionally fabricated.” 

Abuses in Chowchilla prison

KQED / Cal Matters. ‘Put them down with gas’: Abuse, retaliation inside a CA women’s prison. 
Synopsis: More than a dozen women spoke with KQED reporters about conditions inside the Chowchilla women’s prison – CA’s largest. They accused guards of restraining women with zip-ties then spraying them with tear gas and pepper grenades on Aug. 2, 2024. Some inmates suffered stroke, blindness and seizures. The incident occurred after women testified against sexual predator Gregory Rodriguez. Some women who are no longer in prison, and freer to speak, say the treatment was retaliation for Rodriguez’s conviction. Interviews with more than a dozen women and leaked documents confirmed those suspicions. The prison system was described as dysfunctional by the US Dept of Justice, which documented systemic abuse and sexual assault for two decades. As word got out that KQED was about to publish its report, warden Anissa de la Cruz was demoted and transferred. The Dept of Corrections says it investigated and disciplined 34 people involved in the incident – the largest “corrective action stemming from a single incident in its history.”

High gas prices? A mystery

SF Chronicle. Why are CA gas prices so much higher than in Hawaii.
Synopsis: Friday, the average price of gas in CA was $6.22 compared to $5.64 in Hawaii, a gap of 58 cents according to AAA. Part of the reason is the “California blend” of gas which reduces air-pollution components in gas. No refinery outside the state makes CA’s special blend, meaning the state is captive to whatever prices are being charged by refineries located in the state. Meanwhile, two of the 10 refineries that made gas in CA were closed by oil companies last year, due in part to the rise of electric vehicles – which make up 20% of all new car sales in CA. High state taxes don’t help – 26 cents for the cap-and-trade program, 21 cents for low-carbon fuel, excise taxes for road maintenance, 18 cents in federal fees. In all, CA collects $1 per gallon in taxes, not counting sales taxes.
MAD Take: Interesting. The reporter details higher taxes, accounting for about $1 of the total price. But never mentions the report from the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight that lists 41 cents known as the “mystery surcharge,” first identified by Prof. Severin Borenstein at UC Berkeley 20 years ago. The additional refinery profit was confirmed by a statewide study last year.

What’s that sound? Thunder

Stocktonia. Thunder strikes again: Stockton hockey returns with a roar on opening night. 
Synopsis: Some 5,000 people came out to watch professional hockey in Stockton as the Thunder returned to Adventist Health Arena on the waterfront. The original Thunder played in Stockton from 2005-15, but that year was replaced by the Stockton Heat. That team left in 2022. The new Thunder competes in the Single-A Federal Prospects Hockey League. Saturday, they beat the Oceanside Shock 3-1. Chris O’Shaughnessy made 34 saves in the net.