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.

Bottom of barrel, or top of heap?

GV Wire. Fresno ranks near bottom of nation for intellectual life.
Synopsis: A website called Maxwell Social ranked “America’s Most Intellectual Cities” and put Fresno at the bottom of the class. Named for a gossip columnist, the website is based in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood and is part of a “wave of new private social clubs.” So, from across the nation, these social arbiters feel perfectly situated to rank Fresno, Riverside, Las Vegas, Houston and Phoenix as the five least intellectual cities in the U.S. In contrast, you have Boston; Hartford, Conn.; San Francisco; Providence, RI; and Pittsburgh at the top of the list.
MAD Take: Let’s consider this food for thought. Meanwhile …

Fresno Bee. Fresno State ranks among best universities for tuition, tax dollars.
Synopsis: Washington Monthly ranked universities in several categories, basing their ranking on a host of criteria including “their contribution to the public good.” In the category of “Best Colleges for Your Tuition Dollars,” Fresno State came in at No. 11 overall and No. 4 in the West.

Remembering tragedy

ABC30. Emotional reunion between Good Samaritan and victims’ family in Merced County crash. 
Synopsis: Diego Carrillo came back to the canal where he and several others jumped in to save victims of the car they saw crash early last week. Though they were able to turn over the car, all three passengers died. As he stood by the canal, Diego was approached by a woman related to those who had died. “I hope you know everybody did what they could have done,” Diego told Cellena Arcadia, the sister of one victim and cousin of another. “We tried our best, no hesitation. We ran in there.” Carrillo, 24, said his friend Brayden was the first in the water, followed by Diego. Within moments, five others had joined them. “Nobody hesitated,” said Diego.  

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Family celebrates Miguel Gaeta’s 19^th birthday at cemetery.
Synopsis: Family and friends gathered at the graveside of Miguel Angel Gaeta to commemorate what would have been his 19^th birthday. There was music, food and the memories of loved ones, who also shared news that authorities have arrested someone in Miguel’s killing. Moises Reyes was arrested in Mexico, where authorities say he fled following the shooting.

Modesto Bee. 25^th Anniversary of terrorist attack observed somberly across Stanislaus County.
Synopsis: There were simultaneous Patriot Day observances in Modesto, Ceres, Riverbank, Oakdale and Turlock on Friday as people in the Valley marked the jihadist attacks on America 25 years ago. The attacks killed 2,753 people, including 343 NY Firefighters, 23 police officers, and 37 Port Authority officers. The plane flown into the Pentagon killed 184 while 40 more perished on Flight 93, which crashed when passengers attacked the hijackers. The ceremony ended with the tolling of a fire bell. In the words of Deputy Chief Darin Jesberg it was “their last alarm. They have gone home.”

Counties dealing with deficits

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus leaders could lay off 71 county employees including child welfare staff.  
Synopsis: Stanislaus supervisors will consider cutting 71 full-time positions, mostly from the Community Services Agency, to fill an $18 million operating deficit. Included are 39 social workers, 5 supervisors, a family-service specialist, accountant, analyst, and two techs at CSA. Community Services has 958 employees, meaning the cuts equal about 7% of the workforce. The county will also cut 4 Parks & Rec jobs, mainly those who worked at Woodward Reservoir. One employee said the CSA cuts will eliminate 25% of frontline employees in Child Protective Services. County officials said the deficit is, in part, a bookkeeping issue and the failure to do “standard accounting work.”

Fresnoland. Some of biggest winners and losers in Fresno County’s proposed $5.5 billion budget. 
Synopsis: Hearings began Monday for the proposed $5.5 billion Fresno County budget, the blueprint for services provided by 8,300 workers for more than 1 million residents. The most expensive agencies are Behavioral Health ($557 million), Social Services ($481M), Sheriff’s Office ($398M) and public health ($134M). The total budget is up 3%, or $150 million, from last year. Cuts from the federal government are straining county services. “Trump’s federal budget plan doesn’t take immediate effect, but rather, in staggered stages meaning that the fiscal burden on the county’s shoulders will only increase as time goes on.”

Our ties to Colorado River

Modesto Bee. How Colorado River shortages could hit the San Joaquin Valley. 
Synopsis: Prof. Tom Holyoke and Laura Ramos of the CA Water Institute urge Northern San Joaquin Valley residents to pay closer attention to what’s happening on the Colorado River – drought, drained reservoirs, failed negotiations on sharing. CA’s Imperial Valley gets the largest share of the Colorado’s flows but will also take the largest cuts. LA and San Diego both depend on water for municipal supplies. With Lakes Powell and Mead nearly empty, SoCal will have to turn elsewhere for water -- and the only place left is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. “If Southern CA exercises its political might in the legislature and give its cities a preference over agriculture (something they actually had before the 1990s), then the Valley is in real trouble.”

Hedge fund hurting Valley

GV Wire. McClatchy Newspapers hedge-fund owners have forfeited right to the McClatchy name.
Synopsis: Jim Boren, once the editorial page editor at the Fresno Bee, is angry over last week’s decision by Chatham Asset Management to decimate newsroom staffing. Make that “further” decimate. Writes Boren, “For those of us who spent our careers working in the trenches of local journalism, Thursday’s news was a gut punch.” The consequences of losing 40% of what was left of the Valley’s newsrooms will be felt most keenly “by the communities that have lost the reporting they depend on.”

Stocktonia. Andrea Baltodano, reporter, pledges to hold politicians accountable.
Synopsis: Andrea Baltodano has joined the Stocktonia reporting team to cover city hall. She began her journalism career in Nicaragua, where the job is far different. She said press repression is a fact of life.
MAD Take: While it is devastating for former McClatchy staffers to see the gutting of community coverage, it should be noted that journalism remains alive thanks to those who refuse to let it die. The folks working at the Merced and Modesto Focus websites, Merced County Times, Stocktonia, Fresnoland, West Side Express and the MultiMedia 209’s publications are doing excellent journalism under very trying circumstances. They deserve support through subscriptions and advertising.

Trying to stack MID board?

Valley Citizen. Rodeo clown and well-driller challenges MID board president. 
Synopsis: Dominic Giorgi works for Masellis Drilling and has aspired to be a rodeo clown. He’s running against Robert “Bob” Frobose for a seat on the Modesto Irrigation District Board of Directors. Frobose has been at the forefront of those demanding accountability and transparency in how MID runs its water business – especially as it relates to board member Larry Byrd. While Giorgi insists he won’t pay attention to “special interests,” he has taken $30,000 from Byrd’s business partner – developer Ty Angle.  Byrd and his dealings are under investigation by the Stanislaus DA. Publisher Eric Caine takes the opportunity to point out several flaws in flyers put out by the erstwhile rodeo clown.

Cost of treating for Hex-6

Westside Express. LB council honors Joe Sousa, discusses Perez and Chromium-6 at meeting. 
Synopsis: The Los Banos city council learned that it will cost at least $42 million to bring levels of the naturally occurring carcinogen hexavalent chromium below new state standards. On top of a state-of-the-art filtration system for city wells, there will be ongoing operating costs of about $1.2 million per year. In other news, the city will have an election March 2 to replace Councilmember Mitzy Perez in District 1. Her position cannot be appointed because two current council members have been appointed, and state law requires a majority of council members be elected. The election will cost $65,700. Considering that only 488 people voted in the last District 1 race, that was about $135 per. Former councilmember Joe Sousa was recognized for his service to the city.

McManis Winery is for sale

LoopNet. McManis Property Portfolio.
Synopsis: The Mendrin Group has listed McManis Family Vineyards, some of the “most meticulously maintained vineyards in the interior of California.” Located on the banks of the Stanislaus River east of Ripon, the winery “is immaculate.” The McManis brand can be discussed at a separate price. It includes 11 properties totaling 3,496 acres. The price is $77,950,000. The 75,000-square-foot winery is listed at $22.5 million if purchased separately.
MAD Note: More sad news for wineries. No mention in the listing, but McManis produced roughly 400,000 cases under their own brand and has a capacity of 3 million cases per year. The company employs 30 full-time winery staff and about that many in the vineyards. That’s not enough to require a public WARN notice in anticipation of layoffs.

A grid-iron crime wave?

Stocktonia. Police arrest Tracy High football coach after students found phone recording them.
Synopsis: Coach Jeffrey Pribble has been arrested by Tracy police, though no charges were announced. Police say he had left a phone inside a locker to record students. Students say they stopped the recording and erased the video before calling authorities. Parents of the students also contacted the school. Tracy police chief Sekou Millington praised the students for stepping forward.

KCRA. Football game called after shots fired at Manteca campus; 2 teens in custody.
Synopsis: Two teens were taken into custody Friday night near the Manteca High gym after officers attending the nearby game heard gunfire. They rushed to the area and made the arrests. The remainder of the game against Cesar Chavez High of Stockton was canceled. There were no injuries.

Crime blotter: Big meth bust

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Massive meth lab bust leads to major drug, cash, firearms seizure.
Synopsis: Stanislaus Sheriff’s detectives uncovered what they called a large-scale methamphetamine operation, seizing 1,000 pounds of meth, $680,000 in cash, and eight firearms. The investigation is ongoing.

Turlock Journal. Two arrested in juvenile sex-trafficking investigation.
Synopsis: Two men, both 18, were arrested following an investigation into the trafficking of a 16-year-old girl from Anaheim. The crimes were said to have been committed “across California.” Braden Groves of Turlock and Emilio Barrera of Patterson were arrested by the Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office and HEAT task force. The girl was turned over to CPS.

Gas prices take big jump

Merced Sun Star. Merced County gas prices jump 14 cents in a week.
Synopsis: Merced County gas prices took a leap last week, rising 14 cents. The average gallon in Merced now costs $5.90, up from $5.76 a week ago and $4.53 a year ago. Delhi has the cheapest gas, with one station selling it at $5.35. Nationwide, prices were up 17 cents to $4.25. Diesel, meanwhile, hit $8 a gallon in Merced. New weekend attacks knocked two Russian refineries offline, setting up shortages.

Tip of the hat from Roadsters

Twitter. An end-of-season note from JT Snow.
Synopsis: The manager of the Modesto Roadsters – Modesto’s first-year Pioneer League team – thanked the fans for their reception. Playing at John Thurman Field, the team did far better than anticipated for a new team, making the playoffs. The Roadsters were eliminated this weekend in a 6-3 loss to Coast. “We are proud of what we started together, and we look forward to continuing to build something that Modesto and all of Stanislaus County can be proud to call their own,” read the letter from Manager JT Snow. “Thank you for an unforgettable inaugural season.”