Valley Solutions

How Merced shaped a representative

BuzzSprout.com. Water, work and the Man from Merced. 
Synopsis: In a podcast on Blue Dog Radio, Adam Gray is introduced to the nation. Gray represents portions of five San Joaquin Valley counties, “a place where water, agriculture, rural health care, ag technology, and community infrastructure are basic conditions that determine whether farms can plant, students stay, communities can grow and families can build a future.” Gray discusses why water reliability is a foundational element for hundreds of thousands of Valley residents. “At its core, this is a conversation about representation, loyalty to place and the unglamorous work of getting things done.”

This Gray is player of month

Madera Tribune. Gray named player of the month.
Synopsis: Former Madera South star “Murf” Gray was named the Player of the Month for June in the South Atlantic League. He plays for the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, a farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The former Fresno State star hit .359 with 8 homers, 34 RBI and 11 doubles during June. He started the year in Bradenton, Fla., and was named the Florida State League Player of the Week before being called up. Murf – whose actual name is Triston Allen Gray -- is the Pirates’ No.17 prospect.

Voters love X, hate data centers

LA Times. Californians back Becerra and reject AI data centers by big margins, poll finds. 
Synopsis: The PPIC’s latest poll shows Xavier Becerra with a 25-point lead over Steve Hilton in the race for governor with only 2% of likely voters saying they hadn’t yet made up their minds. Independents are even more likely to choose Becerra than Democrats. As for data centers, 44% “strongly oppose” them with 29% “somewhat” in opposition. The closer folks live to a data center the more likely they are to oppose them. Most Californians, 62%, want all of their electricity to come from renewable sources – which is now possible. But the support for electric vehicles is dropping, with only a third supporting a ban on gas-powered vehicles by 2035. As for Trump, his approval rating is 28%.

Are red-light cameras working?

Merced Focus. One year of red-light cameras in Merced, is the technology working as hoped?
Synopsis: The city of Merced has issued nearly 2,000 citations for people who ran a red light at R Street and West 16^th. The cameras were installed in response to 13 fatal accidents in the city in 2024. That number was cut in half in 2025 with only 7 traffic deaths. Another indicator that the cameras are working is that the number of violations is falling; people are slowing down and obeying signals. But the police noted that part of the reason there have been fewer red-light violations this year is that a car ran into the pole the camera sits on, knocking it out of commission for most of February. “I want our citizens to feel like they’re in an environment where they feel safe, they feel like there’s a police presence of some kind without having a uniform standing right next to them,” said Chief Steven Stanfield.

ABC30. Merced County extends Flock camera contract for 3 years despite privacy concerns.
Synopsis: The County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to extend the Flock Safety contract for monitoring traffic for three years at a cost of $385,350. The sheriff’s department said Flock is important as an investigative tool. But one resident called the contract “excessive” in light of cuts to other services. As for privacy concerns, the SO said all images are deleted after 30 days and only vehicle details are captured – not personal identity. “It’s not in a Flock database. It’s in a sheriff’s office database and we share with other local law-enforcement agencies that we so choose,” said Undersheriff Corey Gibson.

Are red-light cameras misused?

Fresno Bee. How do Flock cameras use your data in Fresno? What the police chief says. 
Synopsis: Police Chief Mindy Casto called a news conference Wednesday to talk about surveillance cameras used to catch red-light runners and monitor traffic flow. The city’s 70 Flock cameras are placed in high-crime areas to reduce retail theft and track movement of violent criminals. Can the cameras be used by federal agencies during immigration crackdowns? Yes, it’s possible, but it’s not happening, said Casto. That’s because the city does not have facial-recognition software. Casto will answer other questions July 20 at the Ted C. Wills Community Center.

Stocktonia. Stockton embraced Flock cameras; other cities are scraping plans over ICE, privacy fears.
Synopsis: Stockton has 120 Flock cameras mounted around the city, recording license plates of those who run red lights. They can also be used to track stolen cars. The story notes that after learning Flock data has been shared with federal agencies, the city of Mountain View ended its Flock contract. LA will end its contract at the end of the year for similar reasons. Other cities around the country are doing the same. At question is who owns the data being collected and what is being done with it. Stockton police chief Stanley McFadden is a big Flock fan, saying the data has contributed to solving robberies and carjackings.

LA Daily News. Stop the Flock spying on Los Angeles.
Synopsis: The LA Daily News Editorial Board writes that the LAPD has been violating the privacy of citizens through 138 cameras installed around town. If the cameras were limited to their original purpose, catching speeders and red-light runners, they would be fine. But they do much more, often selling data to other agencies and groups. “We don’t trust the company. End the Flock contract now, once and for all.”

Peterson drama back on TV

Modesto Focus. New Peterson documentary – including interview with Focus reporter – airs this week.
Synopsis: Garth Stapley writes about his moments onscreen in the new A&E “documentary” about the murderer from Modesto. TV can’t get enough of Scott Peterson, the frat boy who married the country girl with the radiant smile then murdered her and dropped her body into San Francisco Bay. But a talking-head with a law degree posits that “people in positions of power put their thumb on the scale of justice.”
MAD Take: Having seen a small portion of the Peterson saga up close as it unfolded, no sensational documentary will ever alter my opinion. Scott Peterson is guilty as charged. No amount of fan fiction or self-serving fantasy will change that.

Raw wrestling back in Fresno

Fresno Bee. WWE fans rejoice: Raw is headed this fall to Fresno for live event on Netflix.
Synopsis: After 14 years, Raw is returning to Fresno’s Save Mart Center. Performers hit the ring on Oct. 16 for a “Friday Night SmackDown.” If you can’t wait, Raw is in Oakland on July 24 and in Stockton on July 25. Raw has been breaking chairs and bleeding on TV since 1993.

Met sells Colorado River water

SF Gate. Lake Mead is dry as a bone; CA is coming to help. 
Synopsis: Metropolitan Water District, which is a water wholesaler to 26 municipal agencies serving 19 million people Southern Californians, will leave 200,000-acre feet of water in the Colorado River this year. In exchange, the federal government will pay the district $325 per foot, or $65 million, from a program set up under the Biden administration. The exchange will slow the emptying of Lake Mead, which is 186 feet below “full” and 1 foot above the lowest level recorded since its filling 90 years ago. Met said the transfer was possible through conservation and groundwater recovery investments.
MAD Take: Ahem. It’s possible because Met will import roughly 900,000-acre feet of water from the Delta this year – give or take 100,000 acre feet. That water once flowed down the Sacramento or San Joaquin rivers but now is flowing to cities in SoCal. Just saying, the State Water Project has the capacity to deliver 2,000,000-acre feet to SoCal, so more might be moving.

Free testing for county wells

Merced Sun Star. Merced County residents with domestic wells can get free water testing.
Synopsis: More than half of all private domestic wells in unincorporated Merced County have tested over the limits for one or more contaminants, either naturally occurring or seeping into the aquifer via farming. The state will provide free testing through the Valley Water Collaborative, which also provides free water delivery for those whose wells are over the limit for nitrates. To arrange a test, go to valleywaterc.org or call 209.750.3867.

Del Bosque Farms profiled

Fox26. Amazing America 250: Del Bosque Farms. 
Synopsis: The station profiles Joe Del Bosque, who began growing cantaloupes with his father in Los Banos then grew his own small farm into one of the Valley’s most successful melon businesses. His parents “came here to work, to have a better life for their families and provide a service for the country,” said Del Bosque. He said the dream lives on in today’s immigrants who come to find a better life. Del Bosque noted that farmers his age are retiring, and there aren’t as many folks willing to take on the work of growing food. Artificial Intelligence won’t grow your food.

Mission sues city of Turlock

Modesto Bee. Turlock Gospel Mission sues city over unfinished day center, utility overcharges. 
Synopsis: The Turlock Gospel Mission sued the city of Turlock and contractor ANV over failure to complete a day center in the city. The Mission is seeking “in excess of $500,000” to complete the project. The complicated lawsuit stretches over several years but the current point of contention is that building stopped by early 2023 and the city refused to provide funding to complete it. To provide services, the Mission has spent $100,000 to set up climate control in an overflow area. The Mission also says it has been overcharged for water and sewer services for the past eight years. While the city refunded part of the overcharges, the Mission says it continues. The city also approved $3.8 million to replace some 4,000 water meters that are generating “incorrect water consumption readings.” 

Shipyard says ‘California Never’

SF Chronicle. CA Forever loses $3.2 billion shipyard contract as defense startup picks Texas. 
Synopsis: The plan to create a shipbuilding factory as the cornerstone of a new city in Solano County called “California Forever” was dealt a significant blow when Saronic Technologies announced it would build its drone ships in Brownsville, Texas. The project was supposed to be the heart of the new city, offering 10,000 jobs for workers living in a city of 200,000. Joshua Arce of the CA Alliance of Jobs blamed state leaders for failing to “act with urgency” to get the project. In this case, “urgency” comes with a price tag. Texas gave the company $211 million in “tax-avoidance incentives” to locate in the state. One California Forever insider insisted other shipbuilders remain interested in the unborn city.

Welcome to the ‘Suicide Squad’

Turlock Journal. The (young) man in the arena. 
Synopsis: It takes a special kind of, uh, courage to stand in front of an irritated bull and welcome its charge. Isaac Zamaroni has that courage, or whatever you call it. He is the newest member of the Forcados Luso Americanos, also known as the “Suicide Squad.” The group take part in the Portuguese tradition of bloodless bullfighting, lining up in front of the bulls. “It was pretty surreal,” Zamaroni said of his first grab. “It’s just a moment that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” He said his cousin, Michael Avila, grabbed his first bull at age 17, and that inspired his own dream. In Stanislaus County, there are many people who not only understand the sport but celebrate it as part of their culture.