Valley Solutions

10,000 march in Fresno

Fresno Bee. Thousands in Fresno protest rising gas prices, Iran war, Trump at ‘No Kings’ rally. 
Synopsis: An estimated 10,000 people gathered near River Park on Saturday morning, peacefully protesting the Trump administration in the largest reported protest in the Valley. Police reported no arrests during the protest, though several were warned not to block traffic. Central Valley Indivisible coordinated the event. Several who attended said it was their first protest. Jerry Fernandez says he’s noticed recently that he is being treated differently than in the past, and “It’s unacceptable.” The story notes that the protest are gaining in popularity as Trump’s is falling to the lowest of his second term, around 36%.

Fresnoland. ‘Stand up for our nation’: Fresno’s third ‘No Kings’ protest draws largest turnout yet.
Synopsis: Immigration reform, the war in Iran, ICE violence were among issues cited by the 10,000 people who turned out for the No Kings rally that covered about a mile of Blackstone Avenue on Saturday. Many said it was the largest protest in Fresno history. One first-time protester is a nurse, who said: “They can kill a nurse on the street and Trump is still not impeached. Even though Fresno is red, we’re American. Both people who are red and blue are here today.”

Other cities had rallies, too

Modesto Bee. Modesto’s third No Kings protest focuses on action, part of nationwide rallies. 
Synopsis: What started with a few hundred people gathering at Graceada Park grew into a march of more than 2,000 as the crowd moved to Five Points. There was a “near constant cacophony of supportive honks.” The Modesto protest was one of 3,000 taking place across the nation that saw 8 million people take to the streets to protest the Trump administration. Among speakers in Modesto was Moises Abeyta, a 17-year-old Downey student who helped lead the student walkout last fall. Another was Michael Masuda, who is challenging Tom McClintock for CA’s fifth Congressional District. As in other No Kings protest, there were hundreds of signs, dozens of costumes and a strong police presence. The crowd skewed older than previous No Kings protests and smaller than the first, which had an estimated 2,500.

Merced Focus. Sights from Merced No Kings rally, March 28.
Synopsis: Protesters lined both sides of M Street near Courthouse Park as protesters took part in the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. Police reported no incidents, but a lot of honking horns.

Sacramento Bee. Thousands take ‘No Kings’ protests to Sacramento streets: ‘I hate feeling powerless.’
Synopsis: Protesters gathered at several locations around Sacramento to protest the Trump administration, with more than 1,000 on the Capitol grounds in the morning then another 1,000 either returning or showing up after lunch for a second protest. One of those was Tom Steyer. “We kicked out kings in 1776 for gosh sakes,” he said. “This is 250 years later. We don’t want kings.” Other protests with hundreds in each location took place in West Sacramento, Roseville, Elk Grove, Lincoln, Folsom, Galt, and at the Tower Bridge. Protesters included teachers, pastors, lawyers, students, musicians, and a retired Marine carrying this regimental flag.

Stocktonia. Hundreds participate in ‘No Kings’ demonstration in Stockton.
Synopsis: With passing motorists honking in support, hundreds of protesters gathered on the Delta College campus on Pacific Avenue in Stockton on Saturday. The number was “about the same” as previous protests, which reached around 1,200.

Threats surprise Valley cities

Modesto Focus. ‘Is the state going to sue us?’ Valley communities react to Newsom’s ire over housing. 
Synopsis: Several Valley cities and a couple of counties are scrambling to revise their state-mandated housing plans after Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would sue them over perceived deficiencies. Of the 15 entities receiving notice, 13 were in the San Joaquin Valley. Atwater, Corcoran, Escalon, Hanford, Merced County, Oakdale, Patterson and Turlock were given 30 days to get their “Housing Elements” approved by the state – a process that all have already started. The “elements” must include plans for meeting the housing needs of all income levels, including the unhoused. Turlock said it submitted its plan last year, and state officials had accepted the city’s latest plan. In Merced County, supervisor Scott Silveira said better communication might be needed with the state. All local officials said they learned of the governor’s threat via media reports.

Turlock Journal. Governor calls out Turlock on housing law issues. 
Synopsis: Gov. Gavin Newsom has the city of Turlock in his political crosshairs, issuing “final warnings” for not meeting the state’s housing dictums. Turlock is one of 15 entities that has not met the state’s requirement for having an approved “Housing Element” within its general plan. Mayor Amy Bublak said the state is aware of Turlock’s ongoing efforts to meet its standards. The mayor said she isn’t taking Newsom’s latest mention of Turlock personally. “I don’t know enough about the other cities to say what their issues are.”

State shows off 5-minute films

Modesto Bee. Cash given at Modesto film competition; see how you can watch some of the winners. 
Synopsis: The 48 Hour Film Competition handed out cash prizes for the best 5-minute films made around Modesto. Andew Wong of Re:Told Productions hosted the event, which drew 75 teams who turned in 67 films. The top 16, chosen by a panel of 8 judges, were screened at The State. The audience picked “One More Time” by team Dubai Chocolate Labubu for a $500 prize. Best performance went to Nicole Gutierrez, of “One More Time.” In other categories, MJC won for best college film, a team from Hart Ransom Charter School won best school film. “6PM Sharp” won the $800 “Best Film” prize for Logan and Sarah Miller – the second year they’ve won the top prize.

Epic fertilizer fears loom

Successful Farming. Fertilizer prices stay elevated as policy pressure builds for farmers. 
Synopsis: A month after Epic Fury began, the impacts are becoming more clear and more dire for farmers. Urea and nitrogen, essential for corn, have jumped dramatically in price. Urea products are up 38% and nitrogen up 15% from February, according to Farmdoc. Ag Sec Brooke Rollins said most farmers won’t notice because they had already purchased fertilizer. Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall told National Ag Day attendees “there’s a heavy cloud hanging over rural America. We’re in a generational storm that’s brewing, and it’s been brewing for a long time.” He noted farming input prices are much higher, but commodity prices paid to farmers are similar to those of 1975.

Madera’s new ‘sobering center’

Fox26. Madera County breaks ground on new crisis stabilization and sobering center.
Synopsis: A $27 million “crisis stabilization unit and sobering center” is under construction in Madera, offering a “foundation for hope, dignity and healing” to the community. The state is providing 90% of the funding for the center’s 26 beds, including 10 for those recovering from substance abuse. Construction is expected to be completed sometime next year.

Mount D open for drilling?

Mercury News. They want to open 700,000 acres to drilling – including land near Mount Diablo.
Synopsis: The Trump administration wants to open 20,000 undisturbed areas on the eastern slope of Mount Diablo to oil and gas drilling. It’s part of a plan by the Bureau of Land Management to sell oil-drilling permits on 700,000 acres across the west. The land just opened is adjacent to or surrounded by a state park.

Publicity stunt is working

Modesto Bee. Unhappy with CA’s election results? Call your local sheriff. 
Synopsis: Columnist Stephanie Finucane offers her take on Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco’s effort to steal the spotlight from the other gubernatorial candidates. Cashing in on Republican anger over having lost Prop 50, Bianco hooked up with a friendly judge and an election-denying fringe group to justify seizing 650,000 Riverside County ballots in an already settled and certified election. He also seized national attention. Two grand juries looked into the election and found no wrongdoing. Same with the Secretary of State. The county registrar installed cameras and glass windows so that anyone wanting to view vote counting could. But the election deniers want the sheriff to recount the ballots by hand. Bianco says a “special master” will oversee his recount but won’t identify the “special master” or say where and how the recounting will be done. The sheriff is currently second or third in the top-two primary race.

Stockton PD needs better training

Stocktonia. Review of Stockton PD officer-involved shooting criticizes training on aid, de-escalation.
Synopsis: The Attorney General’s office says Stockton police officers need better training on providing aid to the injured and in methods of de-escalating confrontations. In the same report, the AG’s office said criminal charges against officer Marcos Alonso were not appropriate. Alonso shot and killed Jory Jamarr Lester in 2023. Lester, 34, was holding a rifle-like toy when police responded to someone trying to kick in a motel-room door. After the shooting, police did not aid the victim.

Lamenting lost love, Fresno style

Fresno Bee. Men who share ex-girlfriend end up in road rage fight in Fresno.
Synopsis: Two men who have in common a former girlfriend encountered each other in a Fresno parking lot on Saturday evening. It got ugly fairly quickly. With onlookers taking video on their phones, one man grabbed a baseball bat and charged the other’s vehicle. The other ex refused to get out of his car but then aimed the car at the guy who had the bat. Police would not say who the men were or how badly anyone was hurt. But they did get involved.
MAD Take: What is it that Shakespeare said, better to have loved and lost these lovers than kept them around? Something like that.