Valley Solutions

Why pay for growers’ mistakes?

Modesto Focus. Modesto ID official questions city subsidy for ag mistakes, agency approves plan anyway. 
Synopsis: Garth Stapley looks at all the groundwater pumped from beneath Stanislaus County to grow almonds on land that gets no water from irrigation districts. Since 2014, the state has been slowly implementing a law that requires all pumping of groundwater become sustainable – meaning no more can be pumped than is replenished over the course of a normal year. Now, depletion of aquifers in eastern Stanislaus County is considered an environmental crisis. The county faces fines and pumping restrictions from the state if it is not remedied. Only one portion of the county has a problem – the east side, where MID director Larry Byrd and his partners have demanded access to cheap surface water in lieu of pumping some 90,000-acre feet a year. MID board president Robert Frobose wondered why urban residents and those in areas not guilty of over-pumping should be on the hook for problems created by farmers who clearly should have known better. “It makes me mad because innocent people are getting stuck with a bill they should not be,” said Frobose, who added that growers who live outside any irrigation district are reaping “private profits” from a public resource – groundwater.
MAD Note: This issue – the lack of transparency and guidance at MID -- is finally getting the attention it deserves. There’s still more to this issue – the value of land without water, who profits, which prominent Stanislaus residents are backing speculative investments, violence connected to this issue and more.

Hope Works in Modesto

CBS13. Modesto launches Hope Works to pay people experiencing homelessness to clean streets. 
Synopsis: The city of Modesto launched Hope Works on Monday through a partnership with the Modesto Gospel Mission and United Way. It will replace the Downtown Street Teams program that operated for five years. The program was considered a huge success in helping people move from homelessness to being housed. Senior community developer Megan Clifford said Hope Works will differ in that it is structured to help people transition to employment, not volunteer work. “The goal is to give people real work experience while they continue working with case managers toward permanent employment and housing.”

Remembering King’s legacy

Merced Focus. Legacy of Rv. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. draws hundreds in Merced for 29^th march.
Synopsis: Hundreds of Merced residents gathered downtown for a short march from the Amtrak station to Merced Theater in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Accompanied by school bands, many local organizations wore matching outfits and held banners as they marched, giving it a celebratory feel despite thick fog.

Stocktonia. Religious, city leaders celebrate MLK Jr. at Stockton service. 
Synopsis: The Rev. Claybon Lea Jr. urged people to honor the “true teachings” of Dr. King, who demanded equality, fought injustice and lived with mercy. He urged listeners to look beyond the “I Have A Dream” speech, read the Letter from the Birmingham Jail and embrace a man who did more than just dream. Lea pointed to the shooting in Minneapolis, environmental degradation, the loss of voting rights and worsening poverty as crises that need our attention. Mayor Christina Fugazi asked the audience to heed Lea’s words and “make that commitment” to mercy, justice and walking humbly.

GV Wire. ‘We’re one today’: Fresno marks MLK Jr. Day with festive downtown march.
Synopsis: Hundreds gathered in downtown Fresno to mark the 42^nd MLK Jr. March. They walked from St. John’s Cathedral to Veterans Memorial Auditorium, pausing at city hall. Pastor DJ Criner said this year’s march had special significance in light of the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Newsom: Trump a T-Rex

Fox26. Newsom’s fiery words ignite global debate: Stop being complicit, have a backbone. 
Synopsis: Gov. Gavin Newsom, attending the World Economic Forum at Davos, lashed out at Donald Trump but also European leaders intent on placating him. “It’s time to get serious and stop being complicit,” Newsom said. “It’s time to stand tall and firm – have a backbone.” He called Trump a T-Rex. “You mate with him or he devours you. One or the other.” Among those speaking out were Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, Belgium’s Bart de Wever, the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron – all of whom were critical of Trump’s tariffs and policies.

Kerman mayor dislikes ICE

GV Wire. Kerman mayor objects to ICE language in law enforcement proclamation.
Synopsis: Kerman mayor Maria Pacheco took issue with proclamation language that honored law enforcement because it included immigration officers. Jan. 9 was Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. “I’ve been very clear where I stand,” said Pacheco. She insisted the official version of the proclamation be revised before she would sign it, removing mention of ICE agents. City manager John Jansons said he was responsible for including the language, having cut-and-pasted a suggested proclamation.

Worries over rural med funding

Successful Farming. South Dakota lawmakers worry about feasibility, sustainability of rural health plan.
Synopsis: South Dakota is due to collect $189.5 million from the Rural Health Transformation Program which is meant to make up for Medicaid funding for rural hospitals killed by the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill. But restrictions on how the money can be spent limits its use. South Dakota plans to offer doctors and nurses sign-on bonuses to move from other states to SoDak, but that might not be allowed. State officials said they had been shortchanged in their allocation compared to neighboring states.
MAD Note: South Dakota’s allocation works out to about $200 for each of South Dakota’s 925,000 residents. California is scheduled to receive $233,639,308 – or about $6 per person. Even if you only count those living in the Central Valley as “rural,” it works out to only $58 per person.

Cutting flows at Oroville

Fox40. Lake Oroville reduces outflow by 40%, officials say.
Synopsis: The state’s second-largest water storage facility has reduced outflows by 40% as of Monday. It is releasing 3,000 cubic feet per second into the Feather River, down from 5,100 cfs. Dry conditions in the watershed convinced state officials to reduce outflows.

ABC30. Action News goes to top of Pine Flat Dam with fed officials to discuss water policy. 
Synopsis: The head of the Army Corps of Engineers visited Pine Flat Lake on Monday. Adam Telle was joined by Vince Fong and said he wants to raise the spillway 12 feet, improving storage capacity. Asked about Trump’s decision last year to release 7,000-acre feet of water from Lake Kaweah onto fallowed cropland in the western part of the county, Telle said his agency would provide a lot more help to the Valley – including making decisions ahead of time about how “every drop of water” will be released.

SnowBrains. Colorado is on track for its worst snowpack on record.
Synopsis: There is very little snow in the Rocky Mountains this year. Records going back to 1987 shows only 20% coverage of peaks compared to “normal.” What little snow is on the ground is higher in the mountains due to warmer air and soil. Nevada and Utah are considering cloud seeding to increase snowfall.

Importance of ag in CA

Morning Ag Clips. CA budget underscores ag’s role in wildfire, water solutions – but gaps remain. 
Synopsis: CA Farm Bureau president Shannon Douglass explains that ag has been an integral part CA’s economy and environment for a long time but has never gotten the credit it deserves. Farmers invest in water efficiency, storage and recharge; they pay for fire mitigation and recovery; they are at the forefront of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That commitment won’t end. While it’s nice to see an emphasis on water storage and flood protection, investments in infrastructure are not enough. Projects must be paired with regulatory efficiency so that stored water can be delivered to those who use it to grow food.
MAD Take: Everything Shannon Douglass said is true. She just didn’t say enough. Farmers in California – just like business operators in other sectors – need regulatory relief. Why does the state require $1,600 to monitor and regulate every acre of farmland in California when the same reviews in other states cost only $300 or $400? Why do we need three layers of pesticide monitoring – point of sale, point of application, residual impacts? Why does the state assume the worst about farmers when the vast majority follow the rules? Why not fine bad actors and leave the rest alone? Just asking for a friend.

Ag Net West. Damian Mason says CA ag is outnumbered, out-regulated and still unmatched.
Synopsis: Interviewer Nick Papagni talked to Indiana farmer Damian Mason, who says CA farmers are outnumbered politically and appear to be both ignored and punished via over-regulation. Even so, the state is simply incredible for the amount of food it produces. “You have something God-given that other places can’t replicate,” he said of CA’s climate. Policies that don’t nurture that advantage are reckless and wrong.

Signing up to kill databases

CBS13. CA sees 150,000+ sign ups for new data-broker deletion request tool.
Synopsis: In the first two weeks after its soft rollout, more than 155,000 Californians have requested to be deleted from databases sold by brokers to online companies. “Your data should belong to you, and DROP will make that happen in one simple step,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. It is a free service. Starting Aug. 1, data brokers have 90 days to remove names and contact data from databases.

Police report: 2 dead in Merced

KSEE 24 / CBSD47. 2 killed in Merced shooting, police say.
Synopsis: Two people were killed in the area of 13^th and G streets outside the behavioral health and recovery services center at around 8 pm Monday. No other details have been released.

KCRA3. 3 San Joaquin County deputies injured after 2 patrol vehicles crash.
Synopsis: Two patrol vehicles were chasing ATV and dirt-bike riders who were racing on levees near Gillis Road east of Hwy 99 on Monday when they crashed into each other. Two deputies were taken to the hospital for evaluation. The riders did not stop and were not caught, but the CHP is now involved.

What to do with ‘Tom Cat’

KSEE24 / CBS47. Visalia nonprofit will ‘neuter your ex’ for Valentine’s Day.
Synopsis: The Visalia Feral Cat Coalition will honor Valentine’s Day by offering a little sweet revenge. For a $30 donation, the nonprofit will name a cat in “honor” of whomever you like then “fix” the cat before releasing it back into the wild. Then they’ll post a photo of the cat on social media. An email to the organization, and $30 is all it takes.