Valley Solutions

Modesto shelter loses funding

Modesto Focus. Modesto’s largest homeless shelter facing crippling financial crisis; could close. 
Synopsis: Reporter Garth Stapley writes that half the downtown shelter operated by the Salvation Army is in danger of closing. The 182-bed shelter is funded, in large part, by grants under the state’s Access Center Emergency Shelter (ACES) program which are ending. ACES has sheltered some 2,762 people in its 5-year history, also providing healthcare referrals and mental health services. The county is loath to allow the shelter to close, but options are limited. Supervisor Terry Withrow vowed, “We’re going to figure this out and find a way to keep this going.” It is the second local program aimed at homeless individuals to suffer reductions. The Downtown Street Teams, operating in 16 cities statewide including Modesto, is going out of business at the end of October. “I really don’t blame the state,” said Withrow, adding: “There’s always hope.” In Turlock, the We Care shelter remained open only after the city and Stanislaus Community Foundation stepped in with funding earlier this year.

Turlock city lawyer resigns

Turlock Journal. Turlock city attorney resigns, to return to private practice. 
Synopsis: George Petrulakis has ended his 4-year tenure as Turlock city attorney. The well-known Modesto land-use lawyer said he made a commitment to Mayor Amy Bublak to “stabilize the city attorney’s office,” and that work is now finished. He assured the citizens of Turlock that they “have a terrific mayor and a terrific council.”

Centre Plaza winding down

Modesto Bee. Modesto Centre Plaza not booking past 2025.
Synopsis: With the city council considering its demolition to make way for a soccer stadium, the Centre Plaza convention center is not taking any bookings beyond December. In 2023-24, the site had 193 events, including 23 put on by the city and 135 through Centre Plaza management. But since the pandemic, the average has been about 120 annually with revenues of about $950,000.

Plans for the old courthouse

Modesto Bee. Modesto shares initial courthouse reuse details: Housing, pavilion and more.
Synopsis: The city unveiled a tentative plan last Wednesday. The drawings show up to 5 stories of housing atop ground-floor businesses including a market, all fronted by a park. About 60 people attended the workshop, including former councilmember Brad Hawn -- an engineer. He said there is a vast open space that could accommodate 50 taco trucks one day and a huge wedding or concerts the next. Many said the city’s plan was similar to the Ferry Building on the San Francisco waterfront or the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. The plans are tentative until the city finds a developer to embrace the vision.

Showing grace in face of insult

Modesto Bee. Patterson planning commissioner’s derogatory comment picked up on hot mic.
Synopsis: The city of Patterson has “sincerely” apologized for comments made by planning commissioner Eric Bendix during Thursday’s commission meeting. As Marco Ahumada prepared to speak via Zoom, Bendix can be heard saying, “Marco is a pain in the ass.” Ahumada heard it and responded, “I hope I’m not that much of a pain.” Mayor Mike Clauzel and city manager Fernando Ulloa contacted Ahumada to apologize, posting the apology on the city website. The incident was brought to the media’s attention by Keystone Corp., which is hoping to build 719 homes on Baldwin Ranch north of town. The city has so far rejected the plan over water concerns. But Ahumada wasn’t speaking about the new homes, but in favor of a plan to build a new medical campus. “The comment was unfortunate but I’m not asking for anybody to be kicked off the commission or any action to be taken,” said Ahumada.

Madera ER welcomes a baby

Fresno Bee. Madera hospital delivers first baby since closure, despite no maternity ward.
Synopsis: Haven Bautista Cervantes arrived in the ER at Madera Community Hospital when doctors determined there wasn’t enough time to get mom Rebeca to a maternity ward in Fresno. With his wife in labor, Javier had pulled off the highway and drove to the nearest hospital he could find. It was either that or try to deliver the baby himself. It was the first birth at the hospital since 2022, when the hospital closed its maternity ward. In 2023, the hospital closed due to bankruptcy. It reopened its ER three months ago but has no plans for a maternity ward.

Help for more home buyers

LA Times. Where’s the housing help for the middle class?
Synopsis: Columnist George Skelton says Gov. Gavin Newsom and Dems are “chipping away” at regulatory obstacles that obstruct housing construction, but the pace of building remains sorely behind demand. Unfortunately, writes Skelton, new houses are still too expensive for most Californians to afford. Former state senator Bob Hertzberg says the state has abandoned the middle class, who “just can’t save up enough for a down payment.” In July, the median price for home statewide was $884,050, which means a typical buyer needs $176,810 for a down payment. “Not many young couples – or middle-aged either – have that much spare money,” writes Skelton. Hertzberg wants to see subsidized second mortgages just to help people get the down payments.
MAD Take: What would really help middle-class buyers? Lower prices. And we’re seeing them. While neither Skelton nor Hertzberg mention it, year-to-year prices are significantly down in CA. Zillow says the median price in CA is $751,617 as of Aug. 31, down around 1.7% from last year and far below the state’s July figure. Part of it is due to buyers sitting on the sidelines waiting for interest rates to fall.

How many homes do we need?

Cal Matters. Why figuring out how many homes CA needs is more art than science. 
Synopsis: Ben Christopher looks into the state’s long-held belief (or assumption) that we have a “housing shortage” in California. When you try to pin down how many houses we need and where we need them, there is absolutely no consensus. The Legislative Analyst said we were 2.7 million units short in 2015; consultant McKinsey said it was 3.5M in 2016; the CA Housing Partnership said we were 1.4M short in 2023. This year, Moody’s reports our “shortage” is around 56,000 units. And there are plenty of other numbers in the middle. Trying to figure out how many homes we need is “an exercise fraught with messy data, guestimation and an inconvenient need for judgment calls.” Is the problem that there aren’t enough buildings, or that it costs too much to buy one? Is the issue affordability or availability? If this is so difficult to figure out, why does the state compel local jurisdictions to promise to build more houses?

Coach puts up $1M for NILs

Fresno Bee. Fresno State coach, family give $1M to support basketball: ‘I hate losing.’
Synopsis: Vance Wallberg has donated $1 million to Valley Co-Op, the Fresno State fundraising initiative aimed at keeping athletes on campus. “I hate losing,” said the former NBA assistant coach. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from making direct donations to NIL programs that pay players. But several coaches across the nation have gotten around that rule by donating to third-party organizations that, in turn, pay players. The Bulldogs need help. They were 6-25 last year and two players have been banned from ever playing in the NCAA again after admitting to betting on their own games. As Walberg tried to assemble a new roster, he lost several players to schools with larger NIL budgets. He says athletes “shop” offers from school to school. Now he’s concentrating on recruiting foreign players.

The risk of ‘ready, fire, aim’

Maven’s Notebook. Risk-taking is key to saving CA’s freshwater species: Talking to lawyer Harder.
Synopsis: Jennifer Harder, one of the activists who authored the 12-point plan to save native species by tearing up California water-rights law so vastly more water can be devoted to environmental uses, does a Q&A with Robin Meadows. A teacher at UOP’s McGeorge School of Law, Harder says a much more pro-active and “nimble” approach to water policy is required. In her capacity with the PPIC, she is pushing for the state to “be able to act on incomplete data.” She fears “information paralysis” more than she fears making a bad decision. To facilitate faster action, her group wants CA water-rights law restructured.
MAD Take: “Risk-taking”? “Act on incomplete data”? Sounds like “ready, fire, aim” – a great strategy for a circular firing squad. Two examples of mistakes made due to inadequate information: 1) A decade ago, the state decided to release 35 TAF to spur steelhead migration on the Stanislaus River. During two huge releases, zero fish migrated. Between those two water releases, it rained, and dozens of fish migrated. Why? Because runoff from rain created turbidity in the river. That turbid water – not flows – is what the fish needed. 2) In 2012, a credible study showed higher flows “probably” were needed to “push” salmon juveniles down our rivers and through the Delta. In 2014, the same scientists using better tagging telemetry realized higher flows “pushed” salmon into the mouths of waiting striped bass. Survivability was greater with moderate flows, giving salmon more room and time maneuver – results environmental organizations refused to accept. Ready, fire, aim.

Ladies lead the way

Merced County Times. Women entrepreneurs stand out at Merced Farmers Market. 
Synopsis: Four women are among those showcasing their efforts at the Saturday farmers markets in Merced. Tammy King owns Gertie’s Sourdough, and if you want any of her breads, you have to arrive early. Shania Wols, who began gardening as a hobby during COVID, started bringing flowers to the market – a business that has now blossomed into decorating weddings and events. Yosemite Institute-grad Lauren Gilkin has been bringing her Raw Roots vegetables – grown on 4 acres in Mariposa -- to the market for a decade. Danielle Serrano is the true farmer in the group, living on the farm started by her grandfather in Le Grand. Her mom was selling produce at the market 25 years ago. A family tradition.