Valley Solutions

CA farmers getting help

Turlock Journal. Gray applauds administration’s request for $10 billion in aid for specialty crop growers. 
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray praised the administration’s request for $10 billion in assistance to growers of specialty crops. The additional funding will help support farmers who raise nuts, fruits and vegetables. Gray has been pushing a proposal to help Valley farmers in the face of rising costs, trade instability and increased competition from other nations. “Over the past year, Central Valley growers have been hit hard by trade uncertainty, rising input costs, and a lack of fair competition in the marketplace,” said Gray. “This long-overdue investment will provide much-needed support” for farmers. The supplemental package is in addition to funding Gray secured in the House version of the Farm Bill, which passed in early June and now is waiting for reconciliation if the Senate also passes a bill.

Activist picked for Water Board

SF Gate. Former chief of Climate Fund named to water board.
Synopsis: Jared Blumenthal has a long resume in environmental work – head of the state’s EPA, federal EPA regional administrator, advisor to Gov. Newsom, director of the San Francisco Environment Dept, board seats on the Global Habitat Protection and the Natural Resources Defense Council, among others. Now he has been nominated for a more important title: Member of the State Water Board. If approved by the state Senate, Blumenthal will join chairman Joaquin Esquivel and vice chair Dorene D’Adamo and Sean Maguire on the board, filling a seat left vacant by clean-water advocate Laurel Firestone.

Insulting ‘other’ side won’t work

Turlock Journal. It’s time to take back the terms of the political dialogue. 
Synopsis: Columnist Mike Lynch asks if anyone in America is actually happy with the state of politics? He doesn’t think so. As we become identified with opposing camps, “the framing of the discussion begins and ends with insults, false narratives and finger-pointing.” So how do we get out of this destructive box? First, recognize that our differences pale in comparison to the problems we all face. Since all politics are local, in the words of Tip O’Neill, so are solutions. “It is important to take back the terms of political dialogue.”

McClatchy / USA Today. Turns out Democrats, Republicans agree on many things. 
Synopsis: The University of Marland asked self-identified Democrats and Republicans their opinions about solutions for 112 of the nation’s most difficult issues. What they found is “widespread common ground on scores of issues that are considered highly contentious.” Two-thirds of those questioned agreed on solutions for 88 of the 112 issues. For instance, 86% of all Americans want price controls for prescription drugs. On immigration, 86% of all Americans, including 82% of Democrats, want a robust E-Verify system that allows vetted workers to enter the country. On childcare, 89% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans want to see public aid to childcare for low- and middle-income families limiting costs to 7% of income; 76% of all voters want elected officials banned from trading stocks. “These are not obscure issues. They are among the most debated topics in American politics.” Only “politics” keeps our solutions from moving forward.
MAD Take: A few elected leaders have the guts to steer a middle course, taking heat from both right and left. For any solution to truly work, it must be acceptable to both sides. Apparently, most solutions are acceptable to both sides. As Mike Lynch often points out, those who tell us to hate the other side likely have another agenda.

Primary final results finally in

Merced Focus. Around 1,200 Merced County ballots were rejected during the June 2 primary election.
Synopsis: Merced Registrar of Voters Mel Levey officially certified election results from the June 2 primary on Friday. There were 46,791 votes cast, with 34.2% of 136,490 eligible voters taking part – a strong showing. “I think it goes to show that voters are pretty engaged,” he said. Another 1,200 people voted, but their ballots arrived too late to be counted. The votes arrived late, he said, because the US Postal Service consolidated distribution centers in Yolo County, and ballots were sent there before being postmarked. To make sure your vote is counted in the Nov. 3 election, Levey recommends getting your ballot hand-stamped if you drop it off at the post office at the last minute. Ballots for the Nov. 3 election will be mailed Oct. 5.

Fresno Bee. Final primary results for local Fresno-area races. Who’s in a runoff?
Synopsis: Final results are in for Fresno County’s June 2 primary. It was good news for a few candidates, who won such resounding victories that they will not have to do it again on Nov. 3. That includes Supervisor-elect Margaret Mims, who got 63% of the vote, and city councilmember Brandon Vang, who got 53%. In Madera County, supervisors David Rogers and Jordan Wamhoff both were able to avoid a runoff in November.

Adding a nurse to 9-1-1 line

Modesto Bee. How nurse triage line added to Stanislaus County 911 system will free up ambulances. 
Synopsis: American Medical Response has begun using a nurse navigation line intended for those who call 911 but have less-than-critical needs. The company is partnering with Stanislaus County EMS to monitor the program. Such action is necessary because access to healthcare has been reduced for many residents, meaning people no longer have a doctor to call for non-life-threatening issues. Instead of dispatching an ambulance, the nurse might send a less expensive Uber or Lyft for a trip to a clinic or ER. Callers can reject the recommendation and ask for an ambulance. The program will soon begin operation in Merced and San Joaquin counties. Supervisor Buck Condit, who worked in emergency response for 30 years, is concerned that some people will call the line for advice, tying up the 911 emergency number.
MAD Take: While adding a nurse to emergency calls sounds like a good idea, and could free up ambulances, it does nothing to resolve the underlying problem. Too many people in Stanislaus County lack care mainly because they can’t afford it or what was once a safety net has been shredded. It’s the same reason our ERs are slammed.

50% growth for Modesto?

Modesto Bee. Modesto EIR will study impacts of adding 104,000 residents to city in next 24 years. 
Synopsis: The city of Modesto is already planning for what it will look like in 2050. In a word: Bigger. The city currently has around 220,000 residents but could grow to 324,000 residents. That would mean adding 38,500 new homes and 57,300 new jobs. The state requires cities to plan to grow while taking into consideration aesthetics, air quality, species protection, energy, noise and public services. In Modesto, agriculture is thrown into the mix. There will be an online meeting open to the public on July 15 at 5:30 p.m. to hear comments on the Environment Impact Report.

Is Assemi’s firm broke?

Fresnoland. Granville Homes’ ex-CFO accuses Assemi of siphoning from the firm to buy back lost ranch.
Synopsis: Ryan Toncheff has filed a complaint in Fresno Superior Court saying builder Darius Assemi fired him as Chief Financial Officer of Granville Homes after he refused to certify financial statements he believed to be false. He warned Assemi that the heart of his family’s business was insolvent. Said his attorney: “They’re desperate.” The Assemi family defaulted on its $700 million farming operation in 2024, but insisted it was entirely separate from its home-building company, Granville Homes. Assemi calls Toncheff a disgruntled former employee with performance issues. Regardless, the Assemi’s farming operation has collapsed.

Fishers make water demand

Active NorCal. Salmon advocates warn of a new threat on the Sacramento River.
Synopsis: As the DWR and Bureau of Reclamation prepare for releases from Lake Shasta for farming, commercial salmon fishers are insisting that would result in catastrophic fish kills below the Shasta Dam. The reservoirs are virtually full for this time of year. But the Golden State Salmon Fisherman’s Assn said in a letter that release of any water will result in “another engineered die-off” and a “gut punch” for the fishing industry.
MAD Take: Hmmm. First, we should recall that this year was the greatest salmon migration of this century. Second, we should consider the lifecycle of salmon – three to five years in the ocean then returning to rivers to spawn. Third, we should note that those releases from Shasta continued for the past three years as the reservoir levels remained healthy, just as they are now. So, it sounds like the real reason for a revived salmon population has nothing to do with holding water behind the dam, but instead it has to do with banning professional salmon killers from their slaughter the past three years. The real “gut punch” isn’t what happens below the dam, but what happens in the gillnets off the coast.

6% of drivers unlicensed!

GV Wire. DUI checkpoint reveals many Fresno drivers aren’t licensed.
Synopsis: Bill McEwen reports on the DUI checkpoint that resulted in the arrest of 5 for drunken driving from late Saturday through early Sunday. The real story, though, was that police issued 18 citations for drivers who were not legally licensed. Doing the math, Bill writes that roughly 6% of all of those who passed through the pre-dawn checkpoint were unlicensed.

Sarge no longer AWOL

Fresno Bee. Fresno zoo animal who’d flown away is found – almost 20 miles away. 
Synopsis: Sarge went on quite an excursion, flying away from an outdoor bird show at Roeding Park last week and ending up in Sanger. A Military Macaw, Sarge is a large green parrot with a distinctive red marking on his head. When he lighted in a tree on a farm 20 miles south of Fresno, the folks living nearby noticed and called the zoo. Sarge was happy to see staff when they arrived on the farm. He flew to his caretaker and was soon returned home. “He looks great,” said a zoo spokesperson.

Best burger in Merced County?

Merced Sun-Star. Sun-Star readers say this small drive-in makes the best burger in Merced County.
Synopsis: Butch’s Drive-In in Dos Palos has been around since 1966. There’s a reason for that longevity, writes Jim Silva: They serve the best burger in Merced County. Butch’s beat out In-N-Out Burger in a poll of readers. Butch Anderson opened the eatery on Blossom Street in 1966. It’s still going, serving hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, banana splits and, of course, burgers from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day. “Good food every time,” said one reviewer. Butch’s joins Jantz Café (breakfast), Tony’s Tacos (burrito), Joystiq (happy hour), Rollen Donuts (doughnuts) and Hola Cafecito (coffee) on the Merced “best-of” list.