Valley Solutions

U-Pick quiz for governor

Cal Matters. Voter Guide: Your new governor. 
Synopsis: Eleven questions will help you figure out whose politics and policies most closely align with your own.
MAD Take: Interesting and fun quiz but be prepared for a surprise or two. It tells me that there is one candidate with whom I share 5 policy positions and two with whom I share 4. Most surprising, shocking even, is that my answers aligned me with my favorite candidate, one I wrote off a month ago and … gasp! … a Republican. Fun way to spend 5 minutes.

Porter is the pundits’ choice

LA Times. CA isn’t so cutting-edge when it comes to electing governors. 
Synopsis: Renowned columnist George Skelton notes that 53 women have been elected governors in the United States. In fact, 14 states currently have female governors – red, blue, purple. But not one of those women have been elected in California. “What gives?” He says Katie Porter’s candidacy offers CA voters an “opportunity to elect a perfectly qualified woman. If a male opponent is considered better suited for the job, fine. But first, let’s give her a good hard look and listen to her ideas.” It should be noted that women are no more likely to support Porter than men. If you want someone who will shake up Sacramento, writes Skelton, Porter might be your best choice.

McClatchy Editorial Board. We’re endorsing an underdog for CA governor; why she should get your vote. 
Synopsis: The headline tips off the Bee’s choice for governor, since only one woman remains in the race – Katie Porter. Having said that, the columnists, editorial writers and editors of McClatchy’s five daily news outlets figure after 180 years it’s about time we elect a woman. “We found Porter at her most compelling when she clearly identified and prioritized the loathsome income inequality that is rotting away at our economy – and indeed, at our nation’s democracy.” She would eliminate state income tax on anything under $100K. Smart, driven and willing to take on Donald Trump. The editors and columnists “unanimously agree on one thing: The next governor of California must be a Democrat.” Since Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton refused to meet with McClatchy, they were “disqualified” from being chosen.

Recommendations for Congress

McClatchy Editorial Board. We endorse an underdog for CA’s 22^nd Congressional District.
Synopsis: The Sacramento-based editorial board includes the editors of the of the Fresno and Modesto Bees but is dominated by five Sacramento staffers. No one from Visalia or Delano or Hanford. Those Sacramento editors prefer Randy Villegas. They say they had no other choice because their endorsement rules require candidates submit to interviews or debates; with both David Valadao and Dr. Jasmeet Bains declining their invitation, that left only Villegas. He teaches poli-sci at College of Sequoias and is endorsed by Bernie Sanders, David Hogg, AOC, et al. The editorial board says he has more in common with voters than Dr. Bains and incumbent David Valadao.
MAD Take: Hmm. A college teacher has more in common with voters than a doctor who has been treating the district’s children for the past 20 years? Or, for that matter, a farmer whose family has been milking cows since 1973?

Fresno Bee. Your guide to CA’s 21^st Congressional District race.
Synopsis: Reporter Melissa Montalvo introduces readers to the five candidates running to represent Fresno and towns south of the city in Congress. First up is Jim Costa, who has served the area for 22 years and was re-elected in 2024 with roughly 53% of the vote. He’s facing two Democrats, two Republicans and one guy who has no party. They include a therapist, a casino owner, a union rep and a former college professor.

Bublak wants a third term

Turlock Journal. Bublak announces bid for third term as Turlock mayor. 
Synopsis: Mayor Amy Bublak said she will seek a third term, continuing her focus on fiscal discipline, public safety and community investment. The former police officer was first elected in 2018, unseating incumbent Gary Soiseth. In 2022, she defeated councilmember Gil Esquer with 53% of the vote. Jim Reape has announced he will run against her, along with private investigator Kelley Coelho. “I’m not done,” said Bublak. “I’m running to make sure we protect what we’ve built and keep Turlock moving forward.”

A plan to cut electricity rates

Cal Matters. Californians’ electric bills would be much lower without state program fees. 
Synopsis: Ahmad Holmes of the CA African-American Chamber and Pat Fong Kushida of the CalAsian Chamber say affordable and reliable electricity is essential to modern life. Unfortunately, politicians keep doing things to make it less so. They point to fees that add nearly 37% to the average bill. If you get your power from PG&E or Con Ed you pay about $820 a year in fees not related to power. One fee contributes to lower the bills for low-income customers, one incentivizes rooftop solar, one upgrades AC in schools, one cuts down dead trees. Noble goals, but what have they got to do with my electricity? Mainly, they’re angry about rooftop solar subsidies. They want fees on solar users increased to help pay for the grid.

A hundred billion, give or take

Merced Sun Star. Will CA high-speed rail cost $126B or $231B? How two estimates can be so far apart.
Synopsis: The CA High-Speed Rail Authority has released two cost estimates, and they’re pretty far apart. Here’s the difference: The lower estimate ($126 billion) is for the segment from Wasco to Merced. The higher estimate ($231 billion) is for the entire 500-mile system. Even that will change, said the authority, because it is based on the original goals – not current realities.
MAD Take: Has anyone done the math? If the system gets 1,000,000 riders a year with each paying $100 a ticket, it will take 2,310 years to break even. That doesn’t mean high-speed rail is a bad idea, just that this plan doesn’t work.

Hundreds march in Fresno

Fresnoland. Hundreds march in downtown Fresno in commemoration of May Day. 
Synopsis: May Day, which celebrates workers’ rights, drew several hundred people to downtown Fresno. They marched, carried signs and heard speakers, including Ana Padilla of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. “We’re experiencing the greatest inequality since the Great Depression. Authoritarianism is on the rise here and all around the world for the first time in a century,” she said. Martha Ocegueda of Madera, Paul Gilmore of the State Center Community College, local pastor Mike McKeever and student leader Viridiana Juarez all spoke.

Canal canopies are cool

Turlock Journal. State, local leaders laud benefits of canal solar panel project. 
Synopsis: Last Wednesday, state leaders gathered near Hickman to celebrate the pilot project that proves covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals with solar panels can generate power, save water and doesn’t need to ruin farmland. TID Director Micheal Frantz recalled TID’s first engineer, Roy Meikle, who “exhibited courage” in building out the system that now provides power and water for 150,000 acres and 240,000 residents. “Here we are in Hickman, his birthplace, where he lived and died; I think he’d be so proud today to see each of us here.” Dr. Roger Bales of UC Merced said the canopy creates a “triple win for California – water, energy and land.”

Mostly praise for Farm Bill

Turlock Journal. Turlock representatives support Farm Bill. 
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes about the passage of the 2026 Farm Bill in the House, a bill considered three years overdue because Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree. As part of the House Ag Committee, Adam Gray was instrumental in getting the bill across the finish line, drawing praise from farm groups across the nation. But Tom McClintock, who is not on the Ag Committee, was critical of both Republicans and Democrats.
MAD Take: McClintock was especially critical of the nutritional assistance for poor families that is included in the Farm Bill. But food assistance has been part of the Farm Bill since the first version was passed in 1933. Criticizing the bill on that basis is, well, ridiculous.

Do we need grizzlies, too?

Sacramento Bee. Should the grizzly return to CA? New legislation aims to find out.
Synopsis: Tejon chair Octavio Espinoza and Yurok administrator Tiana Williams-Claussen write that returning the grizzly bear to its range in CA is not about the past but about contemplating the future. The legislation being carried by Sen. Laura Richardson of Inglewood would develop a plan for reintroducing the nation’s largest predators back into the Sierra, then judging their impacts on the ecosystem. They call grizzlies a “keystone species,” capable of reshaping the landscape it inhabits. They want a “path to bring our relative, the grizzly, home.”

Killing the buzz

Modesto Bee. Modesto police arrest 8 in operation targeting adults who buy alcohol for minors.
Synopsis: Eight people were arrested in the classic “shoulder-tap” sting in which adults were asked to buy alcohol for an underage minor. If they did, out came the cuffs. Arrest results in a minimum fine of $1,000 and 24 hours of community service. Why? Because those under 21 who drink are more likely to kill themselves in car crashes.

Westside Connect. Gustine city council approves ban on sale of nitrous oxide canisters.
Synopsis: The city has banned the sale of nitrous oxide cannister, or whippits, that some people use for cake decoration and others for a momentary high. Chief Ruben Chavez noted that sales for use as an inhalant or to minors are already prohibited, but some folks ignore the rules. The ban begins next month.

Modesto Bee. Central Valley brothers-in-law indicted in federal court for selling meth.
Synopsis: Ruben Garcia, 49, and Heriberto Ayala, 48, are accused of selling a lot of meth this year in the Turlock and Delhi areas. Modesto PD, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Stockton drug-trafficking task force all assisted in their arrest. They face 10 years and $10 million in fines.

The passing of public servants

Ceres Courier. Cancer claims former city leader Laurie Smith.
Synopsis: Former planning commission chair and Modesto City Parks Director Laurie Smith has died, losing her fight to cancer. She had not shared her diagnosis beyond family, believing she would beat it. “We are devastated by her loss,” wrote her sister. Chris Hoem called Smith a “beacon of professionalism, wisdom and just good decorum.”

ABC30. Former Madera Mayor Santos Garcia passes away at 69.
Synopsis: Former Mayor Santos Garcia died Saturday from natural causes. The retired letter carrier served as mayor from 2020-24.