Valley Solutions

No selfies with the cougars

Turlock Journal. Mountain lions caught on home cameras in area early Sunday. 
Synopsis: Two mountain lions were captured on several home cameras in downtown Gustine. They were moving “with the unmistakable confidence of an apex predator” through the neighborhood. Police chief Ruben Chavez called them “green” sightings, meaning the animals did not display threatening behavior toward humans. Still, if you see the lions, “stay away and report it to the police department,” said Chavez. And for God’s sake, “don’t try and touch it and definitely don’t do anything to antagonize it. Don’t try to take a selfie with it.” Said one resident, “She’s a big one. Never expected to see a mountain lion in Gustine.” Jorge Rivera said his Rottweiler, who sleeps outside, didn’t notice the lions.

Ceres city manager bows out

Ceres Courier. Dunford resigning as city manager because of family medical emergency.
Synopsis: At Monday’s tumultuous Ceres City Council meeting, city manager Doug Dunford unexpectedly announced he is stepping down due to a medical emergency in his family. Dunford has been city manager since May 2023 when he replaced Alex Terrazas.

Not just a game in Ceres

Ceres Courier. Crowd protests city’s treatment of Ceres Youth Baseball. 
Synopsis: A “large and vocal crowd” of Ceres Youth Baseball officials, coaches, players and parents turned out for the Ceres City Council meeting Monday night. Many were sparked by a video on social media showing city recreation manager Joey Chavez confronting two CYB members. It nearly turned violent as angry words were exchanged. A CYB official told the council that Chavez had been sent to the field to “represent you two clowns,” referring to Mayor Javier Lopez and Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez. Planning Commissioner Gary M. Condit blasted the council for its handling of the issue, calling “the entire situation … embarrassing,” concluding, “I encourage the city to leave CYB alone.”

Modesto Bee. Ceres Youth Baseball dispute with city caught on video, fate of baseball club unclear. 
Synopsis: Reporter Maria Figueroa writes about the heated argument between city rec manager Joey Chavez and Ceres Youth Baseball officials Jorge Guerrero Jr. and Ismael Ontiveros Jr. over Smyrna Park’s baseball diamonds. According to CYB officials, Chavez insisted changes were going to be made to the contract that would elevate the cost. The league officials said they wanted to see that in writing and eventually accused Chavez of trying to chase out CYB so the fields could be used by a for-profit league from Modesto. Two months ago, the CYB complained about lighting at the park; the league called the city’s threats retaliation.

More water trickling in

GV Wire. Feds bump water allocation up modestly for West Fresno County; Westlands says not enough.
Synopsis: The Bureau of Reclamation bumped up its Central Valley Project water allocation for growers south of the Delta from 15% to 20% Tuesday. Allison Febbo, GM of Westlands Water District, said the government is ignoring its own experts and the conditions of its reservoirs – which are full based on seasonal figures. “This additional 5 percent is simply inadequate,” said Febbo. “Continued low allocations lead to increased groundwater pumping, a direct result of our broken water system that has suffered from decades of underinvestment and unreliable supplies.”

CA suffers from trade war

Western Farm Press. US-China trade conflict harming CA ag.
Synopsis: Ria DeBiase of the UC Giannini Foundation of Agriculture Economics writes about the decades spent nurturing overseas markets for California farm products – markets that were destroyed in a matter of weeks through the current trade war. Looking specifically at China, economists found that the top 13 CA ag commodities lost $1 billion in value in 2025 compared to 2024. That’s a 64% drop in a single year. Starting in 2001, China became a major market for almonds, pistachios, dairy and cotton. Trade increased every year until 2018-19 when the first US-China trade war began during the first Trump administration. With resumption of the trade war this year, the impacts became critical – especially for tree nuts. Pistachios exports fell $478 million and almonds $228 million. Said UC Davis Prof. Colin Carter, “Rebuilding lost trust and market share will take years, if not decades, and will likely require hundreds of millions of dollars in market development efforts.”
MAD Note: The full report is even more alarming. Charts show massive losses in markets for almonds, walnuts, cotton and dairy products. The study concludes: “Relationships with overseas buyers are built on reliability rather than confrontation. … Abandoning (smart trade policies), as 2025 has shown, comes at a high cost, not just to California agriculture but to the nation.”

Stanislaus shelter swamped

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County’s overcrowded animal shelter strains rescue network.
Synopsis: Some 50 dogs are in need of “immediate placement” as Stanislaus Animal Service Agency staffers scramble to test them for health and behavior and take photos. Volunteers say the shelter could do more to reduce the number of dogs being put down and have even developed their own Facebook page to spur adoptions. County CEO Jody Hayes says more support is needed based on the volume of animals the shelter is required to handle. The shelter has a live-release rate of around 80% but still puts down over 670 animals a year. Meanwhile, rural communities complain of stray dogs roaming the streets in packs and colonies of feral cats killing wildlife along waterways.

Calling out sexual predators

Sacramento Bee. A silver lining that’s getting lost in rush to cancel Cesar Chavez. 
Synopsis: Republican political consultant Mike Madrid writes that removing Cesar Chavez as a venerated figure in our history requires a painful acknowledgement that our hopes have been dashed. The silver lining? “This says something profound about the maturation of Latino voices in our society, some of whom drew inspiration from Chavez.” The reaction from Latino leaders “stands in sharp contrast to the broader American impulse that still struggles to look itself in the mirror. … Let us not forget that leaders in Washington, including President Donald Trump, have been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in a 2023 federal civil case. Meanwhile, allies of Trump have been accused of working to conceal evidence in the Epstein case.”

… And arresting the suspects

Modesto Bee. LA County sheriff’s deputy arrested in Stanislaus County minor-exploitation case.
Synopsis: Darin Van Arsdale of Lancaster has been taken into custody by Stanislaus deputies after being accused of three felony charges involving a child. He’s being held in lieu of $300K bail.

Merced Sun Star. Merced man sentenced for sexually abusing minors in Japan.
Synopsis: Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., 60, was sentenced to 15 years for sexually abusing two minors while working for the armed forces outside the U.S. Both were 11 years old. After serving his sentence, Santos will be required to pay restitution and register as a sex offender. The FBI and Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.

Fresno Bee. Fresno County school district employee arrested at work for lewd acts with a minor. 
Synopsis: Carlos Rivas, 49, was arrested at Raisin City Elementary school and charged with committing lewd acts with a child under 14. The school’s food services director was released on bail of $60,000. One parent told The Bee the school ignored parents’ complaints, and several parents signed a letter demanding better communications and transparency.

Cop who killed cleared to work

Modesto Focus. Fired Modesto cop who killed unarmed man is free to find another police job.
Synopsis: The CA Commission on Police Officer Standards has determined that Joseph Lamantia is a qualified police officer. Lamantia shot and killed an unarmed homeless man who had been sleeping in the bushes near a church in Modesto. Lamantia said he thought Trevor Seever’s cellphone was a gun. The city paid the family $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit. Chief Brandon Glllespie said decertification is an important tool for police departments.
MAD Note: Lamantia was involved in three fatal shootings as a Modesto officer and one non-fatal shooting. Most police officers complete their careers without ever firing their weapons in the field.

Feds put Fresno in deep hole

GV Wire. Medi-Cal cuts could stagger Fresno County budget; hiring freezes loom. 
Synopsis: After hearing about the impact of federal Medicaid cuts required by the Trump budget, Fresno County Supervisors are bracing for substantially increased healthcare costs. Estimates for additional costs range from $41 million to $241 million. Supervisors called even the lower figure “staggering.” It is estimated that up to 30,000 residents could lose their insurance and require “indigent care” at the county’s expense. In 2010, before passage of the Affordable Care Act, the county was paying for healthcare for 19,000 indigent people. The federal government is offering no assistance for jurisdictions facing new costs for indigent care. County staff also said another $5 million will be needed for mental health treatment to make up for Medicaid cuts.

Busy day on police beat

Modesto Bee. Woman, 80, dies from injuries in crash near Denair when 16-year-old runs stop sign.
Synopsis: A 16-year-old drove his pickup truck through a stop sign at Gratton and East Avenue around 5:30 pm, killing a passenger in a Honda in the intersection. The driver of the Honda was injured, but the passenger in the pickup was not injured.

Merced Sun Star. K-9’s nifty nose leads to large drug bust in Merced County, CHP says. 
Synopsis: Officer Shei sniffed out $3.5 million worth of narcotics – 61 pounds of cocaine and 5 pounds of fentanyl -- in Merced County on Monday. The CHP said Shei also alerted officers to the presence of a handgun. The driver was booked into the county jail and is likely still there.

Merced Sun-Star. Merced County property dispute turns into hate crime. 
Synopsis: An argument over a farming operation turned angry, then racial, then violent before Merced deputies were called. They ended up arresting John Jones, 45, and confiscating 28 weapons. Jones threatened to kill the man who owned the property and pointed a handgun at him before leaving.

Finished first, but didn’t win

Modesto Bee. There was some confusion at end of Modesto Marathon. 
Synopsis: A runner from LA was eventually disqualified when it was determined he turned back toward Modesto at the wrong point and did not finish the entire 26.2-mile route in Sunday’s Modesto Marathon. Benjamin Enowitz was following the lead cycle, but the rider turned at 13.0 miles instead of 13.1 miles. That meant Lupe Palalia was declared the winner after the race. It’s not the first time such a mistake has occurred. In 2022, CJ Anderson went an extra 400 meters after the lead motorcycle missed the turn-around. Anderson was disqualified but later reinstated because he didn’t shortcut the course. This year, Enowitz didn’t learn he had been disqualified until after returning home to Los Angeles. It was doubly disappointing, because he believed his finishing time of 2:20 had qualified him for the Boston Marathon. 

Recalling a homeless advocate

Valley Citizen. Remembering Richard Anderson 
Synopsis: Eric Caine eulogizes homeless advocate Richard Anderson who passed recently. Dealing with cancer even as he became involved, the former MJC professor “teetered, but he didn’t fall.” He was instrumental in developing a documentary detailing the plight of the homeless in Modesto. Caine called Anderson “a pathfinder, but not in the usual sense. Richard found paths for others. That was his great gift. He led us into the light he shone forward.”