Valley Solutions

Who really pays for AI?

Cal Matters. Who pays for AI’s power? CA watchdog group urges new data center rules. 
Synopsis: If you’re worried that data centers will inflate your electricity bill, you’re not alone or wrong. The Little Hoover Commission released a study this week urging new rules that will put the cost of providing power to data centers on those who run them – not consumers. The Commission’s timing is good, since the legislature is considering such rules. Sort of. The discussions appear stalled after lobbyists from the tech industry got involved. PG&E said recently that it anticipates 10 gigawatts of demand from data centers by 2030 – or about 4x what Diablo Canyon generates. It’s not just the generation; the Commission also recommends that the centers be required to pay for grid-capacity upgrades. Mark Toney of TURN and Assemblymember Cottie Petrie Norris agree, saying centers must “pay their fair share.”
MAD Take: We need to be certain that ALL of the costs associated with ramping up power production are considered. To power these data centers, massive solar arrays are being built all along the Westside of the Valley covering thousands of acres and 100% of the power they generate will flow west. Once installed, those solar farms require very few workers. It means the people who once tended those now-covered acres will be out of work. No work, no purchases, no taxes, no jobs.

Eenie, meenie … too many

SF Chronicle. It’s official: 8 Democrats will appear on the ballot for CA governor. 
Synopsis: In the top-two primary for governor, the 60% of Californians who normally vote for Democrats will have 8 candidates to choose from – and to split their votes between. That bodes well for the two Republicans on the ballot, who will be splitting the remaining 40% of the vote. Eric Swalwell, Betty Yee, Katie Porter, Tonys Thurmond and Villaraigosa, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra all remain on the ballot. Even if one or more suspends their campaigns before the June primary, they will likely siphon away votes from the others.

Westside farmer sounds alarm

Ag Net West. Cannon Michael warns West Side farmers face major challenges with 15% allocation. 
Synopsis: Interviewer Nick Papagni talks to the owner of Bowles Farming, Cannon Michael. One of the most innovative farming operations in the world, Bowles covers 11,000 acres growing vegetables, cotton, nuts and herbs. Michael also helps manage hundreds of acres of wetlands along the Pacific Flyway. He calls the 15% irrigation allocation from the Bureau of Reclamation “extremely disappointing,” saying it will require difficult decisions from growers. 

Why did river go dry in 2022?

Maven. Conservation groups, tribes request release of overdue state report on 2022 Merced River.
Synopsis: In a joint press release, Friends of the River, American Rivers, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation and Big Sandy Rancheria demanded that the State Water Board immediately release its analysis of why the lower Merced River dried up along a four-mile stretch during the 2022 drought. Keiko Mertz, of Friends of the River, said: “A major California river ran completely dry for months. The public deserves to know exactly what happened.”
MAD Note: Exactly? Well, 2022 was the third consecutive year of drought in California, including the driest January-March period in over 100 years of record-keeping. The entire state was designated to be in moderate to exceptional drought as more than 1,200 wells went dry and districts throughout the state imposed draconian water restrictions. A reservoir that supplies water for two cities in Marin County went bone-dry. In 2022 alone, the ag sector lost $1.2 billion in direct costs, killing an estimated 19,420 farming and processing jobs. Water levels at Lake Shasta and Oroville were so low that the dams could no longer generate power because water couldn’t reach the intakes. Again, 2022 was the third year of drought, following the driest year on record, 2021. But if there are other reasons, sure, let’s hear them.

Sierra Club has its own math

Sierra Club. The water we don’t need: Why SFPUC’s inflated projections threaten the Tuolumne. 
Synopsis: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, one of three major stakeholders in the Tuolumne River system, has released its required use-projections through 2050. The Sierra Club says the projections are based on drought years and grossly overstates the need – depriving the environment of much needed water. The SFPUC projects use of 222 million gallons a day for San Francisco and its 23 client cities. The Sierra Club says that’s all wrong, that the city et al can get by on 147 mgd.
MAD Note: The Tuolumne River is shared by Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts and the SFPUC. Environmental flows on the river are set under a Voluntary Agreement between the districts and the state. In wet years, that can be up to 815,000-acre feet; in dry years as little as 300,000-acre feet. Under this agreement, salmon numbers are improving. This year, more than 1,500 salmon spawned on the Tuolumne – roughly 5x the number that spawned on the river 20 years ago.

Faster Amazon delivery

Modesto Bee. Amazon center will open in Modesto to provide same-day deliveries. 
Synopsis: A big warehouse – or, if you prefer, logistics center or fulfillment center -- has opened at Tully and Kiernan. Amazon says the facility will allow same-day delivery of many products across the region. The 316,800 square foot building was built for a different company, which backed out as the building was being completed. But Amazon stepped in and took it over. Now, the owner of the property – Lititzky Property Co. of the Bay Area – has applied to build two additional buildings. The company would not say how many, or few, employees work in the warehouse.  

Making the grade in public safety

Merced Sun-Star. Merced County public safety programs earn national recognition.
Synopsis: Programs preparing students for work in law enforcement and emergency response at El Capitan and Buhach Colony high schools in Merced County have been certified for their “Excellence” by the Law & Public Safety Education Network. They join 18 other programs across the state in receiving the recognition. Between the high schools, training in everything from dispatch to investigation is being offered.

More uproar over human compost

GV Wire. San Joaquin River Trust suspends use of composted humans on ranch. 
Synopsis: The SJ River Parkway & Conservation Trust says it will discontinue using human-based compost on its Sumner Peck Ranch. The compost had been gifted, along with a specialized tractor, by Earth Funeral, a Washington-based company. The Trust made the decision after threats by Supervisor Garry Bredefeld to find a way to prohibit the use of human remains in compost put on public property. Supervisor Nathan Magsig said he wants to ban its use even on private property. The Chukchansi Tribe, who has a casino nearby, is also condemning the practice. Interestingly, the practice has already been authorized under AB 351, which passed in 2022. Its regulations will take effect in 2027.

Details on Arambula’s divorce

GV Wire. Assemblymember Arambula spent months in alcohol rehab: Divorce documents. 
Synopsis: David Taub digs into the divorce documents of Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who apparently completed a month of rehab on Feb. 6. His wife Elizabeth cites irreconcilable differences in filing for a divorce. She is asking for $27,000 a month in spousal and child support. In the papers, she said Arambula is addicted to whiskey, weed and electronic gaming. They have been married since 2011 and have three children. Arambula, a doctor, told Taub his rehab was an approved medical leave and that he remained “fully engaged in work” during the month. Being termed out of the Assembly, Arambula is running for Fresno City Council.

Law & Order in the Valley

Modesto Bee. Riverbank explosion leads to investigation, arrest by environmental task force. 
Synopsis: A chemical explosion a year ago at the Advanced Material Manufacturing plant in the old ammo factory was the result of illegal storage, transportation and disposal of several barrels of powdered aluminum and magnesium, say investigators. Those materials are highly flammable. After the fire ignited, firefighters doused it with water which created even more flammable hydrogen gas further fueling the fire. Two workers were injured. The timing of the fire was interesting; the DA’s office had just created its Environmental Crimes Task Force to investigate such incidents. The manager of AMMT, Phillip Whitmore, was arrested; a warrant has been issued for executive director Henry Meeks III, a Nevada resident who is not yet in custody.

Valley Sun. Law enforcement busts $1.2 million Turlock meth lab.
Synopsis: Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state seized $1.2 million worth of methamphetamine while searching a suspected lab in Turlock. They recovered 280 pounds of crystal meth and eight firearms. The FBI, Sacramento County Sheriff, Merced Area Gang & Narcotics Team and Calaveras Sheriff’s office were all involved.

ABC30. Family fills courtroom as woman accused of DUI death of Good Samaritan appears in court. 
Synopsis: Yessica Partida, 23, was in court in Merced Thursday to be arraigned on charges of killing Abraham Bustos Guzman. The Gustine auxiliary police officer had stopped along Highway 99 to help another driver when he was struck by Partida’s car. DA Nicole Silveira said that between the time she struck Guzman and her later arraignment, Partida was arrested a second time for driving under the influence.

Yum: Gulab jamum ice cream

Merced Sun-Star. Popular ice cream shop opening location in Merced.
Synopsis: Rock N Roll Handrolled Premium Ice Cream will open a parlor in Merced. The company already has five locations – three in San Joaquin County, one in Modesto and one in Fremont. Many of the company’s flavors draw inspiration from India, such as saffron, gulab jamum and popping boba. In Modesto, it recently introduced Dubai chocolate ice cream topped with shredded phyllo dough and pistachio butter.

Correction: Cow manure

Valley Solutions. The Stanford study concerning misstated volumes of manure generated on California dairies was, essentially, correct. In a snide “MAD Take” commenting on the story, editor Mike Dunbar misstated the amount of manure removed by treatment in anerobic digesters – suggesting that 80% of the volume is removed by the process. While digesters remove 80% of methane from manure, they do not reduce volume. So, the volume of manure, and the nitrogen it contains, is essentially unchanged. That means the Stanford study was correct and disposing of manure is a significant problem confronting dairies across the state. Valley Solutions is grateful to the dairy organization that pointed out the mistake.