Valley Solutions

Governor overrides Fresno supes

Fresno Bee. Fresno-only tax measure won’t be on ballot after Gavin Newsom saves county version. 
Synopsis: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an “emergency” law that will allow Measure C to appear on the Fresno County ballot in November – despite the Board of Supervisor’s efforts to kill it. The law effectively invalidates the Fresno Board of Supervisors’ 3-2 decision to table the half-cent sales tax until additional impact studies can be done. Measure C is a dedicated transportation sales tax that has been in place for 40 years. The county’s proposed studies would have meant no money was collected to improve transportation in the county for at least two years. With projects in the works, the city of Fresno considered passing its own sales-tax measure. But that will no longer be necessary – which pleases Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Fresnoland. ‘The fight has just begun’: Bredefeld, supervisors pledge legal battle with Newsom, state. 
Synopsis: Supervisor Garry Bredefeld – the former Fresno city councilmember who led the effort to kill the transportation sales tax – said he will sue to stop the state’s action. “I don’t give a shit what they do in Sacramento. The fight has just begun for me,” he said. Bredefeld has already contacted a lawyer and will propose having the county pay for it. “There’s a principle here that we have to fight for,” he said, accusing Mayor Dyer, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, State Sen. Anna Caballero and 11 of the county’s 15 mayors of corruption. He also was critical of former Fresno mayor Ashley Swearengin, a strong supporter of the road tax.
MAD Take: So, Supervisor Bredefeld thinks it’s corrupt when a bipartisan coalition across multiple levels of government acts with alacrity to save a 40-year-old tax measure, but it’s not corruption when three county supervisors phony up a study to delay or kill transportations priorities they don’t like? In truth, neither side icorrupt. They’re just playing politics. And as is often said, “politics ain’t beanbag.”

Medicaid cuts will hurt us all

Cal Matters. Medicaid cuts stand to hit everyone (yes, even you). 
Synopsis: Story focuses on the closure of a single hospital in LA in 2007 and its ripple effect. Within weeks, wait-times at nearby hospitals went from 1 hour to 11 hours; ERs were standing-room-only; staff was strained to breaking. Worse, many of the new patients were uninsured, meaning the hospitals had to absorb more costs. The closure of one hospital, said researchers, impacted the entire region. Now, think about the $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s budget that go into effect next year. Half of CA’s hospitals are already operating at a loss. If one community hospital closes, every hospital within 20 miles will feel it. In the Valley, where hospital ERs are already crowded beyond capacity, it will be a crisis. All the progress CA has made in delivering care over the past decade will be erased, writes Families USA. Nurses and doctors will face pay cuts. Treatment is delayed. Already, 3,000 layoffs have occurred and 140,000 Californians have dropped suddenly unaffordable health coverage, meaning when they’re treated there is no reimbursement for care.

Council: Defend our priorities

Merced Focus. Merced has a vision for high-speed rail; will its leaders defend it?
Synopsis: Leticia Valencia of Formation and Angela Matthew of Faith in the Valley write a compelling story about what a downtown high-speed rail station – as originally planned -- would mean to Merced. The station now envisioned by the CA High-Speed Rail Authority is several miles outside of town and would “undermine most of the benefits that a high-speed rail station could bring to Merced.” Say the authors: “We elected our city council members to fight for our interests. There is simply no reason why the city should concede now.”
MAD Take. This well-done op-ed makes no mention of the CHSRA’s rationale for moving the station – that it would save $1 billion in construction costs. The Authority has never tried to explain how moving a $50 million (or even $100 million) train station could save $1 billion. It’s nonsensical. Considering the Authority’s new business plan, it is much more likely it plans to develop surrounding property for its own benefit.

Farm Bill hibernating … for now

Successful Farming. Farm Bill proposal fails in Senate ag committee over SNAP error rate issue. 
Synopsis: Progress on the long-delayed Farm Bill stalled Thursday when it failed to move out of the Senate Ag Committee. Democrats refused to vote for the bill because it shifted nutrition assistance to states. Since 1973, nutritional support has been part of the Farm Bill, but Republicans want payments for SNAP and other such programs to be borne by states. Without Mitch McConnell and an absent Tommy Tuberville, there were not enough votes to move the bill out of committee. Nutrition assistance is one of 12 different “titles” within the bill. The others cover everything from crop insurance to conservation to research into CA’s vast array of “specialty” crops.

Farmdoc. Senate Farm Bill fails, Ag Committee to vote again in September. 
Synopsis: Ag committee chairman John Boozman said he will reconvene his committee in September to take another vote on the Farm Bill. He believes backlash from constituents in several farming states will push Democrats to vote in favor of a bill they clearly don’t like. People in rural America are “very, very disappointed that we didn’t get something done,” said Boozman. He is also counting on Mitch McConnell returning to the Senate with the tiebreaking vote.

Ag Daily. Ag stakeholders react to Democrats’ rebuke of Senate committee’s farm bill text. 
Synopsis: One of the groups angriest over the failure of the Farm Bill are pork producers, who believed they had finally found a way around CA’s Prop 12 – in which voters set standards for any pork sold in the state. After losing in the Supreme Court, the National Pork Producers Council pushed for a legislative action to outlaw states from setting their own standards. “We can’t afford to raise pigs 50 different ways,” said one PPPC official. Also “extremely disappointed” was the National Corn Growers Assn.

Looking into data centers

Western Water. Data centers and water: What Congress found. 
Synopsis: The rapid growth of artificial intelligence in computing has vastly expanded the demand for computing power, often done in data centers. Those computers produce a lot of heat, requiring enormous cooling power. Direct water use is estimated at 2% of total US water consumption, but local demand can be substantially larger. The Congressional Research Service said water use hit 17 billion gallons in 2023 and is likely larger now. Public water systems supply cooling for 97% of all data centers, often tapping into drinking-water supplies. A study in Arizona found that 66 data centers in that state were a significant draw on Colorado River supplies. Another report found that at least one center developer tried to get a farm owner to fallow land in Imperial County so his water could be diverted. Finally, the report said reliable numbers are surprisingly had to find.

Modesto Bee. Modesto releases statement on data centers.
Synopsis: The city of Modesto clarified its position data centers Thursday, compelled by city council member Chris Ricci’s disclosure that center-developer NorthPoint has been sniffing around Modesto for a location. An “Official Statement” seemed to suggest that any such project would require approval of a code amendment. It read: “We appreciate hearing from residents and value the community’s engagement.”

Souza takes over at Orestimba

Westside Connect. Souza takes over as Orestimba high principal.
Synopsis: Aaron Souza has been named principal of Orestimba High School. He was hired as assistant principal in May 2025. Souza has 20 years in education, having started as a resource teacher and football coach. He was Orestimba’s head coach for 15 years, winning 101 games, 4 league titles and making 11 playoff appearances.

Happy 100^th, Traina Foods

Patterson Irrigator. Stanislaus County celebrates 100 years of Traina Foods. 
Synopsis: Patterson’s Traina Foods was founded in 1926 and has grown from a small family operation into a world-renowned producer of fruit ingredients. The company is now run by the fourth generation of the Traina family. The company employs up to 200 people during peak season with around 140 employees at the Patterson facility. Supervisor Channce Condit honored the family with a resolution.

You run, but you can’t hide

Merced Sun Star. Oakland man flees 85 mph Modesto chase, caught by drone and K9. 
Synopsis: Ricardo Villalvazo, 21, led Stanislaus deputies on a high-speed chase back on July 21. It began when deputies noticed an illegally parked car near Johansen High. It sped away and kept going when other deputies attempted to stop him. At one point, he was driving into oncoming traffic, and deputies gave up pursuit for safety reasons. But not the drone. It was watching as Villalvazo changed vehicles. When finally stopped, he ran into a backyard on Emerald Avenue and attempted to hide. K9 Deputy Dante wasn’t fooled for long.

News about deadly crimes

Merced Sun Star. Sophia Mason case: Settlement approved in lawsuit in 8-year-old girl’s Merced death. 
Synopsis: Alameda County will pay $12 million to settle claims that its social workers failed to heed repeated warnings concerning the safety of 8-year-old Sophia Mason. Her emaciated body was found in a Merced bathroom. Sophia’s grandmother repeatedly filed complaints that were ignored during the 14 months preceding Sophia’s death in 2022. The county will erect a memorial bench in Sophia’s honor. Included in the settlement was a report with 25 recommendations for reforms of the social services department. Sophia’s mother and her boyfriend have been charged with murder in the horrendous case.

KSEE / CBS47. Police confirm ex-boyfriend arrested after 30-year-old Fresno woman found dead.
Synopsis: The ex-boyfriend of Tatyanna McIntyre, aka Allison Riley, has been arrested in connection with her murder. Jeffrey Vernon Michaels has been booked into the Fresno County jail. McIntyre’s sister said the two frequently argued. Her body was discovered in a home in southeast Fresno and her car in an orchard. “He was a scary man,” said Alizabeth Lopez about her sister’s boyfriend. McIntyre was reported to have seven children, two with Michaels.

KCRA. Man who started Gann Fire was previously sentenced for causing 2018 fire.
Synopsis: Herbert Wayne Smith says he did not intentionally start the fire that has now burned 10,300 acres, destroyed 18 structures and taken 1 life in Calaveras County. However, he did start a fire outside Valley Springs in 2018 and has a “long list of drug-related offenses.” Smith said he was cutting up some scrap metal when the fire ignited. Susan Solari, a dog breeder active in the American Kennel Club, has been identified as the victim.

Lee scoop: Rihanna recording

Stocktonia. Stockton’s Jason Lee gets big reveal from rapper A$AP Rocky about Rihanna.
Synopsis: In Stockton, Jason Lee is the vice mayor and a frequent gladiator in political bloodsport. But his occupation is that of a celebrity interviewer on BET. And this week he scored a scoop when A$AP Rocky revealed that he and his wife Rihanna are working on an album – her first in a decade. After spilling the tea, Rocky said, ‘Damn, I’ma get in trouble for this.”

Grabbing some pine

Sacramento Bee. 10 Mike Krukow-isms that Giants fans will remember long after his retirement. 
Synopsis: Reporter Sean Campbell provides a list of the collected wit and wisdom of Mike Krukow. Some of the phrases are already so common in baseball that people have forgotten who originated them. Won’t provide all of them here, but some of the best: “Ownage is ownage”: When a batter frequently gets a hit off a specific pitcher, that doesn’t change. “Gamer babes”: This had nothing to do with looks but is about women who understand and appreciate the game. It has spawned a club, a Facebook page and even outings of dedicated female fans. “Atta babe”: This was one of Kruk’s earliest affirmations used for great plays, whether from an all-star shortstop or a “ball dude.”