Valley Solutions

A casino at Crows Landing?

Modesto Focus. Could a casino solve hospital problem on Stanislaus’ west side? Supervisor thinks so. 
Synopsis: Garth Stapley writes about Supervisor Channce Condit’s big idea to bring a tribal casino (no mention of which tribe) to the old Crows Landing Naval Air Station between Crows Landing and Patterson. The tribe would need about 300 of the 1,530 acres that belong to the county, and which have been dormant for 25 years. The casino would be within sight of I-5. It’s a big business in California, where tribal gaming generated $17 billion in 2021, not counting $8 billion in indirect spending and taxes. Condit says the base could become an extension of the reservation, allowing health care facilities to be built onsite. He admits, “this project is hypothetical. It is simply a dream at this very moment, but we are starting to have a real conversation.”

Westside Connect. Crows Landing Industrial Park moves closer to construction with water. 
Synopsis: Meanwhile, Sabra Stafford reports that the long-planned industrial park at Crows Landing got a boost as the county requested bids on the water infrastructure needed to make any industrial park (or casino) realty. Current plans call for 14 million square feet of industrial and commercial space, 370 acres for an airport and more. Phase 1 would spend $36 million on water delivery and treatment. It will include 18,000 feet of 12-inch main and a pump station connected to a 1.6-million-gallon tank.

State ‘blindsided’ Merced

Merced Focus. ‘We felt blindsided’: Merced officials confront CA High-Speed Rail Authority.
Synopsis: Victor Patton writes about Merced deputy city manager Frank Quintero’s appearance before the CA High-Speed Rail Authority Thursday where he expressed the entire county’s frustration with a revamped plan that delayed indefinitely the connection to Merced. The commission gave city and county officials no warning that such a change was coming. The bullet train was supposed to connect ACE and Amtrak to the Bay Area and UC Merced. “It really is the future of Merced that we’re building around,” said Stacie Guzman of MCAG. Dalia Costa says the county remains hopeful but is clearly disappointed.

‘Overrun with mountain lions’

SF Chronicle. This Northern CA county is ‘overrun’ with mountain lions.
Synopsis: Tons of video from home cameras in El Dorado County show mountain lions walking in driveways, wandering across mowed lawns and lounging on patios. The nights are echoing with their high-pitched growls, sending “an icy feeling down your spine” as folks recognize “you are not at the top of the food chain.” Oh, they’re also more acclimated to humans. Tracking this is a retired wildlife biologist and veterinarian who said from 2010 to 2023 there were an average of 33 lion attacks on livestock or pets. In 2023, that number went to 97 and last year to 202. Lions like to eat sheep and goats but have also killed horses, llamas and pets. A German shepherd was killed in late afternoon on its front yard recently. Most of the lions appear to be skinny, perhaps due to being pushed aside by a burgeoning black bear population in the mountains. Compared to bears, humans don’t seem scary. Last year, two teen brothers were attacked by lions, and one died, prompting legislation from Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil that would have allowed dogs to be used in hunting lions. That legislation died.

Guns, Rogan caused swing?

SF Chronicle. Why this CA city swung toward Trump more than any other. 
Synopsis: Welcome to Livingston, a true melting pot of American cultures. Kamala Harris outpolled Trump in Livingston, but there was a 36-point swing from 2020 in Trump’s favor. At the local barber shop one barber “knows a lot of guys” who listen to Joe Rogan and “love their guns.” Most of them voted for Trump. Mike Madrid calls it an “evolution of an ethnic voting block into an economic voting bloc.” In other words, they’re becoming more American and less Latino. Same thing is true of Punjabi voters. Similar results can be seen in Stockton, Avenal and across Fresno County. Worse for Democrats, it was also seen in Fremont and LA. Back in Livingston, not that folks actually voted in the last election, around 50% -- the fourth-lowest percentage in the state. Interestingly, several sources said Trump’s immigration policies could create a healthy “swing back” at the next voting opportunity.

Board staff out to ruin Valley ag

Valley Ag Voice. Proposed water plan impacts supplies. 
Synopsis: Scott Hamilton of Hamilton Resource Economics writes that the Water Board has distributed an update to its Bay-Delta plan that will require 40% flows from all of the Valley’s rivers into the Delta. That will dramatically reduce the amount of water available for farming. Such an order would defy Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to increase flows and improve habitat through voluntary agreements. Flows alone, says the writer, won’t work. He points out that the Delta has been “highly modified” from the time when millions of salmon migrated to and from the Pacific. “With so many introduced species preying on native species and competing with them for food, more flows is not the answer. Flows through the Delta are not a factor in limiting recovery of native fish.”

Ag trade in crosshairs

Farms.com. USDA projects ag trade deficit will fall to $41.5 billion in 2026.
Synopsis: Agri-Pulse reports the USDA’s quarterly trade outlook lowered the ag-trade deficit from $47 billion to $41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, which starts Oct. 1. That would still be 30% higher than the trade deficit experienced in 2024 ($32 billion). But it could be optimistic. The deficit projections are counting on China buying $9 billion in soybeans. So far this year, China’s soybean purchases have totaled $0.
MAD Take: Interesting note from another source: China will have the largest trade surplus in its history this year at around $1 trillion – the first nation to ever have such a figure. So, Trump’s attempt to “punish” China apparently did not work.

Successful Farming. US farmers face trade strains, record crops and market uncertainty. 
Synopsis: During panel interviews, reporters and sources addressed the current harvest, lack of soybean sales to China, near-record corn and bean crops and the impacts of tariffs on virtually every aspect of farming.

Successful Farming. South Korean negotiators struggle to close gaps with US despite tariff summit.
Synopsis: Negotiations on everything from tariffs to defense have bogged down, making the “handshake agreement” on trade announced three weeks ago meaningless. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Trump on Monday and said no agreement was reached, but they had great personal chemistry.

Park workers are unionizing

SF Chronicle. Workers at two popular CA national parks are unionizing.
Synopsis: Workers at Yosemite and Sequoia Kings Canyon have voted to unionize with 97% of workers in favor of banding together in the face of government layoffs. Those signing union cards included rangers, teachers, researchers, fee collectors, firefighters and others. The union says it represents 110,000 workers nationwide. “It’s been a difficult year for national park workers … (with) waves of job cuts and program reductions since President Donald Trump took office. The NPS’s overall workforce has been reduced by one quarter in the past 7 months.”

Fire uncontained in South Valley

GV Wire. Fresno County wildfire burns near Coalinga, CalFire reports.
Synopsis: The Salt 14-2 Fire is burning near uncontrolled between Jacalitos Creek and Lost Hills roads, according to CalFire. The blaze is “completely inaccessible” to dozers and engines, so it is being fought by four hand crews and 10 mechanized units including air tankers. It has burned 60 acres so far.

Good year for walnuts

CA Ag Net. Solid expectations for the 2025 CA walnut crop.
Synopsis: Walnut growers say this year’s conditions have been ideal, producing a larger crop with higher quality. Better yet, the trees are healthier, said Robert Verloop of the CA Walnut Board. He’ll be at the Malcolm Media Tree & Vine Expo on Nov. 11 at the Stanislaus Fairground in Turlock.

Case for a new round-about

Westside Express. Los Banos holds second workshop for Mercey Springs, Vineyard roundabout.
Synopsis: The workshop lasted an hour with interim public works director Joe Heim talking about how to connect the neighborhood to Hwy 165. That connection was supposed to have been made 20 years ago but was delayed for various reasons. Caltrans prefers the intersection be a round-about, which cuts costs by around 40% and are far safer. A roundabout will cost $2.6 million; a signalized intersection would cost $3.5 million. It would also reduce driver wait-times dramatically; traffic lights create waits of 22 seconds; roundabouts 6 seconds.

Another hospital in trouble

Santa Cruz Sentinel. Editorial: Watsonville Community Hospital facing new crisis.
Synopsis: Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Stephen Gray talked about the impacts of the Republican budget bill, telling them the budget is “one of the biggest blows to public health imaginable.” Not a single Democrat voted in favor of the bill three months ago in either the House or Senate. Gray noted that 50% of the hospital’s patients are enrolled in Medi-Cal. Starting in 2026, federal payments to the hospital under that program will fall by $7 million a year. The hospital came out of bankruptcy in 2022 and is owned by the community but is one of the state’s 17 most at-risk hospitals. All but a few of those at-risk facilities are in rural communities.
MAD Take: While this story isn’t about our Valley, the situation is strikingly similar to what is happening with hospitals in Madera, Turlock and Oakdale and throughout the Valley. As these rural facilities close, patients will be forced to visit larger, urban facilities and clinics. The quality of care will be diminished for everyone.

Friant boss goes remote

SJV Water. Chief of one of the Valley’s largest water agencies to work from Arizona.
Synopsis: Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority, is moving to Scottsdale, Az., to be closer to family. But he will continue to be FWA’s boss, earning $82,675 in benefits along with his $493K paycheck. His mother and his three kids live there. He pointed out that Westlands’ CEO, Allison Febbo, lives in Sacramento and not Clovis where the district is headquartered.