Valley Solutions

Election follow-ups, fall-out

Modesto Focus. Focus on Politics.
Synopsis: In a newsletter to subscribers (sign up here), Garth Stapley dips into election data to determine that 34.5% of Stanislaus County’s 103,600 voters voted by Tuesday, showing more interest than usual for a mid-term warm-up. In 2024, the last non-presidential primary, only 30% of voters bothered. … In other notes: Juan Telles will challenge Eric Alvarez for Modesto City Council D2. … Adam Gray has popped up in the national media, writing an op-ed for the Washington Post that points out that voters in his swing district expects results, not just politics. Gray was featured on CNN, during which he called Donald Trump’s accusations that California’s election was rigged “silly.”
MAD Note: Lost in the discussion about rigged elections in California is this simple fact: Most of the state’s elected registrars of voters are Republicans. So, if the state’s elections are rigged, it’s the Republicans doing the rigging. Silly indeed. And BTW, Gray’s story sparked more than 800 comments from interested readers – with very few trolls taking the time. It struck a chord.

SF Chronicle. Is CA on track to flip five House seats for Democrats? What primary results show. 
Synopsis: Reporters Sophia Bollag and Alexei Koseff take a look at the districts redrawn for Prop 50. Most appear safe for Democrats, but not entirely. In CA 22 an excellent moderate candidate and sitting Assemblymember, Dr. Jasmeet Bains, was edged by the candidate backed by Bernie, AOC and David Hogg: Randy Villegas. While incumbent David Valadao finished first in the primary, he tallied only 41% of the total vote with Democrats splitting 59%. That probably bodes well for Villegas. Near the bottom of the story, four additional districts are mentioned – including CA 13, which has been targeted by Republicans. The story mentions Adam Gray’s op-ed in the Washington Post which criticized his own party for not paying enough attention to the problems of real people. Democrats in CA 13 won 57% of the vote compared to the combined total of 43% for two Republicans.

Graffiti gets loud, proud

Modesto Bee. You don’t need to be a car fan to enjoy weekend’s huge Modesto summer celebration. 
Synopsis: Modesto’s annual turn in the spotlight has arrived – it’s Graffiti Week. Festivities started Wednesday night with a massive car show downtown; it continues with an even larger car show hosted by the North Modesto Kiwanis at MJC West this weekend. Plenty of music, food, fun and cars. Shelly Streeter’s band No Way Back will perform Saturday. “We love it. It’s just part of our DNA, it’s part of what we do and what we love. It’s part of growing up in Modesto.”

MID chair: Bring in the AG

Modesto Focus. MID board president requests AG open investigation into Byrd’s alleged water theft.
Synopsis: Modesto Irrigation District board president Bob Frobose has requested that State Attorney General Rob Bonta look into suspected water theft by board member Larry Byrd. The request came after the board’s own investigation stalled. One member recused himself (not Byrd), and two others (Byrd and Janice Keating) voted to kill the probe. “I just want the truth to be known, whatever the truth is,” Frobose said. State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil asked the Fair Political Practices Commission to look into the vote because of Byrd’s ties to former Rep. John Duarte and his wife, who recently defeated Alvarado-Gil in the primaries.

Valley Citizen. The Byrd Rules: Accounting as you like it. 
Synopsis: Valley Citizen publisher Eric Caine recommends that Modesto Irrigation District board member Janice Keating take a closer look at the 4Creeks investigation into water use by Larry Byrd. Though difficult to parse and buried in technical charts, there are glaring irregularities making it clear that the investigation must continue. Since Keating ran as a “budget hawk,” she owes it to voters to get to the bottom of the report.

City system causes frustration

Modesto Focus. Tired of waiting forever on the phone for help with new utility billing? Get in line. 
Synopsis: Customers who have called the City of Modesto over problems with water, sewer, garbage or storm drains over the past six weeks have been confronted by a new front-end system. And they’re not happy with it. The system also sent out 76,000 late bills in April, forcing the city to extend its grace period. The city says the average wait to speak to a person is 60 minutes, but Modesto Focus sat on hold for “nearly three hours.” But customers who set up their accounts through the digital interface are happy.

Another new city boss in Turlock

Turlock Journal. Fisher steps up as interim city manager; council votes against cannabis tax.
Synopsis: Chris Fisher, who has been both director of Municipal Services and the general manager of the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority, will serve as interim city manager following the departure of previous interim Gary Hampton. Fisher deflected questions about taking the position permanently but allowed “I would consider it; I’m just honored that they chose me to serve in this capacity.” The city has had four interim city managers in two years.

Ceres could get highest sales tax

Ceres Courier. Ceres voters soon asked to approve new one-cent sales tax hike. 
Synopsis: The city of Ceres is considering asking voters to add 1% to their sales tax. The city council commissioned FM3 Research to poll voters and found 62% were “favorable” toward the increase; only 32% were opposed. The question was framed as improving public safety and street repairs. The sales tax would rise from 8.3 cents per dollar to 9.3 cents – the highest in the county. By comparison, Modesto’s tax rate is 8.7% while residents of Hughson, Riverbank, Waterford, Newman and Patterson pay 7.8%. Interestingly, only 38% said they would “definitely” support a tax hike.

Bulls, blood, dust, mud: Rodeo

Merced County Times. Western Heritage on full display ahead of pro rodeo.
Synopsis: The Merced Western Heritage Foundation came into Bob Hart Square last Saturday to show off ropes, buckles and hats. It was part of the “cowboy lifestyle and rodeo community,” said Juanita Ellington. The PCRA rodeo starts Friday and ends Saturday at the Merced Fairgrounds at 7:30 each night. Every event from mutton busting to bull riding will be on display. “It’s an honor to bring (rodeo) back,” said Sheriff Vern Warnke. “I’m excited for my grandsons to have a good time.”

ABC30. Merced County Fair opens with new attractions, ways to beat the heat. 
Synopsis: Monster trucks, music, livestock, fair food and more will be available at the Merced County Fair which opens at 9 a.m. Saturday. Fair Board member Luis Lara, recently elected to the board of supervisors, said there will be lots of shade and air-conditioning for those who overheat. Grandstand admission is $10, which covers the rodeo Friday and Saturday.

Trade threats from Trump

Morning Ag Clips. Trump threatens not to renew USMCA trade deal. 
Synopsis: After receiving a letter detailing the importance of the US-Mexico-Canada trade treaty to more than 400 farming organizations across the continent, Donald Trump is threatening not to renew the deal. “We don’t need anything that Canada has, we don’t need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have,” said Trump. Among those signing the letter insisting the deal be renewed was the American Farm Bureau Federation and every trade group representing major commodities – corn, wheat, soybean, cotton and dairy.
MAD Take: Mexico and Canada don’t “have anything that America needs”? Really? How about customers? Millions of Canadian and Mexican consumers once loved California wines, cheeses, fresh fruit, beef, and grains. The Trump Tariffs turned those consumers against us. Farmers say they are “confident” in Trump’s negotiating skills, but what has been the impact of the Trump Tariffs on the price of nuts? What has the importation of Argentine beef done to the price of a steak? How many soybeans are Brazilians selling in China compared to Americans? Oh, and how much did that gallon of diesel cost?

Screwworms getting closer

Ag Daily. Sixth Screwworm case confirmed in Texas, expanding infested zone. 
Synopsis: The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed a sixth case of New World Screwworm in Texas, expanding the infested zone into the state’s Hill Country and South Texas regions. The newest infection was found in a calf in Edwards County, meaning the infestation zone now includes Zavala, Gillespie, La Salle, Sutton, Val Verde and Edwards counties. A dog was infected in New Mexico.
MAD Note: Those flesh-eating maggots were found in a dog in Lea County, NM, which is 875 miles from the California line.

Successful Farming/Reuters. US Screwworm cases test months of federal preparation. 
Synopsis: The US government is fast-tracking grant funding to find a cure for the New World Screwworm, “a parasite that threatens the nation’s beleaguered cattle herd even as staffing cuts and a shortage of a key prevention tool have raised concerns about the response.” Beef prices are already shattering records in grocery stores. Elon Musk’s DOGE cost-cutting reduced the USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection staff by 25% shortly after Trump took office, creating a dire shortage of veterinarians in the USDA ranks. Federal efforts to monitor and combat screwworm were among the programs eliminated by DOGE. Rancher Susan Storey, 62, in La Salle County, Texas, doesn’t believe the feds are working hard or fast enough: “We just want more action.” The entirety of the USDA’s response is predicated on releasing sterile flies to reduce fly populations. But “we don’t have enough flies to do the complete push,” admitted one USDA official.

Ag Daily. How New World Screwworm turned a biosecurity crisis into a trade-policy challenge. 
Synopsis: Back in 2024, before the New World Screwworm re-emerged as a threat, the US imported 116,000 head of cattle from Mexico. Last year, the US imported 4,700. This story looks at the outbreak, the impact on trade and the state of relations between America’s largest trading partners. So far, the USDA’s efforts to intercept the screwworm before it crossed the border have failed. “The economic consequences are significant and all fields of agriculture on both sides of the border have felt the strain as familiar supply chains have been thrown into disarray.”

State rejects Shasta water plan

Maven’s Notebook. State Water Board rejects Reclamation’s Shasta management plan.
Synopsis: Saying the management of water releases would allow intolerable water-temperature increases in the Sacramento River below the dam, the State Water Resources Control Board rejected the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan for Shasta Dam management. The state wants more water kept in the reservoir for use by winter- and fall-run salmon.

Four new firms for BEAM

Turlock Journal. BEAM Circular awards $2M to bring four new manufacturing employers to county. 
Synopsis: BEAM Circular announced Wednesday that it has gotten $2 million in grants through the county’s Anchor Employer Development Fund to bring four companies to its facilities. The grants will range from $400,000 to $600,000 for: Central Valley Circular, which will recycle paper; Artefact, which will specialize in bio-composting; Mango Materials, which is doing “biomaterials compounding;” and Full Circle Brewing, which turn fruit into beverages. The money is from Stanislaus County’s Biden-era American Rescue Plan Act funding.

New view of water fight

Maven’s Notebook. An alternative vision for the Potter Valley Project. 
Synopsis: Edward Ring offers some counterpoints to the narratives surrounding the Potter Valley Project on the Eel River. We’ve all been told PG&E wants to get rid of its obligations to maintain the century-old dams because upgrades and maintenance will cost too much. Removing the dams will create additional salmon habitat on the Eel River, similar to what we’ve seen on the Klamath. Farmers hate the idea because they’ve gotten around 60,000-acre feet of irrigation and municipal water from the project. Ring quotes a story in which the efforts to thwart removal of the dams was termed a “culture war crusade.” He agrees. But he says there is culture war on both sides, and the arguments for keeping the dams are just as compelling as those for tearing them down. Instead of worrying only about the financial hardship of PG&E, we should not be “indifferent to the financial hardship the loss of the Scott Dam will inflict on downstream farmers, ranchers and municipal water customers.”

KOBI 5. Warming Klamath River spikes parasites, threatening salmon.
Synopsis: An Oregon TV station looks at data revealed last week that 45% of Klamath River salmon in the newly opened stretches once blocked by dams are suffering from fatal parasitic loads. Without the dams, the river water is warmer and producing more parasites which are killing more fish.

She’s youngest golfer there

Fox36. Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley represents US in Curtis Cup golf tournament. 
Synopsis: Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley, 17, will play in the Curtis Cup tourney at Bel Air Country Club this weekend. She is the only teenager in the tourney. “You’re the youngest, you’re gonna be the weakest,” she said. “So, it’s time to prove them wrong – right?” Since she started playing, Talley said she has treated every putt as if it were on the 18^th hole of the US Open. That means no matter the pressure, you can tell yourself, “This is what I do every day.”

He gets to the show and shines

Turlock Journal. Cole Carrigg triples, walks in MLB debut with Colorado Rockies.
Synopsis: Cole Carrigg’s major-league career got off to a great start in Denver Tuesday night. He got a triple and walked in a 7-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Wearing No. 16, Carrigg became the 16^th Turlock High alum to make it to the Majors. “I wouldn’t want it any other way than to have a triple as my first (hit),” said Carrigg. “I love pushing it and going for three, man, it was just really awesome.” His triple earned him a Gatorade bath from his teammates during the Rockies’ broadcast.