Valley Solutions

Bargain homes in CA

Modesto Bee. CA home sales drop to ‘lowest level’: Where to find prices starting at $255K. 
Synopsis: The CA real estate market is cooling and home prices are dropping to two-year lows. Existing home sales are down 10.8% compared to last year and sales dropped another 1.3% from January to February. The median sales price is down 3.2% statewide, to $823,180. If mortgage rates fall (currently 5.88%), many Realtors expect buyers to rush back in. It all means there are bargains out there. The lowest median-price houses by county: No. 1 Lassen $255,000, No. 2 Trinity $290,000, No. 5 Tehama $340,000, No. 9 Tulare $375,000. At the other end: No. 1 San Mateo $2.0 million, No. 2 Santa Clara $1.8 million, No. 3 San Francisco $1.6 million. The list is at this site and it shows prices in Fresno at $429,900, Madera $412,000, Merced $409,750, San Joaquin $530,000 and Stanislaus $477,000.

Politics pays off for Valley

Westside Express. Rep. Adam Gray secures $16 million for district infrastructure projects. 
Synopsis: The Los Banos publication picks up last week’s story by Brianna Vaccari of Merced Focus about the 15 projects that Rep. Adam Gray got funded in this budget cycle. Among the projects for the 160-mile CD-13, two are in Dos Palos, one in Chowchilla, one in Gustine along with water and flood projects throughout the region.

Ceres Courier. Senator endorsed by CA Professional Firefighters group.
Synopsis: Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil has been endorsed by the CA Professional Firefighters for re-election. She is being challenged by political newcomer Alexandra Duarte and Tuolumne Supervisor Jaron Brandon. CA Senate District 4 is the largest in the state, encompassing all or parts of 13 counties, 16 tribal nations and about 1 million constituents.

Gov’s latest water plan

Maven / Office of Governor. Gov. Newsom launches most ambitious water plan in CA history.
Synopsis: Gov. Newsom says the state must create 9-million-acre feet of new water storage by 2040, and his California Water Plan 2028 will do it. He calls it an “action-oriented blueprint” as a response to climate change. He noted the wild swings between extremely dry and extremely wet periods, saying we must take advantage of one to prepare for the other. The plan hinges on SB 72, by Merced state senator Anna Caballero, that sets a water target for the state each year. The CA Water Commission applauded the program, as did DWR’s Karla Nemeth. Track progress through CaliforniaWaterPlan.com.

Politico. CA Playbook: Water wars. 
Synopsis: The Newsom administration is launching a statewide plan it says will create additional water storage to help offset climate change impacts. His Water Plan is a “commitment to every Californian that we will capture, store and conserve the water our state and the fourth largest economy in the world needs to survive.” The Governor’s emphasis on sharing stored water with farmers has angered some in the environmental community. Priority 1: Getting Sites Reservoir northwest of Sacramento built.

Save the Delta? Dredge it

SJV Water. Finding common ground and practical solutions in a CA water war zone. 
Synopsis: An “unlikely coalition” of farmers and water managers are trying to figure out how to manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta without fighting. The group met at the recent World Ag Expo in Tulare to review a white paper detailing a plan to remove sediments clogging the Delta. In some places, those sediments have raised the floor of channels by 8 feet. They block water flow, allow contaminants to build up and increase water temperature making native species such as salmon more susceptible to predation from invasive bass. Sediment removal “is the first domino that needs to fall” to flip the switch on how the Delta is managed, they agree. Those forming the Great Valley Farm Water Partnership include Mary Hildebrand, who lives west of Manteca, Jeevan Muhar of the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, Jim Erickson of Madera County and others.
MAD Take: Dredging the Delta appears is the cause de jour. It makes sense, but there are substantial problems with dredging – such as stirring up poisons building up in that mud for the past 100 years. Removing it without poisoning everyone and everything in the Delta will be expensive.

$1.6 million for county shelters

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County OKs funding for Modesto shelter; Turlock’s We Care gets $427,800. 
Synopsis: Stanislaus County approved spending $1.6 million to support emergency shelters through a state housing program. The Modesto low-barrier shelter will get $627,800 while Turlock’s We Care shelter for men will get $427,800. The state no longer requires a token show of support from cities to provide grants to urban shelters. Last year, the Turlock City Council voted 3-2 against providing a token $1 donation so the state could provide $267,000 to We Care. The shelter remained open only because Stanislaus County, the Stanislaus Community Foundation, Kaiser and United Way all stepped in to cover the shortfall.

Turlock Journal. Stanislaus County awards $427K to We Care shelter.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez looks at the county’s decision to award $427,800 to Turlock’s We Care shelter. Supervisor Vito Chiesa said the county used a scoring system to determine which shelters would receive funding, and We Care qualified. We Care board member Brett Forray said getting county assistance was a relief “because this will allow us to stay open another fiscal year.”

New businesses in Valley

Modesto Bee. Chocolate Fish Coffee opens in downtown Modesto, ‘sense of community’ served daily.
Synopsis: Sisters Afsheen Kiran and Sonia Naz, natives of London now living in Modesto, have opened a new coffee shop in the old Preservation Coffee location once operated by Paul Tremayne. The Chocolate Fish brand is franchised out of Sacramento, harkening to the confection given out in New Zealand.

Turlock Journal. Nick the Greek to open new Turlock restaurant on Monte Vista.
Synopsis: The “street-food chain founded by three cousins who all share the same (first) name,” is opening a location in Turlock. It will be on one of the city’s busiest corridors, near Monte Vista Crossing and Stanislaus State. Cousins Big Nick, Baby Nick and Little Nick already have restaurants in Ceres, Manteca, Stockton, San Jose and 25 other communities. They opened 30 stores in 2024 alone.

Ceres Courier. Burlington Coat Factory to fill empty space on Hatch.
Synopsis: The old 99 Cents Only store will become a Burlington Coat Factory outlet, filling a building vacant since 2024. The company operates 1,100 stores nationwide, making it one of the largest off-price chains in the nation. Also at the site will be a Dutch Bros coffee shop and Take Five Oil Change.

Bees are healthier this year

Ag Alert. Beekeepers assess this year’s colony health. 
Synopsis: Bee colonies are healthier, but not yet healthy say beekeepers. “The numbers are better, but some people still lost a lot of bees,” said the head of the CA State Beekeepers Assn, Ryan Burris. Last winter, keepers lost 62% of their hives. Charleen Carroll of Manteca’s Pollination Contractors says her keepers “are doing great.” Others say protection against varroa mites is working. With increasing production costs and lower prices for honey, many say they cannot afford to stay in business. The cost of maintaining a hive is around $350 a year, but they rent for only $200; the rest is made up in honey sales. Imported honey has cut the bottom out of the market. CA farmers need about 2.4 million hives to pollinate trees, but there are only about 840,000 resident colonies – meaning 1.7 million hives must be trucked in from out of state.

Reassurances for parents

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus school district assures parents over rumors of photo company, Epstein files. 
Synopsis: Turlock Unified felt compelled to distribute a statement from Lifetouch, the nationwide company that specializes in taking school photos. The letter addressed internet rumors that Lifetouch shared images with Jeffrey Epstein. Those rumors are unfounded, says Lifetouch, which is owned by Shutterfly. The owner of Shutterfly is Apollo Global Management, whose former CEO is Leon Black – whose name is mentioned in the Epstein files almost as frequently as that of Donald Trump. Lifetouch said its company is never mentioned in the files and there are no allegations from anyone that Lifetouch was involved in any unauthorized use of student photos or any other illicit activity.

Layoffs for Fresno schools

GV Wire. Fresno Unified proposes 200 layoffs to address budget deficit. 
Synopsis: The third-largest school district in California, Fresno Unified is facing a $77 million budget deficit. Cutting 200 positions will save around $39 million. The district would also offer early retirement for over 500 of its 8,000 employees. Last year the projected two-year deficit was $86 million; now it is $136 million, mostly due to falling attendance. The Fresno Teachers Assn said such layoffs will jeopardize student safety and thwart early literacy efforts.

Living on edge of disaster

Fresno Bee. Fresno residents least equipped in US to handle financial shocks, study shows.
Synopsis: A credit-card marketing company, CardRates.com, says Fresno residents are the least likely in the US to successfully weather a financial storm. It evaluated 151 urban areas looking a job numbers, home values, medical care, etc., and found Fresno residents are the “most vulnerable” to economic stress. Others: No. 2 Bakersfield, No. 3 McAllen, Texas, No. 4 New Orleans and No. 5 NY City. What these cities have in common: low affordability, high poverty, high unemployment and low savings rates. In January, RentCafe rated Fresno as the least livable metro area in the US for many of the same reasons.

Raids hurt Valley farming

Ag Alert. Survey finds raids impacted CA farm production. 
Synopsis: Caleb Hampton reports on a statewide survey from the Farm Bureau and Michigan State University measuring the impact of immigration raids on CA farms. Some 500 farmers responded across 50 counties. Only 1% reported losing workers as a direct result of raids, but around 15% lost workers due to fear of being swept up at stores, gas stations or restaurants. “Everybody was afraid,” said farmer Mark Lopez in SoCal. “They were seeing people get jammed up who hadn’t done anything wrong.” Around 8% said the fear resulted in higher costs with 14% saying they reduced production. The Farm Bureau continues pushing for legislation to create a legal pathway for long-term farmworkers to come into the US.

Chris Isaak coming to Gallo

Modesto Bee. Always a Modesto draw, this singer will be back with his many hits.
Synopsis: Chris Isaak, a Stockton native who lives in the Bay Area, will play the Gallo Center on March 1 at 5 pm. Tickets start at $75. Other shows scheduled for the Gallo include Central West Ballet on March 6-7, the play “Clue” March 3-4, the Count Basie Orchestra on Feb. 28 and the YFC Clean Comics on March 6.