Valley Solutions

Save the salmon! (We are!)

Sacramento Bee. To save salmon runs and fishing jobs, CA needs new water rules.
Synopsis: Barbara Barrigan-Parilla of Restore the Delta and Vince Staplin of the Golden State Salmon Association wrote this op-ed demanding vastly more water be sent down California’s rivers on a year-round basis to carry salmon to the sea for the winter, spring and fall runs. The writers are especially critical of the voluntary agreements forged to provide more water for environmental purposes while concentrating on habitat restoration. The writers insist that not enough water is being taken from those who grow food. They are especially critical of the agreement on the Tuolumne River where they say increased flows will amount to “as little as one-tenth of 1%.”
MAD Take: Huh. No mention of this year’s significant salmon comeback, which is more the result of bans on commercial fishing than increased river flows. No mention of the fact that the Sacramento River watershed provides 85% of California’s salmon population while the Tuolumne River watershed provides less than a tenth of 1%. No mention of the farming jobs lost if voluntary agreements are discarded. No mention of the salmon death chamber the Delta has become with 99% of the juvenile salmon arriving from the San Joaquin River being eaten by the Delta’s invasive species. Speaking of the Delta, how much restoration work has Parilla’s group done over the past 20 years? Far as I can tell, the answer is none.

Cal Matters. CA’s salmon may be rebounding after three wet winters. 
Synopsis: Jeffrey Mount teams with Sarah Bardeen to write about the startlingly positive number of salmon migrating up California’s rivers this year. It reflects a rebound following the 2020-22 drought. They explain that salmon “are a boom-and-bust species” taking advantage of wet years then hanging back from spawning during dry years. Writes Mount, “California is doing a lot to bolster salmon numbers. Some of the spectacular returns of coho salmon on the North Coast are due to major investments by the state and nonprofits in improving spawning and rearing habitat.” The PPIC used this story to announce the formation of the Peter Moyle Fund for Environmental Water Policy.

Showing off new Valley tech

Merced Sun Star. How will turning waste into energy help military? Valley leaders find out.
Synopsis: Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties are involved in various efforts to turn livestock and crop waste into consumer goods. Funding has come, in part, from a program created by Congress in 2022 that will spend $15 billion on energy, medicine and other sectors. Program managers visited UC Merced, Modesto’s VOLT Institute and Caribou Biofuels in Salida, which are all involved in programs to convert farm waste into energy. Caribou is working at Flory Industries – which makes nut harvesting machinery – to use walnut shells in place of coal in activated-charcoal filters for water and air. An important use is to filter carcinogenic fumes from military burn pits, making it less toxic. The visit was organized by BEAM Circular, a Modesto-based nonprofit. Among those involved were UCM’s Josh Viers, almond grower Christine Gemperle, dairy farmer Lisandra Vitorino, ag exec Roger Isom, Erick Serrato of North Valley Thrive and Kate Gordon of California Forward.

Help for (Midwest) farmers

Morning Ag Clips. Trump proposing a $12B aid package for farmers hit by his trade war with China.
Synopsis: Just as he did during his first term, Donald Trump is planning to devote some of the proceeds from his trade war to reimburse midwestern farmers. The money will be for corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean, rice, cattle, wheat and potato farmers. One reason is that Chinese purchases of soybeans have disappeared, despite promises to the contrary in the face of tariffs on Chinese products.
MAD Note: There is no indication that specialty-crop growers will be offered any tariff relief. While midwestern cereal farmers can expect relief equal to about 28% of their lost soybean and corn sales, there is nothing being promised for the growers of more than 350 commodities whose markets have been crushed by the Trump tariffs. For instance, angry Canadian consumers continue to reject CA wine, crushing about 25% of the state’s export market. Now we’re reading that confectioners in Mexico and Canada are buying fruit, nuts and sugar from other countries – terminating their contracts with CA providers. 

Shooting probe goes on

Stocktonia. As Stockton shooting remains unsolved, larger shadow of gang violence blankets city.
Synopsis: The San Joaquin Sheriff remains extremely tight-lipped about who is responsible for the shootings that killed four and wounded 11 a week ago, refusing event to say they are gang related. Why? Former DA Tori Verber Salazar says Sheriff Pat Withrow does not want to exacerbate the problem or spark retaliation. She noted that in the past places where kids are present were off-limits for drive-by shootings, but apparently no longer. Former Mayor Michael Tubbs says it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Stockton has a long history of gang violence. Officials can’t even agree on how many gangsters are roaming around Stockton. The mayor has said repeatedly that there are 5,000 gang members; the Stockton PD puts the number at 2,700.
MAD Take: Whether 2,700 or 5,000, that’s a lot, nearly 1% of the entire city.

Ceres Courier. Candlelight vigil planned for Tuesday in Ceres for shooting victim.
Synopsis: There will be a vigil at 8 pm at Whitmore Park for Amari Peterson, who was among the three children killed at a Stockton shooting a week ago. He played youth football for the Ceres Junior Bulldogs and the Central Saints programs. His nickname was “Ferrari” because he could run so fast.

Did fire make a statement?

Fresno Bee. Fire destroys historic Chinatown building with high-speed rail mural.
Synopsis: The Fresno FD responded to 1528 Tulare St. at 9:30 Sunday morning to find smoke and flames pouring out of a boarded-up building. The building has long been vacant, but one of its exterior walls had been used for a mural celebrating the arrival of high-speed rail in Fresno. Fifty firefighters responded, but 1 person was forced to jump from a second-story window to escape the flames.

He used how much water?

Valley Citizen. The district director’s drought-year water grabs. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine continues his investigation into the irrigation practices of Modesto Irrigation District Director Larry Byrd. The former MID employee farms several thousand acres, including at least 100 acres outside MID boundaries. Despite cutbacks for every other farmer in the district in 2021, it appears Byrd was taking significant amounts of water from the Tuolumne River and putting it on his land inside and outside the district boundaries. Writes Caine: “At AB La Grange Ranch, the public interest is going down the drain even faster than Larry Byrd and his partners can pump riparian water – and that’s much too damn fast.”

Water knowledge threatened

Cal Matters. CA’s water partnerships are effective and in danger. 
Synopsis: The PPIC’s Jeffrey Mount (again) and Letitia Grenier write about the partnerships forged between the state and a host of federal agencies that have helped CA weather both drought and flooding. Many of those agencies are now endangered due to lost funding. The hugely important CA-Nevada River Forecast Center will reduce the frequency of its flood predictions and flow data – probably the most reliable river data available anywhere. The National Weather Service will have fewer people in fewer places, making the agency unable to respond to extreme weather. This makes it essential that CA strengthen growing partnerships between farmers and urban planners and environmentalists.

Inside Climate News. As NOAA funding lags, critical ocean weather system nears breaking point. 
Synopsis: The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration – whose “eyes of the ocean” program is responsible for protecting fishing boats, cargo ships and various ocean species – is running out of money to operate its critical ocean-buoy system. The system is integral to predicting hurricane development, direction and intensity. The federal government has killed funding for maintenance much less improvements.

Modesto improvements on track

Modesto Bee. $18M Modesto Library modernization continues; asbestos remediation complete.
Synopsis: Laura Ferrell said Friday that asbestos from the original library construction has been removed and the building is on target for reopening next year. Still to come are major improvements in fireproofing, heating and insulation. Visitors will find retrofitted elevators, better lighting, new furnishings and a new floor plan. Friends of the Modesto Library reached its $3 million fundraising goal through its Lifelong Legacy campaign.

Modesto Focus. Two west Modesto parks get makeovers; what upgrades mean to neighborhoods.
Synopsis: The West Modesto Community Collaborative is excited about improvements to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez parks and what they will mean to residents. At MLK there will be a new building, splash pad, better parking, lighting and an outdoor plaza for gatherings. The parks are less than a mile apart.

Murderer faces life in prison

ABC10. Man convicted of second-degree murder in shooting of DoorDash driver.
Synopsis: Mario Esparza, 50, was convicted of second-degree murder and faces life in prison for the apparently random shooting of DoorDash driver Andrew Satavu in 2022. Esparza fled toward Mexico but could not cross the border before being captured. Satavu grew up in Fiji and came to the US at age 17 to “pursue the American dream.” He taught surfing, coached his daughter’s soccer team and played rugby while working several jobs -- including delivering food. He was shot 9 times while sitting in his car. He had no known connection to his killer.

Posse rider hurt in parade

ABC30. Merced County Sheriff’s Posse volunteer injured during Christmas parade.
Synopsis: A rider was bucked off his horse during the annual Christmas Parade in Downtown Merced on Saturday. The rider, who was not identified, suffered “a significant injury” after hitting the asphalt, according to Sheriff Vern Warnke.

Dumb kids doing dumb stuff

LA Times. ‘Really scary’: Students form human swastika on San Jose high school football field.
Synopsis: This wasn’t the marching band doing formations on the football field, but a group of 8 young men who laid down to form the swastika at Branham High then took photos (presumably via drone). They posted it on social media, along with a quote from Adolph Hitler circa 1939. The school’s principal is “personally horrified” by the display. The students have been identified by authorities, but those identities are not being divulged.