Valley Solutions

Celebrating Valley’s veterans

Merced Focus. Here’s what’s happening on Veterans Day.
Synopsis: There were celebrations at city halls in Turlock, Lathrop and Merced, a parade in Modesto and speeches in Chowchilla and Madera as communities across the Valley gathered to recognize and thank their veterans. Festivities began Friday with a celebration in Los Banos. In Lathrop 300 celebrated their veterans with a high school band and rousing cheers. In Turlock, a spokesperson for Rep. Adam Gray reminded the crowd of nearly 100, “in a time when too many of our veterans are still in need of help with housing, jobs and recovery, we can and must do better.” Gray has made serving veterans a priority his entire time in elected office, passing state legislation to recognize certificates earned in other states as valid in CA for veterans and their families and assigning staff to projects to secure housing and medical care for homeless vets. His STRIVE Act, which passed unanimously in Committee, would limit insurance copays at VA health clinics.

How science cuts hurt here

Merced Sun Star. Science funding cuts by Trump impact Merced County. 
Synopsis: Zachary Malone, a PhD candidate at UC Merced, wrote this op-ed. The shutdown has meant even greater cuts to scientific research in all sorts of areas important to the Valley. For instance, 99% of the research staff at the National Resource Conservation Services Agency have been furloughed. This is the agency that advises farmers on everything from bugs to water to fertilizer. The Farms Service Agency, meanwhile, has lost 70% of staff responsible for making operational loans to farmers. Federal funding is “vital to our region. … Funding to support science is part of what makes our country great and what has led to growth in Merced in the past decade.” 

Healthcare outlook is dire

Fresnoland. Preparing for ‘the worst’: State lawmakers share grim outlook on healthcare impacts.
Synopsis: Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Merced, believes little will be done to help those who will no longer be able to afford health insurance after the Trump administration stopped insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. His move has caused rates to triple or quadruple for self-employed Valley residents – such as the 48,000 who rely on the ACA in Fresno County. Soria and Assemblymember Mia Bonta called the cuts “devastating.” Among the impacts will be huge reductions to Medicaid, which funds Medi-Cal -- a program that covers 52% of Fresno County residents including thousands of children. By 2034, up to 400,000 people in the Valley will lose insurance coverage. The assemblymembers pointed out that the promise of a vote on the changes is no guarantee any relief will be forthcoming.

Hughson FFA team shines

Turlock Journal. Hughson FFA places sixth at National Convention.
Synopsis: The Hughson High Livestock Judging team of Travis Harkrader, Pearl Bunch, Gracy Curry and Kate Cooper drove cross country to the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis. Along the way they stopped at farms to practice their judging skills. It paid off, said advisor Kelly Larson. Curry was the third-ranked individual judge in the nation, and their team finished No. 6. There were 73,000 FFA members and their advisors attending the convention in Indianapolis.

Give farmers a chance and help

Fresno Bee. A cleaner future shouldn’t come at the cost of Central Valley family farms. 
Synopsis: Fresh-grape packer Luis Katsurayama wrote an op-ed noting that farmers have done their part to save the planet. Many have installed solar panels, water-saving devices and cut back on chemical use. But rising energy costs and unrealistic regulatory mandates … “are stretching family farms to the breaking point.” Escalating housing and land costs are “making it harder for young and beginning farmers to get started.” He concludes: “Farmers aren’t rejecting progress; they’re asking for time, tools and choice.”

Taking issue with a dam

Valley Citizen. Growing opposition to proposed Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir.
Synopsis: Christopher Quock, a teaching assistant at SF State, writes about a group called Save Mount Diablo which has decided to get involved in protesting the building of Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir. The group based in Contra Costa County organized the mailing of 8,096 protest letters to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. He says Supervisor Channce Condit is being disingenuous in saying the county has nothing to do with the project after the board showed interest in rerouting traffic to facilitate the new dam.
MAD Take: This story might be more convincing if the writer didn’t claim there is 2 billion – with a b – acre feet of water being stored at San Luis Reservoir. It’s 2 million. Or that Joaquin Murrietta used the “gateway rocks” as landmarks. Who says? He insists opposition to the dam is growing but points only to the efforts of Save Mount Diablo. Meanwhile, he bashes farmers from one of the poorest communities in the state, calling them “wealthy and politically connected.” Did anyone mention that Walnut Creek is one of California’s wealthiest communities?  

Turlock native shows her style

Modesto Bee. Turlock native is finalist in Elton John’s style competition.
Synopsis: Kristin Vartan, who once anchored the Fox40 morning news, is a finalist in a style contest hosted by Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. She is ranked No. 2 in the “Style Icon” division. The winner will be featured in Flaunt Magazine and appear on Milan runway next year. Vartan also worked in Bakersfield before moving to LA. She and brother Sean Vartan co-founded Style Speaks, a platform to help people “feel seen.” Some of the clothes she is wearing were designed by her mother.

Monsters moving to Sunday

Merced Sun Star. Merced Speedway monster truck show moved.
Synopsis: Modesto Bee reporter Jim Silva says the Malicious Monster Truck Show at Merced Speedway has been postponed a couple of days in an effort to avoid heavy rain predicted this weekend. The show will be Sunday afternoon, featuring a car-eating robot called Megasaurus.

Duarte switches horses

Valley Sun. Duarte endorses Kevin Lincoln after poor fundraising from Javier Lopez.
Synopsis: Former Rep. John Duarte has jettisoned Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez as his choice to challenge Adam Gray – the man who sent Duarte into retirement last year. Duarte, whose wife is running for the State Senate, now backs Kevin Lincoln – who has twice lost to Josh Harder in his run for Congress. Duarte never lived in his congressional district, and it is unclear whether Lincoln lives in the district he hopes to represent. The address for donating to his campaign is about 5 miles north of the district line. Lopez raised only $70,600 in the third quarter of the year compared to Lincoln’s $273,000 for a presumed rematch with Harder – who said in July that Lincoln had been “handpicked by political elites” such as Duarte to run for Congress. Duarte insists Lincoln has an understanding of the Valley’s issues such as water, jobs and public safety, though Lincoln’s occupation prior to being a politician was preacher.