Valley Solutions

Valley Solutions offers a daily look at the top headlines appearing on media websites affecting the San Joaquin Valley. It is compiled by Mike Dunbar, who worked in Stockton, Modesto, Merced and Los Banos media for 40 years and later served as Adam Gray’s press secretary when he was in the Assembly. Valley Solutions is brought to readers by Rep. Adam Gray.

IBEW pulls endorsement

Modesto Bee. Modesto Irrigation District employee union reverses endorsement of board candidate. 
Synopsis: Ken Carlson picks up on the story first published by Valley Citizen last week. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 has rescinded its endorsement of Dom Giorgi for the Modesto Irrigation District board and demanded that he return the $3,500 contribution made to his campaign. The local represents a large percentage of MID’s 450 employees. Giorgi, who once performed as a rodeo clown, has promised to lower electricity bills and cites various websites for providing ideas on how to do that. Union members say those websites are wrongheaded and will hurt their members. They also noted that the union’s board made the decision to back Giorgi without consulting members. Incumbent Robert Frobose – who has been instrumental in demanding accountability for board member Larry Byrd – pointed out that the membership voted “unanimously to rescind” the original endorsement once they learned of it. Giorgi has also accepted $32,000 in contributions from Ty Angle, one of Byrd’s business partners. Byrd is accused of using district water to irrigate trees on land outside the district boundaries.

Valley Citizen. Your voters’ guide to the Modesto Irrigation District candidates. 
Synopsis: Publisher Eric Caine talks about those running for MID’s board of directors. He relies heavily on board member Chris Ott, who is not up for re-election but has thoughts on who should join him on the board. Ott supports Robert Frobose, Mike Moradian and John Boer. “They are the best candidates to move the district forward,” said Ott.  

7 Days left to vote …

Stocktonia. Manteca police identify suspect who posted threat against Mayor Gary Singh. 
Synopsis: Manteca police say a threat to shoot Manteca Mayor Gary Singh came from a Facebook account; they were able to identify the person who posted it and are investigating. Police are not revealing the name, but have referred it to District Attorney Ron Freitas to determine if charges should be filed.

Turlock Journal. Police called after mayoral candidate refuses to leave Westside Ministries event.
Synopsis: Police issued a “trespass admonishment” to Kelley Coelho, one of three candidates for mayor of Turlock. She is said to have disrupted the performance of a stand-up comedian at Westside Ministries on Sunday night. Coelho brought campaign material into the show, but was asked by Pastor JoLynn DiGrazia to refrain from campaigning. DiGrazia said Coelho then started yelling, “Vote for Kelley Coelho.” Similar to a restraining order, an “admonishment” warns of possible criminal charges if the order is ignored. Coelho said DiGrazia called police out of retaliation for a previous dispute.

LA Times. Illinois man charged with mailing white powder to members of Congress. 
Synopsis: Matthew Ungelsbee sent a powdery substance to the offices of at least four House members over the past two weeks. The envelopes had his name and return address in Springfield, Ill. A note said, “Enjoy the gift.” The envelopes contained salt. He claimed to have been inspired by reports of a similar incident. It is not clear if Ungelsbee was connected to envelopes received by several California Congressional representatives, including Jim Costa, Nancy Pelosi and Ro Khanna.

North Valley Review (Facebook). Endorsement Alert. 
Synopsis: The Review writes: “Michael Blower is smart, ethical, and one of the least dramatic councilmembers we have had in a long time.” That alone is enough to endorse his incumbency. He was also one of the few to vote against the hiring of Steve Colangelo as city manager, who was later dismissed. He does his homework on every issue.

DOJ threatens officials

Fresno Bee. DOJ threatens to prosecute Fresno County elections officials in fight over noncitizens. 
Synopsis: The Dept of Justice sent a threatening letter to Fresno County saying it could prosecute elections officials who refuse to comply with the department’s demands not to count the votes of those the department suspects of not being citizens. The letter was signed by acting deputy attorney general Trent McCotter. Registrar of voters James Kus said his office follows all state and federal laws and he is being advised by both the CA Secretary of State and CA Attorney General. Section 4 of the US Constitution assigns the duty to conduct elections exclusively to states and does not provide oversight to the federal government. Constitutional Law experts say McCotter’s letter is an illegal intimidation tactic.

Singh: Why was I arrested?

GV Wire. Singh calls for investigation into DUI arrest as supporters rally in Tower District. 
Synopsis: At a press conference Monday afternoon, Naindeep Singh denied he was under the influence when pulled over by Fresno police on Saturday. “I’m absolutely willing to say this publicly, to maintain my innocence that no such thing ever occurred, will never occur and that’s not something anyone that knows me knows that I’ve ever taken at all,” said Singh. As a Sikh, Singh said he does not drink or use drugs for religious reasons, and he posted blow-up of a drug test he had conducted that showed no drugs in his system. Standing with several dozen supporters, he questioned the timing of the arrest and called for an investigation of the city’s conduct. Councilmember Miguel Arias asked why city attorney Andrew Janz, who has no jurisdiction in drunk-driving cases, would release information about the arrest. Janz said that his office is required to respond to requests for information.

Voluntary Agreements Pro/Con

Maven. Voluntary Agreements: Yes or no?
Pro: Healthy Rivers & Landscapes: healthier future for all of California. 
Synopsis: The State Water Board is voting on the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan this week, and at the center of the decision is the efficacy of voluntary agreements. As the decision nears, Maven’s Notebook has been running opinion pieces about the agreements. Supporting voluntary agreements is Nicole Montna Van Vleck of Montna Farms, who writes about the importance of reliable water to agriculture. “California’s rivers and landscapes sustain an extraordinary range of life and activity,” she writes, including people. “As a third-generation rice farmer in the Sacramento Valley, I’ve seen firsthand how agriculture and nature can thrive together.” That’s why so many rational organizations have joined forces to protect the Pacific Flyway and improve salmon habitat. The improvements do not happen without the support of farmers.
MAD Take: Voluntary Agreements work, as we’ve seen with significant improvements in salmon numbers on the Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Cosumnes and Mokelumne.  

Maven. Voluntary Agreements: Yes or no?
Con: Why Newsom’s Voluntary Agreements won’t work: The road not taken. 
Synopsis: Gary Bobker of Friends of the River makes the case against Voluntary Agreements. He says they provide “far too little water and habitat to be effective.” He further insists that the “best available science” is being ignored. Part of his argument is that agriculture must be required to “transition to climate-resilient” crops and that the state’s entire water-rights system be thoroughly changed.
MAD Take: Bobker has been one of the most myopic of the short-sighted activists who believe they have all the answers and the absolute right to impose them. But most of what Bobker calls “best available science” has been refuted or revised, showing emphatically that “flow-centric” solutions are woefully incomplete. Habitat restoration and flows timed to natural events work best for fish. As for revising our water-rights system, Bobker has advocated for a system similar to that instituted in Australia after its 14-year drought. Those changes have virtually destroyed farming in Australia’s interior. Farmers and cities are “highly dissatisfied” with requirements that they “buy back” water that often flows through or alongside their properties. Crops such as almonds, melons, winegrapes and tree fruit have become impossible to grow due to “man-made droughts,” so low-margin crops are planted instead. That diminishes the economy of the entire region and drives small farmers into bankruptcy.

Districts spend $80M on river

Active NorCal. Tuolumne River’s $80 million salmon makeover keeps growing.
Synopsis: River Partners teamed with Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on three projects to mitigate flood risks, replenish aquifers and improve habitat for struggling species. All of the projects were developed as part of the Voluntary Agreements between the districts and state. The Powerhouse Riffles project, which has just been completed, turned 77 acres near La Grange into floodplain, adding 100,000 tons of gravel necessary for salmon to create nests. Much of the gravel was originally removed from the river during the Gold Rush but left nearby.

The greatest pumpkin state?

Successful Farming. Which state dominates pumpkin production? 5 charts tell the story.
If you guessed “California” in answer to the question posed in the headline, you’d be wrong or at least not quite right. California is No. 2 on the list of great pumpkins, but the Golden State is far, far, far behind the leader. That is Illinois, whose pumpkin crop totals 533 million pounds. CA checks in at 162 million followed by Indiana (135), Michigan (115) and Pennsylvania (105). Combined, those starts grow 72% of the nation’s commercial pumpkin crop. The biggest pumpkin in the nation this year, BTW, was grown in Rhode Island – a 3,156-pound behemoth.
MAD Take: Rhode Island? Did the vine cover half the state?

He was running a Ponzi scheme

Modesto Bee. Turlock accountant pleads guilty in $7.2 million Ponzi scheme affecting 89 investors. 
Synopsis: Antonio Honorato Silveira admitted to running a fraudulent investment scheme promising returns of 13 to 17% but ending in bankruptcy. He collected $11 million from 89 investors from 2019 to 2025, when the scheme collapsed. More than 25 investors suffered significant losses, including the loss of retirement savings and a home. He will be sentenced in February.

ICE’s cruelty questioned

Merced Sun Star. ICE released detainees from at least 29 states in CA, far from their homes, group says. 
Synopsis: Rep. Jim Costa and Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez are among those accusing ICE of “knowingly sending immigrants to places where they have no safety net, no family members.” Those who have committed no crime and have a right to be in the U.S. are eventually released but are often on their own. Most say they were denied legal counsel while being detained in Kern County. Such “tactics are just cruel, and we need to make sure we put a stop to that,” said Chavez. Valley Watch Network says it has helped immigrants from 29 states return to their homes. Representatives said if Democrats take control of the House, investigations into such tactics will be instituted to hold those responsible accountable.

Food bank drivers organizing

Fresnoland. ‘Blurring the lines’: Drivers question anti-union tactics from Central CA Food Bank.
Synopsis: The 13 drivers working for the Central California Food Bank plan to vote Friday on joining the Teamsters. As that vote approaches, the non-profit has hired a consultant who specializes in helping companies avoid unionization and assigned that consultant to ride along with some of the drivers. That, says the union, violates rules against forcing employees to become a “captive audience” to anti-union operatives. The news site Truthout said the consultants are paid $2,500 a day. 

Is that traffic cone walking?

Fox26. 67 citations, 2 DUI arrests made during creative Stanislaus Co pedestrian safety crackdown.
Synopsis: A Stanislaus deputy dressed up as a huge, orange traffic cone then walked into crosswalks on Modesto-area streets. Most people stopped, but some didn’t and other deputies nearby issued 67 citations. The county has seen several deadly pedestrian accidents over the past month, so the crackdown is a safety response. For those who might have forgotten, drivers are not allowed to proceed into a crosswalk as long as a pedestrian is in any part of it.