Valley Solutions

Stanislaus sees more homes

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus slowly adds housing. 
Synopsis: John Holland writes that housing construction has “awakened from its long slumber in Stanislaus County,” but a shortage remains. Modesto has approved 527 houses in the largest new development in 15 years. The homes will be just west of the Amtrak station in east Modesto. With more homes there is a better price range, with a few homes in Turlock selling for $375,000, though most are around $500,000. The most expensive noted here are selling for $599,000 in Oakdale.

Help for Valley airports

Office of Rep. Adam Gray. Gray announces over $7.4M in grants for airport improvements.
Synopsis: Rep. Gray announced Friday that the Dept of Transportation is directing $7.4 million in grant funding for airport projects in Atwater, Gustine, Madera and Chowchilla. The improvements should improve transportation of ag goods to markets. Projects include $575K for pavement improvements in Madera, $6.6 million for runway construction in Chowchilla, $206K for weather monitoring, lighting and beacon systems in Merced and $57K for fuel-access expansion in Gustine.

Blaming dams for salmon loss

Outside (magazine). Yvon Chouinard says Newsom’s billion-dollar salmon bet is doomed.
Synopsis: The founder of Patagonia clothing company and legendary rock climber teamed with Matt Stoecker, a fishery ecologist, to bash California’s reliance on hatcheries. They insist this “diesel-powered migration” cannot work. They also insist that the only permanent solution is to remove the “migration-blocking dams that degrade our treasured watersheds.”
MAD Take: Four dams were removed in Northern CA this year, ruining one of the best whitewater runs in CA and Oregon, diminishing water available for farming but inviting salmon to return to the Klamath – which they did. Salmon also appeared in unexpected numbers in dozens of rivers, creeks and sloughs across Northern California. One of the few rivers where salmon numbers are falling is the Sacramento – despite having at least 4x more free-flowing water than any other river system in CA. Chouinard and Stoecker are fighting an old battle while ignoring the incredible resilience and encouraging news. To see what really works, read below.

Better connections, more fish

Northern CA Water Association. How to reconnect floodplains.
Synopsis: The NCWA has teamed with three dozen organizations – from the Audubon Society to River Partners to Ducks Unlimited to the CA Assn of Counties -- to restore and reconnect floodplains on the Sacramento River. “By connecting working lands, bypasses, wildlife refuges and rivers, we can improve our flood protection system and create a more sustainable future for fish, birds, wildlife and people.” The best part is that the work can be scaled up and expanded.
MAD Take: This year 1,000 spring-run salmon showed up on the Tuolumne River for the first time in a generation. Why? Partly, it’s because they got confused. But another part is the amazing floodplain work that has occurred at the confluence of the San Joaquin and higher up the river. There were a record 35,000 salmon spawning on the Mokelumne this year, more fish than even the old-timers could recall. Fish have been found on Redwood Creek, in San Jose, Half Moon Bay, Oakland and on the North Yuba for the first time in a century; they’ve been setting records on the Russian River and showing up on Battle Creek. Some salmon even swam up Pixley Slough east of Stockton to spawn. If we create enough hospitable habitat, salmon will show up.

New fire, same old building

Merced Sun Star. Merced Thrift Store catches fire for second time this summer.
Synopsis: Smoke was rising from the shuttered Merced Thrift Center on West Main on Thursday, the second fire there since June. The store was still closed for repairs from the original fire. The building is now considered “rather dangerous,” said Fire Chief Casey Wilson. He said he thinks he knows what caused the fire but wants to be certain before releasing information.

Homelessness: Better news

SF Chronicle. Homelessness is finally dipping across CA; these Bay Area counties saw declines. 
Synopsis: Thirteen counties have reported declines in their homeless populations for two years in a row. Contra Costa, Santa Cruz and Sonoma reported the largest drops in the state at more than 20% in Point-In-Time surveys. An accompanying chart shows the top 15 counties for improvement. Merced is down 14.3% and Kern 2.2%. While Stanislaus was up 1.7%, it was a significant improvement. “While the number of homeless people … nationally grew nearly 7%,” California’s homeless population remained flat for the second year in a row. Catholic Charities calls the improvement “pretty incredible.”

Immigration numbers down

Cal Matters. How immigration levels in US changed since President Trump’s second term.
Synopsis: For the first time in 50 years, the US immigrant population is declining. Foreign-born residents are leaving, and others are choosing not to come, according to the Pew Research Center. The story says there are 51.9 million immigrants in the US, down from 53.3 million just a year ago. Of those, 75% are here legally. CA has the largest group of undocumented immigrants at 11.3 million. The top nations for arrivals: Mexico (11%), India (8%), Venezuela (7%) and Cuba (6%).

Fresno fights to stay woke

Fresnoland. Trump admin threatens to strip money over woke language; Fresno is fighting back.
Synopsis: The City of Fresno joined six other local agencies to sue to block the Trump administration from withholding Housing & Urban Development and Transportation funding for projects. The administration “has directed Fresno to remove all references to the words ‘equity,’ ‘environmental justice,’ and all transgender references and provide assurances that the city of Fresno shall not use funds to promote gender ideology.” Fresno is not alone. Four other CA cities, two from NY and Saint Paul, Minn., have all joined the lawsuit.

New judge on Stanislaus bench

Turlock Journal. Stanislaus County Superior Court appoints new judge.
Synopsis: Sarah Birmingham has been appointed to the seat left empty by the death of Judge Ann Ameral. Birmingham has been a “solo practitioner” following several years at Gianelli & Associates and the Curtis Legal Group. Her law degree is from Santa Clara.

Concerts must be OK now

Fresno Bee. Neighbors remember deal barring concerts at Fresno State stadium.
Synopsis: Shakira’s concert at Valley Children’s Stadium, aka the Fresno State football field, was a “precedent-setting event,” drawing 30,000 fans. But it was the first time the stadium had hosted a concert in its 40-year history. Most people believe there was a handshake deal made between the university and its neighbors when the stadium was built. Back then, neighbors didn’t want the noise and traffic but were mollified by a “gentleman’s agreement” to limit events to sports. That agreement was non-binding. As for the concert, FSU says it “received minimal negative feedback. We even received some positive feedback” though the concert went until 11:45 pm.

Valley Fever cases up

Stocktonia. San Joaquin County on track for record number of Valley Fever cases.
Synopsis: Case counts in SJ County are already higher than in all of 2024, a 14% increase over last year. There have been 272 cases of “cocci” fungal infection diagnosed compared to 239 last year. Across the state, there have been 6,761 cases diagnosed this year. Many who get sick do not seek treatment.  

Take the train to Cockpit Day

Modesto Bee. You can ride Amtrak to an event involving old aircraft near Merced.
Synopsis: Amtrak is offering a special deal for those planning to attend Open Cockpit Day at Castle Air Museum on Aug. 30. If you take the train to Atwater, a free shuttle will take you to the Castle Commerce Center. Tickets are 25% off. There are five trains each day.