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.

Good news about almonds

CA Ag Net. Almond market looks strong going into 2027. 
Synopsis: Almond growers are entering the new crop-year in a great position, reports Blue Diamond Growers. There is a 470.7-million-pound carry-in, down from that of prior years – meaning the supply is tightening. The 2026 harvest has been “positive” with 401.9 million pounds delivered so far. Of shipments of 190 million pounds in August, 143 million pounds were exported. Total shipments have outpaced 2025 in six of the past seven months with India importing 44.3 million pounds so far this year, up 170% from last year. The only cloud on the horizon is a 3.3% drop in domestic consumption.
MAD Take: Almonds are $825 million crop in Stanislaus County, $425 million in Merced and $1.4 billion in Fresno County. Looking at the entire 13^th Congressional District, almonds are a $3.9 billion crop. So, a 3% increase comes out to about $120 million pouring into our communities – and that’s before the nuts are put into bags, boxes or pastries.

49 Days to Election

Adam Gray for Congress. Gray secures endorsement from CA Fraternal Order of Police.
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray announced Tuesday he has been endorsement by the CA Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge. The Lodge represents 33 local lodges with more than 21,500 members. It is the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting our communities. “Adam Gray has been a strong partner to law enforcement and has consistently listened to the concerns of officers and the communities they serve,” said Roger Hilton, CFOP president. In his first two years in Congress, Gray secured $1 million in funding for the Modesto police department, introduced the Combatting Fentanyl Poisoning Act, the Invest to Protect Act and led efforts to crack down on gang violence and retail theft. Gray always stands up “for the men and women who protect” our communities, said Hilton.

SF Gate. ‘I did not find them’: GOP official in CA apologizes for fraud claims. 
Synopsis: It is Republican dogma that elections are being rigged and stolen. But every time a Republican goes out to find evidence, they come up empty-handed. John Turnacliff, the chair of the Marin Republicans, claimed in February that dozens of dead people had voted in favor of Prop 50. The country registrar invited him to come check his facts, and last Tuesday he publicly admitted he was wrong. No dead people voting. “I apologize,” he said, “for the angst and consternation” he caused.

Modesto Bee. Higher sales tax in Ceres will help maintain budget; some residents say no.
Synopsis: The Ceres city council voted to put Measure P sales-tax increase on the ballot, with retiring James Casey casting the lone dissenting vote. The 1% bump would raise around $9.4 million for the general fund, elevating the city’s sales tax from 8.37% to 9.37% -- the highest in Stanislaus County. Some residents are not convinced, worrying over “accountability requirements.” A poll found two thirds of the community support the tax, but those on social media are less supportive. Some called it a “bail out” necessitated by the council’s mismanagement.

Getting a grip on groundwater

PPIC. CA is finally addressing groundwater overdraft; how is it going?
Synopsis: In the first of what it hopes will be a series of blog posts examining implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, the PPIC’s Spencer Cole explains the history of the 2014 law. It created local agencies to control groundwater extraction, then provided a 16-year runway to develop viable programs. While pumping increased in the years following passage, aquifers were replenished in the extremely wet year of 2023. Now, projects resulting in the storage of roughly 775,000-acre feet have been completed. Still, aquifer levels have fallen in 45% of all monitored wells but held steady in another 45%; that means only 10% are increasing. Subsidence remains a challenge.

Losing grip on groundwater reality

SJV Water. Knives are out for nascent groundwater agency struggling to govern ‘dead men walking.’
Synopsis: The Tule East Groundwater Sustainability Agency in southern Tulare County is caught between the state on one side and angry farmers on the other. The farmers, whose land has no surface-water rights, are “pumping like it’s the wild west,” said one anonymous source. “I mean they’re dead men walking. Why should they walk any faster?” The state is demanding a total moratorium on pumping within 2 miles of the Friant-Kern Canal, which has been sinking in several areas. Two years ago, the state and federal governments spent $325 million to repair the canal, but pumping caused it to sink in the same place. The state has threatened sanctions and enforcement if pumping is not halted.

China: World’s blueberry leader

Wall Street Journal. Driscoll’s gave China its blueberries – then China swiped the secret to growing them. 
Synopsis: Execs from California-based Driscoll’s fruit company visited China 15 years ago in an effort to find suitable places to grow blueberries for the world’s largest market. Their hosts were paying very close attention. Now, Chinese scientists and growers have developed strains of berries that grow extremely well in specially made greenhouses, and thousands of tons of Chinese-grown blueberries now dominate China’s stores. None carry Driscoll’s label. China is now the No. 1 blueberry producer in the world with 60% of the world’s greenhouses. “For just about everyone in the blueberry business,” the rise of China “has been a knife fight, plagued by intellectual-property theft and tanking profits.” Theft of production methods is so common that it has a word in China – involution. Some of its victims include Starbucks, Nike and now Driscoll’s. Soon, it will be seen in avocados, tomato paste, and more. This story offers a cautionary tale.

Fresno Pacific gets $60M gift

Fresno Bee. Fresno Pacific gets biggest-ever $60M donation for track facilities, academic programs.
Synopsis: Calling it the largest gift to any university in Central Valley history, Fresno Pacific president Andre Stephens announced a $60 million donation to the school from an anonymous donor. It will fund the university’s nursing programs and build a new program to certify physician associates starting in 2029. It will also pay for a new track stadium. “My hope is that (the gift) will help students … strengthen healthcare here in the Valley and give student-athletes the opportunity to excel in competition, in the classroom and in their faith,” said the donor.

Typical Valley crime news

Fresno Bee. Postal carrier kept 8,500 pieces of mail, Fresno prosecutors say.
Synopsis: An unidentified mail carrier has been arrested for allegedly failing to deliver at least 8,500 pieces of mail to addresses on his rural route. The mail was supposed to have been delivered in August-September 2024, and included sensitive documents, medical forms and tax records. The worker was put on leave shortly after the failure to deliver was discovered. He faces up to 5 years in prison.

Turlock Journal. Kiwanis Club seeks public’s help after trailer stolen.
Synopsis: The Kiwanis of Greater Turlock is asking for help in locating its trailer containing equipment worth thousands of dollars. It was stolen Aug. 27 from private property. If anyone sees the distinctive trailer, they are asked to report the location. The equipment is used in the Kiwanis Club’s fundraising.

Feeding hungry folks in Fresno

Fresnoland. Meet some of the Fresno people stepping up to fill the hunger gap in wake of Trump cuts.
Synopsis: Fresno is the leading food-producing county in the state and nation. But some people in the community go hungry and their numbers are growing. The Big Beautiful (budget) Bill demanded by Trump and pushed through Congress, cut nutritional assistance to the poor and children. More than 237,000 people – roughly a quarter of Fresno’s population – have gotten CalFresh benefits this year, according to the state. As more federal cuts come online, demand at food banks is growing. “They call it food deserts, but it’s really a food apartheid because, systemically, they created this problem,” said Chef Xef Zubia of My Homies Kitchen. His group distributes food every Saturday with help from the Central California Food Bank and a couple of local farms. Another group giving away food is Khalsa Foundation, sponsored by the Sikh faith. Prableen Kaur said “You don’t have to be following the religion” to be fed because feeding visitors is a tenet of the Sikh faith. With everyone eating, “it takes away the anxiety” of accepting free food. Offer Kindness began as a way of giving away excess citrus, but it went viral and now “rescues” 20,000 pounds of fruit each week during the season. All of it is given away.  

All you need is love … and photos

Fresno Bee. She spent a ‘lost weekend’ with John Lennon; her rare photos will show in Fresno.
Synopsis: If you’re a fan of John Lennon you might know May Pang as “the other woman.” During a time when Lennon and Yoko Ono were separated, Lennon lived with Pang. She pulled her collection of images out of boxes and created a traveling exhibit. Pang and Lennon met when she sang backup on one of his recordings as a member of the 44^th Street Fairies. They eventually moved into Lennon’s Santa Monica beach house, where Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and Keith Moon were frequent guests or roomies.  A photo she took of Lennon’s son Julian would be used on his 2022 album “Jude.” The photos don’t show the celebrity, just “him at home and happy.” The exhibit is open today and Wednesday at K-Jewel Gallery in Fresno.

Valley journalism needs help

Cal Matters. Sacramento Bee slashes staff as Gov Newsom weighs state aid for news outlets. 
Synopsis: Dan Walters recalls when newspapers waged wars with each other (and lots of politicians) through circulation drives and editorial pages. Those days are long gone. The great newspapers ae hanging on, but local journalism is dying or dead. The need for information is no less important.  Gov. Newsom could help keep vital information flowing by signing legislation to provide refundable tax credits for hiring reporters.

GV Wire. GoFundMe launched to support laid-off journalists in Fresno, Stockton, Modesto.
Synopsis: Emma Gallegos, a board member of the Society for Professional Journalists, is organizing a GoFundMe to help journalists laid off this week from Central Valley news organizations. McClatchy laid off reporters in Sacramento, Modesto and Fresno along with others across the nation. The Stockton Record also laid off at least one reporter last week prior. In all, 12 Valley journalists have lost their jobs. “We are fundraising to support laid off journalists with bills such as rent, groceries, medical expenses and other costs of living. The money will be distributed evenly among those who have been laid off,” said Gallegos, who works for Ed Source magazine. To contribute: https://gofund.me/9626cb892

Director’s debut is in Turlock

Turlock Journal. Turlock native returns home to screen first feature-length film.
Synopsis: Brandon Doo, a 2004 graduate of Turlock High, will screen his first feature-length film – “For Matilda” – on Sept. 19 at the Carnegie Arts Center on North Broadway. The movie starts at 2:30 p.m. Doo is the writer, director and co-producer of the movie, which he also financed. After graduating from college, he worked as a gaffer and grip to learn how the movie industry works. His movie involves a family that gathers for a reunion in a condemned home. “I’d call it a family drama that turns into a murder mystery,” said Doo.