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.

42 Days until Election

ABC10. Gray and Lincoln head to general election in CA Congressional District 13 race. 
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray explains why it is important to elect a Democratic majority to the House: “We’ve gotta change the leadership in Congress. The focus of this president, this administration, Speaker Mike Johnson, the Republican leadership has not been on affordability. In fact, it’s just the opposite,” said Gray. Challenger Kevin Lincoln talked about removing the tax on tips, and his ads continuously reference a 2017 vote by Gray in the state legislature to raise the gas tax then dedicate that money to better roads and transportation projects in the Valley. Gray isn’t surprised with the attack. “I almost find it amusing that a group responsible for driving the price of oil up well over $1 a gallon since Trump’s been in office due to his senseless war in Iran” makes such an argument, said Gray. “I’d be trying to point fingers at others, too.” Gray noted Lincoln’s close ties to the Republican Party and Trump. “A guy who ran around saying, ‘Trump endorsed’ is now trying to hide from that.” 
MAD Take: Lincoln wanders around with a few Republican politicians and brings up 10-year-old legislative battles over a gas tax. Meanwhile, he ignores any questions about why the price of gas has doubled under Donald Trump in the past six months. Or how he would provide health insurance to 50% of his district. Or would he vote to stop the war in Iran. And why did Lincoln name his business “Goldberg Stern” – something even Laura Loomer found fishy. No one bothered to ask Lincoln where he lives or why his campaign office is outside the district.

Modesto Bee. MID Division 2 candidates talk about data centers, how to deal with board turmoil. 
Synopsis: Reporter Ken Carlson writes about Modesto Irrigation District and its well-earned “reputation for dysfunction and infighting.” Three people are running to represent Division 2, which includes central Modesto – incumbent Janice Keating, businessman Mike Moradian and John Van Oostende. Moradian and van Oostende agree that Keating is “not fit” for the board, in Moradian’s words, mainly based of her decision to stall the investigation into director Larry Byrd’s apparent misuse of district water. Like Byrd, Van Oostende is a former MID employee. All three agree data centers need to be closely scrutinized.

Lawsuit over rail station plan

KCRA. CA High-Speed Rail Authority receives cease-and-desist letter over 2026 business plan. 
Synopsis: The CA Rural Legal Assistance organization says CHSRA violated state law when it proposed a relocation of the train station from downtown Merced to open ground roughly 4 miles south. The CRLA says the rail authority does not have the authority to reroute the tracks without approval from the legislature. The CRLA said state law specifies a downtown Merced station. “The (CHSRA) has shown a consistent disregard for CA state law and the role of the CA legislature by unilaterally deciding to re-route the high-speed rail system, shift station locations and downgrade the entire Central Valley segment to single-track,” reads the letter. The CA Legislative Analyst’s Office warned the Authority that its business plan lacked transparency around its decision to make major changes.

Modesto Bee. Facing cash crisis, high-speed rail wants early access to billions promised by state. 
Synopsis: The CA High-Speed Rail Authority notes that lawmakers have committed $20 billion to the project over the course of the next 18 years but say they need it now. Without additional cash, the project will not meet its goals and completion of the Merced-to-Bakersfield portion of the line will be delayed. Meanwhile, the agency is trying to answer accusations that it improperly spent $700,000 on luxury expenses for execs and consultants.

Diesel costs ‘worst ever’

Successful Farming. Diesel prices shoot up as farm-state GOP senator begs Trump for export embargo.
Synopsis: Diesel prices kept rising Monday, hitting $6.51 nationally ($7.80 for CA red-dye diesel; $8.44 for CA road diesel) and driving more Republicans away from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies. Iowa’s Chuck Grassley tweeted “High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS INCOME” and demanded Trump halt all exports of oil outside the U.S. Instead of looking at his own Iran war, Trump blamed Ukraine, which has attacked Russia’s refining capacity, saying “this ridiculous and never-ending War … must be ended.” He urged states to suspend gas taxes.
MAD Take: Neither Grassley nor Trump made any mention of the windfall profits flowing to oil companies, whose traders and execs are buying barrels of sake and champagne to celebrate their profits.

KSEE / CBS47. ‘This is the worst it’s been’: CA diesel spikes to record highs, hurting truckers, farmers. 
Synopsis: With the price of diesel over $8.40 a gallon, truck owner Jose Cisneros said he is “just making enough money to survive.” He’s been driving 12 years, becoming an owner-operator two years ago: “I don’t know how we’re going to survive because we’re just working to put fuel in it.”

We’re due a refund on utilities

ABC10. CA households to receive $886 million in summer utility bill credits.
Synopsis: Next August and September, eligible households will receive a refund of bills they paid to the state’s privately owned utility companies – PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern CA Edison. Payments should average $75, though they will vary by location and utility. The payments will be funded by CA’s cap-and-invest program.

Is water too warm for salmon?

LA Times. This major CA river has gotten too warm for its salmon.
Synopsis: Reporter Ian James recites the claims of some biologists that the Sacramento River is so warm that it will keep spring-run salmon from hatching. They blame diversions of water for farming in the San Joaquin Valley, saying the water remaining in the reservoir is too warm for the fish. Quoted first is Jon Rosenfield of San Francisco Baykeeper, who said salmon eggs “are getting cooked.” A state biologist said water-temperature will result in losses of about 20% of the eggs. The State Water Board says climate change is warming all of CA’s waters, and more of Shasta should be dedicated to keeping salmon alive. The reporter notes the three-year ban on commercial salmon fishing that ended this year. The last quote was from Barry Nelson of the Golden State Salmon Assn., which blames warm water for lower salmon counts.
MAD Take: A few observations: 1) Reporters are supposed to remain objective and most do. However, bias has a tell. The quotes fitting the reporter’s bias are almost always the first and last readers see. In this case, both the first quotes and last come from the environmental community, tipping James’ bias. 2) There is more water in the reservoirs now than there was during the years with fishing bans. The massive Trinity, Keswick, Bullard’s Bar and many other reservoirs are above 100% of normal; Shasta is at 96%, Oroville 90%. Since water volume is the only regulator of water temperature, holding more water for fish isn’t the solution. Perhaps bigger reservoirs would be. 3) Reporter James ignores the most likely explanations for the loss of salmon from 2023-25 – drought and overfishing. He also fails to mention the spectacular spawning returns this year after three years of protecting them in ocean. 4) If fully functioning reservoirs and fishing bans are not enough to save spring-run salmon, then it is clear they are no longer a viable species in a tragically changing California climate. Perhaps we should put all of our efforts into protecting species (fall run, winter run, steelhead) that remain viable.

Too warm? Yes, but not always

FishBio. Too hot to handle: Temperature timing shapes salmon survival. 
Synopsis: The scientists at FishBio note that salmon thrive only in relatively cold water. That’s why their spawning runs happen at times when cold water traditionally poured down from the mountains into California’s rivers. With dams blocking those flows, the only way to keep those runs alive is to release cold water from behind the dams. Water deeper behind dams remains colder, but there is less of it. But FishBio’s recent studies now show that salmon survival may depend less on the total amount of cold water than when it is released. The “critical thermal window” is actually 14 days after eggs are laid.
MAD Take: Most of the salmonid studies cited by the environmental community were done on the Columbia River, where fish needed temperatures lower than 68 degrees to survive. But studies on the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers by UC Davis showed salmon here are active even when water temps hit the mid-70s.

Nobody wants to buy grapes

Morning Ag Clips. CA farmers struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops. 
Synopsis: Story focuses on former Assemblymember Bill Berryhill, who said “it’s just sickening” that he will once again be forced to waste good grapes. “You raise a beautiful crop, and it’s really a nice vintage this year, and you drop it on the ground. It’s sad. All your work is just down the toilet.” He’ll pull 50 acres of vines this year. Other farmers are looking for contracts to turn the grapes into syrup or concentrate. Wine sales are down 23% from 2020 to 329 million cases.

Prop 12 could derail Farm Bill

Swineweb. Farm bill moves forward: Five questions could define what comes next for pork. 
Synopsis: The battle over Prop 12 is one of the last remaining hurdles to getting a farm bill passed. The House bill contained language that kills the ability of states to set product standards for food sold in their markets. But the Senate version pointedly excluded such language. Major pork producers hate Prop 12 and other such mechanisms that dictate business practices. But smaller producers have adjusted, and don’t’ want to lose their investments in meeting Prop 12’s standards. Producers are now taking opposing positions on what such federal intervention would mean to their farms. The American Meat Producers Association opposes the House’s “Save Our Bacon” language and federal preemption of state’s rights. “Congress may ultimately settle the legislative fight over Proposition 12. It won’t settle the larger forces reshaping pork production.” 

Careful, the blood splatters

Merced Sun-Star. Mariachi, heavy metal and a little blood splatter: Things to do in Merced in Oct. 
Synopsis: One of These Nights, an Eagles tribute band, will play at the Mainzer Theater on Oct. 2. The “Inside The Teachers Lounge” comedy show will offer four stand-up comics at the Merced Theater, also on Oct. 2. Baile en el Teatro: Los Hijos del Valle and Banda Stereo will be at the Mainzer on Oct. 9. Flor de Toloache will be at the Merced Theater Oct. 16. Mike Hammar & The Nails will be at the Mainzer on Oct. 16. Finally, a live version of “Night of the Living Dead” will be Oct. 16-25 at Playhouse Merced. That’s where the blood splatter comes in.

Regard for UC Merced rises

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced named 30^th best public university in the nation. 
Synopsis: US News & World Report upped its estimate of UC Merced in its annual Best Colleges list. The school was named No. 4 for social mobility, No. 18 on the Best Value List and the seventh-best public university in the state of California.  Put it all together, and UCM is No. 30 in the nation. “The rankings point to a university increasingly recognized for the quality of its academic programs and faculty,” said Chancellor Juan Sanchez Muñoz. BTW, the top universities in the nation were MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, the CA Institute of Technology and Stanford.