Valley Solutions

Merced gets serious on gangs

ABC30. Merced ramps up gang-violence response. 
Synopsis: After a month in which five people were shot and three murdered, the Merced police department has launched a strategic initiative to combat gang violence. Two weeks ago, two 15-year-old boys were murdered at 13^th and G streets. A few days later, a 23-year-old man was gunned down at Austin and Olive. Just after New Year’s, two employees of Little Caesars Pizza were wounded while carrying out the trash. The new MPD unit will conduct high-visibility patrols, traffic stops and parole checks 7 days a week. MPD will work with other agencies – the sheriff’s office, DA, probation, CHP – to review cases, serve warrants and make arrests. The purpose is to reduce violence in the neighborhoods most affected.

Where’s that wine from?

SF Chronicle. Some ‘American’ wine legally contains cheap foreign juice; can CA close that loophole?
Synopsis: Columnist Esther Mobley explains that major wineries are buying cheap wine from countries like Australia, Chile and New Zealand even as Lodi grapes rot on the vine. Last year, winemakers imported 37 million gallons of bulk wine, a 24% bump over 2024. Assemblymembers Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, and Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, want to make sure buyers know where the juice in the box or bottle comes from. The CA Assn of Winegrape Growers, Lodi Winegrape Commission and Family Winemakers of CA all support AB 1585, but The Wine Institute – funded by the wineries -- has taken no position. Franzia Winery, made between Manteca and Escalon, already puts “Product of Australia” on the box.

Valley cities prepare for ICE

Fresno Bee. As ICE concerns rise, Fresno mayor’s MLK Day speech knocked tactics, urged compliance.
Synopsis: Mayor Jerry Dyer said the killing of a woman in Minneapolis has “shocked the conscience of America” and that ICE enforcement was “not part of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream for America.” While Dyer said he isn’t aware of any ICE activity in Fresno, he urged residents to comply with orders and avoid confrontations if it occurs. “We do not want a tragic outcome in our city.” Later Monday, ICE agents were stopping vehicles in Clovis, detaining a gardener who was on his way to work.

Fresno Bee. Several people detained by ICE in Fresno during traffic stops, watch group says.
Synopsis: Faith in the Valley, which is coordinating the ICE Watch Network in the region, says a man was detained on his way to work on Monday. Another man, in Clovis, was also detained. Both men believed they were being pulled over by local police until ICE agents removed them from their cars; both were released. A Faith in the Valley spokesperson said ICE is testing tactics in the area.

KCRA. Woodland and Stockton take steps to limit immigration enforcement.
Synopsis: On Thursday, Woodland Joint Unified School District announced that it will try to prevent ICE and Border Patrol agents from entering campus without a valid judicial warrant or subpoena. The state of CA requires all school districts to update their polices about immigration enforcement by March 1. Some 60 miles away, the city of Stockton became an official “Compassion City” seeking to limit the presence of immigration agents. The resolution was offered by councilmember Mario Enriquez, who has been demanding transparency from ICE agents operating in the city.

Newsom, Trump agree on Sites

Maven. Interior advances Trump’s priorities, approves Sites Reservoir Project. 
The US Department of the Interior approved the Record of Decision for the Sites Reservoir Project, a major off-stream storage project northwest of Sacramento. The decision authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to provide up to 25% of the total cost for the reservoir, which will contain 1.5 million acre-feet of storage from the Sacramento River. Once complete, the reservoir will deliver up to 200,000 acre feet of additional water to the CVP while streamlining operations. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum noted that the approval process was done “in record time,” reflecting Trump’s priority in delivering more water for the Valley. The reservoir has been a priority for Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of his water-resilience strategy. It means the two often contentious leaders are on the same side of an issue.

District promoted accused felon

Modesto Bee. How did Modesto ex-principal charged with having sex with a minor get promoted?
Synopsis: Brian Chubon was a 50-year-old vice principal at Gustine High when he admits having had sex with a 17-year-old in 2022. The student did not come forward until 2024, when the Merced DA and Gustine PD filed a complaint. By then, Chubon had long since left Gustine. He was hired as a vice principal at Mark Twain Junior High in 2022 then promoted to principal at Roosevelt last July – seven months after he had pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. On Jan. 14, he changed his plea to “no contest.” He got two years of probation and is now a registered sex offender. Modesto City Schools says it didn’t know about any of this until January’s plea deal. MCS’s spokeswoman said someone in Merced should have picked up the phone. But GUSD says MCS never bothered to check with the district before hiring Chubon. He no longer works for MCS.

Fresno trustees double their pay

Fresno Bee. Fresno Unified board trustees will receive 113% pay raises amid budget deficit.
Synopsis: The FUSD board of trustees voted 6-1 to give themselves a big raise starting Feb. 1. Their monthly stipend will go from $2,111 to $4,500 – that’s about $54,000 a year. The raises were made legal after Gov. Newsom signed a law relaxing limits on trustee pay statewide.

Major gas leak near Wasco

GV Wire. Kern County issues evacuation orders after methane gas release.
Synopsis: The Kern County Sheriff’s Office evacuated an unknown number of people from several areas north of Wasco after a methane gas release “created a serious health threat.” Methane displaces oxygen and causes dizziness, fatigue, nausea, collapse and even death from asphyxiation.

Valley politics: No cake walk

SF Gate. No one knows who’s behind Sacramento Valley billboard message to 80-year-old Dem.
Synopsis: A billboard near Vacaville wishes Rep. John Garamendi a happy birthday – but the message is sarcastic. The well-wisher pointed out that Garamendi turns 80 on Jan. 24 and was first elected 54 years ago. The billboard says it was paid for by “Americans Celebrating Octogenarians,” but no such group is registered anywhere. The billboard company has ignored requests to identify who paid for it. Garamendi noted he’s “delighted” to be wished a happy birthday and is also happy that someone noticed “that I’m the most experienced member (of Congress) in California. If you’re fighting Trump, experience matters.”

Merced County Times. Lincoln running as pro-growth, pro-housing public servant.
Synopsis: Kevin Lincoln has been a pastor, a mayor, a security guard, a Marine and a political operative – though none for very long. Seeking votes for Congress, Lincoln was recently introduced in Merced by Supervisor Daron McDaniel. Despite having run for mayor and for Congress (in 2024 against Josh Harder), Lincoln insists he is not a politician.

City staff shakeup in Stockton

Stocktonia. 2 deputy city managers depart, 1 gets hired in shake-up at Stockton city hall.
Synopsis: New Stockton city manager Johnny Ford announced changes in his leadership team, saying deputy city managers Chad Reed and Christy Courtney are “not currently employed” by the city. Reed was promoted to deputy in mid-2025 and in October was handling three different director-level jobs simultaneously due to staff departures. Christine Tien has been promoted to deputy city manager – a role she held in the city during Ford’s first tenure. This comes on the heels of city attorney Lori Asuncion quitting her job last week.

Car kills horse in dense fog

Merced Sun Star. Driver crashes into horse while going 50 mph in dense fog, says CHP.
Synopsis: A driver going 50 mph down Bloss Road in Delhi encountered two horses on the road and ran into one of them. The horse died and the car was badly damaged, but the driver did not appear to be hurt. The other horse also survived.

US pulls back, China speeds up

LA Times. Cheap Chinese EVs are suddenly everywhere in Mexico. 
Synopsis: BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle maker, has quietly captured 70% of the Mexican EV car market despite substantial tariffs. BYD’s flagship SUV costs $26,307 in Mexico City, despite significant tariffs – which the company absorbed as it works to increase market share. Last year, BYD models accounted for nearly 10% of all new-car sales in Mexico. At the same time, Tesla and other US manufacturers have ignored the Mexican market and sell few vehicles there. The Ford Mach E is made in Mexico, but the company charges a 10% premium to locals. “Go to any city in Mexico, you can see the BYD is the darling,” said one observer, adding that when young people talk about their next car, “they dream about their own BYD.”
MAD Note: Two days ago, Canada and China announced a trade deal that increased canola sales to China and allowed for low-tariff imports of 49,000 Chinese EVs to Canada. If the US doesn’t want to sell cars in Canada and Mexico, China would love to. BTW, the BYD U9 is rated as the world’s fastest car at 308.4 mph.