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.

Veteran at 100: ‘Life’s a picnic’

Patterson Irrigator. Patterson resident is a homegrown centenarian. 
Synopsis: Leon Rovedatti was the latest Patterson resident to celebrate his 100^th birthday, on Oct. 3. The Navy veteran was recognized during a party at El Solyo Village, where he lives. Rovedatti’s father immigrated from Italy to Grayson, where he eventually met Rovedatti’s mother. They farmed 100 acres of almonds, and Leo was born in a house on Marshall Road near Crows Landing. He left high school in 2043 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and ended up in the Seabees – a construction battalion. His longevity advice: “Join the military at 17 during a war. After that, life’s a picnic.”

26 Days to Election …

Modesto Focus. Politics Focus: Can’t candidates just get along?
Synopsis: Garth Stapley says Alexandra Duarte is taking cheap shots at Jaron Brandon in the race for State Senate District 4. An 11-year-old mug shot taken before charges were dropped is used to cast aspersions on Brandon without making any explicit accusations. He was arrested for public intoxication while in college at UC Merced. He had stayed with a friend who had consumed too much, and deputies arrested both of them. The charges were later dropped “but a mug shot lives forever.” Using such a photo is similar to Duarte’s primary flyer in which she appeared to be pointing a gun at incumbent Marie Alvarado-Gil. “Have we reached the point where anything goes in a campaign?” asked Stapley. “Where dirty tricks are not only fair game but expected and even encouraged?”

Turlock Journal. Over 730 students cast ballots on top races and state props in Pitman Mock Election. 
Synopsis: Students at Pitman High cast their ballots on the propositions and offered us an interesting precursor. Highly controversial Prop 40 – the billionaire’s tax – passed 426-296. But Prop 42, a poison pill that wipes out Prop 40 if gets more votes, passed with 428 votes – meaning Prop 40 would go down if the students were deciding. Hopefully, the students can see how their votes can make a difference.

Stocktonia. Candidates tackle key issues at Stockton forum; Ransom, Patti clash. 
Synopsis: A forum brought Fiona Ma (State Treasurer), Rhodesia Ransom (Assembly 13), Tom Patti (Assembly 13), John McBride (CA-9) and Matthew Adams (Assembly 9) to the same table at Delta College. Since only Ransom and Patti are opponents, their interaction was the most compelling as they argued over AB 2624. The bill would allow those working for immigrant services to shield personal information from the public view. Candidates also answered questions about Flock cameras, data centers and golden mussels.

North Valley Review. Election endorsements.
Synopsis: The Review offered the recommendations from both the San Joaquin County Democratic and Republican Parties. Candidate preferences were obvious. Democrats preferred Adam Gray (CA13), Josh Harder (CA9), Xavier Becerra, Fiona Ma, Rob Bonta, etc. On the props, local Dems recommended “Yes” on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 37, 38 and 40 and recommended “No” on 39, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45. Republicans agreed with Democrats on Props 38 and 444 but disagreed on all the rest.

‘Deniers’ hurt all elections

Cal Matters. How election deniers are using public records to sow doubt in California. 
Synopsis: Ryan Sabalow looks at a national group spending big money to make people doubt the validity of all elections. One is a law firm that admits it once falsely claimed that thousands of voters were non-citizens. Another knowingly spread lies to gin up donations. How can you tell their claims are BS? “There’s always a donate button. There’s always a newsletter that says, ‘donate.’” Says David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. It’s part of the “economy of grift.” For instance, a group called True the Vote in 2016 said it had evidence of 3 million illegal votes and raised $1 million from gullible donors to “expose corruption.” After raising the money, True the Vote never divulged any evidence or an apology. True the Vote’s founder, lawyer Catherine Engelbrecht, paid herself well for the effort. Now she is filing public-records requests in at least four CA counties. An Arizona registrar who left the Republican Party was blunt: “If you’re giving money or time to these people at this point, you’re a mark. I’m sorry, you’re a mark.”

This is a ‘crossroads’ election

Turlock Journal. America at a Crossroads: Choosing what kind of society we want to be. 
Synopsis: Jeffrey Lewis and Justin Wallin co-wrote this op-ed, starting from the premise that we are at a “critical juncture.” Many Americans are wealthier and healthier than previous generations, but there is a “crushing economic divide” that leaves lower- and middle-income families struggling to cover day-to-day expenses. For a nation to thrive, they write, it must have common purpose and mutual respect. Less outrage, more understanding. 

ICE sweeps up US citizens

Propublica. ‘I’m literally a US citizen. I’m literally a US citizen.’ 
Synopsis: ICE agents have detained more than 500 US citizens in sweeps this year. Yet, the Trump administration admits to none, calling the reports “categorically false.” Propublica catalogued 506 cases – virtually all people of color – in which American citizens were held illegally. That included 70 children and teens. There were 300 detained for allegedly assaulting an agent, but fewer than half were ever charged. At least 63 people have been detained just for pointing cellphones at agents, with half held for a day or more without being allowed to contact a lawyer or family. “This is just terrible,” said one former Border Patrol agent. “It’s an embarrassment,” said a former DHS staffer. The organization says their list is surely an undercount, because they could not identify everyone picked up by ICE. Said one two-time Trump voter: “ICE isn’t looking for criminals. They’re looking for Latinos. Having papers in this country does not protect you.”

‘Shame’ on ICE, says mayor

Fresno Bee. GOP mayor stands against ICE, monitors agents in west Fresno County: ‘Shame on them.’ 
Synopsis: Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez spoke out Wednesday, posting social media updates about the movement and location of ICE vehicles in his city. Martinez, a Republican, feels that confronting ICE is a non-partisan issue. “Shame on them for coming out to our communities and instilling fear,” he said of the agents. ICE has detained at least 24 people in the Fresno region this week, mostly farmworkers. Rep. Adam Gray’s office said his office was seeking information from federal agencies about any roundup or so-called “election surge.” He added that ICE should not be “creating fear and uncertainty for law-abiding people who live and work here.” Rep. Jim Costa said ICE is operating “with little transparency.”

Fox26. Fear of ICE enforcement impacts Valley businesses, schools, County Fair. 
Synopsis: Supervisor Luis Chavez urged people not to be afraid to attend the Fresno County Fair, go to school or to work despite ICE enforcement in the region. He told Fox26 that ICE agents cannot enter the fairgrounds without a warrant, adding that ICE agents are not welcome at the Fair. Meanwhile, at the Madera Swap Meet many vendor spaces were empty as was the parking lot. Madera Supervisor David Rodgers told ABC30 that he welcomed the agents, who are simply upholding the law.

More dire El Niño warnings

Modesto Bee. New data: Super El Niño to bring even more rain to CA, how much could we get?
Synopsis: McClatchy catches up to the news that the National Multi-Model Ensemble is showing a lot more water will rise from the ocean and be dumped on California this winter. “The sign is pretty unambiguous, rain is coming and, in some places, quite a lot.” San Diego and LA will get hit worse than the Valley. Data from two models is shown in a chart, and both say Modesto will get from 159 to 167% of normal rainfall in January. Stockton and Merced are similar: 159-to-162%. Fresno is at 158-to-161% of normal. Interestingly, Donner Summit will get only 138% of normal and Mount Shasta 139%.
MAD Take: How does this equate to actual water? Modesto’s “normal” January rainfall is around 2.7 inches, meaning if it 162% of normal that number will go up to 6.1 inches in January.

Rollbacks will hurt kids

KVPR. Trump administration plans to roll back regulations for Head Start; what it could mean for Valley. 
Synopsis: Head Start, which offers early education for children whose families otherwise cannot afford it, is targeted for huge changes in the coming year. At Head Start, students with special needs receive health screenings and support services. If they’re homeless, help is provided. The Trump administration would alter or eliminate Head Start’s rules for staffing, curriculum, screenings and performance metrics. Hearing and vision screenings would be scrapped, class sizes doubled or tripled. Students who speak languages other than English would lose all instruction. “It’s a double whammy,” said Edward Condon, an administrator in West Sacramento. “Throwing more responsibility to local programs then cutting their administrative staff.” Yolanda Gonzales who works in Kern and San Joaquin counties said dual-language instruction is vital for entire families. Said one father “it seems like they’re trying to cripple” the program.

UC Merced gets biomed grant

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced receives $4.5 million grant for biomedical training. 
Synopsis: The National Institutes of Health is giving UC Merced $4.5 million over 5 years to establish a doctoral program in biomedical research. The InCuBaTE program will support 16 grad students through 2 years of research. Professors Ajay Gopinathan, Andy LiWang and Victor Muñoz will oversee the grant and program. Students will work through research modules in the first year then concentrate on a specific research goal in the second.

Farm debt breaks record

Successful Farming. US farm debt is at a record; official data might be undercounting it. 
Synopsis: American farmers are borrowing more money than ever. Financial pressures are mounting across the nation as farmers struggle with disruptions in the export market and importation of fertilizer.  As farm bankruptcies inch up, banks are tightening standards. That is leading farmers to non-traditional and vendor credit services that the USDA cannot track, and signaling debt is likely even higher than data shows. The USDA says farm debt has doubled since 2000, from around $300 billion to $605 billion. The agency says there’s at least another $45 billion in debt from non-traditional sources.

Hills Ferry dedicates plaque

Turlock Journal. Blue Star Memorial dedicated at Hills Ferry Cemetery.
Synopsis: Veterans, garden-club members and a people from the communities of Newman and Gustine gathered at Hills Ferry Cemetery on Friday morning to dedicate a new Blue Star Memorial Marker and honor U.S. Service members. The Blue Star program was created by the National Garden Clubs back in the 1940s, planting dogwood trees as memorials for those lost in World War II. The guest of honor was Lt. Gen. Dan Zanini, a 1963 graduate of Gustine High who commanded the US 8^th Army in Korea.

Is Fresno the ‘new LA’?

Fresno Bee. Is Fresno the new LA? Why young people are flocking here from Southern California. 
Synopsis: Fresno is one of the top landing locations for young people leaving SoCal’s largest metro areas, according to data compiled by U-Haul. The data was noted by the LA Times, which quoted Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer extolling the virtues of his city. He compared the cost of housing, lack of congestion and proximity to outdoor recreation as reasons to move to Fresno. The most interesting part to Dyer is that so many Gen-Z newcomers are locating in downtown Fresno. That, in turn, has attracted restaurants and entertainment. The top five destinations for those fleeing SoCal are: San Francisco, Fresno, Bakersfield, Houston, Dallas.