Valley Solutions

Patterson slow-rolls data centers

Modesto Bee. Patterson’s 45-day moratorium chills any talks of data center construction. 
Synopsis: The city of Patterson passed a 45-day moratorium on considering any data centers within the city limits on June 30. At a July 8 meeting of the city’s economic strategic commission, a city official confirmed that at least one data-center developer has contacted the city to gauge interest. Many in the city worry about water, considering aquifers beneath the city have collapsed causing surface subsidence. Residents of Patterson, Modesto, Grayson and Westley all attended the July 8 meeting, several speaking in opposition to data centers. One of those was Kandace Weyhrauch, who is president of the chamber of commerce. “They’re going to tell us that this one will be quiet, this one’s not going to use water, it’s going to generate its own energy – all the things that we want to hear. But unfortunately, there are data centers that have said they will only use recycled water and then once they get in there, they’ve sued the city to access fresh water.” Property owner Joe Hollowell said the moratorium will send a bad signal to those interested in developing in the city. Those supporting developing data centers in the county refused to speak with reporter Kathleen Quinn.

Manteca’s growing and glowing

SF Chronicle. CA is in a population slump; these 7 cities are booming anyway. 
Synopsis: Six reporters worked on this report – including two who began their careers at the Modesto Bee.  Basically, reporters profiled a few of CA’s fastest-growing cities, looking for common ground. They found it: Growing cities portray themselves as great and affordable places for families. Manteca will hit 100,000 within two years and wants to expand to 150,000. A home there costs $598,000 compared to $1.45 million in San Jose and $695,000 in Mountain House. Of those moving in, 70% are “BATs” – Bay Area Transplants. There are actually plenty of other cities that could have been profiled, but the Chron chose these six. For instance, next-door-neighbor Lathrop – with whom Manteca shares a school district – is growing even faster.

Farmers fear more losses

Ag Daily. America’s farmers may see deeper losses in 2027. 
Synopsis: American farmers could face a year of even steeper financial losses in 2027 as inflation, weak commodity prices and volatile production costs continue to pressure the farm economy, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Row-crop growers are expected to lose $32 billion in 2027, up from $31 billion in losses in 2026. The biggest reason is that farmgate prices paid to farmers remain below break-even. Cotton will be the biggest loser ($406 per acre) followed by corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, sorghum, oats, barley and peanuts. Vegetable and fruit growers also lost money in 2025, but they are expected to see at least a little improvement in 2026. The Bureau projects almonds, apples, blueberries, lettuce, potatoes and strawberries will remain net losers this year.

Farming sunshine makes sense

LA Times. As water restrictions hit farmers, solar is making sense. 
Synopsis: Reporters Ian James and Bianca Begert travel to Buttonwillow to see 2,600 acres of solar panels going up on Todd Tracy’s farm. Eventually, the panel project will cover 12,000 acres (across 18 farms) and include the nation’s largest storage, i.e. battery, installation. “We had to find a use for the ground,” said Tracy. The dirt won’t grow anything without water, and there isn’t enough under SGMA rules for his cotton, wheat, carrots, pistachios and almonds. “We’re still paying mortgages, we’re still paying taxes and employees, and we see the writing on the wall,” said Tracy. It is estimated solar panels and batteries covering 1.3 million acres in the Central Valley will provide 10 gigawatts of clean energy by 2045. One of the largest facilities in the world is the 2.27-gigawatt Westlands Solar Park designed to cover 135,000 acres in Kings and Fresno counties. Much of the land belongs to Westlands Water District. Not all farmers welcome the shiny panels, and many don’t want the state to jettison the Williamson Act, which provides tax breaks for farmland. Instead of forgiving tax breaks, they say, utility companies should reimburse the state.

Clearing path for balcony solar

Sacramento Bee. Balcony solar is viable affordable energy option for CA renters. 
Synopsis: Shivani Radhakrishnan, who teaches at Vassar, writes that in Europe, hundreds of thousands of apartment-dwellers have tiny solar units powering AC, TVs and cooking. While Utah has approved the units, the rest of America must wait. That’s crazy, especially in CA where retail electricity is rising 61% faster than inflation. Senate Bill 868 will change that, allowing CA homeowners and renters to put up small solar units then directly plug into a home’s 120-volt system. Currently, these small systems require the same expensive permits needed for much larger systems. This plug-in solar will clean the air, reduce demand on the grid and keep residents cooler and their wallets fuller.

Junkyard fire hits Modesto

GV Wire. Fire burns nearly 100 vehicles at Modesto auto-wrecking yard. 
Synopsis: A fire burned roughly 100 wrecked vehicles early Sunday morning, prompting multiple fire crews to be dispatched to Crows Landing Road. Firefighters concentrated on saving the nearby mobile-home park as they needed 80 minutes to contain the blaze. Three trucks, three tenders from Stanislaus Regional, Westport and Stanislaus Consolidated responded.

Cancer center tops out

Modesto Bee. Progress made on Sutter Health cancer center to serve Stanislaus, other counties.
Synopsis: Ken Carlson writes about the “final steel beam” lifted into place for the new Sutter Health Cancer Center as the four-story structure rises next to the main hospital. Construction on the 165,000-square-foot facility began in January and has been moving along rapidly. When complete in 2029, it will house 120 doctors and 400 staffers offering everything from molecular diagnosis to treatment involving radiation, chemo and immune therapies.

Homes put before new church

KVPR. Fresno church gives up land to build affordable housing. 
Synopsis: The West Side Church of God felt compelled to provide housing for those who can’t afford it, giving up land they had intended for a new church. The church already provides a food bank and regular mental health counseling for those in need. Many retirement-age people lack the income to afford housing, said Allysunn Walker of the Southwest Fresno Community Development Corp. “We wanted to create a place where (seniors) could age in place with dignity and affordability. They wouldn’t have the threat of being displaced or evicted,” said Walker. Said Pastor Paul Binion: “We have seniors who are trying to make it off $1,800 a month on Social Security, and then pay $1,500 a month for rent. You can’t live like that.”

Bucking their party

Cal Matters. Most CA lawmakers never buck their party. These few do. 
Synopsis: Reporter Ryan Sabalow focuses on two Valley Assemblymembers – Dr. Jasmeet Bains of Delano and Juan Alanis of Modesto – as examples of “maverick” legislators willing to go against the wishes of their parties. For Republican Alanis, it has paid off. He didn’t even have an opponent this year. For Bains, not so much. She represented a true threat to moderate Republican David Valadao in his bid to return to Congress, but she was defeated in the primary by the more leftward Randy Villegas. Sabalow also looks at Greg Wallis, a Republican who frequently votes with Democrats on social issues such as abortion and privacy. Such independence is unlikely to be rewarded by those who now control the Republican Party. As for Dr. Bains, she has no regrets. Her votes were “for my community,” not her party.
MAD Take: It could be that these “mavericks” are the harbinger of things to come and not outliers. A lot of Americans are fed up with the politics of division and are looking to find their way back to a politics of persuasion. Maybe ideology should count less than getting results. A few leaders are promising to put their constituents ahead of politics -- no matter the political cost.

Clerk blows whistle in Stockton

Record.net. Stockton clerk requests probe of mayor’s spokesperson over alleged election interference.
Synopsis: Stockton city clerk Katherine Roland is asking that the city attorney investigate the mayor’s publicist, Jason Teramoto, saying he engaged in improper election interference. Roland says Teramoto exerted pressure to change the candidate statements that appeared on ballots. Her accusation closely resembles statements from Vice Mayor Jason Lee. Teramoto denies interference, but the city attorney said publicly any action taken against Roland might be a violation of whistleblower protections.

Bredefeld’s $7,000 make-believe

GV Wire. Bredefeld capitalizes on perk, becomes a video action hero. 
Synopsis: Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld is a polarizing figure and won’t become less so after pointing a rifle at the camera in a video meant to promote his upcoming State of the County speech. He’s posing in a SWAT vehicle that belongs to the county. News Director Bill McEwen calls the video “well done” but points out that it cost the Chamber of Commerce $7,000 to make.  
MAD Take: “Well done”? Overdone seems a bit more like it. Most little boys outgrow pretending to be a cop.

Madera girls winning titles

Madera Tribune. Madera National Senior Softball wins first state title. 
Synopsis: The Madera National All-Stars softball team for under-16 girls beat Colusa 13-0 to win the California state title last weekend. It was their second win over Colusa in the double-elimination tourney as they outscored their foes 28-4 in two games. Dallas Chavira pitched a no-hitter in the title game. The team qualified for the national tournament starting July 23 in Missoula, Montana. The team is washing cars and trying other ways to raise money for the trip.

ABC30. Madera united puts small town on the big stage with championship.
Synopsis: The Madera United Under-14 girls soccer team has only 14 members, but they were enough to beat the CDA Slammers 2-1 and win the Gold Division Regional title in Denver. Coach Jesse Zapata says his team will advance to the national championships.