Valley Solutions

Stabilizing Valley aquifers is key

Maven / DWR. DWR study finds groundwater stabilization key to protecting Valley water. 
Synopsis: The Dept of Water Resources has released a new assessment of the “water conveyance” (aka, Delta Tunnel), saying that the impacts of subsidence must be stabilized or reversed before adding more water from the Delta can be effective. The land beneath the San Joaquin Valley’s major canals is sinking due to over-pumping from the underlying aquifers; if those aquifers are not stabilized through a reduction in pumping, then the repairs won’t work. Making repairs to the canals – San Luis, the CA Aqueduct, Delta-Mendota and Friant-Kern – should be the state’s top priority, says the report. “This study makes the picture unmistakably clear: The most effective path forward is stabilizing groundwater levels and repairing the major canals that bring surface water to the San Joaquin Valley,” said Joel Metzger, DWR’s deputy director of resource planning and project management. Subsidence has diminished their carrying capacity by 44% in some places.

Finding help for the holidays

ABC30. Hundreds given free holiday food ahead of Thanksgiving in Merced. 
Synopsis: Hundreds of people lined up at the Merced County Fairgrounds last Monday to take home a free holiday meal. Volunteers handed out a free turkey, cheese and almonds to around 500 people. Budina Smith was one of the first in line at 6:30 am and said a prayer in thanks. Others spoke of hardships they are facing, from the loss of SNAP benefits to higher prices. Developer Greg Hostetler, who provided the turkeys and nuts, said “it’s an honor to be here and do this. … We only live once and it’s a great thing to give.”

Modesto Bee. As holiday season begins, food pantries need donations. 
Synopsis: Between the interruption of SNAP benefits and rising prices, many Stanislaus families are having a hard time making ends meet. Stanislaus has 60 registered food pantries, including the Westside Food Pantry in Patterson, MoPride, the Salvation Army, Second Harvest, Support Life Foundation and many others. Most are asking for food donations, collecting them at barrels near grocery stores. 

Marching toward the holidays

Turlock Journal. Turlock readies for holiday festivities.
Synopsis: Kristina Hacker writes about the upcoming Festival of Lights, which starts Nov. 28 at 5 pm with the tree-lighting ceremony. It will feature 200 vendors, entertainment and a drone show at Central Park. There will also be a parade, starting at 6:30 pm.

Patterson Irrigator. Tree lighting ceremony getting closer.
The Patterson Christmas Tree Lighting will be Dec. 6 at 5:45, just before the Christmas Parade begins at 6 pm.

Grieving family asks for help

Merced Sun Star. Merced family of teen shooting victim raising funds for funeral, other needs. 
Synopsis: The family of 16-year-old Davarion Granados is trying to raise money through GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral. He was killed in a shooting on the night of Nov. 19. He is remembered as a “vibrant young man filled with energy, humor and kindness – someone who deserved so much more time to grow, to laugh, to love.” There are no suspects.

Group rescues 80 chihuahuas

Modesto Bee. Dozens of chihuahuas abandoned in Modesto, Ceres; Merced rescue seeks fosters. 
Synopsis: Some 80 chihuahuas were found abandoned at homes in Modesto and Ceres. County officials called Sharon Lohman of New Beginnings for Merced County Animals, who stepped in and is trying to find foster families until permanent homes can be found. “Every single one of them is terrified,” said Lohman. They were found living in filthy conditions and in need of veterinary and dental care. Lohman, who frequently takes dogs to other states for adoption, said she needs donations of dog food and money. Apparently, the chihuahuas owner was living in a rental home and had set up a puppy mill. Lohman says she expects the homeowner to file a complaint against the renter.

Westside Connect. Gustine Community Cattery forms to address rising feral cat population.
Synopsis: Melodi Busch has a heart for cats and kittens and has formed the Gustine Community Cattery. The purpose is to find homes for feral cats. Before being sent out for adoption, all will be neutered.

Can tequila save Valley ag?

Western Farm Press. Could agave be an answer for farmers in water-challenged areas?
Synopsis: Editor Todd Fitchette talks to Stuart Woolf who recently showed off his 450 acres of agave, the basic ingredient of mescal tequila. Woolf began planting agave several years ago along with his almonds, pistachios, tomatoes and garlic in western Fresno County. Last week roughly two dozen farmers and UC Extension faculty came to his plot near Huron to talk about building an industry around agave. Making tequila requires investment in ovens for processing the plants and stills for creating the elixir.

Cotton, rice growers in trouble

Successful Farming. Financial losses for many crops are set to extend this year. 
Synopsis: The margins “on almost every major crop are set to fall this marketing year,” warns the American Farm Bureau Federation. Taking the biggest hits will be cotton and rice, California’s two most significant “program” crops. Cotton losses are expected to hit $370 per acre, rice $364. The cotton forecast is especially bad coming on top of last year’s losses of $368 per acre. Peanuts, corn and wheat are expected to see larger losses than last year, but losses on soybeans and sorghum will be lower. The losses on corn are expected to hit $15 billion nationwide. These “deepening negative returns are adding new challenges to accessing capital and are driving farm bankruptcies and loan delinquencies,” said the Bureau. Enhanced price supports in the One Big Beautiful Bill won’t be paid out until 2026 or 2027. Sec. Brooke Rollins said Monday that “we’re selling a lot more soybeans than we were a couple of months ago.” Still, soybean sales are down at least 12 million metric tons year-over-year.

More good news on salmon

Daily Kos. Great news: Nearly 10,000 salmon have migrated up the Klamath above former dams. 
Synopsis: Dan “Fishsniffer” Bacher continues to extoll the extraordinary number of salmon that have migrated up the Klamath River this year. It coincides with the removal of four dams that blocked spawning beds farther upstream. Officials have counted around 10,000 salmon at the site of Iron Gate Dam, or about 30% more salmon than made it that far last year.
MAD Note: It is wonderful that so many salmon are coming up the river. But it has little to do with the dams coming down and more to do with the improvement in salmon numbers across Northern California. Salmon have a 2- to 5-year life cycle, and the numbers reflect the number of fish that exited the system in 2021-24 – which includes two drought years. During that time many organizations were insisting that poor water management had pushed salmon to the brink of extinction. Happily, those fears were overblown. Key to the numbers is the fact that commercial salmon fishing has been banned the past two years, allowing numbers to recover from years of overfishing.

Red Bluff Daily News. Saving salmon: Major Battle Creek grant provides hope for wildlife.
Synopsis: River Partners has acquired the 1,721-acre Battle Creek Ranch in Tehama County, using a $15 million grant from the CA Wildlife Conservation Board. It includes purchase of water rights that will allow the organization to restore salmon-bearing waterways through the property.
MAD Take: River Partners continues its spectacular efforts, working with local farmers and landowners to make massive improvements for wildlife. This will be one of RP’s biggest projects, superseding even the Dos Rios Ranch project (1,600 acres) that eventually became California’s newest state park.

KNVN (Chico). CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife working to reintroduce native fish into Big Chico Creek.
Synopsis: The state will remove a significant barrier blocking Big Chico Creek for spawning salmon and steelhead trout. In all, there will be 6 species put into the creek. As they’re seeing across the state, more salmon are showing up on the creek than anticipated.

UFW sues USDA over wages

Successful Farming. Farm workers sue over Trump’s low wages for foreign guest workers. 
Synopsis: The United Farm Workers and 18 individual workers sued the US Dept of Labor over new October pay guidelines for workers on H-2A visas. The guidelines set different wages in different states based on a variety of factors. They also allow employers to include the value of housing in pay calculations. The rules are “drastically cutting the minimum wage that US employers must pay foreign farmworkers, all while costs and wages in other sectors have sharply increased,” said the lawsuit.

99 Speedway owner critical

CBS13. Stockton speedway owner, wife in critical condition after head-on crash.
Synopsis: Tony Noceti and his wife Rowena were hit head-on by a driver who came into their lane to make a pass on Hwy 88 last weekend. Both Nocetis are in critical condition. They own Stockton 99 Speedway, where the Oakdale native has been active as a promoter and racer for years. Noceti is known for having revived the Asparagus Festival in Stockton and bringing the Garlic Festival to the city for a short time after Gilroy abandoned it. The family is asking for privacy as treatment continues.

AMR paramedic honored

Stockton Record. ‘His life mattered’: Stockton paramedic honored with national award for rescue.
Synopsis: Dustin Wilson, who works for American Medical Response, was given the American Ambulance Assn Star of Life award. The Stockton-based paramedic was one of the first to respond to a man hanging from a rope off a bridge. The man had been attempting to rappel off the bridge but got fouled in his lines. Wilson went over the guardrail and secured the victim so he could be pulled to safety.

Kobe tribute is published

Merced Daily (Facebook). Merced artist featured in Kobe Bryant book.
Synopsis: Chrisian Aguilar is featured in Vanessa Bryant’s new book, “Mamba and Mambacita Forever.” Aguilar, 33, created Kobe memorial following the death of the “Black Mamba” in 2020. After seeing a photo of the memorial, Bryant’s widow asked for permission to feature it in her book.

Modesto’s new team: Roadsters

Modesto Bee. Modesto’s new baseball team unveils another name, also tied to car culture.
Synopsis: Since “Glow Riders” didn’t sit well with a lot of folks, the new Pioneer League team that will begin playing at Thurman Field next Spring came up with another name – the Roadsters. The mascot will be a kit fox named Cruiser, who drives a Corvette. At least once a week the team will play as the Glow Riders, which team owner Dave Heller insists has more to do with lowriders than with the tot-scooter of the same name.