Valley Solutions

Gov primary down to wire

LA Times. Becerra leads governor’s race with Hilton, Steyer in tight contest for second, poll finds. 
Synopsis: With five days left before voting ends, a LA Times and UC Berkeley poll shows Xavier Becerra with 25% of the vote followed by Steve Hilton (21%) and Tom Steyer (19%) neck-and-neck. The poll talked to 5,472 “likely voters” and has an estimated margin of error of +/-2% -- meaning it’s basically a three-way tie. Chad Bianco (5%) and Katie Porter (7%) showed the biggest drops. As in every election, turnout is key. Latino voters, who frequently ignore elections in non-presidential years, support Becerra the most heavily. Black voters mostly prefer Steyer. Hilton gets the libertarians and voters in the Central Valley. The poll found 7% of voters still undecided. After spending most of 2026 worrying Democrats would be shut out of the general election, it now appears possible Republicans will not have a candidate. “I’m not saying it’s likely, but it’s possible that two Democrats could emerge,” said poll director Mark DiCamillo.

Politico. CA Playbook: Still ahead. 
Synopsis: The Playbook reported on another poll, this one commissioned by the decidedly biased California is Not For Sale PAC. In that one, Steve Hilton gets 27% followed by Xavier Becerra (26%), Tom Steyer (22%), Chad Biannco (9%) and Katie Porter (8%). The margin of error is +/- 4.1%, meaning a much smaller sample size.

SF Chronicle. Here’s what the latest CA governor polls show – and what they mean for your vote. 
Synopsis: The Chron looks at final polls released by CA’s top three entities – LA Times/Berkeley; PPIC; Emerson College. Basically, they all say the same thing: Becerra is surging but Steyer and Hilton are right in there. We’ve likely heard the last of Porter, Mahan, Bianco et al. But the Chron adds value to this story by throwing in data from betting sites Kalshi and Polymarket. Both pick Becerra to win, but both show Steyer coming in second (22% and 19%) with Hilton a far distant third (9% on both platforms). The story warns against putting too much faith in such betting sites, saying they reflect “crypto bros” fever dreams and people willing to lose money just to move the odds.

If primary aggravates you, fix it

Sacramento Bee. The CA governor’s race you hate is the one you helped create. 
Synopsis: Columnist Tom Philp writes that the wide-open “jungle” primary is exactly what CA voters chose while approving reforms in 2014. Philp goes through each candidate’s positions and points to the flaws. He finds it “beyond ironic” that a true progressive-populist like Porter is available but is lagging well behind billionaire-populist Steyer. Philp concludes: “If Steyer and Becerra happen to surface on top, heaven help us.”

Anonymous racism in Fresno

Fresno Bee. Candidates in Fresno council races denounce racist complaint as election nears. 
Synopsis: David Taub writes about an anonymous complaint that arrived in city hall alleging two city council candidates have committed “campaign improprieties,” though some of the charges are clearly not illegal. For instance, Naindeep Singh is said to have “used his influence” to rename a Fresno park in honor of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Sikh activist who died in 1995. Using “influence” is not illegal. The complaint also referenced “illegals” using “international driver’s licenses,” a favorite complaint of right-wing trolls. Singh called the complaint “baseless, desperate lies of a person with little relevance beyond running smear campaigns rooted in racism.” City attorney Andrew Janz said the city will take no action.

Flyers anger Merced sheriff

Merced County Times. Merced incumbents receive more support from ‘Back the Badge.’ 
Synopsis: Another flyer has been sent to voters in Supervisorial District 3, and it has angered Sheriff Vern Warnke. The flyer shows incumbent Daron McDaniel standing alongside the sheriff as if to endorse him. “I’m not endorsing him and he did not have my permission to use that photo,” said Warnke. “He’s got my picture up there and I strongly believe it misrepresents my position.” McDaniel said the flyer was sent without his knowledge or permission. It was produced by Back the Badge, which isn’t based in Merced. Back the Badge, whoever it is, spent $11,200 on flyers supporting McDaniel and Supervisor Scott Silveira and another $3,750 for digital ads.

Merced County Times. District 3 supervisor’s race reveals parity in contributions. 
Synopsis: Reporter Robin Shepard examines contributions given to Supervisor Daron McDaniel and his challenger, former CHP Sgt. Luis Lara. McDaniel got support from PG&E, the Building Industry Association, CA Poultry Federation and Merced Hotel & Lodging Association. Lara has gotten funding from Esmeralda Soria, Adam Gray and Atwater councilwoman Kalissa Rochester along with several labor groups such as the Merced Police Officers Assn and CA Assn of Highway Patrolmen. Each candidate has raised more than $90,000.

Merced County Times. Westside supervisors race shows disparity in contributions.
Synopsis: Incumbent Scott Silveira has raised $123,150 compared to $3,215 by Miguel Alejandra. Silveira is running for a third term and has gotten contributions from the Milk Producers Council, PG&E Employees, Cal Fire Local 2881 and the Building Industry Assn among others.

Diablo Grande gets water deal

Modesto Bee. Water deliveries will continue to Diablo Grande in western Stanislaus County.
Synopsis: Kern County Water Agency will continue delivering water to 600 homes in the Diablo Grande development. Western Hills Water District said Wednesday that it will continue buying water from the irrigation district 200 miles south. The water is drawn from Kern’s allotment carried in the federal aqueduct which runs near the development west of Patterson. Kern has long insisted Western Hills owed $14 million and said it would cut off all flows by May 31. “First and foremost, the $14 million we owe is going to be erased,” said Western Hills board president Mark Kovich. Also, the district will not be required to buy 8,000-acre feet of water each year. Instead, it will be billed only for the water it uses. That 8,000-acre feet was the amount contracted back in 2008 when the development envisioned three golf courses and 5,000 homes. But only one course and 600 homes were built, resulting in far less water being needed.
MAD Take: Details were not in the story, but it is a good guess the settlement might have included a reckoning of what happened to all the water that Western Hills contracted for but was never delivered by KCWA. Reporting by Lois Henry, publisher of the SJV Water blog, uncovered the district’s failure to deliver the water or account for what happened to it. They should name the clubhouse in her honor.

Saving less groundwater

AgroNews. CA groundwater recovery stalls. 
Synopsis: A Dept of Water Resources update shows groundwater recovery has stalled with pumping outpacing recharge. Statewide, 13-million-acre feet was pumped from aquifers. Managed recharge, meanwhile, dropped sharply from last year. Still, 71% of monitored wells showed little change over last year, with 13% rising more than 5 feet and 15% declining more than 5 feet. More than half of all monitored wells showed long-term declines. The Tulare Lake and San Joaquin regions remain the most stressed. Subsidence also edged up across 3,100 square miles, two thirds of that in the Tulare Lake region.

Water markets make it worse

Denver Water Law Review. Dammed water markets: How markets inhibit efficient allocation. 
Synopsis: While water-transfer markets in theory provide optimal solutions for allocating water, the actual experience is far, far different. Municipal water buyers often fall short of supplies and must pay exorbitant premiums for marginal units. That contributes to price distortions that impact others, including farmers. This is a “market failure in and of itself, calling into question normative arguments that water transfer markets provide for an ideal mode of resource allocation,” wrote the authors of the study.  

Rule change has impact here

Bureau of Reclamation. BR develops new categorial exclusions to streamline environmental review. 
Synopsis: The federal Bureau of Reclamation removed outdated red tape to streamline reviews of hydropower maintenance and improvements, according to a press release. Gone are bureaucratic requirements for 1) seeking reauthorization of non-federal hydropower and 2) performing maintenance and replacement, including turbines, generators, gates, etc.
MAD Note: This would appear to have a positive impact on all of the dam-owning water districts in our region – Oakdale, South San Joaquin, Modesto, Turlock and Merced.

Is it ‘tea time’ in California?

CA Ag Net. UC explores tea’s potential as a “champion crop.’
Synopsis: After 60 years of growing oranges, nuts and grapes in Fresno County, Stan Ishii is trying something new: tea. He got the idea after attending a seminar put on by UC Ag & Natural Resources in Parlier in which every seat was taken. Farmers, gardeners, scientists and students packed the room to hear about an “immense market” for tea in the US. The US imports $6 billion in tea each year. The UC folks said it has been growing quite well at its ag station since 2017. Tea, it turns out, doesn’t like too much water. The problem is that it takes skilled hands to harvest tea, and we have too few in CA.

Math profs: Bring back tests

EdSource. UC professors cite students’ ‘severe’ math deficits in call for return of SAT requirements.
Synopsis: More than 600 math and science professors on UC campuses are urging administrators to bring back the ACT and SAT tests to ensure engineering, math, computer and science students have an adequate understanding of basic math. After 6 years of “test-free” admissions, the professors say too many students are entering classes unable to perform basic calculations. They say they must provide remedial instruction for middle-school math. Professors on every campus signed the letter, though only six were from UC Merced. SAT and ACT tests were abandoned as admissions criteria because some believed they were biased against socio-economically disadvantaged students who lacked access to prep courses.
MAD Take. Wonder what Jaimie Escalante would say about perceived “biases” based on socio-economic conditions?

Let’s hear it for the Spears!

Stocktonia. Stockton’s new pro hockey team narrows name choices to 4, and one’s a vegetable. 
Synopsis: The new hockey team coming to Adventist Health Arena in October needs a name and promoters have narrowed it to four: 1) Thunder, a throwback to the team that played in the arena until 2015. 2) Spears, harkening back to the city’s days as prime asparagus-growing location. 3) Steam, another historical reference to the railroads that once ran through the region. 4) Port City Pirates, which offers “outlaw flair,” and the only one with continue relevance. You can vote.

Celebrating a life of service

Modesto Bee. Celebration of life to be held Saturday for Modesto education leader Odessa Johnson. 
Synopsis: A celebration of Odessa Johnson will be Saturday at Modesto Junior College’s auditorium on College Avenue, at 2:30 pm. A reception at the college’s nearby art gallery starts at 1 p.m. Johnson came to Modesto in 1962 and was the first Black teacher at Modesto High. She later moved to MJC where she became Dean of Education and later served four terms on the Modesto City Schools board. As a regent for the University of California, she was instrumental in establishing UC Merced. A fierce advocate for students, Johnson was known for her quiet strength and dignity. “There has never been a finer person. I was honored to have worked with Odessa,” said emeritus dean of counseling Derek Waring. He said Johnson always offered “a willing ear, a kind voice to help guide staff and students.”

Is that a frog in your salad?

Morning Ag Clips. Lettuce introduce you to the live frog found in this grocery store salad bag.
Synopsis: When Aussie farmer Rhys Smoker told his housemates he’d found a frog in the lettuce bag, they didn’t believe him. Recounted Laura Jones, “He’s like, ‘Oh bro, there’s a frog in the lettuce. And we’re like, ‘No, you’re taking the mick. Like that’s not real.’” But it was real. They named the frog Greg before releasing it into a pond near their home. They even played “Crazy Frog” as he disappeared. The store owner, Woolworths, said it is investigating. But this is not the first reptile found in its lettuce bags.
MAD Take: Woolworths? Apparently, it’s the largest grocery chain Down Under.