Valley Solutions

How water, law reshape Valley

Ag Alert. Groundwater law begins reshaping the Valley. 
Synopsis: Reporter Caleb Hampton comes to Merced County to talk to renowned organic farmer Rosie Burroughs about the 2014 law that requires groundwater extraction to be “sustainable.” The Burroughs have fallowed about a fifth of their acreage because they don’t have enough surface water to sustain the trees. In the Eastern Turlock subbasin, it is estimated 22,000 acres will come out of production by 2035. Stacie Ann Silva of Altum Aqua Logic is working with 90 agencies and says every farmer is being forced to make difficult decisions. Orchard-removal companies have more business than they can accommodate. Land without irrigation is losing value, meaning farmers can’t get loans or must pay higher interest rates. “There’s a lot at risk,” said Silva. And if land is worth less, then farmers pay less taxes on it. That lost tax revenue is projected to cost local governments $242 million a year, meaning less money for firefighters, police officers, teachers, and people to fill potholes.

CA’s six distinct voting groups

SF Chronicle. CA voters aren’t just Democratic or Republican; the state has six voting groups. 
Synopsis: The Republican/Democrat distinction is far too binary for California, says the Chronicle. There are important differences in how San Francisco Democrats and Valley Democrats vote. The most center-of-the-road voters are “Standard Liberals.” The most radical are “Left Coasters.” The smallest voting group is also the most conservative, “Staunch Conservatives.” “Tesla Liberals” are about as close to the center as “Moderate Conservatives.” The story shows were most of these groups live. In the Valley, we don’t have any Tesla or Urban Working Class liberals, but quite a few “Standard Liberals,” and even more “Moderate Conservatives.” But most Valley residents are classified as “Staunch Conservatives.” 

Pundits review the debate

LA Times. Who won the CA governor debate on CNN? Here’s what our columnists say. 
Synopsis: The Times’ three opinion columnists watched the entire gubernatorial debate and shared their thoughts. Gustavo Arellano says mostly it was ‘just one giant shout-fest” but Antonio Villaraigosa rose above his rivals – though it could be too late. Mark Barabak called it a “no-hitter” – meaning no one landed any blows. So there were “no breakthroughs” and “no game-changing moments.” Anna Chabria said there was no winner, but there was a clear loser – Chad Bianco. He’s an Oath Keeper, and he looked weak when Katie Porter admonished him to “cowboy-up, Cupcake.” Tom Steyer’s “Bernie energy” likely appealed to a lot of folks, but enough?

Cal Matters. CA’s candidates for governor target ascending Becerra on national stage. 
Synopsis: Columnist Dan Walters watched the CNN debate and concluded that the differences between Democrats is nearly non-existent. The only real dustup was over healthcare. Tom Steyer, Katie Porter and the nurses’ union want single-payer coverage; Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa and doctors say it’s too expensive. He says at least one Democrat will survive this “jungle primary” and “almost certainly” become governor.

True costs of ‘beautiful’ bill

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County weighs impacts of ‘Beautiful Bill’ on food assistance, health care. 
Synopsis: Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that gutted funding for CalFresh and MediCal programs while lowering taxes for wealthy people also increased the costs for California’s counties. Stanislaus was forced to re-establish its defunct indigent health program, costing $8 million this year and $12 million next year. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program means the state will have to provide food assistance to 5,000 Stanislaus families. It’s difficult to determine how many people face work requirements to secure medical help, but the costs to monitor and confirm eligibility for an estimated 70,000 people will be substantial.

In praise of being boring

Turlock Journal. Boring can be a very good thing when it comes to local government. 
Synopsis: Columnist Mike Lynch writes in praise of the mundane business of government. He explains why he, a tax skeptic, volunteered to serve on Turlock’s Measure A Oversight Committee. This measure (which he voted against) means “our police and fire departments are fully staffed, new modern fire trucks are in neighborhoods, our parks are better and the roads are being repaired.” Things get done because public servants work together to make sure the work gets done. Seldom is such dedication exciting to watch, which has its own charm.

Raiding reserves a bad policy

Ceres Courier. City can’t continue dipping into reserves.
Synopsis: Reporter Jeff Benziger enters columnist mode to express dismay over the city’s $2.4 million budget gap, saying it “should scare the hell out of citizens.” The city has a legal obligation to keep 18% of its budget in reserve, meaning the city needs $5.4 million. Taking out enough to cover this year’s overspending leaves only $2.0 million – not enough to cover a single month’s expenses.

Ceres Courier. Effort to quash another car wash fails in 3-1 vote.
Synopsis: An application to build a Quick Quack car wash drew a little opposition before passing at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting. The car wash will be built next to the Raising Cane’s chicken restaurant on Hatch. Commission chair Gary Condit said the city gets too many applications for similar businesses and needs more variety. “Our city council has taken no real leadership to fix this issue,” he said. Reporter Jeff Benziger notes Ceres has eight car washes.

Thanks, but burger is for a kid

Fox26. Kind stranger pays for officer’s meal in drive-thru, unknowingly helps feed hungry child.
Synopsis: An unidentified officer decided to pick up a Happy Meal for a hungry child, driving his patrol car into the McDonald’s drive-thru. When the officer got to the window, he learned the meal for the child had been paid for by a previous customer. “In a world that can feel heavy sometimes, moments like that hit different,” wrote the PD on its Facebook page. “To the person who did this, we thank you.”
MAD Take: Hope that cop got more than a warm feeling for his compassion.

School’s herbicide rules changed

Modesto Bee. Patterson district pledges to restrict pesticide use following campus exposure.
Synopsis: Patterson Joint Unified apologized to parents whose students were mildly sickened at Apricot Valley School when a worker sprayed herbicides too close to occupied classrooms. That “should not have happened,” said the district’s Dave Smith. Now, the district is enforcing strict rules governing when and where such chemicals can be used. Five “students were taken to hospitals for further evaluation out of an abundance of caution” by their parents. Staff will get additional training in chemical use.

Costa cleared 6 years ago

GV Wire. House Ethics officials probe Costa, but dismiss case alleging wrongdoing with interns. 
Synopsis: David Taub leads his Politics 101 column by recounting a story from NOTUS that the House Ethics Committee investigated Rep. Jim Costa in 2020 after he was accused of behaving “inappropriately” with a House staffer. The committee found no merit in the accusations and voted unanimously to dismiss them. Apparently, Costa asked a woman to dance and she took offense during their ensuing conversation. His office said the unanimous dismissal speaks for itself.

Another big fire in Merced

ABC30. Soon-to-be car dealership catches fire overnight in Merced.
Synopsis: A building at V and 16^th streets was destroyed at around 3 a.m. Monday. By the time firefighters arrived, it was fully involved. The building was vacant but slated to become a showroom for Western Motors, next door. Chief Casey Wilson noted there have been several fires downtown over the past few years. The cause of Monday’s fire is under investigation.

Damp now, scorching soon

Ag Alert. Warm, dry start to spring sparks fire season concerns. 
Synopsis: Tim Hearden, recently arrived at Ag Alert from Western Farm Press, writes that this year is going to be a bad one for wildfire. “Within fire circles, we’re all bracing for a long, busy season,” said Lenya Quin-Davidson of the UC Ag & Natural Resources Fire Network. The late rain has made things worse, as grasses get a burst of growth. Farm groups are helping ranchers prepare through the Livestock Pass program. Mariposa rancher Tony Toso said he’s moving livestock in close to buildings to eat down all that grass.

Stocktonia. Outlook sours for cherry crop after SJ County growers endure heat, storms. 
Synopsis: The rain that fell in San Joaquin last week hurt cherry growers, whose fruit was reaching peak ripeness. First, unseasonal heat in April caused the fruit to ripen too quickly, then the rain burst many of the cherries. “Every year we pray for no rain during this time of year,” said Ag commissioner Kamal Bagri. Half of the state’s entire cherry crop is grown in San Joaquin. Grower James Chinchiolo says he will lose about 10% of his crop but will open his U-pick business Friday.

KSEE / CBS47. It could be 40 degrees warmer this time next week, forecast predicts.
Synopsis: The month of May started chillier than usual, but that isn’t going to last. By next Monday, the Valley will be hitting temps in low 100s. Fresno will stay a relatively cool 102, while Merced and Visalia are expected to hit 104. And the air quality is expected to get worse, too.

Broadway coming to Modesto

Modesto Bee. Gallo Center announces new season of 2026-27 star-studded shows for Modesto. 
Synopsis: Traveling versions of several Broadway shows are coming to Modesto, meaning you can see “Jersey Boys,” “Kinky Boots”, “Shucked” and “Waitress” without flying 2,000 miles. You can also see the Neil Diamond review, “A Beautiful Noise” and visiting Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel along with pop stars Rick Springfield and Art Garfunkel and comedians Marlon Wayans, Lily Tomlin, Henry Cho and Terry Fator. Foodies will get Alton Brown while Banda Y Mariachi, Conjunto Primavera and Camilia Fernandez provide serenade us with canciones.

Looking for weekend party?

Turlock Journal. Brewfest returns to Turlock for 13^th year.
Synopsis: Beer lovers can come to the Stanislaus Fairground on Saturday if they’d like to sample beer from several brewers. Sponsor Dust Bowl Brewing, Dying Breed Brewing and 45 craft beermakers will be tapping kegs. Visit California named last year’s festival one of the state’s 10 best. “This community shows up every single year, and we just keep trying to make it better,” said Vernoica Camp. Tickets range from $30 to $65.

UC Merced builds better hearts

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced professor earns grant to continue work with heart pumps.
Synopsis: Arian Aghilinejad, a first-year faculty member at UC Merced, has been given $231,000 to continue research into heart pumps. His grant is UC Merced’s first under the AHA’s Career Development program. Aghilinejad specializes in left ventricular devices, a failure point for 6 million people in the US each year. The bioengineer got his PhD from USC and post-doc training at Cal Tech.

Stanford focuses on mating

Wall Street Journal. A Stanford experiment to pair 5,000 singles has taken over campus.
Synopsis: Date Drop is a matchmaking platform that launched in September at Stanford, and now is the topic of most conversation. “They’re always talking about who they want to be matched with, who they’re matched with, who their friends are matched with,” said RA Ben Rosenfeld. Matches are based on 66 questions and an algorithm created by grad student Henry Weng. New matches drop every Tuesday at 9 pm. If your “drop” isn’t “chopped” (aka, ugly), you can meet up at On Call Café. If your friends want to help, they can send “couple” messages, increasing the odds of being matched. It’s so popular that Princeton, Columbia and MIT have picked up the program, and now venture capitalists are offering to put $2 million into marketing it.