Valley Solutions

Time to start shopping …

Valley Solutions. Daily headline report taking Christmas break.
Synopsis: Having waited until the next-to-last minute to begin shopping, the editorial staff of Valley Solutions will be taking a few days off to catch up then enjoy the holidays. Editor Mike Dunbar reminds everyone to recognize and embrace the joy found in this season – especially if you’re having trouble remembering how to celebrate. Valley Solutions will resume its weekday emails on Monday, Dec. 29.

Students place 72 wreaths

Patterson Irrigator. PHS students honor veterans with Christmas wreaths. 
Synopsis: Students from Patterson High participated in the Wreaths Across America project, delivering wreaths to the gravesites of veterans. It is a passion project for Dave Dein, who leads the school’s Trucking Program. His father fought in WWII and the trucking industry has been a big supporter of the nationwide program. Among the students stepping up are members of the Junior ROTC and their teacher, Steve Barron – a retired Army sergeant. They placed 72 wreaths. Dein thinks more can be done. He notes that 50,000 veterans are buried at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery but only 4,000 graves had wreaths.

Gray’s water package explained

Turlock Journal. Gray introduces legislation to expand CA water infrastructure. 
Synopsis: Reporter Joe Cortez dives into the End the CA Water Crisis package of bills authored by Adam Gray. It would provide funding for nearly two-dozen environmental, storage and water-management projects in the Valley. Gray said the multi-bill package, co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Costa, will help “maintain dependable water supplies, reduce flood risks, and responsibly manage water flow to preserve our environment while unleashing agricultural production.”

Quakes, condors, glyphs – oh my

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus dam controversy has it all: Seismic concern, condors, unusual rocks. 
Synopsis: Reporter Ken Carlson looks at all the reasons – including some that have surfaced only recently – that activists have for opposing the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir. Del Puerto is described as a “peaceful canyon in Western Stanislaus County where people hike and enjoy the scenery.” Del Puerto Water District is the lead agency in the $1.2 billion project to store 82,000 acre feet. The project will benefit Westside farmers, provide flood protection and groundwater recharge. The US Bureau of Reclamation reported two weeks ago that there is seismic activity in the area, which is not unusual for CA’s hills. Opponents say the reservoir will inundate a “gem” that has free visitors who use it for “activities that are healthy.” Meanwhile, KQED is claiming the California Condor is expanding its range into the area, having been seen at Mount Oso in Stanislaus County north of Del Puerto Canyon.
MAD Note: Several years ago, when the dam plan first surfaced, activists insisted that the Coastal Range has the highest concentration of golden eagles in the lower 48 states and insisted a reservoir would devastate their populations. The US Fish & Wildlife Service confirmed the concentration of eagles, but said the massive raptors actually thrive around reservoirs. Guess there’s no interest in helping golden eagles.

Eureka Times Standard. Potter Valley Project: Feds intervene in Eel River dam removal. 
Synopsis: Citing their importance to agriculture, the USDA has filed notice to block plans to remove the largely defunct Scott and Cape Horn dams on the Eel River. The dams were built for flood control and hydro-electric production. But the federal agency that regulates hydro-electric dams refused to renew the license and the two dams ceased generation in 2021. PG&E has tried to sell the dams, but found no takers. Fishing and environmental organizations have pushed to have the dams removed to open the upper reaches of the river to salmon spawning. The USDA is demanding FERC not allow PG&E to surrender its power-production licenses, even though the same agency refused to renew them.

It’s simple: No water, no food

Merced Focus. Merced County and the stakes of CA’s water debate. 
Synopsis: Merced Supervisor Josh Pedrozo responds to a recent CalMatters story insisting Valley farmers pay too little for the water they use to grow food. The story characterized low fees for water as “a free ride.” But, “It’s not a free ride. It’s a reflection of reality,” writes Pedrozo. “Without reliable water for agriculture, America’s food supply collapses, local economies are devastated and the Central Valley suffers – not because of drought, but because of policy choices.” Comparing the cost of water delivered to urban customers to that delivered to farms “is not just misguided, it is dangerous. Farmers are not hoarding water; they are using it to grow food. When farms lose water, crops do not become slightly less profitable – they disappear. Fields go unplanted, jobs vanish, and grocery prices rise.”
MAD Take. Amen, Brother Pedrozo. Oh, you forgot to mention that those farmers’ grandparents paid for many of those dams. Without their investments, there would be less water to fight over.

Defending UC Merced

Merced Focus. CA’s youngest public university is 20 years old; is it meeting its purpose?
Synopsis: Rachel Livinal looks back at UC Merced’s first 20 years through the eyes of early professors, LAO reports, the current chancellor and others. It celebrates successes but also points out some negatives – stalled enrollment, lack of local funding and reliance on state funding. Rep. Adam Gray rose to defend the university – especially the questions of funding. “If LA wants more money, they want to take it away from the Central Valley. If San Francisco wants more money, they want to take it away from the Central Valley,” said Gray. “The bottom line is these are people trying to take resources from a community that deserves resources, a community that I represent and that I’m very proud of.” Esmeralda Soria said the university “continues to be a beacon of hope, especially in dark times.” Gray stressed the importance of having a research university in the midst of “the greatest agricultural valley in the world. It’s an opportunity to spur innovation in that space in a really cool way – and you’ll see it.”

Garbage firms get 10 years warning

Modesto Focus. Modesto wants competitive garbage company contracts, but is city ‘in a headlock’?
Synopsis: Garth Stapley looks at the two companies that pick up garbage in Modesto – Gilton Solid Waste and Bertolotti Modesto Disposal. Both have agreed to new terms, requiring the city to raise rates about $3 a month. Hidden in the contract is an evergreen clause that requires the city give the companies 10 years warning before putting the contracts out to bid. “The clause hurts the city’s ability to seek competitive bids that keep customers’ rates down,” said councilmember Nick Bavaro.  “They have the city of Modesto in a headlock.” Contracts with Stanislaus County have similar 10-year deals. On the flip side, small collection companies say they need long-term contracts to justify making investments to meet California’s ever-changing rules. Bavaro, Rosa Escutia-Braaton and David Wright have agreed to recommend sending a 10-year notice to the companies.

Judge dings Modesto over reports

Modesto Bee. Judge faults city of Modesto for destroying sewer inspection records.
Synopsis: Modesto dry cleaners have been at the core of lawsuits against Dow Chemical and other makers of carcinogenic dry-cleaning chemicals that polluted Modesto’s groundwater. Now a judge is calling out the city for shoddy handling of records that detailed sewer-line inspections. The records apparently disappeared from a storage facility but “mysteriously reappeared” last year. Judge Daniel Flores says the city “willfully” withheld the records. The city refutes that conclusion, saying the records were disposed of on advice from the city attorney. The attorney said he was unaware that there was a “litigation hold” on the records. The two surviving reports show PCEs could have seeped into groundwater via cracks in the sewer pipes.

Valley loses the most jobs

Modesto Bee. Central Valley surpassed all of CA in job losses this year. 
Synopsis: The San Joaquin Valley suffered 3% job losses over the first 8 months of the year – the highest among the state’s 10 regions. Construction, logistics, manufacturing and mining all shed workers. “In any economic downturn, we get it the worst,” said Clint Olivier of the Central Valley Business Federation. He blames inflation, tariffs and federal policies along with the state’s overregulation of business. CA’s average unemployment rate is 5.5%. Four CA regions reported job growth; six reported losses. After the Valley, the Sacramento/Delta region had the highest job losses at 1.3%.

Largest mozzarella plant closing

KCRA. World’s largest mozzarella producer to close 115-year-old CA plant. 
Synopsis: Leprino Foods, the world’s largest mozzarella cheese maker, is closing its Lemoore plant within the next three months, killing 300 jobs. The Texas-based owners said the plant’s age and the “anticipated capital requirements to make improvements” and the “high operating costs in California” all contributed to the closure. The company opened a massive cheese plant in Texas last January.

Yes, it’s a ‘license to kill’

Cal Matters. License to kill: How a speeding ticket can be worse than killing someone in CA. 
Synopsis: In the fourth part of Cal Matters’ powerful series, reporters Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler point out that the 2020 criminal “reform” law allows judges to erase misdemeanor convictions from records. It’s done so low-level offenders don’t suffer the “stigma of having a conviction on their records, something that can limit work and housing opportunities.” But traffic accidents that do not involve alcohol or excessive speed often result in at-fault drivers being charged only with misdemeanors, meaning it is possible to cause someone’s death and face no long-term consequences. Some don’t even appear in court. A speeding ticket, by contrast, has specific fines and penalties and remains on a record for 7 years. The anger over this is palpable. Said one grieving mother: “She took my son’s life, but that’s how they’re seen – low level.”
MAD Note: Last Friday, a judge in Fresno County ruled that the death of a Fresno State professor who was out bicycling with friends was a misdemeanor.

Is the fire house on fire?

Modesto Bee. Smoke from lithium-ion battery fire closes Modesto fire station.
Synopsis: Firefighters at Modesto’s Station 5 were out on an emergency call when their firehouse began to fill with smoke. When they pulled back in, it didn’t take them long to figure out that a battery-charging device was smoking. They doused the charger then called hazmat, who closed the station until it could be properly cleaned.

Landmark now ‘pile of stones’

Fresno Bee. Beloved pillar with mysterious origins in Fresno High neighborhood demolished.
Synopsis: An iconic 10-foot pillar that stood for nearly a century at Palm and Stone avenues was hit by a vehicle, turning the pillar into a “pile of stones.” There are four other such pillars in the city, probably built as boundary markers for housing tracts in the 1930s. As the pillars aged, neighbors have pitched in to repair cracks or replace chunks knocked out by cars. This is the first one leveled, and residents want to see it rebuilt.

Toys for kids bring mom’s tears

ABC30. Operation Christmas Star delivers over 4,000 toys in Merced County.
Synopsis: The Merced Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire and Probation partnered for the eighth year to make Christmas a little more joyful for 4,000 children in Merced County. Sarah Baker, a mother of 4 in Planada, called it a blessing.  She said she has been unable to recover from the 2023 floods in which “I lost everything.” Another mother, Courtnie Cuteri, was in tears as her two children received gifts. “The paychecks haven’t been really making it,” she said.