Valley Solutions

Another StanCOG exec out

Modesto Focus. Corruption scandal claims another top-tier StanCOG employee. 
Synopsis: Cindy Malekos, who was Rosa de Leon Park’s second-in-charge at StanCOG, has resigned in the wake of the growing financial scandal. Both Malekos and Park benefited from an unexplained change in policy that gave both of them at least 10 weeks of vacation that they could cash out at the end of the year. The Civil Grand Jury wrote a blistering report on the operations of StanCOG, detailing irregularities in vacation policy, the use of rental cars and travel. Park was fired. Elizabeth Hahn, who had taken over the agency when Park was fired, announced that she is retiring.

Ratepayers on hook for nuts?

Valley Citizen. Should ratepayers foot the bill for director’s failure to provide pumping records. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine continues his investigation of Modesto Irrigation District board member Larry Byrd, wondering where the water came from to grow roughly 125 acres of almonds on Byrd-managed property that is outside irrigation district boundaries but very close to an MID canal. Byrd says he pumped groundwater “almost daily” to grow those nuts. But Caine points to former employee, Todd Sill, who says the water wasn’t pumped – and his journal shows it. Byrd has two pumps on the property, one electric and one diesel. The electric pump would have operational records, but Byrd has refused to release them. Caine wrote this story on the heels of last week’s story on the Modesto Focus website in which reporter Garth Stapley said MID is investigating its longtime director.

Talk about drama …

Merced County Times. Meeting meltdown casts shadow over Playhouse Merced.
Synopsis: The Playhouse Merced leadership appears stuck “in a bitter standstill one week after police officers responded” to a board of directors meeting that had “dissolved into chaos.” Yes, writes editor Jon Whitaker, there is some “real-life drama” taking place at the playhouse. At least two shows have been canceled, and accusations are flying at extremely high volume.

Creating better almonds at UC

Western Farm Press. UC, Almond Board to work together on new tech, varieties.
Synopsis: The Almond Board has signed a 5-year deal with UC Merced to develop demonstration plots at the Experimental Smart Farm on campus. They will focus on improving irrigation automation, regenerative practices and new almond varieties. The ABC calls it a “new chapter for our industry and our communities.” The Board notes that it honored its commitment to reduce water use in growing almonds and is looking for ways to reduce water use by another 20% while also cutting pesticide use.

No water shortage in CA

Ag Net West. Edward Ring brings water solutions to AgNet News Hour.
Synopsis: Host Nick Papagni talks to Edward Ring of the CA Policy Center. The noted water expert repeated what he’s been saying to everyone the past few years: We don’t suffer from drought, we suffer from lack of vision and political action. To get more water we should: 1) Dredge the Delta to restore deeper channels. 2) Thin forests to reduce fire risks and increase runoff. 3) Use nuclear power to desalinate water. 4) Expand reservoirs while adding Temperance Flat.
MAD Take: Edward Ring is always interesting, usually entertaining and frequently right. But about his first point, dredging the Delta, he ignores some significant issues. How would he remove the mercury that’s been sitting in that mud for a century? Mercury, you might recall, induces brain damage in those who eat fish caught in mercury-laden waters. To clean up the Delta would require massive filtration to accompany any sort of dredging. Who pays for that? The easiest solutions are always the most appealing, but sometimes the least feasible.

New high school for Turlock

Turlock Journal. New Catholic school in Turlock accepting registration soon.
Synopsis: The Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Conception will begin enrolling freshmen and sophomore students for the 2026-27 school year on Oct. 1. Its initial classes will be conducted in the parish hall, which will be configured into five small classrooms. Assumption Pastor Larry Machado says most of the registration will be done online. Tuition will be $7,500. Courses will be “taught through a Catholic lens,” but the school is not exclusive to Catholics. He expects about 20 students to start.

Tariffs cost SJ County $350K

Stocktonia. SJ County sheriff’s plane delayed by $350,000 Trump tariff. 
Synopsis: Sheriff Pat Withrow has ordered a $3 million plane to help patrol the skies of San Joaquin County, but the county didn’t budget for the $350,000 in additional fees to pay for Donald Trump’s tariffs. The plane was built in Austria, then sent to Canada and now is in Utah being outfitted with the technical equipment needed to monitor speeders, track those fleeing from justice and more. Unless the administration offers some sort of carve-out for law enforcement, taxpayers will be on the hook.

Recommendations for police

Modesto Bee. Modesto police review board makes recommendations to police. 
Synopsis: The Community Police Review Board approved its second annual report with 8 recommendations, ranging from providing data on racial, ethnic and geographic traffic stops to adopting a public-facing communication standard. Three of the recommendations were extremely similar to those suggested by an independent police auditor – outreach for the community board, in-person Spanish-language interpreters, and sending board members to a national conference. But police Chief Brandon Gillespie already rejected those suggestions. 

Crows Landing pool reborn

Patterson Irrigator. Crows Landing celebrates reopening of community pool after 15 years.
Synopsis: The Bonita Public Pool was built in 1960, giving kids of this tiny community a place to cool off on hot days. It was shut down in 2010 for “safety concerns” and has been mostly a mosquito breeding pool. But Stanislaus County Parks & Rec decided it could restore the pool and secured a $2.8 million state grant to help. Now the pool at Fourth and I has reopened.

Still talking about a bridge

Modesto Bee. Tuolumne River could get another bridge from Modesto to Ceres.
Synopsis: John Holland reports on the long-discussed plan to build a bridge at Faith Home Road east of Ceres. Basically, it would get a lot of trucks going and coming from Hwy 99 to Beard Industrial off of Mitchell Road. It would cost around $80 million, money that would have to come from state and federal sources. The 860-foot bridge would start with 2 lanes and probably expand to 4 eventually.

Why a dying river matters

PBS / Cal Matters. States clash over reservoirs as ‘dead pool’ looms.
Synopsis: Lakes Mead and Powell on the Colorado River are each at about 31% of capacity, triggering cutbacks for Arizona and Nevada. Growers in California have already been paid not to take their contracted amounts, but upstream states – mostly Utah and Colorado – have insisted that more of the Colorado River belongs to them. They are using the Colorado’s water to power unprecedented suburban growth in places like Payson, Colorado Springs, Salem and Spanish Fork. This video explains how overuse will drive the reservoirs below the level where water can be used for power generation and by those who depend on it downstream. It also explains why this is monumentally important to every Californian. First, LA gets a significant portion of its water from the Colorado, and second, if that source dries up then the water will most likely have to come from the Delta.

Fresno or LA? No contest

GV Wire. Fresno supervisor fires back after LA Councilmember mocks city over Shakira concert. 
Synopsis: LA city councilmember Ysabel Jurado wondered why Shakira would ever choose to play Fresno rather than LA – though her comments were more a diss of her own city than the SJ Valley’s largest metropolis. “We can’t keep losing out to Fresno,” said Jurado. “We cannot rely on our name alone. … We need to invest in ourselves.” That didn’t sit well with Fresno councilmember Luis Chavez, who Instagrammed that the people of Fresno “literally feed Angelenos,” picking the crops sold at the DTLA markets. “Think about that next time you eat your salad or vegan hot dogs.”