Valley Solutions

Accusation hits Hughson mayor

Modesto Bee. Hughson councilmember accuses mayor of sexual assault, harassment. 
Synopsis: Hughson city council member Susana Vasquez accused Mayor George Carr of sexual assault and harassment in a letter made public Tuesday. “Disclosing this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make,” wrote Vasquez. The city has not responded to requests to determine who was given the letter or what happens next. Vasquez was elected to the council in 2024. Carr was first elected in 2010 then was appointed to serve out the term of Jeramy Young, who left the city to become Livermore’s police chief in 2022.

Protecting Valley from floods

River Partners. A once-in-a-generation chance to protect Valley communities from flooding. 
Synopsis: Saul Ayon, mayor of McFarland, and Robert Jeff of the Tachi Yokuts Tribe co-wrote this op-ed detailing the growing risk of flooding for the Valley. Think Tulare Lake, which reappeared three years ago during heavy rains covering some 60 square miles. Flooding just means the water has nowhere else to go. To diminish flood impacts and maximize storage, we need to restore riverways that allow swollen rivers to spread out and the water to soak into aquifers. Predictable flooding will cost Valley residents $1 trillion at some point in the future. “This isn’t just theory.” For proof that floodplain restoration works, look at Dos Rios State Park near Modesto. It helped mitigate the floods of 2023 and raised groundwater levels. Prop 4 gives us a chance to replicate similar projects across the Valley.

Bottom of the barrel?

Western Farm Press. Is rock bottom in sight for the US wine industry?
Synopsis: Silicon Valley Bank’s annual report shows the rate of winery bankruptcies is falling, suggesting a more “stable” horizon. Sales fell only 2% in 2025 in volume and 1.6% in dollars compared to 2024, when the bottom really fell out. Only one-third of the state’s wineries reported positive economics last year. “As the older, wine-focused cohort is aging out and not being replaced at the same level by Millenial and Gen Z consumers, the top performers will be the ones that prioritize customers and use digital tools,” says the report. The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium starts today in Sacramento and goes three days.

Support for ICE melting away

GV Wire. Our government killed a US citizen and then tried to kill the truth. 
Synopsis: Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez writes that the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis “should shock the conscience of our nation.” He was gunned down in cold blood, then ICE and the Border Patrol tried to cover up their crime. “Americans didn’t vote for our streets to be overrun by federal agents in paramilitary uniforms targeting good people,” wrote Chavez. If this happened somewhere else, we’d call that a “third-world country.” He concludes, “There’s a generational shift occurring right now, a moment in history, where a page is turning for America.”

GV Wire. Trump’s ICE assault missed one thing: Americans won’t ever surrender their guns. 
Synopsis: Columnist Bill McEwen writes that Donald Trump doesn’t care much about the law, the Constitution or the impact of his daily rants. But this has gone too far and “Trump must call off his dogs before America explodes.” McEwen writes that Trump rules “by intimidation, force and spectacle. He loves being producer, director and star of his own reality show.” But this time he miscalculated and now must retreat. Eventually, these agents will shoot at the wrong person; after all, there are 400 million guns in America. Then, “he’ll have a lot more blood on his hands.”

Stocktonia. Councilmember, US Rep. seek answers from Stockton ICE facility; ICE has yet to respond. 
Synopsis: Rep. Josh Harder and Stockton city councilmember Mario Enriquez have asked for details about access and accountability at the Stockton federal detention facility east of town, but have yet to get any answers. People, including US citizens, are afraid to appear for required ICE appointments or even ask about disappeared family members. About 25 immigrants were detained at the facility as of Saturday. Harder also requested an accounting of “all uses of force” to deter protesters, including the use of chemical sprays, zip ties and other tactics. At least one protester has been maced outside the facility.

Salmon news …

Courthouse News Service. Trial begins in tire chemical runoff case against tire manufacturers. 
Synopsis: A chemical used to harden tire rubber is shed as tires wear, then leaches into rivers. Once there, the chemical kills protected fish species such as salmon and steelhead. That’s the basis of a lawsuit brought by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations against America’s biggest tire makers. The bench trial began Monday and is expected to conclude Wednesday. US District Court Judge James Donato is hearing the case. According to the tire companies, there is no suitable replacement for the chemical and not using it will make tires unsafe.

Maven / Dept of Fish & Wildlife. Nearly 2 million juvenile salmon released into flooded rice fields.
Synopsis: One of the largest salmon releases ever – 2 million juvenile fish -- was made possible by a coalition of rice farmers, commercial fishers, water suppliers, researchers, conservationists and the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Coleman National Hatchery. The fish were released in Yolo County rice fields where they are expected to grow before migrating out to sea.

FishBio. AI vs invasive salmon: FishBio-Simsonar team invents new fish-sorting technology.
Synopsis: Pink salmon were introduced in Russia in the 1950s, but now have spread to Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Scandinavia and are threatening riverine systems and native species. Authorities are now trying to kill the pink salmon. They are working with FishBio and Simsonar, a Finnish company, to do that without harming other fish. FishBio has created a computerized, AI-powered sorting system that identifies specific fish.  

Shelter running out of money

Modesto Bee. Modesto low-barrier shelter can stay open through June, county report says.
Synopsis: Stanislaus County officials say they have funding to keep the Salvation Army shelter on South Ninth operational through June 30. The shelter’s future became tenuous when the state eliminated the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) fund for local communities. The county shelter has an operating budget of $3.3 million and has gotten $1.8 million from the state.

Layoffs kill 90 laundry jobs

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County linen company sells to competitor, lays off almost 90 workers.
Synopsis: Advanced Linen Service told its 89 Patterson workers on Jan. 5 that it would be laying off all staff by March 6. The company has been sold to Alsco Uniforms, based in San Jose.

Wolves, lions, bears: Oh my!

Sacramento Bee. Concerns about wolves and other predators prompt hearing at CA Capitol.
Synopsis: The Assembly Committee on Water, Parks & Wildlife was set to hear from ranchers, law enforcement and wildlife advocates about the human-wildlife conflict that is tormenting the north state. Literally hundreds of cattle, mostly calves, have been killed by wolves over the past two years with many occuring close to homes. State officials spent $2 million trying to scare away the Beyem Seo pack, but eventually had to euthanize them. Attacks on humans by bears, mountain lions and other animals were detailed in the hearings. The Cattleman’s Assn has asked the legislature for $30 million to better manage predator populations and reimburse ranchers for losses. 

SF Chronicle. Mountain lion roaming SF’s Pacific Heights located by wildlife officials.
Synopsis: A mountain lion was seen lurking along Gough Street in the early morning hours Sunday but ducked into Lafayette Park before animal control could get there. According to reports, the SF Zoo sent a staffer into the park with a dart gun on Tuesday morning.

Defacing Yosemite: ‘Disgraceful’

Fresno Bee. Vandals deface boulder, more at Yosemite National Park: ‘Disgraceful.’
Synopsis: Vandals scrawled graffiti on a boulder, a sign and buildings at Bridalveil Fall last weekend. The damage – which included the words “Fresno” -- was posted on Instagram. While park police have leads, they have not yet made arrests. Many Instagram reactions included suggestions for fines and punishment.

He dislikes all growth plans

Modesto Bee. Here’s why all three of Modesto’s land-use alternatives fall short. 
Synopsis: Land-use consultant Trevin Barber wrote an op-ed saying all three of Modesto’s General Plan update proposals are lacking. He says the underlying premise – that the city must grow – is wrong. He believes slower growth leads to stronger neighborhoods, better fiscal health and greater opportunity for residents. “The removal of thousands of acres of orchards is not just a land-use decision, it is a direct setback to the region’s emerging work with BEAM Circular and the broader effort to build a bio-circular economy for woody biomass.”

How much pollution is too much?

Cal Matters. Residents of a polluted CA town pinned hopes on new state rules; they’re still waiting. 
Synopsis: In Kettleman City, a composting facility breaks down human waste nearby, diesel fumes cloud the air on I-5 and the West Coast’s largest hazardous-waste landfill sits a few miles outside of town. Activist Miguel Alatorre is disappointed that a law enacted a decade ago has not removed some of the pollution sources. Now, a tool called CalEnviroScreen ranks cities based on the amount of environmental harm residents face. If you’re in the top 25%, there are additional requirements for anyone wanting to site new polluting facilities. It took 7 years for the Dept of Toxic Substances Control to even post its rules, mainly because of critical “feedback” from industry. Now that the rules have been released, Earthjustice says they’re not strong enough.

Beauty queen’s tragic end

Fresno Bee. Former Miss Fresno County loses cancer battle at 35; she made impact in short time. 
Synopsis: Not all love stories have a happy ending. Fifteen years ago, Andrea Andrade was named Miss Fresno County and competed in the Miss California pageant despite having been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She later married Chris Wilson, and they worked together as partners in promotions and in creating her organization -- “Not All Heroes Wear Capes.” It brought athletes and celebrities to cancer wards in the Fresno region and took kids battling the disease to events. She died Jan. 16 at age 35. “I fell in love with her soul and what made her who she was,” said Wilson. “I was her biggest fan.” When he first got the nerve to ask her out, “I was punching above my weight class for sure.” She lived 10 years beyond medical expectations. Her mission, said Wilson, was to “let it be known that even if you’re diagnosed with something, you can still have an amazing life. … It was an honor to be part of that.”