Valley Solutions

Valley Solutions offers a daily look at the top headlines appearing on media websites affecting the San Joaquin Valley. It is compiled by Mike Dunbar, who worked in Stockton, Modesto, Merced and Los Banos media for 40 years and later served as Adam Gray’s press secretary when he was in the Assembly. Valley Solutions is brought to readers by Rep. Adam Gray.

Is developer buying election?

Valley Citizen. Is it Angle’s money or is money the angle at the Irrigation District?
Synopsis: Publisher Eric Caine writes about the donation limits under California statutes like the Levine Act, which limits how much can be contributed by those doing business before an elected board. One rule says if a candidate receives more than $500 from a person, the candidate should not vote on contracts involving that donor. Another rule, administered by the Fair Political Practices Commission, has a limit of $5,900. What then, asks Eric, should voters think of the $30,000 being donated by farm developer Ty Angle to Dominic Giorgi in his run against Modesto Irrigation District board chair Bob Frobose. Angle, by the way, is board member Larry Byrd’s business partner in a ranch that appears to have used district water on trees outside district boundaries – which is illegal. Angle and his partners combined to give board candidate Janice Keating – who voted to kill the investigation into the apparently illegal water use -- $10,000. Eric points out that Mike Moradian is running against Keating. Frobose’s campaign platform is simple: “As long as I’m on the board, MID is not for sale.”

El Niño, it’s an emergency

LA Times. CA declares statewide emergency ahead of epic El Niño storms. 
Synopsis: Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Monday as the state hurries to prepare for what could be the most severe storms in 50 years. El Niño storms are expected to bring high surf, massive rainfall and ferocious winds to the state, stressing coastal cities and low-lying Valley communities. The emergency declaration clears the way for local authorities to protect “critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, natural resources and the State’s economy.”

‘Don’t follow in CA’s footsteps’

Successful Farming. CA farming’s cautionary tale for the Midwest. 
Synopsis: Iowa ag writer Cassidy Walter came to CA to tour the nation’s most productive and diverse farms. After talking to ag leaders like Matt Amaral, Norm Groot, Danny Berstein, and Tracey Chow, the reporter’s big take-away: State regulators have run amok and are killing farming in the Golden State. Due to those regulations fertilizer, pesticide, fuel, workers, water, everything costs more in CA than in other parts of the nation. Bottom line: “The more you skew toward CA policies, the harder you make it for the … farmers to stay.”

New rules hitting dairy farms

Inside Climate News. CA adopts reins in dairy manure pollution and its ‘outsized’ groundwater impacts. 
Synopsis: The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously agreed to adopt new regulations on manure management. Environmental groups applauded the decision, saying rural Valley families are “living in crisis.” A 2024 state study showed 1.7 million cows living in the Valley. Those cows are the “largest contributor to nitrate in groundwater,” according to UC Davis. Michael Boccadorro of Dairy Cares said the order was inconsistent with the Valley’s existing Salinity Alternatives rules, a 20-year project that has produced a huge reduction in nitrate and salts entering groundwater. The Milk Producers Council said the new rules will make small farms less tenable and more vulnerable to consolidation. The new rules reduce how much manure can be put on cropland as fertilizer, require stricter nitrogen monitoring and a report to the water board every six months.

Diesel: An all-time record

Morning Ag Clips. Iran war pushes diesel to record high prices with no relief in sight. 
Synopsis: The national average price for diesel hit a record $6.28 a gallon last week ($8.42 in CA), with analysts saying it will get higher. Because diesel is the fuel for most transportation and construction machinery, the additional cost will drive prices higher in virtually every sector. The three factors are 1) the war in Russia in which Ukraine is targeting diesel production, 2) the war in Iran that Donald Trump started but can’t finish, and 3) oil company profiteering. Diesel inventories fell across the US to 100 million barrels, the lowest in 20 years. A congressional study conducted when diesel was $5.31 a gallon found higher diesel costs will add $1.4 billion to farming expenses. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is proposing a ban on US diesel exports.
MAD Take: When you see political candidates like Kevin Lincoln trying to blame a sitting Congressman for high gas and diesel prices, it is basically a lie. There is only person to blame for the skyrocketing price of diesel, and that’s Lincoln’s patron, Donald Trump. He tacitly backs Putin against Ukraine, he shut down the Strait of Hormuz, refuses to penalize rapacious oil companies, and antagonizes our diesel-producing allies.

SF Chronicle. Soaring diesel price are hammering CA farmers at exactly the wrong time. 
Synopsis: A reporter visited San Joaquin County to talk to James Chinchiolo, who said he’ll spend 30% more on diesel this year than he did last year. Prices often spike during harvest. At $8.42 a gallon, diesel is up $1.46 from August and $3 from last year. Wednesday alone the price rose 8 cents. Hiring shakers for his walnuts will cost 20% more this year, due entirely to added diesel costs. Total it all up, and Chinchiolo figures he’ll spend $50,000 more this year than last due to fuel costs. The story is the same for fruit growers, said Casey Creamer of the CA Fresh Fruit Assn. and Ned Coe of the Farm Bureau.

43 Days to Election

Stocktonia. Manteca mayor, chiropractor charged after $50 voting discount controversy.
Synopsis: San Joaquin prosecutors filed misdemeanor election-law charges against Manteca Mayor Gary Singh and chiropractor Matt Alexander on Friday. Alexander posted a video offering clients a $50 discount if they said they voted for Singh. Such incentives are against the law.

KVPR. Among strongest backers of Fresno County transportation sales tax: Republican mayors. 
Synopsis: Former columnist Marek Warszawski talks to Fresno mayors about the importance of passing Measure C – the suddenly controversial effort to extend a 40-year-old sales tax used to fix county roads. It’s controversial because two county supervisors tried to kill it, with Garry Bredefeld saying only “radical leftists” are in favor of it. That statement is “ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous,” said Coalinga Mayor Nathan Vosburg. Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez points to roads that haven’t been repaved in a generation, and says without Measure C it could take another generation. Freddy Valdez of Firebaugh says the rural communities have a greater stake in passing the measure than does the city of Fresno, which has other resources.

They’re buying (and selling) your data

Cal Matters. Who’s buying your personal data: Disney, GM, your insurer, bank. 
Synopsis: Online companies are compiling vast portfolios of data about every single person in the U.S., enough to fill a 58-page dossier in the example of one Oregon woman. It includes her income, employment, education, what she bought, where she bought it and to whom she donated. Other companies pay for access to the information and the firm’s predictions about likely future spending. Consumer reports and CalMatters worked together to learn what is being tracked and who is buying the data. That includes Citi Bank, JP Morgan, US Bank, State Farm, T-Mobile, Disney, MLB.com, Southwest Airlines, Kohl’s, Hilton and 1,000 more. All insist they’re just trying to improve customer experiences. But what about HealthVerity, which sells its data to companies that determine whether or not you’re worth insuring or how much you pay? And what’s an “assimilation score” used for? Those who work in the industry say privacy laws are Swiss cheese – full of holes.

Two die fighting Yosemite fire

LA Times. Two killed in helicopter crash fighting wildfire in Yosemite.
Synopsis: Two firefighters died in Yosemite National Park when their Eurocopter AS32 crashed around 3 p.m. Sunday. The identities were not released, but those on the ground “are devastated by this loss” and “struggling to find the words.” The Dome Fire has charred 3,222 acres since last Tuesday. The park remains open, but widespread smoke can cause respiratory problems. The fire is 15% contained.

Hell’s newest arrival

SF Chronicle. Last of the ‘Speed Freak Killers,’ notorious duo of ‘80s, dies in CA prison.
Synopsis: Reporter Julie Johnson writes about Wesley Shermantine, who murdered young women and a few men and then buried them in the foothills east of Linden. He died in prison last week at age 60. His partner in dozens of murders was Loren Herzog, who committed suicide after being paroled a decade ago. Each blamed the other for the murders. Shermantine claimed to have killed 24 people, but said Herzog killed 72.

Fake 49er had 61 victims

SF Chronicle. FBI identifies 35 more women in case involving fake 49ers player. 
Synopsis: Daejon Labrayae Love has been running up the score. Love and his alleged accomplice are now accused of having swindled at least 61 women, up from 35 identified last week. “We were surprised how many people were victimized in such a short period of time,” said Special Agent Doug Olson. Love used dating apps, social media and ostentatious displays of wealth to meet victims from Washington to California. Domonique DuBose of Manteca was contacted by Love, but said she became suspicious when a friend who actually played for the 49ers in 2011-12 said he didn’t know Love. “I dodged a bullet,” she said. He told victims he could double their money in a matter of days.
MAD Note: Love is from Stockton originally.

Measles took the train in CA

The Guardian. CA warns of measles exposure in six counties from unvaccinated train passenger. 
Synopsis: San Joaquin County was one of the six counties through which an infected passenger traveled on Amtrak. The sick passenger arrived in LA Sept. 10 then headed north through Bakersfield, Stockton, Sacramento, Oroville and finally Emeryville before flying off to Denver. Nationally, measles is resurgent. Pennsylvania has had 731 cases and at least four deaths. The real number could be higher since RF Kennedy Jr., the world’s leading anti-vaxxer, insists some of those folks would have died with or without measles. He said last week he is more concerned with “vaccine injuries” than measles itself.

Merced Focus. Some Valley schools see vaccine rate for measles fall short of herd immunity.
Synopsis: A look at the local implications of a Washington Post report that found that in the 2024 school year, 64 public, charter and elementary schools in the Valley fell below the 95% vaccination threshold assuring herd immunity from measles. Fortunately, most Valley counties were well above that mark. Merced and Kings counties tied for having the highest percentage of vaccinated students – 97.9%. Kern County, where two cases were reported this year, was the only Valley county below the 95% threshold at 89.3%. Stanislaus had 95.6%, San Joaquin 96%, Fresno 97.4% and Madera 97.7%. Nationwide, the rate has fallen to 92.4%. Among individual schools falling short were Hart-Ransom, Connecting Waters Charter, the Keyes Learning Center and Las Palmas in Stanislaus; August Knodt in Manteca; Stone Ridge Christian in Merced, and Merquin Elementary in Stevinson.

Was lawyer drinking on the job?

Modesto Bee. Mistrial in Modesto murder case after defense attorney arrested at courthouse.
Synopsis: Stanislaus Judge Valli Israels declared a mistrial and removed attorney Christopher Loethen as counsel for Kelley Marie Ball. The judge suspected Loethen of being under the influence in court. The trial had been underway since Aug. 25, with 7 days in front of the jury. Ball is accused of being drunk when she caused an accident that killed 12-year-old Yarely Jasso-Gomez west of Modesto. Ball had five prior DUI convictions dating back to 1997. Loethen was arrested outside the courthouse.

In praise of Kruk, Kuip

SF Chronicle. Mike Krukow on life in and after baseball – and the first time he met Duane Kuiper. 
Synopsis: Susan Slusser spends time with beloved baseball icon Mike Krukow. He lives most of the year near Reno, where this interview took place. His dog is named Patriot, and there’s a baby grand in the corner of the room that his wife of 51 years, Jennifer, plays. He can no longer play drums and guitars due to the disease IBM. This is his last week in the booth, a job he has done for 37 years, almost always with his partner Duane Kuiper – who has his own health issues. Someday, says Krukow, he’ll write a book.
MAD Take: If you’re one of those who believes Kruk & Kuip belong in the Hall of Fame and that Giants baseball will not the same without him, then you need to read this story. Krukow tells Slusser he can’t think too deeply about leaving, because “I’ll start crying.”

Fox40. Giants announcer Duane Kuiper diagnosed with throat cancer.
Synopsis: Duane Kuiper, who has been part of the Giants’ TV broadcast for 37 years, said Sunday he has throat cancer. It is unrelated to the cancer he beat five years ago. He is optimistic his treatment will be successful and intends to be in the booth this weekend for his partner’s farewell broadcast.