Icon’s fall from grace

LA Times. ‘Profoundly shocking’ allegations against Cesar Chavez spark soul-searching in movement. 
Synopsis: The union he founded, the United Farm Workers, said they will no longer participate in celebrations to honor Cesar Chavez following “profoundly shocking” accusations involving young women and minors. The accusations, divulged by the New York Times 33 years after his death, were “incompatible with our organization’s values.” Events in Houston, Corpus Christi, San Bernardino, Sacramento and other cities have been canceled. The Houston event was canceled after Dolores Huerta – the woman credited as co-founder of the UFW – withdrew as a participant.

Politico. Cesar Chavez allegations jolt CA’s labor movement.
Synopsis: The United Farm Workers called the accusations “crushing” and “indefensible” as it canceled its events celebrating his birthday. CA Senate Pro Tem Monique Limon and Speaker Robert Rivas both extended their sympathies to families of victims who are coming forward 33 years after Chavez’s death. Gov. Newsom noted that Cesar Chavez Day is an official state holiday, and March 31 will remain a paid day off for state employees. The Cesar Chavez Foundation said it is working on a “safe and confidential process” for victims to share their stories. Rudy Gonzalez, head of the SF Building & Construction Trades Council, said he idolized Chavez growing up. “But let me be clear: Our movement has never been about one man. … If harm was done, then we owe the truth to those who were harmed. No exceptions. No excuses.”

GV Wire. What Dolores Huerta says about Cesar Chavez the sexual predator. 
Synopsis: Bill McEwen reports on the statement by Dolores Huerta, 95, detailing the sexual abuse she says she suffered at the hands of labor icon Cesar Chavez. “I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years I have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” she said. She said she was pressured into their first encounter with her “boss.” She was forced into a second encounter, and both resulted in pregnancies. Huerta said she remains close to the children she conceived with Chavez, though she kept their identity secret even from her other children. “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.”

Modesto Bee. Modesto Cesar Chavez celebration luncheon to go on despite abuse allegations.
Synopsis: The Chavez Celebration Committee said it will not cancel its annual Si Se Puede Luncheon on March 30, despite allegations against the Chicano icon. It’s not “so much because of Cesar or Dolores, but it is because of the farmworkers,” said committee founder Maggie Mejia. Former Sec of Health & Human Services Xavier Becerra is scheduled to speak.

Fox26. Councilman says city will remove name of Cesar Chavez from Fresno streets.
Synopsis: Miguel Arias said that in light of allegations against Cesar Chavez, the city of Fresno remove his name from streets because “we will not reward people who harmed us.” Arias called the statement by Dolores Huerta, “a matriarch of our community” especially “devastating and heartbreaking.”

More questions for MID’s Byrd

Valley Citizen. The Byrd Investigation: When absence is evidence. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine wonders why the 72-acre Rairden property was not mentioned in the recent investigation into Modesto Irrigation District director Larry Byrd’s water use. Like the AB La Grange Ranch, the Rairden property is farmed by Byrd but a significant portion of it lies outside the district boundaries and thus is not eligible to receive MID irrigation water. The trees on that land were obviously irrigated, and there are questions where the water came from. Byrd also stands accused of using district water to irrigate some 90 acres on the AB La Grange Ranch which is outside the district. Such unauthorized use essentially constitutes theft.

The cost of Trump’s budget

Fresno Bee. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill could raise Fresno County’s medical, food-benefits costs. 
Synopsis: County analysts say Fresno will have to spend up to $294 million more providing health care and nutritional support for the poor due to Trump’s Big Beautiful budget bill. “We’re using these population figures as just an estimate,” said the Dept of Public Health’s Joe Prado. “If more people fall into indigent care, these numbers just go up and up and up.” Half of Fresno County’s residents already use Medi-Cal (via federal Medicaid) for health care. The Trump bill requires greater scrutiny of eligibility, which will require the county to hire additional workers to do the checking and monitoring. Additional scrutiny will also be applied to those receiving food aid and other forms of federal assistance. “This big ugly bill gets uglier as we discuss it more,” said Supervisor Luis Chavez.

Money to fix CA canals

SJV Water. San Joaquin Valley canals snag federal funding for subsidence repairs. 
Synopsis: The Dept of Interior announced $889 million for water infrastructure across the Western United States on Tuesday. California will get two thirds of that for five projects – including repairs on four of the state’s most important canals. The money will mostly pay to repair damages caused by pumping too much water from underlying aquifers, causing subsidence. As the ground subsides, the canals sink with it, and water can no longer move via gravity. The carrying capacity of the Friant-Kern canal has been reduced by an estimated 60%. The Delta-Mendota Canal got the largest allocation at $235 million. The Friant-Kern Canal will get $200 million to correct sinking. The San Luis Canal will get $50 million to enhance reliability. The Tehama-Colusa Canal will get $15 million to increase flow rates. Another $40 million will support planning to expand Lake Shasta by 634,000-acre feet by elevating the dam and expanding California’s largest lake. There are concerns over impacts to archaeological sites and the undammed McCloud River if Shasta is expanded.

Astounding water coalition

Courthouse News. CA environmentalists, water contractors join forces to support water bill. 
Synopsis: A coalition of lawmakers, environmentalists and water managers linked arms in support of Jerry McNerney’s SB 872, which will take $300 million a year from the state’s greenhouse gas fund and allocate it to water projects. Half of that would be dedicated to capital improvements, such as storage projects, while the other half would be used to repair levees and canals. Among those supporting McNerney’s bill are Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore The Delta, Jennifer Pierre of the State Water Contractors, Molly Colton of the Sierra Club and Shivaji Deshmukh of Metropolitan Water District.
MAD Take: Looking at this coalition, I nominate McNerney for the next FIFA Peace Prize.

If Colorado dries, Valley dies

Water Blueprint (blog). Why the Colorado River’s future could reshape water in the SJ Valley. 
Synopsis: The Colorado River is hundreds of miles from the San Joaquin Valley, but when it dries up the pain will be felt here more than anywhere else. The Colorado supplies around 9-million-acre feet of water a year to people in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, etc. “Southern California won’t simply go thirsty. It will turn to other sources to make up the difference,” writes the blogger. “Chief among them, Northern California water. … Ultimately, this issue is about people. It’s about farmworkers wondering if there will be work next season, small towns struggling to keep businesses open and families deciding whether the Valley still offers a future for the next generation.”

CA food is, uh, reasonable

Modesto Bee. What state spends the most on groceries: Hint: It’s not California. 
Synopsis: In a story based on a confusing WalletHub metric, this is not about the states with the highest-priced groceries. It’s a list of states whose residents spend the highest percentage of their household income on groceries, meaning the lower the family income the higher the ranking. Ergo, Mississippi is No. 1, with groceries taking up 2.6% of family income, followed by the nation’s poverty all-stars: West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama. California, where families spend only 1.6% of income on food, is among the 10 states with food is a smaller part of household expenditures. From the top: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, New Hampshire, Utah, Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia, Washington and CA. To see the list, click here.

School layoffs rising fast

EdSource. CA school districts issue thousands of pink slips to close growing budget deficits. 
Synopsis: Thousands of school employees – from teachers to yard-duty supervisors – are being laid off by school districts across the state. State law requires districts to notify employees by March 15. The cuts are coming in response to drops in federal funding as districts are paying more for pensions, salaries, health care and supplies. Troy Flint of the CA School Boards Assn said districts across the state are “on the verge of insolvency” and “in complete financial crisis.” At Sacramento Unified, the entire front-office staff – from superintendent to admin assistance – were notified of layoffs in the face of a $134 million shortfall. LA Unified issued 3,200 notices and Oakland Unified said it would lay off 421. The CA School Employees Assn, which represents non-teachers, said at least 2,700 pink slips have been sent to members.

Returning stolen property

Modesto Bee. Modesto Junior College begins repatriation of Native American ancestors, artifacts.
Synopsis: The Great Valley Museum will complete the repatriation process of a few artifacts that it once displayed but are now kept hidden or in storage. Most are baskets, tools, arrowheads, but there is at least one item of “ancestral remains” – a bone. They were all acquired over several years. Some tribes have given consent for museums to keep some items, such as baskets and arrowheads. The college spent $100,000 to determine how best to turn over the items.

Excited greetings; sad farewell

KSEE / CBS47. New chief of Mendota police department sworn in.
Synopsis: Frank Renteria was sworn in as chief of the Mendota police department. After 17 years in Mendota, he has held every position within the department.

Fox26. Mayor Jerry Dyer mourns his father’s death, says goodbye to ‘childhood hero.’
Synopsis: Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer called Tuesday “the toughest day of my life as I had to say goodbye to my childhood hero, my Dad. The toughest man I have ever known.”

Judge rejects Coelho’s case

Turlock Journal. Council candidate’s harassment case against Save Turlock admin dismissed. 
Synopsis: Kelley Coelho’s efforts to have a restraining order put on the Save Turlock administrator were dismissed “with prejudice” by Judge John R. Mayne on Tuesday. Coelho, who is running for city council, claimed Save Turlock executive Ron Bridegroom was harassing her as part of a political ploy. It was the second time Coelho has appeared before Mayne. Last month the judge threw out Coelho’s accusations that a teacher had assaulted her daughter. Coelho appears to be very angry at a lot of people, including Mayor Amy Bublak, the Turlock PD, Turlock Unified, Judge Mayne, etc.

The ladies are going pro

Turlock Journal. ‘A dream come true.’
Synopsis: Having graduated from Oregon State where she played four years, Mya Sanchez is off to Ireland to begin her pro soccer career. The Pitman High grad has signed with the Shelbourne Football Club of Dublin in Ireland’s Premier Division. “It’s been a dream come true that I get to do what I love every day as my job now.” Leaving the US was a tough call, but this was “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

Ceres Courier. Bates returns to Pacific Northwest, joins AUSL expansion team through draft. 
Synopsis: Nicole “Sis” Bates, 26, will suit up for the Portland Cascade in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. “I feel like the luckiest human that’s ever existed,” said Bates, a Ceres High grad. “To help share a sport that has given me so much. I’m so thankful.” She has been playing for the Texas Volts in the AUSL. One of the best defensive players in the nation, she is the all-time hits leader at the University of Washington.