Ballot counting continues after heavy turnout in local elections
By: Jonathan Whitaker Merced County Times
More than 84,000 ballots were cast by Merced County voters in the Nov. 5 General Election, according to the local Elections Department. As of the Times press deadline on Wednesday morning, approximately 55 percent of those ballots were counted and reported; however, a major update was expected on Thursday evening, Nov. 14.
In the last Presidential Election of 2020, voter turnout amounted to 78.72 percent, with 92,424 ballots cast among 117,413 registered voters. For the 2024 election, registered voters numbered 132,016.
“Administering an election is a meticulous process,” said Mel Levey, Merced County Registrar of Voters. “My team and I have a razor-sharp focus on accuracy and efficiency, ensuring that every legally
cast ballot is counted and recorded appropriately.”
Levey reported that nearly 14,000 voters chose to vote in-person for the election, a number far greater than any prior election since the county formally adopted the Vote Center model a few election cycles ago. While lines were long at some locations, Levey said poll workers ensured that every voter was served, in particular on Election Night as the polls closed at 8 p.m.
“Due to the number of voters in line at 8 p.m., some Vote Centers did not close until midnight,” the Registrar reported.
Among the many required tasks such as monitoring tabulators and verifying signatures, Elections Department workers are busy processing provisional and conditional ballots cast. The Registrar of Voters is expected to certify the official results on Dec. 3.
Meanwhile, here’s a look
at how local races are shaping up:
Duarte leads Gray; Soria ahead of Rose
All eyes are on the 13th Congressional District race between Rep. John Duarte and Adam Gray, along with the 27th District State Assembly race between Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria and Joanna Garcia Rose.
So far, Duarte, the incumbent Republican, has more than 3,000 votes over Gray, a 51 percent to 49 percent split.
A Duarte win could add to what’s being predicted as a slight Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives going forward with the new Trump presidency. However, key congressional races have yet to be determined across the United States.
As for Soria, she has maintained a steady lead over Rose since Election Day, up 52.9 percent to 47.1 percent of the vote.
Merced City Council It’s looking like Mayor Matthew Serratto, with a big lead over challenger Anthony Martinez since Election night, will start a second term along with incumbent District 5 Councilwoman Sarah Boyle, who also holds a sizable lead over opponent Alex Carrillo. Boyle is poised to be the only woman on the City Council, in a town where more than 50 percent of the population is listed as female. In the two other Council
See 'Election' Page 11
It’s been a busy month with a host of issues we’ve been tackling. If you are a livestock producer, specifically dairy or poultry, we’ve been focused on H5N1 commonly known as Avian or Bird Flu for your operations. Previous years have garnered our attention; however, it has not impacted our state in the same manner as 2024. Poultry facilities have had to eliminate infected flocks. Common to the dairy herd is a drop in milk production, loss of appetites and a potential drop in population of older livestock. While transmission from animal to human can occur, it has been very limited in scope. To date, Merced County has only had 1 case of human H5N1 with no spread to additional individuals. The most common symptom in humans has been conjunctivitis. For non-livestock producers and even more so for our general consumers, the biggest take away message is that our food supply is, and has been, safe. There is no reason to alter your diets away from poultry and/or dairy due to H5N1.
A topic that has eaten (pun intended here) much of my time for the past few weeks
has been the increase of roof rats in orchards. When I first received the inquiry call asking if we have growers seeing an increase in damage, I hate to admit it but I slightly chuckled. I inaccurately assumed this was no different than pests in any other year. Boy was I quickly corrected upon making a few calls to farmers that work in multiple counties. Since then, we’ve worked to get up to speed with the available information that is out there.
The largest grievances have occurred in Fresno County, specifically on the western side, however I tend to believe this is a greater issue for the state than is currently being recorded. Challenges incurred have been across the board –destroyed drip tape, barked trees and damaged tractor wires. This is also coupled with the increased issues when it comes to removing your orchard of the pests. Baits either require
specialized certifications or are in short supply due to hard to acquire input materials. If you are experiencing an increase in numbers or think you may, please give us a call at your convenience. Thus far we have only heard from a couple of growers that have traced damage back to roof rats, but again, I have larger concerns it is more widespread than a couple orchards.
Shifting gears, we have some exciting events in our near future including our two Ag Summits that will be occurring in December and January. Once called our Water Symposium, we’ve adjusted this event to cover
additional topics relevant to our ag community and have incorporated a trade show. The event in Los Banos will take place on Tuesday, December 17. We’ll bring a similar event to Merced on Wednesday, January 15. More information, including speakers, locations, how to become a vendor, etc., can be found on page 6 & 7 of the Farm News.
Lastly, like many of you, we were watchful of the recent elections. We look forward to working with those taking office and ensuring the best for Merced County agriculture. From our board, staff and families, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Greetings to November and the start of the holiday season! The election has finally been over for more than a week, yet California has still not finished counting votes. It has been a steady busy time at Merced County Farm Bureau, although there is no Board of Directors Meeting this month, staff are busy preparing for the California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting to be held this December in Monterey. They have also been doing the normal year end duties as well as planning for the first ever Ag Summit to be held in Los Banos and Merced this coming December and January, respectively. We are also closing in on our scholarship deadline of December 20. Our scholarships are available to high school seniors involved in agriculture throughout Merced County.
Well, the election is finally behind us and Donald Trump is the President-Elect and will serve this nation as its 47th president. The president has been busy putting together a cabinet but has yet to name an Agriculture Secretary to run the USDA. Let’s all hope that President Trump and the incoming administration can be successful and make this country and agriculture great and prosperous. Although California has not been able to finish counting votes most local races have been called. Californians also overwhelmingly passed
Proposition 36 which should help reduce the rampant crime epidemic that this state faces. Merced County voters did not pass Measure R which would have approves a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund public safety. This measure required a 66% vote to pass. It is also worth noting that an effort led by Sonoma County Farm Bureau overwhelmingly defeated Measure J. If passed, this measure would have effectively ended animal agriculture in Sonoma County. It was defeated by 70 points and hopefully will prevent this from being adopted elsewhere.
In December, myself, Tim Lohman and Matt Jasso and staff will be representing Merced County at the Annual Meeting being held in Monterey. It should be a good event and we are looking forward to spending time and exchanging ideas with other members from across the state. The agenda should be a light one as there are no elections and the due structure changes were hashed out in the Mid-Year Meeting in August.
Earlier this month myself, Breanne, Dante and Luciana Jonkman had the opportunity to meet with a group from Japan. The group all belonged to the Hokaiddo Cooperatives located in the Tokachi Providence of Japan. This is a region of Japan that they described as the agricultural breadbasket of Japan. It was a very
interesting meeting; they had a hard time fathoming irrigation as most of their crops rely on rainwater to grow. Other than the language barriers it was a great meeting and learning experience.
In October the first case of H5N1 (Avian Influenza) was found in a Merced County dairy herd. The virus is a highly contagious pathogen that causes dairy cows to consume less feed that then results in a plethora of other issues including lower milk production. It is not completely known how the virus is spread from herd to herd. Dairies are taking biosecurity precaution and all steps necessary to halt the spread. Reports say that the disease will last anywhere from two to three weeks in a herd as the herd builds natural immunity and the animals begin to recover. If your herd has been affected the USDA through your local FSA office has assistance available.
This coming December and January Merced County Farm Bureau will be hosting their first ever Ag. Summit in Los Banos on December 17 in the College Greens Building. We will then be hosting one in Merced at the Cooperative
Extension building on January 15, 2025. These events should be very informative as presenters on a range of different topics related to agriculture will be there. We are also planning on having a vendor area with different vendors in attendance. We hope to see you all at one of these great events. Stay tuned to your Farm News or MCFB website for a list of speakers and more information.
As the Holiday season is quickly approaching let us never forget what we are truly thankful for. We are all blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. Veterans Day has just passed and hopefully we are all reminded that if it wasn’t for the men and women who wore the uniform, we would not be doing what we are doing in the freest, most prosperous and safest country on earth. We should all be thankful for our family, friends and those we have met along the way, I know I am!
MCFB with members of Hokaiddo Cooperatives visiting from Japan
Leonard Anthony Pareira July 8, 1944 - October 26, 2024
Published by Legacy Remembers on Nov. 1, 2024
Leonard Anthony
Pareira, 80, a lifelong dairy farmer, was born July 8th, 1944, in Merced, California, and passed away at home in Hopeton, California, on October 26, 2024.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Judy Pareira (Lane), son Justin (Melissa), daughter Dana Kirby (Ric), grandsons Henry and Jack and granddaughters Meredith Lyons (Jake) and Morgan, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Mary Pareira, brothers Lloyd and Henry "Punky" and sister Elaine Tatum.
Leonard lived his whole life in Hopeton, California, on the family dairy. He attended El Capitan High School with the class of 1962. He farmed in Hopeton for 62 years. His passion for his cows and farming showed in the hard work he put into
the farm. His garden was always beautiful and enjoyed by everyone who drove through the farm.
He enjoyed working on cars and built many hot
rods over the years. He was a collector with numerous hobbies and enjoyed spending time in his shop. He was a member of the Hopeton Fiesta committee.
Funeral Mass will be held Monday November 25th, 10:00AM at St. Johns Catholic Church, 2615 Turlock Rd., Hopeton, California. A reception lunch
will be served at Merced Elks Lodge 1910 M St. 11:30AM following Mass.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Leonard's memory to Our Lady of Mercy School, 1400 E 27th St., Merced, CA 95340 or Prime Care Hospice, 4625 1st St., Pleasanton, CA 94566.
California Farm Bureau welcomes new administration and Congressional leaders
By: California Farm Bureau
California Farm
Bureau
President Shannon Douglass commented today on the outcome of the general election:
“The California Farm Bureau looks forward to working with the new administration and
Congressional leaders to advance meaningful legislation over the next four years. Our primary focus must be on addressing the many challenges facing California’s farmers and ranchers to ensure a safe, reliable and affordable food supply.
“Key challenges include
securing a sustainable water supply, tackling labor shortages, passing a full reauthorization of the Farm Bill, improving trade policies and reducing the high costs and regulatory burdens that farmers and ranchers face. We believe that only through genuine bipartisan cooperation and decisive
action from Congress can we begin to address these obstacles.”
The California Farm Bureau works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 26,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of 5.8 million Farm Bureau members.
Sweetpotatoes challenged by heat in 2024
Sweetpotatoes are the most heat tolerant vegetable we grow in the U.S., but like many crops, and people, prefer sunny and 75. In 2023, we had wonderful growing weather in the Merced area— for example, in June, there were only 5 days above 90 degrees F, and several days with high temps in the 70s. Additionally, there were only 14 days above 100 degrees F. The result was minimal stand loss, and more importantly, heavy root set for all the varieties.
Average yields in 2023 were 25 – 50% higher than 2022 (total marketable yield around 45 bins/A). However, 2024 was a much different story: it was really hot.
The Denair CIMIS station recorded 26 days over 100 degrees F, and the average high temperature in June was over 92 degrees Plant stress no doubt contributed to the marginal yields I have observed this year. Especially impacted was Murasaki, which is the high dry matter, purple skin/white flesh cultivar grown for specialty markets. The vines looked fine, but root set was reduced. While I haven’t run the numbers, I suspect county yields for all types will be similar to 2022.
Trying to find a rational explanation for why root
set would be affected by air temperature is not easy. Afterall, sweetpotatoes come from the roots, not the flower as in many other crops. High temps impact pollen viability and is a well-known phenomenon. Tomatoes and corn, for example, will abort flowers when the temperature exceeds 95 degrees F. This is the main reason that tomato production is down this year. But at 6” under the soil, where sweetpotatoes set roots, the temperature hardly changes. In 2023 average soil temperature was 75 degrees in July; in 2024, it was 78 degrees.
Production of the classic orange flesh varieties that dominate the markets at Thanksgiving was much better, and closer to average yields for Diane, Bellevue, Covington, and Vermillion, the varieties that fill this market category. Vermillion production continues to increase each year, slowly replacing Diane as shoppers seem to prefer the look of this variety due to its dark skin color and deep orange flesh. For some growers, Vermillion has excellent yields and long-term storage that make it far superior to Diane. But it is more difficult to grow, and seems to be more temperamental about planting date and irrigation. It yields
about 15% - 20% less than Diane, which is a bitter pill to swallow in this time of rapidly increasing input costs. Purple flesh sweetpotatoes continue to expand. These specially bred cultivars have dark purple skin and lavender to deep purple flesh. This new market category has crossed the threshold from novelty to everyone wants a piece of the action. I estimate they will become an official market category for CA in just a couple of years and command 1000 to 1500 acres. The challenge with purple flesh sweetpotatoes is finding one with good flavor, as the purple pigments in the roots can be very bitter. So before moving into full promotion mode, the industry needs to be able to grow a variety that people will want to buy more than once.
6-8 cultivars floating around to serve this market: Stokes, Purple Splendor, Purple Majesty, Carolina Purple, L-18-115, and a couple more numbered lines from Louisiana. But in a couple of years, I’m hopeful we’ll have figured out which one or two are well adapted to the Merced growing environment. Experimental lines in my trials this year were all over 36 bins/A, which is excellent for these types considering the heat in 2024. None can be described as sweet when baked, but they are definitely not bitter, which is a huge improvement over cultivars from 10 years ago. In an otherwise “down” year for California sweetpotatoes, the purplepurples as they are called, are one of the sweet spots giving growers cautious optimism in
Left to right: new Japanese, purple-purple, and red skin sweetpotato cultivars being evaluated in 2024 show real potential for improved yield and expanding markets
Election
continued from page 1 races, Mike Harris, a city planning commissioner and retired first responder, was ahead of the closest competitor, Sair Lara, by 262 votes in the District 3 race. And Darin DuPont led Walter Smith by only 119 votes in a close District 1 race.
DuPont told the Times he was feeling cautiously optimistic about the results, but he actually spent the weekend concentrating on very important happenings in his family life. On Tuesday, his wife Bianca gave birth to their first child, a girl they named Leilani.
If his lead holds, DuPont, a local attorney, will have a lot on his plate as a newly elected leader and a new father. He would also be the first candidate in many years — perhaps ever — to come from a strong Filipino background, (from his father’s side of the family).
If Smith pulls out a win in the District 1 race, he would likely become the only African American on the Council. African Americans account for less than 5 percent of the population in Merced, according to census data.
Also of note, if all the current leads hold, there will be only one Latino leader on the council going into 2025, Ronnie DeAnda. Latinos or Hispanics make up about 59 percent of the population in Merced. In contrast, a majority of the council (or at least four members), if current leads hold, would be considered White. About 38 percent of the Merced population is considered White.
Local measures
Measure R — the public safety measure to support
the Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney’s Office, and other agencies — was falling short of the necessary two thirds majority vote to pass. The YES votes were only ahead by 56.82 percent, about 10 percent short.
In contrast, Measure O —the Merced City School District’s (MCSD) facilities bond — is looking good with YES votes at 62.83 percent. It only needs 55 percent.
School districts
Speaking of the MCSD, Tsia Xiong and Annie Delgado were ahead in their respective races to win seats on the district’s Board of Education. At the Merced Union High School District, Area 3 board candidate Julio Valdez pulled slightly ahead of Sam Spangler, with a difference of just 81 votes. In the Area 4 race, Amalee Jayasinghe had a strong lead, as did Kurt Kollmann in the Area 5 race.
Concerning the board races for the Merced County Office of Education, incumbent Frank Fagundes had a 55.44 percent lead over Jose Naranjo for the Area 3 seat. In the Area 4 race, Robert Wallis had just an 83 vote lead over candidate Rodrigo Espinosa (who will be leaving his position as a county supervisor later this year). Incumbent Fred Honore was in third place but not far behind with 26.6 percent of the vote.
Atwater Council
It’s looking pretty good that incumbent Councilman John Cale will be reelected to a second term, as he held 58.54 percent of the vote in the District 1 race as of Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile Kalisa Rochester is only 108 votes ahead of her competitor, Adrian LopezJuarez for the District 2 seat on the Council.
Livingston Council
Over in Livingston things are even tighter, with Jason Roth falling slightly behind after an initial surge in the race for mayor. Incumbent Jose Moran pulled ahead over the weekend, now up by 49 votes. The leaders in the race for the city’s two Council seats up for grabs were Japjeet Singh and Rodrigo Espinosa, who is also running for a seat on the MCOE board.
Los Banos Council
Los Banos voters have overwhelming voted YES to recall two City Council members — Douglas Begonia Jr. in District 2 and Brett Jones in District 3. In the mayor’s race, Michael Amabile is ahead with 44.79 percent of the vote. There’s also a District 1 race that’s extremely close, with Kenneth Lambert holding an edge of 13 votes. It’s also close for a District 4 race with Deborah Lewis leading with 52.3 percent of the vote.
Other races
In Dos Palos, Katy Miller Reed ran uncontested for mayor, as did Pat Nagy in Gustine. Armando Bravo and Marcos Porter are headed without challenge to the Dos Palos City Council. In
Gustine, it looks like Blake Mitchell Giles and Mark Melville for two seats on the City Council.
Last but not least
In case you are wondering, it appears most local voters supported Donald J. Trump for president, with a 52.38 percentage compared to 45.72 percent who voted for Kamala Harris. Of course, that’s among the ballots already counted as of Wednesday morning.
This week, Registrar of Voters Mel Levey also made the following comment: “The Merced County Elections team has been hard at work for several months to administer a professional election that is free, fair, accurate, secure, and fully transparent. Nearly 300 individuals have worked for the Department during this election, and you will simply not find more dedicated public servants than these individuals who are working tirelessly on behalf of Merced County voters. While we are making great progress, we kindly request the public’s patience as voters expect and deserve their elections to be accurate.”
The next anticipated release of election results is planned for Nov. 14, at 5:00 p.m. For information related to election results, and ballot processing schedules, please visit mercedelections.org.
Students Take a “Hands-On” Approach to Learning – Garden Style
By: Marissa Vargas, Atwater FFA
Atwater the Atwater High School agriculture department, the start of the new school year begins with the tradition of clearing out the summer crop and planting a new crop of vegetables in the various agriculture science classes. This year was no exception as agriculture students kept the tradition alive and “growing”. “I didn’t realize transplanting crops was so simple!” exclaimed freshman student Emmalina Ortiz. A few weeks earlier, what was an area of dried corn and weeds, is now a beautiful broccoli and cauliflower garden due to the efforts and teamwork of the students.
The yearly vegetable garden created by students in the Exploration in Agriculture classes is an opportunity for “hands-on” learning and teamwork.
“Seeing the evolution of students wondering why they are pulling weeds, to the final phase of planting vegetable transplants and seeing the pride in their faces when they see the results of their hard work is what is the most rewarding aspect of this class project”, says agriculture instructor Dave Gossman.
Over 1500 transplants of broccoli, cauliflower, and other cool season vegetable plants were donated by California Transplants in Newman where they have continued to support this
project at no cost. The students take the 3-5” plants and transplant them into the vegetable garden laboratory located within the newly expanded AHS garden and nursery facility. The students are broken into teams and are responsible for the care and well-being of the plants. The garden will also serve as a science laboratory where various horticulture and plant science experiments and inquiries will take place utilizing the scientific method.
See 'FFA' Page 13
200 West Roseburg Avenue Modesto, CA 95350 | (209) 527-4220 gccpas.net
FFA
continued from page 12
By late November, the vegetable plants are ready for harvest where both education and nutrition serve as a primary reward. Additional plugs received by Atwater Ag/FFA were donated to other elementary schools for their gardens and sold at the plant sale as a fundraiser to help support supplies for future agriculture-related labs for student.
“I enjoy learning about things outdoors and getting our hands dirty!” stated freshman student Jonathan Matthews. Getting students involved and excited about agriculture is the philosophy behind the Atwater High School Agriculture program. “We guarantee our students that if they take advantage of the opportunities and resources agricultural education and FFA provides, they will gain skills and resources that will assist them in being successful towards any educational and career goals they have”, said Gossman.
Indirectly, the experience is teaching the students teamwork, organization, and the rewards of hard work. Students gain personal pride in seeing the results of their hard work. “Pride extends to personal confidence, and with confidence comes productivity and a drive towards personal, educational, and career success”, said Gossman. For more information on this event, upcoming events, and information on the Atwater FFA, log on their website at www. AtwaterFFA.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Mentorship Program
Enroll in a New Program Aimed at Preserving California’s Agricultural Heritage.
Beginning farmers and ranchers in California face many challenges in sustaining their agricultural operations. This program provides no-cost mentoring services from experienced farmers and ranchers to facilitate knowledge transfer.
Who can become a mentor?
Farmers (including specialty crop growers) and ranchers with more than 10 years of experience operating a production agriculture business in California can become mentors.
Benefits of becoming a mentor:
• Receive incentive pay ($50/hr) for up to six hours of time invested in mentoring a beginning farmer and/or rancher.
Who can become a mentee?
• Share knowledge, skills, and experience to help guide the long-term success of a beginning farmer and/or rancher in California.
Farmers (including specialty crop growers) and ranchers with one to 10 years of experience operating a production agriculture business in California can become mentees.
Benefits of becoming a mentee:
• Learn from experienced farmers and ranchers through six hours of mentoring.
• Attend biannual workshops alongside subject matter experts and peers.
• Enjoy annual subscriptions to the Ag Alert® weekly newspaper and Farm Bureau Extension classes.
• Work towards self-declared goals such as adopting new management practices, scaling production and distribution, learning established and emerging marketplaces, improving business accounting and finance fundamentals, and more.
To enroll as a mentor or mentee, complete an online application at cfbf.com/EOR. Information from the online application will be used to match mentors and mentees.
Funding for this Project was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
California research to address dairy needs
We're excited to welcome Corey Geiger, Lead Dairy Economist of CoBank's Knowledge Exchange as our keynote speaker to discuss dairy's bright future.
Scientific sessions will provide research updates from University of California Advisors, Specialists and Faculty.
Unburdened by What Has Been
In just four years, the American Dream has morphed into a terrifying, reoccurring nightmare. The deterioration of the middle class, which has been the backbone of the American economy for generations has been vanishing before our eyes. In the 1950s and 1960s, the middle class in America was flying high, and living the dream. Citizens were able to buy homes, send their children to college, and eventually enjoy a comfortable retirement. Today, many Americans are working several jobs, living paycheck to paycheck, burdened by student loan debt, and unable to afford the lifestyles their parents enjoyed. The government of generations past did not spend with the reckless abandon of today. Out of control spending has caused our government’s national debt to surpass $33 trillion and is growing at breakneck speeds. In the last four years, inflation has become a major concern for both the U.S. economy and its citizens. Inflation had been relatively low for most of the 2010s. Then, prices for goods and services exploded with the COVID-19 pandemic. The nail-biting supply chain disruptions, increased demand of goods, and rising energy costs contributed to the hikes. By 2022, inflation had reached its highest level in over four decades, spiking
at around 9%. To add insult to injury, healthcare costs in the United States are among the highest in the world, devastating both household and government budgets.
The rapidly rising cost of healthcare has become a major burden for middle-class families, with premiums, co-pays, and out-of-pocket expenses draining household budgets. The aging U.S. population, with millions of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, is putting even more pressure on our healthcare system and wallets. As much as 40% of Mariposa residents are over the age of 60 today, and many require additional expensive medical care. Healthcare in Mariposa is challenging at best, as providers are in extremely short supply, and home health providers
are stretched beyond thin. Mariposa County is in a very tricky healthcare situation, and we have got to figure it out soon, our community is counting on it. There is so much work to be done, but get it done we will.
Now, we are moving forward, and wiping the slate clean with a new administration with new as well as tried and true ideas.
I am very optimistic that in 2025, America will turn the page and wake up from the nightmare we’ve been living for way too long. We will once again sleep peacefully, be unburdened by what has been, and enjoy the American Dream for many generations to come. I wish everyone a very Blessed, Happy Thanksgiving!
