High-profile workers rights activist Dolores Huerta was one of several people cited with misdemeanor charges while protesting at a Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting today. The 89-year-old who helped establish the National Farmworkers Association with Cesar Chavez was calling for higher wages for caregivers. 

Last week, the State of California took its first steps to fully ban the harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos that can cause neurological problems and developmental delays in children. The ban means, however, that growers have to find alternatives for managing insects. Finding those alternatives is the goal of a new statewide group that includes members of the San Joaquin Valley agriculture community.

When Saul Ruiz heard about the McKittrick oil seep, which first occurred in May and is now being cleaned up by Chevron and state agencies, his first reaction was worry: Worry for the McKittrick residents and environment nearby, but also for residents of other similar communities. “My worry was that problems like these could expand to other communities like Taft, Buttonwillow, Lost Hills,” he says in Spanish.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno has been under pressure the last few months to release its own list of priests who have been accused of sexual abuse. Although a list hasn’t been released yet, the diocese is rolling out a settlement program for survivors. Some attorneys who represent survivors find it to be strategic and controversial. 

Late last month, those hoping for the City of Fresno’s top job filed their semi-annual campaign disclosures, showing the cash campaigns have on hand up until the end of June, and where it came from. 

The adage is that those who raise and spend the most money often win elections. Last year, Fresno County Prosecutor Andrew Janz raised millions in his effort to unseat Congressman Devin Nunes. In his current bid for Fresno mayor, Janz raised nearly $70,000 in monetary contributions in about two months.

And now for The Weekend -- the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is having its annual Big Time Gathering in Yosemite National Park on Saturday and Sunday. FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel spoke about it with Bill Leonard, chairman of the tribe. He starts by saying a lot of other tribes from the region will join in.

In a rare instance of a sitting politician facing criminal charges, Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez is defending herself against two misdemeanor charges related to a conflict of interest between her position as an elected official and her ties to the marijuana industry. Moderator Kathleen Schock spoke on the phone with Samuel Morgen, a reporter for the Bakersfield Californian who is covering the case, along with CSU Bakersfield professor of political science, Dr. Ivy Cargile. 

Western novelist and historian Frank Bergon’s recently published nonfiction book Two Buck Chuck and The Marlboro Man: The New Old West gives readers an intimate portrayal of 12 small town westerners, many of whom he met growing up in Madera. From cowboys to writers, dust bowl migrants to farmers and farm workers, this ethnically diverse group provides insight into the ethics and culture of the Valley.  FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel recently sat down with Bergon.

This week on Valley Edition: we visit residents of a community surrounded by highways, agriculture fields, and oil and gas development. We learn about their grassroots efforts to find out whether those industries are polluting their air.

In Kern County, we look into the case of Supervisor Leticia Perez who faces two conflict of interest charges relating to her ties to the marijuana industry.  

We also speak to an author who knew the Marlboro Man; he was a real cowboy from the San Joaquin Valley.

The California Public Utilities Commission is holding forums around the state to get feedback from Pacific Gas & Electric customers about the company’s proposed rate hike. It’s a process most utilities undergo every three years.  

PG&E is asking its regulator, the CPUC, to approve a rate increase that would add a billion dollars to the company’s revenue in 2020. The utility says the increase is to cover operating costs and to fund a wildfire safety program.