Latest news with #TheCalifornian
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Citing cuts to health care, Bains says she's running for Congress
Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, D-Delano, said she's running for California's 22nd Congressional District, the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. 'From the beginning of this year, a lot of people were asking me if I would ever consider a run for Congress, and I kept saying, 'I hope I don't have to,'' said Bains, a family physician who's served in California's 35th Assembly District since 2022. Bains said much of the work that she entered politics to accomplish was now being undone by the Trump administration, aided and abetted, she said, by Valadao in his recent vote for the massive reconciliation bill recently passed by Congress. 'I have been working day in, day out, to help expand access in an area with some of the most Medicaid patients in the country and this directly cuts a lot of the work that I have been doing,' Bains said. 'The whole reason why I even ran for an Assembly (seat) in the first place.' Speculation around the assemblywoman's potential run has swirled for months, but it wasn't until speaking with The Californian that Bains confirmed her intention to run. California's 22nd District is considered one of the most competitive in the nation and Valadao has been the target of relentless campaigning by Democrat-aligned groups for months. It also has the highest level of Medicaid enrollment in the state — 67%, according to UC Berkeley — making the focus of those attacks the proposed cuts to the program. 'I was shocked when I saw Congressman Valadao vote for what he himself said would decimate health care in our Central Valley, would take away vital access to care in an area that has the least access to begin with,' Bains said. Valadao didn't say revisions to Medicaid would decimate the valley, but he did sign onto a letter in June with other Congressional Republicans cautioning against changes made by the U.S. Senate. In a statement, Valadao said the vote on the reconciliation bill was not an easy one and he said he'd received assurances from the administration about the $50 billion allocated for rural health. Ahead of votes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Bains appeared in advertisements urging Valadao to vote against the bill. Following the U.S. House of Representatives' vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Bains submitted in the state Legislature a resolution to formally censure all nine members of California's Republican Congressional Delegation who voted for it. Yet Bains has also previously clashed with her own party. In 2023, she was removed from an Assembly committee assignment by party leadership for being the only Democrat to vote no on a bill targeting the oil and gas industry. Those clashes were evidence, Bains said, of her willingness to put the interests of her district ahead of party politics. Bains said repeatedly during an interview with The Californian that her loyalty was to the district first. 'Voters in this district just saw their congressman choose party loyalty over them. That is something that I, from the first day I was in the Assembly, it was about choosing my district first,' Bains said. 'This area needs a representative that will choose them first. My loyalty again to the people in this district will always come first.' Bains is the second Democrat to officially challenge Valadao. In April, Visalia School Board member Randy Villegas announced his run for Congress, running on a progressive platform and vowing not to take any corporate political action committee money. Bains declined to make a similar commitment, saying she is focused on bringing health care back to the district. 'I am a doctor,' Bains said. 'I have been fighting to increase health care and I've been fighting to increase access to health care. I continue focusing on the issues that matter most, health care and also affordability, making sure that government is working for the people.' Environmental groups such as Greenpeace have criticized Bains for accepting money from the oil and gas industry. Past campaigns in the district have brought in massive amounts of money, much of it from donors outside the district. According to the Federal Elections Commission, in the 2024 race Valadao's campaign raised nearly $5 million while Democratic challenger Rudy Salas raised $6.5 million. Salas, himself a former Assemblyman, twice lost to Valadao, in 2022 and 2024. He's filed paperwork with the FEC to run in 2026, but has not committed to doing so. Valadao's campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday, but in an email, Republican National Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez called Bains a radical. 'Radical Democrat Jasmeet Bains will never represent the values of the Central Valley with her extreme record that sells out hardworking California families,' Martinez said. 'She's more focused on handing out taxpayer-funded home loans, welfare and free health care to illegal immigrants than defending the very Californians footing the bill. Californians deserve better than a radical activist masquerading as their representative.' Whether or not Bains is elected to Congress, running for the 22nd District means she won't be able to run for the 35th Assembly District, leaving a vacancy in that seat for the 2026 election. California's primary election isn't until June 2026, but only the two top vote-getting candidates in that race will move on to the general election. Whether or not she's elected to Congress, Bains said she is first and foremost a doctor. 'This is a doctor taking her oath to the highest level. I never signed up for this job in the Assembly to be a career politician. I am staying true to who I said I was from day one,' Bains said. 'This is about a doctor taking her oath to protect her community.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Homes in Monterey County sold for higher prices recently: See how much here
Newly released data from for April shows that potential buyers and sellers in Monterey County saw higher home sale prices than the previous month's median of $850,000. The median home sold for $1,199,000, an analysis of data from shows. That means April, the most recent month for which figures are available, was up 41.1% from March. Compared to April 2024, the median home sales price was up 36.7% compared to $877,000. sources sales data from real estate deeds, resulting in a few months' delay in the data. The statistics don't include homes currently listed for sale and aren't directly comparable to listings data. Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at Here is a breakdown on median sale prices: Looking only at single-family homes, the $905,000 median selling price in Monterey County was up 4% in April from $870,000 the month prior. Since April 2024, the sales price of single-family homes was down 2.4% from a median of $927, single family homes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to 69 recorded transactions of at least $1 million in April 2024. Condominiums and townhomes increased by 1,948.6% in sales price during April to a median of $12,343,000 from $602,500 in March. Compared to April 2024, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes was up 2,042% from $576,250. Eighty-two condominiums or townhomes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to 12 recorded transactions of at least $1 million in April 2024. In April, the number of recorded sales in Monterey County rose by 48.5% since April 2024 — from 206 to 306. All residential home sales totaled $3.1 billion. Across California, homes sold at a median of $760,156 during April, up 1.4% from $750,000 in March. There were 27,874 recorded sales across the state during April, down 2.6% from 28,615 recorded sales in April 2024. Here's a breakdown for the full state: The total value of recorded residential home sales in California increased by 19.5% from $29.6 billion in March to $35.4 billion this April. Out of all residential home sales in California, 34.32% of homes sold for at least $1 million in April, up from 33.22% in April 2024. Sales prices of single-family homes across California increased by 1.8% from a median of $758,055 in March to $772,001 in April. Since April 2024, the sales price of single-family homes across the state was up 2.9% from $750,000. Across the state, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes slightly rose from a median of $725,119 in March to $731,080 during April. The median sales price of condominiums and townhomes is down 1.2% from the median of $740,054 in April 2024. The median home sales price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. The median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average sales price, which would mean taking the sum of all sales prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high sale. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Homes in Monterey County sold for higher prices recently: See how much here
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cape Cod restaurant news: Lobster rolls, coffee at Days on the Pier; eating in Wellfleet
In this week's Cape Cod food news, Provincetown has a new pop-up market selling Days Market and Deli's well-known lobster rolls, Wellfleet gets ready for its annual Restaurant Week and Dana's Kitchen of 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' fame opens for the 2025 season in Falmouth. Also, the Cahoon Museum of Art features a class on edible flowers. Last week's restaurant news included The Piccadilly in South Yarmouth opening for dinner for the first time in decades; Cymbals Bakery at Faraway@Nantucket hotel making homemade doughnuts; and The Pretentious Pickle setting up shop in Mashpee Commons. You don't have to arrive at or leave Provincetown hungry with the new pop-up market Days on the Pier open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 16 MacMillan Wharf. It is a second location for Days Market & Deli in North Truro. The Provincetown pop-up that opened May 16 offers summer sundries like sunscreen and towels, as well as food items, including Three Fins Coffee and Days Market's well-known lobster rolls. 'There are five different lobster rolls I created in 2008 for The Red Shack,' said Days' owner Mylan Janoplis, noting that Days on the Pier will only have the four cold lobster rolls since the pop-up has no kitchen in the space formerly occupied by the Whydah Pirate Museum and later the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Janoplis (just one 'o' after his grandfather Americanized the name) is a Provincetown native whose family has been involved with restaurants for three generations, including starting and owning The Mayflower and The Portuguese Bakery in Provincetown. He loves California but the East Coast where he was born and raised keeps calling him back ― most recently in 2019 when he started Days Market & Deli in North Truro. 'The building, owned by Barry and Margo Clifford, is still for sale, so Days on the Pier will just be a popup for this year," he said. "But if the building doesn't sell, maybe there could be a second year.' In addition to the original lobster roll, Days Market & Deli sells The Californian with avocado and bacon, The Mexican with salsa and The Morrocan with a light curry mayo and pineapple. They sell for $27.95 in Truro but may be a little more in Provincetown, Janoplis said, since he is thinking of adding slaw or another side to make them more complete grab-and-go meals. Days on the Pier is at 16 MacMillan Wharf, Provincetown, 508-413-9031, or find Days Market & Deli on Facebook and Instagram. 'Learn about edible flowers, how to prepare stuffed zucchini blossoms, pansy pancakes, and other ways you can use flowers to bring extra flavor and visual flair to your dishes,' says a Facebook listing by the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Barnstable. The owner of Edible Creations by Gerry in Westport will teach that class from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at the museum, 4676 Falmouth Road. The cost is included with museum admission but registration is required at Dana and Art Tillman run a truly mom-and-pop operation with house-made food that was even served for a while on her grandmother's leftover china. Patrons who plan to eat outside on the porch are welcome to bring their dog. But, like home, you should call first (508-540-7900) to be sure they are open. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and until 1:45 p.m. Sundays, but sometimes this homegrown operation will have to close for a big catering operation. Specialties include, when crab is available, a Maryland crab cake wrap for $18.95, haddock chowder, two styles of Reuben and Middle Eastern fare including falafel. The Tillmans met in culinary school where she was the baker. If you want breakfast pastries, call a day ahead to order them. Watch the Tillmans 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' episode through the link on their website at Dana's Kitchen, 881 Palmer Ave., Falmouth, 508-540-7900, Nearly two dozen restaurants and the same number of shops and galleries are taking part in the 16th annual Wellfleet Restaurant Week from May 28 to June 3. The Wellfleet Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event, has a list of participating businesses. You can click on each restaurant to check out their Restaurant Week special, such as a $15.50 spinach and feta frittata with homefries and toast or a side salad at Blue Willow Fine Foods + Bakery; an $18 early bird special until 6 p.m. at C Shore Kitchen + Bar; a $26 paella at Pearl Restaurant + Bar on Wellfleet Harbor; and 19 more. Shops and galleries include Shinglefish, where whimsical sea creatures are painted on old shingles; and AIM Thrift Store, carrying a bit of everything since 1966 (you could find grandma's jeans from the '70s!). Scope out where to eat and shop at (This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.) Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@ Follow her or X, formerly Twitter: @dailyrecipeCCT Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod restaurants: New pop-up on Provincetown pier; Wellfleet eats
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Grand jury recommends more planning go into city bike lanes
A Kern County grand jury report found an increase in the number of bike lanes in Bakersfield has led to a decline in accidents but is recommending the city make changes to its pre-installation planning process. Titled "The Proliferation of Bike Lanes: Whose Road Is It?" the report issued Tuesday looks at Bakersfield's efforts to install more bike lines in recent years. "Initially funded by a federal grant for pollution reduction, bike lanes were later justified by safety improvements and reduced road maintenance costs," the report said. "However, concerns arose about biased urban planning, questionable pollution benefits and lack of prior bicycle traffic data." The grand jury wrote that the amount of pollution reduced by converting car users to bike riders was negligible, and that weather trends in the Central Valley don't support a transition to cycling. But the report also found the narrowing of automobile lanes to accommodate bicycle lanes often has a positive impact of tending to compel automobile drivers to reduce their speeds. "Motor vehicle vs. bicycle accidents are reduced by roughly 53% and injuries are reduced by approximately 40-50%, when bike lanes are installed on arterial roadways," the report said. It's that finding that Ward 4 City Councilman Bob Smith, a vocal cycling advocate, found most important. "I was shocked that they would state and find that bike lanes do reduce accidents and still recommend against them," Smith told The Californian. The report doesn't recommend against the installation of bike lanes, but it does question their usefulness. The report specifically notes the city's proposal to install bike lanes on a portion of H Street would reduce the road to one lane of traffic in each direction. "There are no practical alternatives for relocating traffic from H Street," one of the report's findings said. "Chester Avenue is too congested to move traffic to that street; Union Avenue and Oak Street are too far from H Street to be viable options," the grand jury report stated. The report faults the city for not conducting bicycle traffic counts prior to installing some bike lanes. According to the report, the consulting firm hired to draft a bicycle and pedestrian safety plan expresses a predetermined goal of moving many people from cars to bicycles. The report doesn't name the consulting firm or the year of the plan, but the city did publish a Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Plan in 2020, authored by the nationwide firm Alta Consulting + Design. The city of Bakersfield did not comment, saying only that a response would be provided for City Council approval within the 90-day timeline required by the grand jury. Smith said the grand jury report's apparent de-emphasis on the stated safety benefits of bike lanes was questionable. "What is the cost of the injuries and the lives lost?" Smith said. "Bike lanes do make it safer, where is the cost/benefit add up for that?" Traffic safety is an ongoing issue for the city, and Bakersfield regularly ranks among the most dangerous cities for pedestrians and cyclists. Residents appear regularly at City Council meetings to ask city leaders to do more to address road safety. Dozens of residents showed up at a council meeting in November following the death of a 13-year-old boy who was riding his bike, pleading for council members to take action. At the council's last meeting on May 14, two mothers who had both lost children to car accidents again asked members to take action to make city streets safer, particularly around schools. "It's all about safety to me," Smith said. "They say narrow lanes do slow traffic; that's what I'm all about." The report makes three recommendations with a required response from the city within 90 days, as well as requests a response from the Department of Public Works within 60 days. Recommendations made in the report are: • By July 1, the city should consider revising its Request for Proposal material to better identify potential conflicts or biases of proposals. • Starting Sept. 1, car and bike traffic counts should be conducted prior to installation of new bicycle lanes on existing roadways. • Also starting Sept. 1, a cost/benefit model should be developed prior to the installation of any bicycle lane.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Third time the charm for Salas? Filing points to hopes for 2026
Democrat Rudy Salas and Republican David Valadao could face off for the third time in 2026, according to Federal Elections Commission records showing both have already filed paperwork to run. Neither candidate responded to requests for comment Friday, but Democratic-aligned campaigning targeting Valadao's seat started last month. At a Democratic town-hall meeting in Bakersfield Thursday, party officials talked about the importance of flipping California's 22nd District in 2026, now held by Valadao, but state party chairman Rusty Hicks declined to name a candidate when speaking with The Californian. Salas was present at Thursday's meeting but did not give any public remarks. The primary election for the 22nd District isn't until June 2026 and candidate filing with the state doesn't actually open until December. But filing with the FEC does allow candidates to begin fundraising. The top two vote-getting candidates will move on to the general election in November 2026, regardless of party affiliation. California's 22nd district is one of the most competitive in the country and campaigns for both parties bring in significant out-of-state support. According to FEC data, Salas' campaign spent $2.9 million in 2022 and $6.3 million in 2024. Valadao's campaign spent $3.8 million in 2022 and $4.9 million in 2024. Valadao has held his seat since 2014, with the exception of 2019-21, when he was ousted for a term by Democrat T.J. Cox. One of the groups helping to organize a pressure campaign on Valadao's seat, the Fight for Our Health coalition, is also targeting two other California Republican districts, those of Reps. Young Kim of Anaheim Hills and Ken Calvert of Corona. Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats are hoping to flip red districts in blue California to help take back the House in 2026. On Thursday, Los Angeles-area Rep. Jimmy Gomez visited Bakersfield, the first of two town hall events by California Democrats to build support for 2026. On Sunday, Santa Clara Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna will hold a town-hall event at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Community Center before going on to visit Young and Calvert's districts as well.
