The Latest Breaking News from Central Valley

Central Valley Farmers Report Harvest Delays as Immigration Raids Reduce Worker Attendance

Increased immigration raids in California's Central Valley are creating severe agricultural labor shortages, delaying crop harvests, and compounding financial strain on local growers and national supply chains.

Latin Times · Oct 23

Becerra and SEIU Target Valadao's Medicaid Vote as CA-22 Becomes the Fall's Hottest Race

Becerra, SEIU unions, and AOC are flooding Bakersfield in CA-22's final stretch in a race that could reshape House control.

Latin Times · Oct 23

In Medicaid-Dependent Central Valley, Cuts Pose Political Risk for Six-Term Congressman

Rep. David Valadao voted to slash Medicaid, giving Democratic challenger Randy Villegas an opening as voters focus on affordability and health care access.

Capital & Main · Oct 23

H5N1 Bird Flu Spreads to Poultry in 12 States, Raising Concerns Over Los Angeles Food Supply Ties to Central Valley Farms

H5N1 bird flu has spread to commercial poultry in 12 U.S. states, raising concerns about agricultural worker safety and the vulnerability of Los Angeles food supply chains tied to California's Central Valley, where experts warn surveillance gaps and ongoing outbreaks could heighten biosecurity risks.

Medical Daily · Jun 8

The ‘ghost lake’ returns: California’s largest lost water body resurfaces after 130 years

Tulare Lake has made a surprising comeback, once known as Pa'ashi by the Tachi Yokut tribe. This rare event shows how a long-gone terminal lake can reclaim its original basin. It used to be the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi until it was drained in the late 1800s…

The Times of India · May 6

What is the mysterious ‘radiation’ fog blanketing California – and is it dangerous?

The fog pattern is a common one in California’s Central Valley and does not pose any extra risk to human health, researchers say

The Independent UK · Dec 21, 2025

Trump administration to direct more water to California farms

The Trump administration will start sending more water to California farmers in the state's crop-rich Central Valley

The Independent UK · Dec 5, 2025

How Did Farmers Respond When the Trump Administration Suddenly Stopped Paying Them to Help Feed Needy Californians?

When the U.S. government chopped $1 billion from USDA programs nationally, a group of farmers in the Central Valley fought back.

Capital & Main · May 5, 2025

Police seize enough fentanyl to ‘kill a quarter of the population of California’

Officials uncovered ‘alarming amount of fentanyl-laced pills’ during routine traffic stop in state’s Central valley

The Guardian - US · Nov 3, 2024

California’s Central Valley Shows the Sickness of Our Health System

Six in 10 in the region said they skipped or stalled medical care due to cost, and it is not much better statewide.

Capital & Main · Aug 30, 2024