Appliance Repair in Los Banos, CA

LOS BANOS, Calif. -- Commuters seeking cheaper housing have long been drawn to Los Banos because of its direct access to Highway 152.

"It was an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half from here to Sunnyvale," says Larry Vieyra.

Vieyra moved here five years ago. He wanted a nice home with room to relax - away from the pricey Bay Area.

"You couldn't touch a home like this for no less than $2 million," he said.

VIDEO: Bay Area's great migration is creating a 'Megaregion' as residents move out, not away

Another new neighborhood was going up across the street. Over 400 permits were approved last year to try to keep pace with the city's explosive growth.

Aerial views show not only new construction but additional space where more homes can be built in the future.

Los Banos Mayor Tom Faria says the median sales price of a home is up to $425,000 -- too high for many who grew up here but a deal for people moving in from out of town.

"San Jose, Santa Clara, the entire Silicon Valley, so it's 85-90 miles," he said.

Faria says over 60% of the Los Banos workforce commutes to Fresno and Stanislaus counties but even more to the Bay Area.

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"People can't afford a house there, so they move here and then of course, that puts pressure on this housing market," he said. "But these wages won't support those prices and then these people are forced to move."

Residents priced out of the market have been moving to cities like Chowchilla.

"You really need a two-income family to be able to survive," says Senior Planner Stacy Souza Elms.

Elms says the city's rapid growth won't end anytime soon.

"In the next decade, we'll probably have about 75,000 in population," she said.

VIDEO: Experts explain what's behind California's historic drop in population

Soaring home prices have the city looking to build more affordable, multi-family complexes so more locals won't have to move.

It is a delicate balance.

"We want to keep this identity," Faria said. "This identity of it's a small town."

Faria adds Los Banos used to have a sign that said, "Where East comes West to stay."

Now, it appears West is coming East to stay.

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The following was submitted to the Enterprise by Peninsula Clean Energy

Starting in April, all electricity customers in the city of Los Banos have the choice to receive cleaner power at lower rates without having to sign up or install solar panels on their roofs.

Peninsula Clean Energy will be delivering greener electricity to Los Banos at a 5% savings compared to the electricity mix provided by PG&E.

Peninsula Clean Energy is a joint powers authority comprised of the City of Los Banos and all 20 cities within San Mateo County. The governing boards representing these jurisdictions all took action to join Peninsula Clean Energy.

Peninsula Clean Energy, which has been the official electricity provider for San Mateo County since 2016, has already saved its San Mateo County customers approximately $90 million since 2016. At a time when PG&E is raising its electricity rates across the state, the discount that customers will receive from the power generated by Peninsula Clean Energy could not come at a better time.

In October 2020, the Los Banos City Council voted to join Peninsula Clean Energy to not just bring cleaner and less expensive electricity but also allow Los Banos residents and businesses to enjoy a wide range of rebates, incentives, and other programs to help customers save even more on electric appliances, electric vehicles and emergency backup power.

Here’s how it will work:

Peninsula Clean Energy is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) public agency. As a CCA, Peninsula Clean Energy provides electricity generation, which is the source of your power.

PG&E will continue to own and operate existing wires, poles and other infrastructure to deliver the power generated by Peninsula Clean Energy to participating homes and businesses. PG&E also still owns and reads electric meters and provides the same maintenance and other repair services they always have. And customers will continue to receive their bills from PG&E and pay them in the same ways as before.

Customers with a special bill discount such as CARE, FERA, or Medical Baseline, don’t need to worry - it will remain in place. These customers will also enjoy additional savings tied to Peninsula Clean Energy’s discounted generation rates, which will show up as a separate line item on the PG&E bill.

Note that PG&E recently increased its rates for electricity delivery service, which all customers pay whether they belong to a CCA or not. The good news is that Peninsula Clean Energy customers’ electricity generation rates will be 5% less than if they purchased it from PG&E.

Energy customers won’t need to do anything to become a Peninsula Clean Energy customer because enrollment is automatic. Starting in April, Los Banos customers will be enrolled in Peninsula Clean Energy’s default service plan, ECOplus. The average household will enjoy a few dollars of savings on their monthly energy bill compared to what they would otherwise pay, while receiving cleaner power.

Customers also have the choice to opt out of Peninsula Clean Energy services and continue purchasing their electricity generation through PG&E. Keep an eye out for enrollment notices that have been mailed starting in February to all City of Los Banos customers explaining these new energy choices.

Peninsula Clean Energy launched in San Mateo County with a vision to build a sustainable world with clean energy for everyone. Peninsula Clean Energy purchases energy generated from clean sources like Wright Solar, a large solar farm on Billy Wright Road just outside of Los Banos. This local solar farm generates clean solar energy exclusively for Peninsula Clean Energy customers.

Learn more about Peninsula Clean Energy’s services, upcoming workshops, and frequently asked questions at PenCleanEnergy.com/los-banos, Or call them at 1-866-966-0110.

Sandra Benetti is associate manager of community relations for Peninsula Clean Energy

Simple logic tells us that as climate change alters precipitation patterns, California must expand its capacity to capture and store water.

Even if the overall amount of precipitation remains unchanged, we will receive more of it in the form of rain and less as snow, which means the natural reservoir of the Sierra snow pack will decline as a water source.

We can prepare for that decline by creating more storage, either in new reservoirs or by replenishing underground aquifers. However, despite the urgency of the situation — one underscored by the current drought — California politicians have been lackadaisical about doing what needs to be done.

Local and regional water authorities have been more diligent. Southern California’s recent construction of more storage capacity is one reason it is less affected by the current drought than Northern California.

Belatedly, increasing storage is moving upward on the political agenda. Last week, the federal Environmental Protection Agency invited sponsors of the Sites Reservoir project, which has been on the back burner for decades, to apply for a $2.2 billion loan that would cover roughly 40% of the project’s estimated cost.

Along with some state water bond money and commitments from prospective users of the project — Southern California water agencies, mostly — Sites is now in position to put together a financing package to make it a reality.

“We’ve definitely turned the corner and we have a nice tailwind at our back,” said Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Project Authority. Brown is not related to former Gov. Jerry Brown, whose Colusa County retirement home, incidentally, is not far from Sites.

It’s not going to happen immediately, despite the urgency of the situation. Just assembling the loan package and getting approval could take several years and there are other hurdles to clear. Nevertheless, the strong possibility of a federal loan is a huge step forward.

If it becomes reality, the reservoir would be constructed on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, west of Maxwell. It would have a capacity of up to 1.8 million acre-feet of water, about half the size of the state’s Lake Oroville, but unlike Oroville, would not dam a major river.

Sites would be an off-stream reservoir, similar to — and slightly smaller than — the San Luis Reservoir in the Pacheco Pass west of Los Banos. During periods of high precipitation and runoff, Sacramento River water would be pumped into Sites, then released back into the river as needed for agriculture, residential use or to maintain flows for fish.

As an off-stream reservoir, Sites escapes at least some of the traditional opposition to big water projects from environmental groups, but there is some criticism that it could be used to divert water during low precipitation periods.

“It’s just a, kind of, different way of thinking about it,” project boss Brown told the Associated Press. “There’s a lot of fear and distrust and we have to operate in a way that we, you know, secure trust and address the fears.”

The good news about Sites should be kept in perspective. It’s just one of many steps that California must take to protect its vital water supply from the potential ravages of climate change.

It’s entirely possible that climate change will not only change the mix of precipitation — more rain and less snow — but reduce the overall volume of water that falls on California, thus making more storage even more crucial while forcing us to rethink the entire pattern of water use.

Nothing is more critical to California’s future.

For Immediate Release: Julian Leichty (279) 895-5930Julian.Leichty@oehha.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – A state fish advisory issued today for Los Banos Reservoir in Merced County provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Common Carp, sunfish species and Threadfin Shad.

Los Banos Reservoir is located approximately 33 miles southwest of Merced. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) developed the recommendations based on the levels of mercury found in fish caught from the reservoir.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of OEHHA. “By following our guidelines for fish caught in Los Banos Reservoir, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”

When consuming fish from Los Banos Reservoir, the following advice is issued:

OEHHA’s fish advisory recommendations are based on the levels of contaminants, such as mercury, that persist in the environment and accumulate in fish. They are independent of any advisories to limit fish intake due to freshwater or estuarine harmful algal blooms (HABs). Before fishing, check the California HABs Portal to see if there are recommended HAB advisories and always practice healthy water habits.

One serving is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured prior to cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. Children should eat smaller servings. For small fish species, several individual fish may make up a single serving.

A poster with the safe eating advice for Los Banos Reservoir is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Los Banos Reservoir that are not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following the statewide advisory for eating fish from California lakes and reservoirs without site-specific advice.

Mercury is released into the environment from mining and burning coal. It accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses. Because of this, OEHHA provides a separate set of recommendations specifically for children up to age 17 and women of childbearing age (18 – 49 years).

Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done only occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation.

The Los Banos Reservoir advisory joins more than 100 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs, and the California coast. Advisories are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories web page.

OEHHA’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of Californians and our state’s environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions.

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Our history helps to make us what we are today, just as our genetics help to make us the unique person we are.

To help understand our complex selves better, it helps to learn about our family’s heritage. Here in Los Banos many families have fascinating stories to tell.

I have recently joined Ancestry.com as a tool to help me dig for the hidden treasure that may be in my own roots.

Fortunately for Los Banos, we have a treasure chest at our disposal, a place where we can go at our leisure to learn about our city’s history.

Our Milliken Museum is located at the far corner opposite the library at Pacecho Park, and it is a blessing to our residents, and especially our new residents.

A true lover of history, we are blessed that Ralph Leroy Milliken started this Museum in 1954 with documents, artifacts and oral histories.

Gathered in the museum are photos of the damage to Los Banos caused by the 1906 earthquake, artifacts from the Native Americans who first settled in our valley, and unique pieces of history — from beautiful old jewelry to the rugged tools that once helped people live.

This museum, our museum, is a passage back into history.

I had a chance to speak with Dan Nelson, active with the museum board for many years, when I visited it recently with friends.

Carolyn Vierra had arranged for a special tour. It is a rare opportunity to step back into the time of horse pulled carriages, Indian reservations, cow trails, long bustle dresses, and other artifacts of another time.

The people who developed the Central Valley were enormously strong and determined, weathering a challenging climate and deprived of most basic needs. It is due to the perseverance of our forebears that we have the canals, water irrigation, farms, roads, first schools and the potential and prosperity that we enjoy.

And here is some exciting news: Dan Nelson said that finally, after more than seven years of discussion and planning, a new museum building will be constructed to be able to show many things that have been stored due to lack of space and also to display things to a better advantage.

The new museum is being built on the Rail Trail next to Henry Miller Plaza and the Community Center.

This will do much to enrich the social center and heart of our community. The project is now in the final stages of signing an architect to design a 10,000 square foot, two story building.

The top floor will be shared by our water agencies. The descendants of Henry Miller have long been involved in the planning and funding.

This new structure will help to make our rare museum expand and become a real calling card for visitors and residents alike.

The museum has been kept going, thanks to the generosity of donations and the dedicated and hardworking members of the museum board and society.

It was two of the museum’s greatest workers, Charles Sawyer and June Erreca, who helped me fall in love with our community’s history.

Most readers are probably aware of our founder and benefactor, Henry Miller (Heinrich Alfred Kreiser by birth), born in Germany.

Henry’s father was a butcher, and so he learned the art of raising, slaughtering and marketing livestock. Henry decided at 17 to head for greener pastures in America. It took him two years in England and Holland before he made it to New York.

Henry was like many immigrants, bringing their hopes and dreams to America. Though many settled later in the Central Valley, few were as successful.

When Henry Miller arrived in San Francisco he only had $6 to his name. He still found his way to the San Joaquin Valley where he purchased 8,835 acres and 7500 head of cattle.

Charles Lux became his partner in business for many years. Miller acquired land on both sides of the San Joaquin River, a distance of 120 miles.

One of his quotes was, ”Land in California is cheap now, it will be valuable. Wise men buy land, fools sell, I will keep it!”

Miller was one of the first to introduce cotton, rice and alfalfa to our state. It was through Miller’s efforts that the railroad was extended through the westside, eventually determining the site of Los Banos.

An annual custom each year for the Miller & Lux employees was a large picnic. Our May Day Fair, coming up in just a few months, is also a part of Miller’s legacy.

It may be hard for some residents to envision the Los Banos of old but believe it or not, our May Day parade was once the second largest in the state , topped only by the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Sometimes we may feel that just one person can only have just so much influence, but imagine what this young immigrant did, especially coming from such humble beginnings.

I hope you will come visit the Milliken Museum and stroll amongst the pictures and relics of bygone days. Walking around the museum, the old carriage, saddles, furniture, hats and school desks are a potpourri of past lives.

I have always felt a shift under my feet. I wonder what items may be in a museum of the future, items that are commonplace today? I have always loved antiques, and have my fair share.

I love touching them and wondering about their earlier life. The table my computer now sits on is from 1880. It must seem out of place here. I admit it is a bit wobbly, but with its intricate inlay and carved legs, to me it is a thing of beauty.

Perhaps the best balance we can have in life is to have one hand reaching back into the past, to gather knowledge and awareness of the gifts we’ve been given over time, and have one hand carefully held out to the future, remembering that all our actions have repercussions. Let’s be good stewards of the world we will later hand over.

The museum is open 1-4 p.m. every day but Monday.

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 1:26 PM.