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Planada residents disappointed as $20M flood relief plan remains unfinished
Planada flooding
Flooded streets in Planada are shown in the aftermath of January 2023 storms that left many residents with damaged homes (Photo by Esther Quintanilla).
Published: Nov 25, 2023, 5:34 AM

By BRIANNA VACCARI

CV Journalism Collaborative

PLANADA (CVJC) – Planada residents were left feeling shocked, disappointed and even angry this week after a community meeting where they expected Merced County officials to present a draft spending plan for $20 million in state flood relief.

Instead, the county collected additional feedback on 19 “decision points” around an environmental study, home and vehicle repairs, small businesses and more.

Merced County hosted a number of workshops this month collecting feedback from hundreds of residents on how to distribute the money, which was secured through the state budget process by local Democratic legislators, Senator Anna Caballero and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria.

The small unincorporated community, populated mostly by Spanish-speaking, Latino agricultural workers, was devastated in January by historic flooding after a levee on a nearby creek was breached during a powerful storm.

“I know a lot of you wanted a complete plan,” Erick Serrato, Merced County’s director of workforce investment, told residents as he opened the meeting, held at Cesar E. Chavez Middle School

“The truth is, we’re not there yet,” he told the room of about 50 people. “But, we’re on our way.”

County staffers were stationed around the room next to 19 different display boards explaining possible uses for the funding. Residents were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the potential uses for the money. County officials stressed that no suggestions were final, and changes to the plan could still be made based on feedback collected that night.

One of the first boards included a proposal to spend $1.75 million on a study, environmental review and plan to capture and divert future flood waters. County officials said that would help the county secure additional infrastructure funding to improve infrastructure.

County CEO Raul Lomeli Mendez told CVJC that officials are seeking other funding sources for such a review, but using a portion of the $20 million may help expedite the project.

Other county boards suggested residents would not receive aid for wages lost due to flooded agricultural land. One board said residents would not be reimbursed for home repairs they already completed. Only new repairs for flood damage would be reimbursed.

“This meeting is an insult,” said Planada resident Saul Calderon, who already repaired the flood damage to his home. 

“What did they expect? For us to leave the house rotting there for a year? And where are you going to put the family?” he said. “This was not a natural disaster. It was man-made. Merced County should be responsible to pay for all the damages.”

At one point during the meeting, a few residents approached Mendez and Serrato to discuss the meeting. The conversation became tense as more community members joined, but it eventually dissipated.

“I’m mad. I’m real mad,” said Anastacio Rosales Jr. His home sustained major damage from the flood, and he spent his savings and took on additional debt to repair it. He attended each of the workshops and has been vocal about the community’s needs after the flood.

Mendez and Serrato said they were prepared for residents’ reactions. Ever since the funding was secured in the state budget, county officials have said their hardest job would be “managing expectations.”

“We also understand and appreciate that people have suffered through a lot of trauma. It's been a very difficult experience,” Serrato said. “Just a couple days ago, there was another storm with some rain. So I think that heightens anxiety because it makes it very present.

“Folks have had a really difficult 10 months, 11 months, after the flood. So we understand that what they want is immediate relief. So we are not surprised that there was some reaction around some of the constraints of the funding program,” Serrato said. “Our goal is always to provide maximum access and flexibility, so we just will continue to work through that.”

For Lydia and Catarino R. Flores – a retired couple who were deemed homeless since the alternative dwelling unit they lived in was a complete loss in the flood – attending the meetings is becoming emotionally taxing.

“It’s exhausting,” Lydia Flores said. 

At each meeting, they give feedback advocating for rental assistance or income-based housing options.

“We're kind of screwed,” Flores said. “Like I said, we're on every waiting list. 

“This is a good thing here. However, not one of these things have anything to do for renters who are displaced, or low-income based housing units,” she said. 

The couple has spent the last 10 months couch surfing in relatives’ homes, but they’d like to move back to Planada to be closer to family and their various doctor appointments. The housing options in Merced are expensive, and they fear there may be nowhere in Planada for them to return.

 

Other challenges remain

Mendez pointed out the state funding does come with some restraints. For example, if residents received FEMA aid, other state aid, or aid from a nonprofit, the portion of $20 million they receive cannot duplicate that aid. 

“The biggest challenge for us as a county is to develop a program that's going to address the unique needs, because every household experienced something a little bit differently,” he said. “So we have the daunting task of trying to develop a program that's going to provide assistance to those households that were impacted as the state intends the funding to be utilized.”

County officials initially planned five community meetings and workshops. Depending how the upcoming Dec. 5 meeting goes, they may add a sixth meeting. They also recognize that many Planada residents return to Mexico during the holiday season and they must be cognizant of not making decisions during that time.

“We're juggling between the need to be expedient and move things as quickly as possible, but also move at the speed of trust so that people are brought along in that decision-making process,” Serrato said.

Officials are hopeful the application for the funding will open near the start of the year so funding can be distributed by spring.

For Planada residents, that means more waiting.

“We’re getting left behind,” said Joaquin Romero. This kind of engagement should’ve been done in February and March, shortly after the flood, he said.

“The damage is already done, and everything has been fixed up. We corrected everything. And then they're trying to say we're not going to get any refunds because we've already made all the repairs and everything. So what's gonna happen with those $20 million?”

The next workshop is scheduled for Dec. 5 at Cesar E. Chavez Middle School. 


— Brianna Vaccari is the governmental accountability/watchdog reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced.
New subdivision in Hilmar approved despite opposition
Hilmar housing subdivision
A map shows the land parcels where a proposed subdivision, called Shevlin Place, will be built in Hilmar.
Published: Mar 15, 2025, 5:59 AM

BY BRIANNA VACCARI

CV Journalism Collaborative

Despite staunch opposition from residents, the Merced County Board of Supervisors gave the green light for another new subdivision in Hilmar.

The board considered an appeal of a prior planning commission decision on Tuesday during its regular meeting. Ultimately, the board affirmed the planning commission’s approval of the project on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Lloyd Pareira, who represents Hilmar, casting the lone no vote.

Half a dozen Hilmar residents drove the 30 minutes to Merced to register their opposition to the project. They voiced concerns over traffic, water supply and strategic planning decisions.

For the majority of the supervisors, the issue came down to property rights. 

“I understand the need to make sure we’re planning in a good way and the county is developing in a positive way,” Board Chair Josh Pedrozo said. “Yes, there’s going to be some hiccups, but I think this company who has submitted the plan … has listened to everybody, has taken a lot of time to do it the right way, based upon the county’s recommendation.

“I can’t, in good faith, vote against this project,” he said.

Supervisor Daron McDaniel said he worried that since the developers met all of the county’s requirements, denying the project may expose the county to legal action.

The 136-home project, called Shevlin Place, will include a pocket park, walking trail and drainage basin on about 33 acres of land, south of Hilmar and Irwin high schools and a new elementary school. Homebuilder Mike Wadsworth is behind the project.

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The site of the project, located near the intersection of West Geer and North Lander avenues, previously was an orchard and has been fallow for several years, county documents show. About a half dozen homes, outbuildings and a storage company remain on Geer Avenue directly north of the project site.

The unincorporated town of Hilmar is home to just over 5,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Known locally as a dairy town with deep Portuguese roots, there’s a growing population of Latino residents as well.

 

Traffic and water concerns

Hilmar resident Danny Coder filed the appeal that the board of supervisors weighed Tuesday. 

Public records show Coder lives in one of the homes right by the project location and likely will be directly affected by construction and the resulting neighborhood.

Coder was unable to attend Tuesday’s public hearing because he got called to work, according to another Hilmar resident who spoke on his behalf during the hearing. In his appeal, Coder outlined his concerns with the project as well as possible solutions.

The main concern cited by residents and the supervisors alike is the vehicle traffic the new development will add to an area of town that’s already notorious for traffic congestion.

Outside of Hilmar, Lander Avenue turns into state Highway 165, which is managed by Caltrans. 

The intersection of Lander and Geer avenues  is located near a Hilmar Unified School District compound that includes the newly-opened Hilmar Elementary, Irwin High, Hilmar Middle and Hilmar High schools, Elim Elementary and its associated Head Start program.

During the hearing, Supervisor Pareira said he has seen firsthand the existing traffic congestion at the intersection.

On Lander Avenue, drivers sometimes will use a turn lane as a passing lane to bypass bottlenecked traffic, Pareira said. Other Hilmar residents described the staggered school schedules that create nonstop pickup and dropoff traffic around the various schools.

“What the public comment is saying about the school traffic is – I don’t even think they’re explaining it to the degree that it is,” Pareira said.

“It’s just unreal,” he said, later adding, “It’s a mess out there.”

Although a traffic study was conducted for the project as part of the environmental review process, Coder and others called it flawed and called for a new one to be done that considers school operations within its peak hour analysis.

However, Merced County planning staff said the study did include school drop-off times, and in the end the study found the project met “safe circulation” standards set by Caltrans and county planning.

County staff also confirmed Caltrans is planning to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Lander and Geer avenues around 2028 or 2029. After eventually being called to speak, Wadsworth told the board the traffic signal likely will already be installed by the time the first house goes up for sale, considering permitting and engineering plans may push construction out a year or two still.

Coder in his appeal, along with other Hilmar residents, also voiced concerns about the Hilmar County Water District’s ability to provide water for the new subdivision, citing lack of supply and adequate infrastructure.

Other residents also voiced concerns about the water district’s supply for the several new subdivisions coming to town, saying the district cited supply issues in the past. Residents also mentioned failed wells in the community. 

County staff said the water issue is outside of the county’s jurisdiction, but the small water district signed a “can and will service” letter for the project and a legal acknowledgement that it has capacity for the new community.

If it turns out Hilmar County Water District does not have capacity to serve the new development, “then it doesn’t get built,” said Tiffany Ho, Merced County’s deputy planning director.

 

Residents say they want ‘responsible growth’

Hilmar residents urged the board to carefully consider residents’ concerns before approving the project.

Crystal Casey, an active Hilmar resident who also serves as a member of the Hilmar-Stevinson Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), said nearly everyone in town she’s talked to opposes the project.

“It’s important to note that Hilmar is not against growth. We are advocates for responsible growth,” Casey told the board of supervisors. “We actually have already voted in favor of two subdivisions. …

“The residents of Hilmar are very clear in their vision of the community. They do not want large subdivisions built south of the school,” Casey said.

Casey and other residents criticized the Hilmar community plan – a county planning document that charts future growth – as 20 years old and outdated. She said the Hilmar MAC has requested an updated plan many times.

On the other hand, Wadsworth said that years ago, the community asked for development west of Lander so children wouldn’t have to cross the road to get to school. That’s why the property was zoned as residential, noting it’s taken over three decades for the project to get to this point.

County staff estimate construction on the development will begin around 2028.