Public Safety
Nearly 86,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers across California remained without electricity Friday morning as wildfire-prevention shutoffs entered their third day, with PG&E beginning cuts Wednesday evening due to strong winds and dry conditions. Approximately 20,000 customers in El Dorado, Placer, and Amador counties were still affected, along with thousands in Calaveras, San Luis Obispo, Madera, Tuolumne, Nevada, and Yuba counties. PG&E estimated power restoration by Saturday morning through noon for many Sierra Nevada foothill communities, though officials cautioned these are estimates pending safety inspections. Community resource centers offering Wi-Fi, charging stations, water, and snacks remain available in affected areas.
Local Business · Madera, CA
The North Fork Mono Casino, a $725 million gaming and entertainment resort developed by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California and managed by Station Casinos, will open at midnight on Wednesday, October 28, along State Route 99 in Madera between Avenue 17 and 18 1/2 exits. The 264,000-square-foot facility features more than 2,400 slot machines, 40 table games, eight dining venues, and four bars. The development is expected to create more than 1,500 local jobs across gaming, hospitality, and food-and-beverage operations.
Local Politics · Madera County
Madera Irrigation District (MID) will pay off bonds tied to Proposition 218, 9(d) assessments in 2026, 14 years ahead of the original 2040 schedule, through fiscal management including a $29.3 million bond refunding completed Sept. 17, 2015 that saved more than $20 million. The eliminated assessments, originally approved by landowners on March 15, 2011 to finance acquisition of the 9(d) contract from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, ranged from approximately $25 to $39 per acre per year for agricultural and commercial properties within MID. The savings will appear on upcoming 2027 property tax bills issued by Madera County to MID landowners.
Local Politics
Republican groups have spent over $4.34 million this year backing former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln against Democratic Rep. Adam Gray in California's 13th Congressional District, which stretches from Stockton down State Route 99 to Merced. The Congressional Leadership Fund's spending dwarfs the House Majority PAC's under-$400,000 investment in the race, per filings as of Oct. 11. GOP ads attack Gray over his 2017 vote for a state gas tax increase and allege he profited from a $100 million road project in Merced County; Gray has disclosed receiving more than $366,000 from a construction company owned by his cousin. Lincoln emphasizes cost-cutting, public safety, and border policy, while Gray promotes bipartisan legislation including telehealth access and geothermal energy bills co-authored with Republican colleagues. The Cook Political Report moved the race from "toss-up" to "lean Dem" in January following California's Prop. 50 redistricting.
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Community News · Madera County
Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector Tracy Kennedy announced that approximately 63,800 secured property tax bills totaling about $298.1 million have been mailed for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. The first installment is due November 2, with payments postmarked by December 10 to avoid delinquency penalties; the second installment is due February 1, 2027, with a delinquency deadline of April 12, 2027. Property owners can pay online, by mail or in person at 200 W. 4th St., Suite 2200, Madera, CA 93637, or enroll in Easy Smart Pay for monthly installments if they lack an escrow account.
Social Events · Madera, CA
Madera County Master Gardeners will host their first annual 3 Sisters Garden Fall Festival on October 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 30277 Ave. 12 in Madera. The free public event features children's activities including pumpkin decorating, an owl presentation, and a scavenger hunt, along with family games such as apple fishing and corn hole. A fall plant sale will offer perennials, cool-season flowers, and vegetables propagated by master gardeners, with gardening help tables and Garden Art Crew creations also available. Madera Community College will showcase its programs on-site, and three food trucks will be present.
Social Events · Oakhurst, CA
The third annual Oakhurst Facelift community cleanup will take place Saturday, October 24, with check-in beginning at 8 a.m. at the Oakhurst Visitor Center, 40343 Highway 41. Presented by the Yosemite Climbing Association, the event includes litter removal along the River Parkway and Lewis Creek trails, trail project work by local Rotarians, and a community park questionnaire table. Cleanup runs from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by a gear giveaway at 1 p.m. and a celebration with live music at South Gate Brewing Company, 40233 Enterprise Drive, starting at 2 p.m. Partners include Emadco, Bee's Bakery Cafe, Bigfoot Bakery & Grill, the Rotary Club of Oakhurst Sierra, and Visit Yosemite | Madera County. Volunteers can register in advance or show up as walk-ups; families are welcome and no experience is required.
