Whether you care for his politics, Bill Lyons’ resignation hurts Modesto interests
A burly rancher with cowboy hat and boots in a conservative corner of California confronted Modesto’s Bill Lyons, letting him know in no uncertain terms what the rancher thought about Lyons’ boss, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. When he finished, Lyons — the governor’s agriculture liaison — steered talk to the cattle business, ending the conversation several minutes later on common ground, with mutual understanding and at least surface respect.
That’s how a Democratic representative of a progressive governor survived regularly rubbing shoulders with growers and ranchers who tend toward conservative politics. He spoke their language, even if they didn’t always see eye to eye.
Lyons’ latest run at the Capitol lasted only a year this time, ending Feb. 14 — as a Valentine’s Day gift to his wife and his mother, he said, smiling, in a recent sit-down at The Modesto Bee. He previously served as agriculture secretary to Governor Gray Davis, from 1999 to 2004.
“I was in my 40s then; I’m (nearly) 70 now,” Lyons said. The daily commute to Sacramento from his Mapes Ranch base west of Modesto, plus other travels up and down the state, became a grind, he said, and he resigned upon returning from a recent vacation with grandchildren.
His leaving, Lyons insists, had nothing to do with tricky ongoing California water wars, which President Trump waded into last week. Nor was he asked to leave, Lyons said.
Newsom shared this statement with The Bee: “I am grateful to Bill Lyons for his service to this administration — his institutional knowledge and agricultural experience were particularly helpful during my first year. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him in the future and wish him well in his endeavors.”
The governor’s office declined to answer whether he intends to find a replacement for Lyons. Newsom a year ago had created just for Lyons the agriculture liaison post, which did not exist before.
Besides spending time with family, Lyons will keep busy on the farm and ranch and with Lyons Investments, a land development company with interests throughout the Valley, including Wood Colony. Whether several hundred acres at its north end should be annexed into Modesto for businesses and homes has stirred hot controversy in recent years.
So have the water wars. The latest salvo came when the president last week relaxed environmental rules to allow more water from the Sacramento-Sac Joaquin Delta to be shipped south, triggering Newsom to sue to stop it.
The governor — with Lyons whispering in his ear — has tiptoed through a political minefield to defend our Valley interests by supporting voluntary agreements between local water agencies like the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts and state and federal officials.
“The ag industry is more conservative and Republican,” Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Association and longtime Republican, told me Tuesday, “but Bill Lyons was respected by everyone.”
Whether you were happy that Terry Withrow, another conservative, in 2010 beat Lyons in a Stanislaus County supervisorial race, or you were relieved that Modesto in 2014 backed away from swallowing Wood Colony, this much is undeniable: It’s a shame that our region has lost the inside track to Newsom that Lyons provided.
Speaking of politics...
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See this Opinions page on Monday for a recap of endorsements from The Modesto Bee Editorial Board in key races and ballot measures on the March 3 Primary ballot.
