05Apr

IN THIS ISSUE:

Top Policy/Political Stories

Valley
State
Federal

Additional information on the following topics

Agriculture/Food
Criminal Justice/Public Safety
Economy/ Jobs
Education
Environment/Energy
Health/Human Services
Immigration
Land Use/Housing
Public Finances
Transportation
Water
“Xtra“
Editorials

TOP POLITICAL STORIES

Valley Politics:

Fresno parks advocates launch tax initiative for November ballot

Fresno Bee

Backers of a tax initiative aimed at invigorating and beautifying city parks officially launched their campaign Wednesday at a picnic and rally in central Fresno. The proposed sales tax increase of 0.375 cents per dollar would raise about $37.5 million annually for city parks, advocates said.

Clovis craft beer | New breweries, tap rooms

The Fresno Bee

You may not think of Clovis and its cowboy culture as a hot spot for craft beer. But that could be changing, as this growing city has begun attracting craft beer makers who see the potential for creating something special. The city is already home to four breweries or tasting rooms, with a fifth to open soon and a sixth in the works.

Clovis faces affordable housing dilemma

Clovis Roundup

The city of Clovis stands to lose millions in state housing funds if it fails to meet Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) affordable housing numbers it agreed to for a previous cycle from 2006 to 2013. In 2006, Clovis agreed—by way of then councilmember and now mayor Bob Whalen’s yes vote at Fresno COG (Council of Governments)—to accept responsibility for providing 15,195 units of housing of the county’s overall 52,141 required units allocated by the state.

High Speed Rail constructions making it harder for loyal Chinatown patrons to get to businesses

ABC30

In the early days of Fresno, Chinatown was full of life. Now, the few customers that visit the area are having a harder time getting to the shops. High-Speed Rail has forced the closure of several streets. Chinatown advocate Kathy Omachi said, “People cannot get to Chinatown right now, and in a couple months it’s going to be worse with Ventura.”

Fresno County signs contract with new jail medical provider

The Fresno Bee

Fresno County supervisors approved contracts Tuesday with a Monterey-based health company to take over medical and psychiatric care of inmates at the county jail and the juvenile justice campus. California Forensic Medical Group, Inc., will begin providing care July 1.

Big changes coming to elections in Madera County

ABC30

Madera County is hoping to increase voter turnout, but it is cutting the number of places to vote. The county is one of 5 in California to implement the states “Voters Choice Act.” The act calls for fewer polling stations but keeps voting open for up to 11 days before the election. It also encourages voting by mail.

Committee files petition to recall Mayor Andy Medellin

Madera Tribune

A committee of Madera residents has qualified and filed a recall petition with the Madera County Elections Department, and is seeking signatures from citizens of the city to recall Madera Mayor Andy Medellin. Should recall proponents be able to collect 3,600 signatures of registered voters in the next 120 days, the measure for Medellin’s recall will be eligible to be placed before voters in the November election.

Amaral: The anti-farming agenda and the Central Valley

The Fresno Bee

It’s increasingly clear that some people will not be satisfied until irrigated agriculture is eliminated from the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. As evidence, the commentary by Lloyd Carter and Donald Tayloe, M.D., which criticizes the drainage settlement between the Westlands Water District and the United States.

Lawyer urges council to ‘muster courage’ for Tulare police chief

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare City Attorney Heather Phillips said the city’s time of being unable to defend itself against “baseless accusations” is nearing an end. But the debate on whether Hensley is entitled to a full evidentiary hearing seems far from over.

Tulare hospital CFO: ‘It’s kind of hand to mouth every single day’

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare hospital is on life support. Instead of pulling the plug, Tulare Regional Medical Center’s board looked to another hospital to help keep the community hospital alive. Tulare hospital board members took speedy action on Wednesday, unanimously approving a $450,000 loan from Community Medical Centers, based in Fresno.

Cannabis brings in the billions

Visalia Times-Delta

The legalization of cannabis, known as the modern-day gold rush, is growing into a multi-billion dollar industry. In less than 10 years, the market for marijuana is expected to grow to $24 billion, according to a study from BusinessStudent.com, which provides opportunities for young adults in business-related fields.

Rental prices continue to climb in Modesto. ‘There is just no inventory.’

The Modesto Bee

It’s still a landlord’s market in Modesto, with apartment rents rising 7 percent in the last year, and the increases are expected to continue. The average monthly rent for a Modesto apartment rose from $1,083 to $1,159 from March 2017 to March 2018, according to RentCafe, a nationwide apartment search website.

City manager quits abruptly in Atwater

Modesto Bee

Local agencies spend $5,441 per person to feed and shelter homeless

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County agencies spend about $25 million annually to feed, care for and shelter its homeless population, according to a newly released cost-benefit analysis produced by the Kern County Homeless Collaborative. That’s about $5,551 per year for each of Kern’s estimated 4,500 homeless and formerly homeless people. Della Hodson of United Way shared the results of the study with the Collaborative’s full membership Tuesday.

Candidates talk Social Security, health care at town hall

The Bakersfield Californian

Local seniors got to hear from several of the candidates running for the 23rd Congressional District in a town hall on Wednesday. The California Alliance for Retired Americans held the town hall for the candidates to discuss their stances on issues important to seniors. Democratic candidates Tatiana Matta, Wendy Reed, Mary Helen Barro and Kurtis Wilson participated in the meeting.

Threatening legal fight, Nunes demands document that kicked off FBI Trump-Russia investigation

Washington Examiner

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding an uncensored copy of the document the bureau used to formally begin its investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign.

State Politics:

CSU, UC lobby Jerry Brown for more money to avoid fee hike

The Sacramento Bee

Under intense pressure not to raise tuition for the second consecutive year, California’s public university systems have delayed votes to increase student fees and turned their attention back to the Capitol to lobby the state for more money.

California Today: Gavin Newsom on a ‘Code Red’ for Housing Affordability

The New York Times

Gavin Newsom is the lieutenant governor, a former San Francisco mayor and a leading Democrat to replace Gov. Jerry Brown. California Today has been doing occasional question-and-answer sessions with candidates for office. Today’s interview with Mr. Newsom, edited and condensed for clarity, was conducted for our article on the race.

More than a million undocumented immigrants have received California driver’s licenses

Fresno Bee

More than 1 million undocumented immigrants have received driver’s licenses, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday. Assembly Bill 60, authored by then-Assemblyman Luis Alejo in 2013, required California DMV offices to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants as long as they can prove their identity and residence within the state.

Send National Guard to border? California is undecided.

Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump needs states’ consent to execute is his plan to secure the border with Mexico with National Guard troops. While leaders from two of those border states promptly embraced Trump’s proposal on Wednesday, California was less enthusiastic.

Stephon Clark killing sparks calls for police transparency

The Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown has been mostly silent about the March 18 shooting death of Stephon Clark, the unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police that has renewed a national conversation about police misconduct and excessive use of force. The Democratic governor hasn’t commented publicly on Clark’s death, but issued a statement in response to inquiries from to The Sacramento Bee, calling the death “tragic” that “raises a number of very serious questions.”

● Sacramento Police Union Open To Policy Changes Following Stephon Clark Shooting Capital Public Radio

Republicans find their voice as the resistance to the resistance

San Francisco Chronicle

While California Democrats are running against President Trump as the national keepers of the “resistance,” California Republicans are trying to find their voice in taking the opposite position: They’re running as the resistance to the resistance.

House Republicans open California office to defend majority

The Hill

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has opened an office in California as House Republicans seek to protect incumbents in the Golden State. The 10,000-square-foot office is located in Irvine, Calif., a city in Orange County — the site of a number of competitive races. The lease runs until 2020, which indicates that the NRCC hopes to be involved in state races during both the 2018 midterm elections and the next election cycle, in 2020.

California’s Quirky Primary System Poses Threat to Democrats on a Crammed Ballot

WSJ

In a crowded field of Democrats vying to flip a Republican congressional seat in Orange County, Calif., this year, Jay Chen’s chances looked promising. The naval intelligence officer and community-college trustee had garnered the most votes among local Democratic committee and club members in a January caucus, and racked up endorsements from local elected officials.

Federal Politics:

Dems, GOP using immigration in House races, but differently

Fresno Bee

Both Democrats and Republicans think the stalemate between President Donald Trump and Congress over immigration can help them in November’s congressional elections. Each could be right. In House races across the country, both parties are using the fight over immigration — fanned by tweets from President Donald Trump about a crisis on the Mexican border that others say doesn’t exist — to fire up base voters in midterm elections.

Trump’s trade war won’t achieve what he wants, but it will hurt American workers and consumers

Los Angeles Times

One can hardly blame the stock market for being severely rattled by the proliferating signs of a trade war between the United States and the rest of the world. It’s not merely that President Trump seems determined to toss aside decades of norms governing how global trading partners settle their inevitable differences, but that whatever his goals—and he hasn’t spoken especially cogently about what they are—they’re not likely to be achieved.

California National Guard ‘Will Promptly Review’ Trump’s Troop Deployment To Mexican Border

Capital Public Radio

California Gov. Jerry Brown has not shied away from taking on President Donald Trump in the immigration debate. On the president’s proclamation Wednesday deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, though, the governor’s reaction so far is muted.

See also:

Trump asks California to send National Guard to border. Will California say yes? San Francisco Chronicle

· Trump Administration Unveils Plans to Send National Guard Troops, Build Base Walls Near U.S.-Mexico Border WSJ

· White House makes hasty plan to send National Guard to border, leaving mission and duration unclear Los Angeles Times

How Republicans Can Keep their Majorities

WSJ

Political pros in both major parties are pointing to a win for Democrats in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election as further evidence that an enthusiasm edge could carry Democrats to victory this fall. Fortunately for Republicans, they have a road map to prevent the loss of their congressional majorities.

See also:

· The Wisconsin Canary WSJ

Other:

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on 50th anniversary of his death

Fresno Bee

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy in America was honored Wednesday, the 50th anniversary of his death. Joining in a coalition were the NAACP, Fresno State, Fresno Police Department, FMTK Labor Council, CHP, Fresno City College, SEIU 1000, California Faculty Association and Fresno State CSUEU for an event called “Undoing Injustice, Doing Justice.” It marked King’s work in social and economic justice and his support for labor unions.

Up to 87 million now affected in Facebook scandal, far more than previously thought

Hanford Sentinel

Facebook revealed Wednesday that tens of millions more people might have been exposed in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal than previously thought and said it will restrict the data it allows outsiders to access on its users.

See also:

Facebook Data on 87 Million Users May Have Been Improperly Shared WSJ

· Facebook Insider Says Warnings About Data Safety Went Unheeded By Executives PBS FRONTLINE

● Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress in privacy scandal Los Angeles Times

● Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify to Congress next week about Cambridge Analytica The Washington Post

● Sinclair’s Boss Responds to Criticism: ‘You Can’t Be Serious!’ The New York Times

Can You Believe Your Own Ears? With New ‘Fake News’ Tech, Not Necessarily

NPR

Soon, we might not be able to believe our own ears. New technologies for creating faked audio are evolving quickly in the era of active information campaigns and their use of “fake news.” This has serious repercussions for politics: Influence-mongers could create fake clips of politicians to undermine them — or politicians could deny they said things they were really recorded saying, calling it fake audio.

● Sinclair Broadcasting’s mass ‘fake news’ message, as skewered by cartoons The Washington Post

Views of American democracy based on internet search data

Brookings

Democracy is under attack in the United States and around the world. For example, recent elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy featured far-right candidates with explicitly nationalist agendas, and many of their parties gained record numbers of seats in their respective parliaments.

After Parkland: A timeline of gun-control activism, legislation

UPI.com

When 17 people were slain on Valentine’s Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Americans decried the state of gun violence, school safety and lack of help for the mentally ill. Again. But this time, the school’s teen survivors were not satisfied with everyone’s “thoughts and prayers.” Declaring, via hashtag, #Enough and #NeverAgain, they rallied.

· More than a decade after it passed, California gun law still being fought in court San Francisco Chronicle

· Debate rages over the role California’s tough gun laws may have played in preventing a more deadly outcome The Mercury News

Topics in More Detail…

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Feud between China and Trump leaves farmers worried

Visalia Times-Delta

A feud between China and President Donald Trump places local farmers in the line of fire. China rolled out new tariffs on ag commodities and other products in retaliation against President Donald Trump’s approval of taxes on imported steel and aluminum.

Amaral: The anti-farming agenda and the Central Valley

The Fresno Bee

Cannabis brings in the billions

Visalia Times-Delta

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

For stories on ”gun control,” See: “Top Stories – Other Politics,” above

Crime:

Fresno County signs contract with new jail medical provider

The Fresno Bee

Fresno County supervisors approved contracts Tuesday with a Monterey-based health company to take over medical and psychiatric care of inmates at the county jail and the juvenile justice campus. California Forensic Medical Group, Inc., will begin providing care July 1.

US seizes pot-growing houses tied to China-based criminals

Sacramento Bee

Hundreds of federal and local law enforcement agents have seized roughly 100 Northern California houses purchased with money wired to the United States by a Chinese-based crime organization and used to grow massive amounts of marijuana illegally, authorities said Wednesday.

California has seen several workplace shootings in recent years

Merced Sun-Star

A shooting on YouTube’s campus in San Bruno, California reportedly left multiple people injured Tuesday, and it’s among several workplace shootings to occur in the state in recent years. Last month, man gunned down his ex-wife at her workplace in The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, California (located northwest of Los Angeles), police said, the Ventura County Star reported. Police say the man then turned the gun on himself.

California lawmakers want to roll back some criminal sentencing laws, keep young offenders out of adult court

Los Angeles Times

In a legislative hearing packed with criminal justice experts and former youth offenders, California lawmakers pushed forward a bill this week to keep minors who commit crimes out of adult courts.

Walters: Politics may defeat common sense on bonds

CALmatters

When governments seek permission to borrow money through bonds, telling voters how much and for how long taxes will be increased to repay those loans is just common sense.

Bail reform makes California safer for all

The San Diego Union-Tribune

In my five decades wearing the badge, I witnessed tremendous strides in the way law enforcement works to protect our communities. Today, we use our limited resources better than ever to focus on the most dangerous offenders, a proven strategy for keeping our streets safe.

Fire:

Fresno Fire Department hiring for first time in years

ABC30

Interest is growing after the Fresno Fire Department announced they are hiring for the first time in several years. The positions the Fresno Fire Department plans to fill have been vacant for at least the last three years. But before candidates apply, Fresno City Fire Chief Kari Donis says they must know about specific requirements the department is looking for.

No fire fee this year, Berryhill wants refunds

Sierra Star

Now that the unpopular Fire Prevention Fee that collected $560 million for the state over the past six years has been temporarily halted, Senator Tom Berryhill has introduced SB 1044, that if enacted, would provide refunds from the state to all property owners that have paid the fees.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Tariff Showdown Shifts to Intense Negotiation Period

WSJ

The Trump administration’s tit-for-tat with Beijing over potential tariffs has ushered in a high-stakes standoff over the future of trade between the world’s two largest economies. The combatants will now follow a timeline stretching over the next half year, during which the two sides will seek to negotiate a new normal. President Donald Trump, who initiated the tensions over Chinese trade practices, has put himself in a position to face mounting pressures from lawmakers, an intense campaign from corporate lobbyists,…

● Why a trade war with China would hurt the U.S. and its allies, too Brookings

EDUCATION

K-12:

SUSD moving forward in search for new leader

Stockton Record

Stockton Unified is at the halfway point in the process to approve a new superintendent.Although district officials had little updates about the search on Tuesday, the next step will be for the Board of Trustees to review applications and select finalists to be interviewed in two weeks.

How Can the U.S. Do a Better Job of Keeping Kids Safe at School?

RAND

Once again the country is dealing with the aftermath of another mass shooting and in the midst of a national debate about the best way to keep children safe at school. At the forefront of our national consciousness are mass shootings like the one last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that led survivors of the shooting to organize Saturday’s March for Our Lives, a nationwide protest.

Facing unprepared kindergartners, a rural school district restores preschool for all

EdSource

In 2016, heading into her 15th year as a kindergarten teacher, Kristy Caesar knew what to expect from a room full of 5-year-olds. But what greeted her on that first day of school last year was an eye opener — she had 21 kindergartener and only four had attended preschool. Eighteen students couldn’t recognize a single phonetic letter sound, such as the sound “A” makes.

DeVos Hears Arguments on Obama-Era School Discipline

WSJ

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos held sessions with supporters and detractors of an Obama-era school-discipline policy on Wednesday amid signs the department is weighing the rule’s repeal. The 2014 discipline policy, developed jointly by the Education and Justice departments, directed schools to ensure that they didn’t disproportionately punish black and Hispanic students. It recommended that schools look to cut the use of out-of-school suspensions, a directive that rankled some conservatives who say the policy has…

A new bill could increase access to arts education, but some fear it won’t guarantee quality

89.3 KPCC

The California education code actually requires that all public school students have access to arts education, but in practice, not all kids get it. Santa Monica-area state senator Ben Allen has proposed a creative solution: SB 933. Rather than enforcing the education code through policy, if passed, it would use money to incentivize districts to find ways to provide arts for their students.

Higher Ed:

Land Purchase For West Fresno Campus Approved By Board

KMJ

The land purchase to make the West Fresno Campus a reality for the State Center Community College District has been approved by its Board. The green light was given during the meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 3rd, to purchase a 26 acre site on E. Church Ave between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Walnut Avenue.

Tuition hikes drive budget fight between Jerry Brown and California universities

Sacramento Bee

College students face food insecurity right along with test anxiety and loads of units

Bakersfield Californian

Just about everyone is familiar with the phrase “starving students,” a cliche that conjures up visions of poor college kids who live on nothing but Top Ramen and boxed mac-and-cheese. Turns out it’s a very real circumstance. A recent Washington Post article reports that hunger and food insecurity affect 36 percent of college students nationally.

Inequality is rampant on UC campuses

Sacramento Bee

For generations, Californians have led efforts to address economic and social inequality in America. In Congress and the courts, we’ve fought to close the gap between rich and poor, white and black and men and women. But new research suggests we should have been looking much closer to home all along.

Professors Are Targets In Online Culture Wars; Some Fight Back

NPR

There is a red light flashing in professor Albert Ponce’s cubby-sized office. The light comes from an old-fashioned answering machine. Lately, he doesn’t like to listen to the messages by himself. When he presses play, it’s obvious why. Here are a couple of messages: “Albert Ponce, you are a piece of s*** f****** gutter slug that needs his neck snapped, OK? Call me if you need me. I’ll do it for ya.”

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

How the United States Looked Before The EPA

Fortune

Back in 1970, then-President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing the Environmental Protection Agency. Just after its creation, the EPA created a photo-documentary project called “Project Documerica.” Its purpose? To “record the state of the environment and efforts to improve it.”

Energy:

Home Solar Dims as Tesla, Others Curb Aggressive Sales

WSJ

The number of U.S. homeowners putting solar panels on their roofs declined last year after leading installers including Tesla Inc. abandoned aggressive sales practices that had helped drive breakneck growth. Residential solar had been on a tear, averaging 49% annual growth between 2010 and 2016, but the number of megawatts added last year dropped by 16% compared with the year before, according to new data from GTM Research, a firm that tracks renewable energy. It was the first annual decline since at least 2000, which is as…

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Big donation to cancer survivors at Valley Children’s

ABC30

Fresno Taco Bell customers have raised more than $300,000 for Valley Children’s Hospital. On Tuesday a check was presented to the “Cancer Survivorship Program” that helps kids and their families transition into everyday life. Social workers say when cancer treatment has ended, the family’s journey has just begun.

Tulare hospital CFO: ‘It’s kind of hand to mouth every single day’

Visalia Times-Delta

Expanding Health Care Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants

Public Policy Institute of California

As efforts to create a state-based single-payer health system confront complex questions of costs and federal uncertainty, advocates and state lawmakers are pushing forward with incremental policy measures to expand access to health coverage. The largest group of Californians that remain without comprehensive health insurance are undocumented immigrants, who were largely excluded from the coverage expansions created by the Affordable Care Act.

Human Services:

Local agencies spend $5,551 per person to feed and shelter homeless

Bakersfield Californian

IMMIGRATION

For stories on “immigration & border protection” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

More than a million undocumented immigrants have received California driver’s licenses

Fresno Bee

Huntington Beach files expected lawsuit against state’s ‘sanctuary’ immigration laws

Los Angeles Times

Huntington Beach filed an expected lawsuit Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court against the state, governor and attorney general, challenging California’s “sanctuary” laws that provide expanded protection for undocumented immigrants. City Attorney Michael Gates filed the suit after the City Council gave its approval in a 6-1 vote Monday night. Councilwoman Jill Hardy dissented.

Immigrants and Political Engagement

Public Policy Institute of California

California is home to 10.7 million immigrants, or about a quarter of all foreign-born residents living in the country. In 2016, 27% of the state’s population was not born in the United States. This marks a threefold increase since 1970, when 9% of California’s population was foreign born, and is similar to the rate of increase in foreign-born residents nationwide (up from 5% in 1970 to 13% in 2016). Today, 50% of California’s immigrants are naturalized US citizens.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Clovis craft beer | New breweries, tap rooms

Fresno Bee

You may not think of Clovis and its cowboy culture as a hot spot for craft beer. But that could be changing, as this growing city has begun attracting craft beer makers who see the potential for creating something special. The city is already home to four breweries or tasting rooms, with a fifth to open soon and a sixth in the works.

What Modesto’s $2.5M Awesome Spot playground needs before it can break ground

Modesto Bee

Fundraising for an estimated $2.5 million “inclusive playground” planned for Beyer Community Park in north Modesto is nearly a third done, and some big advances are expected in the next few months. “We’re making great strides,” said O’Dell Engineering landscape architect Chad Kennedy, one of those spearheading The Awesome Spot project. “Currently, between pledges, contributions and in-kind donations, we’re at 31.5 percent.

Housing:

Data dig: Big investment firms have stopped gobbling up California homes

CALmatters

Astronomical prices are forcing a rising share of California families to postpone buying a house. As a result, the state’s record-low homeownership rate has been a boon to one growing segment of California’s housing market: single-family home rentals. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of owner-occupied homes in California shrunk by nearly 64,000 units, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Meanwhile the number of renter-occupied homes increased dramatically. California now has 450,000 more homes used as rentals than it did a decade ago.

California Today: Gavin Newsom on a ‘Code Red’ for Housing Affordability

The New York Times

Clovis faces affordable housing dilemma

Clovis Roundup

The city of Clovis stands to lose millions in state housing funds if it fails to meet Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) affordable housing numbers it agreed to for a previous cycle from 2006 to 2013. In 2006, Clovis agreed—by way of then councilmember and now mayor Bob Whalen’s yes vote at Fresno COG (Council of Governments)—to accept responsibility for providing 15,195 units of housing of the county’s overall 52,141 required units allocated by the state.

Rental prices continue to climb in Modesto. ‘There is just no inventory.’

Modesto Bee

Downtown Bakersfield’s The Mark for sale for a cool $1.5 million

Bakersfield Californian

After years of capital improvements, investment, expansion, and menu and management changes, the owners of The Mark restaurant in downtown Bakersfield appear to be throwing in the towel — and the chef’s hat. The 12,450 square-foot building — which includes a 6,640-square-foot fully-improved restaurant — is listed on the market for a cool $1.5 million. But that includes all furniture, equipment and the liquor license.

Local agencies spend $5,441 per person to feed and shelter homeless

Bakersfield Californian

PUBLIC FINANCES

Voters can halt property tax ‘moving penalty’

Capitol Weekly

California has long been a state that has made a priority of protecting seniors, people with disabilities and victims of natural disasters. Regardless of the challenge, Californians always rise up to support one another. The latest example of this is the signature-gathering process for a measure that, when enacted, will protect people aged 55 and older, the disabled and victims of natural disasters from facing a “moving penalty” or property tax spike should they need to relocate.

TRANSPORTATION

High Speed Rail constructions making it harder for loyal Chinatown patrons to get to businesses

ABC30

WATER

Sure fish need water; but they also go bug-wild for farm food

Fresno Bee

California’s water future feels increasingly uncertain with precipitation patterns swinging from deluge to drought and back again. As policymakers scramble to adjust to this new normal and attempt to update our state’s complex approach to water management in this era of climate change, it would be easy to expect stakeholders to retreat to their various corners.

Warming temperatures means growing danger on Valley rivers

ABC30

It’s only April, but at Hagaman Park, the Merced River is already moving swiftly. Families say they’re still haunted by what happened here last year. Last June, a child swimming in the river was swept away. Her father jumped in to save her and drowned. Mike North with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office says they do not want the same tragedy to play out again.

● As storm approaches, why Caltrans cautions people to stay clear of Highway 132 work Modesto Bee

Get ready: Powerful rainstorms could flood Yosemite, create trouble in Valley

Sierra Star

Yosemite Valley could be flooded by storms expected to hit the central San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada on Friday and Saturday. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Hanford are anticipating the Merced River to rise above the Pohono Bridge in Yosemite Valley.

Will the Oroville Dam spillway be used?

KCRA Sacramento

Officials with the Department of Water Resources said they’re prepared to use the partially rebuilt spillway at Oroville Dam for the first time since construction began to repair the structure. DWR made the announcement Tuesday, citing an incoming storm system that could lead to water releases at some point next week.

“Xtra”

The Valley’s only five star hotel and four star restaurant opening up its doors to a wider audience

ABC30

Nestled in the mountains of Oakhurst, Erna’s Elderberry House and Chateau du Sureau are a sight to see. The French-themed designs, food, and quaint grounds are what attracted new owner Bernard Rosenson. “I did it from my gut. The decision center was my gut, not my brain, not my heart, but my gut. I just felt this could continue to be a great place.”

Push to declare Hotel Fresno a historic place

ABC30

The Hotel Fresno is broken down and boarded up, but it holds so many memories for some people. Built in 1913, the city’s oldest hotel was also the biggest between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was the place to be seen.

Big Hat Days celebrating 80 years of fun this weekend

Clovis Roundup

Big Hat Days, Clovis’ annual springtime festival, is celebrating the big 8-0 this weekend. Started in 1938 as a celebration to honor hardworking Clovis cowboys and farmers, the hat-inspired event got its name from the hats that block the dirt and sun from their faces. To salute the blue collar workers, townspeople were invited to don their favorite hats.

EDITORIALS

Sierra College bond issue is a good investment

Modesto Bee

California’s 114 community colleges are a linchpin of our public higher education system, but too often they’re overlooked and underfunded. In many cases, colleges have to ask local taxpayers to pay for major renovations and new construction. That’s what Sierra College is doing with Measure E on the June 5 ballot. The $350 million bond issue is worth voters’ support.

Hold line on mpg so our kids can breathe

Modesto Bee

Ever see a child suffering from asthma? In some, it’s coughing, wheezing or slowing to catch a deep breath. In others, it’s a desperate struggle to suck in air without getting any. For parents it means carrying inhalers, planning for emergencies and trips to the ER. Some children recover; in others, asthma continues for a lifetime. A few never recover.

Raise the standard for police use of deadly force in California? Proceed with caution

Los Angeles Times

A California lawmaker is trying to set a higher standard for when police may use deadly force, and that’s a welcome effort — not because it necessarily would have averted the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark or because it would allow more criminal prosecutions of police officers, but because it could accelerate the pace of improvement in police tactics and training that should, in turn, result in fewer unnecessary uses of force.

America’s dangerous gun obsession comes to YouTube

San Francisco Chronicle

A woman shot and wounded three people, before killing herself, on Tuesday at the San Bruno campus of YouTube. The violent and chaotic incident, which sent YouTube workers racing for the exits or barricading themselves into rooms, is the latest example of how Washington’s failure to embrace sensible gun control measures has put every single person who lives and works in this country at risk.

California’s right-to-die law is working

Los Angeles Times

When legislators in Sacramento passed a reasonable and conservative assisted-suicide law in 2015, California was only the fifth U.S state to allow terminally ill people to obtain a lethal prescription. Giving dying people who have six months or less to live an alternative to terrible pain and suffering was the compassionate and correct thing to do, so it’s no surprise that Colorado and Washington, D.C., have passed similar right-to-die laws since then, and that more than two dozen states — from Hawaii to Maine — are now considering doing the same.

WSJ Editorial Board on U.S.-China Trade Battle

WSJ

Editor’s note: The Journal has been writing about Donald Trump’s trade policy since he made it an issue in the presidential campaign. Here are some leading examples.