August 15, 2016

15Aug

Political Stories

Top stories 

Judge will wait before request to stop new vaccination law — A federal judge in San Diego on Friday said he will take at least a week before ruling on a request to temporarily stop California’s new vaccination law, an unwelcome delay for vaccination opponents seeking a speedy injunction that would allow students who don’t meet vaccination requirements to start the new school year. EdSource article 

Divided America: Global warming polarizes more than abortion — When it comes to science, there’s more than climate that divides America’s leaders and people. The mainstream scientific establishment accepts evolution as a reality, as well as the general safety of vaccinations and genetically modified food. But some political leaders and portions of the public don’t believe any of that. It’s not a liberal versus conservative issue, especially when it comes to vaccinations, which are doubted by some activists on both ends of the political spectrum. But nothing beats climate change for divisiveness. AP article

Valley politics 

Filing deadline extends for some local races on November ballot — The filing period for local offices on the Nov. 8 election ballot closed Friday, unless the incumbents are not seeking an additional term. The nomination period extends until Wednesday for the Area 6 seat on the Yosemite Community College District board, the Area 3 slot on the Hughson Unified School District board and other races in Stanislaus County. Modesto Bee article

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures 

Merced pot forum talks licensing, tax revenue and city oversight — About 40 people – many whom said they were medical marijuana patients interested in recreational cannabis business opportunities – attended a question-and-answer session Thursday at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center, hosted by Friends of Proposition 64 Drug Policy Action, a campaign group based in Sacramento.Merced Sun-Star article

Presidential Politics 

George Schultz, Condoleezza Rice conspicuously silent on Donald Trump — Two of the Bay Area’s world-class political figures, former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Condoleezza Rice, are missing in action when it comes to the candidacy of Donald Trump. San Francisco Chronicle article

California Government Today:

Senate Daily File

Assembly Daily File

News Stories

Top Stories

Fresno Unified recruits educators from Starbucks to Mexico — More than 300 new teachers will join the Fresno Unified School District this year, some who have been recruited while waiting tables or bagging groceries, others who have been recruited from as far as Mexico. Fresno Bee article 

Six cases of illegal pot exports from California — Lt. Bryan Quenell, the drug task force commander in Humboldt County, says illicit marijuana exports from California will continue to thrive as long as there are other states with more restrictive pot laws and inflated street prices for the Golden State’s cash crop. Sacramento Bee article

Jobs and the Economy 

Taxes, veterans and marketing on Merced docket — A tentative tax-sharing agreement with Merced County from June has been finalized and will cross the desk of the Merced City Council on Monday, according to records. Merced Sun-Star article 

Is a shift to permanent housing making LA’s homelessness problem even worse? – As Los Angeles grapples with the nation’s worst homelessness problem, experts have almost universally embraced permanent housing as the best approach for lifting people out of homelessness. But the shift toward permanent housing has had a cost: As money has been directed away from programs that combine services with shorter-term housing, the region’s homelessness problem has gotten worse. LA Times article 

From hazard to hope: reinventing New Grand Save — Community members who live in a neighborhood that is bereft of amenities have been weighing in on what should replace New Grand Save, where the merchandise included one-dollar beers, bras, a world-class array of junk food and taco shells that were six years past their expiration date. Stockton Record article 

Oakland puts $600 million bond on November ballot – Oakland voters will decide the fate of a $600 million bond measure to improve city streets, add more affordable housing and upgrade some facilities. San Jose Mercury News article 

How can ‘thankless’ TSA jobs be improved? Lawmakers have some ideas — With U.S. airports handling record crowds this summer, airlines and federal lawmakers say they want to improve morale and reduce the unusually high turnover rate among the nation’s TSA screeners to ensure security lines are well-staffed during peak travel periods. LA Times article 

Strike over: Court clerks in Santa Clara County vote to return to work — Normal court operations will resume Monday after employees Sunday voted to end Santa Clara County’s first court strike in 14 years by approving the administration’s latest contract offer. San Jose Mercury News article 

To win business travelers, airlines rush to Silicon Valley – When Virgin America was founded in 2007, the Burlingame company worked hard to pitch itself as the unofficial airline of Silicon Valley. San Francisco Chronicle article 

Dissident actuaries want to show big pension debt — Two actuarial associations did not publish a controversial paper by their joint task force, reflecting a split in the profession over whether public pension debt should be measured with risk-free bonds or the earnings forecast for stock-laden investment funds. Calpensions article

Agriculture/Water/Drought 

Don Curlee: Ag’s major needs are water and workers — On a given day a broken tractor might be a farmer’s biggest worry, but over time the major concerns for California agriculture as an industry are water and workers. Most everybody seems to understand that. Curlee in Visalia Tines-Delta 

How a sheep farmer saves water using shipping containers – Daccarett says he gets about 800 pounds of milk a year from each ewe. To make that much milk it takes a lot of feed – like oats and hay— to satisfy this herd’s constant appetite. And to cut the cost of all that feed Daccarett says he has a secret ingredient that enriches his cheese while at the same time saves water: sprouted barley grown indoors. KQED report 

Dairy farmers bottle their own milk near Winton — The van Warmerdam family has joined the tiny number of dairy farmers who bottle their own milk. Their Top Line Milk sets itself apart, so to speak, in another way: It is not homogenized, so the cream rises to the top in the bottles. Shake it up and it’s ready to drink, a throwback to how many people consumed milk in the past. Modesto Bee article

Education

Equity the key topic for Modesto school board Monday – Modesto City Schools trustees will take on the thorny problem of how to even the odds for all students Monday with a vote on a working group to pave the way forward, proposed by two board members.Modesto Bee article 

Fresno Bee: Valley has stake in what happens at UC Davis — The University of California, Davis, is about 185 miles away, or three hours by car, from Fresno. Other universities, such as Fresno State, UC Merced and Fresno Pacific, command the lion’s share of our attention. But UC Davis is vital to the San Joaquin Valley. It is the campus that many Valley youngsters dream of attending and a good number of them realize that goal. Fresno Bee editorial

Jose Gaspar: Kern High School District chief accused colleagues of misusing criminal database — Kern High School District administrators and other employees misused a criminal database to investigate students, and while sheriff’s officials recommended criminal charges against two, no one was prosecuted, according to documents obtained this past week. Gaspar in Bakersfield Californian 

Not just for top athletes: the signing bonus lures in-demand teachers to Bay Area school districts — Amid a statewide teacher shortage and the region’s affordable housing woes, more school districts are offering bonuses that can range from $1,000 to $10,000 for hard-to-fill positions in special education, math, science, dual immersion language, and for speech pathologists and school psychologists. San Jose Mercury News article 

Energy/Environment 

Clayton Fire devastates Lake County town; thousands flee – A fast-moving wildfire that has ripped through rural Lake County, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee, accelerated Sunday, burning into historic downtown Lower Lake. San Francisco Chronicle article; AP article 

Chimney Fire near Paso Robles grows to 4,000 acres – The Chimney Fire has grown to 4,000 acres, according to a tweet from Cal Fire SLO. Evacuations are being assisted by boat, and 150 homes are threatened. San Luis Obispo Tribune article 

Ask TBC: How are apartment/condo dwellers supposed to recycle? — State law requires multi-family housing complexes with five or more units to participate in recycling programs.  The City of Bakersfield has mailed out information packets to affected property owners explaining the law and what recycling resources are available, but only a small percentage has responded, said Solid Waste Director Kevin Barnes. Bakersfield Californian article 

Land Use/Housing 

Steve Brandau: You don’t swat a fly with a sledgehammer – The Fresno City Council member writes, “The city of Fresno already has an inspection service for any tenant who feels abused or neglected by their landlord at no cost. Guess what? Few ever take advantage of it. My guess is many tenants don’t want these inspections any more than their landlords. Truth is, the people who really want these inspections are the social-justice activists. Answering these questions and vetting these ideas require a thorough conversation and that takes time. I suggest we take the time to do this right.” Brandau op-ed in Fresno Bee

Transportation 

Timing’s tough for 3-day closure of Monte Vista Ave. rail crossing in Turlock — A three-day closure of the Union Pacific Railroad crossing at Monte Vista Avenue and Golden State Boulevard is planned for Aug. 22-24, tying up access from town to major stores and blocking the key access route to California State University, Stanislaus, just as classes start for fall semester. Modesto Bee article 

Sacramento transit agency tries creative plan to attract arena fans — If you live in the suburbs and plan to attend games at the new Golden 1 Center but worry about a downtown parking crunch, would you give transit a try? In an effort to entice some of those potential riders, Sacramento Regional Transit is laying plans to offer a door-to-door deal for at least some people. Sacramento Bee article

Other areas 

Mike Klocke: Monday morn clearing of the notebook — Random thoughts for a Monday morning. Klocke column in Stockton Record 

Valley Editorial Roundup

Fresno Bee – The University of California, Davis, is about 185 miles away, or three hours by car, from Fresno. Other universities, such as Fresno State, UC Merced and Fresno Pacific, command the lion’s share of our attention. But UC Davis is vital to the San Joaquin Valley. It is the campus that many Valley youngsters dream of attending and a good number of them realize that goal.