TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​
Local/Regional Politics:
Tax bill – How California Central Valley voted
Fresno Bee
Probably not surprisingly, two Valley congressmen took opposite stands on the tax-reform bill passed by the Republican-led House on Tuesday.
Fresno businesses react to tax bill
Fresno Bee
The long-anticipated passage of the GOP tax bill by Congress, now expected to be approved Wednesday after a hiccup Tuesday, is bringing smiles to those who run businesses and farms in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Denham all too happy to support GOP’s tax scam
Modesto Bee
I had lunch last week with a friend of mine, the CFO of a network of Central Valley community health clinics. Naturally, the conversation turned to the Republicans’ fiscally irresponsible tax plan.
Nunes votes with GOP: Your taxes going up
Visalia Times-Delta
In the House’s rush to pass it’s conference bill, they mucked it up and will have to vote again, after they pull items that don’t meet the rules. Our Congressman, Devin Nunes, voted right along with the rest of the GOP, and now will get to vote “aye” twice on “tax reform”.
Councilman Brandau retweets Swedish anti-immigrant firebrand, and that ruffles feathers online
Fresno Bee
Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau raised a few eyebrows on social media over the weekend when he retweeted a nationalist, anti-immigrant post from Sweden. But the councilman said that doesn’t reflect his own opinion.
Interview: Bredefeld Says “Yes” To Medical Marijuana, Just Not In His District
Valley Public Radio
Last week the Fresno City Council approved a resolution kicking off the process of amending zoning laws to allow a variety of medical marijuana related businesses to operate in the city.
After fierce political battle, Calaveras County votes against banning commercial pot cultivation
Modesto Bee
Calaveras County supervisors voted Tuesday night to continue to allow commercial marijuana cultivation, capping nearly two years of political turmoil that has divided the Sierra foothills county of 44,000 people.
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HCCA files $12M lawsuit against TRMC
Visalia Delta-Times
Healthcare Conglomerate Associates, the former administrator of Tulare Regional Medical Center, is seeking $12.5 million from the hospital district as part of a lawsuit filed in Southern California. According to the lawsuit, the hospital district breached an administrative contract when it failed to pay back a $7 million loan from HCCA used to front employee salaries.
Court battle over Kern supervisors’ political turf submitted to federal judge following marathon trial
Bakersfield Californian
The sun was down and the streets of downtown Fresno were all but deserted Tuesday when United States District Court Judge Dale A. Drozd welcomed the attorneys in his courtroom to come back any time. “Next time don’t bring me something so complex,” he said.
State Politics:
The year in California: Fighting on multiple fronts
Los Angeles Times
Take a look back at California’s most notable milestones in 2017.
Year in Review: 2017 started — and ended — with Americans in the streets
Los Angeles Times
Physicists have long understood that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. What is true in the natural world is also true in human society. Little wonder then that in 2017, democracy found its voice in the streets.
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Black Bart Award Nominee: Jerry Brown
Fox and Hounds Daily
Jerry Brown, California’s 79-year-old governor, is as clear an example as you’d like to prove that yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. And that’s why he’s my choice as Californian of the Year.
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A quick look at some of the biggest tax changes for Californians
Los Angeles Times
Congressional Republicans are framing their tax cut bill as a Christmas gift that will give Americans an average tax cut of $2,059. For Californians, especially in the wealthier areas along the coast, the situation isn’t as clear cut.
See also:
·       A new tax regime is on its way. Here’s how Californians can adjust. Sacramento Bee
·       Walters: How would federal tax overhaul hit California?CALmatters
·       With tax overhaul set to pass, here are five moves to consider before year’s end Los Angeles Times
·       Near tax victory, Trump is as unpopular in California as Jimmy Carter in defeat  Sacramento Bee
·       Two-thirds of Californians disapprove of Trump, but guess which presidents fared worse San Jose Mercury News
·       GOP tax overhaul passes House with help from a dozen California Republicans, even some facing tough reelection battles Los Angeles Times
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After snub, California expects disaster relief from $81 billion federal aid plan
San Francisco Chronicle
But while the supplemental disaster aid has bipartisan support in Washington, the bill itself is being used as a political pawn, congressional Democrats warned Tuesday. That’s because GOP leaders have attached the relief funding to a temporary spending measure to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Friday.
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The Thomas fire is now the second largest in modern California history
LA Times
After a brief respite from the relentless gusts that have driven the deadly Thomas fire for more than two weeks, powerful winds are expected to return, adding to the challenges facing firefighters working to contain the mammoth blaze.
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California Vehicle Registration Fees Increasing In 2018
Capital Public Radio
You’ll pay more to renew your car’s California registration in 2018, as part of a new law to help pay for deferred maintenance and roadwork. The deal approved by Gov. Jerry Brown also increased the state gas tax on Nov. 1.
CARB Approves $398 Million For Clean Trucks, Low-Income Communities
Capital Public Radio
California wants more environmentally friendly vehicles on the road so much so that the state has approved $663 million to do just that.
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California sues Trump, again. This time to defend an Obama gas rule
Sacramento Bee
California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday, blasting federal regulators for suspending an Obama-era rule directing oil and gas producers to curb methane flaring on federal lands.
New tax law limits Californians’ ability to prepay, other hacks
The Sacramento Bee
In just twelve days, Californians — and the country — are likely to confront a dramatically different tax code. Congress is poised to pass the first major tax overhaul in more than 30 years, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature this week.
Secrecy looms over sexual misconduct claims
Capitol Weekly
Leaders in the California Senate and Assembly have promised transparency as they combat sexual harassment in the Capitol, but so far most information from misconduct investigations remains hidden from public view.
See also:
·       They weren’t hugs. Hertzberg was sexually aggressive, and Assembly leaders ignored it Sacramento Bee
·       How to report workplace sexual harassment Los Angeles Times
Prop. 13 targeted by proposed California ballot initiative
OCRegister
Forty years after Proposition 13 was approved by California voters, the issue of property-tax limits could be back on the state ballot in 2018.
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Federal Politics:
What’s in the final version of the tax bill?
PolitiFact
Sometime this week, the House and Senate are planning to vote on a tax bill that includes elements of legislation passed by each chamber in recent weeks. What’s in the final version of the bill? Here’s a rundown.
See also:
·       Tax Bill: What’s in, what’s out, what happens PBS NewsHour
·       Opinion: The Only 2018 Political Tax Guide You’ll Ever Need Roll Call
·       House forced to revote on GOP tax bill Today Fresno Bee
·       GOP on the verge of huge tax overhaul— with one hiccupSacramento Bee
·       Tax Lawyers Are Getting Ready to Exploit All the Mistakes in the GOP Tax Bill Mother Jones
·       Confusion and chaos ahead as new tax rules take immediate effect POLITICO
·       Will the GOP tax bill cost Donald Trump ‘a fortune’? No PolitiFact
·       CNN poll: Two-thirds say GOP tax bill favors wealthy   TheHill
·       The Republican Tax Bill Proves That Bipartisanship Is Dead  Time Inc.
·       Hurtling toward the tax bill’s unintended consequencesMarketplace
·       GOP Hoping Tax Plan Could Be Difference in 2018  TheHill
·       Senate Passes GOP Tax Plan After Procedural Stumble   Roll Call
·       The AMT Change in the GOP Tax Bill Will Help Blue State Taxpayers  National Review
·       Blame Entitlements — Not the Tax Bill — for Blowing Up the Deficit   Real Clear Policy
·       Essential Politics: Republicans cheer, Democrats jeer tax plan’s passage Los Angeles Times
·       How the final tax bill will affect four tax returns. The highest earners get the biggest break Los Angeles Times
·       Why the tax debate won’t end this December Marketplace
·       Republican Tax Bill Has Grown More Unpopular, Poll Shows WSJ
·       Poll: Voters split on GOP tax bill. Politico
Four Things to Watch as 2018 Election Season Officially Nears
Roll Call
Roll Call political reporters Bridget Bowman and Simone Pathé reflect on 2017 and analyze how the 2018 midterms are already shaping up.
2018 House Race ratings
The Cook Political Report
A rating summary of competitive 2018 House races.  Includes some California races.
Feinstein may benefit from top-two primary
Hanford Sentinel
Strong irony is in the air as California heads into the hot political year of 2018, with an initiative to end the state’s “top two” primary election system in play just as top two, also known as the “jungle primary,” may be about to accomplish its central purpose.
Senators, White House lay groundwork for Dreamers deal
POLITICO
Top senators and White House officials are laying the groundwork for a major immigration deal in January to resolve the fate of young undocumented immigrants whose legal protections were put in limbo by President Donald Trump.
See also:
·       Democrats unlikely to force DACA vote this week, probably averting shutdown The Washington Post
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2017 Lie of the Year: Russian election interference is a ‘made-up story’
PolitiFact
A mountain of evidence points to a single fact: Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election of 2016.
Other:
Net Neutrality Gone: Ajit Pai’s new internet
Marketplace
The Federal Communications Commission will vote to eliminate net neutrality rules this week. Despite concerns about the integrity of the comment period, FCC chairman Ajit Pai told us the vote will happen Dec. 14. The net neutrality rules, created under the Obama administration, prevent internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast from favoring certain content by charging different rates for it or slowing down data.
Willie Brown Looms Large Over the Race to Replace Ed Lee
KQED
Between the singing, the prayers and the tears at Sunday’s memorial service for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, political luminaries like Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Nancy Pelosi all spoke about Lee’s life and the sacrifice he made for the city. But perhaps the person with the most at stake was a relatively unknown member of the Board of Supervisors, the first politician to address the gathered crowd at City Hall.
A one-time Communist, she lived to 100 fighting for California seniors
Sacramento Bee
Nancy Rosenfield Lund, a senior activist who served four terms on the California Senior Legislature, died of natural causes at home Saturday. She was 100 years old.
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Topics in More Detail…
 EDITORIALS
Sacramento Bee
With growing alarm in Sacramento over attacks on health care in Washington – threats to the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Medicare cuts sure to come under the GOP tax plan – there’s no shortage of irony in the frantic search by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.
Los Angeles Times
If President Trump were a reader of books, we’d recommend a nearly 70-year-old novel to him, because it illustrates nicely both the absurdity and the danger of perverting language for political ends.
San Francisco Chronicle
Republicans in Congress, who will need Democratic support to keep the government open through Christmas, spent much of the Obama administration threatening shutdowns and, in one case, following through with an unscheduled two-week vacation.
Sacramento’s MLS bid is very much alive
Sacramento Bee
The big announcement that Major League Soccer is expected to make Wednesday isn’t the one Sacramento fans are hoping for, but the dream of an expansion franchise isn’t dead, far from it.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
WORTH NOTING: Hard freeze watch issued in valley Wednesday and Thursday nights
bakersfield.com
Bakersfield could see a bit of rain Wednesday afternoon. But the big story is plummeting temperatures late Wednesday and Thursday nights lasting into early Friday morning that could cause damage to plants, citrus crops, and pets left out in the cold. People, too.
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Go big, go small? The fight to survive in California pot
AP
Drive by the High Desert Truck Stop, turn down a rutted road by the bail bond signs, slip behind a steel fence edged with barbed wire, and you can glimpse the future of California’s emerging legal pot industry.
As Marijuana Industry Grows, Workers Begin to Unionize
KQED
At the Hugs Alternative Care dispensary, there is far more for sale than regular old smokeable marijuana. The Sacramento shop has cannabis butter, barbecue sauce, lollipops — the list goes on. Brittany Dyke is one of the “budtenders” at the shop who helps customers choose between all these products. “It’s like walking into a candy shop for adults,” Dyke said.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE​ ​/​ ​FIRE​ ​/​ ​PUBLIC SAFETY
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Crime:
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Carrying a Weed Conviction in California? There May Be a Fix for That
NPR
If you’ve been convicted of marijuana-related crimes in California, you might be able to have your record wiped clean or the charges greatly reduced under a provision in the state’s new marijuana law, Proposition 64. More than 4,000 people already have petitioned the courts about their records and sentencing.
The Crime Debate Continues, and Bail Reform Will Be Next
Public CEO
California, which had led the nation in cracking down on crime in the 1980s and 1990s by locking up tens of thousands of felons, has dramatically reversed course in the last half-decade.
See also:
·       Santa Clara County launches campaign to inform public of free alternatives to paying bail  The Mercury News
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Public Safety:
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CHP out in force to get speeders, DUI drivers off freeways through Christmas
OCRegister
The California Highway Patrol is putting extra officers on the state’s freeways to focus on speed limit enforcement and watch for all signs of impaired driving starting Friday and continuing through Christmas, authorities said.
Fire:
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How local farmers are coping with the devastating Thomas fire
Los Angeles Times
There are no more limequats left on Mud Creek Ranch. The Kishu mandarins are crumpled and Pixie tangerines hang like lumps of black coal, but it was the avocados that suffered the most. From a distance, the fruit on a 50-year-old Fuerte tree could pass for Bosc pears, their tear-shaped avocados cooked to a caramel color. Nearby red sap oozes from the trunks of Hass and Pinkertons, as though they were bleeding.
Insurance companies couldn’t drop customers after a wildfire under proposed bill
Sacramento Bee
California saw some of its largest and most destructive wildfires ever in 2017 – an increasingly common occurrence that many experts attribute to climate change.
Yes, Something Can Be Done About Wildfires
The New York Times
On an autumn weekday here in Deschutes County, Oregon, a chain-saw roar ripped through a pine-scented neighborhood. Tree specialists were removing flammable lodgepole pines in Sunriver, a 4,000-home resort community. With summer crowds gone, the Sunriver Owners Association was reducing wildfire risk.
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ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
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Local businesses take stock of holiday season
Bakersfield Californian
With the holiday shopping season coming to a close, local businesses now have a clearer picture of how they have been performing this year.
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How Tech Expanded From Silicon Valley to SLO Bubblegum Alley
New York Times
San Luis Obispo has a reputation for being a sleepy town in central California known for its laid-back charm. Top tourist draws are a nearby 18th-century Spanish mission and Bubblegum Alley, a walkway lined with chewed gum. But Rick Stollmeyer, the chief executive of MindBody, envisioned it as a bustling tech hub.
Is another debt crisis on the way?
Brookings
Economic growth is accelerating across most of the world. Yet the world’s total gross debt-to-GDP ratio has reached nearly 250 percent, up from 210 percent before the global economic crisis nearly a decade ago, despite post-crisis efforts by regulators in many important economies to drive the banking sector to deleverage.
Jobs:
California toughens stance, says employers must protect workers from wildfire smoke
KPCC
Two weeks after telling employers they “must consider” taking steps to protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke, California’s Department of Industrial Relations Tuesday released a new advisory telling employers that they must protect workers exposed to hazardous particulates from fires.
As Marijuana Industry Grows, Workers Begin to Unionize
KQED
At the Hugs Alternative Care dispensary, there is far more for sale than regular old smokeable marijuana. The Sacramento shop has cannabis butter, barbecue sauce, lollipops — the list goes on. Brittany Dyke is one of the “budtenders” at the shop who helps customers choose between all these products. “It’s like walking into a candy shop for adults,” Dyke said.
Are you taking enough vacation?
CNN
Americans take less vacation than the rest of the world. That’s partly because the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require that employers offer paid time off for vacations, sick days, or holidays. There are state and local rules that require time off in some markets, but there’s no national standard. For most Americans, whether they get vacation time comes down to an agreement between the worker and their employer.
EDUCATION
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K-12:
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Early intervention helps boost reading skills for young children most at risk of falling behind
EdSource
By implementing summer programs for students in early grades and high-quality preschool that focuses on preparing students for kindergarten, one California county is improving the reading skills of its young children.
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How recess can make students better job candidates
Marketplace
Those short play breaks that kids have in school don’t just improve their skill at hopscotch — there’s evidence that recess can actually help with social skills like collaboration and improve focus in the classroom.
Higher Ed:
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Delritta Hornbuckle Joins Fresno State as Dean of Library Services
Clovis Roundup
Fresno State’s Henry Madden Library has a new dean of Library Services. Hired in September, Delritta “Del” Hornbuckle filled the vacancy when Peter McDonald retired earlier this year. During the interim, Dr. Jody Hironaka-Juteau served as library dean.
California’s public colleges and universities face massive construction costs
OCRegister
Facing building construction and renovation expenses approaching $50 billion over the next five years, California public colleges and universities could save money by sharing both the cost of new facilities and how they are used.
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New report says California colleges protect free speech better than peers
Los Angeles Times
California colleges and universities do a better job protecting free speech than their national peers but they still need to improve, a new study has found.
Eleven facts about innovation and patents
Brookings
Improvement in living standards over time is not inevitable or automatic. Rather, it is made possible by increases in physical and human capital, technological progress that itself might require large investments, and well-designed institutions.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
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CARB Approves $398 Million For Clean Trucks, Low-Income Communities
Capital Public Radio
California wants more environmentally friendly vehicles on the road so much so that the state has approved $663 million to do just that.
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California’s new climate plan uses incentives to cut vehicle emissions
NPR
California has the toughest air quality regulations of any state in the country. But they’re not tough enough to satisfy a new state law that requires California to double the rate at which it cuts greenhouse gases.
How the Trump administration is reshaping the EPA
PBS NewsHour
Betsy Southerland knew something was wrong the moment she walked into her office at the Environmental Protection Agency.
As US retreats on climate goals, China launches the world’s biggest carbon trading market
Los Angeles Times
China launched a nationwide carbon-trading program Tuesday, solidifying the country’s role as an emerging leader in the fight against climate change.
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Energy:
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‘Reasonable rates’ is stricken from CPUC mission statement
San Diego Union-Tribune
The California Public Utilities Commission has amended its long-standing mission statement, leaving out the idea of ensuring “reasonable rates” for the water and power used by the public. The change comes as state utility regulators have been under criminal investigation for potentially improper backchannel dealings with the utility companies they oversee and facing multiple lawsuits alleging they failed to protect the people they serve.
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Energy Department pressing pause on rules to make your appliances more efficient, critics charge
Washington Post
It may not have gotten a lot of attention yet outside the wonky world of energy efficiency.
But within that world, concerns are mounting that one of the key parts of the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda may involve the Energy Department’sappliance standards program.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
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Are tens of thousands of California kids about to lose their health care?
CALmatters
When Alice Mayall rushed her daughter Hannah to the hospital for a head injury after a water polo tournament a few years ago, she didn’t think twice about whether she could afford it. Her daughter was covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Without the Insurance Mandate, Health Care’s Future May Be in Doubt
New York Times
For years, the Obama administration said the health care system as constructed by the Affordable Care Act could not survive without a mandate that most Americans have health insurance. With surgical precision, the sweeping tax bill that Republicans plan to pass this week will do away with that mandate.
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The California Medicaid Rush: More Costly than Gold
Forbes
California’s “Medi-Cal” program is one of the worst offenders when it comes to controlling costs.  It’s getting worse not better.  In fact, Medi-Cal is such a big spender it begs the question what is driving out of control spending in the Golden State – waste, fraud, abuse, incompetence, or all of the above?  Every taxpayer in America should be asking these questions, as we are all footing the majority of the bill.
Why the government is creating lethal viruses
CNN
The US government on Tuesday lifted a ban on making lethal viruses, saying the research is necessary to “develop strategies and effective countermeasures against rapidly evolving pathogens that pose a threat to public health.”
The FDA wants more medical devices in your pocket
Marketplace
For the first time, last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved an Apple Watch accessory to be used as a medical device in the United States. The device is the AliveCor KardiaBand EKG reader, which lets consumers get a heart rhythm reading from a wristband.
Human Services:
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Complaints Rise in California as Nursing Homes Evict Poor Patients
KQED
Anita Willis says the social worker offered her a painful choice: She could either leave the San Jose, Calif., nursing home where she’d spent a month recovering from a stroke — or come up with $336 a day to stay on. She had until midnight to decide.
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When Nursing Homes Push Out Poor And Disabled Patients
Washington Post
Anita Willis says the social worker offered her a painful choice: She could either leave the San Jose, Calif., nursing home where she’d spent a month recovering from a stroke — or come up with $336 a day to stay on.
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IMMIGRATION
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DACA is the Dreamers’ lifeline
Capitol Weekly
Adriana and her six-year old daughter are like two peas in a pod, taking walks on the beach together, baking brownies, cuddling at home with a book, and occasionally splurging on a trip to Orange County’s Disneyland Resort.
Keep DACA and the Dreamers. They’ll make America even greater.
USA Today
I came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. My parents, brother and I fled Cuba for refuge in Miami when I was 8. We were able to bring $300, a change of clothes and lived in a one-bedroom apartment with six other people. We ate at a refugee center and learned English by immersion.
Community Voices: We stand with DACA students
The Bakersfield Californian
It can be easy to get lost in the rhetoric, and caught up in the passions that often go hand in hand when discussing our nation’s immigration policies. But when it comes to the president’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program effective in March and the failure of Congress to act to preserve it, the discussion needs to focus on people.
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Judge to weigh suits on program protecting young immigrants
AP
Five lawsuits against the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting some young immigrants from deportation face a key federal court hearing in San Francisco that could put an early end to the legal challenges or give them a big boost.
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LAND USE/HOUSING
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Land Use:
New Supermarket in Low-Income Neighborhood May Trigger Economic and Health Improvements
RAND
Opening a new supermarket in a low-income neighborhood may improve residents’ economic well-being and health, even if residents don’t necessarily buy healthier food from the store, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Housing:
How the Tax-Cut Bills Could Affect Homeownership
Consumer Reports
If you’re planning to buy a home in parts of the country where real estate is pricey and taxes are high, you could soon snag some bargains thanks to the Republican tax-cut proposals. If you’re planning to sell, you could face some pain.
See also:
·       Tax changes could have big effect on housing Marketplace
·       Final Tax Reform Bill Would Reduce Affordable Rental Housing Production by Nearly 235,000 Homes Novagradac & Co.
California needs more homes, but in the right places
Los Angeles Times
California has a debilitating housing shortage that is driving up rents and home prices, fueling an increase in homelessness and handicapping efforts to attract and retain businesses. The state needs another 3.5 million homes by 2025 to meet population and market demands, according to one analysis. But where to build?
Is the rent “too damn high” or are incomes too low?
Brookings
Having a safe, stable, healthy place to live is essential. But, for some families, once the rent or mortgage is paid, very little cash remains in the monthly budget.
Opinion: What California should do to ease housing crisis
The Mercury News
In September, Sacramento lawmakers passed more than a dozen bills aiming to begin healing the state’s housing sore. It was, to their thinking, “Housing Day” in California.
PUBLIC FINANCES
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For stories on federal “tax reform” See: “Top Stories – State Politics & Federal Politics,” above
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CalPERS Stays the Course on Rates, Investing Risk
Public CEO
Though facing a huge funding shortfall, the CalPERS board yesterday adopted a new plan for its $346 billion investment portfolio that will not bring in more money from another employer rate increase or a shift to riskier but higher-yielding investments.
Borenstein: CalPERS about to bury taxpayers in more debt
Mercury News
Brace yourself taxpayers: CalPERS is about to bury you deeper in debt.
TRANSPORTATION
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California Vehicle Registration Fees Increasing In 2018
Capital Public Radio
You’ll pay more to renew your car’s California registration in 2018, as part of a new law to help pay for deferred maintenance and roadwork. The deal approved by Gov. Jerry Brown also increased the state gas tax on Nov. 1.
California Today: A Rail Evangelist Defends the Safety of Trains
New York Times
The Amtrak crash near Tacoma, Wash., that killed three people this week was another reminder of the vulnerabilities of our railway systems. What are the risks in California? We called Rod Diridon, who currently chairs the advisory board of the United States High Speed Rail Association and whose life has been so immersed in trains and public transport in California that they named the San Jose train station after him.
CARB Approves $398 Million For Clean Trucks, Low-Income Communities
Capital Public Radio
California wants more environmentally friendly vehicles on the road so much so that the state has approved $663 million to do just that.
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Can the Tesla Semi perform? UPS, PepsiCo and other truck fleet owners want to find out
Los Angeles Times
Orders are trickling in for the sleek vehicle, unveiled in mid-November. On Tuesday, UPS said wants 125. Last week, PepsiCo ordered 100. Budweiser parent Anheuser-Busch reserved 40. Sysco, the big food distributor wants 50. Wal-Mart ordered 15.
WATER
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Who controls the water supply? The answer involves a long history of political strife
PBS News Hour
A Native American tribe in northern California was appalled last month when Shasta County demanded an extra $1,000 in penalties for their water bill.
Modernizing Water Systems in Disadvantaged Communities
PPIC
The water supply problems of disadvantaged rural communities can reflect not only a lack of resources, but also weak connections to the broader professional water community. The Mojave Water Agency in California’s southern desert has aninnovative program to help small systems under its jurisdiction make improvements.
“Xtra”
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Leon Peters Award: Jim Pardini, restaurant owner, 2017 winner
Fresno Bee
Jim Pardini, a prominent Fresno restaurateur and catering owner, is this year’s winner of the Leon S. Peters Award for community and business leadership.
A one-time Communist, she lived to 100 fighting for California seniors
Sacramento Bee
Nancy Rosenfield Lund, a senior activist who served four terms on the California Senior Legislature, died of natural causes at home Saturday. She was 100 years old.
Mooney Grove’s pond is perfect for winter fishing
Visalia Times-Delta
On Friday, Mooney Grove can add rainbow trout to its list of creatures that call the park home. Tulare County Parks and Recreation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are stocking the Mooney Grove Park pond with catchable trout starting Dec. 22.
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De Couer Bakeshop closing as chef heads to Chicago; two new eateries headed downtown
Bakersfield.com
When one kitchen door closes, another opens. And so it is the case in downtown Bakersfield with news that chef Mai Giffard will close her De Coeur Bakeshop this week.
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At one Clovis home, notes gathered to remember loved ones during the holidays
Fresno Bee
Lori Clanton and her family had little to celebrate last December. Holiday cheer was just a strange surreal blur of decorations and shoppers outside car windows as they shuttled Clanton’s brother-in-law, Larry, between doctor’s appointments and hospital stays in Stockton.
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