Top Policy/Political Stories
- Local/Regional
- State
- Federal
- Agriculture/Food
- Criminal Justice/Public Safety
- Economy/ Jobs
- Education
- Environment/Energy
- Health/Human Services
- Immigration
- Land Use/Housing
- Public Finances
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- “Xtra“
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TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
Nunes blasts FBI and Dept. of Justice in memo release controversy The Fresno Bee Rep. Devin Nunes, the Tulare Republican who heads the House Intelligence Committee, on Wednesday blasted the FBI and Department of Justice for opposing the release of his confidential memo, which reportedly states they abused their surveillance powers. See also: · Dept. of Justice and FBI involved in conspiracy against president, says Rep. Devin Nunes ABC30 · FBI clashes with Trump, has ‘grave concerns’ on Russia memo The Fresno Bee · FBI chief has ‘grave concerns,’ clashes with Trump over GOP memo CNN · FBI Statement on HPSCI Memo Federal Bureau of Investigations · Devin Nunes is accused of altering a secret GOP memo after major vote Business Insider · Schiff accuses Nunes of making secret changes to classified memo before White House review Los Angeles Times · Adam Schiff and Devin Nunes: From ‘bromance’ to bitter adversaries Washington Post
Truck, train carrying lawmakers collide Fresno Bee A chartered train carrying dozens of GOP lawmakers to a Republican policy retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck in a rural Virginia town Wednesday. The White House said one person was killed, and local officials said others were injured.Lawmakers said the fatality appeared to be someone in the truck. One lawmaker aboard the train, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said the vehicle had been ripped in half. He said he saw a person wrapped in a tarp and said emergency workers appeared to be “putting a body away.” See also: · Nunes, Valadao on train that collided with garbage truck Visalia Times-Delta · Denham on train in Va. that collides with truck Modesto Bee · Congressman Valadao on Amtrak train that collided with truck in Virginia Bakersfield Californian
Borgeas has a big bankroll as he announces bid to replace Berryhill in state Senate Fresno Bee It’s been one of the worst-kept secrets in Valley politics, but now it’s official: Fresno County Supervisor Andreas Borgeas has announced that he’s going to run as a Republican for the California State Senate.
Valley Air District Issues Health Cautionary Statement San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District A strong high-pressure system off the coast of California is limiting airflow and dispersion throughout the San Joaquin Valley. “Unfortunately, these stagnant conditions may cause high concentrations of particulate pollution in our region,” said Jon Klassen, District Air Quality Analysis Manager. “While these conditions bring about pleasant unseasonably warm temperatures, it is best to avoid heavy outdoor activities during periods of elevated particulate matter concentrations,” added Klassen. See also: · Valley Air District warns about pollution level from warm weather and stagnant air Fresno Bee · Air district issues Health Cautionary Statement The Bakersfield Californian
Fertilizer on farm fields is a major source of California smog, UC Davis says The Fresno Bee Think of California’s smog problem and you probably think of tailpipes and smokestacks. A startling new study led by UC Davis, however, says the fertilizer in farm soils is a major contributor to smog in California. In a study published Wednesday in the research journal Science Advances, a team led by UC Davis says agricultural soils contribute 25 to 41 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions in California. See also: · Valley Soil A Major Air Pollution Source, Says New Study Valley Public Radio
Fresno wins state grant for climate, economic improvement The Fresno Bee A new Fresno City College satellite campus in southwest Fresno is the flagship project in a package of plans that won a $70 million grant from the California Strategic Growth Council on Monday. The council awarded three grants amounting to $140 million from the Transformative Climate Communities program for disadvantaged communities.
$10 million in state funds available for county water system improvementsSierra Star As part of an ongoing effort to improve special districts aging water infrastructure throughout Madera County, the county board of supervisors approved 10 projects amounting to more than $10 million in funding through State Water Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) on Jan. 23.
Chinook salmon reach milestones in San Joaquin River The Fresno Bee As work to restore the San Joaquin River continues, scientists are seeing promising signs that salmon can thrive in the river as hatchery fish reach new milestones. A recent breakthrough came in fall 2017, when spring-run Chinook salmon created their nests, called redds, in the deeper and colder parts of the river below Friant Dam. The fish successfully spawned, laying eggs that incubated and hatched into tiny fry as the sexually mature fish died, part of the species’ unusual life cycle.
Modesto officials to discuss qualities of next city manager Modesto Bee Modesto’s elected officials will discuss Friday the qualities and abilities they want in their next city manager. City Council members will meet one-on-one for 30 minutes each in the morning with the recruiting firm they hired and then as a group in closed session in the afternoon as they work to develop a profile of the qualities they want in Modesto’s next top administrator.
Partnerships, progress and excellence highlighted at State of the County event Bakersfield Californian Kern County’s annual “State of the County” address is a different creature than its federal counterpart. There’s always dinner and drinks at the county’s event, which was held this year on Wednesday evening at the DoubleTree hotel in Bakersfield. It’s certainly a much more enjoyable offering than the buffet of sour stares, unilateral applause and parboiled partisan tension that was offered up at the Washington, D.C. event the night before.
Scammers seeking financial information by using fake Sheriff’s Office emailsBakersfield Californian Sheriff’s officials are warning of yet another scam to hit the county, this time with a variation of the Sheriff’s Office email being used to try to gain access to recipients’ bank account information.
Hornick to challenge Linn for district attorneyMadera Tribune Paul J. Hornick, senior deputy district attorney for Madera County, has announced he will run for county district attorney in the June 5 election.
Report gives SJ lawmakers high marks Stockton Record Two San Joaquin County legislators received high marks in a report that ranked state lawmakers based on how their votes have either helped or hurt children.
Devon Mathis introduces measure naming highway after fallen deputy Porterville Recorder Officers Ballantyne and Chavez died in a tragic plane accident in Springville on Feb. 10, 2016, while engaged in aerial surveillance for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
How California towns like Fresno get a bad reputation Los Angeles Times Remember Soarin’ Over California? It was a cheesy flight simulator at Disney’s California Adventure that took riders above the Mouse’s version of the Golden State. Napa’s wineries, Half Dome’s majesty, Camarillo’s … whatever, Soarin’ was California boosterism at its most blatant.
State Politics:
California candidates Newsom, Feinstein lead in polls — and in fundraising San Francisco Chronicle The front-runners in California’s contests for governor and U.S. Senate are also the leaders in fundraising for the June 5 primary, according to state and federal financial reports released Wednesday. See also: · Gavin Newsom has more cash on hand than all his rivals for governor combined Los Angeles Times · Antonio Villaraigosa reports having almost $6 million socked away in bid for governor Los Angeles Times · John Chiang spent nearly every dollar he raised for governor’s race in final six months of 2017 Los Angeles Times · GOP candidate for California governor John Cox starts 2018 with nearly $2 million in the bank Los Angeles Times
What difference? Democrats for governor again try to disagree CALmatters On Tuesday night, the four Democrats running to be governor of California met in San Francisco to spell out exactly where they stand on abortion, birth control access, and other matters of reproductive health. It turns out they all pretty much stand in the same place.
Nurses — backed by Newsom — ramp up fight for universal health care Capitol Weekly The California Nurses Association is still committed to pushing through its controversial universal health care bill despite stiff opposition from the Democratic Assembly Speaker and medical professional organizations.
More than half of states have been governed by a woman—why not California? Calmatters Texas has done it. So have Kansas, Alabama, Oklahoma and North and South Carolina. Arizona has done it four times. All told, more than half of all states have had at least one female governor, and 24 have elected them. But California? See if you can spot the pattern.
Los Angeles Times Democratic legislators have heard enough. They’ve decided to take a closer look at Gov. Jerry Brown’s deeply troubled bullet train. See also: · Walters: Bullet train finances need a vigorous test, but state auditor’s assignment is limited Fresno Bee · High Speed Rail Just Became a Big Issue in the Governor’s Race Fox and Hounds Daily
California’s budget reserves swell but no rebate in sight The Sacramento Bee California’s swelling budget reserves are approaching a point where the state by law can’t save any more money ‑ but don’t expect a tax rebate. The state is quickly filling up its so-called rainy day fund, the budget stabilization account voters created in 2014 when they passed an initiative that forced lawmakers to save money in flush years.
California’s debt for retiree health care nears $92 billion Sacramento Bee California’s debt for health benefits for retired state workers has surged to $92 billion. The figure released Wednesday is $15 billion higher than a year ago.
Should California Create a Public Bank for Cannabis Businesses? KQED California is starting to assess whether a public bank would better serve the state’s marijuana industry. On Tuesday, California Treasurer John Chiang announced that he and the state attorney general’s office will be moving forward with a feasibility study.
Caught in the middle: California businesses increasingly face conflicting immigration laws OCRegister Growing tension between California and the federal government over immigration has business owners in the crosshairs, worried about the potential effect on their enterprises and unsure which laws they should follow.
Locals criticize proposed plastic straw bill Visalia Times-Delta A bill proposed in California would make it illegal for restaurant servers to give guests plastic straws unless requested. If they do so, they may face a $1,000 fine or even jail time.
Dem and GOP Mayors Agree: States Must Stop Preempting Local Laws PublicCEO In a year marked by fires, hurricanes, drastic temperatures and $306 billion in climate-related damages, two-thirds of U.S. mayors believe that cities should take action on climate change, even if their efforts will cost them. Reflecting national trends, however, their views are highly polarized, with 84 percent of Democratic mayors but only 24 percent of Republican mayors saying they’d trade economic growth for climate mitigation — a change from just three years ago, when Republicans were more likely to favor the exchange.
Federal Politics:
California’s best hope for collaboration with Trump may be fading Sacramento Bee Last winter, California’s Democratic leaders were feeling cautiously optimistic that they could work with President Donald Trump to spur desperately needed infrastructure investment in the state. One year into the Trump administration, the prospects for bipartisan partnership on the issue have dimmed.
California Budget & Policy Center The past few weeks have seen intensifying negotiations in Congress and with the Trump Administration over the fate of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children and who received temporary legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In September, the Trump Administration rescinded DACA, setting a deadline of March 5, 2018, for Congress to act to extend the program or leave DACA recipients vulnerable to deportation.
Feinstein leads de Leon in the money race – with help from a $5 million check of her own Sacramento Bee State Senate President Kevin de León was always going to face an uphill climb in his race to unseat five-term Sen. Dianne Feinstein. But the scale of the challenge came into sharp relief on Wednesday. See Also: Sen. Dianne Feinstein has nearly $10 million in bank for campaign against fellow Democrat Kevin de León Los Angeles Times
The GOP’s big tax-cut gamble appears to be paying dividends Washington Post A month ago Republicans passed what was, according to some measures, the most unpopular bill in decades: their tax plan. Today, it’s looking more and more as if that was a risk well worth taking. A day after President Trump played up the tax cuts in his State of the Union address, a Monmouth poll showed a huge swing in favor of the bill.
Democratic candidates flock to California’s ‘very hostile’ House districts Sacramento Bee Three times more Democrats are running in the 10 Republican-held California House districts this year compared to 2014 and 2016. The latest tally of Democratic candidates, according to Federal Election Commission filings, is now at 63. In 2016, 22 Democrats competed in those districts. In 2014, there were 20.
Other:
U.S. democracy is in grave danger, a new Economist report warns Washington Post Democracy is in under siege around the world, according to a new report by the Economist. The annual Democracy Index tracks the health of the world’s governments. And the results for 2017 are depressing. In 89 countries, democratic norms look worse than they did last year, the report’s authors write. Just 4.5 percent of the world’s residents live in fully functioning democracies, down from 8.9 percent in 2015.
California Today: The Los Angeles Times Has (Another) New Editor New York Times On his first day as the new editor in chief of the Los Angeles Times, Jim Kirk held a meeting. His newsroom had suffered through several months of turmoil — and staff members had many questions.
Topics in More Detail…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Dairymen ask for help from CDFA Hanford Sentinel Kings County’s top crop is hurting. The state’s dairy producers filed an emergency petition in January asking CDFA to raise milk prices across the five classifications. They want an increase of 35 cents per cwt. Secretary of Ag Karen Ross has until Feb. 2 to decide.
Capital Public Radio News Lani Estill’s family ranches on thousands of acres in Modoc County on the border of Nevada and California. Her operation, Bare Ranch, sits in a place called Surprise Valley. It’s a beautiful almost forgotten place “Where the West still lives” — that’s the county’s motto.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Unfair and unsafe: Even prosecutors want to end California’s reliance on money bail Sacramento Bee Some believe requiring people who have been arrested for a crime to pay bail is necessary to ensure their return to court and protect public safety. As a California prosecutor, I have found that accountability and community safety can be achieved by alternate means.
San Francisco will wipe out thousands of marijuana convictions dating to 1975 Los Angeles Times San Francisco will retroactively apply California’s new marijuana legalization laws to prior convictions, expunging or reducing misdemeanors and felonies dating to 1975, the district attorney’s office announced Wednesday.
Public Safety:
California police agency facing expensive computing problems The Bakersfield Californian Officials say a Northern California police department dogged by a sexual misconduct scandal has spent $6 million on a court-ordered computer program to track officer conduct that is not working properly. See Also: · $6 million California police tracking system not working San Francisco Chronicle
San Bernardino County sheriff investigates possible brutality by deputy caught on video Los Angeles Times A video showing a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy punching and kicking a young man during an arrest surfaced on social media this week, and now officials are seeking the public’s help as they investigate the incident.
Fire:
Nearly $12 billion in losses following SoCal’s December wildfires 89.3 KPCC Nearly $12 billion in insurance claims were filed following the December wildfires that ravaged Southern California, according to new data released Wednesday from the California Department of Insurance. See also: · Nearly $12 billion in insurance claims have been filed due to California wildfires Los Angeles Times · California Wildfires Caused $11.8 Billion in Damage in 2017 Time
Looking for answers to California’s growing wildfire threat The San Diego Union-Tribune The California Public Utilities Commission held a special meeting Wednesday to look at ways the state can reduce the impacts of deadly wildfires.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
US private payrolls growth maintains brisk pace; labor costs rise in fourth quarter Reuters U.S. private sector payrolls rose at a brisk pace in January as hiring increased across the board despite unseasonably cold weather, pointing to sustained labor market strength at the start of the year.
Jobs:
U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly fall as job market strengthens Reuters The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to a tightening labor market and strengthening economy at the start of the year. Other data on Thursday showed worker productivity slipped in the fourth quarter for the first time since early 2016. Weak productivity underscores the challenges of sustaining strong economic growth.
California migration: Come for jobs, leave to retire The Mercury News Understanding who’s coming to California, and who’s leaving, is critical to making critical decisions for policymakers and business leaders alike.
SF tech company fired software engineers seeking to organize, union claims San Francisco Chronicle A San Francisco technology company laid off a group of software engineers as they were trying to join a labor union, according to a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
EDUCATION
K-12: Velarde-Crist quits MUSD boardMadera Tribune A Madera educator, who had just entered the last year of her second term as a Madera Unified trustee, said goodbye at the Jan. 23 meeting of the MUSD school board. In doing so, she created a vacancy, which the board has decided to fill by appointment.
Worth Noting: BCSD to discuss agreement with BPD for two resource officers The Bakersfield Californian The Bakersfield City School District will be providing more details on an agreement with the Bakersfield Police Department for two school resource officers on Thursday.
Getting to know BCSD’s trustee candidates: Vicki Lynn Billington The Bakersfield Californian Residents throughout central Bakersfield will choose among four candidates in an April 10 special election to determine who will help lead Bakersfield City School District — the state’s largest elementary school district.
Do California leaders deserve an A or an F on education? A 2018 voter’s guide Sacramento Bee California spends at least 40 percent of its budget on K-12 public schools – as it must, because of Proposition 98. As it should, because there’s nothing more important than creating future generations who will be engaged and contributing citizens, capable of thinking for and supporting themselves.
Teachers Union Leaders Hypocrisy on Corporations and the Rich Fox and Hounds Daily The teachers unions really need to get some new talking points. Granted, straw men and hyperbole are common in political discourse, but union verbiage needs a serious makeover – the old model is giving hypocrisy a bad name.
Brown’s proposed budget draws praise, disappointment from early education advocates EdSource In his final budget, Gov. Jerry Brown upheld promises made in previous years to fund early education initiatives, and added some new ones, but it still falls short of what many advocates have been pushing for his entire tenure in office. The governor’s proposed budget, which he released Wednesday, increases child care provider reimbursement rates and adds additional preschool slots, while also adding new funding for home visiting and child care programs for children newborn to 5 years old.
Federal, state visions for improving schools collide in California EdSource During a presentation earlier this month on how to choose the roughly 300 lowest-performing schools that must get intensive help under federal law, a number struck some members of the State Board of Education like a brick from the sky: 3,003. That’s the total number of schools in the state — not 300 but nine or 10 times that many — that staff estimate would require at least some form of help based on the school selection criteria that the board was considering.
High school juniors could get relief from test fatigue under bill to offer SAT for 11th-grade test EdSource Undeterred by past opposition of the state superintendent and State Board of Education, Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell is trying again to give high schools the option to swap the Smarter Balanced 11th-grade English language arts and math tests for either the SAT or the ACT. He said he has broad support of superintendents and school principals behind him.
Higher Ed:
Napolitano says she did not know about UC audit interference The Sacramento Bee Is the frosty relationship between the University of California and the Legislature starting to thaw? Tuition hikes, surging nonresident enrollment and a series of administrative scandals have generated intense outrage at the Capitol in recent years, culminating in a heated hearing last May in which lawmakers expressed frustration over what they felt was UC’s continued “arrogance” and resistance to change.
Cal State trustees pick UC Davis campus diversity leader to be San Diego State’s new president Los Angeles Times California State University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Adela de la Torre the new president of San Diego State, reflecting a push by the nation’s largest public university system to diversify its top campus leaders.
White supremacists targeting colleges more than ever, report says CNN White supremacist groups have been flocking to college campuses at an increased rate, spreading propaganda and hoping to lure new followers, the Anti-Defamation League said. Since September 2016, the ADL’s Center on Extremism has tracked 346 instances in which leaflets, stickers, posters and banners have appeared on more than 200 campuses across the country, according to data released on Thursday. The number of times the propaganda was recorded at schools in the fall semester of 2016 — 41 — more than tripled in the same time period a year later — to 147, according to the ADL.
From ivory towers to the classroom: How can we make academic research useful in the real world? Brookings We hear constant claims that technology will facilitate access to better educational opportunities and facilitate independent learning, and we read statistics on theexpansion of mobile phone coverage. However, this increased access has not spread equally throughout the world. A recent Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), for example, notes that 61 percent of 14-18-year-olds in India had never used the internet, and 56 percent had never used a computer—with significant differences in access across boys and girls. To what degree do high-tech solutions for education represent real solutions, now, for children in developing countries?
Apprenticeships:
New Mechatronics & Industrial Automation Courses Clovis Community College Obtain the skills to work as a technician maintaining electrical, mechanical, computer and control systems:
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Valley Air District Issues Health Cautionary Statement San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District A strong high-pressure system off the coast of California is limiting airflow and dispersion throughout the San Joaquin Valley. “Unfortunately, these stagnant conditions may cause high concentrations of particulate pollution in our region,” said Jon Klassen, District Air Quality Analysis Manager. “While these conditions bring about pleasant unseasonably warm temperatures, it is best to avoid heavy outdoor activities during periods of elevated particulate matter concentrations,” added Klassen. See also: · Valley Air District warns about pollution level from warm weather and stagnant air Fresno Bee · Air district issues Health Cautionary Statement The Bakersfield Californian
Fertilizer on farm fields is a major source of California smog, UC Davis says The Fresno Bee Think of California’s smog problem and you probably think of tailpipes and smokestacks. A startling new study led by UC Davis, however, says the fertilizer in farm soils is a major contributor to smog in California. In a study published Wednesday in the research journal Science Advances, a team led by UC Davis says agricultural soils contribute 25 to 41 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions in California. See also: · Valley Soil A Major Air Pollution Source, Says New Study Valley Public Radio
Los Angeles Times A Bay Area lawmaker wants to knock down what he believes is a key barrier to California meeting its ambitious climate change goals: one of the state’s most prominent environmental laws.
California military bases report damage from extreme climate, weather events 89.3 KPCC The Department of Defense has been proceeding with climate change research and preparing for its possible effects, despite ongoing political battles over the issue.
California submerging: Rising seas are claiming its famed coast faster than scientists imagined CALmatters A slow-moving emergency is lapping at California’s shores— climate-driven sea-level rise that experts now predict could elevate the water in coastal areas up to 10 feet in just 70 years, gobbling up beachfront and overwhelming low-lying cities.
Energy:
Power outage in downtown Bakersfield affects 270 customersThe Bakersfield Californian A power outage along Truxtun Avenue has left 270 customers without power Thursday morning, said a PG&E service representative. Customers affected by the outage include the county building and Rabobank Arena.
California taxpayers could foot the bill to shutter old oil rigs in the Pacific CALmatters It’s been nearly three years since an oil pipeline ruptured in Santa Barbara County, coating seven miles of beaches with crude oil and killing dolphins, birds and sea lions. Area parks and fisheries have since re-opened. The pipeline has not, and the company that owns it is under criminal indictment. But the financial impacts of the 2015 Refugio oil spill continue to wash up in California.
US crude stocks rise as gasoline falls: EIA Reuters U.S. crude stocks rose more than expected last week, while gasoline and distillate inventories fell, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.
California Could See the Return of $4 Gasoline by May Bloomberg Motorists in California, the state with the most expensive gasoline, could see pump prices that begin with a 4 again as oil markets rally. Gasoline, which is currently averaging $3.30 a gallon in California, may reach $4 by Memorial Day, the traditional start of the demand-heavy summer driving season.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Covered California expects to work through Friday on last-minute applications Sacramento Bee If you started an application for health insurance Wednesday with Covered California but didn’t quite get it completed, don’t despair. The leader of Covered California pledged to work through Friday to help residents make final coverage selections for 2018. See Also: · A Rush to Get Health Insurance for 2018, Before California Deadline KQED
Los Angeles Times California taxpayers are on the hook for more than $91.5 billion to provide health and dental benefits to state government workers when they retire, according to a report issued Wednesday by the state controller’s office.
Human Services:
Human trafficking survivors face waiting lists after government cuts funds Fresno Bee The central San Joaquin Valley’s leading trafficking victims’ advocacy group is facing a cash strain that will lead to increased waiting times for victims’ services as well as greatly diminish the group’s efforts to educate and spread awareness on the dangers of human trafficking throughout six central California counties.
IMMIGRATION
ICE formalizes plans for courthouse arrests Sacramento Bee Federal immigration authorities formalized a policy Wednesday to send deportation agents to federal, state and local courthouses to make arrests, dismissing complaints from judges and advocacy groups that it instills fear among crime victims, witnesses and family members. See also: · Immigration authorities detail plan for courthouse arrests The Union Democrat · ICE says it won’t make immigration sweeps at courthouses San Francisco Chronicle
California Budget & Policy Center The past few weeks have seen intensifying negotiations in Congress and with the Trump Administration over the fate of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children and who received temporary legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In September, the Trump Administration rescinded DACA, setting a deadline of March 5, 2018, for Congress to act to extend the program or leave DACA recipients vulnerable to deportation.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
New travel center plans now in review stageMadera Tribune Plans for the main features of the Madera Travel Center, projected for property at the intersection of Avenue 17 and State Route 99, have been submitted for review according to city officials, although breaking ground on the 48-acre project is still likely a few months away.
Housing:
Unsure about rent control? Here’s another way to protect California tenants Sacramento Bee It should come as no surprise to anyone living in housing-crunched California that so many voters are fine with advancing a ballot measure that would pave the way for what the California Apartment Association calls “extreme” rent control.
Tulare County officials evict homeless from St. John’s River Visalia Times-Delta The dozens of homeless people living along the St. John’s River were told this week they had 30 days to pack up and leave. Deputies along with members of the Tulare County Homeless Task Force and Tulare County Health and Human Services went to the river during a homeless sweep, which is typically prompted by complaints from residents in the area of St. John’s.
Can this candidate for governor fix Silicon Valley’s housing ‘disaster’? The Mercury News Gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday had a message sure to resonate with Bay Area residents struggling to live here — if he’s elected, he’ll pour resources into solving the region’s affordable housing shortage.
Commentary: Local Elected Officials Should Devote Extra-Long Terms to Housing PublicCEO Election law has created an opportunity to reckon with California’s housing crisis more forcefully. That’s because election law has created extra-long terms for many local public officials around the state. In the name of increasing local voter turnout, state law now requires local governments that held elections in odd-numbered years to move those elections to even-numbered years, when they take place at the same time as gubernatorial and presidential races.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California is collecting so much of your money it can’t save it all Sacramento Bee California’s swelling budget reserves are approaching a point where the state by law can’t save any more money ‑ but don’t expect a tax rebate.
California’s debt for retiree health care nears $92 billion Sacramento Bee California’s debt for health benefits for retired state workers has surged to $92 billion. The figure released Wednesday is $15 billion higher than a year ago.
TRANSPORTATION
California could see the return of $4 gasMercury NewsMotorists in California, the state with the most expensive gasoline, could see pump prices that begin with a 4 again as oil markets rally. See also: · Average gasoline prices across most of California are now at their highest level in over 850 days KERO 23ABC News
Trump promised better infrastructure. Not with this roadmap, California leaders say Sacramento Bee Last winter, California’s Democratic leaders were feeling cautiously optimistic that they could work with President Donald Trump to spur desperately needed infrastructure investment in the state. One year into the Trump administration, the prospects for bipartisan partnership on the issue have dimmed. See also: · Capitol Ink | Our Crumbling Infrastructure Roll Call
Walters: Bullet train finances need a vigorous test, but state auditor’s assignment is limited Fresno Bee Gov. Jerry Brown reappointed Elaine Howle as the state auditor last week. It was a wise move. Howle has served in that vital, if little known, position longer than anyone with fierce independence and dogged determination to bore deeply into state and local government operations.
Waymo’s self-driving tests in California have fewest human interventions Reuters Waymo, the self-driving arm of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), is out ahead of rivals based on a key measure of autonomous driving performance, according to a report released on Wednesday by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
As car ownership increases among the poor, transit ridership falls The San Diego Union-Tribune Public transit ridership is falling in Southern California as more low-income residents purchase cars, according to a report released Wednesday by the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies.
WATER
California gauges snowpack amid dry winter Fresno Bee Amid record-setting heat in the state’s south, California’s water managers will measure the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies water to millions. Department of Water Resources officials will trek to the mountains Thursday to check the snow depth, one gauge of the state’s water supply. Electronic sensors show snow levels are about one-third of normal.
State now facing cascade of litigation over Oroville Dam Sacramento Bee More than 40 farmers and business owners in the Oroville area sued the state Wednesday over the effects of the Oroville Dam crisis, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
“Xtra”
Japanese American internment exhibit features WWII veteran The Fresno Bee Robert Yano had just turned 18 and registered for the draft when he was forced from his family’s farm in Kingsburg and shipped to an internment camp in Arizona. “It’s just a desert,” Yano recalls of the camp, one of many that imprisoned thousands of Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants during World War II. “Nothing but sagebrush and rocks … and they had machine-gun towers with the machine guns pointing toward you. Not out, but toward you.”
Black History Month: San Joaquin Valley Deltas ABC30 ABC30 is celebrating Black History Month by saluting women who are making a difference in the Central Valley. Members of the San Joaquin Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority have a long history of helping others. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1913, whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world.
PHOTOS: The Super Blue Blood Lunar Eclipse in California KQED A super blue blood lunar eclipse — yes, a blue moon, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse — graced the skies early Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Now, President Trump says he wants to heal the nation he helped divideThe Fresno BeeThe most divisive president in modern history stood before the nation on Tuesday night and insisted he wants nothing but unity.
Can Dems trust Trump’s calls for bipartisanship? Probably not. But they can try to force his handLos Angeles Times President Trump has proved all too often that his word is not to be trusted. He makes promises then reneges, seems to agree to deals but then abruptly changes his mind, holds out hope for the so-called Dreamers and then dashes it against the rocks of anti-immigration orthodoxy.
There’s an open seat on JC board; but hurry it you want to serveThe Modesto BeeDid you know there was a vacancy on the Board of Trustees for Yosemite Community College District? Didn’t think so. The college sent out a press release on Jan. 12, but apparently it was suffocated in the daily avalanche of emails that arrive daily at The Bee and every other media outlet in the region. We couldn’t find notice of the vacancy anywhere.
If the judiciary won’t crack down on political corruption, it’s up to Congress to actLos Angeles Times Should federal prosecutors just give up trying to convict politicians of public corruption? That question is likely to be asked anew after the Justice Department announced Wednesday that it would not retry Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on multiple corruption charges growing out of his relationship with a Florida eye doctor.
Editorial: The city’s newest supervisor comes with experienceSan Francisco Chronicle Political club endorsements, a commission slot or a fat wallet are the usual ingredients that help land a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The appointment of Catherine Stefani to the panel shows that experience counts as well. |