Top Policy/Political Stories
- Local/Regional
- State
- Federal
- Editorials
- Agriculture/Food
- Criminal Justice/Public Safety
- Economy/ Jobs
- Education
- Environment/Energy
- Health/Human Services
- Immigration
- Land Use/Housing
- Public Finances
- Transportation
- Water
- “Xtra”
TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
Fresno Unified, teachers union avoid strike, reach tentative deal The Fresno Bee Fresno Unified and the Fresno Teachers Association have reached a tentative agreement after months of negotiations on salary, class size and more – avoiding a threatened strike. The announcement comes a day before an outside fact-finding report is set to make recommendations on issues the two have failed to agree on for more than a year. A news conference is set for 1 p.m at Leavenworth Elementary School.
High-speed rail: Key things to look for in 2018, a potentially pivotal year Fresno Bee The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s revelation this week that its expected construction costs in the Central Valley are going up by more than one-third since 2016 is likely to spark questions about what may become of the convoluted and controversial project. See also: · ‘Worst-case scenario:’ High-speed rail costs jump $2.8 billion to $10.6 billion The Mercury News · High-speed rail costs continue to climb Bakersfield Now · Local representatives blast high-speed rail cost increase Visalia Times-Delta · WORTH NOTING: City to hold hearing on high-speed rail station plan The Bakersfield Californian · Audit the High Speed Rail Fox and Hounds Daily · California Today: Can a New Leader Deliver High-Speed Rail? New York Times
Sierra Sun Times On Tuesday, Representatives Will Hurd (TX-23), Pete Aguilar (CA-31) and Jeff Denham (CA-10) introduced the Uniting and Securing America (USA) Act, a bipartisan bill that protects DACA recipients from deportation. See also: · Rep. Denham discusses new bipartisan DACA legislation with Fox Business’ David Asman Fox Business · Dreamers From Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s District Call On the GOP To Step Up KQED · How the No. 2 Leaders (Kevin McCarthy is one) Have Taken Over the DACA Debate Roll Call · UC Merced chancellor goes to bat for Dreamers in Washington, D.C. Vida en el Valle · Calling on Congress to act, California university officials pledge to help students reapply for DACA Los Angeles Times
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy met with birther movement activists in his office in 2013 CNNPolitics House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy hosted members of the birther movement in his office for a meeting in 2013, where he was shown a video alleging then-President Barack Obama had forged documents related to his citizenship, activists at that meeting tell CNN.
Devin Nunes receives prank corruption award from super PAC The Fresno Bee While the chances of President Trump going ahead with his “Fake News Awards” look increasingly slim Wednesday, a Democratic super PAC countered by giving Rep. Devin Nunes, among others, its own version of the dubious honor – the “Corrupties” awards. Nunes, a Tulare Republican, won the “Best Guest Actor” Corruptie fromAmerican Bridge 21st Century.
Radanovich: US farmers need sound immigration policy for agricultural workforce TheHill In the United States, as in many prosperous nations, foreign workers play a critical role in the production of our nation’s food supply. As Congress struggles with the contentious issue of illegal immigration, it is important that legislators consider the disastrous consequence if no workers show up to grow, harvest and ship our nation’s fruits and vegetables, even if only for one season.
Los Banos milk plant shutting down, 63 workers to lose jobs Merced Sun-Star Visalia-based California Dairies Inc., the largest milk cooperative in the state, is shutting down its Los Banos factory, citing a decline in milk volume.
Bedbugs infest Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s emergency department Visalia Times-Delta A bedbug infestation put Kaweah Delta Medical Center officials on alert, forcing them to call an exterminator into the emergency department. Hospital officials say the infestation didn’t greatly disrupt emergency medical services. “Last Wednesday, a patient brought bedbugs into the emergency department,” said Laura Florez-McCusker, a Kaweah Delta spokesperson. “We immediately put established control measures in place, which we regularly use for all types of infection prevention.”
Coalinga State Hospital lockdown details emerge The Fresno Bee Patients at Coalinga State Hospital remained on lockdown Tuesday as a few details began to emerge about violent protests that have erupted since new rules restricting the use of personal electronic devices were put into place.
Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley and Mayor Carlton Jones are at odds Visalia Times Delta Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley has demanded answers from the city and his attorney says playing hardball may be the only way to end the questions.
Esposito behind some Maggard attack ads, consultant for Maggard has marijuana ties The Bakersfield Californian There’s a new wrinkle in the story about the dramatic accusations in the 3rd District supervisor’s race.
Local gay and lesbian leader Whitney Weddell to challenge Supervisor Zack Scrivner The Bakersfield Californian Whitney Weddell, a Nueva High School teacher and outspoken leader in the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community, pulled papers Wednesday to run for Kern County Supervisor in Zack Scrivner’s 2nd District.
eSanJoaquin.com Recently, Council member Christina Fugazi objected when discussion of a motion regarding the Advance Peace anti-gun-violence program was cut off before she could ask a raft of questions. Fugazi e-mailed her questions to Advance Peace head DeVone Boggan. Below is her letter and Boggan’s answers. I am reproducing both so we all can better understand Advance Peace.
Fred Ruiz: Why the next UC regent should be from the Central Valley The Sacramento Bee The San Joaquin Valley is the heart of California’s fertile agricultural region. It is home to more than 4 million Californians, and to diverse, distinctive and dynamic communities. But even though the Valley is now the fastest-growing and most diverse region of the state, its residents are underrepresented in access to higher education and economic opportunity.
State Politics:
VIDEO: Candidates for governor share ideas to revive the deferred CA Dream CAFWD With nearly 18 million Californians living in or near poverty, the next governor of the Golden State faces an economy, housing market and jobs picture that is increasingly challenging for more and more people. When more than 500 civic, business and community members gathered in San Diego for the 2017 California Economic Summit in November, attendees had a front-row seat to the ideas of state leaders seeking to be that next governor. See also: · As other women march on, only female governor candidate is at back of pack San Francisco Chronicle · Villaraigosa slaps at Newsom’s education record while campaigning in LA County Los Angeles Times · Villaraigosa: Government is “Terrorizing People” KMJ · Villaraigosa leads among Latino voters in new poll, but a significant number are undecided LA Times · Newsom leads Villaraigosa in California governor’s race, but as election nears it still feels ‘undecided’ Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Times Californians who renew their driver’s license by mail will soon be able to use that same document to become a voter, after state officials settled a federal voting rights lawsuit. The lawsuit filed last May alleged that California was required to integrate voter registration into forms the state Department of Motor Vehicles uses to issue a license or update an address. While the agency made changes to its online and paper applications in 2016, it did not include voter registration on license renewals.
Survey predicts big Latino turnout in Calif. June primary in response to Trump San Francisco Chronicle Driven by antipathy toward President Trump and concerns about immigration, a record number of Latinos say they are planning to vote in California’s June 5 primary, according to a new survey. See also: · Latino vote could spike in California – thanks to one man Sacramento Bee
Walters: Brown’s worries about killing California’s golden geese CALmatters To intertwine cliches, Gov. Jerry Brown let the cat out of the bag last week and acknowledged that he’s concerned about killing the golden geese. Those geese are the few thousand Californians with the highest incomes whose taxes allow Brown and other California politicians to spend tens of billions of dollars a year and the new federal tax overhaul encourages them to take their money elsewhere.
Walters: Brown relents a little on school accountability CALmatters For years, Gov. Jerry Brown has preached a secular version of a religious principle called “subsidiarity,” asserting that local officials should have flexibility to act without micromanagement from Sacramento.
Los Angeles Times Under investigation for sexual harassment allegations, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) is facing a political challenge from 20 delegates from his Senate district who petitioned Wednesday to make it harder for him to earn a state Democratic Party endorsement.
Bail advocate pushes harassment claims against ‘Huggy Bear Hertzberg’ Sacramento Bee Sen. Bob Hertzberg made a political enemy of the bail industry last year when he introduced legislation to overhaul the money bail system in California. Now a Bakersfield man tied to the industry has launched a victims’ hotline and video featuring allegations that the Los Angeles Democrat inappropriately touched women.
Lavish bash for California politicians and lobbyists gets a #MeToo makeover Calmatters Each January, as lawmakers return to Sacramento from three months in their hometowns, hundreds of lobbyists and staff members join them at The Park nightclub near the Capitol to sip Moscow Mules, puff on cigars and catch up with old friends and frenemies.
California may buck Congress with its own health insurance requirement OCRegister With Congress ending the requirement that all Americans have health insurance, California leaders are preparing to counter that move by securing health care for as many residents as possible in a fortified state insurance exchange.
Single-payer debate resurges in California Capitol, as opposition from health providers ramps up LA Times The political battle lines over single-payer healthcare in California are growing starker, with an alliance of doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners and other health providers ramping up their opposition to the proposal.
The Mercury News California legislators are fighting back against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attempt to crack down on state cannabis programs, launching letter-writing campaigns, proposing new laws and discussing federal lawsuits to safeguard legal marijuana.
Los Angeles Times A year-end report from real estate database PropertyShark has confirmed what every Angeleno already knows: California is a really expensive place to live. See also: · California tops national list of priciest ZIP codes for home sales. By a lot Sacramento Bee
This California lawmaker wants to bring granny flats to your neighborhood The Mercury News Sen. Bob Wieckowski thinks one way to ease California’s housing crisis could come one garage apartment or backyard cottage at a time.
Los Angeles Times One thorny topic you won’t be hearing Democratic candidates for governor talking much about is California’s essential need for public pension reform.
California tax on space companies would end under Assembly bill San Francisco Chronicle A bill introduced Wednesday would block the state’s tax on space transportation companies.
Los Angeles Times A proposed November statewide ballot measure could allow three of the nation’s biggest paint companies to hand California taxpayers a bill for the cost of cleaning up health hazards caused by lead paint.
Los Angeles Times Until a few years ago, most students in Winters — a farming community of 7,000 west of Sacramento — did not have computers at home. So the city’s then-mayor, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, pushed for a program that enabled the school district’s sixth-graders to check out laptops along with their textbooks.
Federal Politics:
Feds planning massive Northern California immigration sweep to strike against sanctuary laws SFGate U.S. immigration officials have begun preparing for a major sweep in San Francisco and other Northern California cities in which federal officers would look to arrest more than 1,500 undocumented people while sending a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state, according to a source familiar with the operation. See also: · Democrats Question Justice Dept. Power to Charge Sanctuary City Leaders New York Times · State leaders blast Trump administration’s reported plans for a federal immigration sweep in Northern California Los Angeles Times · California has a tip for Dreamers: Act now while the feds can’t stop you Sacramento Bee · California v. Trump Immigration Battle: DACA, Raids, College Students Capital Public Radio News · Calling on Congress to act, California university officials pledge to help students reapply for DACA Los Angeles Times · Californians take lead on proposal for slimmed-down ‘Dreamer’ billLA Times · Trump’s Mistake on DACA FactCheck.org
Census controversy sparks fear in California immigrants KCRA Sacramento The war of words between California and the federal government is heating up, and this time the battle is over the United States Census. See also: · Why asking residents about citizenship on 2020 Census could hurt California KCRA
‘Very strong’ Democratic sentiment to oppose GOP budget bill Sacramento Bee Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said Wednesday there’s “very, very strong” sentiment among Democrats in the chamber to oppose GOP-drafted legislation to keep the government’s doors open, comments that could indicate the chances are increasing that the government could shut down at midnight Friday night. See also: · No ‘Dreamer’ protections, no support among state Democrats for spending bill San Francisco Chronicle · Will Congress avoid a government shutdown, again? Brookings · Trump Upsets Republican Strategy to Avoid Shutdown The New York Times · House GOP has plan to avert shutdown without Dem backing Sacramento Bee · As GOP leaders try to avert a government shutdown, a Trump tweet undermines them LA Times
What Democrats won’t tell you about the GOP tax cut and California’s lost tax breaks Sacramento Bee In an effort to keep up with their self-described “resistance” movement, California Democrats are engaged in a full-fledged attack against recently enacted federal tax reform legislation that provides tax cuts for most Americans and Californians.
Tax cut supporters should stop talking about corporate bonuses TheHill In the weeks since the new tax law was enacted, well over 100 companies have granted one-time bonuses to their employees while citing the new law’s reduction in the corporate income tax rate as part of the reason. The president, key members of the House and Senate, and many other supporters of the new tax law have hailedthe bonuses as proof that the corporate rate cut is boosting wages. Unfortunately, their argument is misdirected and undermines the real economic case for corporate tax rate reduction.
DNC offers one-sided view on who gets tax bill’s benefits PolitiFact The Democratic National Committee said one of President Donald Trump’s proudest achievements from his first year is really a giveaway to the country’s wealthiest people. “Trump and his party spent the better part of the year trying to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans to pay for a tax cut for the rich, and when that failed, they passed a tax bill that gave 80 percent of its benefits to the top 1 percent,” said a Medium post that the party published Jan. 16.
California: The best alternative to Trump’s America San Francisco Chronicle It’s now almost a generation since Californians tried to make their state like the country that Donald Trump wants America to be.
Muir Woods, Alcatraz and other parkland likely to close in federal shutdown San Francisco Chronicle If Congress doesn’t reach a spending deal by the end of Friday, a trip to Muir Woods or Alcatraz this weekend could be off the agenda.
Other:
Borenstein: Flawed California law creates tectonic shift in local elections The Mercury News Cities and school districts across California are facing legal ultimatums: Convert from at-large elections to balloting by district, or risk spending millions of dollars on litigation.
A Pandora’s Box: Suing Oil Companies, Consumers Pay Fox and Hounds Daily Some members of the Los Angeles city council hope to join San Francisco, Oakland and New York City is suing oil companies on the principle that the costs associated with climate change (as a result of using fossil fuels) are a burden to the city and its taxpayers. If successful this precedent would open a Pandora’s box of problems for companies and the government itself, not to mention rather than relieving taxpayers of costs it would add to their financial burdens.
Why Have So Many Americans Lost Their Trust in Facts? Psychology Today Over the past two decades, Americans have become increasingly skeptical of factual information and rely less on facts, according to a new RAND Corporation study published today. This report, “Truth Decay: An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life,” was co-authored by Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich.
Topics in More Detail…
EDITORIALS
Cheers and Jeers: Reach for the starsStockton Record The story of Jose Hernandez should be required reading for every San Joaquin County student. After the Perris nightmare, it’s time to monitor home-schools more closelyLos Angeles Times Every once in a while, a horrible story involving home-schooled children grabs the public’s attention. Most recently, a Perris couple allegedly kept their 13 sons and daughters chained and malnourished, while filing the proper paperwork each year to tell the state that they were running a small, home-based private school for the kids.
Is it too much to ask Congress to govern without extortionate brinkmanship?Los Angeles Times A federal district court judge last week ordered the Trump administration to continue the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while the courts consider a legal challenge to the president’s decision to bring it to a close on March 5. Hoping to short-circuit the appeals process, the administration has now taken the unusual step of asking the Supreme Court to hear its appeal directly.
More shelters for homeless are good but permanent housing is betterLos Angeles Times In the city of Los Angeles, there are more than 34,000 homeless people and a shortage of overnight shelter beds. As a result, nearly three-quarters of those people are “unsheltered” — meaning that they are sleeping at night on a sidewalk, in a tent, in a makeshift shelter or in a vehicle rather than under a roof.
Red flag for National Park ServiceNew York Times Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is renowned for his attention to such details as the size of the secretarial flag he ordered flown above department headquarters and the menagerie of dead mammals he requisitioned to redecorate his office. This fastidiousness did not extend, apparently, to returning the phone calls of the department advisers who just resigned en masse.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Los Banos milk plant shutting down, 63 workers to lose jobs Merced Sun-Star Visalia-based California Dairies Inc., the largest milk cooperative in the state, is shutting down its Los Banos factory, citing a decline in milk volume.
Radanovich: US farmers need sound immigration policy for agricultural workforce TheHill In the United States, as in many prosperous nations, foreign workers play a critical role in the production of our nation’s food supply. As Congress struggles with the contentious issue of illegal immigration, it is important that legislators consider the disastrous consequence if no workers show up to grow, harvest and ship our nation’s fruits and vegetables, even if only for one season.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Essential California: Was the killing of Blaze Bernstein a hate crime? Los Angeles Times They both went to high school at the elite Orange County School of the Arts, but the classmates weren’t particularly close. Blaze Bernstein, home on winter break from the University of Pennsylvania, messaged with Samuel Woodward on Snapchat. On Jan. 2, Woodward drove over and picked him up.
Public Safety:
New California mental health roadmap recommends alternate routes away from incarceration CAFWD A new strategy of alternatives to incarcerating Californians with mental health needs has been released as part of the work to help counties develop more effective criminal justice systems. After an 18-month review, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) this month released “Together We Can: Reducing Criminal Justice Involvement for People with Mental Illness,” a roadmap to address this complex and growing issue in California.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
California tax on space companies would end under Assembly bill San Francisco Chronicle Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale (Los Angeles County), said AB1878 would exempt space transportation companies from a tax enacted by the Franchise Tax Board last year. The tax is collected on space companies based on a formula that factors in the frequency of launches from California soil and the distance a spacecraft travels into space.
Apple says it will bring much of its overseas cash home under new, corporate-friendly tax law Los Angeles Times Apple revealed a plan Wednesday that would make it the first major company to repatriate money from overseas as a result of the new corporate-friendly tax law passed last month.
Jobs:
Los Banos milk plant shutting down, 63 workers to lose jobs Merced Sun-Star Visalia-based California Dairies Inc., the largest milk cooperative in the state, is shutting down its Los Banos factory, citing a decline in milk volume.
Ulta Beauty’s first distribution center in California now calling Fresno home The walls are up at Ulta Beauty’s new distribution center in Southwest Fresno. But it’s taken months to turn Ag land into a commercial business that will soon house hundreds of employees, sending beauty products around the country.
Did Walmart raise wages because of the tax cut? Brookings The tax bill passed last month by the Republican Congress and signed by President Donald Trump—the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—will create huge budget deficits and is enormously tilted toward corporations and wealthy households.
American businesses can’t find workers CNN American businesses big and small increasingly have the same problem: They can’t find workers. The job market is so hot that employers are struggling to handle the consequences. A Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday found labor shortages all over the country. And more businesses said they had no choice but to pay more to attract and keep the workers they want, a sign that wage growth may finally be picking up.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Walters: Brown relents a little on school accountability CALmatters For years, Gov. Jerry Brown has preached a secular version of a religious principle called “subsidiarity,” asserting that local officials should have flexibility to act without micromanagement from Sacramento.
Politifact CA: Mostly True: California ranks 41st on per student spending but No. 1 per prisoner PolitiFact CA Democratic candidate for governor Delaine Eastin wants to reduce California’s high poverty and incarceration by investing more in students.
Federal audit finds problems with California’s graduation rate calculations Los Angeles Times Every year, the California Department of Education and many of its school districts boast about record-high graduation rates. But a federal audit raises questions about the accuracy of the local and statewide numbers.
California schools: Painful cuts around the corner, despite windfall The Mercury News Despite an unexpected $3 billion infusion in K-12 revenue for the coming year, schools throughout the state are honing their electronic blue pencils to slash budgets.
California to explain but not change school improvement plan federal officials criticized OCRegister Despite significant criticisms last month by the U.S. Department of Education, California will likely make clarifications but no substantial changes to the state’s plan for complying with the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal law that requires states to improve low-achieving schools.
Higher Ed: UC tuition could rise again — regents to vote next week San Francisco Chronicle The price of a year at the University of California will rise to $12,974 for undergraduates next fall if the UC regents approve a 2.7 percent hike in tuition and fees — an extra $342 — at their meeting next week in San Francisco. Students are already protesting.
California higher education leaders urge Dreamers to reapply quickly for DACA protection EdSource The leaders of California’s three sectors of public higher education joined forces Wednesday to urge all undocumented students to take advantage of a recent court decision and reapply for protection against deportation under the DACA program.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment: California vs. the feds over offshore drilling Capitol Weekly The rubber is hitting the road, the gloves are coming off and California leaders are suiting up for battle. At least, figuratively.
One year in, Trump’s environmental agenda is already taking a measurable toll Los Angeles Times A massive coal ash spill near Knoxville, Tenn., in 2008 forever changed life for Janie Clark’s family and left her husband with crippling health problems. So Clark was astounded late last year when she heard what the Environmental Protection Agencyhad done.
Aerojet Superfund site makes EPA redevelopment priority list Sacramento Bee The former Aerojet General Corp. rocket propulsion development and testing site in Rancho Cordova has been put on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency list of sites “with the greatest expected redevelopment and commercial potential.”
Energy:
Get Ready For The Battery Revolution Forbes Moore’s law states that processing power will double every two years. While more of a prediction than a principle, Moore’s law has guided the technology industry to extraordinary growth. Today we can stream movies while standing in line at Starbucks as easily as making a phone call.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Los Angeles Times A proposed November statewide ballot measure could allow three of the nation’s biggest paint companies to hand California taxpayers a bill for the cost of cleaning up health hazards caused by lead paint.
Human Services:
Home care agencies often wrongly deny Medicare help to the chronically ill KPCC Medicare does cover home care services for patients who qualify but, according to advocates for seniors and the homecare industry, incentives intended to combat fraud and reward high quality care are driving some home health agencies to avoid taking on long-term patients, such as Campbell, who have debilitating conditions that won’t get better. Rule changes that took effect this month could make the problem worse.
California nurses and Anthony Rendon are still sparring over single-payer bill Sacramento Bee Time has not healed all wounds between Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and the California Nurses Association.
IMMIGRATION
For stories on “DACA” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
Donald Trump rocked the immigration system right away Tampa Bay Times Donald Trump guaranteed his voters a dramatic reshaping of the nation’s immigration system from the first day of his campaign, denouncing Mexicans as “murderers” and “rapists” and vowing to build a southern border wall. In the broadest of strokes, Trump is making good on his tough rhetoric. He flexed executive muscle where he could on enforcement, delivering substantial changes for immigrants and their families; refugees; and nationals of several Muslim countries.
More than half of Seattle’s software developers were born outside U.S. The Seattle Times Data from the 2016 census suggests that Silicon Valley would be lost without foreign-born technology workers. About 71 percent of tech employees in the Valley are foreign born
LAND USE/HOUSING
Los Angeles Times A year-end report from real estate database PropertyShark has confirmed what every Angeleno already knows: California is a really expensive place to live.
California housing crisis podcast: Why rent control died in the Capitol Los Angeles Times Last week, hundreds of landlords and tenants packed the state Capitol to debate the future of rent control in California.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Initiative backers betting 2018 will be the year to take on California’s Proposition 13 EdSource Forty years after Californians revolted against rising property taxes to pass Proposition 13, advocates of tax reform believe the timing is finally right to do surgery on it.
What Democrats won’t tell you about the GOP tax cut and California’s lost tax breaks Sacramento Bee In an effort to keep up with their self-described “resistance” movement, California Democrats are engaged in a full-fledged attack against recently enacted federal tax reform legislation that provides tax cuts for most Americans and Californians.
Los Angeles Times One thorny topic you won’t be hearing Democratic candidates for governor talking much about is California’s essential need for public pension reform.
Mostly True: California ranks 41st on per student spending but No. 1 per prisoner PolitiFact Democratic candidate for governor Delaine Eastin wants to reduce California’s high poverty and incarceration by investing more in students.
TRANSPORTATION
For stories on “High Speed Rail” See: “Top Stories – Local Politics,” above
PG&E launches electric vehicle charging network with 7500 stations The Mercury News PG&E on Wednesday launched a new network for charging electric vehicles, a web of green energy that will eventually include 7,500 charging stations.
WATER Dead trees may have helped California’s water supply during drought The Fresno Bee The millions of trees that died in the Sierra Nevada during California’s five-year drought may have actually helped the state’s water supply once the historic dry spell finally ended, according to a new study.
City of Oroville sues state over dam crisis The Sacramento Bee The city of Oroville sued the California Department of Water Resources on Wednesday over the Oroville Dam crisis, accusing the state agency of mismanaging the dam and knowingly performing inadequate maintenance on its main flood-control spillway. See also: · California city sues state over 2017 dam crisis in Oroville AP / Business Insider · Oroville dam lawsuit: Racism, sexual harassment, theft at state water agency San Francisco Chronicle
“Xtra”
City of Fresno offers way to dispose of hazardous waste The Fresno County Department of Public Works wants to help you properly dispose of hazardous waste you may have in your home. The department is hosting a collection event for Fresno and Clovis residents on Saturday. Acceptable items include ammonia-based cleaners, fluorescent tubes and bulbs, aerosol cans, drain/oven cleaners, used motor oil and filters and more.
Local animal shelter offering $10 adoptions Kern County Animal Services is hosting a $10 adoption event to help ease overcrowding.
Couple invested $50 million in LA’s neediest kids and it made them richer Los Angeles Times Melanie Lundquist, a philanthropist from Palos Verdes Estates, stood in the hall near the principal’s office at Santee Education Complex near downtown Los Angeles.
Dust Bowl singer offers Bakersfield High students a musical lesson of their town’s history The Bakersfield Californian With a fiddle humming in the background, punctuated by the occasional twang of a dulcimer, Grant Maloy Smith described the worst duster to ever tear through the Great Plains. |