TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Local/Regional Politics:

Irvine is ranked the Number 1 city in the nation for good fiscal health, report says

OCRegister

Of the nation’s 75 most populous cities, two of the top three – in terms of fiscal health – are Irvine and Stockton, suggesting the power of both beige and bankruptcy, according to data from the nonprofit Truth in Accounting. Fresno is the third city showing decent fiscal health.

 

More Jobs Or More Pollution? Plan For New Industrial Park In Fresno Draws Opposition

Valley Public Radio

This Thursday the Fresno City Council will vote on a proposal for a major new industrial development in south Fresno. Covering 110 acres at Central and Cedar Avenues, the development would allow up to 2,000,000 square feet of new construction for heavy industry.

 

Valley businesses paid $26 million in civil fines, fees to government

Visalia Times-Dleta

Billions of dollars were collected by government agencies through civil and criminal lawsuits settled in 2017.

 

DA Linn alleges all supervisors received illegal campaign donations

The Fresno Bee

Madera County District Attorney David Linn is ramping up his battle with the Board of Supervisors, accusing all five of wrongdoing. But one supervisor calls Linn’s charges a “smokescreen” to take the attention off the board censuring him for workplace harassment, discrimination and abuse.

See also:

·       Madera County DA fears for his life after allegations against himYourcentralvalley.com

 

Survey: Majority of parents support VUSD bond, not stadium

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia Unified School District student enrollment increases by more than 300 students each year, meaning 10 new classrooms would have to be built every year to prevent overcrowding, according to a recent community survey conducted by the district.

 

County supervisor lays out challenges for 2018

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare County Supervisor Steve Worthley said Tuesday that the key to facing challenges in 2018 is cooperation.

 

Supervisors review pedestrian accident map, discuss a course forward

The Bakersfield Californian

Kern County supervisors plan to take some time to process the mounds of data in a new map that charts the deaths and injuries on Kern County streets.

 

County officials offer more to explain $578000 cost of ‘minor’ remodel for hiring center

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders approved a $578,500 project Tuesday to remodel offices for human resources and a revamped program for hiring the next generation of county employees.

 

Rural, conservative California will have more power under Trump

San Francisco Chronicle

Two politically powerful Californians who have gotten to know Donald Trump say liberals shouldn’t fear him. They promise that Trump behaves a lot differently than the bullying, blustery presence he cuts when he’s before the public.

 

Stockton Gets Ready to Experiment With Universal Basic Income

The California Report – KQED News

Wage stagnation. Rising housing prices. Loss of middle-class jobs. The looming threat of automation. These are some of the problems facing Stockton and its residents, but the city’s mayor, Michael Tubbs, says his city is far from unique. “I think Stockton is absolutely ground zero for a lot of the issues we are facing as a nation,” Tubbs said.

 

State Politics:

 

Gov. Brown’s State of the State Address

The California Channel

Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State will be LIVE Thursday, January 25th @ 10am

 

From Moonbeam to mainstream: Jerry Brown in winter

The Hill

At a morning meeting early in 1975, about three months after Jerry Brown became the youngest governor in California’s history, Brown’s chief of staff, Gray Davis, told the governor he had asked the capital’s general services staff to mend a hole in the carpet.

 

Audit request for bullet train now includes key Democrat committee chair

Los Angeles Times

Pressure for an audit of the California bullet train program increased Tuesdaywhen Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), chairman of the state Senate transportation committee, joined Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) in a letter asking for a comprehensive review.

See also:

·       It’s official, California’s bullet train is off the rails  OCRegister

·       Startups, high-speed rail and California’s infrastructure futureTechCrunch

 

 

 

UC and CSU prepare for another year of tuition hikes

Sacramento Bee

Facing smaller increases in state budget support than they anticipated, both of California’s public university systems are preparing to raise tuition again next year.

See also:

·       Defying Governor Brown, University of California Set To Raise Tuition Again Capital Public Radio News

·       UC regents to vote on increasing tuition and student fees by $342 Los Angeles Times

 

Skelton: Democrats running for governor need to talk more about pensions, less about Trump

The Mercury News

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 state payroll increased by $1 billion in 2017, twice as fast as previous year

The Sacramento Bee

California’s state payroll – excluding its universities – grew by more than $1 billion last year, twice the rate of growth as the previous year, according to new figures from the State Controller’s Office.

 

GOP candidate for governor Travis Allen says Trump administration should prosecute California attorney general over immigration remarks

Los Angeles Times

GOP gubernatorial candidate Travis Allen called on the Trump administration to prosecute California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra for warning businesses that he would seek fines if they violate a new state law that prohibits them from voluntarily giving employee information to federal immigration authorities.

 

Resistance State: California in the Age of Trump

CALmatters

Between Sacramento and Washington D.C. sits the rest of the country, and a chasm. On immigration and taxes, guns and healthcare, cannabis and climate change, California is the federal government’s equal and opposite reaction. One year into President Trump’s first term, the push and pull continues—playing out under the Capitol dome, in the courts and on Twitter.

 

How California lawmakers are preparing for more natural disasters

Los Angeles Times

Dozens of Californians lost their lives in wildfires and other natural disasters in recent months. In response to the widespread emergencies, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators want to change insurance rules, emergency alert systems and debris removal policies and spend more money on fire protection. If passed, these new laws would add to the many protections already enshrined in state law for those who have experienced natural disasters, including substantial relief from property taxes.

 

California rolls out new driver’s licenses; and those who fly will want them

San Francisco Chronicle

As if the specter of standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles for that driver’s license renewal didn’t produce enough angst for Californians, there is now another need to queue up — especially for those who travel by air.

 

Federal Politics:

 

Congress misses deadline to approve west-side water fix, but deal not unraveling yet

Fresno Bee

A key deadline has passed to solve the irrigation drainage problem that caused massive bird deaths and deformities at Kesterson wildlife refuge.

 

Trump tariffs anger California solar industry

The Sacramento Bee

Solar energy shines brighter in California than practically anywhere else, with solar panels perched on more than 450,000 rooftops. Now the state’s solar industry has been sent reeling by President Donald Trump’s decision Monday to impose a 30 percent tariff on solar panels imported from overseas.

 

Why Dianne Feinstein’s shutdown vote helps her re-election

Sacramento Bee

Beginning last fall, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the target of repeated protests urging her to defend the young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers.” On Tuesday, she got a reprieve.

 

California Senators Vote-Policy and Politics

Fox and Hounds Daily

Reasons for California senators Dianne Feinstein’s and Kamala Harris’ votes with the small minority to oppose ending the government shutdown were overshadowed by politics about their political futures.

 

America’s Most and Least Popular Senators — January 2018

Morning Consult

Eleven of the the 12 most vulnerable senators up for re-election in 2018 ended last year less popular among their constituents than at the start of the 115th Congress. That’s according to the new Morning Consult Senator Approval Rankings for the fourth quarter of 2017, based on more than 250,000 surveys with registered voters from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. (See full methodology here.)

 

Vulnerable California Republicans fight back against Democrats’ message war on GOP tax bill

Los Angeles Times

California Republicans are trying to turn the tide of opinion over the unpopular GOP tax bill ahead of the midterm elections. Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine)  joined four other Republican House members from California topublish an op-ed in the Orange County Register defending the bill.

 

We updated our California congressional race rankings. A lot has changed

Los Angeles Times

With retirement announcements, a slew of new candidates and yet another vulnerable Republican on the list, the ground has shifted since we first published our rankings of the toughest congressional contests in California.

 

In Trump’s first year, anti-abortion forces make strides despite setbacks

The Bakersfield Californian

As a candidate, President Donald Trump promised abortion opponents four specific actions to “advance the rights of unborn children and their mothers.” One year into his presidency, three of those items remain undone. Nevertheless, abortion opponents have made significant progress changing the direction of federal and state policies on the issue.

 

Will Trump’s offshore oil plans prove toxic for GOP incumbents in California?

The Sacramento Bee

California Republicans are in a difficult place over President Donald Trump’s plans to ramp up offshore drilling.

 

Congress will try again on immigration reform — but will this time be different?

Los Angeles Times

As Congress searches for a deal to protect so-called Dreamers from deportation, there are parallels to 2013, when immigration legislation won widespread support in the Senate only to be roundly ignored in the more conservative, Republican-led House.

 

US Democrats urge social media firms to investigate Russia-linked accounts

Reuters

Senior congressional Democrats urged social media companies to investigate accounts reportedly linked to a Russian influence operation on Tuesday, after claims they may have been used to help promote criticism of the U.S. Justice Department and the probe of President Donald Trump’s ties with Moscow.

 

Top Democrat rescinds offer of $25 billion for Trump’s wall

The Fresno Bee

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer has pulled back an offer of $25 billion for President Donald Trump’s long-promised southern border wall, as lawmakers scrambled to figure out how to push a deal to protect 700,000 or more so-called Dreamer immigrants from deportation.

 

Politifact CA: Provocative Trump Campaign Ad Gives Wrong Impression On Immigrant Crime –

Politifact CA

President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released a provocative video featuring an undocumented immigrant accused of killing two Northern California sheriff’s deputies during a crime spree in October 2014. The advertisement accurately captures the outbursts of the accused killer, but it also fuels the stereotype that undocumented immigrants are largely violent.

 

DACA May Be the Most Talked About Policy in Washington. Here’s a Breakdown.

New York Times

The whiplash in Washington over the past week, when government operationsstopped and started again, was caused largely by negotiations over a single policy — Deferred Acti