TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Politics isn’t keeping this couple apart
| Hanford Sentinel | |
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At a time when politics is increasingly polarized and bipartisanship is at an all-time low, few would look at a staunch Democrat and a career Republican and immediately gather that they are members of the same household.
Is America’s political atmosphere dangerously hot?
CSMonitor.com
History suggests that the fiery rhetoric is not new. What’s different is Americans’ growing inability to see humanity in the opposition.
Nunes calls Scalise shooting ‘almost predictable’
The Fresno Bee
Rep. Devin Nunes, the Tulare Republican and head of the House Intelligence Committee, spoke at length Monday on a local radio talk show about the recent shooting of a fellow congressman, the investigations into President Donald Trump and the House’s health-care bill currently working its way through the U.S. Senate.
So about that Nunes recusal
| Washington Examiner |
Devin Nunes, R-Calif., claimed he never recused himself from the House’s investigation of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.
New Study Shows What Really Happened in the 2016 Election
NY Magazine
The Democracy Fund Voter Study Group has a new survey of the electorate that explodes many of the myths that we believe about American politics.
Billionaire Tom Steyer at a crossroad: Run for California governor or go after Trump?
| Los Angeles Times |
Tom Steyer has some big decisions to make, and judging from his moves over the last few months, he’s keeping his options open.
Gavin Newsom wins backing of former Democratic chair in race for California governor
| Los Angeles Times |
Mercury Public Affairs has agreed to pay $4,000 in fines to California’s ethics watchdog agency for violating the $10 gift limit on lobbying firms when it provided dinners worth $200 to former state Sen. Ronald Calderon and his wife.
Governor, Lawmakers to See 3 Percent Pay Boost
| U.S. News & World Report |
Members of the California Citizens Compensation Commission approved the raises Monday. They noted elected officials’ salaries will still be lower than they were prior to the Great Recession.
A new audit says some California agencies sidestepped competitive bidding rules on contracts
| Los Angeles Times |
Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) unveiled a measure on Monday that would largely enshrine the sputtered federal regulations into California state law.
California may have just boosted Trump’s chances of winning in 2020
| CNBC |
The Golden State has decided to oppose President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration beyond defending sanctuary city policies.
Just how rampant is corruption in state government?
| Visalia Times-Delta |
New forms of corruption by state officials have been exposed more recently by the state auditor and the Department of Finance, involving both the University of California and the state’s Board of Equalization…
Chiang’s play, an ode to black fathers, hope for Firebaugh, and a fight over privacy
| Sacramento Bee |
Students in overwhelmingly Hispanic west-side towns, if not getting their education in Firebaugh, must travel about 50 miles one way to attend Fresno City College or Fresno State.
LGBT Caucus: Bigger and More Diverse Than Ever
| KQED |
The LGBT caucus was created 15 years ago by Sen. Sheila Kuehl and others. Today the caucus has eight members, including Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes from Riverside County and two from Stockton — Assemblymember Susan Eggman and Sen. Cathleen Galgiani.
California Today: Talking to California’s Top Judge
| New York Times |
Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, the chief justice of California, made headlines this year after she criticized immigration agents for “stalking” courthouses and using them as “bait” to catch unauthorized immigrants. The Department of Justice responded with a harshly worded letter, telling her that agents come to the courts in large part because of state policies that protect such immigrants. A lifelong Republican, Justice Cantil-Sakauye worked for several years for the Republican governor George Deukmejian. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her chief justice in 2010. While Ms. Cantil-Sakauye says she does not think of herself as political, she has not shown any signs of backing off from her criticisms of President Trump, calling his comments about the judiciary damaging
Why San Diego and The Donald Are on a Collision Course
Zócalo Public Square
If you wish to inspect the frontlines of the conflict between Donald Trump and California, head for San Diego.
California bill aims to revive broadband privacy rules that were killed by Trump and Congress
LA Times
Several months ago, President Trump signed into law a repeal of sweeping privacy regulationslimiting what broadband providers can do with customer data. Now, an Assembly Democrat is trying to resuscitate those rules for Californians.
EDITORIALS
Nation’s report card is in, and Fresno Unified is nearly rock bottom
Fresno Bee
We know five months after Superintendent Michael Hanson’s ouster that Fresno Unified was not improving in reading and math, as measured by The Nation’s Report Card.
It’s one thing to back labor. But Treasurer Chiang’s CalPERS proposal goes too far.
Sacramento Bee
Treasurer John Chiang’s proxy on the CalPERS board is advocating a labor-backed proposal that would side with labor in private organizing efforts. It goes too far.
Trump took away your internet privacy. A California legislator wants to give it back
Sacramento Bee
Congress and President Donald Trump took a slice of your privacy earlier this year. California Assemblyman Ed Chau seeks to restore it.
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
California’s regulations put farms, farmers and food in danger
| Merced Sun-Star (blog) |
The report also confirms that California’s farmworkers are being marginalized in the state’s water debate. They have lost $900 million in wages since 2000 and could lose another $4 billion in wages over the next three decades.
Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ
| Fox Business |
Mexican imports of farm commodities including corn, soybean meal and chicken are in steep decline, the WSJ’s Jacob Bunge reports, signaling that Mexico is buying food from a wider range of countries and reducing reliance on the U.S.
Cattle Ranchers Sue To Revive Country-Of-Origin Labeling On Meat
| CBS Sacramento |
Ranchers on Monday sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, seeking a return of labels that clearly identify meat produced in other countries and imported to the United States.
Legalizing Marijuana Debate Shouldn’t Revolve Around Pot’s Prohibition
National Review
Legalization may have many positive effects, but the notion that it won’t dramatically change the nature of marijuana consumption in America is unrealistic.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Criminal investigation targets California tax board leaders
| Sacramento Bee |
Investigators from the California Attorney General’s Office are interviewing civil servants in a probe that may lead to civil or criminal penalties against public officials at a state tax agency that is being disbanded this month.
A look at the potential changes in California’s sex offender registry
| 89.3 KPCC |
California’s sex offender registry system, which has more than 105,000 people listed, may be overhauled. The recidivism rates of registered sex offenders is incredibly low despite the belief to the contrary.
Tijuana Police Chief Links Mexico’s Rising Homicides To US Gun Laws
| KPBS |
Tijuana’s police chief told KPBS the U.S. should take responsibility for its role in Mexico’s rising violence, which he links to U.S.
Kids and Guns: Shootings Now Third Leading Cause of Death for U.S. Children
Newsweek
Few stories are more heartbreaking than those involving children who are injured or killed by gunshots. It isn’t hard to find them
EDUCATION
What’s going on at FUSD? It’s nation’s second-lowest performing urban district
| Fresno Bee |
I read the recent report in The Fresno Bee that says the “California Department of Education is demanding that Fresno Unified revise its school spending plan after the district used state money meant for poor, minority students to pay for police …
California State University will soon offer admission to all qualified applicants
| The Mercury News |
Under the state’s new budget deal, qualified California students who don’t get into their campus of choice will be admitted to another campus with space.
Is California’s big investment in needy students paying off? Few signs yet that achievement gap is closing
| OCRegister |
“I was never very optimistic that this would do much to shift student performance,” Hanushek said, speaking about the new funding formula.
Essential Education: Soaring demand for UC’s immigrant legal services
| Los Angeles Times |
As uncertainty over President Trump’s immigration policies persists, attorneys at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center have become academia’s go-to experts. Should students apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and give their personal information to the Trump administration? Should they travel abroad and risk being denied reentry?
Critics rip University of California for favoring illegal immigrants over out-of-state Americans
| Fox News |
“It is disturbing to know the UC system is not even sure how many illegal students it has enrolled and is enabling by not enforcing our immigration laws.”
Struggling California school districts still lack basic tools for student success
| OCRegister |
Researchers studying California’s new school funding system wish they could track the huge sums of money the state has sent to struggling students, and analyze what districts spent it on. They can’t because the financial data needed to do so isn’t available
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
LA ranks first among California counties for clean-energy jobs, Santa Clara is fourth
| The Mercury News | |
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California’s climate policies have cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 3.2 million cars off the road. About half of the $1.2 billion spent on clean-energy investments stemming from cap-and-trade has gone to disadvantaged communities …
California’s Clean Air Act waiver should be yanked, Trump’s former environmental advisor says
| Los Angeles Times |
Myron Ebell, who works at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington and helped devise Trump’s environmental agenda, said California should not be allowed to set its own standards for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes.
Fisticuffs Over the Route to a Clean-Energy Future
| New York Times |
Democrats in both the United States Senate and in the California Assembly have proposed legislation this year calling for a full transition to renewable energy sources.
Scott Pruitt’s air-quality decision makes my family’s lungs hurt: Guest commentary
| LA Daily News |
Pruitt wants people all across America – especially families like my own, living in smog-prone areas like Southern California – to breathe dirtier air while he purposefully slows efforts to clean up the escalating damage to our health and economy …
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Mosquitoes in Fresno County test positive for Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus
ABC30
The Fresno County Department of Health says the Saint Louis Encephalitis virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus that can cause inflammation of the brain.
California is worried about losing health care
The Sacramento Bee
A new statewide poll found that Golden State supporters of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, outnumber opponents by more than 2 to 1. About two-thirds of Californians say they support the law, including 45 percent who do so strongly, while just 26 percent say they’re against it, according to the poll released late Monday by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and done for the California Health Care Foundation.
Nevada governor vetoes Medicaid-for-all bill
LA Times
Gov. Brian Sandoval waited until the last day he could — Friday — to veto a measure that would have offered a state-sponsored health insurance option to all residents regardless of income. If he hadn’t signed it or vetoed it by midnight, it would have become law.
IMMIGRATION
LA city and county voting on immigrant legal defense funding
| 89.3 KPCC |
California lawmakers last week approved the expansion of a legal assistance program that helps immigrants seek citizenship and other services to include defending against deportation.
LA Police Chief Charlie Beck endorses ‘sanctuary state’ bill that Eric Holder hails as ‘constitutional’
| Los Angeles Times |
To address some concerns from police chiefs and sheriffs, De León amended the legislation to allow local and state officers to participate in task forces – and work alongside federal immigration officers …
Undocumented Young Adults Without Medi-Cal Coverage In New State Budget
| Capital Public Radio News |
Undocumented young adults looking for health care were among those receiving the short end of the stick in the state budget process this year.
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Amazon Breaks Ground
| Valley Public Radio |
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand welcomed the company with open arms. “Thank you. Thank you for choosing Fresno. Thank you for believing in Fresno.”
Turlock plant seeks city approval to double production capacity
| Modesto Bee |
Super Store Industries has plants and warehouses in Turlock, Lathrop and Fairfield that manufacture and distribute dairy products to retailers in California and parts of Nevada.
Fresno-area stores part of massive closure of retailers
The Fresno Bee
A retail bloodletting is hitting the nation as thousands of stores are closing – and the Valley isn’t immune. How epic are these closures?
California unemployment rate sinks to 4.7% in May; Hollywood shows signs of life
California Center for Jobs & the Economy
California businesses added a net 17,600 new jobs in May, dropping the unemployment rate to 4.7%, according to data released Friday by the state’s Employment Development Department.
Legislative Halftime: NFIB Announces Updated Small Business Priorities
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
Following the annual legislative house of origin deadline, NFIB California reflected on our victories and challenges ahead with our “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” bill list. Each year we proactively identify which bills will have the greatest impact …
California Has A Policy Approach And It’s Clearly Working
| HuffPost |
Sam Brownback thought, in 2013, he could spur prosperity by slashing taxes in his state. It was such a disaster that his own party turned on him this … That turns out to be a big asset for some of California’s biggest economic engines….
LAND USE/HOUSING
An unceasing housing crisis
| San Francisco Chronicle |
California’s housing crisis isn’t easing anytime soon. That’s the message from the latest Anderson forecast, a quarterly economic analysis from UCLA.
How driverless cars, drones and other tech will change the urban landscape of Southern California
| The Mercury News |
For more than a century, the urban landscape of Southern California has been shaped by the century-old technology: the car.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California State Treasurer to Provide $20 Million in Emergency Grants for Imperiled Community and Planned …
| Sierra Sun Times |
The Treasurer partnered with Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Chair Holly J. Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, and Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, on getting legislation approved to enact the grant …
Criminal investigation targets California tax board leaders
| Sacramento Bee |
Investigators from the California Attorney General’s Office are interviewing civil servants in a probe that may lead to civil or criminal penalties against public officials at a state tax agency that is being disbanded this month.
California Taxpayers Deserve to Know Where Their Tax Dollars Go
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
The speed of innovation coming out of our state has impacted every aspect of our everyday lives – the way in which we take in news, how we are entertained, how we travel, how we bank, and so much more. However, when it goes to our state government and how we operate, we are still way behind.
TRANSPORTATION
Building a sustainable ‘highway of the future’
| Los Angeles Times |
In April, the California Energy Commission awarded more than $2 million in grants to test technology that uses piezoelectric sensors, crystals that generate electricity when subject to pressure or vibrations, as when vehicles drive over them.
WATER
‘It’s never been like this.’ Heat triggers renewed warnings to stay out of the Kern River
| The Bakersfield Californian |
Father’s Day weekend passed this year without tragedy on the Kern River, said Bakersfield Fire Department and Kern County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue coordinators.
Resort’s residents watched the floodwaters rise higher, and then they had to flee
| Fresno Bee |
Riverland Resort on the Kings River south of Kingsburg has asked most permanent residents to move out due to flooding, several residents said.
Video: Building Urban Drought Resilience
PPIC Blog
California’s urban areas used a variety of tools to get through the latest drought. A panel of urban water experts explored successful strategies, and lessons learned to help prepare for future droughts.
“Xtra”
Internet privacy: California bill would protect users from being secretly tracked
| The Mercury News |
Nearly three months after Congress struck down federal regulations that aimed to protect internet users from having their online activities secretly tracked and sold, state lawmakers are unveiling new legislation that would require …
How these 15 Youth-Led Projects are Changing California
| HuffPost |
Youth in California are reviving traditional cultural roots while deeply strengthening their communities. They are collectively preserving the integrity of traditional healing food and environmental practices, and building up the voice and leadership …