March 12, 2018

12Mar

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Local/Regional Politics:

Deadline FRIDAY, March 16th, 2018 – $56,000 Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship –  Applications Due

The Maddy Institute

Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders throughThe Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. This program helps students obtain an advanced degree from a top graduate program, return home, and apply what they have learned to help make the Valley a better place.

Will Trump visit Fresno on his upcoming California visit?

The Fresno Bee

With President Donald Trump scheduled to visit California next week, local politicians and activists suspect he will make a stop in Fresno. While White House staff has only confirmed that Trump will make appearances in San Diego regarding his proposed border wall and in Beverly Hills to attend a Republican fundraiser, rumors swirled Wednesday that he will also visit Fresno alongside Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, on March 14, a day after his other planned events in the state.

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Valley farmers could suffer in trade war over tariffs

Fresno Bee

San Joaquin Valley farmers could end up being the big losers if a trade war breaks out over President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Under the president’s plan, a 25 percent tariff would be imposed on steel and 15 percent on aluminum. But agriculture industry leaders knowfrom past experience that retaliatory tariffs onU.S. products may be coming. And California agriculture could be sitting in the crosshairs.

California Fruit Will ‘Die on the Vine’ After ICE Raids, Labor Warns

Bloomberg

The conflict peaked politically this week after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned residents on Saturday of an imminent sting, giving those without papers time to evade the sweeps. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it had arrested 232 individuals over a four-day operation through Wednesday who were in violation of federal immigration laws, of which 115 had prior felony convictions.

See also:

Town hall meeting request to Congressman Nunes puts Tulare council at odds

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare City Council members clashed over comments made about Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) and a request to have him host a town hall meeting. While providing an update, Councilman Jose Sigala said he sent a letter to Nunes in June and requested the congressman host a meeting. The move was after council members decided not to send a missive as a whole.

Millions of federal dollars will help fix region’s roads

Modesto Bee

Looking north from Maze Boulevard, a section of North Dakota Avenue will be part of State Route 132 expressway in West Modesto. Top officials from Modesto and Stanislaus County are pleased with a $9 million federal grant announced last week for the long-awaited Highway 132 project. The city and county have not seen this kind of federal transportation money before. They are giving credit tothe leverage of Measure L local transportation dollars.

Host of Kern County and state political races firm up

Bakersfield Californian

The final list of candidates Kern County voters will be able to choose from in this June’s primary election firmed up Friday afternoon. The filing deadline for most races closed at 5 p.m. Some last minute entries have turned some races that were looking pedestrian into contests to watch. A politically connected Republican will challenge Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas. A Kern County Sheriff’s Deputy will challenge his boss, Sheriff Donny Youngblood.

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Dunbar: Asm. Gray’s got good ideas, and a ‘bad’ attitude

Modesto Bee

One of the things we like about Adam Grayis that he refuses to shy away from being disagreeable – with a newspaper, other politicians, the governor or, we suspect, anyone else. We wouldn’t have it any other way, especially when he’s being disagreeable with the State Water Resources Control Board. Unopposed (so far) for a fourth Assembly term, Gray had time to visit with editorial board members of the Merced Sun-Star and The Modesto Bee this week. This time, at least, we found only a little to disagree about.

Dolores Huerta Foundation educating residents about April 10 election

Bakersfield Californian

Volunteers with the Dolores Huerta Foundation will be going door-to-door in some parts of town on Saturday to educate voters about the April 10 special election. Volunteers will talk with residents about the people running for Trustee Area 3 of the Bakersfield City School District for the April election. They will also inform residents of a candidate forum on March 15. The forum is 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Emerson Middle School, 801 4th St. Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. at the Brower Building, 1527 19th St. At 10:30 a.m., they will begin going door-to-door in the areas of town that will be voting on the seat.

As KHSD begins trustee redistricting process, Latinos in Lamont eye a seat on the board

Bakersfield Californian

Jose Mireles calls his hometown of Lamont a “ghost town.” For the 48 years he’s lived in the heavily Latino populated farmworker community, there’s been little progress. The unincorporated town has no elected city council, no mayor and no high school — something that community members have been rallying for aggressively since at least 2006. But they also have lacked a representative on the Kern High School District board of trustees who lives in the area. Their demands, some say, have fallen on the deaf ears of trustees who don’t live in Lamont, are mostly Caucasian and out of touch with the Latino experience in Kern County.

Local ballot finalized, primary less than three months away

Stockton Record

Lawn signs and campaign events are just around the corner, both in Stockton and throughout San Joaquin County.Friday marked the deadline to submit paperwork and to qualify to run in the June 5 primary election. Many positions will be contested. One that won’t be is for the job of San Joaquin County district attorney, where incumbent Tori Verber-Salazar will run unopposed.The rest of the races include a mix of newcomers, familiar faces trying to make comebacks, and a veterinarian taking the leap into electoral politics.

Supervisor Withrow faces a second challenger

Modesto Bee

Supervisor Terry With-row will face a second challenger as he seeks his third term on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors in the June 5 primary election. Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal – who was re-elected in November to his second and final term on the City Council – qualified on Friday, the last day to do so, to run against Withrow for the Board of Supervisors’ District 3, which includes west Modesto, Salida and Wood Colony.

California bullet train costs soar to $77B; opening delayed

The Fresno Bee

The projected cost of California’s bullet train between San Francisco and Los Angeles has jumped to $77 billion and the completion date has been pushed back four years to 2033, according to a business plan released Friday. The plan by the California High-Speed Rail Authority presents the latest setbacks for a project that’s been beleaguered by delays and cost overruns since voters first gave it the greenlight in 2008.

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Be Public Live Event: The Future Of Our Air Quality – March 14

Valley Public Radio

Valley Public Radio’s series of live community forum events continues this March with a discussion about the future of air quality and the efforts to clean up the valley’s air. While great progress has been made in recent decades, the valley recently experienced one of its worst air pollution events in decades. As with all of our Be Public: Live events in our 40th anniversary year, we will be focused on the future. In the case of this topic, that includes how changes in technology, government and society will impact the air quality debate

Census undercount means loss of millions in aid to Fresno

The Fresno Bee

Fresno likely is missing out on millions in federal funding because Census Bureaurecords in certain low-income neighborhoods may be excluding up to 6.3 percent of “unconventional” household units where many immigrants and minorities live, a recent report found. The study’s authors, the Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund, worked with the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative to form a pilot program that identified housing units not included in the Census Bureau’s master address file in San Jose, San Francisco and Fresno.

Modesto considers entering high-speed internet business

Modesto Bee

City leaders are interested in taking at least the initial steps in having Modesto create its own fiber optic network, which officials say would offer super-fast internet service and be an economic boon for the city in attracting and keeping businesses. The City Council held a workshop last week regarding a master plan that lays out how the city could create the network.

Stearns will leave MJC to head Cuesta College

Modesto Bee

Jill Stearns, Modesto Junior College president since 2012, has been named Cuesta College’s new president, the school announced Friday after a months-long search that recently came down to five finalists. The Cuesta College Board of Trustees will formally approve Stearns at its April 11 meeting; Stearns is expected to start July 1 and takes over for outgoing President Gil Stork , retiring after more than five decades in education.

Ousted Central Unified superintendent speaks out about termination

Fresno Bee

Former Central Unified Superintendent Mark Sutton, who was terminated without cause last month, seems to be scratching his head as to why – along with the parents and community members who supported him. “It’s hard to say. I’ve been there two years, and in both years I had a positive evaluation and really no comments or suggestions for improvement. I figured things were fine,” said Sutton, who was hired to oversee the Fresno County district, home to more than 15,000 students, in 2015.

Several storms are heading for the Valley. Is it too little, too late?

The Fresno Bee

A storm moving into the central San Joaquin Valley on Saturday, and several more storms next week could bring half an inch of rain or more, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford. That will add to the late season rain totals, but still a far cry from the Fresno area’s average. The first storm will move in Saturday, with the best chance of rain coming after 4 p.m., according to meteorologist Cindy Bean.

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Fresno veterans home increases security

Fresno Bee

The Veterans Home of California, Fresno is taking some extra precautions to protect its residents and staff on Friday in the wake of a hostage situation at a veterans home in Napa County. The gate at the California Avenue home is closed, restricting access to the 300-bed long-term care facility, said Julie Cusator, public information officer. The gate is normally open during the day for visitors and vendors.

See also:

●     Gun threat at Madera South raises security level Madera Tribune

NRA donated to Valley groups: will it continue?

The Fresno Bee

As pressure mounts on businesses, advertisers and politicians to distance themselves from the National Rifle Association in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, new data show that Valley organizations received nearly $1 million in NRA Foundation donations from 2010-16. The information was released Friday by the Associated Press, which analyzed tax information filed by the NRA Foundation – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Protesting Stanislaus students could face consequences

Modesto Bee

Student plans to join peers across the nation in a 17-minute #Enough National School Walkout on Wednesday have school districts in Stanislaus County issuing guidelines, support and warnings.

Restored historic buildings spur interest in Downtown Fresno

ABC30

Now showing at the old Hardy’s Theater in Downtown Fresno: a “for sale” sign. Not many people have ventured inside in recent years. But you’d be surprised to find a three-story theater inside this 100-year old building. It’s on the market for $949,000. Commercial broker Jared Ennis of Keller Williams says it’s drawing a lot of interest, and not just for the theater. “We’ve shown it to multiple developers both in town and out of town. We’ve had many uses from technology to office uses. We’ve also had some craft brew interest as well.”

Merced voters to decide on a marijuana tax to improve public safety and parks

ABC30

Recreational marijuana dispensaries could open their doors in Merced by the end of the year, and city officials are already discussing how to tax cannabis products. They’re presenting a plan to voters that would evenly split the money between three city departments. Merced Mayor Mike Murphy says residents helped develop the priorities for the tax revenue. “There was consistency in asking for some minimum threshold for police, for fire, and for parks and rec.”

State Attorney General’s office will investigate Madera County Board of Supervisors

Sierra Star

At the request of Madera County District Attorney David Linn, the Office of Attorney General Xavier Becerra will take charge of any matters concerning Linn’s criminal investigation of members of the Madera County Board of Supervisors, due to a conflict of interest between Linn and the supervisors.

Canal project is meant to get people biking and walking. But there’s been little momentum

Fresno Bee

Never promise, or even raise hopes, what you can’t readily deliver. Our local politicians and community leaders should heed this lesson more often. Otherwise, we end up in a situation like Fresno finds itself with the Midtown Trail.

City’s financial condition improving

Madera Tribune

Madera’s city budget is in better shape than people thought it would be this time of year. That was the message city Finance Director Tim Przybyla brought to the City Council Wednesday night during a mid-fiscal-year review of the city’s financial situation. “The City of Madera is fiscally strong,” Przybyla said, “with more than $14 million in reserve in the general fund.”

Brian Clark promoted to editor of The Modesto Bee

Modesto Bee

Brian Clark was named editor of The Modesto Bee on Friday. Clark, 55, replaces Joe Kieta, who was hired last month as editor at The Fresno Bee. “

City in the dark over downtown lights

Modesto Bee

A few months before the shooting of 17 students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the young gunman attended his mother’s funeral and was asked if he was upset. His response provides insight into the road that disconnected him from his humanity: “I’m just upset that no one cared to show up.”

Fresno jurors can keep free parking

Fresno Bee

Fresno jurors can continue parking for free at two downtown parking garages, following an agreement reached between the city and state court officials. The city released an announcement Saturday saying it had reached the parking agreement with the Judicial Council of California and Fresno County Superior Court.

State Politics:

‘Davos Democrat’ Gavin Newsom plays up his humbler roots

San Francisco Chronicle

You might think lieutenant governor and gubernatorial hopeful Gavin Newsom is the picture of privilege, the son of a judge and the beneficiary of the Getty family’s riches who had it made from the start. Nothing could be further from the truth, the candidate would have you know in a new 30-second campaign spot, in which he says he and his sister were raised by a single mom who “worked three jobs” and “waitressed at night to make ends meet” while also taking in foster kids.

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Delaine Eastin stakes out progressive vision—but with some notable exceptions

CALmatters

Delaine Eastin has staked herself out as the most progressive Democrat running for governor of California. But in a wide-ranging discussion with CALmatters in our Sacramento office, the former state schools superintendent shared some views that break from that orthodoxy. Take pensions. As the state confronts a pension crisis and many local governments in California grapple with the rising cost of financial and health benefits for retired public employees, Eastin suggested that state policymakers should consider hiking the retirement age.

Villaraigosa is not the former mayor of Los Angeles — at least not on the ballot for governor

Los Angeles Times

Antonio Villaraigosa is best known as the former mayor of Los Angeles. But that title will not be on the ballot when voters choose the next governor of California. Instead, Villaraigosa will be listed as a “Public Policy Advisor,” a reference to his most recent profession.

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Opinion: It’s up to a new guard of California Democrats to push single-payer health care

The Sacramento Bee

As gubernatorial candidates gear up for the 2018 race, the issue of health care stands to divide the Democratic Party in an exciting and necessary way. At the state party convention last month, four candidates, including Gavin Newsom and Delaine Eastin, called out their peers for not supporting single-payer health care, especially considering Trump administration rollbacks could strip health insurance from millions of Californians.

Walters: How would California’s next governor face the housing crisis?

CALmatters

So how would the next governor of California deal with the state’s most serious policy issue, its acute and ever-growing shortage of housing, particularly for low- and middle-income families? Hundreds of affordable-housing advocates filled a cavernous ballroom in Sacramento’s convention center last Thursday with that question on their minds, hoping to hear answers from the six candidates for governor.

California’s voter guide offers a reality check on Prop. 70: Most Democrats are against it

Los Angeles Times

We may never know the exact terms of a bipartisan deal in Sacramento that resulted in a ballot measure to govern future climate change spending in California. What we do know is that many prominent Democrats had no intention of actually encouraging anyone to vote for it. In fact, it seems the only prominent Democrat embracing the deal is Gov. Jerry Brow

California’s 30 most conservative & liberal cities and counties

The Sacramento Bee

California has become more politically segregated during recent years, with conservatives mostly choosing to live in rural or suburban areas. Californians affiliated with conservative parties – Republicans, Libertarians and American Independents – today comprise about 25 percent of the state’s registered voters, according to new data from the California Secretary of State.

Op ed: Why is liberal California the poverty capital of America?

Los Angeles Times

Guess which state has the highest poverty rate in the country? Not Mississippi, New Mexico, or West Virginia, but California, where nearly one out of five residents is poor.

California State Controller’s Office: Revenue Estimates

California State Controller

California’s total revenues of $6.51 billion for February were slightly lower than estimates in the governor’s 2018-19 proposed budget by 6.3 percent, and under 2017-18 Budget Act projections by 8.7 percent, State Controller Betty T. Yee reported today.

Crucial court pension-cut ruling not on fast track

Calpensions

The state Supreme Court is proceeding at a judicious pace after agreeing to hear appeals of two rulings that would weaken or eliminate the “California rule,” allowing state and local government pension cuts. Briefing has yet to begin on a groundbreaking Marin County appellate ruling in August 2016 that employees only have a vested right to a “reasonable” pension, not to a pension offered at hire that can’t be cut without a comparable new benefit, erasing any savings.

One California Lawmaker Faced Expulsion. Another Got A Warning Letter. An HR Expert Explains Why.

Capital Public Radio News

An investigation into one California state senator found that his behavior toward six women over a 10-year period was likely “unwanted” or “sexually suggestive.” He resigned last month rather than face a suspension or expulsion vote from his colleagues.

California teens are pre registering to vote, and taking a pass on political parties

Los Angeles Times

The largest bloc of the pre-registrations — almost 44% — were by teens who said they had “no party preference,” California’s version of an unaffiliated or independent voter. Those who wanted to be Republicans were especially few and far between, making up only 10.3% of pre registrations. Thirty-seven percent of the teenagers selected the Democratic Party.

Becerra v Trump: How California is using the courts to fight the administration

CALmatters

After the Trump administration decided to cut off designated “sanctuary” jurisdictions from some federal law enforcement grants, California filed a Freedom of Information Act request to learn more about the decision. The Trump administration ignored the request and so California responded with a lawsuit.

Trump loves winning, but in his presidency and business, California has gotten in his way

Los Angeles Times

President Trump’s well-documented clashes with California owe plenty to politics, culture and personality. But at bottom, what drives the president’s toxic relationship with the nation’s most populous state is this: his near-obsessive desire to be seen as a winner. No state represents losing for Trump more than California, whether in business or politics.

Federal Politics:

 

Trump pulls back from big changes to gun laws after Florida shooting

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump will support a modest set of fixes to gun laws, stepping back from some of the more sweeping changes he had considered after the country’s latest mass school shooting, senior officials told reporters on Sunday.

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Willie Brown: North Korea is suddenly Donald Trump’s best friend

San Francisco Chronicle

Say what you will about Donald Trump, but the man is lucky. His top economic adviser just walked out on him for slapping tariffs on imported aluminum and steel. Porn star Stormy Daniels is on a fast track to “60 Minutes” to talk about her one-night stand with Trump and the payoff to keep her quiet. And independent counsel Robert Mueller is circling ever closer to Trump in the Russia probe

Election officials raise concerns over bill that would let Trump send Secret Service to polls

TheHill

More than a dozen top election officials across the country are raising concerns about a provision in a Homeland Security Department reauthorization bill that would allow President Trump to dispatch Secret Service agents to polling places. A letter signed by 19 bipartisan secretaries of state to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) demands the Senate leave out a proposal from final legislation that would allow Secret Service agents to accompany lawmakers to polling places when they vote.

California Leads U.S. Economy, Away From Trump

Bloomberg

To justify his executive orders nullifying policies protecting people from climate change, hazardous working conditions and persecution because of their religion or citizenship status, President Donald Trump during a Feb. 16 press conference said: “To be honest, I inherited a mess. It’s a mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country.” He later told the Conservative Political Action Conference that regulations are “crushing our economy.”

Democrats fail to mend split over rolling back Dodd-Frank financial regulations

Los Angeles Times

In the span of two hours on Capitol Hill Tuesday, the sharp split between liberal and moderate Senate Democrats on a major bank deregulation bill became crystal clear.

Could a Californian Be the Next President?

POLITICO Magazine

The California Democratic Party’s most recent, weekend-long binge on self-satisfaction unfolded here late last month under the slogan “California: The Big Blue Beacon of Hope,” with a party chairman who promised that “folks across the country are looking to California to show the nation how it can be done.”

Is California America’s Taiwan?

Zocalo’s Connecting California KCRW

As tensions between the Trump Administration and the state of California heat up on everything from immigration to oil drilling and healthcare, Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews says this state could learn a thing or two by looking to the east, to Taiwan. Taiwan is either an independent nation or a renegade Chinese province, depending on one’s view of things. But one thing that’s for sure is that Taiwan has spent decades living with the menace posed by a larger, considerably more powerful neighbor. Taiwan has managed to thrive in such a relationship, and Mathews says California can too, but it won’t be easy.

G.O.P. Rushed to Pass Tax Overhaul. Now It May Need to Be Altered.

The New York Times

The legislative blitz that rocketed the $1.5 trillion tax cut through Congress in less than two months created a host of errors and ambiguities in the law that businesses big and small are just now discovering and scrambling to address. Companies and trade groups are pushing the Treasury Department and Congress to fix the law’s consequences, some intended and some not, including provisions that disadvantage certain farmers, hurt restaurateurs and retailers and could balloon the tax bills of large multinational corporations.

Other:

‘Fake news’ smear takes hold among politicians at all levels

AP News

President Donald Trump’s campaign to discredit the news media has spread to officials at all levels of government, who are echoing his use of the term “fake news” as a weapon against unflattering stories. It’s become ubiquitous as a signal to a politician’s supporters to ignore legitimate reporting and hard questions, as a smear of the beleaguered and dwindling local press corps, and as a way for conservatives to push back against what they call biased stories.

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Price: Is it racist to discuss race in America?

Bakersfield Californian

Reader: Some of the words and phrases from Robert Price’s March 7 column, “Whatever their motivation, credit KHSD trustees for plan to redraw districts”: “Latino political muscle.” “Four non-Hispanic white men and a Hispanic man.” “Latino voters.” “Half Hispanic.” “Three white men, an African-American man and a Latina woman.” Price writes: “A candidate’s ethnicity shouldn’t be the sole criterion for voters in any election; diligence, intelligence and heart should rank higher. But voters should have a chance to consider candidates whose lives resemble theirs.”

Hanson: The rapid ‘progress’ of progressivism

Modesto Bee

Not long ago I waited for a flight to board. The plane took off 45 minutes late. There were only two attendants to accommodate 11 passengers who had requested wheelchair assistance. Such growing efforts to ensure that the physically challenged can easily fly are certainly welcome. But when our plane landed – late and in danger of causing many passengers to miss their connecting flights – most of the 11 wheelchair-bound passengers left their seats unassisted and hurried out. It was almost as if newfound concerns about making connections had somehow improved their health during the flight.

The political causes corporations should embrace

AEI

Since the Parkland high school shooting, it has been striking to watch corporations cut ties with the NRA. A few examples: United, Delta, and several rental car companies will no longer offer discounts to the NRA and its members. And the First National Bank of Omaha stopped offering a credit card co-branded with the NRA.This followed protests from CEOs after the Trump administration’s decision to exit the Paris climate accord, CEO resignations from business councils following President Trump’s shameful response to the Charlottesville protests, tech titans speaking out on DACA, and more.

Let there be light, an hour longer into the evening sky

The Fresno Bee

Time to set your clocks and watches one hour ahead. And maybe save some time to grouse about losing an hour’s sleep Saturday night. The shift from standard to daylight saving time officially comes at 2 a.m. Sunday across much of the country. Daylight will last longer into the evening, but take an hour longer to emerge in the morning.

See also:

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING 

Sunday, March 18, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Governor’s Brown’s Last Budget: Caution Despite Surplus​ – Guests: Mac Taylor, California Legislative Office; John Myers with L.A. Times; and Dan Walters, Calmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, March 18, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report: “Proposed State Budget: Implications for the Valley” –Guests: Mike Dunbar, Modesto Bee & Merced Sun Star and Prof. Ivy Cargaly CSU Bakersfield. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, March 18, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy:2018: The Political Forecast  Guests: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee and Jazmine Ulloa, L.A. Times. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

 

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

California Fruit Will ‘Die on the Vine’ After ICE Raids, Labor Warns

Bloomberg

The conflict peaked politically this week after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned residents on Saturday of an imminent sting, giving those without papers time to evade the sweeps. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it had arrested 232 individuals over a four-day operation through Wednesday who were in violation of federal immigration laws, of which 115 had prior felony convictions.

Valley farmers could suffer in trade war over tariffs

Fresno Bee

San Joaquin Valley farmers could end up being the big losers if a trade war breaks out over President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Under the president’s plan, a 25 percent tariff would be imposed on steel and 15 percent on aluminum.

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Farm subsidies need reform. Congress can start by ending ‘double dipping’

AEI

Yesterday, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Representative John Duncan (R-TN) put forward a new bill that would prohibit the duplicative use of farm subsidy programs, a practice called “double dipping.” Farmers can currently claim subsidy payments for participating in the federal crop insurance program and receive payments from a suite of “shallow loss” programs introduced by the 2014 farm bill. These programs essentially call on taxpayers to compensate farmers twice for the same losses.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE​ ​/​ ​FIRE​ ​/​ ​PUBLIC SAFETY

 

For stories on ”gun control and school shootings,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

 

Crime:

Ending cash bail has another proponent in California

Sacramento Bee

Known for his outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump, Tom Steyer also wants to end California’s cash bail system. The billionaire environmental activist, who is focused on impeaching Trump, is in Sacramento on Monday to lead a discussion on why California must stop its cash bail system.

Public Safety:

A new way to reduce gun suicides, and maybe mass shootings too

Los Angeles Times

Mass shootings dominate the headlines and seem to drive the movement to change gun policy, but reducing gun suicides could save many more lives. More than 20,000 people each year kill themselves with a gun; that’s twice the number of gun homicides. The Parkland, Fla., massacre claimed 17 lives; roughly 59 people die by gun suicide each day. An innovative new law could bring down this tragic death toll.

Fire:

Wine Country fires: PG&E often diverts money for undergrounding power lines

San Francisco Chronicle

As the North Bay rebuilds from October’s deadly wildfires, many residents would like to see more power lines buried underground, where raging windstorms can’t touch them. But Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has a history of doing less of this work, year by year, than city officials and state regulators want. Instead, money earmarked for “undergrounding” power lines often gets diverted to other uses.

Warning System Down: California’s Deadliest Fires

Reveal

It used to be that there was a discrete wildfire season, a period of time where fire risk was highest. Throughout the country, that season is getting longer, and in many places now, wildfire season is happening year-round. Fires are getting bigger, and they’re burning hotter. Last October, more than 170 wildfires ripped across Northern California, burning more than 9,000 buildings, causing millions in damage and killing 44 people. It was the deadliest fire incident in the state’s history.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

 

California Leads U.S. Economy, Away From Trump

Bloomberg

To justify his executive orders nullifying policies protecting people from climate change, hazardous working conditions and persecution because of their religion orcitizenship status, President Donald Trump during a Feb. 16 press conference said: “To be honest, I inherited a mess. It’s a mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country.” He later told the Conservative Political Action Conference that regulations are “crushing our economy.”

Despite California’s immense wealth, the middle class is in decline

The Mercury News

California’s lush coastline, balmy climate and post-World War II economic promise made it an easy sell as America’s middle class paradise in the 1950s.

Risk Takers Still See Golden Opportunities In California

Capital Public Radio News

This founding myth enshrines risk-taking as a key part of the California Dream. Most miners did not find great wealth. But the Gold Rush shaped California’s early economy, putting it on a path to becoming the world’s sixth largest today. And that acceptance of failure continues to attract the kind of entrepreneurs who keep the state’s $2.75 trillion GDP growing.

Steel tariffs bring vindication for Trump’s feisty trade advisor Peter Navarro

Los Angeles Times

Minutes before President Trump entered the White House Roosevelt Room on Thursday to announce sweeping tariffs on imported metals, the president’s economic A-team stood stone-faced near the president’s podium — but not Peter Navarro. The 68-year-old former UC Irvine economics professor looked almost gleeful as he waited for Trump to issue final orders levying 25% duties on foreign steel and 10% on aluminum, all in the name of national security.

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As the TPP lives on, the U.S. abdicates trade leadership

Brookings

When President Trump made good on his campaign promise and withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) immediately after his inauguration, the conventional wisdom was that the TPP was dead without U.S. participation. The demise of the agreement was lamented and many obituaries were written for the TPP.

Macroeconomic effects of the 2017 tax reform

Brookings

This paper uses a cost of capital framework to analyze the long-run steady state and transition path for GDP as a result of the 2017 tax law. For the law as written, the long-run increase in corporate productivity would be 2.5 percent, which translates into a 0.4 percent increase in GDP after ten years—or an increase in the growth rate of 0.04 percentage point per year.

Jobs:

US hiring surge pulls in flood of new workers

Fresno Bee

U.S. employers went on a hiring binge in February, adding 313,000 jobs, amid rising business confidence lifted by the Trump administration’s tax cuts and a resilient global economy. The surprisingly robust hiring, reported by the Labor Department on Friday, was the strongest in 1 1/2years.

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In need of a job? New restaurants hiring in Turlock, Modesto

Modesto Bee

A few months before the shooting of 17 students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the young gunman attended his mother’s funeral and was asked if he was upset. His response provides insight into the road that disconnected him from his humanity: “I’m just upset that no one cared to show up.” We need no clearer evidence that hurting people are more likely to hurt people. For educators, that carries an important message: You can’t reach a child who doesn’t think you care.

Caltrans is desperate to fill thousands of new jobs

Sacramento Bee

No kidding: It’s a really good time to send a résumé to Caltrans. California’s transportation department plans to swell its staff by 10 percent over the next five years, adding 2,000 employees to help it execute projects funded by the new gasoline tax. Those positions run the gamut from maintenance to architects and engineers.

Robots aren’t taking the jobs, just the paychecks—and other new findings in economics

Brookings

While automation has created jobs, enhanced the size of the economic pie, and increased total worker earnings, it has not raised the share of national income allocated to wages as rapidly as it has raised productivity. In short, the part of the economic pie that belongs to worker earnings has shrunk.

EDUCATION

For stories on ”school shootings,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

 

K-12:

Ousted Central Unified superintendent speaks out about termination

Fresno Bee

Former Central Unified Superintendent Mark Sutton, who was terminated without cause last month, seems to be scratching his head as to why – along with the parents and community members who supported him.

As KHSD begins trustee redistricting process, Latinos in Lamont eye a seat on the board

Bakersfield Californian

Jose Mireles calls his hometown of Lamont a “ghost town.” For the 48 years he’s lived in the heavily Latino populated farmworker community, there’s been little progress. The unincorporated town has no elected city council, no mayor and no high school — something that community members have been rallying for aggressively since at least 2006.

YUSD’s Cogan writes in, makes it clear no programs will be cut

Sierra Star

The following letter from Fred Cogan, administrator on special assignment to the Yosemite Unified School District from the Madera County Office of Education, was sent to district staff members March 15.

VUSD adds vice principals, cuts district admins

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia students and parents will see many new faces on campuses across the city next school year due to recent personnel shifts throughout Visalia Unified School District. Board members voted to reassign 13 district administrators, many of them to on-campus positions. A majority of those administrators will fill assistant principal positions at elementary and middle school campuses.

Lullaby of algebra: How mixing music and math helps engage students

EdSource

Teachers find weaving music into math lessons boosts students’ test scores, enhances their understanding of the larger concepts, improves the classroom climate and accomplishes something few would think possible of middle-school math: Made it fun.

Higher Ed:

New community college campus coming to Oakhurst

KFSN-TV

The current Oakhurst Community College Center is a small campus made up of portable buildings. Soon there will be a new campus with permanent buildings that can almost double student enrollment.

College students support free speech — unless it offends them

Washington Post

When I was a sophomore in college, the College Republicans invited Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative political activist best known for her campaign against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, to give a speech on campus. There were no barricades around the building where she spoke. Beyond a few campus police officers, there were no state police in riot gear. Bags weren’t checked at the entrance. And most of all, no one shouted her down on one of the most liberal college campuses in the country.

Simplifying grants for college students: Who wins and who loses?

Brookings

Making federal student aid programs simpler and easier for students to navigate is a key goal of efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA), the federal law that governs these programs. Program consolidation is a key component of simplification, and moving to “one grant, one loan” was included in House Republicans’ HEA reauthorization bill and has also received support from Senator Lamar Alexander, who chairs the Senate committee responsible for HEA.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

The E.P.A Chief Wanted a Climate Science Debate. Trump’s Chief of Staff Stopped Him.

The New York Times

John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, has killed an effort by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to stage public debates challenging climate change science, according to three people familiar with the deliberations, thwarting a plan that had intrigued President Trump even as it set off alarm bells among his top advisers.

Energy:

 

California is generating so much solar energy its utilities are dialing back renewable energy procurement

Quartz

California’s solar sector has been on fire. But after a building sprint that saw its share of solar rise from 0.5% of generation in 2010 to 10% last year, the state may be taking a break following two new production records this month.

Oil industry falls out of love with Trump

POLITICO

The oil and gas industry’s relationship with President Donald Trump is cooling off. The administration’s 25 percent steel tariff, hostility toward NAFTA and fumbled efforts to lift restrictions on drilling are worrying executives, who have praised the president’s war on regulations but loathe uncertainty and nationalistic trade policies.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Lots of talk, little action on curbing health care costs

San Francisco Chronicle

It started as a bipartisan attempt to curb soaring health care premiums. But Congress’ effort to stabilize the nation’s insurance markets is faltering amid escalating demands by each party and erratic positions by President Donald Trump. Democrats want bigger federal subsidies for consumers under President Barack Obama’s health care law while Republicans, still fighting that statute, aim to relax its coverage requirements and win abortion restrictions.

 

Aid-in-Dying Gains Momentum as Erstwhile Opponents Change Their Minds

PewTrusts

Support for aid-in-dying is increasing — a recent Gallup poll found two-thirds in favor, up from half four years earlier. Major medical groups have dropped or softened their opposition. And increasing life spans, while generally a positive development, mean that more Americans are watching their parents die drawn-out, agonizing deaths.

Fertility clinic informs hundreds of patients their eggs may have been damaged

Washington Post

A long-established San Francisco fertility clinic experienced a liquid nitrogen failure in a storage tank holding thousands of frozen eggs and embryos for future use, jeopardizing tissue hundreds of women had stored in hopes of having children.

By word and by deed, Ben Carson is abdicating HUD’s historic responsibilities

Brookings

The news that U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson plans to change HUD’s mission statement is yet another worrying sign that the Trump administration is backing away from long-term goals of urban policy. In particular, the proposed new statement removes references to “sustainable, inclusive communities” and consumer protection.

IMMIGRATION

 

For stories on “immigration and DACA”  See: “Top Stories – Local Politics,” above

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

Restored historic buildings spur interest in Downtown Fresno

ABC30

Now showing at the old Hardy’s Theater in Downtown Fresno: a “for sale” sign. Not many people have ventured inside in recent years. But you’d be surprised to find a three-story theater inside this 100-year old building. It’s on the market for $949,000. Commercial broker Jared Ennis of Keller Williams says it’s drawing a lot of interest, and not just for the theater. “We’ve shown it to multiple developers both in town and out of town. We’ve had many uses from technology to office uses. We’ve also had some craft brew interest as well.”

Housing:

The homeless divide: Visalia and Tulare struggle with what to do

Visalia Times-Delta

The divides over homelessness run deep in Tulare County, starting with the way it shows up in daily life. Shopping carts filled with recyclables have become a familiar sight in Visalia and Tulare. Driving down city streets it’s easy to spot tents along highway overpasses or among overgrown oak trees. Visalia has more than 400 homeless people living in plain sight or tucked away along the St. Johns River, according to the 2017 Kings/Tulare counties Homeless Alliance‘s Point in Time count.

Walters: How would California’s next governor face the housing crisis?

CALmatters

So how would the next governor of California deal with the state’s most serious policy issue, its acute and ever-growing shortage of housing, particularly for low- and middle-income families? Hundreds of affordable-housing advocates filled a cavernous ballroom in Sacramento’s convention center last Thursday with that question on their minds, hoping to hear answers from the six candidates for governor.

Empty homes a California rarity as vacancies at 13-year low

The Mercury News

One challenge folks shopping for California housing face is the rarity of a vacant home. The U.S. Census Bureau tracking of the empty-but-owned homes found that 1 percent of ownership residences were vacant in California in 2017, the lowest since 2004 and the fifth-lowest rate nationally. That tied the statewide rate for 2016, which was No. 4 among the states.

Affordable housing projects are threatened as tax cuts undermine a source of funding

Los Angeles Times

The problem? The federal government. The $1.5-trillion tax cut President Trump signed into law last year slashed corporate tax rates and gave businesses more money to spend how they choose.

He attends elite UC Berkeley but lives in a trailer with no heat or sewer hookups. Soon, he’ll be scrambling to find new shelter

Los Angeles Times

Ismael Chamu wakes up at sunrise, shivering in the drizzly morning’s chill. He rises from the floor of a small trailer, where he sleeps wedged next to his younger brother and an arm’s length from his two sisters, who share the only bed.

The right time for housing affordability in California

OCRegister

California politicians have been passing laws that make housing less affordable for more than 40 years. Even so-called affordable-housing laws usually do little to promote affordability and often undermine the housing supply. Thanks to a new bill proposed in the state senate, there is a small ray of hope that politicians might finally do something to promote affordable housing.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California State Controller’s Office: Revenue Estimates

California State Controller

California’s total revenues of $6.51 billion for February were slightly lower than estimates in the governor’s 2018-19 proposed budget by 6.3 percent, and under 2017-18 Budget Act projections by 8.7 percent, State Controller Betty T. Yee reported today.

Federal Tax Reform Means More Business Taxes for California

Fox and Hounds Daily

California’s corporate tax base may increase by up to 12 percent as a result of federal tax reform legislation, according to a study recently released by the State Tax Research Center. This means that revenues from California’s corporate income tax could increase by as much as $1.3 billion – without any action by state lawmakers to increase corporate tax rates or income definitions.

TRANSPORTATION

For stories on “High Speed Rail”  See: “Top Stories – Local Politics,” above

Millions of federal dollars will help fix region’s roads

Modesto Bee

Looking north from Maze Boulevard, a section of North Dakota Avenue will be part of State Route 132 expressway in West Modesto. Top officials from Modesto and Stanislaus County are pleased with a $9 million federal grant announced last week for the long-awaited Highway 132 project. The city and county have not seen this kind of federal transportation money before. They are giving credit to the leverage of Measure L local transportation dollars.

WATER

Several storms are heading for the Valley. Is it too little, too late?

The Fresno Bee

A storm moving into the central San Joaquin Valley on Saturday, and several more storms next week could bring half an inch of rain or more, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford. That will add to the late season rain totals, but still a far cry from the Fresno area’s average. The first storm will move in Saturday, with the best chance of rain coming after 4 p.m., according to meteorologist Cindy Bean.

California water use back to pre-drought levels

Fresno Bee

California’s water conservation habits, refined and improved over five years of drought, are quickly evaporating. For the seventh time in the last eight months, the amount of water saved by urban Californians has declined, according to new data from the State Water Resources Control Board. In other words, lawn sprinklers are back on, showers are getting longer and overall, California’s water use, after five years of conserving, is now back to where it was before the drought began.

Coupal: Loss of local control a big issue in new water tax fight

Orange County Register

Throughout his tenure as governor, Jerry Brown has consistently pursued new revenue for transportation, housing and water. The Legislature, whose default reaction to any problem is to raise taxes on middle-class Californians, has only been too happy to oblige. As if those tax hikes were not bad enough, now comes the third in a trifecta of tax insults: a new tax on water used by homes and businesses. That’s right, the Legislature is preparing to tax a public good that is essential to life, a precedent-setting tax that is unheard of anywhere else in the nation.

“Xtra”

Be Public Live Event: The Future Of Our Air Quality – March 14

Valley Public Radio

Valley Public Radio’s series of live community forum events continues this March with a discussion about the future of air quality and the efforts to clean up the valley’s air. While great progress has been made in recent decades, the valley recently experienced one of its worst air pollution events in decades. As with all of our Be Public: Live events in our 40th anniversary year, we will be focused on the future. In the case of this topic, that includes how changes in technology, government and society will impact the air quality debate.

Love flowers? Want to see beautiful blooms? Modesto has a show for you

Modesto Bee

Spring blooms readied for their closeups on Sunday as members of the Camellia Society of Modesto held a practice show in anticipation of their yearly public extravaganza set for next weekend. The main event, the 57th annual Modesto Camellia Show, returns Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18, at the E. & J. Gallo Winery.

Decorated WWII pilot honored in Central Valley

KFSN-TV

Col. Bud Anderson is famous enough to have his own statue in his hometown of Auburn. And at 95, he still knows how to arrive. From the 1941 Beechcraft to a waiting 1941 Cadillac, the guest of honor at Saturday’s ceremony had a smooth ride to an adoring crowd. The local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association brought the colonel to Fresno for a luncheon to honor his service. He says the crowd in the Valley gave him the best reception of his life.

Craving farm-fresh? Farmers market to start its season early

Modesto Bee

For four decades, the community has enjoyed buying fresh local produce directly from the farmers who grow it. The joy returns on Thursday when the Modesto Certified Farmers Market opens for its 40th year. And while openingday on March15 will bring plenty of vendors and other traditional features, a 40th anniversary celebration on April 7 promises even more for the outdoor market’s patrons to leave with, according to Manager Marie Uber.

6 fantastic California destinations for spring break fun

The Mercury News

Spring break may be associated with boozy, beachside bacchanals. But for families with school-age kids, it’s something else entirely: a blissful break from school routines. And the very idea of hitting a sandy strand made famous by MTV? Chances are high that what you want is the opposite kind of vacation.

EDITORIALS

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Fresno Bee

Thumbs up to Miranda Deis, 13, downtown art tour guide and creator of MAD’s Downtown Art Guide, which gives information highlighting downtown Fresno’s public art in a way that both kids and adults can appreciate. Use her guide for a self-tour, or she also gives public tours throughout the year. The next one is today from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning at the Yokut Indian sculpture on Fulton Street north of Inyo. A resident of the Cultural Arts District, Miranda made the guide and tours a project for her Girl Scout Silver Award, which requires community action.

If Trump can’t welcome Laith Hammoudi, who deserves to come to US?

Fresno Bee

Laith Hammoudi and good people like him are getting shunted aside and their potential contributions to this country passed over, hostage to the harsh rhetoric and irrational fears that mar the U.S. immigration debate.

What our schools really need

Modesto Bee

A few months before the shooting of 17 students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the young gunman attended his mother’s funeral and was asked if he was upset. His response provides insight into the road that disconnected him from his humanity: “I’m just upset that no one cared to show up.” We need no clearer evidence that hurting people are more likely to hurt people. For educators, that carries an important message: You can’t reach a child who doesn’t think you care.

Trump should stop California grandstanding, reform immigration

The Mercury News

The Trump administration’s lawsuit against California’s sanctuary laws is political grandstanding at its worst. It stems from our federal leaders’ complete failure to reach desperately needed compromise on workable immigration reform.

Welcome to California, Mr. President. We’ve got a few things to show you

Los Angeles Times

President Trump will visit Southern California on Tuesday for the first time since he traumatized the state’s liberal consensus by winning the White House. It’s a free country, so he’s welcome, though he shouldn’t expect much red carpet to be rolled out.

What happens to Los Angeles when we survive the Big One but our buildings don’t?

Los Angeles Times

When the Big One — or even just the next Northridge-sized quake — hits Los Angeles, you will probably survive it. Between existing seismic codes for new construction and the ongoing mandatory retrofitting of concrete and soft-story wood buildings in the city of Los Angeles and beyond, most buildings should withstand a catastrophic earthquake well enough for you to make your way out of the wreckage when the shaking stops.

Health insurance premiums will soar in California, nation, thanks to Congress

San Francisco Chronicle

While the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land, it has been significantly weakened by actions taken by Congress and the White House since 2017. Covered California, the state exchange that sells insurance to 1.3 million people, is starting to quantify the damage.

Jerry Brown for president? Not on his record in California

OCRegister

Gov. Jerry Brown’s name has been mentioned often as one of the potential Democratic candidates for president in 2020. It’s a possibility that can’t be completely ruled out. Brown, who will end his record fourth term as California’s chief executive in January 2019, has run for president three times before: in 1976, 1980 and 1992. Could he do it again?

Congress must take back its authority on trade      

OCRegister

President Trump’s threats of a trade war, and his recent signing of tariffs on steel and aluminum, can and should be constrained by Congress reasserting its constitutional authority over trade policy.

 

Three ways Trump can really help California

San Diego Union-Tribune

President Donald Trump is due to fly into Marine Corps Air Station Miramar en route to see his border wall prototypes Tuesday in his first visit to California since the 2016 campaign. Given the growing divide over immigration between his administration and state leaders from Gov. Jerry Brown on down, there may be an expectation that the issue will again be this week’s main focus. It should, of course, only be one of many. Here are three crucial matters that Californians need the president to prioritize.

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

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