07Mar

TOP POLITICAL STORIES

Local/Regional Politics:

Deadline Fast Approaching – Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship – Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships Due Friday, March 16th, 2018

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.

Fresno State data breach may affect 15,000 people

Fresno Bee

The theft of an external hard drive at Fresno State could expose the personal data of at least 15,000 people. The hard drive was reported missing Jan. 12 and Fresno State officials said some of the files may have contained personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers and full or last four digits of Social Security numbers.

● Fresno State Says Around 15,000 People Impacted In Data LeakKMJ-AF1

UC Merced Republicans Allege They Were Slapped With $17,000 Fine To Host Ben Shapiro

ABC30

A group of UC Merced Republicans were taken by surprise after they claim university employees told them they’d be charged up to $17,000 to bring conservative speaker, Ben Shapiro, to campus. Harrison Duran says he reached out to Freedom X, a law firm representing conservatives who are discriminated against. William Becker sent a letter to the chancellor last week, claiming the group’s free speech was being attacked.

Fresno community development leader TJ Cox to take on Rep. David Valadao

Bakersfield.com

Democrat T.J. Cox of Fresno will run for Congress this year against Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, filling the gap created over the weekend when Bakersfield attorney Emilio Huerta dropped out of the race.

Judge orders settlement conference on MALDEF ruling

Bakersfield Californian

U.S. District Court Judge Dale Drozd ordered MALDEF and attorneys for the county of Kern to hold a settlement conference on March 28 to decide when the lines of the Kern County Board of Supervisors should be redrawn.

Latino Voting Rights Take Center Stage In Kern County Following Lawsuit

Valley Public Radio

In February a U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of a Latino civil rights group in a suit challenging the way the county drew supervisorial district lines in 2011.

Potential threats put area schools on alert

Modesto Bee

Officers with the Modesto Police Department are looking into a threat made on a nationwide crisis line involving Mark Twain Junior High School in Modesto. And in Calaveras County, deputies responded to Calaveras High School in San Andreas on a report that a student had mentioned bringing a gun to campus.

Whatever their motivation, credit KHSD trustees for plan to redraw districts

The Bakersfield Californian

The Kern High School District’s unexpected decision Monday to redraw its trustee boundaries is a smart one — not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it gets the board out in front of a wave of courtroom verdicts and judicial decrees that are facilitating an unprecedented surge in Latino political muscle.

SCCCD district approves a move to downtown Fresno

The Fresno Bee

State Center Community College District trustees on Tuesday approved purchasing the 12-story Guarantee Building in downtown Fresno for $10.6 million, to function as the new District Office.

Tulare agrees to review city’s political sign ordinance

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare city officials are reviewing the city’s ordinance on political signs with the expectation that the city won’t enforce portions of the rule. The decision came a week after Visalia-based attornies Maggie Melo and John Sarsfield sent the city a letter threatening a lawsuit. On Monday, Melo was emailed a letter from Josh McDonnell, Tulare’s community and economic development director.

Tulare DA: TRMC probe ‘largest by the department’

Visalia Times-Delta

The criminal investigation into Tulare Regional Medical Center has lasted months and is now the largest investigation ever conducted by the District Attorney’s Office. DA investigators opened the case over the summer. So far, they have served 15 search warrants and taken three trips to Southern Inyo District Hospital. They’ve also traveled to Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego and Michigan, said District Attorney Tim Ward.

Should San Joaquin’s sheriff-coroner’s office problems force Stanislaus to change?

Modesto Bee

Despite what’s happening in a neighboring county, Stanislaus County officials said they see no need to separate the sheriff-coroner office that has existed here for almost 50 years. “It is operating smoothly right now,” county Supervisor Vito Chiesa said. The problems in one county are not a legitimate reason to force a change for the 41 counties in California with consolidated sheriff-coroner offices, he said.

Valley air improving with continued burn restrictions

The Turlock Journal

The 15th season of the District’s residential wood burning program ended Feb. 28 with more days of prohibited or restricted burning than last year, but a lower level of harmful particulate matter in the air. The level of PM 2.5 emissions is at an all-time low, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. However, this past winter the Valley experienced a number of weeks of high pressure and atmospheric stagnation which lead to exceptionally high PM 2.5 concentrations. Additionally, the Thomas Fire, California’s largest wildfire to date, affected the Valley’s air quality in December.

Valley Air District would like to inform you of an AB617 event being hosted by the California Air Resources Board

California Air Resources Board

CARB will be hosting a webcast to provide a high-level overview of the recently released Community Air Grant Guidelines. Topics will include: eligible entities, how to apply, solicitation evaluation criteria, and other details. The Community Air Grants Program was created to provide community-based organizations with logistical and technical assistance to support their efforts in improving local air quality.

Merced County Hopes A Deal With Port Of LA Turns Former Air Force Base Into Manufacturing Hub

Valley Public Radio

We all know what a port looks like. There’s water and ships stacked high with shipping containers. But those are often in busy areas on the coast: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland. Well, one Central Valley county has decided to get in on the shipping and distribution game. That county is partnering with the Port of Los Angeles to give their region a boost for distributing around the world.

Ten Years Later, UC Merced Development Helping City Out Of Recession

Valley Public Radio

Ten years ago, the city of Merced was ground zero for the housing crisis in California. Just a few years before that, the University of California’s brand new Merced campus opened outside the city, which arguably drove the overdevelopment that set up the city to fall so hard during the recession. Now, a decade later, the university has invested in the city with a new downtown building—but that’s not the only new development happening at UC Merced.

Gas supplier building new facility at Port of Stockton

Stockton Record

A well-known national company that supplies industrial, specialty and medical gases announced Tuesday it will construct a new production facility at the Port of Stockton before the end of the year. Airgas USA LLC plans on subleasing property from existing port tenant Pacific Ethanol along Navy Drive, where it will build a plant producing liquid carbon dioxide.

Could California State Parks Be A Solution For San Joaquin River Parkway?

Valley Public Radio

A new bill in the assembly would grant the California State Parks Department authority over land along the San Joaquin River Parkway. The bill by Fresno Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula would expand the existing Millerton Lake State Recreation Area along the 22-mile stretch of public and private riverbottom land between Friant Dam and Highway 99.

Fresno County leaders discuss expansion of Millerton Lake Recreation Area

KFSN-TV

Under a bill introduced by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, the Millerton Lake State Recreation Park expansion would include the San Joaquin River Parkway and 5,900 acres along the river between Friant Dam and Highway 99.

Community Water Center leaders get award

Hanford Sentinel

Helping communities get clean and affordable water is their mission. The James Irwin Foundation recognized Susana De Anda and Laurel Firestone Feb. 28 for their work with the Community Water Center.

State Politics:

Villaraigosa and Newsom want to build more houses in California than ever before. Experts see the candidates’ goal as an empty promise

Los Angeles Times

Can’t they all get along? New Senate leader vows to cut Capitol’s ‘us vs them’ rivalry

Calmatters

Shortly after her election to the Assembly in 2010, Democrat Toni Atkins of San Diego came to Sacramento for a new lawmakers’ orientation. She’s never forgotten the adage imparted by a veteran lawmaker: “The Republicans are our opponents. But the Senate is our enemy.” Those words reflect a reality that is entrenched for Capitol insiders, yet almost invisible to the outside world: The two houses of the Legislature are long-standing rivals.

The Chicanosauruses who have ruled in California should step aside

Los Angeles Times

If Thomas Friedman is allowed to quote random taxi drivers who offer man-on-the-street wisdom to bolster his column’s arguments, then why can’t I quote a random friend? So meet Art, who actually does exist.

Political Road Map: A sloppy signature might keep your 2018 ballot from being counted

Los Angeles Times

Few Californians are likely to spend any time thinking about how carefully they signed their voter registration card years ago. Nor is there much reason to assume that those who vote by mail think much about the neatness of their signature on the envelope containing that absentee ballot. But those two signatures — and whether they’re deemed to match — actually are key to whether the ballot counts.

· California voters should be told if their ballot signatures don’t match, judge rules Los Angeles Times

Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission: Effects on Partisan Fairness and Competitiveness

Public Policy Institute of California

This report evaluates election outcomes under the CRC plan using two new measures of partisan gerrymandering, as well as established metrics of competitiveness. It also compares these outcomes to results under the previous plan and places them in a national context

Senate Fellows Director ‘No Longer Employed’ By Sacramento State After Failing To Report Senator’s Misconduct Against Student

Capradio.org

Sacramento State University, which operates the state Capitol’s California Senate Fellows program, put director David Pacheco on indefinite leave last fall. This came after accusations that he failed to report then-state Sen. Tony Mendoza’s alleged sexual misconduct toward a young female student.

For DeMaio, Does Run for Congress Mix with Recall Effort and Gas Tax Repeal?

Fox and Hounds Daily

Former San Diego City Councilman and talk radio host Carl DeMaio pulled nomination papers to challenge fellow Republican incumbent Duncan Hunter in the 50^th Congressional District. DeMaio has also been the face of two efforts headed to California ballots—the recall of state Senator Josh Newman and the repeal of the recent gas tax increase. Will DeMaio’s congressional ambition interfere with his ballot efforts?

Federal Politics:

What changes in NAFTA mean for agriculture in California

Fresno Bee

By now it’s no secret that changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are coming. Quite frankly, changes are needed. When NAFTA was signed, email was in its infancy, Mark Zuckerberg was 9 years old, and cellphones were only used for phone calls. The current agreement is outdated, but not obsolete. Changes should be made to reflect the modern workforce, complex immigration issues, and the highly integrated nature of the North American economy.

Trump economic aide Cohn to resign amid tariff dispute

Fresno Bee

Top economic adviser Gary Cohn is leaving the White House after breaking with President Donald Trump on trade policy, the latest in a string of high-level departures from the West Wing. Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, has been the leading internal opponent to Trump’s planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, working to orchestrate an 11th-hour effort in recent days to get Trump to reverse course. But Trump resisted those efforts and reiterated Tuesday he will be imposing tariffs in the coming days.

● Gary Cohn’s Exit Leaves Major Void in Trump’s Orbit Roll Call

● Why is Trump’s staff turnover higher than the 5 most recent presidents? Brookings

· The most notable firings and resignations in the Trump administration Los Angeles Times

· Gary Cohn’s Exit Leaves Major Void in Trump’s Orbit Roll Call

· Conservative Groups Warn Tariffs Could Cost Republicans Roll Call

· A helpful guide to trade terminology Marketplace

U.S. attorney general in Sacramento on Wednesday for sanctuary announcement

The Sacramento Bee

California’s sanctuary law went into effect at the start of the year and limits how and when state law enforcement can interact with federal immigration authorities and what information it can share with them. It has become a flashpoint of contention between the Trump administration and California political leaders.

● Trump administration sues California over state laws protecting undocumented immigrants Sacramento Bee

● Trump administration sues over laws protecting immigrants Los Angeles Times

● DOJ: Sues California Over Impeding Immigration EnforcementNPR

● Trump administration sues California over laws protecting immigrants Los Angeles Times

● DoJ sues California over ‘sanctuary’ laws UPI.com

● A fight simmers in the Bay Area over protecting the privacy of immigrants here illegally Los Angeles Times

Lazarus: California braces for battle with Trump administration over student loans

Los Angeles Times

Ask Republican politicians how they feel about gun control, and they’ll say this is a matter for states to decide. “I think we need to respect federalism and respect local jurisdictions,” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted just last week. But ask Republicans about protecting people from being ripped off by student-loan debt collectors, and they’ll sing a completely different tune.

Planned Parenthood California staffs up, swings back at Trump administration

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento attorney Maggy Krell was fighting a high-profile internet sex trafficking case on behalf of the state of California when she made an unexpected career decision: She left her position as a prosecutor for the attorney general to join Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California as its chief legal counsel.

Tom Steyer plans to win back Congress with millennials

The Sacramento Bee

The path to a Democrat-controlled Congress most likely runs through California. Liberal philanthropist Tom Steyer believes that path hinges on the state’s nearly 10 million millennials. The challenge is making sure those young voters show up at the polls in November.

Trump administration is no help on Russian election meddling, California officials say

Sacramento Bee

As the 2018 elections approach, California officials are taking steps to combat foreign interference, with or without the help of the federal government. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla has been critical in recent months of the federal government’s lackluster response to Russian efforts to influence U.S. elections, and Padilla renewed his criticism this week after a new report said the U.S. State Department has failed to spend money to combat foreign interference in our elections.

Dianne Feinstein on Trump’s support (or not) for gun control and her non-endorsement by the state Democrats

Los Angeles Times

In the White House Cabinet Room last week, President Trump convened a meeting with legislators about gun regulation. Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior senator and a Democrat, was sitting on Trump’s left, and when he suggested to her that such a bill “add what you have,” Feinstein looked surprised, and delighted. Since 2004, her signature issue has been reviving her original 1994 assault weapons ban.

Washington becomes first state to approve net neutrality rules

Setting up a likely legal fight with the Trump administration, Washington has become the first state to enact its own net neutrality requirements after U.S. regulators repealed Obama-era rules designed to keep the internet an even playing field.

Other:

Teen arrested with assault rifle after school threat. Officials on high alert after Parkland

Sacramento Bee

Trevor Joseph Marshall had a loaded assault rifle similar to an AR-15 in his car when police officers located him Monday afternoon in a Chipotle parking lot in Roseville.

● Fact Check: Florida lawmaker mangles Nazi gun control historyPolitiFact Florida

● Skelton: It’s a bad idea to raise the minimum age for buying long guns. It’s an even worse idea to arm teachers Los Angeles Times

● Why a California lawmaker wants to ban Walmart gift cards at gun buyback events Sacramento Bee

● Some California districts are downplaying the National School Walkout as others embrace it EdSource

CA120: Voter files, panels and the search for truth

Capitol Weekly

In campaigns there are two primary tools used: voter files and panels. In one corner are the privately managed voter files, such as those that I examine every day at my company, Political Data.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, March 11, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Charter Schools – Guest: State Auditor Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, March 11, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report: “Are Education Reforms & Charter Schools the Answer?” –Guests: California State Auditor Elaine Howle, Laura Hill with the Public Policy Institute of California, & Dan Walters with CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, March 11, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy:Governor’s Brown’s Last Budget: Caution Despite Surplus – Guests: Edgar Cabral, Analista Oficina de Analisis Legislativo y Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

Topics in More Detail…

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

What changes in NAFTA mean for agriculture in California

Fresno Bee

By now it’s no secret that changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are coming. Quite frankly, changes are needed.

A ‘Floating Fillet’: Rice Farmers Grow Bugs To Replenish California’s Salmon

NPR

Jacob Katz is on the hunt — not for geese or ducks. On a farm about 40 minutes north of Sacramento, he wades through a rice paddy with an aquarium net in hand. But he’s not fishing. “We’re going bug hunting,” Katz says. The senior scientist for California Trout, a conservation group with a focus on protecting wild fish, is at River Garden Farms. Founded in 1913, they typically grow things like corn, wheat and around 5,000 acres of rice — the kind local sushi restaurants use.

New Study: Eat Your Strawberries Before Climate Change Wipes Them Out

Mother Jones

With its year-round sunshine and vast tracts of fertile land, California is one of the jewels of US food production, providing a third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of our fruits and nuts. As the climate warms, can we continue to take this $50.5 billion bounty for granted?

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

For stories on ”gun control,” See: “Top Stories – Other Politics,” above

Crime:

Controversial facility for federal inmates approved for this Sacramento neighborhood

Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento City Council approved a controversial service and counseling center for former federal inmates in South Sacramento on Tuesday, denying the appeals of residents who said the facility would threaten the safety of nearby neighborhoods and hinder development in an economically-depressed area of the city.

Public Safety:

Is Southern California’s ‘dockless’ electric scooter fad a public safety hazard?

The San Diego Union-Tribune

As Southern California continues to embrace ‘dockless’ bike sharing, a new player in the app-based mobility market has picked up considerable momentum — electric scooters. These motorized scooters have created a challenge for local authorities as riders of all ages from beach communities to urban centers have in recent weeks and months been riding illegally on sidewalks and without helmets.

Fire:

Opinion: More fires mean less funds for area projects

Sierra Star

Last year, more than 1,500 wildfires burned over 640,000 acres on National Forest System lands in California, including the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California’s recorded history.

Extreme wildfires are changing California. We need a special session on them – now

Sacramento Bee

In the months since last year’s wildfires, gallons of ink have been spilled on these pages and others diagnosing what went wrong. But while we debate, our climate worsens, wilderness areas dry out from drought, bark beetles continue to turn many forests into graveyards, and our communities remain dangerously vulnerable thanks to inadequate early warning systems and infrastructure that isn’t designed to deal with a changing climate.

ECONOMY / JOBS

For stories on ”Cohen resignation” and “trade policy,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

Fox: Survey: Biz Execs Down on CA

Fox & Hounds

A survey of business executives in highly sought after industries such as clean tech and research & development conclude that California has a number of problems that prevent businesses from locating or expanding in the state.

Gas supplier building new facility at Port of Stockton

Stockton Record

State & Federal Earned Income Tax Credits

California Department of Community Services & Development

State and federal Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) are cash back tax credits for working individuals and families. in 2018, more families than ever are eligible for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), including the self-employed! With the combined state and federal credits, qualifying families can receive hundreds, or even thousands back just by filing their taxes. That’s money you can use for rent, utilities, groceries, and other important expenses.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Central Unified board appoints new interim superintendent

KFSN-TV

On Tuesday, the Central Unified Board of Trustees voted 7-0 in a special closed session meeting to appoint Kelly Porterfield as the Interim Superintendent. Kelly Porterfield has more than 27 years of experience in public education with the last 12 years as an Assistant Superintendent/Chief Business Officer.

Trustees recalled in Fresno, Selma Unified School District

KFSN-TV

The anger inside the boardroom back in 2015 had lasting consequences for Selma Unified. After voting to terminate Superintendent Mark Sutton’s contract the board had to face the ire of a community. It began with the recall of three trustees. Then a grand jury investigation began, Lanny Larson was the foreman.

School board cuts 17 district positions saving $1.1 million

Sierra Star

Taking steps to halt district deficit spending, Yosemite Unified School District trustees voted four to one to cut 17 positions including teachers, a counselor and an alternative education principal for the 2018-19 fiscal year, saving the district $1.1 million.

Price: Whatever their motivation, credit KHSD trustees for plan to redraw districts

Bakersfield Californian

Potential threats put area schools on alert

Modesto Bee

Suspensions and expulsions don’t help California’s workforce. Keep kids in school

Sacramento Bee

School dropouts are commonly discussed, but too often, school systems effectively push students out of school. This “pushout” is costly and produces terrible outcomes for students, school systems and the economy of our state.

Prioritizing Computer Science in California Schools

Public Policy Institute of California

More than half of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs nationwide require computer science (CS) knowledge. To help students acquire the skills they need to thrive in a technology-driven world, many states have added computer science to the roster of courses that satisfy high school graduation requirements. California has a way to go before it can join these states.

Some California districts are downplaying the National School Walkout as others embrace it

EdSource

School administrators throughout California have for the past couple of weeks been holding staff meetings, drafting communiques to parents and connecting with police in preparation for the walkouts, with the response varying depending on the district.

Higher Ed:

SCCCD district approves a move to downtown Fresno

The Fresno Bee

State Center Community College District trustees on Tuesday approved purchasing the 12-story Guarantee Building in downtown Fresno for $10.6 million, to function as the new District Office.

UC Merced Republicans Slapped With $17,000 Fine To Host Ben Shapiro

KFSN-TV

A group of UC Merced Republicans were taken by surprise after they claim university employees told them they’d be charged up to $17,000 to bring conservative speaker, Ben Shapiro, to campus.

Ten Years Later, UC Merced Development Helping City Out Of Recession

Valley Public Radio

After educators assuage fears, more students applied for aid under the California Dream Act this year

Los Angeles Times

After a month of advocacy and efforts to reassure vulnerable students that filling out applications for financial aid would not put them at risk, the state has reached its goal for applications for aid under the California Dream Act, officials said Monday. The act allows many students who are in the country illegally — and those afforded temporary protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — to apply for financial aid packages available to others.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Valley air improving with continued burn restrictions

The Turlock Journal

Valley Air District would like to inform you of an AB617 event being hosted by the California Air Resources Board

California Air Resources Board

‘Bye Bye Mattress’ — a program that works

Capitol Weekly

Bye Bye Mattress is funded by a $10.50 recycling fee that is collected when mattresses and box springs are sold. One extraordinary but perhaps lesser known example of the state’s environmental leadership is the California Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act of 2013 (SB 254). This legislation established a statewide public-private partnership where mattress producers lead an effort to recover and recycle their products.

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.

Climate change skeptics run the Trump administration

POLITICO

President Donald Trump is filling the upper ranks of his administration with appointees who share his disbelief in the scientific evidence for climate change — giving them an opportunity to impose their views on policies ranging from disaster planning to national security to housing standards.

Energy:

California Would Require Electricity To Be 100 Percent Renewable By 2045 If This Bill Passes

Capital Public Radio

“If we pull that off, then we will be the largest users of energy in the world with such a goal,” said Skinner, who co-authored the bill. S.B. 100 was held in the Assembly last year after passing the Senate. Skinner says it’s a big deal for the sixth largest economy in the world to implement this policy.

Are California’s poor losing out in state’s drive for clean energy future?

OCRegister

California policymakers have been on overdrive in recent years pursuing a clean energy future for the Golden State. State policymakers have enacted scores of government mandates and programs to push employers and individuals to reduce emissions, including unrealistic renewable energy mandates, cap-and-trade, and its embrace of high-speed rail.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Dying vets cannot use life-ending drugs at many California veterans homes

The Mercury News

Suffering from heart problems, Bob Sloan told his children he wants to use California’s new law allowing life-ending drugs for the terminally ill when his disease becomes too advanced to bear. But then the 73-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant learned that because he lives at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville — the nation’s largest retirement home for veterans — he must first move out.

23andMe can now sell breast cancer genetic test with no prescription needed

San Francisco Chronicle

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Mountain View’s 23andMe to sell a test for a breast cancer genetic mutation directly to consumers — the first time the agency has allowed the sale of a genetic test for cancer risk without a doctor’s prescription.

Ambulance companies lose appeal over California Medicaid rates

Reuters

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by a group of private ambulance companies who challenged as unconstitutional the low rate at which California’s Medicaid program reimbursed them for transporting patients.

Human Services:

IMMIGRATION

For stories on ”Fed v. State on immigration,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

Immigration agency to delay premium processing for H-1B visas, lawyers say

San Francisco Chronicle

Officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indicated that the agency will temporarily delay the ability to fast-track certain H-1B applications this year, according to multiple lawyers. The move means some employers may not learn as quickly whether they can staff a position with a foreign worker.

After educators assuage fears, more students applied for aid under the California Dream Act this year

Los Angeles Times

Protesters rally against recent ICE actions across state

Modesto Bee

About a dozen people rallied in Salida on behalf of people targeted for deportation. Meanwhile, a new survey found that many San Joaquin Valley voters favor a program protecting the subset of this population known as Dreamers. Monday’s rally took place outside the district office of Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock. The United Farm Works staged this event and five others in the state to protest recent actions against undocumented people by the federal Immigrant and Customs Enforcement.

What it actually takes to bring a relative to the U.S.

Marketplace

In the debate over immigration, President Donald Trump has advocated for a system that favors skills over family reunification. He’s called for an end to so-called chain migration, claiming that under the current system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. But truth is, there’s very little that’s quick or easy about family migration.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

SCCCD district approves a move to downtown Fresno

The Fresno Bee

State Center Community College District trustees on Tuesday approved purchasing the 12-story Guarantee Building in downtown Fresno for $10.6 million, to function as the new District Office.

Housing:

Tiny home construction is underway in Old Town Clovis

KFSN-TV

The city of Clovis is flipping its new tiny house idea into big business for homeowners in Old Town by encouraging families to create more livable space on their property, it is called the Cottage Home Program.

Villaraigosa and Newsom want to build more houses in California than ever before. Experts see the candidates’ goal as an empty promise

Los Angeles Times

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa both have said they want developers in California to build a half million homes in a year — something that’s never happened, at least in modern history. And they want builders to do it for seven straight years, resulting in 3.5 million new homes from the time the next governor takes office through 2025. Those numbers are so out of scale with California’s history that they might be impossible to achieve.

California homeowners receive $6 billion a year in subsidies — 15 times more than renters, report finds

Los Angeles Times

Homeowners in California received nearly $6 billion in state tax subsidies last year, according to a new report that also revealed a wide gap between state support for homeowners and renters. The report from the California Housing Partnership, a nonprofit low-income housing advocate, found that homeowners in the state received billions in subsidies through being able to deduct interest on their mortgages and their property taxes from their state tax bills.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Bay Area homeowners hit hardest in new federal tax law

The Mercury News

Bay Area residents already face some of the highest housing prices in the country. And this year, some of the tax benefits of owning that valuable real estate will evaporate.

Earned income tax credit (EITC): Key Facts

State of California Franchise Tax Board

EITC is a refundable federal income credit designed for individuals and families with low to moderate incomes. Taxpayers may qualify for a refundable credit, which means that taxpayers without a tax liability may get a refund check from the government.

California’s $83 Billion of Bond Debt Isn’t Enough for Some

Bloomberg

California’s sale of $2.1 billion in bonds this week isn’t enough for some buyers and interest groups. The state is sitting on $31 billion of unsold bonds, about a fifth of the $149 billion approved by voters over the decades, according to a financial report by the state treasurer. And the state hasn’t matched recent voter enthusiasm for billion-dollar measures with immediate sales: most of the $17 billion added to the authorized pool since 2014 haven’t been issued.

TRANSPORTATION

Work on Calloway Drive at Westside Parkway to wrap up next month

Bakersfield Californian

Construction work to create two new right turn lanes on Calloway Drive at Westside Parkway is expected to be completed soon.

Self-driving cars are here. But shouting Californians are attacking them, DMV says

Sacramento Bee

It’s a good thing self-driving cars haven’t been programmed for road rage. If they had, the Californians who have taken to the streets this year to attack the vehicles — one man “with his entire body” — might have been in trouble.

WATER

Recent storm lessens the drought burden

Visalia Times-Delta

March could be the start of a comeback for Tulare County’s dry winter. Last week’s three-day storm brought parts of California more rain in hours than the state received the previous month. February is typically one of the wettest months of the year, meteorologists said.

SF to charge vacant-lot owners for rainwater that runs down the drain

San Francisco Chronicle

When it rains, it pours — and that has San Francisco water officials looking into charging property owners a new “storm-water fee” to help with the upkeep of the city’s aging sewer system. The first target will be the owners of vacant lots.

California sues Trump administration over water protection

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.

Binational water board plans upgrades to battle “crisis” of cross-border sewage

The San Diego Union-Tribune

In the wake of rising outcry in San Diego of cross-border flows of contaminated water, trash and sediment from Tijuana, Mexico is moving ahead with a series of short-term upgrades to Tijuana’s sewage collection and treatment system aimed at preventing such incidents, and responding with greater speed should they occur.

“Xtra”

Gene Gomes, Court of Appeal justice in Fresno, dies at 72

Fresno Bee

Gene M. Gomes, a justice on the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno, has died. He was 72. He died Tuesday at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno after battling a respiratory ailment for several weeks, according to friends. Gomes, a native son, was loved for his wit and wisdom, his fellow judges said.

Madera County builds first vegan restaurant

KFSN-TV

Driving into Oakhurst, a mural of a pin-up ranger greets visitors to the mountains. Inside the building adorned with the mural, the warm scent of food from the Love Cafe beckons customers. “I love this town and I love this community and I just want to say welcome,” says owner Tricia Louise Tracy.

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

Valley Public Radio

EDITORIALS

Trump is right on prison reform but should also embrace sentencing reforms

OCRegister

While withholding support for sentencing reforms, the Trump administration has reiterated its support for prison reform and expanding reentry programs for former prisoners. Last week, Trump administration officials said that among the key priorities of the White House are expanded work-training programs, partnerships with the private sector to help former prisoners find employment and expanded efforts to reduce recidivism.

Go ahead, Mr. President. Bring it on

Sacramento Bee

Immigrants, with and without papers, are part of California’s economic and social fabric. This state has long experience in balancing that reality with the need for law and order – and with the perils of allowing divisive and cynical interests to use foreign-born people as political pawns.

How sick is too sick to be executed?

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court last week agreed to hear a death penalty case that hinges on a fine point. The court has ruled in the past that it is unconstitutional to execute people who can’t understand why they face death at the hands of the state — usually people with mental illnesses or diminished intellectual abilities.

Faster track for transit-friendly housing

San Francisco Chronicle

BART’s oft-delayed trains look downright speedy next to the painful pace of housing development around its stations. Take the affordable-housing complex Casa Arabella, the second phase of which broke ground on a parking lot near Oakland’s Fruitvale Station last week. The occasion, as The Chronicle detailed, arrived nearly a quarter-century after plans for the area transit village took shape.

Trump tariffs’ most perverse effect: helping China

San Diego Union -Tribune

Has the United States — which has generally been a champion of free trade since World War II — been the victim of unfair trading practices by other nations? Certainly. It’s neither new or particularly unusual for nations to subsidize industries to try to get footholds in world markets.

Sensible reform needed to fix nation’s ADA

OCRegister

The Americans with Disabilities Act Education and Reform Act of 2017 is a vital opportunity to advance the mission of the ADA while protecting business owners from costly lawsuits. Since 1990, the ADA has served an important purpose by expanding access for disabled Americans to public places. Unfortunately, the law has all too often been abused, with serial litigants taking advantage of the law to file lawsuits purely for monetary gain. For instance, one serial litigant here in California has filed 2,000 lawsuits in federal court since 2004.

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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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