November 2, 2017

02Nov

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TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​ 

Local/Regional Politics:

Gas tax increase to pay for road repairs and maintenance statewide

Abc30

California raised the tax on gasoline by 12 cents a gallon, starting November 1, bringing ing the average cost of regular to 3.05 a gallon in Fresno. Although prices today ranged from $2.69 to $3.59 a gallon. The tax increase means out of every gallon of gas the state of California now gets more than 58 cents in sales and exise taxes. The Federal government gets more than 18 cents. So the total tax bite is almost 78 cents a gallon.

See also:

·       It’s a ‘miracle’: Caltrans to launch $270 million in local road projects with new state funding  Bakersfield Californian

·       Does California spend ‘nearly 5 times as much’ to build a mile of road as rest of nation?  PolitiFact California

California water sustainability rests on conservation

Sacramento Bee

Last week I attended a town hall meeting in Fresno where the topic was new dams and, more importantly, water in general. The five-member panel included two California assemblymen and one state senator, all from the San Joaquin Valley. The politicians were all on their game with answers and non-answers depending upon the questions. What struck me, most of all, was the disconnect between politics, political reality and science. One politician stated that California’s water supply has increased 1 percent since 1950, yet the population has tripled. He then mentioned how California needs more water; his fellow politicians reiterated this comment and expanded upon it referencing the need for more water for growth.

Whether based on FBI or local statistics, motor vehicle thefts up in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Among the myriad numbers contained in the FBI’s 2016 Crime in the United States report were statistics for a crime with a perennially high incidence in the Central Valley — auto thefts. According to the report, Kern had 2,170 motor vehicle thefts in 2016, a sizable increase from the 1,883 reported the year before. As bad as that might seem, those numbers lag far behind the statistics kept by the California Highway Patrol for the same crime.

Three Kings dairies get CDFA methane grants

Hanford Sentinel

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from manure on California dairy farms. Projects approved in Kings County include $3 million to Wreden Ranch near Hanford, $3 million to Hanford-area dairy Cloverdale and Hollandia Farms, also of Hanford, awarded $1.5 million. Each dairy had to put up substantially more for their projects in matching funds.

See also:

·       Tulare County dairies join first of its kind renewable energy project  Abc30

Tulare teachers could vote to cut class times, add courses

Visalia Times-Delta

More than 5,000 Tulare high schoolers could soon be spending less time in class. The catch — they’ll be taking more classes. Each year, local high school students sit down with parents, counselors and advisers to review possible courses of study, classes and extracurricular activities for the upcoming school year.

Before You Light A Fire, Check For “No Burn Days”

capradio.org

“Check Before You Burn” is what Central Valley residents can do to reduce air pollution this winter, and wood-burning fireplaces are the biggest source of that pollution. People from San Joaquin County down to Kern County will have days in which they cannot use their fireplaces to burn wood starting from November through the end of February. “Check Before You Burn” is a program that lets people know about those restrictions on No Burn Days.

Where are they now? Mike Machado

Capitol Weekly

It’s been almost 70 years since Michael J. Machado was born in San Joaquin County, but he still calls Linden home.

State Politics:

California’s gas tax went up Nov. 1. Here’s what you need to know

Los Angeles Times

A state gas tax increase of 12 cents per gallon kicks in today, and while the immediate impact will mean less money in motorists’ wallets, the long-term political fallout could roll into next year, when the higher levies are expected to be an issue in elections across California. The tax and a new vehicle fee are part of atransportation package approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in April. Republicans are rallying to try to attack the new law — two possible ballot initiatives aim to repeal the new tax.

See also:

·       Walters: As gas taxes jump, motorists may wonder where they’re going  CALmatters

·       As gas tax hike hits, California House Republicans talk up repeal  Los Angeles Times

·       Why are gas prices so high in California?  San Jose Mercury News

·       Does California spend ‘nearly 5 times as much’ to build a mile of road as rest of nation?  PolitiFact California

Globe-trotting Brown headed back to Europe

Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown, the state’s world-traveling governor, leaves Thursday for a two-week trip across Europe that culminates with him serving as as special adviser for states and regions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. Brown begins the trip with a keynote address this weekend at a climate summit organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican. Kevin de León, the state Senate president pro tem who is challenging U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also is scheduled to give remarks at the conference, along with U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat from San Diego.

Villaraigosa, Business Support and Prop 13

Fox and Hounds Daily

Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in a recent gubernatorial debate, made it clear that he thinks changes should be considered to Proposition 13. Advocating for a change in law that would raise taxes on commercial property could put in jeopardy business support for his candidacy that seemed to be growing. Villaraigosa’s stance on Proposition 13 is not new. As mayor of Los Angeles, he made a speech to the Sacramento Press Club six years ago advocating for what is known as a split roll—creating different property tax assessment rules for residential and commercial property. Comments on a New York Times news videoproduced last year discussing Proposition 13 also carried comments by Villaraigosa about a fix to the iconic tax measure as the program’s narrator discussed the split roll.

Worst question to ask a California Republican running for Governor: Where do you differ from Trump?

San Francisco Chronicle

Here’s one question that California’s Republican candidates for governor don’t want to hear, let alone answer: How are you different from President Trump? That’s because answering it is a no-win proposition for Republicans marooned west of the Sierra Nevada. So they do what politicians do best: They parse. They can’t say they love Trump, because only 27 percent of Californians think he’s doing a good job. And those haters aren’t all Democrats; only 27 percent of independents approve of Trump, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll.

AP Exclusive: Settlements cost Legislature $580K since 2012

Bakersfield Californian

The California Legislature paid at least $580,000 in the last five years to settle harassment, racism and other claims.  This provides the fullest picture yet of the level of taxpayer dollars spent since 2012 to settle claims.

See also:

·       California Democratic Party chief says lawmaker accused of groping must ‘come to terms’ over whether to resign  Los Angeles Times

Asm Arambula & Lenny Mendonca: California, we have a problem: Too many of us are poor

Fresno Bee

California has a problem: 18 million people, more than 1 in 3 Californians, live near or below the poverty line. It’s a problem compounded by a number of issues.

California Already Has a Basic Income Policy – It’s Called the EITC and It Should Be Expanded

California Budget & Policy Center

What do people who are struggling to make ends meet need most? The obvious answer: cash. While that answer is both intuitive and a long-held tenet of the anti-poverty community, heightened concern about rising levels of income and wealth inequality, and about the changing nature of work (automation, more prevalent use of independent contractors, etc.), is leading to increased interest in a “universal basic income” policy, or UBI. 

Testimony: The Need for College Graduates in California’s Future Economy

Public Policy Institute of California

The Master Plan for Higher Education in California  defined a strategy to meet the state’s education needs in 1960. Does it meet today’s workforce needs.

After tax cuts derailed the ‘California dream,’ is the state getting back on track?

The Conversation

In 1978, Proposition 13, which Californians approved in a referendum in June 1978, marked a turning point away from the kind of public investment in education, infrastructure and social services – as well as a shift in an attitude that welcomed all comers – that made the California dream a reality for so many.

Videos: Priorities for California’s Water

Public Policy Institute of California

This past year brought drought-busting rain and snow and severe wildfires—extremes that tested California’s systems for managing water supply and the natural environment and foreshadow conditions of a changing climate. In light of these challenges, a PPIC Water Policy Center event in Sacramento last week brought together experts to discuss ways forward in three areas: legislative priorities for cities, farms, and rural communities; partnerships that improve the health of ecosystems; and decisions for the Colorado River and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

See also:

·       California water sustainability rests on conservation  Sacramento Bee

California Doesn’t Have Enough Charging Stations to Hit Its Electric Car Goals

Bloomberg

In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown set a goal of putting 1.5 million electric vehicles on California roads by 2025. As of September, the state had 334,393 EVs. To get to 1.5 million, it needs to give drivers a lot more places to charge up. The state, however, wants utilities to play a big role in the buildout of charging stations. The power companies are eager to invest, seeing a growth opportunity, but before that can happen, officials need to sort out who will pay for it.

State worker unions get court victory in public records clash with conservative group

The News Tribune

A coalition of state worker unions was handed a court victory Tuesday in a long-running feud with a conservative organization trying to notify public employees of how they can opt out of paying some union dues. A panel of three judges in Division II of the state Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a lower court ruling, saying workers have constitutional privacy protections that bar the Freedom Foundation from getting the names and corresponding birth dates of employees through public records requests.

Federal Politics:

For stories on “tax reform” See: “Public Finance,” below

Democrat Tatiana Matta ramping up for campaign against McCarthy

Bakersfield Californian

A military wife and public relations professional from Rosamond is the latest name to appear as a candidate in the 2018 race for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s 23rd Congressional District. She is a native of Puerto Rico who moved from that U.S. territory to Delaware when she was young in order to learn English.

DOJ threatens to pull California’s funding over sanctuary state law

Fox News

Earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a so-called “sanctuary state” bill which basically erects a wall between California law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement officers. The bill forbids California cops from providing release and other information that isn’t publicly available in response to a request for notification from federal law enforcement.

CA Attorney General asks judge to reinstate DACA program until final court ruling

San Jose Mercury News

Local and state officials who filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program asked a federal judge on Wednesday to reinstate the program until there’s a final court ruling on the lawsuit.

Pelosi moves to muzzle Trump impeachment talk

POLITICO

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi offered a forced smile recently when asked on MSNBC about a Tom Steyer-sponsored ad that calls for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Pelosi played it off, but privately she was peeved. She told lawmakers at a Democratic leadership meeting soon after that she had reached out to the Democratic megadonor to tell him that his $10 million ad campaign is a distraction. (A source close to Steyer said he hasn’t spoken with Pelosi since the ad launched.)

See also:

·       Tom Steyer says Nancy Pelosi is “dead wrong” about his impeachment campaign  San Francisco Chronicle

·       Over 1 Million People Want Trump Impeached, as His Approval Rating Reaches Record Lows  Newsweek

The Democratic Civil War Is Getting Nasty, Even if No One Is Paying Attention

New Yorker

On the morning of October 5th, I arrived at the townhouse of Stanley Greenberg, the veteran Democratic strategist, on Capitol Hill, later that morning.  It was not the distractions of the Trump White House that had him worked up. Greenberg was still fuming about Hillary Clinton

A Post-Obama Democratic Party in Search of Itself

NYTimes.com

On Nov. 9, 2016, about 12 hours after Hillary Clinton conceded defeat to Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, convened a conference call with her fellow House Democrats. Most of them were still back home in their respective districts and still in shock. Not only would Trump be president, but the Senate remained in G.O.P. control, and — despite rosy predictions from Pelosi and her party’s pollsters — so did the House.

Other:

Still hospitalized, Las Vegas shooting victim Jessica Milam of Sanger glad to be alive

Fresno Bee

A few weeks ago, Ed Milam interrupted a doctor who kept “talking and talking” to ask a pointed question about his daughter, Jessica, who was lying unconscious in a Las Vegas hospital bed. “Are you sitting here telling me she’s probably not going to make it?”

The doctor’s response: “Yes.” Despite that harsh assessment, Jessica Milam survived, has endured two stints in intensive care, and is now recovering her strength. Of the past month, Ed Milam says, “It’s really been a roller coaster.”

See also:

·       Slide Fire starts selling bump stocks again  CNN

·       CA victims of Las Vegas shootings could receive funds from 2 states  KPCC

·       Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s brain shipped to Stanford for testing San Jose Mercury News

·       LA Times, other news outlets file lawsuits to obtain Las Vegas shooting records Los Angeles Times

·       Country music avoided politics this year. Then Las Vegas happened. Will anything change? Washington Post

·       Chiang wants CalPERS, CalSTRS to divest from gun retailers  Sacramento Bee

·       California’s teachers pension fund will consider divesting from gun retailers following mass shootings  Los Angeles Times

Facing tougher questions on Russian interference, social media giants vow to do better

PBS NewsHour

Facebook, Twitter and Google were back on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify before congressional intelligence committees on whether their platforms were used by Russia to impact the 2016 election. All three companies admitted fault, but they do not yet know the full scope of foreign interference on their platforms. Hari Sreenivasan reports on the unfolding investigation.

See also:

·       Number of Americans exposed to Russian propaganda rises, as tech giants testify  San Francisco Chronicle

·       Lawmakers slam social media giants for failing to block Russian ads and posts during 2016 campaign  Los Angeles Times

·       Sen. Kamala Harris On Social Media And Russian Propaganda  NPR

·       Using “public interest algorithms” to tackle the problems created by social media algorithms  Brookings Institute

·       Tech Giants Are Biggest Threat Facing Trump Supporters  American Greatness

EDITORIALS

Covered California health insurance market is alive and well

San Jose Mercury News

Despite the persistent efforts of President Trump and Republicans in Congress to sabotage the health insurance market, Covered California is alive and well. Open enrollment in the state’s exchange program began Wednesday and continues through Jan. 31. Thanks to careful planning, the vast majority of the 1.4 million enrolled in Covered California plans will be able to find affordable health insurance plans for 2018. Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee says 78 percent of the program’s enrollees can expect to see their costs actually decrease next year.

It’s tempting, but regulation isn’t the best way to rid Facebook, Twitter of fake news

Sacramento Bee

Congressional leaders are understandably fed up with pace of changes in Silicon Valley. But that’s no reason to infringe on the First Amendment.

Our View: Step up to help fight hunger

Stockton Record

It’s the time of year when people begin gearing up for the holidays. Thanksgiving is just three weeks away and it’s less than eight weeks until Christmas. Families will begin making plans to gather for food, frolicking and fun. And shopping will begin in earnest as we shower each other with gifts and experience the joy of giving. And yes, food will take center stage at…

Protecting solar panel manufacturers doesn’t help American workers, it punishes them

Los Angeles Times

President Trump has been the biggest advocate of protectionism to occupy the White House since Herbert Hoover, who signed a notorious tariff-raising law in 1930 that deepened the Great Depression. So far, though, the Trump administration has taken a limited, more conventional approach to trade…

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Fresno Chambers honors agriculturalist, ag business of the year

The Business Journal

Although he was named agriculturalist of the year Wednesday by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Don Cameron started his acceptance speech giving credit to the people who work for him.

Three Kings dairies get CDFA methane grants

Hanford Sentinel

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from manure on California dairy farms. Projects approved in Kings County include $3 million to Wreden Ranch near Hanford, $3 million to Hanford-area dairy Cloverdale and Hollandia Farms, also of Hanford, awarded $1.5 million. Each dairy had to put up substantially more for their projects in matching funds.

See also:

·       Tulare County dairies join first of its kind renewable energy project  Abc30

USDA issues public health alert for Trader Joe’s salad over listeria concerns

Fresno Bee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert Tuesday for a certain type of Trader Joe’s salad. There are concerns that salads with chicken meat products produced by Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods of Vallejo were possibly contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the USDAThere isn’t a recall because all of the products are believed to be past their “use-by” dates and are no longer being sold.

Arvin considers allowing indoor cannabis cultivation

Bakersfield Californian

The County of Kern and the City of Bakersfield are apparently united in banning all commercial cannabis activity, but the City of Arvin may have other ideas. The small, rural community, about half an hour south of Bakersfield, is looking to allow the indoor cultivation of commercial marijuana. The city’s planning commission voted 4-1 on Monday to approve a resolution recommending that an ordinance to that effect be approved by the Arvin City Council. The council will discuss it Nov. 7. 

Fears of a Black Market After California Bans Some Commercial Breeding

KQED

California is now the first state to ban pet stores from selling animals from commercial breeders, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

For stories on Las Vegas mass shooting and ”gun control,” See: “Top Stories – Other,” above

Crime:

Police enforce city’s anti-camping ordinance in central Fresno

Fresno Bee

Residents of a homeless encampment that sprang up in central Fresno overnight were told that they needed to gather their possessions and move on Wednesday by police enforcing the city’s new ban on homeless camping.

Embezzlement charge filed against ex-Miracle Mile head

Stockton Record

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint in Superior Court this week charging Mimi Nguyen with embezzling nearly $60,000 from the Miracle Mile Improvement District, the business association she led until her resignation under pressure in late July. A report compiled by a forensic accountant says Nguyen’s alleged unauthorized transactions included 196 purchases of clothing and fitness gear totaling $37,519. The report says 40 of those transactions, at a cost of nearly $8,700, were at lululemon, an upscale yoga boutique with locations around Northern California.

Fire:

Storm forecast brings fear of toxic runoff from wine country burn zones

Los Angeles Times

With the first major storm of autumn threatening to dump snow and rain over Northern California this weekend, environmental officials are scrambling to contain potentially toxic runoff from the ash and debris of wine country burn zones.

PG&E chops earnings outlook over possible firestorm liability

San Jose Mercury News

PG&E slashed its earnings estimates for 2017 due to taking on liability insurance in the wake of the lethal firestorms that torched the North Bay wine country and killed 43 people. The reduced estimates arrived as part of the company’s financial results for the third quarter covering the July-through-September period, during which PG&E earned $553 million, up sharply by 41.4 percent from the year-ago third quarter. Revenue totaled $4.52 billion, down 6.1 percent from the year before.

Weeks after wildfires, California wine country is ‘as beautiful as ever’ — and hurting for visitors

Washington Post

Northern California wine country wants you to know: It is open for business.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Trump Selects Powell for Fed Chairman, Replacing Yellen

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell to the top job at the U.S. central bank. In Powell, he’ll select a former private-equity executive who favors continuing gradual interest-rate increases and sympathizes with White House calls to ease financial regulations. Market reaction to the news was muted, given broad expectations that Powell would be the pick. The dollar retreated slightly in Asian trading Thursday, and Treasury yields dipped. S&P 500 futures were down modestly as traders consider prospects for U.S. tax cuts.

See also:

·       Who Is Jerome Powell? Fortune

·       Powell for Federal Reserve chair could support stocks bull market  Reuters

·       Janet Yellen’s job explained in 5 questions Marketplace

Jobs:

Trump’s top economist offers solution to unemployment: More government jobs

POLITICO

President Donald Trump’s top economist has an unusual idea for dealing with the problem of long-term unemployment: Just have the government hire people. That’s a New Deal-style idea more closely associated with highly progressive Democrats

WILL: To boost job growth, target these regulations

AEI

Back in August the Tax Foundation released a helpful chart comparing the “Folk Theory” of tax reform to how neoclassical economists view tax reform (AEIdeas blogged about this at the time). The chart was illustrative in a few ways, but its main point was that how laypeople view tax reform significantly differs from how economists understand it. Well, I don’t have a nifty chart for this, but I’d bet there is similar discrepancy in how the public and economists view regulation.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Silicon Valley Tried to Reinvent Schools. Now It’s Rebooting

Bloomberg Technology

Max Ventilla sold investors on a promise to build modern, technology-infused schools that would revolutionize education.

Suspension, expulsion rates fall sharply in California, but racial and ethnic disparities remain

EdSource

School suspensions and expulsions in California public schools have dropped dramatically among all racial and ethnic groups over the past five years but a significant gap remains for African-American students, according to new state data released Wednesday.

Higher Ed:

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education

Public Policy Institute of California

Most Californians (56%) say affordability is a big problem in the state’s public colleges and universities. Only 18 percent say overall quality is a big problem.  Half of Californians are very concerned that increased federal immigration

See also:

·       In annual survey, Californians give public colleges high marks but say affordability is key Los Angeles Times

·       Poll finds high housing cost is barrier to college education in California  San Francisco Chronicle

·       Only 35 percent of whites in California think college is necessary, poll finds San Jose Mercury News

·       Californians worry about the cost of college though many say college is not needed for a successful life EdSource

California State faculty still upset about remedial ed changes but compromises emerging

EdSource

Protests still surround a California State University plan to eliminate remedial education and overhaul other undergraduate requirements, but hints are emerging of a possible compromise between administrators and faculty on timing and implementation.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

‘It can become unlivable.’ How Jerry Brown is planning for raging fires and extreme heat

Sacramento Bee

“That’s the way it is with a warming climate, dry weather and reducing moisture,” Brown warned. “These kinds of catastrophes have happened, they’ll continue to happen, and we have to be prepared to do everything we can to mitigate.” California efforts to prepare for climate change already have begun.

Energy:

Three Kings dairies get CDFA methane grants

Hanford Sentinel

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded $35.2 million in grant funding to 18 dairy digester projects across the state. These projects, part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from manure on California dairy farms. Projects approved in Kings County include $3 million to Wreden Ranch near Hanford, $3 million to Hanford-area dairy Cloverdale and Hollandia Farms, also of Hanford, awarded $1.5 million. Each dairy had to put up substantially more for their projects in matching funds.

See also:

·       Tulare County dairies join first of its kind renewable energy project  Abc30

 HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Covered California kicks-off open enrollment

Hanford Sentinel

Covered California kicked-off its fifth open enrollment period Wednesday and will stay open for three months for anyone interested in purchasing a health insurance plan. “While we know there is confusion because of the uncertainty in Washington, we want people to know that Covered California is rock solid,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, in a press release. “We’re offering stability, choice and affordable options in 2018 in the face of uncertainty in much of the country.” 

How should we fight the opioid crisis? A White House commission offered these 56 strategies

PBS NewsHour

President Donald Trump’s opioid commission said to fight the opioid crisis, the country should increase federal funding and addiction prevention programs, expand federal drug courts and devise new law enforcement strategies to reduce opioid supply, according to a final report it sent to the White House. The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, spent the last seven months surveying the opioid crisis as it continued to unfold across the United States, gathering testimony and public input from health and law enforcement, policymakers and individuals and families.

See also:

·       U.S. Must Do More to Combat Opioid Abuse, Panel Says  WSJ.

Here’s the next way the Trump administration could go after abortion providers

Washington Post

Republicans haven’t succeeded in stripping Medicaid dollars from Planned Parenthood. But the Trump administration could soon go after abortion providers in another way — with new restrictions on the federal family planning program. In the next week or so, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to release a notice of funding for what’s known as the Title X program, which annually awards $280 million in grants to clinics around the country for providing birth control and other family planning services to about 4 million Americans, most of them low-income.

IMMIGRATION

Facing Discrimination In Public Life, Latinos Stay Positive About Government

capradio.org

Latinos say institutional discrimination, including discrimination while trying to vote or participate in politics, is a problem in America today. However, when asked, many Latinos reported feeling better about their local government. That’s according to a new survey out this week from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The survey found that 15 percent of Latinos say they’ve been discriminated against personally when trying to vote or participate in politics because they are Latino. Separately, 1 in 10 says that where he or she lives, other Latinos are “often” discriminated against in voting or politics.

LAND USE/HOUSING

PUBLIC FINANCES

House GOP releases sweeping plan to cut taxes

POLITICO

House Republican leaders unveiled a tax plan Thursday that would make sweeping changes in corporate and individual taxes, including deep tax cuts, limits to the mortgage interest deduction and bigger family tax credits. It also includes provisions that are likely to stoke controversy and fierce lobbying, including limiting the deduction of mortgage interest for newly purchased homes up to $500,000, according to a summary.

See also:

·       What the Republican Tax Plan Means for You WSJ

·       Here’s what the GOP tax reform plan would mean for families, businessesPBS NewsHour

·       What We Know About the GOP Tax Bill Ahead of Today’s Rollout  Bloomberg

·       Long-awaited U.S. Republican legislation calls for deep tax cuts Reuters

·       Republicans formally roll out tax plan  CBS News

·       Conservatives lament retention of top tax rate in GOP plan, but the wealthy still reap big benefits  Los Angeles Times

·       House Republicans are considering making their giant corporate tax cut temporary Business Insider

·       Podcast: Republicans Tinker With Tax Plan, As Lobbyists Dig In Roll Call

·       The budget gimmick that undermines public and private finances Brookings Institute

·       House GOP tax plan would place new limits on mortgage interest deductionLos Angeles Times

·       The Latest: House GOP eyes mortgage interest deduction AP

·       Tax Bill’s Political Landmines WSJ

·       Why A 39.6% Top Bracket Might Be The Key To Tax Reform Forbes

·       Why the GOP believes in a decades-old tax myth Marketplace

·       Trump: ‘I will be blaming Mnuchin and Cohn’ for any trouble with tax reformPOLITICO

·       A Bipartisan Plan to Cut Corporate Taxes WSJ

TRANSPORTATION

Fresno pipeline work closes Palm Avenue for 3 weeks

Fresno Bee

Palm Avenue between Belmont Avenue and H Street were closed on Monday and will remain closed around the clock for about three weeks. The closure is for construction of a large-diameter pipeline that will carry drinking water for city residents from a new water treatment plant in southeast Fresno. It is part of the city’s Recharge Fresno program to reduce reliance on pumped groundwater and help recharge the water table.

Clinton overpass now open

abc30.com

The Clinton overpass has opened back up to traffic after months of being closed.

WATER

Mariposa County crews preparing for possible flash flooding

Abc30

Public works crews are cleaning storm drains alongside roadways throughout burned areas of the Detwiler Fire, before rainfall can cause possible flash floods this coming weekend.”

California water sustainability rests on conservation

Sacramento Bee

Last week I attended a town hall meeting in Fresno where the topic was new dams and, more importantly, water in general. The five-member panel included two California assemblymen and one state senator, all from the San Joaquin Valley. The politicians were all on their game with answers and non-answers depending upon the questions. What struck me, most of all, was the disconnect between politics, political reality and science. One politician stated that California’s water supply has increased 1 percent since 1950, yet the population has tripled. He then mentioned how California needs more water; his fellow politicians reiterated this comment and expanded upon it referencing the need for more water for growth.

Oroville Dam ready for rainy season, DWR says

Sacramento Bee

The Oroville Dam flood control spillway has been fixed.

See also:

·       Water Agency Meets Key Oroville Deadline, But Faces Skepticism About Its Future Role  KQED

·       California launches overall safety review at tallest US dam SFGate

A massive storm flooded Houston. Experts say California’s state capital could be next.

The Washington Post

Even living here on the West Coast, Marion Townsend decided to act as floods ravaged Texas and hurricanes pounded the Caribbean in recent weeks.

Audio: Rising temperatures sucking water out of the Colorado River

89.3 KPCC

Rising temperatures are undermining the source of one third of Southern California’s drinking water: the Colorado River. A new study by the US Geological Survey finds the river’s flow has shrunk by about seven percent over the past 30 years. As air temperature rises due to increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, more water is sucked into the atmosphere from the snowpack and the river itself instead of flowing downstream. The amount that has evaporated is equal to approximately 24 percent of the total amount of California’s annual Colorado River allocation.