TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
Protesters face off near site of Joe Arpaio speech in Fresno
Fresno Bee
Joe Arpaio talked about being accused of racism, his misdemeanor conviction in federal court, former President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, the proposed border wall with Mexico, NFL protests and other topics in an at-times rambling news conference prior to his speech to the Fresno County GOP on Friday.
See also:
· Protests Over Joe Arpaio Appearance by 300+ Democrats, Republicans, Antifa? KMJ
· Arpaio on DACA: ‘Put them on an airplane’ The Fresno Bee\
· Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio comes to California, dividing Republicans trying to reach Latino voters LA Times
The city of Bakersfield spends what on what? You can look it all up online
The City of Bakersfield has created a new online tool aimed at making it easier for the public to understand and evaluate the city’s budget.
City of Bakersfield water rate increase to kick in Sunday
Bakersfield Californian
If they haven’t been keeping up on the news, city water customers are in for a nasty surprise when they go to pay their next bill.
Group petitioning for signalized 24th Street crosswalk
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield resident Gary Enns and his family frequently walk or bike across the Alder/A street crosswalk on 24th Street to get to the heart of downtown.
Chukchansi tribe to hold open enrollment days before election
Sierra Star
For the first time many in the tribe could remember, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians announced it will allow open enrollment, mere days before its annual council election Saturday, Oct. 7.
Living in Merced County makes finding healthy food harder for some, analysis says
Merced Sun-Star
If you’re living in Merced County, chances are unhealthy food is going to be a lot easier to find than nutritional food. In some Merced and Los Banos neighborhoods, the amount of fast food restaurants outweigh the number of playgrounds and parks.
Tulare Regional Medical Center Board files for bankruptcy
Tulare Regional Medical Center board of directors is fighting to regain control of the hospital, which sits on the brink of financial ruin.
See also:
· Kaweah Delta Ready to help TRMC over hospital shutdown Visalia Times Delta
· Tulare hospital struggling to stay open The Fresno Bee
Farmersville council seeking for new city manager
Farmersville City Manager John Jansons has announced he is stepping down.
Tulare police chief on administrative leave – Visalia Times-Delta
Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare Police Department Chief Wes Hensley is on administrative leave. City Manager Joe Carlini said he couldn’t provide details surrounding the decision to remove Hensley from office.
State Politics:
Los Angeles Times
The former member of the state Assembly cited being a single mother, as well as her work as a consultant and on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, for her decision to resign.
California Politics Podcast: Lawmakers say their focus on housing has just begun
LA Times
For months, lawmakers in Sacramento said that their effort to pass a package of bills aimed at California’s housing woes was only the beginning.
Jerry Brown signs new California affordable housing laws
Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed a robust package of housing legislation aimed at addressing California’s unprecedented affordability crisis.
John Chiang’s tax returns show state income
Sacramento Bee
Democrat John Chiang, a candidate for California governor in 2018, and his wife earned an average of nearly $185,000 a year in income and paid a combined tax rate of more than 23 percent, according to six years of returns reviewed Friday by The Sacramento Bee.
See also:
· A government paycheck makes up most of California treasurer John Chiang’s income, taxes show Los Angeles Times
Has Gavin Newsom ‘flip-flopped’ on California’s high-speed rail?
PolitiFact California
High-speed rail has wedged itself into the 2018 campaign for California governor, splitting the current top two Democrats in the race.
Where in the world is Mayor Garcetti?
Los Angeles Times
One day after securing the 2028 Olympics for Los Angeles in Peru this month, Mayor Eric Garcetti greeted reporters on a noisy tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. It was an appropriate setting for Garcetti, whose travels have taken him to Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Berlin, among other places, in the last year. As Garcetti flirts with the idea of running for president, he is also testing the public’s willingness to tolerate his absences.
Democrats line up for lieutenant governor race
San Francisco Chronicle
In California, the lieutenant governor’s job comes with little power, a tiny staff and a boatload of built-in ridicule, but that’s not stopping a passel of current and would-be politicians from making it one of the most sought-after posts on next year’s ballot.
John Myers: A sloppy signature might keep your 2018 ballot from being counted
LA Times
New 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
California bill takes aim at dark money in politics — will Jerry Brown sign it?
San Jose Mercury News
The barely legible print that briefly flashes on-screen at the end of political ads will be gone, replaced by information people can clearly read, if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a closely watched bill targeting “dark money” in campaigns.
GOP Tax Plan: What We Know and What We Don’t
WSJ
Party’s framework shows sharply lower rates and leaves some details to Congress
See also:
· OMB’s Mulvaney: Trump has 2 ‘red lines’ in tax bill POLITICO
· The GOP tax plan has fewer tax brackets and bigger deductions, but is light on details Marketplace
·
Why Trump’s tax plan may be the best thing for California’s rickety tax system
Los Angeles Times
· Wealthy, not middle class, would be big winners in GOP tax plan, study says POLITICO
· Cohn: ‘Our opening and final offer are on the table’ on taxes POLITICO
· Schumer points to Kansas to criticize Trump’s tax plan POLITICO
· Silicon Valley all in on tax reform POLITICO
· State & Local Tax Deduction from Federal Taxes: Eliminate It National Review
· Reagan cut taxes, revenue boomed AEI
· Community Voices: Tax plan could hurt local charities where it counts bakersfield.com
Kamala Harris thinks the US isn’t as split as it seems
AP
Making her first high-profile foray into the Southern black church, California Sen. Kamala Harris told a Georgia congregation founded by former freed slaves that the United States remains wracked by racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination that flout the nation’s core values. But the rising Democratic Party star added that Americans aren’t as split as “forces of hate and division” suggest.
See also:
· Kamala Harris’ powerful riposte to Trump: ‘Racism is real in this country’ The Guardian
Congress misses deadline to reauthorize childrens’ health care program
TheHill
Congress missed a deadline to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) over the weekend, leaving federal funding to expire at the end of the month, according to ABC News.
Scientists test running for key House seats held by the GOP in Trump era
San Francisco Chronicle
Help could be on the way for voters frustrated by congressional Republicans who repeatedly attempt to overhaul health care and shrug off the impacts of climate change: A growing number of doctors, scientists and technology professionals are running for Congress.
Trump Takes Aim at Last California Republicans
Bloomberg
It’s hard to know exactly what shape Republican “tax reform” will take. Many details are missing from the “framework” that the administration presented this week. (Describing actions, or promises of action, by the Donald Trump administration often necessitates the use of quotation marks.) But it must have seemed a good idea to someone to complement Trump’s culture war against liberals with a fiscal war.
: Maybe California has a couple of reasons to be paranoid
CALmatters
Just because you’re paranoid, the old saying goes, doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.
Other:
Las Vegas Shooting: President Donald Trump addresses nation
The Fresno Bee
President Donald Trump called the worst shooting in U.S. history “an act of pure evil” in remarks to the nation Monday morning, but said “the answers do not come easy.”
See also:
· Largest US mass shooting in history: Mandalay Bay casino resort in Las Vegas Jason Aldean concert at least 50 dead The Fresno Bee
· Las Vegas Gun Laws: Open Carry, Concealed Weapon, Machine Guns All Legal in Nevada Newsweek
· James Fallows: The Certainty of More Mass Shootings The Atlantic
· David Frum: When Prayer Alone Does Not Suffice The Atlantic
Divisive words distract from reasons NFL players began protests
San Francisco Chronicle
Prepare for another Sunday of political football — at least during the pregame ceremonies. On one side will be players taking a knee and teams linking arms or skipping the national anthem altogether, while on the other will be politicians — one in particular — calling the protests unpatriotic and disrespectful of the flag.
EDITORIALS
Here’s how Jerry Brown can help protect vulnerable people, voting integrity and local control
Fresno Bee
If nursing home operators alter evidence and are caught, they ought to be made to pay a price.
See also:
· Some legislation that needs Gov. Brown’s signature or his veto Modesto Bee
Fresno Bee
Mural gives a jolt to the neighborhood coffee house; Arte Americas gets $100K donation; Garry Bredefeld goes on a rant at City Hall.
Hultgren far better choice than Gonzalves
Merced Sun-Star
Merced Irrigation District needs a steady hand, not someone who capable of disgusting, juvenile acts of vandalism
Amid fake-news revelations, tech titans deserve far more than public shaming
Sacramento Bee
Not only did fake news influence voters, but the proliferation of it was a highly coordinated affair, with Russian operatives buying targeted political ads.
Feeling like we’ve taken a presidential knee, we prepare for ‘massive’ tax cuts
Sacramento Bee
Trump and Republicans have turned to what the president promises will be a “massive tax cut.” What could possibly go wrong?
Should the Bay Area expect the Puerto Rico treatment when The Big One hits?
San Jose Mercury News
When The Big One strikes the Bay Area, not Trump territory, U.S. response will look more like San Juan than Houston
Like it or not, everyone is allowed to have their say
Stockton Record
The past year has seen an increased focus on freedom of speech, most recently with the NFL national anthem protests and the protests at the University of California, Berkeley. It was just a week ago that conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos made a quick appearance at Berkeley…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Los Angeles Times
California produced at least 13.5 million pounds of marijuana last year — five times more than the 2.5 million pounds it consumed.
California Inc.: The impact of DACA on state’s agriculture industry
Los Angeles Times
Young immigrants: How will President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program impact the California agriculture industry?
Pot legalization in California brings a bonanza of government jobs
Los Angeles Times
Scientists. Tax collectors. Typists. Analysts. Lawyers. And more scientists. Recreational marijuana use becomes legal in California in 2018, and one of the things to blossom in the emerging industry isn’t green and leafy, it’s government jobs.
See also:
· Government jobs sprouting as legal pot looms in California Washington Post
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Helping Small Businesses Deal with Cyber Threats
RAND
As important as the protection of critical infrastructure run by the largest corporations is, another significant challenge could undermine U.S. economic vitality and growth. Small businesses (those employing fewer than 100 people or with less than $50 million in annual revenue) contribute greatly to economic growth in the United States. The 28 million small businesses here employ half the entire workforce. Yet they have largely been left out of the cybersecurity conversation.
Public Safety:
Tulare police chief on administrative leave – Visalia Times-Delta
Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare Police Department Chief Wes Hensley is on administrative leave. City Manager Joe Carlini said he couldn’t provide details surrounding the decision to remove Hensley from office.
ECONOMY / JOBS
California fires a shot at Tesla over its labor policies
Los Angeles Times
To entrepreneur Elon Musk, building Tesla electric vehicles is about creating “one of the great companies of the 21st century,” one that is “fair and just … the only kind worth creating.”
EDUCATION
K-12:
Students’ progress stalls on California’s standardized tests
LA Times
California’s students stagnated on the state’s standardized tests this year. The tests are supposed to measure their understanding of Common Core standards in math and English.
See also:
· Dan Walters: Latest academic tests underscore California’s education crisis CALmatters
· California must find and fix its worst public schools. Here’s one way to start Los Angeles Times
Dan Walters: Legislature muffs a chance to improve the lives of our children
Bakersfield Californian
California legislators had a rare opportunity this year to make a significant improvement in the lives of millions of children at little or no cost — and they muffed it.
BCSD superintendent stresses excellence during annual ‘state of district’ address
There are few new district-wide initiatives at the Bakersfield City School District this year, Superintendent Harry “Doc” Ervin stressed during a “state of the district” address delivered Friday morning.
See also:
· BCSD kicks off new year of Parent University bakersfield.com
Clovis Unified probes racially demeaning social media messages
The Fresno Bee
Part of a conversation on Snapchat appears to show its users discussing black Americans by using demeaning language and images. The Clovis Unified School District said it is investigation after becoming aware the message might have come by students in its district.
See also:
· Clovis superintendent releases statement about racist Snapchat messages The Fresno Bee
How Schools Are Dealing With Students’ Right To Protest
After more than 200 NFL players took a knee on Sunday during the national anthem to protest police brutality, public schools across the country have grappled with how to handle students who chose to protest in the same manner.
Help sexual assault victims in CA schools, Jerry Brown told
The Sacramento Bee
Thirty members of California’s Congressional delegation are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign into law a bill that would require California schools, from K-12 to college-level, to more rigorously address sexual violence and harassment in schools.
Borenstein: School bond secrecy lobby prevails again in Sacramento
San Jose Mercury News
The school bond secrecy lobby prevailed again. Attempts to alert voters about the cost of school bonds have died in the state Legislature. Your school trustees would rather win than be transparent.
California teachers, other school employees could get 6 weeks paid maternity leave
San Francisco Chronicle
Almost all teachers and other employees in California public schools and community colleges would get six weeks of fully paid maternity leave starting next year under a bill that is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s approval.
Can Teaching Civics Save Democracy?
NPR
Young adults are losing faith in American democracy and have difficulty distinguishing between “fake news” and reliable news. That’s according to a new research paper out from Tufts University.
CSUB College Republicans drop plan to bring Yiannopoulos to campus, blame university policies
Bakersfield Californian
Milo Yiannopoulos will not be coming to Cal State Bakersfield.
The CSUB College Republicans group, facing a deadline Friday to finalize an Oct. 25 speaking event with university officials, has dropped its efforts to bring the controversial conservative firebrand to Bakersfield.
Are College Campuses Rewriting the Rules of Sex in America?
Event Zócalo Public Square
America’s college campuses have become crucial testing grounds—and, at times, battlegrounds—as the country grapples with rapidly changing modes and mores of sexual behavior and expression. Fraternities are being scrutinized for promoting a culture of alcohol-fueled male privilege and presumption. Lecture halls and quads ring out with passionate debates about how to set the ground rules for sexual consent.
ProPelled: The Effects of Grants on Graduation, Earnings, and Welfare
NBER
We estimate the effect of grant aid on poor college students’ attainment and earnings using student-level administrative data from four-year public colleges in Texas.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Ban on gas car sales proposed by California lawmaker
Sacramento Bee
France and the United Kingdom are doing it. So is India. And now one lawmaker would like California to follow their lead in phasing out gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles.
Scientists may have found a solution to the atmosphere’s methane mystery
When it comes to climate change, we know where the most important warming agent — carbon dioxide — is coming from. Most of it is coming from the burning of fossil fuels, with additional contributions from deforestation and other causes.
3 ways to link girls’ education actors to climate action
Brookings Institution
Recent incidents of severe weather and flooding in Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, the United States, and the Caribbean are once again heightening anxiety about climate change. What is the human impact on climate change, and what are the most effective policies and programs for mitigating this impact? In our new paper, Three Platforms for Girls’ Education in Climate Strategies, we show evidence that educating girls is one of the most effective but overlooked ways to mitigate against climate change, and present three platforms on which actors can be a part of this pursuit.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
See articles about Tulare Regional Medical Center under “Top Stories – Local/Regional,” above
Other States Closely Watching Fate of California’s Drug Price Transparency Bill
KQED News
Insurers, hospitals and health advocates are waiting for Gov. Jerry Brown to deal the drug lobby a rare defeat, by signing legislation that would force pharmaceutical companies to justify big price hikes on drugs in California.
See also:
· Absent federal action, states take the lead on curbing drug costs Washington Post
California’s right-to-die law: One woman’s last days have powerful impact on family and friends
San Jose Mercury News
Jil Finnegan wanted to die on the anniversary of the day she married Geoff Protz 14 years ago. The pact that the petite environmental engineer made with her husband wasn’t meant to be macabre. If anything, the couple agreed, it was a way to complete the circle of their marriage vows.
Congress misses deadline to reauthorize childrens’ health care program
TheHill
Congress missed a deadline to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) over the weekend, leaving federal funding to expire at the end of the month, according to ABC News.
Why Medi-Cal enrollees gain coverage but not broad access to doctors
Sacramento Bee
Medi-Cal enrollee Michael Gonzalez worked for months in 2015 to get to the Sutter specialists who ultimately treated his thyroid cancer, so he felt undermined this summer when Sutter Health announced that its primary-care doctors would no longer be serving 10,000 adult patients in Sacramento and Placer counties.
Ex-Medicare head says Trump ‘purposely’ raising insurance premiums
TheHill
The former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under President Obama blamed President Trump on Friday for rising health-care premiums around the country.
Savings from a Single-Payer Health System Would Not Be Automatic
RAND
Discussion of single-payer health care systems increased somewhat last week with the introduction by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) of his Medicare-for-all legislation. Polls have shown increasing public support for single payer. Yet there is no agreement on how to set up and pay for a single-payer system in the U.S. or how much that system would cost. Advocates assert that a single-payer system would cost less than the status quo, but the savings are not automatic, and how much it would save is far from clear.
So Far, All GOP Health Proposals Would Mean More Decisions, Less Money for States
Pew Charitable Trust | Stateline
Under Graham-Cassidy, the states would have lost $205 billion in federal health funding between 2020 and 2026, one analysis found.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2017
Everyday Health
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer risks, the value of screening and early detection, and treatment options available to women and men who are diagnosed with one of the many forms of breast cancer. More than 249,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year, and nearly 41,000 die from the disease.
IMMIGRATION
California Inc.: The impact of DACA on state’s agriculture industry
Los Angeles Times
Young immigrants: How will President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program impact the California agriculture industry?
Essential California: ICE targets ‘sanctuary cities,’ including LA and San Francisco
Los Angeles Times
Immigration officials on Thursday announced hundreds of arrests in an operation targeting communities where police and elected officials have refused to fully cooperate on enforcing federal immigration laws. ICE said it arrested 167 people in and around Los Angeles, a region in which several cities and counties have been tagged by justice officials as being so-called sanctuaries — a loosely defined term used to describe local governments that restrict police from assisting immigration authorities identify and detain people suspected of being in the country illegally.
See also:
· Trump administration targets ‘sanctuary’ cities in latest wave of immigration arrests The Washington Post
On ‘Dreamers’ Deal, Democrats Face a Surprising Foe: The Dreamers
New York Times
As Democrats warily prepare to negotiate an immigration deal with President Trump, they face an unexpected political foe: many of the 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants threatened with deportation whom they are championing.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Clovis Creates Cottage Home Plans For Downtown Residents
Valley Public Radio
California is the in the middle of a housing crisis. With the cost of home ownership rising, city leaders in Clovis are considering the introduction of smaller homes as a solution. They have approved a new program that aims to clear the way for residents in Downtown Clovis to build what they call “cottages” along alleyways.
California Will Strengthen “Anti-NIMBY Act” As Part Of Housing Package
Gov. Jerry Brown will sign a package of bills Friday that seek to address California’s exorbitant housing costs.
Housing:
Fresno City Hall becomes host to a giant slumber party
The Fresno Bee
Tents littered the front lawn of Fresno City Hall on Friday night during a protest of the camping ban that went into effect the same day.
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Jerry Brown has finalized lawmakers’ most robust response to California’s housing affordability problems in recent memory.
See also:
· Housing bills signed by the Governor Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
· Jerry Brown signs new California affordable housing laws Sacramento Bee
· Affordable housing bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Sacramento Bee
· California Will Strengthen “Anti-NIMBY Act” As Part Of Housing Package capradio.org
· Brown Brings Housing Bills Home capradio.org
How sky-high housing costs make California the poorest state
San Francisco Chronicle
California leads the nation once again in a statistic no state wants to boast about. When the cost of living is factored in, the Golden State has the highest poverty rate in the country.
Dying shopping malls can make room for new condos and apartments, helping ease the housing crisis
Los Angeles Times
In the San Fernando Valley, there are plans to level a nearly vacant mall and replace it with some 1,400 homes, boutique retail shops and a concert venue.
PUBLIC FINANCES
For stories on “Tax Reform,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
Government jobs sprouting as legal pot looms in California
The Sacramento Bee
Recreational marijuana use becomes legal in California in 2018, and one of the things to blossom in the emerging industry isn’t green and leafy – it’s government jobs.
CalPERS considers paying down new debt faster
Calpensions
CalPERS plans to get local government reaction to a proposed new policy that would pay down new pension debt over a shorter period, yielding big savings in the long run but also requiring larger payments in the early years.
CalPERS candidates say ballots aren’t secret, and they’re piling up at a Seattle warehouse
Sacramento Bee
Mail-in ballots for the CalPERS election that ends on Monday ask voters to sign them right below their choice, potentially revealing how people voted for two seats on the 13-member board that manages a $334 billion pension fund.
Cities Facing Fiscal Mess Plead with CalPERS as Pensions Consume Budgets
PublicCEO
If you ask the union-controlled California Public Employees’ Retirement System about the state’s looming pension crisis, you’re likely to get this answer: What pension crisis?
Memo to Trump: There is no looming ‘retirement crisis’
AEI
Retirement incomes are rising. The president ought to rethink his pledge not to touch Social Security.
TRANSPORTATION
California bullet train costs up $1.7 billion for Central Valley segment
Los Angeles Times
The California bullet train project, already mired by major delays and rising costs, is facing $1.7 billion in cost overruns on a 119-mile segment currently under construction through the Central Valley, a 27% jump over the original estimate, according to new documents
See also:
· Has Gavin Newsom ‘flip-flopped’ on California’s high-speed rail? PolitiFact California
Pro-business groups battle Republicans over California gas tax
Orange County Register
Orange and Los Angeles county business groups, usually Republicans’ allies, are part of a coalition that has warned GOP Congress members of a “powerful effort” to counter those who support the repeal of the state’s new $52-billion package of gas and vehicle taxes for transportation projects.
Fresno cuts bus fares to regain ridership
The Fresno Bee
People who use Fresno’s FAX transit buses on evenings and weekends will get a 20 percent break in the fares they pay.
Anna Smith: So close and yet so far away: new 24th St. crosswalk a must
If you scroll through the Instagram accounts of Gary and Cortnie Enns, you’ll see snapshots of a sweet family exploring their neighborhood and surrounding areas sans car.
WATER
City of Bakersfield water rate increase to kick in Sunday
Bakersfield Californian
If they haven’t been keeping up on the news, city water customers are in for a nasty surprise when they go to pay their next bill.
Future of Huge California Water Project May Hang on the Next Few Weeks
KQED
California’s biggest water project in decades appears to be in limbo after a key irrigation district voted not to help underwrite Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two giant tunnels that would re-engineer water transport in the state.
See also:
· Delta tunnels money fight wrapped up in water history The Sacramento Bee
A crazy water year ended Saturday. So did we set any records for rain and snow?
Modesto Bee
The water year that ended Saturday was the wettest on record for the watersheds feeding the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers. The Merced River fell just short.
California Today: Handicapping the Rainy Season
New York Times
It was a year of plenty for parched California. State figures released at the end of the water year, which resets each Oct. 1, tell the story: The northern Sierra Nevada had its wettest year, 95 inches of precipitation, since record-keeping began in 1895.
See also
· Climate Prediction Center – Seasonal Outlook National Weather Service
· Climate Prediction Center: ENSO Diagnostic Discussion National Weather Service
Work continues on the Oroville Dam main spillway
San Jose Mercury News
Construction continues on the Oroville Dam’s main spillway this week. The Department of Water Resources has been working to reconstruct the main spillway which was damaged in February because of heavy winter rain.
“Xtra”
New rhino species arrives at Chaffee Zoo
The Fresno Bee
The newly-arrived male greater one-horned rhinoceros, Maza and Chutti, arrived to Fresno Chaffee Zoo in September. They are the first of their kind to call the zoo home
The two-week Big Fresno Fair begins Wednesday. It’s billed as the largest annual event in the Central Valley. Ice Cube will be there.
See also:
· What are the new attractions at The Big Fresno Fair? We have a list Fresno Bee
· Big Fresno Fair has new admissions policy The Fresno Bee
Fitzgerald: A present for Hugh Hefner
Stockton Record
Hugh Hefner has gone to the great mansion in the sky. Down here in Stockton, Gene Beley recalls delivering a robot to Hef at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
Biggest Delta denizen made state dinosaur
Stockton Record
California’s new state dinosaur, Augustynolophus (Aw-gus-teen-o-lo-fus) morrisi, “Auggie” for short, was a river rat. Even though its remains were found in the hills of western Fresno County.