Maddy Institute – October 23, 2017

23Oct

TOP POLITICAL STORIES

Local/Regional Politics:

Fresno’s Fulton Street is ready to reopen

Fresno Bee

Nineteen months of construction – accompanied by consternation, anxiety and, in recent weeks, anticipation – will come to a formal end on Saturday as Fresno celebrates the complete reopening of Fulton Street to automobile traffic for the first time in more than 50 years.

Police investigate claim of sex assault by Asm. Mathis

Visalia Times-Delta

Sacramento police have launched an investigation into a “possible sexual assault” after receiving allegations against Assemblyman Devon Mathis. The claims came from a “third party” and investigators are trying to determine whether a victim or victims exist, officer Linda Matthew said. Police didn’t name the third party.

Downtown landmark to be transformed into boutique hotel

Visalia Delta-Times

Visalia’s rundown, downtown historic courthouse will soon be a chic boutique hotel. Visalia-based Courthouse Square Ventures has won the bidding to buy the old four-story county building at Court Street and Oak Avenue in downtown Visalia.

Coalition alleges city violated Brown Act, asks for records

Bakersfield Californian

The First Amendment Coalition has sent a cease and desist letter to the City of Bakersfield regarding what it believes to be violations of state open meetings laws. The letter, provided to The Californian, lists multiple ways the coalition says the City violated the Ralph M. Brown Act when it held closed-session City Council meetings to discuss municipal revenues and a possible a tax increase. The letter includes a request for records relating to those meetings.

Bakersfield politics goes blue, but don’t look for major changes in who gets elected

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield has gone blue. Democrats are now the largest party of registered voters within the Bakersfield city limits, according to Kern County Elections Division registration numbers. And four of the seven council wards are now colored Democratic blue. But don’t expect any sweeping changes in the political makeup of the Bakersfield City Council when next year’s elections roll around.

Kevin McCarthy rallies California Republicans

Sacramento Bee

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Saturday urged California Republicans to hold fast to conservative principles rather than become “Democrat-lite” in an effort to compromise with the majority party governing their state

Assemblyman Vince Fong discusses the Central Valley economy

Vimeo

Doctors still foggy on valley fever symptoms

ireader.olivesoftware.com

Rick Parker knew he had valley fever, but his doctors wouldn’t test him. The 48-year-old was prospecting gold in Mojave in 2013 when he inhaled some dirt. Not long after, he became fatigued, developed a cough, felt some lung pain and experienced chills. The Phoenix native had heard all about valley fever while living in Arizona, where the disease infects thousands annually. But when he asked his doctors in Torrance to test him, they refused.

See also:

Doctors still foggy on valley fever symptoms ireader.olivesoftware.com

State Politics:

Promise and frustration: Valley fever advocates and legislators vow to ‘press harder’ after governor rejects critical bill

Bakersfield Californian

Even as the number of valley fever cases sharply increase in Central California, Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed legislation that would have created programs to inform the public about the little-known respiratory disease.

San Francisco Chronicle

The number kept growing. Me too, they said. In a matter of hours, a group of women in California politics passed around a letter declaring they’d had enough. Enough of the groping. Enough of the sexual comments. Enough of the demeaning behavior by their male counterparts.

· As Capitol is hit by reports of sexual harassment and assault, will lawmakers make changes? Calmatter

· Women feel Sacramento Capitol is a boys club Sacramento Bee

California workers who exercise right to free speech could be protected under proposed legislation

Los Angeles Times

A California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would help protect workers from employer retribution for exercising their right to free speech. Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) said Friday that the state should be a sanctuary for free speech, including the kind that some might find offensive. He said he will introduce a measure when the Legislature is back in session in January.

Could Gov. Jerry Brown be the new face of an anti-nukes campaign? He’s thinking about it

Los Angeles Times

For Gov. Jerry Brown, the question isn’t why he spent so much time in Washington this week talking about the growing threat of nuclear annihilation — it’s why everyone else isn’t doing the same. “Most people are kind of blithely unaware,” Brown said of the issue. “It doesn’t show up in the press. That’s why I say, ‘The end of the world is not news.’ ”

Top 3 surprises at forum of Democratic candidates for governor

CALmatters

Four Democrats vying to become the next governor of California faced off for the first time Sunday at a forum in Anaheim hosted by a union for health care workers. The discussion focused largely on health care and labor issues—but it also gave the public the first glimpse at the intra-party dynamic that may shape next year’s campaign for the state’s highest office.

· California candidates for governor differ on universal health care Sacramento Bee

· Democratic governor hopefuls face off in Anaheim, a stone’s throw from GOP conventions Orange County Register

· California Teachers Assn. votes to endorse Gavin Newsom for governor Los Angeles Times

California teachers union endorses Newsom for governor, Thurmond for state superintendent

EdSource

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom got a major boost in his bid for governor next year when he received the endorsement of the California Teachers Association over the weekend, as did Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond, who is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Did LA’s violent crime drop by nearly half during Villaraigosa’s time as mayor?

PolitiFact California

During his time as mayor of Los Angeles and now in his campaign for California governor, Antonio Villaraigosa has repeatedly highlighted the city’s drop in violent crime. Villaraigosa, one of the top Democrats vying to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018, spoke in detail in a late July interview on MSNBC about LA’s reduction in violent crime and the steps he claims led to that result.

John Cox, Republican candidate for governor, pledges ‘six figures’ support for initiative to repeal gas tax hike

Los Angeles Times

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox said Wednesday he will donate a “substantial” amount of money — in the “six figures” — to a campaign to qualify a ballot measure that would repeal increases in gas taxes and vehicle fees in California.

Chad Mayes Considering Run For California Governor

capradio.org

Former Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes, who drew scorn and fury from party activists this summer after negotiating a cap-and-trade deal with Democrats, says he’s considering a run for California governor. “As of right now, I am not running for governor,” Mayes told Capital Public Radio Friday afternoon in an interview in his San Bernardino County hometown of Yucca Valley. “But over the last two months, it seems to be a constant refrain of people calling and asking me if I’d consider running.”

California GOP has a plan for beating Democrats

San Francisco Chronicle

California Republicans may not have well-known candidates running for governor — or any candidate of note running for Senate next year. But they’re settling on a two-point game plan for trying to return to relevance in a state where they’re a super-minority in the Legislature, have no statewide officeholders and can count only 1 in 4 registered voters as being a fellow Republican.

Political Road Map: It’s hard for Republicans to win statewide in California if they don’t have candidates Los Angeles Times

When the votes were tallied in California’s 2014 primary, the political world buzzed that a Republican was the top vote-getter in the race for state controller. That kind of support hadn’t been seen in a statewide race since 2006. Fast forward to four years later. There’s not even a GOP candidate in that race.

5 Takeaways from the California GOP Convention

The California Report – KQED News

More than 1,000 California Republicans flocked to Anaheim this weekend, confronting the best of times and the worst. In Washington, their control of Congress and the White House has given them unchecked power to implement a conservative vision for the country. Here in California, however, the party is lost in the political wilderness — with a declining share of voters and completely shut out of statewide offices.

· California Republicans embrace Donald Trump Sacramento Bee

· California Republicans go gaga for Trump POLITICO

· ‘We have to become more Trumplike,’ California Republican activists say Sacramento Bee

· Divide in California’s GOP on display at convention: ‘We’re not offering anything hopeful’ Los Angeles Times

· Sen. Tom Cotton chides Californians: ‘Your sanctuary cities weren’t enough, you had to have a sanctuary state instead’ – Los Angeles Times

· This is what Steve Bannon told the California Republican Party convention Los Angeles Times

· Steve Bannon: Secession will be a ‘horrific problem’ in CA Sacramento Bee

· This is what happens when Steve Bannon comes to California Los Angeles Times

· Bannon Slams Bush at California GOP Convention KMJ

· Bannon brings message of Republican revolt to California sfgate.com

· Stephen K. Bannon brings his ‘war’ against the GOP establishment to California Los Angeles Times

· Bannon faults George W. Bush for ‘destructive’ presidency AP

· Bannon rips Bush, Silicon Valley ‘lords of technology’ POLITICO

· Bannon Bashes Bush, Raises Specter Of California Secession capradio.org

· GOP alliances rip over gas tax repeal: Anti-taxers vs. business establishment CALmatters

· Elephant hunt: Why are California Republicans a diminishing species? CALmatters

Senate race: Delving into DiFi

Capitol Weekly

Dianne Feinstein’s long political life has been marked by gunfire, victories, toughness and tragedy. The smart money says it’s not over yet. Feinstein, now 84 and the oldest member of the U. S. Senate, has announced she will run for re-election in 2018, seeking her fifth full term. Her decision put an end to months of buzz about her political plans.

· Willie Brown: Smart money is on Feinstein in 2018 San Francisco Chronicle

· Feinstein shrugs off critics: ‘I’ve been challenged before’ San Francisco Chronicle

· Feinstein should mentor new Democratic leadership San Francisco Chronicle

· Kevin De León has millions in state political accounts that he can’t use for US Senate campaign Los Angeles Times

Poverty in California

Public Policy Institute of California

Despite improvements, the official poverty rate remains high. According to official poverty statistics, 14.3% of Californians lacked enough resources—about $24,000 per year for a family of four—to meet basic needs in 2016. The rate has declined significantly from 15.3% in 2015, but it is well above the recent low of 12.4% reached in 2007. Moreover, the official poverty line does not account for California’s housing costs or other critical family expenses and resources.

Federal Politics:

Corporate tax reform done right can boost middle class wages

AEI

As the debate in Congress shifts to tax reform, and in particular to corporate tax reform and reducing the corporate tax rate, it is worthwhile to step back and review what we know and don’t know about U.S. corporate income taxes and their impact on American workers. More than a century has passed since the U.S. first adopted a system for taxing corporate income, yet basic answers to questions still confound policymakers. Is the U.S. a high tax or low tax country? Do workers bear the brunt of corporate income taxes? What is the optimal level of the tax rate to maximize revenues? The problem isn’t that we don’t know the answers or that research hasn’t suggested some answers, but rather that the answers can be counterintuitive and are often at odds with popular opinion. That makes it harder to think about and push through the right reform ideas. Let’s take a look at some of these questions.

Will tax reform provide more support for children and their families? Follow the money…

The Brookings Institution

Congressional leadership and the Trump administration have put forward a plan (Framework) to “significantly” increase the amount of the Child Tax Credit, which is currently worth up to $1,000 per child to qualifying families. The credit presently phases out for higher income families and is partially refundable for some low-income families.

· U.S. Budget Deficit Swells, Adding Wrinkle to G.O.P. Push for Tax Cut NYTimes.com

· Trump-O-Meter: Eliminate the federal debt in 8 years PolitiFact

McConnell will bring bipartisan health care bill if Trump says he will sign

POLITICO

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday he would bring the Alexander-Murray bipartisan health care bill to the floor if President Donald Trump said he would sign it. “I’m not certain yet, what the president is looking for here, but I’ll be happy to bring a bill to the floor if I know President Trump would sign it,” McConnell said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

· Alexander struggles to find health-care breakthrough TheHill Schumer: Bipartisan health care bill ‘has a majority’ POLITICO

· Rate of people without health insurance rises for first time since 2014 TheHill

· Xavier Becerra on suing to stop cuts to health subsidies Fox News Video

· Molina: Valley’s congressmen must save health care from Trump’s ravages Merced Sun-Star

· Karen Handel wrongly says Obamacare tax increase largest ever in her lifetime PolitiFact

· Cheaper Health Plans Promoted by Trump Have a History of Fraud NYTimes.com

· The problem in heath care is the prices Vox

I.R.S. Says It Will Reject Tax Returns that Lack Health Insurance Disclosure

NYTimes.com

Despite President Trump’s pronouncements, not only is Obamacare not dead, there are signs that his administration is keeping it alive. In the latest signal that the Affordable Care Act is still law, the Internal Revenue Service said this week that it is taking steps to enforce the most controversial provision: the tax penalty people face if they refuse to obtain health insurance.

LA Mayor Garcetti takes his gig national

89.3 KPCC

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is taking his argument on the road, but he doesn’t want you to assume he’s steering himself toward the White House. At least not yet. “I have a job I love,” Garcetti says as he makes the rounds at the Democratic National Committee’s annual meeting in Nevada on Saturday. But the 46-year-old mayor adds that he wants Democrats to have “a wide open field” in 2020, and he argues that the party needs “new energy” and “a generational moment” at all levels if it hopes to counter President Donald Trump.

Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who clashed with Trump during the election, goes after him again in California

Los Angeles Times

Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq who feuded with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Saturday criticized the Trump White House for its clash with a widow of a fallen soldier this week.

Other:

10 Minutes. 12 Gunfire Bursts. 30 Videos. Mapping the Las Vegas Massacre.

NYTimes.com

The shots began at 10:05. Twelve bursts of gunfire later, the police broke down Stephen Paddock’s door at the Mandalay Bay. The Times mapped 30 videos to draw perhaps the most complete picture to date of what happened.

· Statements about Guns: True or False? PolitiFact

· Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom fights NRA over gun control law in federal court Los Angeles Times

· Reducing Gun Violence: Focus on High-Crime Areas, Likely Criminals National Review

· Vegas shooting doesn’t change opinions on guns: AP-NORC poll Fresno Bee

· New poll shows Las Vegas shooting doesn’t change opinions on guns Los Angeles Times

· Poll: More voters cite gun control as factor in selecting candidates TheHill

Democratic Party: DNC reeling financially after brutal 2016

POLITICO

The Democratic National Committee is reeling, facing a turnaround that’s proving a much bigger lift than anyone expected as it struggles to raise enough money to cover its basic promises. Many donors are refusing to write checks. And on-the-ground operatives worry they won’t have the resources to build the infrastructure they need to compete effectively in next year’s midterms and in the run-up to 2020.

Young subscribers flock to old media

POLITICO

As President Donald Trump wages daily war against the press, millennials are subscribing to legacy news publications in record numbers—and at a growth rate, data suggests, far outpacing any other age group.

EDITORIALS

In California’s Capitol, 147 women’s #MeToo statement must not be shrugged off

Fresno Bee

The solution will be for more women top run for office and win. But the first step to recovery is for the Legislature to acknowledge its problem.

In a time of #MeToo, Kevin de León asks what about him?

Sacramento Bee

Welcome to Take Two, drawn from The Sacramento Bee editorial board’s daily opinion-politics newsletter, The Take. Please go to sacbee.com/site-services/newsletters/ to sign up.

#MeToo reaches Sacramento, where lawmakers live by different rules

San Jose Mercury News

California government has a culture of sexual harassment as obnoxious as that in Washington and Hollywood.

If we can’t build two tunnels to bring Sacramento Delta water to SoCal, will one suffice?

Los Angeles Times

If two massive, 40-mile long, 40-foot-diameter tunnels that would direct Sacramento River water around the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central and Southern California are too big, too expensive and too scary to contemplate, how about splitting the difference and going with a single…

Editorial: Santa Clara water district’s courageous Delta vote raises question of what’s next?

San Jose Mercury News

The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board made the most courageous decision in its history Tuesday when it stood up to direct pressure from Gov. Jerry Brown and rejected his $17 billion plan to build two, 35-mile long, four-story tall tunnels 150 feet under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

What’s to blame for wine country fires? PG&E isn’t the only suspect

Fresno Bee

The cause of the Northern California fires is yet to be determined. But lessons are emerging as victims ask whom to blame.

Generous gesture from Gallo will help fire victims

Modesto Bee

Tragedy and disaster often bring out the best in us. Unfortunately, it seems that this year we’ve had to put that theory to the test far too frequently. Still, it was good to see E.&J. Gallo Winery rise to the occasion, spectacularly, in response to our most recent disaster – the Northern California wildfires that have claimed 42 lives, destroyed thousands of homes, cost millions of dollars to put out and will cost billions more in recovery. The Modesto-based winery will donate $1 million to organizations providing humanitarian relief.

Don’t blame Kate Steinle’s death on sanctuary cities. Here’s what matters in the trial

Sacramento Bee

The Steinle family deserves the facts – and that means a case that’s tried the court of law, not in the conservative echo chamber.

As Sanctuary State, California Takes Deportation Fight to New Level

Pew Charitable Trusts | Stateline

As more states map out their own immigration stands, California is taking its fight against mass deportation to a new level by restricting communication about release dates that help federal authorities arrest prisoners for deportation.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Cannabis: Kern supervisors to struggle next week with best way to limit legal marijuana’s impact

Bakersfield Californian

The fate of commercial marijuana comes to the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The decision is going to be tough. Most of what county residents have seen of retail marijuana, since California’s Compassionate Use Act legalized the drug as a medicine in 1996, is a flood of sketchy shops that often attracted crime.

Merced to be only place in county for recreational weed

Merced Sun-Star

Merced County leaders are preparing for the rollout of state marijuana regulations, which will allow dispensaries around California. Your access to a recreational cannabis seller depends on where you live. Adults who want to use marijuana, whether it’s for fun or for a medical need, appear to have their best chances in Merced. The planning commission on Wednesday voted to recommend an ordinance that allows four dispensaries in certain designated areas.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

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

Crime:

Sacramento DMV bribery charges stem from years-long federal probe into hundreds of phone driver’s licenses

Fresno Bee

The undercover sting operation that led to bribery charges against two California Department of Motor Vehicles employees this week is part of a major, six-year probe by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies that so far has resulted in charges against eight individuals and the revocation of hundreds of commercial truck driver’s licenses around the state, court records show.

Parenting classes in San Bernardino jails help inmates reconnect with their children and themselves

CAFWD

Programs including supervised visits and trauma recovery are aimed at breaking cycles

Public Safety:

10 Minutes. 12 Gunfire Bursts. 30 Videos. Mapping the Las Vegas Massacre.

NYTimes.com

Fire:

California fires: Cost pegged at $1 billion and counting

Fresno Bee

With damage estimates as high as $6 billion, the wildfires that ravaged wine country and parts of Sacramento Valley likely will rank among the most expensive natural disasters in California history. The fires, which killed 42 people, figures to rank alongside the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire as the state’s costliest blaze. When adjusted for price inflation, the Oakland fire caused more than $2.7 billion in damages that were covered by insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

· California housing shortage adds stress for now-homeless fire victims PBS NewsHour

· JOE MATHEWS: The triumph of wine country Bakersfield Californian

· Utilities delayed effort to map power line risk to wildfires Merced Sun-Star

· PG&E helped stall effort to map risky power lines San Jose Mercury News

· This California lobbyist lost his home in the fires. All he wanted was for the governor to sign his bill — and he did Los Angeles Times

· After deadly wildfires, Santa Rosa residents try to move forward Los Angeles Times

· The race to escape Redwood Valley: ‘Everyone out of the car! We need to run’ – Los Angeles Times

· Residents Allowed to Return to Fire-Ravaged Coffey Park and Two Mobile Home Parks in Santa Rosa NBC Bay Area

· Breitbart fabricated fake story that immigrant started deadly Sonoma wildfires, says Sheriff The Independant

· Breitbart’s False and inflammatory claim about deadly Wine Country fires PolitiFact California

· How the California Wildfire Was Falsely Pinned on an Immigrant NYTimes.com

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Valley Republic Bancorp reports strong third quarter

Bakersfield Californian

Valley Republic Bancorp on Friday announced its financial results for the quarter, with net income up 40 percent and total assets up 22 percent. It reported a record net income for the third quarter of $1,632,000, an increase of $467,000 for the same quarter last year, according to a news release. Year to date net income saw a jump of $980,000 compared to last year, for a total of $4,292,000.

5 things you need to know about earnings reports

Marketplace

There’s so much to understand about the economy, the financial world and the news, so Marketplace Weekend is launching a new series called Five Things. The idea is simple; take a financial term or an issue that impacts the economy, and the Weekend team will find experts to share five things you should know about it.

Poverty in California

Public Policy Institute of California

The Marriage Divide: How and Why Working-Class Families Are More Fragile Today

AEI

This research brief offers an updated portrait of the class divide in American family life, finding that less than half of poor Americans age 18 to 55 (just 26 percent) and 39 percent of working-class Americans are currently married, compared to more than half (56 percent) of middle- and upper-class Americans.

We’re About to Fall Behind the Great Depression

NYTimes.com

Since the first rumblings of the financial crisis, in 2007, people have comforted themselves by looking back to the Great Depression and thinking about how much worse things could be. It’s true, too. Our modern economic crisis has been far less severe than the Depression.

Jobs:

California jobless rate holds steady at 5.1 percent in September

Sacramento Bee

California’s jobless rate held steady at 5.1 percent in September, but a hefty 52,200 jobs were added to Golden State payrolls last month.

See also:

· California Business Roundtable’s September Employment Report California Center for Jobs & The Economy

Workers at some UC campuses say they don’t earn fair wages

San Jose Mercury News

In 2015, UC President Janet Napolitano announced with great fanfare that the University of California would become the first public university in the country to voluntarily set a $15 minimum wage.

The not-so-dire future of work

Brookings Institution

The future of work is a hot topic nowadays. It has inspired a seemingly endless train of analyses, commentaries, and conferences, and it featured prominently in last week’s annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. For good reason: new technologies—namely, digitization, robotics, and artificial intelligence—have far-reaching implications for employment. But, contrary to how the story is often framed, a happy ending is possible.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Sex education: Fresno Unified students take survey about what they know

Fresno Bee

In the face of the state’s highest rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, some Fresno Unified students say they are not learning much about sexual health in school, or talking about it at home. Of the nearly 160 Fresno Unified high school students who took an anonymous, voluntary survey conducted by The Bee, more than half said they had only “learned a little” about sex in school. Sixteen percent said they had learned nothing at all.

Should Teachers Make $100K? California Will Decide

Big Think

Voters in California may get to decide whether teachers’ salaries should match those of state legislators at the expense of a hike in the sales tax. California Trust for Public Schools, an educational fundraising organization, will be collecting signatures for a new initiative measure called The Teacher Fair Pay Act that aims to amend the text of the Education Code and the Revenue and Taxation Code. If successful, Californians will get to vote on the pay raise in November 2018.

California voters strongly back expanded K-12 science and computer education, poll shows

LA Daily News

Californians overwhelmingly support expanding science and computer education starting in elementary school, according to a Berkeley IGS/EdSource poll. The online survey of 1,200 registered voters in California found that 87 percent favored schools putting “greater emphasis on integrating science as part of the entire public school curriculum.” Although by far the majority of respondents said they had never heard of the Next Generation Science Standards, the new science standards adopted by the state in 2013, 68 percent support the concept once the standards were described to them. The poll was conducted from late August to early September.

K–12 Test Scores Vary Widely across Student Groups

Public Policy Institute of California

The 2017 test results for California’s public K–12 school students were essentially unchanged from 2016. But behind the overall results, there were significant differences among student groups. Economically disadvantaged students—mostly those who are eligible for free or reduced price school meals—continued to score far below students not in this category. Students with disabilities and English Learner (EL) students performed at levels significantly below those of low-income students. Gaps in achievement among these groups were essentially unchanged in 2017.

DeVos rescinds 72 guidance documents outlining rights for disabled students

Washington Post

The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous.

Hackers are targeting schools, U.S. Department of Education warns

CNN Money

When Superintendent Steve Bradshaw first received a threatening text message in mid-September, he didn’t know it was coming from a hacker trying to exploit his Montana school district. But soon, students and other schools around Flathead County were receiving threatening messages, too. More than 30 schools in the district shutdown for three days. “The messages weren’t pleasant messages,” Bradshaw said. “They were ‘splatter kids’ blood in the hallways,’ and things like that.”

Higher Ed:

West Fresno gets $38m in long-awaited investment

Fresno Bee

After a long, hard-fought battle, southwest Fresno residents, community leaders and various organizations recently made history. Now it’s time to put west Fresno in the headlines. And not your typical negative news, but headlines praising the community’s resiliency and power to turn around.

Trump sparks revival for college Republicans, along with battle over ‘future and soul’ of movement

Los Angeles Times

UC Irvine senior Ariana Rowlands is buddies with Milo Yiannopoulos, the right-wing provocateur who has sparked campus uproars over free speech. She writes for Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News. And she is unapologetically combative in campus culture wars. Leesa Danzek, a USC graduate, works for a centrist Republican state legislator. She favors moderation and inclusion and says shock-jock tactics will drive college conservatives away.

Free speech at American universities is under threat

The Economist

“LIBERALISM is white supremacy!” shouted the students, as their hapless speaker—Claire Gastañaga of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)—looked on. The protesters at the College of William and Mary, the alma mater of Thomas Jefferson, went further still. “The revolution will not uphold the constitution” they chanted on September 27th. “Nazis don’t deserve free speech”. The ACLU’s decision to defend the free-speech rights of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia prompted the students’ ire. Because of it, Ms Gastañaga was unable to speak, and the event, called “Students and the First Amendment”, was cancelled.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

The Fatal Flaw in California’s Cap-and-Trade Program

Wall Street Journal

When California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed a 10-year extension of the state’s cap-and-trade program this summer, it was heralded as a rebuke of President Trump, who had just announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. While the nation was failing on climate change, the story went, states could succeed. The trouble is that California could leak—like a sieve.

America’s Emissions Are Still Declining Under Trump

The American Interest

One doesn’t have to be an environmentalist to harbor fears about President Trump’s effect on America’s role in mitigating global climate change. The United States is responsible for roughly 15 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and those GHGs are driving surface temperatures upwards. Those facts make Trump’s dismissal of climate change as a hoax perpetrated by China concerning, to say the least.

Pollution’s Annual Price Tag? $4.6 Trillion and 9 Million Dead

Bloomberg

Pollution in all its forms killed 9 million people in 2015 and, by one measure, led to economic damage of $4.6 trillion, according to a new estimate by researchers who hope to put the health costs of toxic air, water and soil higher on the global agenda. In less-developed nations, pollution-linked illness and death drag down productivity, reducing economic output by 1 percent to 2 percent annually, according to the tally by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, published Thursday by the U.K. medical journal. The report is intended to illuminate the hidden health and economic consequences of harmful substances introduced into the environment by human activity

EPA cancels appearance of scientists at Rhode Island event

Los Angeles Times

The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled the appearance of three scientists at an event on Monday in Rhode Island where they had been scheduled to discuss a report that deals in part with climate change.

Why Has the EPA Shifted on Toxic Chemicals? An Industry Insider Helps Call the Shots

New York Times

For years, the Environmental Protection Agency has struggled to prevent an ingredient once used in stain-resistant carpets and nonstick pans from contaminating drinking water. The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, has been linked to kidney cancer, birth defects, immune system disorders and other serious health problems.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

For stories on “health care reform,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

Promise and frustration: Valley fever advocates and legislators vow to ‘press harder’ after governor rejects critical bill

Bakersfield Californian

Hundreds of people hit the streets of Northwest Fresno to help stop suicide

abc30

Hundreds of people hit the streets of Northwest Fresno to help stop suicide. The crowd walked “out of the darkness” to bring attention to the issue, and to support each other and anyone who might be thinking about taking their own life. One of this year’s organizers says she went last year for the first time and felt really uncomfortable sharing her message, but she felt like the experience helped her heal a little.

Universal health care debate returns to California Capitol

Sacramento Bee

Perhaps no measure generated more interest at the Capitol this past legislative session than Senate Bill 562, as activists led by the California Nurses Association mounted a massive campaign in support of the proposal for a statewide, government-run health care system.

Where do patients go when a troubled nursing home closes? Often, nowhere better

Sacramento Bee

When the Eagle Crest nursing home in Carmichael began notifying residents this summer that it would soon be closing, executives assured family members in writing that loved ones could be accommodated at other company-owned homes.

One out of six deaths worldwide were pollution-related in 2015

PBS NewsHour

Nine million people died worldwide in 2015 after they were exposed to pollutants, according to a new report from The Lancet Commission for Pollution and Health. That’s three times more deaths than all fatal cases of AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria, the report said. Pollution contributed to one out of six deaths around the world that year.

IMMIGRATION

Breitbart fabricated fake story that immigrant started deadly Sonoma wildfires, says Sheriff

The Independent

Sheriff has claimed a Breitbart article claiming an illegal immigrant was arrested in connection with the deadly fires in northern California is “false and misleading”.

· How the California Wildfire Was Falsely Pinned on an Immigrant NYTimes.com

LAND USE/HOUSING

Valley community is getting nearly $29 million for affordable housing

The Business Journal

Agencies in Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties will divide more than $28.7 million to support construction of more affordable housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing the money to California’s 21st Congressional District, which extends into portions of all four counties, according to an announcement issued by the U.S. representative for that district, David Valadao, R-Hanford.

PUBLIC FINANCES

For stories on “tax reform” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

Digging through the data on Stockton’s garbage woes

Stockton Record

One of the mail priorities identified by the council in recent years has been Stockton’s seemingly bottomless supply of garbage that somehow never actually found its way into a trash can or dumpster

Cities face seven years of growing CalPERS costs

Calpensions

Cities jolted by a new CalPERS rate increase laid out in their annual pension reports this fall are finding few options for cost relief. Basically, they can pay more now to avoid higher costs later or curb the growth of employees and their pay.

I.R.S. Says It Will Reject Tax Returns that Lack Health Insurance Disclosure

NYTimes.com

TRANSPORTATION

More than $90 million in transportation projects to be accelerated in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Caltrans has received approval for nearly 90 “fix-it-first” transportation projects worth nearly $3.4 billion, including more than $90 million in projects in Kern County.

Porterville gets help from state to fight drunken driving

Visaila Times-Delta

A Porterville woman spent last week behind bars after she crashed her car into a power pole while under the influence, police said. Officers were called just after midnight to the area of Westfield Avenue and Lombardi Street. When officers arrived, they found a car had driven into a utility pole. Officers discovered that 20-year-old Jenna Bate was the woman behind the wheel.

Sacramento DMV bribery charges stem from years-long federal probe into hundreds of phone driver’s licenses

Fresno Bee

It’s dangerous out there: City looks at bicycle, pedestrian road fatalities

Bakersfield Californian

The numbers include men and women, young and old. On Bakersfield roadways, since 2014, dozens of people at all stages of life have been struck and killed, according to recently released statistics from the City of Bakersfield.

A 13.5-mile tunnel will make or break California’s bullet train

Los Angeles Times

When the first California bullet train pulls out of San Jose one day, a crucial part of the journey will be a 13.5-mile tunnel beneath the winding peaks and valleys of Pacheco Pass.

WATER

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“Xtra”

The future is unclear for hundreds of kids who have signed up to perform with the Children’s Musical Theaterworks

abc30

The future is unclear for hundreds of kids who have signed up to perform with the Children’s Musical Theaterworks. The valley non-profit received a letter this month from the City of Fresno saying it will have to move out of the Veterans Memorial Building at the end of the year but tonight organizers say with two months remaining they have nowhere to go.

Children’s Musical Theaterworks losing lease for stage

Fresno Bee

The Children’s Musical Theaterworks will have to leave its longtime downtown performance center by Dec. 31, the city of Fresno is telling the nonprofit.

Nonprofit makes Halloween special for Valley children

Visalia Times-Delta

Steven and Vanessa McPhetridge have their hands full with five children — all with varying special needs. On Saturday, they put on their Halloween customs, buckled their seatbelts and headed to Visalia’s Rawhide Stadium for Parenting Network’s 5th annual Special Lives celebration. The Halloween-themed event is tailored to families who care for children with special needs. Wheelchair accessibility, behavioral issues and sensory overload are just a few real fears families face while trick-or-treating.

Chambers join forces for Business Conference and Expo

Bakersfield Californian

Businesses looking for advice on achieving success might want to investigate the Business Conference and Expo next week. The event — Thursday, 3-8 p.m., at the Rabobank Convention Center — will include workshops on finances, health care and technology. Businesses will be showing off and selling their wares as well, and food samples will also be available.

Hart Park shows its dark side with free nighttime event

Bakersfield Californian

Hundreds of people got the chance to see one of their community parks in a whole new light, or – more accurately – less light.

The Kern County Library partnered with the Kern County Administrative Office and the county Parks and Recreation Department for the first-ever Hart Park After Dark event on Saturday. The festivities included stargazing, live music, arts and crafts, Halloween-related activities and more. The goal of the event was to highlight local parks and what they can offer to the community.