October 31, 2017

31Oct

Local/Regional Politics:

Jim Boren | Fresno Bee executive editor announces retirement

Fresno Bee

Jim Boren, whose entire 48-year journalism career has been at The Fresno Bee, including the last five as executive editor and senior vice president, is retiring in January.

City Council adopts big zoning changes for southwest Fresno

Fresno Bee

For generations, southwest Fresno has been an area neglected by commercial development, seemingly left behind as the city and much of its retail shops migrated northward from downtown. To reverse that trend, the Fresno City Council adopted a sweeping set of land-use and zoning rules last week championed by Councilman Oliver Baines.

Fresno State received a large donation to expand the engineering department

Abc30

Fresno State is getting a huge jolt to its engineering program. Monday the school received a $450,000 donation to help expand the department.

Fresno wants to improve its bus service

Fresno Bee

Fresno Area Express, or FAX, is holding a series of public workshops starting on Saturday at sites across the city to solicit ideas to make using the bus better or more convenient for more people.

See also:

Monday marked 80 years since the flagpole was planted and Old Glory waved over the airport

KFSN-TV

“This is where aviation really began to flourish in our valley. Therefore is impact here and throughout California is important to note,” said Congressman, Jim Costa.

Alphabet’s Waymo Is Using A Castle In Its Bid To Become Self-Driving Car King

Forbes

Less than a year since Google’s Self-Driving Car project became Waymo, the company is close to commercializing its extensive R&D. The Alphabet Inc. unit this week showed off how it’s fine-tuning sensors and software on faux city streets at a secret complex in a sleepy agricultural section of California to achieve that goal. Known as the Castle, a nod to its former life as Castle Air Force Base, the Atwater, California, facility is where Waymo technicians since 2012 have safely created what they call “spicey” scenarios – complex interactions with other cars, pedestrians and bicyclists to help its robotic vehicles get smarter.

Upheaval at Stanislaus Consolidated Fire District as chief waits to be fired

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Chief Rick Weigele said Tuesday he expected to be terminated by the district’s board this week.

TRMC board president: ‘There’s a lot of hurt in this room’

Visalia Times-Delta

The Tulare Regional Medical Center Board voted to suspend the hospital’s license after rumors surfaced that the management company, Healthcare Conglomerate and Associates, was pulling support.

Tulare County supervisors to support DACA

Visalia Times-Delta

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors may become the latest governing body to show support for immigration legislation leading to citizenship for those affected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Lack of participation marks only public forum for CSUB presidential search

Bakersfield Californian

When a search committee that included CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White convened in Bakersfield Monday for what was the only public portion of the selection process, organizers naturally expected a substantial turnout.

Construction to finally begin on Bakersfield Commons in 2018

Bakersfield Californian

World Oil Corp. and Trammell Crow Co. have announced that construction of Bakersfield Commons, a “pedestrian-oriented, master-planned mixed-use community” located in northwest Bakersfield, will actually, finally begin next year. The 260-acre project, the revised plans for which were announced last summer, will include office, retail, residential, recreational and industrial space, as well as a wellness campus.

Tejon project could add 200 jobs, but supes must first OK foreign trade zone designation

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to decide if they’ll help Tejon Ranch land a new tenant at the Tejon Commerce Center.

State Politics:

Prepare to pay more at the pump

Abc30

The state’s tax on gasoline and diesel fuel is going up on Wednesday to raise money for road repair. Drivers will pay an extra 12 cents per gallon for fuel and 20 cents per gallon for diesel. The impact is pretty widespread the tax will hit farmers, their workers, and the daily driver. Not a lot people are excited about it but a few see the upside. The search for gas prices under three dollars a gallon brings a lot of drivers to this Arco station in West Central Fresno.

See also:

Governor’s Race:

Upcoming Initiatives?

As Sanctuary State, California Takes Deportation Fight to New Level

Pew Charitable Trust

As more states and counties take immigration policy into their own hands, California is stepping up its fight to protect unauthorized immigrants by not only refusing to detain immigrants slated for deportation, but now also by declining to tell federal immigration officials when they will be released from local jails. Such tactics have been tried in smaller jurisdictions — immigrant-friendly counties in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas — but never by a whole state.

Sexual Harassment at the State Capitol

Rising premiums, consumer confusion as Covered California enters 5th year

San Francisco Chronicle

As Covered California enters its fifth year, the health insurance exchange is facing challenges both old and new, from rising health premiums to widespread confusion among consumers over how their health plans may change next year — all while the president proclaims that the health law that created the exchange is collapsing.

See also:

California, we have a problem: Too many of us are poor

Sacramento Bee

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 confronts opioid addiction, an ‘epidemic of despair’

CALmatters

Michael Steelman left his wife and two children in Georgia nearly four months ago, taking shelter with his parents to face an addiction to painkillers after 11 years of taking the opioid drugs for a neck injury.

California’s Bail System Is ‘Unsafe And Unfair,’ Study Finds

WVIK

 A yearlong study backed by California’s chief justice recommended money bail be abolished and replaced with a system that includes robust safety assessments and expanded pretrial services. Calling the state’s commercial bail system “unsafe and unfair,” a working group created by California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye argues that the state’s bail system bases a defendant’s liberty too much on his or her finances, rather than an assessment of whether the defendant is a flight or safety risk.

CalPERS Faces Another Decision on Employer Rates

PublicCEO

In a regular four-year review, the CalPERS board is scheduled to receive three or four options next month for adjusting long-term investments in its portfolio valued at $338 billion last week. A change could be approved as soon as December.

CalSTRS is handing out big bonuses after a banner year

Sacramento Bee

A banner year at the stock market boosted the fortunes of the state’s $215 billion teacher pension fund, and it’ll net a couple of nice bonuses for the system’s top executives.

Inclusive governance a necessity to elevating Californians

CAFWD

Podcast: Promoting more participatory governing will help build an economy that reflects more of us

Federal Politics:

California U.S. Senate Race

California Congressional Races:

Park Service drops funding for Black Panther Party project

Fresno Bee

The National Park Service has withdrawn plans to pay nearly $100,000 for a project honoring the legacy of the Black Panther Party after police groups complained to President Donald Trump. The park service had pledged $98,000 to the University of California, Berkeley for a two-year research project on the black power group, which was founded in Oakland in 1966.

SCOTUS Won’t Review Calif. Case Challenging Affordable Housing Subsidies

The Recorder

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t weigh in on a California dispute over the payments some municipalities require developers to make to support low-income housing.

California And 5 More States Seek To Join Hawaii’s Travel Ban Challenge

capradio.org

California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Washington filed a motion Monday asking to be parties in Hawaii’s lawsuit. They agree with Hawaii that the ban is unconstitutional. Hawaii is challenging Trump’s proclamation issued last month targeting about 150 million potential travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, along with some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Other:

Who’s buried in Madison’s Graveyard

The Business Journal

Those who support having monuments and statues of Confederate heroes in the public square and who cannot understand others’ deeply held views on matters of race might visit Montpelier, James Madison’s home in Northern Virginia.

In the Heart of ‘The Resistance,’ California Conservatives Are Invigorated

New York Times

California conservatives are feeling a strange sense of invigoration these days. Yes, they are vastly outnumbered, shouted off college campuses and scolded that their way of politics is an anachronism in this bright blue bulwark of the liberal resistance. But California has become, however improbably, a leading exporter of the energy that is animating the conservative movement, and it is giving rise to some of the loudest new voices on the right, from the West Wing to the radical fringe.

Fact checking urged during panel on ‘fake news’

The Collegian

With President Donald Trump popularizing the term “fake news,” the issue of error, lies and bias in the media has sparked a heated conversation about media literacy.

See also:

EDITORIALS

Let Mueller complete his Trump-Russia probe

Fresno Bee/ Sacramento Bee

Congress, including 14 House Republicans from California, must make clear that special counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to complete his inquiry without White House interference.

Despite what you may have read on Trump’s Twitter feed, Manafort’s indictment is a big deal

Los Angeles Times

Nearly six months after he was appointed special counsel, former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia — as well as other matters that “may arise” — produced criminal charges on Monday. Despite what you may have read on President…

California ratepayers should not pay PG&E’s Wine Country wildfires bill

San Jose Mercury News

PG&E wants to make it easier for the company to charge ratepayers — rather than shareholders — when its power lines and other electrical equipment cause wildfires.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

High taxes on legal pot in California could mean black market will thrive

Los Angeles Times

State and local taxes on marijuana could surpass 45% in some parts of California, jeopardizing efforts to bring all growers and sellers into a state-licensed market in January, according to the global credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings.

Sacramento audit finds pot dispensaries under-report taxable revenue, other violations

Sacramento Bee

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Sacramento are under-reporting revenue to tax collectors and failing to comply with city operating requirements, according to an audit that will be discussed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Report: Total Marijuana Demand Tops Ice Cream In U.S.

Forbes

The marijuana industry is growing so fast that if the government legalized it nationally it would outsell ice cream. A new report from Marijuana Business Daily estimates that the total demand for marijuana, including the black market, is $45-$50 billion. Annual ice cream sales are only $5.1 billion. Total recreational cannabis sales in the U.S. at this estimate would also top movie ticket sales ($11.1 billion) and snacks like Doritos, Cheetos and Funyuns ($4.9 billion.) The report says, “If the federal government legalized marijuana nationwide, sales might start out at around that level but would likely quickly rise as cannabis gained mainstream acceptance and the market evolved.” At that rate, it wouldn’t take long to eclipse cigarette sales and even potentially beer sales.

Can you tell the pot edibles from the regular snacks?

KPCC

Come January first, it will be legal to sell recreational pot to adults in California. Public health groups are trying to raise awareness about the dangers of edible marijuana products, especially with Halloween coming up. Ever heard of Weetos? How about Kif Kats?

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Bill blocks utilities from making customers pay fire claims

Sacramento Bee

As state agencies investigate the cause of the wine country fires that killed 42 people and destroyed nearly 9,000 structures, California lawmakers announced plans to introduce legislation to prevent electric utilities found responsible for wildfires from passing the cost of claims and penalties onto consumers.

PG&E could pay dearly for North Bay fires, even if it followed rules

San Francisco Chronicle

If investigators do find that PG&E’s electrical lines started the fires, the company will probably be liable for economic damages, regardless of negligence. And even if PG&E faithfully followed every state rule for maintaining its equipment, it still could face costs already estimated to top $1 billion.

Mendocino County teen girl dies of burns from Redwood Valley fire

Los Angeles Times

Kressa Shepherd, the Mendocino County 17-year-old who was severely burned when she and her family fled a wildfire three weeks ago, has died in a Sacramento area hospital.

Wildfires Can Attack Your House From the Inside

KQED

Here’s How to Prevent It — It’s not just residents in the northern Bay Area who are at risk from wildfire. Millions of other Californians live in fire-prone areas and many homes were built before modern fire codes.

ECONOMY / JOBS

The decision about the new Federal Reserve chair is coming soon

Marketplace

President Donald Trump is expected to announce a new Federal Reserve chair this Thursday. Jerome “Jay” Powell, a member of the Federal Reserve’s board, is seen by many as the leading candidate for the job. Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal talked to Victoria Guida from Politico about the incumbent chair, Janet Yellen, her record and her possible successor. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

A new Fed report suggests American upward mobility is better than you think

AEI

One basic way of measuring social mobility is whether kids earn more than their parents. Pretty intuitive. And by that measure, US social mobility doesn’t look too good, at least according to research released last year by economists and sociologists from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of California. That team, including superstar economist Raj Chetty, used tax and census data to compare the incomes of 30-year-olds starting in 1970 with the earnings of their parents at the same age. And here was the headline finding you might have heard about, as summarized by The Wall Street Journal: “In 1970, 92% of American 30-year-olds earned more than their parents did at a similar age, they found. In 2014, that number fell to 51%.”

EDUCATION

K-12:

53% of Muslim students surveyed in California say they’ve been bullied over religion

OCRegister

Muslim students in California are bullied at a rate that is more than twice the average of Muslim youths nationally, according to a report released by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

High hopes but few details for Trump’s $200 million STEM pledge

EdSource

The White House’s pledge to spend $200 million on science, math and computer education could potentially transform U.S. classrooms, but educators are waiting to celebrate until they know how the money will be spent.

It’s getting even harder to hire early childhood educators

89.3 KPCC

One lead teacher left the preschool in Canoga Park after 10 years, for a job as a teacher’s aide at Head Start – fewer responsibilities, more pay.

Higher Ed:

Fresno Pacific ethnic graduation sashes may be no more

Fresno Bee

Fresno Pacific University’s tradition of allowing certain students to wear ethnic sashes along with their robes at graduation was canceled earlier this month, but students are fighting to get the tradition back.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Carbon dioxide levels grew at record pace in 2016, UN says

Reuters TV

The amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere surged in 2016 to a level not seen in millions of years, the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday. And as Reuters Ben Hirschler explains, that could have potentially dire consequences.>> Were seeing carbon dioxide increase at a record rate.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Rising premiums, consumer confusion as Covered California enters 5th year

San Francisco Chronicle

As Covered California enters its fifth year, the health insurance exchange is facing challenges both old and new, from rising health premiums to widespread confusion among consumers over how their health plans may change next year — all while the president proclaims that the health law that created the exchange is collapsing.

See also:

California Makes Progress On Launching Medical Interpretation Study

KPBS

How well do health care providers translate for patients who speak another language? California has taken another step toward answering that question. The Department of Health Care Services hired a lead employee to carry out an evaluation of interpretation services for Medi-Cal patients.

Low effectiveness of flu vaccine explained

San Diego Union-Tribune

The notoriously low effectiveness of seasonal flu vaccines can be explained by how they’re produced in chicken eggs, according to a study led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute.  

Who are California’s transgender adults? New study finds some surprises

San Francisco Chronicle

Transgender adults in California have about the same poverty and education levels as people who identify as the gender they were assigned at birth, but they are more likely to be white and to be struggling with suicidal impulses, according to a new UCLA study.

IMMIGRATION

SIREN’s vision, services and advocacy expand under Trump Administration

San Jose Mercury News

By the end of the night, it was clear Donald Trump won the presidency. The next morning, SIREN held an emotional news conference outside its doors, vowing to fight the obstacles ahead. That event marked a turning point for the small, grassroots organization that celebrated its 30th anniversary Friday, launching an unprecedented battle to defend immigrant rights locally and nationally under an administration pledging a significant crackdown.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

City Council adopts big zoning changes for southwest Fresno

Fresno Bee

For generations, southwest Fresno has been an area neglected by commercial development, seemingly left behind as the city and much of its retail shops migrated northward from downtown. To reverse that trend and encourage new commercial and residential development in the area over the next 25 years, the Fresno City Council adopted a sweeping set of land-use and zoning rules last week. The Southwest Fresno Specific Plan, championed by Councilman Oliver Baines, was approved on a 7-0 vote after more than two years of wrangling by a steering committee of community residents, educational and business leaders and developers appointed by Baines.

Housing:

Rent control may roil 2018 ballot

Capitol Weekly

So far, most of the sound and fury in California politics has revolved around candidates. But there are increasing signs that ballot initiatives may trigger additional uproar in 2018.

PUBLIC FINANCES

CalPERS Faces Another Decision on Employer Rates

PublicCEO

In a regular four-year review, the CalPERS board is scheduled to receive three or four options next month for adjusting long-term investments in its portfolio valued at $338 billion last week. A change could be approved as soon as December.

CalSTRS is handing out big bonuses after a banner year

Sacramento Bee

A banner year at the stock market boosted the fortunes of the state’s $215 billion teacher pension fund, and it’ll net a couple of nice bonuses for the system’s top executives.

Ahead, the First Pure Party-Line Modern Tax Cut?

Roll Call

The steady path toward today’s partisan polarization at the Capitol is etched in the history of tax bills over more than half a century. If President Donald Trump is able to pull off his uphill drive to join most of his predecessors since World War II in securing a significant tax cut, it’s very possible he’ll do so exclusively with the votes of congressional Republicans.

See also:

TRANSPORTATION

Prepare to pay more at the pump

Abc30

The state’s tax on gasoline and diesel fuel is going up on Wednesday to raise money for road repair. Drivers will pay an extra 12 cents per gallon for fuel and 20 cents per gallon for diesel. The impact is pretty widespread the tax will hit farmers, their workers, and the daily driver. Not a lot people are excited about it but a few see the upside. The search for gas prices under three dollars a gallon brings a lot of drivers to this Arco station in West Central Fresno.

See also:

Alphabet’s Waymo Is Using A Castle In Its Bid To Become Self-Driving Car King

Forbes

Less than a year since Google’s Self-Driving Car project became Waymo, the company is close to commercializing its extensive R&D. The Alphabet Inc. unit this week showed off how it’s fine-tuning sensors and software on faux city streets at a secret complex in a sleepy agricultural section of California to achieve that goal. Known as the Castle, a nod to its former life as Castle Air Force Base, the Atwater, California, facility is where Waymo technicians since 2012 have safely created what they call “spicey” scenarios – complex interactions with other cars, pedestrians and bicyclists to help its robotic vehicles get smarter.

WATER

 Oroville Dam: DWR says spillway will be done by deadline

San Jose Mercury News

Crews are laying the last layer of concrete on the Oroville Dam spillway with one day until the state Department of Water Resources’ deadline to have the structure ready to pass flows of 100,000 cubic-feet per second, or cfs. The cost for reconstruction rang in at $500 million, nearly double the initial estimate.

California’s first big winter snow storm headed for Sierra Nevada

San Jose Mercury

It’s only Halloween, but winter is on the way.