TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local Politics
City urges citizens to be prepared for natural disasters
Clovis Roundup
As hurricanes devastate areas of Texas and Florida, the City of Clovis is placing emphasis on the importance of being prepared for any natural disaster, especially those more common in California such as earthquakes and wildfires.
KFSN-TV
The trouble is state law requires grocery stores to have recycling centers within half a mile of their stores, or move recycling inside. Something Aaron Moreno, of the California Grocers Association, says stores do not want to do.
State Politics:
Villaraigosa talks jobs, high-speed rail in Fresno campaign visit
The Fresno Bee
Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Assembly speaker and Los Angeles mayor, is working Fresno and the Valley hard now as a Democratic candidate for governor in next year’s elections.
See also:
· Antonio Villaraigosa rips Gavin Newsom over high-speed rail The Sacramento Bee
Skelton: Here’s why Gov. Brown should junk the presidential election bills on his desk
Los Angeles Times
Two presidential election bills are on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, sent to him by the Democratic Legislature. Both should be tossed in the trash.
Walters: Despite Legislature’s liberal bent, business groups did well
CALmatters
From all appearances, the California Legislature’s 2017 session was one of the most liberal – or progressive, as liberals prefer to say – in the state’s history. In fact, legislative leaders such as Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon are saying as much.
What a difference three days makes: How voters shook up California’s Legislature
CALmatters
Something was different this year. As lawmakers in Sacramento approached the last night of their session—the final opportunity to pass or kill bills for the year—they had had three days to figure out how to vote.
California Senate leader preparing for legal fight over ‘sanctuary state’ legislation
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Jerry Brown hasn’t yet signed legislation making California a so-called sanctuary state, but state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León is preparing to defend it in court.
KFSN-TV
Assembly Bill 7, authored by Mike Gipson (D-Carson) specifies that “it is a misdemeanor to openly carry a long gun in a public place in an area where discharge of a firearm is prohibited in an unincorporated area of a county.”
California’s ‘four-party’ system
Capitol Weekly
For more than 165 years, political battles in California have played out almost entirely within the framework of a two-party system. There are signs that may be changing.
Condemning Trump, ignoring antifa? How and why California lawmakers take a stand
Sacramento Bee
“If we’re wondering why we’re here after midnight,” Assemblyman Matthew Harper railed against his colleagues last Friday as they took up a resolution criticizing President Trump’s “racist and bigoted” response to the Charlottesville attack, “we spent I guess it’s about two hours telling the constituents back home through the TV you don’t like Donald Trump.”
Mathews: Draper’s Three States Map Could Use Some Revision
Fox&Hounds
Why does Tim Draper hate Southern California?
I’m sympathetic to the venture capitalist’s attempts to split up California. Our state is more the size of a country than an American state. And splitting the state would give Californians to write new and at least semi-rational state constitutions for themselves. And that’s something we’ll never get to do if we remain one giant state.
Federal Politics:
California would lose $78 billion — more than any other state — under GOP health bill
San Francisco Chronicle
California would lose more federal funding than any other state under the latest GOP plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the health policy consulting firm Avalere Health.
See also:
· How the Latest Obamacare Repeal Plan Would Work New York Times
· Obamacare repeal effort ignites protests of California House Republicans Sacramento Bee
· Ads target California’s GOP House members on new healthcare bill but it’s not clear who’s paying for them Los Angeles Times.
· Trump: GOP health bill short of votes before deadline The Boston Globe
· Trump Embraces Senate GOP Health Bill Bloomberg
· GOP Won’t Let Bipartisan Opposition Kill Obamacare Repeal NY Magazine
· Republican Leaders Defy Bipartisan Opposition to Health Law Repeal NYTimes.com
· Graham-Cassidy: Another day, another lousy GOP healthcare bill Los Angeles Times
Cong. Valadao: Preserving DACA must be a priority for Congress
Across the nation, from California to New York, “Dreamers” and their families are woven into our society. They attend school with our children, shop at the corner grocery store, invest in our communities, and wave to us at church on Sundays. Many of their friends and neighbors are likely unaware these outstanding young people had once been undocumented immigrants.
Audio: As California congressional races heat up, will new voters show up?
89.3 KPCC
Engagement around politics has been surging since President Trump took office, with people protesting or counter-demonstrating, posting on Facebook and consuming large quantities of political news.
Continuing a fierce assault on ‘sanctuary’ policies, Sessions attacks California bill
LA Times
In another shot in the ongoing battle over so-called sanctuary city policies, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions on Tuesday attacked California’s new bill that affords some protections to undocumented immigrants across the state, calling it “unconscionable” and a threat to public safety
Trump making it harder for skilled foreigners to work in US: report
TheHill
The Trump administration is reportedly challenging a record number of H-1B visa applications for high-skilled workers, a sign that the White House is cracking down on legal immigration.
Miscellaneous Political Stories:
UC Berkeley journalism dean to speak on ‘fake news’ phenomenon
No, the world does not stop turning during the Kern County Fair. It might just seem that way to some people.
EDITORIALS
If governor signs it, Gray’s new law would add fairness to water disputes
Fresno Bee
Current process is judge, jury and executioner and that’s unfair. Adam Gray inserts a neutral party into the process.
Farmers rejected the Delta tunnels, but the battle ain’t over. Here’s what Brown should do next.
Sacramento Bee
California Gov. Jerry Brown, the main proponent of the twin tunnels project, could be forgiven if he walks away from the Delta. He shouldn’t.
Don’t count on demise of tunnels to stop state’s water grab
Modesto Bee
California Gov. Jerry Brown, the main proponent of the twin tunnels project, could be forgiven if he walks away from the Delta. He shouldn’t.
Now Gov. Brown threatens to force us to pay for Delta Tunnels?
San Jose Mercury News
Westlands’ board concluded the obvious: The deal didn’t pencil out and didn’t guarantee their farmers a drop of additional water.
Sooner or later LA will get hit by a Mexico-sized earthquake. We’re not as ready as we should be
Los Angeles Times
How stunning and terrifying it is to watch the destruction in Mexico unfold in real time, with cellphone video capturing the devastation and panic and fear caused by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. The sight of a building collapsing conveys the power of a temblor like no Great ShakeOut drill or lecture from the United States Geological Survey could ever do. Of course we mourn for the hundreds dead and worry for the displaced — but in the back of our minds we also know that, in fault-riddled California, it’s not a matter of ifsuch geologic force will visit us but a matter of when.
Graham-Cassidy: Another day, another lousy GOP healthcare bill
Los Angeles Times
It’s “Groundhog Day” for congressional Republicans: Rush out a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, see it fail, rush out a bill again, see it fail, rush out a third bill, see it fail — following the same basic playbook over and over in the hope that somehow the end result will change. The latest…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Farmers rejected the Delta tunnels, but the battle ain’t over. Here’s what Brown should do next.
Sacramento Bee
Westlands Water District underscored a basic truth in rejecting a decade-long effort to construct a $17.1 billion twin tunnel project to transfer water from the Delta to farms and cities to the south and west: Without clear financing, the project will collapse.
See Editorials for more stories on Delta Tunnels/Calif. Water Fix
Bakersfield City Council moves forward with pot ban
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council voted on Wednesday to move forward with the process to ban all commercial cannabis activity in town.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
The Visalia dispatch center that almost didn’t happen
After decades stuck in a basement of a dilapidated building, Visalia dispatchers and fire officials have a new home.
Bail roulette: how the same minor crime can cost $250 or $10,000
The Guardian
Encompassing Yosemite national park, Mariposa County is among California’s most beautiful regions. But if you’re arrested for panhandling or public intoxication, Mariposa can be the state’s ugliest county.
Who got killed in California in 2016, and why
San Francisco Chronicle
A recently released report on homicides by the California Department of Justice found that killings around the state jumped 3.7 percent from 2015 to 2016, but were down 14.5 percent from a decade ago. It also offered a look at the nature of killings last year.
Fire:
California’s inmate firefighters are cheap labor for a dangerous job
The Sacramento Bee
In May, firefighter Matthew Beck was killed while clearing brush in Del Norte County when a 120-foot tree fell on him. In July, firefighter Frank Anaya died while battling a grass fire in San Diego County after he fell on a chainsaw.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
More Local Governments Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change Costs: Oakland, San Francisco Join the Fray
KQED
San Francisco and Oakland announced Wednesday that they are suing five big oil companies for costs associated with climate change mitigation. Each city filed its own suit against Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, BP and Royal Dutch Shell, asking the court to hold the companies responsible for the cost of sea walls and other infrastructure cities will need to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Republican report accuses consumer bureau of going easy on Wells Fargo
AP
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could have fined Wells Fargo in excess of $10 billion for its illegal sales practices but instead settled for $100 million, according to the agency’s internal documents released by Congressional Republicans this week.
Bag fees didn’t make base airfares that much lower, government report finds
AP
Travelers who check at least one bag when flying domestically are paying more overall to fly than they did before airlines began unbundling fares in 2008 and charging separately for checked baggage, a government watchdog has found.
Jobs:
Hanford Sentinel
The unemployment rate in the Kings County was 8.5 percent in August, down from a revised 8.8 percent in July and below the year-ago estimate of 8.8 percent. This compares with an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent for California and 4.5 percent for the nation during the same period.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Prioritize children, campaign insists to Newsom, others in governor’s race
The Mercury News
As Gavin Newsom and his challengers in the race to be California’s next governor prepare to hit the campaign trail in earnest, a group of early childhood education advocates see a rare opening to call more attention to their cause.
Cal State trustees approve raises for top executives
Los Angeles Times
California State University trustees unanimously approved a salary increase for top executives at the end of a two-day meeting in which they also discussed budget shortfalls,enrollment growth and protections for immigration students.
College Republicans poised to sue CSUB to bring Milo Yiannopoulos to Bakersfield
Bakersfield Californian
The rumors that Milo Yiannopoulos has been invited to Cal State Bakersfield by the College Republicans are true. But there’s trouble. Lawyers are now involved. William Becker Jr., president and CEO of conservative nonprofit law firm Freedom X, has sent a letter to CSUB officials challenging their handling of the event planning process.
‘Substantial cost’: University of California foots major security bill for free speech
Washington Post
University of California President Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that the UC System plans to reimburse its Berkeley campus for half of the cost of security for conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s speech there last week. Splitting the bill, Napolitano said, means that her office will pay about $300,000 while UC Berkeley pays an equal amount.
Undocumented programs offer students a lifeline in an uncertain era
University of California
Students shared immediate and practical concerns: Were they at risk of being deported to a country they had little or no memory of? Would they lose the ability to do work-study or hold side jobs they needed to pay for college? Would they be able to work legally after graduation?
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
LA Times
California and a growing alliance of states committed to fighting global warming said Wednesday that they’re slashing greenhouse gas emissions at the rate required by the Paris climate agreement.
From oil refineries to solar plants, unions bend California climate change policies in their favor
Los Angeles Times
No contour of California’s vast landscape inspires such passionate devotion as its coastline, so state lawmakers recoiled when President Trump announced in April that he wanted to expand offshore drilling. The outrage was channeled into a proposal for preventing any new infrastructure along the water, pipelines or otherwise, for additional oil production.
Sooner or later LA will get hit by a Mexico-sized earthquake. We’re not as ready as we should be
Los Angeles Times
How stunning and terrifying it is to watch the destruction in Mexico unfold in real time, with cellphone video capturing the devastation and panic and fear caused by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. The sight of a building collapsing conveys the power of a temblor like no Great ShakeOut drill or lecture from the United States Geological Survey could ever do. Of course we mourn for the hundreds dead and worry for the displaced — but in the back of our minds we also know that, in fault-riddled California, it’s not a matter of ifsuch geologic force will visit us but a matter of when.
See also:
· Why some buildings crumbled and others survived the Mexico City quake: A sober lesson for California LA Times
· How ready will Bay Area be for next big quake? San Francisco Chronicle
California condors return to the skies after near extinction
AP
In a remote, rugged valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean, researchers closely monitor an endangered icon: the California condor.
Red-legged frog, the official California amphibian, gets surgery and returns to the wild
The Mercury News
On Tuesday, a lucky red-legged frog was returned to the wild in Redwood City’s La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve after receiving six months of treatment at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA in Burlingame.
Energy:
California cities sue big oil firms over climate change
Reuters
California cities San Francisco and Oakland filed separate lawsuits against five oil companies on Wednesday seeking billions of dollars to protect against rising sea levels they blamed on climate change, according to public documents.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
For articles on current Republican effort to repeal and replace the ACA, please see “Top Stories: Federal Politics”
To justify a 35% rate hike, Anthem expects Californians to use a lot more drugs next year
Los Angeles Times
Health insurance giant Anthem predicts Californians will pop a lot more pills next year. To make the case for a hefty premium hike in the state’s individual insurance market, Anthem Blue Cross has forecast a 30% jump in prescription drug costs for 2018, reflecting not just price hikes but rising drug use. Such a sharp cost increase is nearly double the estimates of two other big insurers, and it runs counter to industry trends nationally.
Head of Georgia agency picked to run LA County Department of Children and Family Services
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has selected Bobby Cagle as head of the Department of Children and Family Services, the sprawling child welfare agency that has suffered from mismanagement, a handful of high-profile child deaths and a shortage of foster homes in recent years.
Does Medicare make sense for seniors with employer health coverage?
PBS NewsHour
More and more employers are adopting high-deductible health plans, which usually include a health savings account. In 2016, between 20 and 23 million employees and family members had HSAs, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. These plans can make Medicare more popular to employees aged 65 and older, even if they have the option of staying on their employer plans.
See also:
· Free clinics can help solve the mysteries of Medicare Stockton Record
Poll: Plurality supports single-payer health care
POLITICO
While Republicans inch toward their latest attempt to roll back the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are having a different debate: whether the party should support a single-payer health care plan.
IMMIGRATION
CA lawmakers approve protections for undocumented immigrants
Sacramento Bee
Lawmakers at the state Capitol spent the last nine months taking shots at immigration policies out of Washington and pledging to protect California’s undocumented community with legislation of their own.
See also:
· California Senate leader preparing for legal fight over ‘sanctuary state’ legislation Los Angeles Times
· Pelosi: Put off immigration overhaul, save ‘Dreamers now’ Sacramento Bee
· DACA and California’s Future Public Policy Institute of California | Viewpoints
· DACA fight is also about people working in health care 89.3 KPCC
California again steps up to Trump, this time to stop the border wall
Los Angeles Times
Opening a new front in its broad legal battle against policies of President Trump, California filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the administration has overstepped its powers in expediting construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border
See also:
· California attorney general sues Trump administration in bid to stop border wall Washington Post
· California takes aim at one of Trump’s key campaign promises Washington Post
Illegal immigration into California drops as border crossings shift to Texas
Sacramento Bee
Undocumented immigrants are shunning California in favor of Texas, with the Lone Star State’s undocumented population growing nearly five times as fast as California’s, new federal data show.
H-1B applications receiving extra scrutiny under Trump administration, data shows
San Francisco Chronicle
This data supports anecdotal claims from immigration lawyers across the country that, under the Trump administration, certain H-1B applications are being challenged far more than in years past. The scrutiny is coming in the form of “requests for evidence,” documents from the government asking lawyers to justify their client’s application.
Trump making it harder for skilled foreigners to work in US: report
TheHill
The Trump administration is reportedly challenging a record number of H-1B visa applications for high-skilled workers, a sign that the White House is cracking down on legal immigration.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Housing affordability is a growing statewide crisis — and Bay Area prices are soaring again
The Mercury News
The supply of available homes is shrinking across California, as prices surge and the affordability crisis deepens as a statewide concern.
Affordable housing exists in LA Check out these tours
Los Angeles Times
A week after state legislators sent Gov. Jerry Brown bills to address California’s lack of affordable housing, the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects will host two tours highlighting low-cost housing in South L.A. and Hollywood..
Here’s What U.S. Cities Gain If Housing Is Affordable
PublicCEO
This week, as part of the #RenterWeekofAction, September 18 to 23, renters in over 45 cities will take to the streets to demand better protections from displacement and more community control over land and housing.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California pensioners: Your COLAs are safe, for now
Sacramento Bee
The state’s largest pension fund on Tuesday shot down a pitch from a Republican lawmaker who wants it to study how much money it could save by cutting benefits for retired public workers.
.
TRANSPORTATION
Antonio Villaraigosa rips Gavin Newsom over high-speed rail
Sacramento Bee
Antonio Villaraigosa, stopping off Wednesday in the Central Valley to survey construction of the state’s oft-debated high speed rail system, accused Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom of repeatedly equivocating on the project, criticizing his Democratic rival for governor of being “for it, before he’s against it, and then he’s for it again.”
Rail board members question bullet train budget overruns
SFGate.com
The board overseeing California’s bullet train project approved roughly $50 million in contract amendments on Tuesday to deal with unanticipated construction and environmental review costs.
Judge likely to strike down California ballot title for gas tax repeal
San Jose Mercury News
California’s attorney general wrote a misleading description of a ballot initiative to repeal the recently approved gas tax increase, a judge concluded in a tentative ruling issued this week.
See also:
· San Clemente’s first allocation from new gas tax hike will go for alley upgrades Orange County Register
· Traffic on major Bay Area freeways has grown 80 percent since 2010 San Jose Mercury News
· Opinion – Travis Allen: Brown and Becerra trying to deceive voters on gas tax repeal The Sacramento Bee
Why JD Power says Sacramento has the nation’s best airport
Sacramento Bee
Sacramento International Airport won the highest customer satisfaction ratings among American airports for 2017, according to a national survey released Thursday. And the red rabbit may have a bit to do with it.
WATER
Waterwise: Wet winter made for busy delivery season
Visalia Times-Delta
State water providers and local irrigation districts report 2017 was a good year. Douglas DeFlitch, Friant Water Authority COO, said his agency has delivered 1.2 million acre-feet of water this year, making it the most in at least five years.
New fight in California water wars: How to update old system
AP
In California’s long-raging water wars, pitting north against south and farmer against city dweller, the one thing everybody agreed on Wednesday was that the outdated method of shipping water throughout the most populous state needs a serious upgrade.
See also:
· Delta tunnels project imperiled after Westlands rejection Sacramento Bee
· Farmers rejected the Delta tunnels, but the battle ain’t over. Here’s what Brown should do next. Sacramento Bee
· Don’t count on demise of tunnels to stop state’s water grab Merced Sun-Star
Groundwater Nitrate Sources and Contamination in the Central Valley
PublicCEO
In California’s Central Valley, many communities depend significantly or entirely on groundwater as their drinking water supply. Studies estimate the number of private wells in the Central Valley to be on the order of 100,000 to 150,000 (Viers et al., 2012; Johnson and Belitz, 2015).
Public Policy Institute of California | Just the FACTS
California relies heavily on nearly 1,500 reservoirs for managing water supply. The state’s dry summers and frequent droughts require abundant storage to meet water demands. In an average year, roughly 70% of the water used by cities and farms comes from rivers, and dams play a key role in regulating this supply.
Public Policy Institute of California | Just the FACTS
Most of California is vulnerable to floods. Every county has been declared a flood disaster area multiple times. One in five Californians and more than $580 billion worth of structures (including contents) are vulnerable. Transportation, energy, water supply, and sewer networks are also at risk of disruption.
“Xtra”
The Kern County Fair Opens Wednesday And Runs Through October 1 bakersfield.com
KC The Bull the Kern County Fair mascot greets guest on the opening day of the Kern County Fair Wednesday. The fair will run through October 1, 2017.
Group that issued 2005 warning still wants full emergency spillway at Oroville Dam
ChicoER
The group that 12 years ago warned the Oroville Dam emergency spillway could fail, Tuesday released a new set of recommendations for operation of the dam and the Feather River flood control system.