TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional:
Top 5 and bottom 5 US metro areas for broadband subscription
Brookings Institution
Fresno is in the bottom 5.
Tulare County Supervisors approved $2.1 billion spending budget
Supervisors fully approved the raises for the elected officials.
Tracy Press News
Early Wednesday morning, the City Council fired City Manager Troy Brown. Brown had led the city government for three years. His hiring was announced Aug. 12, 2014, and he took over three weeks later on Sept. 2. There were no outward signs of problems with the council until the conclusion of a closed-session meeting just after midnight Wednesday. When the council returned to the meeting room to announce what action they had taken in closed session, Mayor Robert Rickman made a motion to terminate Brown’s contract, effective at noon Wednesday. Mayor Pro Tem Veronica Vargas seconded the motion and Councilwoman Juana Dement voted with them to fire Brown.
State Politics:
More than 700 bills await Brown’s review. Will he veto a measure targeting Trump’s tax returns?
Sacramento Bee
After a week in New York and Canada stumping for climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown returns to the Capitol with more than 700 bills awaiting his consideration.
See also:
· Important California bills waiting for Governor Jerry Brown’s signature Orange County Register
· Diaper changing, parental leave: California passes family-friendly bills Mercury News
LA Times
Healthcare advisors to Gov. Jerry Brown believe the latest effort on Capitol Hill to repeal the Affordable Care Act would blow a monstrous hole in the state budget, slashing federal health funds by $138.8-billion over a seven-year period.
See also:
· Republicans see political necessity in health care effort San Francisco Chronicle
Healthcare a hot issue in race for California governor
Los Angeles Times
With the hyperpartisan politics surrounding healthcare stirred up by efforts to repeal Obamacare and calls for a single-payer system, both Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa are claiming the mantle of healthcare visionary.
See also:
· Two top candidates for California governor have been touting their healthcare wins. Here’s what they really did Los Angeles Times
· Gavin Newsom endorses Senate Bill 562 The Sacramento Bee
· Time for California to get moving on universal health care bill, Gavin Newsom says Sacramento Bee
· The push for single-payer healthcare just went national. What does that mean for the California effort? Los Angeles Times
· Is Single Payer Becoming a Litmus Test for Democrats? The California Report – KQED News
California Republicans aim to avoid another top-two race that pits Democrat vs. Democrat
LA Times
In an effort to avoid an embarrassing repeat of the Senate election in 2016, when no GOP candidate appeared on the November ballot, the California Republican Party may change its rules and pick sides in the primary.
How Antonio Villaraigosa went from a union organizer to a union target
LA Times
Antonio Villaraigosa launched his political career off his work as a union organizer, and labor played a critical role in getting him elected to office. So it was a remarkable moment when Villaraigosa, as Los Angeles’ mayor, blasted the city’s teachers union where he once worked as “the largest obstacle to creating quality schools.
LA Times
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that President Trump’s proposal to expedite construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border violates laws aimed at protecting the environment.
See also:
Myers- Political Road Map: Don’t miss the fine print in this big California campaign disclosure bill
LA Times
California Fair Political Practices Commission Chairwoman Jodi Remke, second from left, says Gov. Jerry Brown should take a careful look at a new campaign disclosure bill she thinks could allow some donors to stay hidden from public view.
LA Times
Welcome to the latest installment of the ongoing California soap opera known as special elections.
Political Road Map: Don’t miss the fine print in this big California campaign disclosure bill
Los Angeles Times
You wouldn’t expect to see the leader of California’s campaign watchdog agency rooting for Gov. Jerry Brown to veto sweeping new disclosure rules for political donors. And yet, that’s where things stand in a seven-year debate over helping voters follow the money.
Hepatitis: San Diego’s latest infamous export –
San Diego Tribune
People in Los Angeles must be pretty annoyed with us these days. We keep sending them things they don’t want. First, the Chargers. Now, hepatitis.
Russians scanned California election networks in 2016
Sacramento Bee
Russian entities attempted to hack into California election systems last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told state officials Friday, prompting Secretary of State Alex Padilla to complain that officials had not shared the information earlier.
What’s in the latest Obamacare repeal bill? CNN Money
See also:
· Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal plan ‘devastating,’ could cost California almost $139 billion, state officials warn Los Angeles Times
· California would take biggest hit under Senate Republicans’ latest Obamacare repeal plan Los Angeles Times
· Republicans continue Obamacare repeal work despite opposition POLITICO
· Poll: Majority disapproves of latest ObamaCare repeal bill The Hill
· John McCain announces his opposition to GOP health care bill Fresno Bee
· McCain to oppose Graham-Cassidy, likely sinking Obamacare repeal POLITICO
· Full statement: John McCain to vote no on Graham-Cassidy health care bill POLITICO
· Cassidy and Graham hope support from governors will validate ACA repeal bill Brookings Institution
· How will the Graham-Cassidy proposal affect the number of people with health insurance coverage? Brookings Institution
· Medicaid Directors From Red And Blue States Reject Graham-Cassidy Repeal Talking Points Memo
· If the U.S. Adopts the G.O.P.’s Health-Care Bill, It Would Be an Act of Mass Suicide The New Yorker
White House announces new travel restrictions, replacing previous ban
LA Times
The Trump administration announced a new ban Sunday on most travel to the U.S. by nationals of seven countries — North Korea and six in the Mideast and North Africa.
See also:
· Immigration, DACA and Dreamers: Here is what’s inside the ‘conservative Dream Act’ The Sacramento Bee
The Wall – An in-depth examination of Donald Trump’s border wall
USA Today
An examination of the 2000-mile U.S.-Mexico border found that President Trump’s wall proposal could require the seizure of thousands of parcels of private land.
Legislation that requires candidates’ tax forms hits Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk
San Francisco Chronicle
The fate of President Trump’s unreleased tax returns is, for now, in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown. And if Brown signs legislation requiring presidential candidates to make their returns public, that decision will shift to the nation’s courts.
See also:
· Could California force Trump to release his tax returns? San Jose Mercury News
Walters: Moving California’s presidential primary to March is a fool’s errand
CALmatters
Two aphorisms come to mind in weighing the import of Senate Bill 568: 1. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. 2. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Willie Brown: Democrats need Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton to get out of the way
San Francisco Chronicle
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ swing through California and Hillary Clinton’s book tour underscore the Democrats’ problem in the aftermath of the 2016 election. The problem: The party’s two main factions are clinging to the leaders of yesterday rather than looking forward.
Other:
Cal State Bakersfield will welcome Milo Yiannopoulos if Republican group follows event rules
Milo Yiannopoulos is welcome at Cal State Bakersfield.
New Madera county voting system set for public demonstration in Oakhurst, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sept. 27 Sierra Star
An Oakhurst workshop will be held 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sept. 27, at the Oakhurst Community Center, that will allow the public to try out the county’s new voting equipment.
Los Angeles Times
The Trump sports spat all started Friday night when the president was campaigning for Sen. Luther Strange ahead of Alabama’s special Senate election. It wasn’t much of an endorsement for Strange, since Trump instead went after Kim Jong Un, Hillary Clinton and Colin Kaepernick.
Joe Mathews: ‘Blame’ California for US polarization
The Desert Sun
America is terribly polarized. And it’s all on account of California. The trouble is not merely that California itself is such a politically polarized place. Or that California contributes to the many causes of polarization: partisan media, economic anxiety, technological change, and income inequality.
Gauging the role of Fox News in our electoral divide
Brookings Institution
It is widely accepted that America is more divided than ever – economically, culturally, and politically. What is less well-understood is what is driving our growing disunity. Is the rising wage gap between the college-educated and everyone else to blame? Are the “coastal liberal elites” and residents of the “heartland” living in increasingly isolated social media bubbles? Is the divisive rhetoric of our nation’s political leaders rubbing off on the electorate? All of these are likely contributors, but one explanation that has received notable empirical attention recently is the role of the news media in shaping public opinion. The verdict? The news media can indeed shift viewer’s political leanings, but this effect is only notable on the political Right.
Can Teaching Civics Save Democracy?
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. The solution? Support civic learning programs in K-12 education at the state and local level, the researchers argue.
EDITORIALS
GOP health bill writers to California: Drop dead
San Jose Mercury News
The latest Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is the most mean-spirited yet.
Jimmy Kimmel, John McCain, advocates, town hall protesters – heroes in war on Obamacare
Sacramento Bee
Republicans in Congress have a week left to single-handedly kill the Affordable Care Act. Their determination is sickening.
Thumbs up, thumbs down: Once homeless, single Fresno mom gets place of her own
Fresno Bee
A formerly homeless sex-trafficking survivor gets a home of her own; Fresno State engineering student helps Visalia keep the power flowing.
Finally, a focus on saving the great forests of the Sierra. Is it too late?
Fresno Bee
In the final days of the legislative session, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders set aside $225 million in cap-and-trade revenue for forests. It would be a start, and none too soon.
We’ve got a great library, vote Yes on S to keep it that way
Modesto Bee
Without funds from the tiny eighth-cent sales tax, our libraries would lose 90 percent of their money
Editorial: Mountain View should plan 9,850 homes in North Bayshore; it’s the right thing to do
San Jose Mercury News
Silicon Valley created nearly 300,000 jobs between 2010 and 2016, while only permitting 48,000 housing units.
Our view: Silva’s long record of unfitness
Stockton Record
The case continues to mount against former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva. The voluminous grand jury transcript provides a list of allegations that, quite frankly, paint a disturbing picture. It’s more than the hundreds of thousands of dollars prosecutors allege have been misused for items such as: • Costco, $179,000. • American Express card, $106,000….
Is it safe for citizens to go home to Sudan or Haiti?
Los Angeles Times
The United States has long allowed people to remain in this country if their home nations are beset by war or natural disaster while they’re here. It is one of the great humanitarian features of an often-dysfunctional and too frequently coldhearted immigration system. But signals now being sent…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Trump hires campaign workers instead of farm experts at USDA
POLITICO
President Donald Trump’s appointees to jobs at Agriculture Department headquarters include a long-haul truck driver, a country club cabana attendant and the owner of a scented-candle company.
Sweet potatoes shine again at Livingston festival
Merced Sun-Star
Merced County celebrated one of its signature crops with the Livingston Sweet Potato Festival over three days ending Sunday.
Cow feces and an E. coli scare: How a troubled water district points to a big California problem
Sacramento Bee
Greg Loe didn’t have to look hard to figure out how E. coli probably got into this small town’s drinking water supply.
Kern County Planning Commission could face cannabis debate Thursday
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Planning Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday and the agenda could include one of the toughest debates facing county leaders this year.
Stanislaus County could limit marijuana outlets. ‘Green fees’ also proposed.
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County supervisors could approve what officials are calling a conservative strategy for permitting marijuana dispensaries and other commercial cannabis activities.
Tainted: Can California solve pot’s pesticide problem?
East Bay Times
California consumers will soon have two choices in cannabis: clean, legal and pricey — or dirty, illicit and cheap.
LA set to be hot market for marijuana. But there might not be many places to smoke it
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles lawmakers are laying the groundwork for what is widely expected to be one of the hottest markets for marijuana in the country, one that could bring more than $50 million in taxes to city coffers next year.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Lawmakers Pushing Bail Reform Want More Info on Bail Bond Insurers
KQED
Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) believe bail punishes people for being poor, and they want to fundamentally change how California decides whether to let people accused of crimes out of jail before their trial.
California Highway Patrol swears in Valley officers
Visalia Times-Delta
The state’s roadways will be a little safer as 116 new California Highway Patrol prepare to hit the road.
When the anti-theft employee said stop, a suspect pulled out pepper spray
Fresno Bee
A man and a woman are accused of robbing a Kohl’s store on South Mooney Boulevard and dousing the employee who tried to stop them with pepper spray, Visalia police said
Public Safety:
How safe are carnival rides at the Kern County Fair?
Bakersfield Californian
Kerry Self watched as her 6-year-old grandson, Gavin, flew in centrifugal circles high over the midway at the Kern County Fair. The ride, known as Wave Swinger, seemed safe enough. But as Gavin’s chair swung farther outward, suspended by four chains from a tilting disk, Self looked nervous.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
California’s full employment and high housing costs slowing down the state’s economy
San Jose Mercury News
California has been one of the fastest growing states in the nation for most of the post-recession era, but its momentum has slowed in recent months due to the high cost of housing and a lack of available homes, as well as a workforce that’s effectively at full employment.
Jobs:
Holiday jobs in Fresno, CA: Here’s who’s hiring
The Fresno Bee
It may seem early to be thinking about Christmas shopping, but if you’re looking for a temporary job for the holidays, act now.
Trump positioned to impose potentially crushing tariffs on solar industry
Los Angeles Times
U S. trade officials on Friday empowered President Trump to impose tariffs that could cut off the solar energy industry from the cheap foreign-made panels that have driven its explosive growth and helped create tens of thousands of jobs in California.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Watch for these warning signs if you suspect a loved one might be suicidal.
We still don’t know when last school year’s California standardized test scores will be released
Los Angeles Times
We previously reported that the public release of California’s standardized test scores from last school year had been delayed indefinitely.
The California missions school project is becoming a thing of the past. Here’s why
LA Daily News
For decades, it’s been part of the California fourth grade curriculum to build replicas of Spanish missions, an assignment critics saw as offensive. Now, educators are being advised to scrap it.
Can education innovations help us leapfrog progress?
Brookings Institution
By 2030, over half of the world’s young people are projected to reach adulthood without the skills they need to thrive in work and life. More worrisome still, we estimate that it will take decades—in some places over 100 years—for children of poor families to catch up to the learning levels of the richest. Faced with this urgent learning crisis, can we chart a new path forward to achieve rapid, equitable educational progress across the globe?
Gov. Brown must decide fate of maternity pay, summer fund for low-paid school workers
EdSource
Pregnant school employees will get six weeks of paid maternity leave, and hourly school workers, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, will be eligible for a state matching fund to tide them over during the summer, if Gov. Brown signs two bills on his desk.
These 10 LA high schools are the best at getting their graduates to college
Los Angeles Times
More students are graduating from Los Angeles Unified School District schools, but they’re not all going on to college.
Cal State Bakersfield will welcome Milo Yiannopoulos if Republican group follows event rules
The Bakersfield Californian
Milo Yiannopoulos is welcome at Cal State Bakersfield. But his host, the CSUB College Republicans group, must follow the university’s event policy as it coordinates his visit, University Counsel Chelsea Epps wrote Friday in a letter to William Becker Jr., the lawyer for the student group.
Latest: Right-wing activist holds short California rally
Washington Post
The Latest on a planned speech by a right-wing provocateur at the University of California, Berkeley (all times local): 12:45 p.m. Milo Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the University of California, Berkeley that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting the right-wing provocateur.
See also:
· UC Berkeley’s ‘Free Speech Week’ officially canceled, appeared to be set-up from the start San Jose Mercury News
Fresno State’s Bulldog Stadium damaged in water line break
The Fresno Bee
A broken water line under the southeast sections of Bulldog Stadium caused a river of mud to flow down the ramp and into the end zone. The mud reached the 10-yard line and on the sideline extended to about the 40 behind the visitor’s bench area
Three California regions win $1 million to boost college completion
EdSource
Two prominent foundations are teaming up to award Los Angeles and two other California areas a combined million dollars to help more students earn college degrees.
Orange County Register
Colleges nationwide no longer have to follow Obama-era rules on campus sexual assault, the United States Department of Education announced on Friday, Sept. 22 – a move some opponents said could have a chilling effect on victims coming forward.
UC is handing out generous pensions, and students are paying the …
Los Angeles Times
As parents and students start writing checks for the first in-state tuition hike in seven years at the University of California, they hope the extra money will buy a better education.
What DACA’s End Could Mean for Colleges
The Atlantic
The potential cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program raises questions about the future of undocumented students in higher education.
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.
Trump positioned to impose potentially crushing tariffs on solar industry
LA Times
U S. trade officials on Friday empowered President Trump to impose tariffs that could cut off the solar energy industry from the cheap foreign-made panels that have driven its explosive growth and helped create tens of thousands of jobs in California.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
For stories on Republican attempts to “repeal and replace”the ACA, See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
For stories on Gubernatorial candidates positions on “Single Payer” health plans, See: “Top Stories – State Politics,” above
Teen pregnancy | sex ed: Highest birth rates in Fresno’s poorest areas
Fresno Bee
It’s about a 15-minute drive from McLane High to Buchanan High, but the difference in teen birth rates within the schools’ respective ZIP codes is staggering – and alarming.
California will now track veteran suicides
Fresno Bee
A new law requiring California to track veteran suicides was applauded Friday by the two Fresno legislators who authored the bill, the brother of a fallen Marine and a Visalia assemblyman and veteran who had a personal reason to support it.
Stanislaus County CEO doubts corporate shakeup will affect Doctors Medical Center or Emanuel
Modesto Bee
Wall Street analysts are debating what will happen with Tenet Healthcare Corp., the Dallas-based company that owns Doctors Medical Center of Modesto and two other hospitals in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
Free health clinic draws 1500 seeking dental and medical assistance
Sacramento Bee
Alvarado Jimenez, 10, came to California CareForce’s free health clinic at Cal Expo on Sunday with his mother, Maria Torres, because one of his molars had been hurting him for a few weeks. A dentist had to pull the tooth and Jimenez later opened his mouth and pointed to the wad of gauze that now filled the gap.
In San Francisco, Bernie Sanders plays two roles: Obamacare defender and single-payer advocate
Los Angeles Times
Sen. Bernie Sanders headed west to drum up support for his recently unveiled “Medicare for All” proposal Friday, but first trained his sights on the Obamacare repeal bill currently gripping Congress.
Cost Of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Rises Toward $19,000 a Year
Wall Street Journal
The average cost of health coverage offered by employers pushed toward $19,000 for a family plan this year, while the share of firms providing insurance to workers continued to edge lower, according to a major survey.
Are Medicaid’s Payment Rates So Low They’re Discriminatory?
Pew Charitable Trusts | Stateline
A suit in California says the state’s Medicaid program pays doctors so poorly, the mostly Hispanic patients that use the program aren’t getting timely access to quality medical care. Lawyers working on the case believe it is the first to sue Medicaid using a state anti-discrimination statute.
Comparing administrative costs for private insurance and Medicare
PolitiFact
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that switching to a single-payer “Medicare for all” health system would save billions of dollars in administrative costs.
IMMIGRATION
GOP bill will offer Dreamers citizenship after ‘extreme vetting’
Sacramento Bee
Sen. Thom Tillis will introduce his “conservative Dream Act” on Monday that would provide a pathway to citizenship for as many as 2.5 million young undocumented immigrants, but one that is long and involves “extreme vetting.”
LAND USE/HOUSING
Is bad city planning to blame for motorcyclist losing leg? It’s a million-dollar question
Fresno Bee
For more than three decades, Fresno State students, motorists and pedestrians had to cautiously navigate one of the busiest intersections in the city – Cedar Avenue and Bulldog Lane – without the benefit of a key traffic light.
David Masumoto: Un-natural disasters we often bring on ourselves
The Fresno Bee
A Houston neighborhood floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Columnist David “Mas” Masumoto notes this and other “natural” disasters but wonders – why do we often seem caught off-guard by what we should expect?
Kern County supervisors to hear hopes, trigger plans to improve Hart Park
The future of Hart Park needs a professional inspection, Kern County administrators believe.
See also:
· Anna Smith: Bakersfield should consider the Micro Park movement bakersfield.com
Kern County Planning Commission could face cannabis debate Thursday
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Planning Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday and the agenda could include one of the toughest debates facing county leaders this year.
Affluent get new housing options in Sacramento’s central city. Everyone else? Not so much.
Sacramento Bee
Sacramento’s central city is experiencing its first housing boom in generations, but the surge is not benefiting all renters, an analysis shows.
Housing crisis: See how state lawmakers are putting more teeth — and more money — into reform
Orange County Register
Millions, if not billions, in new dollars will flow to housing programs under a host of housing bills adopted in the final hours of the California Legislature. New rules will make it harder for local governments to block developments.
Rents and Home Prices Are High in Many Parts of California
California Budget & Policy Center
This Fact Sheet shows that high rents in California are unaffordable to low and moderate income households and high home prices put ownership out of reach for Californians with moderate incomes.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Lodi weighs in on CalPERS problems
Lodi City Manager Steve Schwabauer and several other city managers from around California testified before the CalPERS board on Tuesday, sending a joint message that cities across the state face dire financial consequences if spiraling pension obligations are not addressed.
CalPERS considers paying down new debt faster
Calpensions.com
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.
Fresno County Supervisors could approve lease of Rowell Building on Tuesday
The Business Journal
After months of speculation on whether Fresno County lease the six-story Rowell Building in downtown Fresno, the matter likely will be decided on Tuesday.
PublicCEO
Here’s one sign of just how awful the supermajority-crazy California system is. Even when a court eliminates a perfectly awful supermajority, it makes things worse. That’s what happened when the California Supreme Court killed off a supermajority that required local ballot initiatives that raised revenues to win supermajorities of voters to be approved. The court, in long and unconvincing argument, effectively nullified statewide ballot measures that had established supermajorities for local ballot initiatives that raised revenues.
Are Americans sacrificing food and clothing to pay their taxes?
The Economist
America taxes its citizens less than almost any other rich country.
See also:
· How corporate tax cuts would benefit workers ArcaMax Publishing
· Corporate tax cuts don’t mean more jobs The Sacramento Bee
TRANSPORTATION
Gas tax foes win victory as they try to get a repeal on November 2018 ballot
LA Times
In a rare court rebuke of the state Attorney General’s Office, a judge said Friday that the title and summary written for a proposed initiative is misleading — and that he’d do a rewrite himself to make it clear the measure would repeal recently approved increases to gas taxes and vehicle fees.
High-speed rail in the Valley was once supposed to be done by Saturday. Not even close
Fresno Bee
In 2010, when the Obama administration started to pony up more than $2.5 billion in economic stimulus money for construction of California’s high-speed rail project, the funds came with three important conditions: ▪ That the money be used for construction in the San Joaquin Valley. ▪ That the money be completely spent by Sept. 30, 2017. ▪ That construction of the Valley segments from Merced to Bakersfield be completed by Sept. 30, 2017.
See also:
· Fresno mayor jumps on an airplane to learn about a Spanish train Fresno Bee
· High-speed rail construction to start in Kings County Hanford Sentinel
This freeway bottleneck angers everybody. Caltrans says: Hold tight, we’ll fix it.
Sacramento Bee
State highway officials are laying plans for what may be the most expensive freeway expansion project in modern Sacramento history. The goal: To finally unclog what has been the region’s biggest bottleneck for years.
WATER
There is a multibillion-dollar hole in the delta tunnels funding plan
Los Angeles Times
The decision by one of the state’s major water players to opt out of California’s $17-billion replumbing project was a surprise to many. The reasons for it were not.
See also:
· Not every water agency is rejecting Brown’s Delta tunnels – here’s one yes vote Sacramento Bee
· Walters: A half-century later, Delta water bypass still just a notion CALmatters
· Skelton: History is repeating itself for Gov. Brown’s delta tunnels project Los Angeles Times
California Cities Will Flood, So Why Aren’t We Ready?
KQED
After big natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, federal officials often tighten up flood protection standards. That’s what happened in California after Hurricane Katrina twelve years ago. But many flood-prone communities are still struggling to meet those standards, including Sacramento, one of the riskiest flood zones in the country.
See also:
· As flood risks intensify, stormwater utilities offer a more resilient solution Brookings Institution
Out of the woods? Rethinking drought and water, part one
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Nearly six months ago, on April 7, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown declared an end to the droughtthat had ravaged the state for five years.
Calibrating for Change: Rethinking drought and water, part two
The San Diego Union-Tribune
In part one of our report on rethinking drought and water,” (“Out of the woods?” Sept. 23, 2017) California State Climatologist Michael Anderson and University of California Riverside Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy Kurt Schwabe discussed the changing nature of drought in our region.
How Water Bill Was Resurrected In Legislature’s Final Hours
It was 11:59pm last Friday, and Assembly Bill 313 sat silently in the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it had slumbered untouched for weeks. Less than three hours later, it had passed both chambers of the Legislature and was heading to the governor’s desk.
Oroville Dam highlights California water infrastructure ‘falling apart’
KCRA
Organizations that warned the state about the dangers at Oroville Dam more than a decade ago, released a report urging investment in California’s aging water infrastructure. The report includes dozens of recommendations from the nonprofits Friends of the River, South Yuba River Citizens League, American Whitewater and California Sportsfishing Protection Alliance.
“Xtra”
Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Re-Opens Tomorrow Following Closure From Fires
Visit Yosemite Madera County is excited to announce that the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad based at the South Gate entrance to Yosemite National Park reopens tomorrow, Saturday, September 23, 2017 having been closed for weeks from the railroad fire.
All The info you need about the Kern County Fair