POLICY & POLITICS North SJ Valley: Stockton City Council fires City Manager Kurt Wilson Stockton Record Kurt Wilson’s five-year tenure as Stockton’s city manager ended late this afternoon when he was fired by the City Council.Wilson announced the move in an email to city employees after the City Council conducted his performance evaluation in the […]

POLICY & POLITICS In a blow to the bullet train, California might shift billions from Valley to L.A., Bay Area projects Los Angeles Times Key California lawmakers have devised a plan to shift billions of dollars from the Central Valley bullet train to rail projects in Southern California and the Bay Area, a strategy that […]

POLICY & POLITICS 2020 Census: Valley Is Home To Hardest To Count Areas In U.S. What Will It Take For Accurate Count? VPR All these challenges are part of the reason The Sierra Health Foundation and their partners have been gearing up for the census for more than a year. The official count begins in […]

POLICY & POLITICS Bullet train clears hurdle as Trump administration OKs state environmental oversight Fresno Bee The Trump administration has lifted a major hurdle for California’s efforts to develop its ambitious high-speed rail program, effectively delegating its federal responsibility for environmental review of route sections to the state. See also: ●     California’s beleaguered bullet train project […]

POLICY & POLITICS North SJ Valley: City of Stockton welcomes three new directors to economic development, human resources and fire departments Stockton Record The newcomers are Economic Development director Carrie Wright, Human Resources director Robert Bonner and interim Fire Chief Dave Rudat. ‘Straight Pride’ event planned for Modesto draws protests before permit even issued Modesto […]

POLICY & POLITICS North SJ Valley: The National Straight Pride Coalition plans to hold the event in Graceada Park Modesto Bee The National Straight Pride Coalition expects to hold its first “Stanislaus County Straight Pride” event in Modesto’s Graceada Park next month. See also: ●      ‘Straight pride’ parade planned in Modesto Los Angeles Times EDITORIAL: Animal cruelty […]

POLICY & POLITICS Report: Valley Cities Among Nation’s Least-Educated    KMJ Bakersfield was the 4th least educated city in the United States, Fresno was 10th.   Stockton, Modesto, and Salinas are also among the nation’s least-educated. The least educated city in the United States? Visalia. North SJ Valley: Modesto has a severe housing shortage. Here’s how and when […]

POLICY & POLITICS Inmates Who Contracted Valley Fever In California Prisons Petition U.S. Supreme Court For Relief VPR For more than a decade, lawsuits have been piling up against California from inmates who contracted the fungal disease valley fever while incarcerated in state prison. Most plaintiffs have lost. Now, many of them are turning to […]

POLICY & POLITICS North SJ Valley: Nonprofits will run Stanislaus County health clinics in Ceres, Turlock and Hughson Modesto Bee The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the plan Tuesday and will outsource operation of the Ceres, Turlock and Hughson health clinics to nonprofit providers before the end of the year. Merced County supervisor district […]

POLICY & POLITICS North SJ Valley: (Josh Harder is the incumbent) GOP candidate in Cong. District 10 attacked for ‘extreme’ stance on immigration Modesto Bee Democrats unleashed online political ads charging that Republican candidate Ted Howze’s views on immigration are too extreme. (Tom McClintock is the incumbent) A Democrat outraised Tom McClintock more than two-to-one. Does it […]