Maddy Institute – April 12, 2019

12Apr

POLICY & POLITICS

Central Valley Tops List Of U.S. Ag Counties

Business Journal

California once again led the nation in agricultural sales in 2017, with six Valley counties — along with one along the state’s Central Coast — topping ag sales across the nation.

Valley Olive Oil Makers Judged Among Best In The State

Business Journal

Valley olive oil makers were among the top winners at the 5th annual Valley Olive Oil competition. They were among the 38 entries from 10 California producers in the competition put on by The Big Fresno Fair.

North SJ Valley:

Assemblyman Gray criticizes water board, says Delta-Bay Plan hurts struggling communities

Merced Sun-Star

After the state Water Resources Control Board said its Delta-Bay Plan would not have “significant” effect on the drinking water of disadvantaged communities Assemblymember Adam C. Gray, D-Merced, blasted the board members for what he said was their lack of concern for impoverished and minority communities.

Merced County mother fighting to stop bill that could let her son’s killer walk free

abc30

It’s been nearly 10 years, but Carol James says the pain of losing her son Bill hasn’t gotten any easier. And now a new law is bringing all those bad memories back, possibly allowing one of the suspects involved in her son’s murder to walk free.

Budgetel owners sue Modesto over $100K fine, claim city violated due process rights

Modesto Bee

The owners of the Budgetel Inn & Suites — the now-closed McHenry Avenue budget motel that has had trouble with drugs and prostitution but provided lodging for poor people — are suing Modesto, saying the city violated their due process rights when it imposed $100,000 in civil penalties against them.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Decide Measure X Projects Today

GV Wire

For Fresno Unified’s seven trustees, the challenge is how to spend $172 million in remaining Measure X bonds. That might sound like a lot of money — and it is — but the district’s project wish-list totals about $407 million.

Discussion of ‘Help Us, Help Fresno’ panhandling signs turns heated at City Council

Fresno Bee

The City Council in Fresno, California voted down Garry Bredefeld’s proposal to erect signs discouraging residents from donating to panhandlers and instead donate to charity groups.

Trial date set for Fresno Assemblyman Arambula’s misdemeanor child abuse charge

Fresno Bee

Democratic Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula will go to trial April 23 on the misdemeanor child abuse charge filed against him by the Fresno County District Attorney’s office in March. He’s accused of injuring his 7-year-old daughter in December.

Devin Nunes’ lawsuits put spotlight on his attorney’s suspension, GOP defamation lawsuits

Fresno Bee

When Rep. Devin Nunes appeared on Fox News to announce his defamation lawsuit against Twitter and a parody account, “Devin Nunes’ cow,” he declared the legal filing would be the first of many.

● EDITORIAL: Fact check: Devin Nunes’ lawsuit against The Bee is frivolous Merced Sun-Star

● Joe Scarborough Calls Devin Nunes FISA Conspiracy Theory a ‘disgrace To This Country’ Newsweek

Girls in wheelchairs should’ve been let on Gateway ice, suit says, and lawyer targets Cong. TJ Cox

Fresno Bee

Two children who use wheelchairs have filed a federal lawsuit against the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, which operates Gateway Ice Center, alleging they were discriminated against when foundation management barred them from the ice.

South SJ Valley:

Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s water legislation receives bipartisan support

Hanford Sentinel

Senate Bill 559, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), representing the 14th Senate District, advanced Tuesday through the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water by 7-0 vote.

Lindsay City Council approves multiple resolutions Tuesday night

Porterville Recorder

The Lindsay City Council tried something new on Tuesday night when they implemented the use of a slide show before their meeting began. During the slide show, a photo of each respective Council representative was shown before the remaining slides provided updates of general city information.

State:

Jessica Patterson Discusses Hackers Attacking DMV Motor Voter System

Fox40

After hackers gained access to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ “motor voter” system, the state’s top Republican began calling for action. Jessica Patterson recently took over control of the state’s Republican Party.

Charter School Battle May End Up on the Ballot

Fox & Hound

The assembly support came through for the unions on Wednesday when the Assembly Education Committee passed three bills, AB 1505, 1506 and 1507 to put a collar on charter schools.

L.A. takes next step toward clamping down on developer donations

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles officials took a tentative step Wednesday toward clamping down on political donations from real estate developers, as a City Council committee pressed forward with plans to ban donations from people seeking City Hall approval for their building projects.

Capitol Chat: New Bills Moving Through The Capitol

Capital Public Radio

Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler joins us to talk about the legislation making its way through California’s Legislature right now, including use of force bills, charter school regulations and a proposed soda tax.

Federal:

Democrats slam Barr as Trump calls AG’s ‘spying’ claim ‘very accurate’

abc30

President Donald Trump on Thursday agreed with and underscored the surprising assertion made Wednesday on Capitol Hill by Attorney General William Barr that “spying did occur” on Trump’s presidential campaign.

Trump bulldozes across the presidency’s red lines

Politico

President Donald Trump has spent the last few weeks trying to bend to his will what are arguably three of the federal government’s least political institutions – the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Reserve and Department of Justice.

Senate confirms former oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt as interior secretary

Washington Post

Former oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to lead the Interior Department, an agency that controls nearly half a billion acres of public land and the vast amount of oil and gas mineral resources resting beneath it.

● David Bernhardt confirmed as Interior secretary despite ethics concerns Los Angeles Times

Schumer, McConnell trade blame as Senate declines

Politico

Just last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) triggered the “nuclear option” and weakened the Senate’s vaunted filibuster to steamroll over Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump’s nominees — the third time in six years the majority party has unilaterally changed Senate rules.

Don’t demonize the electoral college — or the framers — as racist

Los Angeles Times

What is this evil incarnate, which numerous Democratic presidential candidates want abolished? The electoral college. But progressives misunderstand the institution in their campaign to pull it down in favor of simple majority rule.

Multistate lawsuits against Trump in 2 years exceed those against Obama, Bush in 8 years

USA Today

Trump has faced more joint challenges from states in his first two years than either Barack Obama or George W. Bush did in their eight years in office, according to Paul Nolette, a political science professor at Marquette University who tracks the lawsuits.

· Supreme Court revisits wedding cakes and same-sex marriages LA Times

OPINION: Politics isn’t a sport. Thinking so is dangerous.

Washington Post

This is hardly a constructive model for dealing with excessive factionalism. But the example points to the danger of viewing politics as a team sport. Citizens can engage in civil discourse and productive compromise. Rabid fans can be appeased only by victory.

Elections 2020:

Poll: Too-close allegations aren’t hurting Biden in California

San Francisco Chronicle

Allegations that former Vice President Joe Biden has made women uncomfortable with unwanted touching haven’t hurt his presidential prospects in California, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.

Bernie Sanders vs. Kamala Harris: These Dems are plotting sweeping Super Tuesday strategies

Sacramento Bee

While early voting states get a lot of attention, many of the most formidable candidates in the 2020 presidential field are preparing for what comes after that — Super Tuesday, when voters in at least 12 other states are set to cast ballots in the Democratic primary.

● Kamala Harris Calls Her LIFT Plan ‘The Most Significant Middle-Class Tax Cut In Generations.’ Is It? Capital Public Radio

Democrats are playing dirty to shut out progressive new voices. They should rethink that strategy

Los Angeles Times

In many ways, the Democratic Party of the last 50 years emerged from Democrats’ challenges to an incumbent Democratic president.

Dizzying array of dollar signs: Cutting through the hype on 2020 presidential fundraising

Los Angeles Times

So much money. It comes in tiny increments online. It comes in big checks written for fancy fundraisers. It comes from Wall Street brokers and from retired school teachers on meager pensions. But what does it all mean for the presidential candidates raising it?

Your email address could be worth $8 to a political campaign

Roll Call

With Democrats up and down the ballot eschewing corporate PAC money, and the Democratic National Committee setting a grassroots fundraising threshold to get onto the presidential debate stage, connecting with small donors is more important than ever.

Reparations for Slavery, Shelved for Decades, Are on the Table for 2020 Election

Wall Street Journal

The Rev. Al Sharpton asked Democratic presidential candidates the same question at his New York conference last week: Should the U.S. government research how to make amends for centuries of enslavement and oppression of African-Americans?

Mitch McConnell says Senate Republicans are ‘determined not to lose women’ in 2020

Roll Call

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republican senators on the ballot in 2020 can attract support from suburban voters, especially women, by portraying themselves as a firewall against Democratic policies.

Other:

Can across-the-aisle friendships survive the Trump era?

Roll Call

For decades, at the end of a long day, it wasn’t unusual for Republican and Democratic congressional staffers to leave their differences at the negotiating table and head to the bar to hang out.

The never-ending neutrality pageant

AEI

Despite the act — a bill passed this week by the House of Representatives to regulate broadband networks like public utilities — the internet is already free, open, and prosperous. Most people understand that’s precisely because we didn’t regulate it like a utility.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Central Valley Tops List Of U.S. Ag Counties

Business Journal

California once again led the nation in agricultural sales in 2017, with six Valley counties — along with one along the state’s Central Coast — topping ag sales across the nation.

Valley Olive Oil Makers Judged Among Best In The State

Business Journal

Ag tech savvy

Porterville Recorder

An ag technology project that started as a simple sensor to detect moisture in the soil for farmers became something else when eighth grade students at Pleasant View Elementary met with cowboys at Merritt Ranch in Strathmore and found out what they had to do to take care of the cattle and check the water levels daily on the huge ranch.

$350,000 in cash? California marijuana taxes still make growers – and tax collectors – nervous

Sacramento Bee

California still doesn’t have a better way to collect taxes from its burgeoning, licensed marijuana industry three years after voters passed an initiative to legalize recreational cannabis and 23 years after they sanctioned medical marijuana.

Hemp concerns and trade jitters top agriculture appropriations hearing

Roll Call

Senate appropriators had trade woes and the promise of industrial hemp on their minds Thursday as they sought assurances from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue of better times for farmers in their states.

The Age of Robot Farmers

The New Yorker

In recent years, though, seasonal labor has become much more scarce, and more expensive—making it difficult for growers of apples, citrus, berries, lettuce, melons, and other handpicked produce-aisle items to harvest their crops.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Merced County mother fighting to stop bill that could let her son’s killer walk free

abc30

Budgetel owners sue Modesto over $100K fine, claim city violated due process rights

Modesto Bee

Take Back the Mic gives survivors the stage

Bakersfield Californian

Take Back the Mic is all about giving a platform to and lifting up the voices of sexual assault survivors to empower them and help fight back against rape culture and sexual violence.

Californians favor life without parole over executions, poll says

San Francisco Chronicle

California voters favor keeping the worst criminals in jail for life instead of putting them to death, although there’s a sharp partisan divide on the issue, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.

California Court of Appeal Confirms (Again) That Claims Brought Under the Private Attorneys General Act Cannot Be Arbitrated

AALRR
The California Court of Appeal again confirmed that employers cannot compel employees to arbitrate their PAGA claims, no matter the existence of an arbitration agreement, without some evidence that the State of California consented to the employee’s waiver of the right to bring the PAGA claim in court.

How Are U.S. Cities Reforming Their Criminal Justice Policies?

PEW Trusts

With national momentum building on criminal justice reform efforts, many cities, local jurisdictions, and states are looking to incorporate and apply successful approaches to their justice systems.

EDITORIAL: Was this man sentenced to death because he is gay? The Supreme Court should take up that question

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court has ruled in previous cases that evidence of racial prejudice influencing a jury’s decision can be used by a defendant to appeal for a new trial, even if the evidence is discovered after the defendant was convicted.

Public Safety:

High-capacity magazines flooded into California after judge struck down gun control law

Fresno Bee

A gun rights group says millions of high-capacity magazines entered California after Judge Roger Benitez overturned a gun control law challenged by the NRA, citing the Second Amendment. LCM are illegal again.

See also:

● Gun groups: Million-plus extended magazines flood California Bakersfield Californian

● For one week, high-capacity ammunition magazines were legal. Thousands likely sold San Francisco Chronicle

● EDITORIAL: Judge allows high-capacity gun magazines and rush to buy follows San Francisco Chronicle

Victims’ parents urge Newsom to stop death penalty reprieve

Associated Press

Parents of Californians murdered by people now on death row shared gruesome details of their loved ones’ killings Thursday as they launched a statewide tour to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to reverse his moratorium on executions.

California leaders consider when cops can kill as police shootings spark outcry

Politico

As the pendulum has swung toward criminal justice reform, the ACLU has found a sponsor and finds itself contending with a police-backed use-of-force bill that looks poised to split Democrats.

Fire:

These California communities could be the next Paradise. Is yours one of them?

Fresno Bee

Find out which California cities and communities are most vulnerable to and at risk of wildfires like Camp Fire. Areas in potential threat zones: Shingletown, Nevada City, La Canada Flintridge and Pollock Pines.

● California Building Rules May Protect Homes From Wildfires Business Journal

● California races to deter disaster as towns face fire risk Associated Press

● Destined to Burn: What must be done to avoid the next California wildfire disaster Sierra Star

● Why do some homes survive California wildfires? Visalia Times Delta

● How can California prevent devastating wildfires? The state faces multiple roadblocks Sacramento Bee

● Analysis: Safety rules give homes better chance in wildfires Sacramento Bee

Challenges And Progress For Camp Fire Survivors

Capital Public Radio

Paradise Mayor Jody Jones joins Insight to talk about the community’s efforts to rebuild from the destruction caused by the Camp Fire.

PG&E electricity rates could double after more wildfires, report says

San Francisco Chronicle

If California wildfires continue to be as devastating as they have been the past two years, millions of customers’ electric rates could skyrocket 50% and threaten the state’s ability to execute some of its top clean energy initiatives, according to a new analysis prepared for Gov. Gavin Newsom.

VIDEO: How California business and nonprofits are adapting post-wildfires

CAEconomy

As California’s regions are learning lessons about how to help residents and businesses get back on their feet after a disaster, the California Economic Summit has focused on the longer-term challenge: institutionalizing joint state-local systems and strategies that have broad benefits beyond specific disasters—and that can move all communities toward lasting resiliency.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Modesto’s new Salvation Army thrift store moves to bigger location. Shoppers approve

Modesto Bee

The thrift shop replaces the Salvation Army’s older, smaller store on Yosemite Boulevard. That location was closed about two weeks ago and the building is being sold, said Salvation Army Major Sylvan Young.

How much are we willing to pay for human interaction?

San Francisco Chronicle

Human contact is becoming a luxury good, and that’s very apparent in the restaurant world. More food establishments have begun to replace cashiers and other front-of-house workers with tablets.

Jobs:

Fresno’s Ulta Center Thriving; Phoenix Is Closing

Business Journal

In addition to employing more than 500 people, the Fresno warehouse is moving makeup like gangbusters, now serving 235 stores and 21 percent of e-commerce orders, according to CEO Mary Dillon, in a recent Q4 earnings call for investors.

No more working for free: Here’s what Bay Area lawmakers pay their interns

San Francisco Chronicle

Capitol Hill lawmakers have welcomed interns for years, but often they were unpaid. With Washington, D.C., being one of the most expensive cities in the country, the lack of pay was a barrier to many students and recent graduates who could not afford to work for free.

Drug Tests Show Marijuana Use at 14-Year High Among Workers

Wall Street Journal

More American workers are testing positive for marijuana, a new report finds, as lawmakers in New Jersey and Illinois push to join nearly a dozen more states where recreational use of the drug is now legal.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Decide Measure X Projects Friday

GV Wire

Madera Unified Teachers Avoid Strike, For Now

VPR

Educators in Madera voted overwhelmingly this week to accept a new contract offer from Madera Unified School District. Teachers there were on the verge of striking, but with this agreement, they have a short term fix.

A union show of force: Teachers from around California rally with Sacramento educators

Sacramento Bee

More than 1,500 Sacramento teachers were joined Thursday by counterparts from around California in a massive rally outside the south Sacramento headquarters of the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Proposal To Limit Number Of California Charter Schools Sparks Heated Debate Among Parents, Educators

Capital Public Radio

Supporters say charter-school laws have not been revised since they were first introduced more than 25 years ago. Opponents argue the legislation would limit school choice, especially for parents of minority students in struggling school districts.

California plan for school construction bonds sparks debate for reform

EdSource

For the past few years, a small group of advocates for equitable school construction has been examining how school districts with small tax bases and low-income families can get a bigger share of state funding to upgrade school facilities. Now, they say, there is an opportunity to make that happen.

Higher Ed:

Muir collection an education in understanding, preserving nature

Stockton Record

We’re celebrating the Muir-Hanna family’s gift of John Muir-authored documents to University of the Pacific. While the university has been fortunate to house the collection for 49 years, Saturday’s event will recognize Pacific as the permanent home collection.

We must let more California students into public universities’ front door

CALmatters

Unethical and even criminal tactics used to slide students into prestigious universities cannot be tolerated. But there’s something else we should not tolerate: the insufficient higher education capacity to meet student demand in California.

When You Feel Your Opinion Is Irrelevant: Political Bias Against Conservatives On College Campuses

WGBH

According to a recent study by the National Association of Scholars, almost 40 percent of the best liberal arts colleges in the country do not have a single Republican full-time faculty member.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Less pollution may be clearing up dangerous tule fog in Central Valley

abc30

The thick and often dangerous fog that blankets the inland valleys has been waning over the years. Some people thought that climate change may be reducing its frequency. But it turns out, all of our hard work eliminating pollution may be the real reason.

Madera County Tree Mortality Update

Sierra News

Blue Ridge Services (BRS), is partnering with Madera County to oversee and implement their tree mortality mitigation project. Tree cutting teams have cut down 2,874 trees in total. Contractor Elming Enterprises has completed projects on Hangtree Lane.

Love for California living stronger than risks

Visalia Times Delta

If there’s one consistent thread in California’s history, it’s that we often ignore the profound risks that come with living in this big beautiful state — the earthquakes, the mudslides, the wildfires, the floods, the droughts and, yes, even the volcanoes.

California Discusses Protecting Migratory Birds After Rollback Of Federal Protections

Capital Public Radio

Over a year ago, the Trump administration rolled back a treaty that protected migratory birds like eagles and hummingbirds. But some lawmakers want to exempt California.

California’s straw law draws attention

Capitol Weekly

Many people believe that the state should make all eateries use biodegradable straws, especially fast-food restaurants, which are the largest consumers of plastic straws. The new California law bars the use of plastic straws, unless the customer asks for it.

Bolling: The right way to reduce carbon emissions

The Hill

If people are serious about reducing CO2, they should invest in energy companies that use state-of-the-art technology to reduce carbon emissions. The U.S. oil and gas industry invested $90 billion on emission control technologies from 2000 to 2014, according to a report by T2 and Associates.

OPINION: The Case for a Green ‘No Deal’

Wall Street Journal

The Senate rejected the Green New Deal on a 57-0 procedural vote last month. Not a single senator voted to bring the proposal to the floor, including its chief sponsor, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey. Climate alarmists demanded that Republicans come up with a plan of their own.

Energy:

Trump wants to open Carrizo Plain for oil drilling. These lawmakers are trying to stop it

Fresno Bee

A bill re-introduced by Congressman Salud Carbajal proposes to designate three areas of the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County California as protected wilderness, protecting it from oil drilling, pipeline.

Activists want California to ban fracking. What does Gov. Newsom want?

CALmatters

California has been deeply involved with the oil and gas business since the first wooden derricks were erected in sleepy Kern County in the 19th century. But these days California is flush with laws, regulations and goals that will likely cause the state to eventually sever its long relationship with fossil fuels.

U.S. EPA chief defends big energy projects, says climate not top priority

Reuters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will unveil a proposal to speed state-level permitting decisions for energy infrastructure projects soon, the agency’s chief told Reuters on Thursday, blasting states that have blocked coal terminals and gas pipelines on environmental grounds.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

100,000 Americans Die from Air Pollution, Study Finds | National News

US News

A report puts a human and financial price on air pollution as a government panel looks to dismiss its costs.

(Grey’s) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis

Rand

More than 130 Americans die every day after overdosing on opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And the most recent statistics available show that more than 47,000 Americans died in 2017 as a result of an opioid overdose.

Opioid Treatment Programs Gear Up to Provide Suicide Care

PEW
People with an opioid addiction are at much higher risk for suicide than the rest of the population; and opioid use was a contributing factor in more than 40% of all suicide and overdose deaths in 2017, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CBD Goes Mainstream

Consumer Reports

The survey found that more than a quarter of people in the U.S. say they’ve tried CBD—a compound in marijuana and hemp that doesn’t get you “high”—for a slew of mental and physical reasons. One out of 7 of those people said they use it every day.

A new report shows that diagnosis rates for ADHD have risen 30% in 8 years

USA Today

A new report by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association found that rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis are significantly increasing, especially for children. The report helps provide further insight into just how many children are impacted by ADHD, with important implications for parents, educators and doctors.

Human Services:

Can Democrats in the House keep health care reform alive? Nancy Pelosi is going to try.

Fresno Bee

House Democrats have been in control of the chamber for 100 days, and their biggest emphasis has been trying to make health care more accessible and affordable. Republicans counter that it’s all talk and no real change.