April 17, 2018

17Apr

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​

 

Valley Politics:

 

Survey: Newsom, Cox lead Valley gubernatorial poll

The Business Journal

A San Joaquin Valley survey conducted by Fresno State found Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox leading a close field of candidates for the 2018 gubernatorial election.

 

Urban, rural interests collide, confounding California’s most vulnerable Republicans

Merced Sun-Star

Help the farmers or help the poor? The farm bill House lawmakers will consider Wednesday forces vulnerable Republicans in contested House races in largely rural districts to make a difficult, perhaps politically lethal choice between the two constituencies. Reps. David Valadao of Hanford and Jeff Denham of Turlock are California Republicans from such areas. Democrat Hillary Clinton won their districts in 2016. They’re districts that are largely rural with high rates of unemployment and poverty but also rely on Washington’s farm subsidies to help agriculture.

2018 Farm Bill, a success or ‘betrayal’?

Visalia Times-Delta

Every five years, a bipartisan farm bill is passed by Congress that impacts people nationwide and right here at home.  On Thursday, a draft of the legislation was released by the House Agriculture Committee. While the bill is welcomed by many, some called it a betrayal to rural families.

 

Tariffs and California Agriculture

LAO

In recent months, the United States and China have engaged in a series of back-and-forth threats to impose tariffs—taxes on imported goods—on goods commonly traded between the U.S. and China. To date, China has imposed tariffs on 128 items exported from the US to China and has proposed tariffs on an additional 106 items. These tariffs range from 15 to 25 percent.

 

“60 Minutes” on Allegiant safety, delays continue

The Fresno Bee

Allegiant Air, long a target of complaints by passengers over flight delays at the small- and mid-sized airports it serves, is coming under even greater scrutiny following an investigative report by the CBS program “60 Minutes” into the airline’s track record of safety and mechanical issues.

 

Fresno loses 9-year legal fight, pays $1.7M to resolve deadly police shooting

Fresno Bee

The city of Fresno has paid $1.72 million to the parents of a 23-year-old Fresno man who was shot to death by police nine years ago.

 

Central Unified ousted its superintendent. Parents want to know if it was discrimination

Fresno Bee

Three Central Unified board members are facing recall efforts after the board ousted a popular superintendent in February. It’s the latest in the fallout from the 5-2 vote to terminate Mark Sutton, a decision some Central parents say was racially motivated and made behind closed doors. A group of parents is now leading the push to recall trustees Philip Cervantes and Richard Solis, who voted to terminate Sutton.

 

Moreno gets Sheriff Varney’s endorsement for county DA

Sierra Star

Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney has announced his endorsement of Sally Orme Moreno for Madera County District Attorney in the June 5 Primary Election. “I have reviewed all three of the candidates running for district attorney and Sally is the most qualified,” said Sheriff Varney. “Sally already has a great working relationship with other law enforcement agencies, victim services agencies and other groups that help us keep Madera a safe county.”

 

Tulare City Council to dig into credit card policy after alleged misuse

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare City Council members will soon get a lesson on the use of city-owned credit cards. On Tuesday, council members will be updated on the city’s policy, which would clear up any doubts regarding credit card use. Vice Mayor Maritsa Castellanoz said she “welcomes” the update following drama between Mayor Carlton Jones and former police Chief Wes Hensley, who says he was investigating the mayor’s city credit card use before being fired.

 

Courage to Change: ‘Our children don’t belong on Exeter campuses’

Visalia Times Delta

Uncertainty surrounds the future of an Exeter program aimed at reforming boys who have made serious mistakes before becoming adults. In January, Exeter Unified School District board members voted to terminate a 20-year agreement between Courage to Change and the district.

 

Latino leaders agree to back Delano Mayor Grace Vallejo to face Couch

The Bakersfield Californian

Delano Mayor Grace Vallejo will run against David Couch in the county supervisors’ new Fourth District. And she will have the full backing of Latino leaders from Arvin to Delano, thanks to a pact hammered out on Thursday between elected officials, influential campaign financiers and Democratic party brass.

 

Public comment on possible changes to trustee boundaries sought at Kern High hearing

The Bakersfield Californian

Under threat of a pending lawsuit, the KHSD board decided earlier this month to attempt to redraw voting districts ahead of an upcoming election to provide more equity on the board to Latino communities. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the district’s board chambers, 5801 Sundale Ave., in southwest Bakersfield. It follows a closed session board meeting beginning at 5:05 p.m.

 

As changes come to Fulton Street property owners face challenges to bring life back to Downtown

abc30

Fulton Street has been open for six months, but the corridor is still filled with a dozen empty businesses.

 

State Politics:

 

California ranked as nation’s 5th fastest-growing economy

Daily News

California’s business climate may be cooling, but the state is still among the nation’s swiftest-growing economy.

 

California expects $14 billion in tax payments this month

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget is built on what taxpayers might find an audacious assumption: almost $14 billion in tax payments in the month of April, an average of $83 million collected per hour on every business day of the month.

 

Gov. Brown Says He’s ‘Close To An Agreement’ With Trump Administration On California National Guard Deployment

capradio.org

Gov. Jerry Brown says he is “close to an agreement” with the Trump administration on deploying California’s National Guard to the Mexico border, but Trump tweeted this morning: “looks like Jerry Brown and California are not looking for safety and security along their very porous border.”

See also:

      Trump, Jerry Brown ‘pretty close to an agreement’ on national guard, Brown says Sacramento Bee

     California limits National Guard’s border mission, risking clash with Trump Washington Post

●     US says California rejects proposed border duties for troops AP

     After a very brief respite, Trump resumes his war of words with California Gov. Jerry Brown Washington Post

 

Skelton: When it comes to the California delta, none of Gov. Jerry Brown’s potential successors have tunnel vision

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown scored big last week in his tenacious effort to build monstrous twin water tunnels in the California delta. But his legacy project could still collapse. No potential successor supports it.

 

Retro-Republican from a pre-Trump era: John Cox in second place, for now

CALmatters

John Cox wants to slash the California income tax—abolish it, if possible. Maybe you disagree, but he thinks he can convince you.

 

Villaraigosa, Cox battle to advance in California governor’s race

San Francisco Chronicle

The two candidates fighting it out in the polls to be the second and final contender to advance to the general election in the governor’s race couldn’t be more different politically.

 

Morain: News Analysis: Why big-city politician Villaraigosa is spending so much time in farm country

CALmatters

Antonio Villaraigosa is not the sort of politician who would scuff his well-shined shoes with the dust from San Joaquin Valley farms, or so you might think. 

 

Big money from charter backers has potential to reshape governor’s race

EdSource

It is crunch time for advocates of charter schools who want to see continued growth of enrollments in California’s charter schools and also want to elect a governor who they view as being most sympathetic to their cause.

 

Morain: News Analysis: Why big-city politician Villaraigosa is spending so much time in farm country

CALmatters

Antonio Villaraigosa is not the sort of politician who would scuff his well-shined shoes with the dust from San Joaquin Valley farms, or so you might think. 

 

De León struggles against Feinstein in Senate fundraising race

Sacramento Bee

California Senate President Kevin de León got some much needed momentum for his longshot challenge to Sen. Dianne Feinstein over the winter, winning a string of endorsements from organized labor and denying Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, an endorsement from the state party. Those victories didn’t, however, translate into a fundraising boost, new financial reports show. De León still faces the same massive financial gap against Feinstein that he did at the end of 2017.

See also:

     Feinstein war chest tops $10 million while Kevin de León struggles to keep pace Los Angeles Times

     Feinstein holds huge money lead in California race for US Senate San Francisco Chronicle

 

Why are California Republicans feuding over their own anti-gas tax campaign?

The Mercury News

Leaders of the effort to repeal California’s new gas tax increase are blasting Republican governor candidate Travis Allen for using money raised to repeal the tax to broadcast ads featuring himself. A pro-repeal committee controlled by Allen, an Orange County state assemblyman, is spending a $300,000 donation it received this month on radio and video ads in which Allen introduces himself as a candidate for governor and then advocates for repealing the tax.

 

See where Republican Party is shrinking fastest in California

The Sacramento Bee

California Republicans are struggling this year to find a candidate that can beat Gov. Jerry Brown, state polls show. That’s partly due to Brown’s popularity and partly due to the shrinking proportion of the state’s voters registered as Republicans.

See also:

     California Republicans confront a dire election scenario: No GOP choice for governor  The Sacramento Bee

DeVore: California’s crazy one-party liberal politics is why I had to finally leave the state — and I’m not alone

Fox News

Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, infamously tweeted a link in early April to a story calling for a bloodless civil war to solve America’s problems. The piece, “The Great Lesson of California in America’s New Civil War: Why there’s no bipartisan way forward at this juncture in our history — one side must win” was authored by Peter Leyden and Ruy Teixeira.

 

Earth Day 2018: Here are 6 California bills that aim to reduce plastic litter and pollution

The Mercury News

State lawmakers got the memo in advance. The theme of Earth Day (Sunday, April 22) is “End Plastic Pollution,” but California legislators are already on the case. Four years ago, they made California the first state to ban single-use plastic grocery sacks — and 52 percent of voters agreed with the law in a 2016 referendum. This year, the lawmakers are going after a range of other plastics that litter the ocean, beaches, streets and parks.

 

California bill would restore, strengthen net neutrality protections

The Mercury News

With the FCC order to repeal net neutrality rules set to take effect next week, a bill that would restore those regulations in California will get its first hearing Tuesday. SB 822, written by State Sen. Scott D. Wiener, D-San Francisco, is backed by big names including Tom Wheeler, the Obama-appointed former Federal Communications Commission chairman who wrote the 2015 Open Internet Order.

See also:

     This is how California fights back against Trump killing net neutrality Sacramento Bee

     Net neutrality bill heads for showdown in California State Senate San Francisco Chronicle

●     Opinion: Bill would protect net neutrality in California Sacramento Bee

 

California’s poor students rank next to last on national test

The Mercury News

California’s poor students performed worse on a national exam than needy kids from all but one other state, according to results released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics. Congratulations, folks. We beat Alaska. These students’ lackluster scores on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress come despite the state’s $31.2 billion investment in their learning under a new school funding method championed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013.

 

Federal Politics:

 

Trump tax cut will increase tax for 1 million Californians

The Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump’s tax cuts will be anything but for about 1 million California taxpayers who will owe Uncle Sam more money a year from now

See also:

      Trump tax cut will hurt many in California Fresno Bee

Tax Overhaul Remains Unpopular, Poll Shows

WSJ

More people view the Republican tax overhaul as a bad idea than a good one, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found, but Americans see the GOP as better equipped than Democrats to handle taxes, trade and other economic issues.

 

GOP devotes $250M to midterm strategy: Keep House majority

The Sacramento Bee

The Republican National Committee has committed $250 million to a midterm election strategy that has one goal above all else: Preserve the party’s House majority for the rest of President Donald Trump’s first term.

 

Supreme Court Weighs Widening States’ Reach on Online Sales Taxes

WSJ

Billions of dollars of goods sold each year by independent merchants on Amazon.com and other online marketplaces would be vulnerable to state sales taxes for the first time if justices decide to reverse a quarter-century-old precedent in a case before the Supreme Court this week.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that an immigration statute requiring the deportation of noncitizens who commit felonies is unlawfully vague in a decision that could limit the Trump administration’s ability to step up the removal of immigrants with criminal records.

See also:

·       Supreme Court invalidates part of federal law requiring mandatory deportation of immigrants convicted of crimes CNN Politics

 

GOP maneuver could roll back decades of regulation

POLITICO

Republicans are preparing to open a new front in their push to roll back regulations across the government, using a maneuver that could enable them to strike down decisions by federal agencies that reach back decades.

 

Other:

 

It’s easy to hate taxes, harder to answer these questions

The Modesto Bee

“Tax Day,” the day when U.S. individual tax returns are due, is usually April 15. This year Americans have gotten until Tuesday, April 17, to file their returns because April 15 falls on a Sunday and April 16 is Emancipation Day in Washington – marking President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING  

 

Sunday, April 22, at 9 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “To Catch a Thief: Workers Comp Fraud”​ – Guest: California State Auditor, Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 22, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report ​ – Valley Views Edition​: “Prosecuting Workers Comp Fraud in the Valley” – Guests: Manuel Jimenez (Fresno County District Attorney’s Office), Janelle Crandell (Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office), Spencer Johnston (Tulare County District Attorney’s Office), Dave McKillop (Kern County District Attorney’s Office). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 22, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Workers Comp Fraud”  Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor’s Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

2018 Farm Bill, a success or ‘betrayal’?

Visalia Times-Delta

Every five years, a bipartisan farm bill is passed by Congress that impacts people nationwide and right here at home.  On Thursday, a draft of the legislation was released by the House Agriculture Committee. While the bill is welcomed by many, some called it a betrayal to rural families.

 

Tariffs and California Agriculture

LAO

In recent months, the United States and China have engaged in a series of back-and-forth threats to impose tariffs—taxes on imported goods—on goods commonly traded between the U.S. and China. To date, China has imposed tariffs on 128 items exported from the US to China and has proposed tariffs on an additional 106 items. These tariffs range from 15 to 25 percent.

 

Will unlicensed marijuana cultivation hurt California’s redwoods?

The Mercury News

A new industry is thriving in California. It is green in terms of the money being made and the crop itself. Yet it is anything but that when it comes to the environment, posing horrendous ecological threats to the region’s redwood forests.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Survivors of violent crime raise their voices in California to call for a new approach to criminal justice

Los Angeles Times

Her father, uncle, a cousin and two older brothers. Those are some of the family members 16-year-old Aaliyah Smith has lost to gun violence. Then there are her friends. Jermaine Jackson Jr., 27, was shot and killed in 2016 while he painted over graffiti in San Francisco. Toriano “Tito” Adger, 18, was shot there a year later at a bus stop. He called Smith, who was nearby, and warned her to run. She made it inside a library moments before the crack of gunfire.

 

Public Safety:

 

Fresno loses 9-year legal fight, pays $1.7M to resolve deadly police shooting

Fresno Bee

The city of Fresno has paid $1.72 million to the parents of a 23-year-old Fresno man who was shot to death by police nine years ago.

 

Why No One Wants to Back the Gun of the Future

WSJ

It was supposed to be the dawn of a new era of “smart guns.” Spurred by the deaths of 20 young children in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, Silicon Valley set out to make safer, technologically advanced weapons that could only be fired by their owners.

 

Fire:

 

California wildfire bill could lead to overspending, group warns

San Francisco Chronicle

A bill in Sacramento to help prevent wildfires is stirring controversy, with a consumer advocacy group warning that it would give California’s utility companies a blank check to spend their customers’ money on any work the companies say is related to safety.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Supreme Court to decide if online sellers must collect sales taxes across America

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court will hear a multibillion-dollar tax dispute on Tuesday and decide whether online merchants can be required to collect sales taxes regardless of where they are located. For online shoppers, the case could mean higher prices, although many large internet sellers, including Amazon, have already been collecting sales taxes in recent years.

 

California ranked as nation’s 5th fastest-growing economy

Daily News

California’s business climate may be cooling, but the state is still among the nation’s swiftest-growing economy.

 

Jobs:

 

No more Job Killers; we need some Job Creators

The Bakersfield Californian

It seems like every week there’s a new report about the emaciated state of the California Dream. Housing prices continue to rise. Environmental regulations push more Californians into energy poverty. Taxes and frivolous lawsuits incentivize businesses to leave the Golden State.

 

EDUCATION

 

Central Unified ousted its superintendent. Parents want to know if it was discrimination

Fresno Bee

Three Central Unified board members are facing recall efforts after the board ousted a popular superintendent in February. It’s the latest in the fallout from the 5-2 vote to terminate Mark Sutton, a decision some Central parents say was racially motivated and made behind closed doors. A group of parents is now leading the push to recall trustees Philip Cervantes and Richard Solis, who voted to terminate Sutton.

 

Courage to Change: ‘Our children don’t belong on Exeter campuses’

Visalia Times Delta

Uncertainty surrounds the future of an Exeter program aimed at reforming boys who have made serious mistakes before becoming adults. In January, Exeter Unified School District board members voted to terminate a 20-year agreement between Courage to Change and the district.

 

Public comment on possible changes to trustee boundaries sought at Kern High hearing

The Bakersfield Californian

Under threat of a pending lawsuit, the KHSD board decided earlier this month to attempt to redraw voting districts ahead of an upcoming election to provide more equity on the board to Latino communities. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the district’s board chambers, 5801 Sundale Ave., in southwest Bakersfield. It follows a closed session board meeting beginning at 5:05 p.m.

 

California’s poor students rank next to last on national test

The Mercury News

California’s poor students performed worse on a national exam than needy kids from all but one other state, according to results released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics. Congratulations, folks. We beat Alaska. These students’ lackluster scores on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress come despite the state’s $31.2 billion investment in their learning under a new school funding method championed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013.

 

Tax guns instead of arming teachers, California lawmaker proposes

Sacramento Bee

Following the February school massacre in Parkland, Fla., California legislators responded as they often do after a mass shooting, with proposals to further tighten the state’s strict gun control laws. But the killings – and a national protest movement that they inspired – have also raised questions across the country about how best to keep children safe in school.

 

Focusing on the language skills of English Learners key to boosting math scores

EdSource

Boosting the language development of students whose first language is not English is critical if California is to narrow the wide and persistent gaps in math test scores between its nearly 1.4 million English learners and their English-proficient peers. That is the recommendation in a recent report by Education Trust–West, which highlights the successful strategies that five California districts implemented to improve the academic performance of English learners.

 

Video: Californians and Education

Public Policy Institute of California

In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, killings, the latest PPIC survey finds an overwhelming majority of Californians are concerned about a possible shooting in their local schools. But most oppose having teachers carry guns in school facilities.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Bay Area begins week with wild weather, earthquake

The Mercury News

The work week got off to an apocalyptic start in the Bay Area with torrential downpours, hail, snow, thunder, lightning strikes and even an earthquake reported in the region. The magnitude 3.8 quake struck at 9:40 a.m. nine miles northeast of downtown San Jose, in the Alum Rock area, and caused high-rises to rock back and forth. The jolt also was felt in Santa Clara, Fremont and Milpitas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Dems and ‘single payer’ — a house divided?

Capitol Weekly

It goes by various names: universal health care access; national health care; Medicare for all; government-run health care; even socialized medicine. Most news reports call it “single payer.” It threatens to tear asunder California’s Democratic Party.

 

Convenient Care Initiative offers local vets quicker options for medical care

The Bakersfield Californian

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the soft launch of the Convenient Care Initiative in Bakersfield. This pilot program, initiated as part of the Veterans Choice Program, allows veterans receiving their healthcare from the VA to access local walk-in urgent care clinics for minor medical issues if they cannot be seen by a local VA clinic in a timely manner.

 

California lawmakers seek reparations for people sterilized by the state

The Mercury News

Rosie Zaballos liked to host playtime tea parties and was sweet to everyone she met. But her older brother worried that the 16-year-old, whom her family described as “a little slow,” might someday become pregnant. In his 30s and married, he had three kids of his own. And their mom was sick and needed help. So he took Rosie to be sterilized at a state-run hospital so she couldn’t have babies who might place an extra burden on the family. Rosie never came home. She died during the operation.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

For stories on the use of Calif National Guard on our borders, See: “Top Stories – State Politics,” above

 

Some in California side with US stance on sanctuary cities

The Bakersfield Californian

More local governments in California are saying they don’t want to be part of the state’s efforts to resist the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, especially in pockets where Republicans still dominate in the otherwise Democratic state.

See also:

     California city approves ordinance against sanctuary policy The Bakersfield Californian

     California city debates sanctuary law exemption Washington Post

California and Texas — approaches to immigration and the power of states to craft immigration

The Hill

For better and worse, the power to decide whether local law enforcement assists Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rests in large part with the states — not the federal government and not city or county governments. California and Texas, two of the biggest political, economic, and social power houses in the country, have both passed legislation taking a strong stand on how their communities will interact with immigration enforcement efforts that, unsurprisingly, puts them on opposite sides of the sanctuary city debate.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that an immigration statute requiring the deportation of noncitizens who commit felonies is unlawfully vague in a decision that could limit the Trump administration’s ability to step up the removal of immigrants with criminal records.

See also:

●     Supreme Court invalidates part of federal law requiring mandatory deportation of immigrants convicted of crimes CNN Politics

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

As changes come to Fulton Street property owners face challenges to bring life back to Downtown

abc30

Fulton Street has been open for six months, but the corridor is still filled with a dozen empty businesses.

 

Controversial project to build a casino along Highway 99 impacted by court ruling

ABC30

For years the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians has been trying to turn the land off of Avenue 18 and Road 23 in Madera County into a casino. Lawsuits claiming the tribe does not have tribal rights to the property for off-reservation gaming have created hurdles.

 

Could a single dollar transform a south Stockton neighborhood?

Stockton Record

Consider the city-owned 1.6-acre vacant lot on the east side of Airport Way bordered by Eighth Street to the north and Ninth Street to the south. Pending approval Tuesday night by the Stockton City Council, STAND Affordable Housing is set to purchase the aforementioned vacant lot — worth at least $175,000 on the open market — for the low, low price of 100 pennies. And if STAND’s plans for the land become a reality in a few years, it could turn out to be the best dollar anyone has spent in Stockton in a long, long time.

 

City receives Windsor Court study

Porterville Recorder

The City of Porterville recently received an initial study/mitigated negative declaration for the Windsor Court Development Project, which was prepared by Crawford & Bowen Planning, Inc. of Visalia. The document focuses on potential environmental effects of the City of Porterville’s Windsor Court Development Project. The city intends to construct a housing development that includes 80 single-family residences over approximately 17 acres of land.

 

Housing:

 

Builder optimism declines for 4th straight month

Fresno Bee

Homebuilder confidence slid for the fourth consecutive month with steadily rising mortgage rates and sky-high home prices putting ownership out of reach for more and more Americans.

 

Flood of building permits in Merced a sign of growth

ABC30

City of Merced building officials are on their way to issuing 3,000 building permits, which is more than they’ve issued since the economy took a hit in 2008. “At one point the city of Merced was seeing over 1,000 home permits pulled per year, then it fell off the cliff and went to 17 in one year,” Director of Development Services Scott McBride said. Since January of this year, the city has issued more than 800 permits.

 

Wait could be over for downtown housing project

Stockton Record

After Visionary Home Builders acquired a foreclosed downtown office building in 2015, it wasted little time before revealing renovation plans that would convert the site into affordable housing, with onsite social services, for military veterans and their families. But securing financing took longer than expected, delaying the renovation and repurposing of the vacant building at 804 N. Hunter St.

 

California housing showdown draws key interest groups

Sacramento Bee

Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, faces his first major legislative test today on his controversial housing bill that has split special interests in Sacramento. Opposition has grown more intense over the past three months, with major California cities resisting the proposal that would strip local governments’ land use authority in transit-rich areas. San Francisco and Los Angeles are against it, along with the Sierra Club, tenants rights’ groups and influential housing advocacy groups including Housing California and the California Housing Consortium.

See also:

·       Opinion: SB 827 would maximize housing near transit in California The Mercury News

 

Fixing California’s housing crisis: What candidates for governor would do

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s housing shortage is a crisis that the next governor will have to fix, the six leading candidates for the job say. But an attention-grabbing legislative proposal on housing — a bill by a San Francisco state senator that would make it easier to build apartment and condominium buildings in some residential neighborhoods — isn’t the answer, most of the candidates agree.

 

California Housing Crisis: Working But On The Brink Of Homelessness

NPR

Family photos, Bible verse decals and wedding mementos adorn Jimmy Mejia and Patty Garrido’s living room walls in South Los Angeles. Despite their efforts, the decorations can’t mask the unpatched holes in the ceiling and the roaches that crawl around their kitchen. In one corner, there’s a hole where the drywall caved in after a recent storm.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California expects $14 billion in tax payments this month

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget is built on what taxpayers might find an audacious assumption: almost $14 billion in tax payments in the month of April, an average of $83 million collected per hour on every business day of the month.

 

Trump’s tax cut not for everyone: 1 million Californians will owe $12 billion more next year

Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump’s tax cuts will be anything but for about 1 million California taxpayers who will owe Uncle Sam more money a year from now. They’re the Californians who will lose a collective $12 billion because the new law caps a deduction they have been able to take for paying their state and local taxes, according to a new analysis by the Franchise Tax Board.

See also:

      Trump tax cut will hurt many in California Fresno Bee

 

Tax Overhaul Remains Unpopular, Poll Shows

WSJ

More people view the Republican tax overhaul as a bad idea than a good one, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found, but Americans see the GOP as better equipped than Democrats to handle taxes, trade and other economic issues.

 

Tax guns instead of arming teachers, California lawmaker proposes

Sacramento Bee

Following the February school massacre in Parkland, Fla., California legislators responded as they often do after a mass shooting, with proposals to further tighten the state’s strict gun control laws. But the killings – and a national protest movement that they inspired – have also raised questions across the country about how best to keep children safe in school.

 

Congressional Gridlock Plays Central Role in Internet Tax Case

Roll Call

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in a major internet sales tax case, and it won’t be the first or last time the justices will try to figure out whether gridlock in Congress plays a role in their decision.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

“60 Minutes” on Allegiant safety, delays continue

The Fresno Bee

Allegiant Air, long a target of complaints by passengers over flight delays at the small- and mid-sized airports it serves, is coming under even greater scrutiny following an investigative report by the CBS program “60 Minutes” into the airline’s track record of safety and mechanical issues.

 

California risks losing $1.4 billion in federal train funds. Safety is the issue

The Sacramento Bee

California is at risk of losing at least $1.4 billion in federal train funds next year because it has failed so far to meet safety requirements.

 

WATER

 

Fresno irrigation water deliveries begin as skies open up

ABC30

Monday’s late-season storm is bringing smiles to farmers in the Fresno Irrigation District (FID). The storms over the last few weeks have allowed water deliveries to flow a few weeks earlier than expected. On Monday canals in the District started moving water to Valley farms from Easton to Sanger to Kerman. Even though water deliveries are underway, any more rain from the cloudy skies is welcome by farmers like raisin grower Jerald Rebensdorf.

 

Skelton: When it comes to the California delta, none of Gov. Jerry Brown’s potential successors have tunnel vision

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown scored big last week in his tenacious effort to build monstrous twin water tunnels in the California delta. But his legacy project could still collapse. No potential successor supports it.

 

National trends in drinking water quality violations

PNAS

Drinking water contaminants pose a harm to public health. Some can cause immediate illness, such as the 16 million cases of acute gastroenteritis that occur each year at US community water systems.

 

“Xtra”

 

Fresno rallies around firefighter whose wife died after giving birth to twin girls

Fresno Bee

Amanda Sawyer was the proud wife of firefighter Nick Reeder. The couple met four years ago. They had their first date at Piazza Del Pane in Fresno and had an instant connection, Reeder said. The date went so well they continued it at a nearby pub. “Her personality was so fun,” Reeder said. “Her laugh was contagious.”

 

Bomprezzi feted as Senior Farmer

Madera Tribune

The agricultural community turned out in force Thursday to celebrate the selection of Genevieve “Kirby,” Bomprezzi as the 2018 Senior Farmer of the Year by the Madera Chamber of Commerce. This occasion marked only the third time the award has been bestowed on a lady farmer. Following in the footsteps of cattlewoman Elsie Buchenau and Millie Meders of Chowchilla, Bomprezzi was joined for the evening festivities by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

 

Parade time in Raymond

Sierra Star

The 32nd Annual Raymond Parade this Saturday (April 21), that starts at ‘high noon,’ has always featured a well-know and respected historical figure, or couple, who have had heavy ties to the town of Raymond. But this year, for the first time in the history of the event, the Grand Marshal, also a long-time resident of Raymond (since the railroad starting shipping their goods in 1869) is a business – the Raymond Granite Quarry – a company that has contributed generously to support Raymond’s growth over many years.

 

EDITORIALS

 

Atwater council has turned toxic; mayor should step aside

Merced Sun-Star

If Atwater was a horse, we’d have to show mercy and put it out of its misery. But in Atwater, misery is in far greater supply than mercy. There’s the $2.3 million general-fund deficit; staffing liabilities of $7.75 million; another $21 million in pension liabilities; a revolving door of disillusioned staff. But the real problem is the city council. On nearly every important issue, the council is split with Mayor Jim Price and councilman James Vineyard on one side and councilmembers Cindy Vierra, Brian Raymond and Paul Creighton on the other.

 

Why California must pass net neutrality legislation

The Mercury News

Greedy broadband companies hope to kill California’s model net neutrality legislation Tuesday. Don’t let them. An open internet, in which no content is given preference with faster service, is critical to both consumers and businesses. The Federal Communications Commission’s rollback of net neutrality protections last December leaves California and other states no choice but to protect the interests of their residents and businesses.

 

Chronicle Recommends Dianne Feinstein for U.S. Senate

San Francisco Chronicle

The case against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as vigorously prosecuted by fellow Democrat and former state Senate leader Kevin de León, is that she is out of step with today’s more liberal and diverse California Democrats. It’s a way of making Feinstein’s age and her politics part of the same complaint. At 84, Feinstein is the oldest person in the U.S. Senate, which is saying a lot. That has allowed de León, at 51, to play the young Turk. It has also raised the question of whether Feinstein would stop short of finishing another term, clearing the way for a successor handpicked by the next governor.

 

Occupational licensing limits economic mobility, increases income inequality

OCRegister

Occupational licensing laws, aside from their long-obvious bureaucratic nit-picking, may  hinder economic mobility in our nation. That news comes from a new study by the Archbridge Institute. It is becoming increasingly obvious to people across the political spectrum that occupational licensing laws can do more harm than good. In recent years, organizations and individuals as diverse as the Obama White House, Trump administration Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, the libertarian Institute for Justice and California’s Little Hoover Commission have called for reform of occupational licensing laws.

 

Donald Trump calls off Jeff Sessions’ war on marijuana. Good, but …

San Diego Union-Tribune

Great news: The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump promised Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, that he would support legislation that would protect states that have legalized marijuana from a crackdown by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Given Congress’ welcome history of backing states making their own decisions on how to regulate pot, this should remove the uncertainty that’s been hanging over California and other states since January. That’s when Sessions repudiated a policy inherited from the Obama administration that let individual states legalize recreational use without fear of federal intervention.