April 23, 2018

23Apr

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Valley:

 

Denham and Valadao must support CalFresh

Hanford Sentinel

It’s tragic that thousands of people in the Central Valley—one of richest farm regions on the planet—go hungry. It’s even worse when our Congressman David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Jeff Denham (R-Tulare) are silent as Republicans craft the 2018 Farm Bill, making it harder to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh in California).

See also:

      EDITORIAL: Denham says he has the votes, so why not use them? Modesto Bee

Nunes: DNC lawsuit is a ‘scam’

TheHill

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) called the Democratic National Committee (DNC) lawsuit against the Trump campaign, Russia and WikiLeaks over alleged election interference a “scam” and a “fundraising scheme.”

 

Republican Vidak to face off against three small-town Democrats in 14th State Senate District

Bakersfield Californian

Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak has held the Latino-heavy Democratic 14th District since he won it in a special election in 2013. He kept the seat in 2014 with a tidy 54 percent win over school board trustee Luis Chavez.

 

Beating Grove an uphill battle for pair of not so well known challengers in 16th Senate District

Bakersfield Californian

State Assemblywoman Shannon Grove is the clear favorite in the race for the 16th Senate District seat that Jean Fuller is vacating due to term limits later this year. Grove knows it. And so do her two rivals in the race.

 

Candidates explain why they are fit for office

Sierra Star

The 83-year-old North Fork Town Hall played host to nearly 150 people who came out April 20 to hear and see the candidates running for Madera County District Attorney and Madera County Board of Supervisors District 5 seat.

 

Going to extremes in Modesto politics

Modesto Bee

Mike Barkley provided the best laugh at the League of Women Voters congressional forum Wednesday night in Modesto, but he also, uh, shot himself in the foot.

 

Candidate forum introduces Kings County candidates

Hanford Sentinel

Women with Visions Unlimited hosted a candidate forum Thursday at Koinonia Church so Kings County residents can learn a little bit more about candidates in contested races in the June election.

 

EDITORIAL – Stanislaus County on right track; Withrow, Damrell keep it there

Modesto Bee

If voters choose Janice Keating to replace retiring Dick Monteith in District 4 and Katherine Borges to supplant incumbent Terry Withrow in District 3, it is a certainty the board meetings will become louder. That’s not necessarily a negative.

 

Toxic soil went from SF’s Hunters Point to state landfills, ex-workers say

San Francisco Chronicle

The scandal involving cheating in the $1 billion cleanup at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has until now focused on allegations of what was left behind at the site: radioactive dirt dumped into trenches to save the time and expense of testing and disposing of it properly. But former shipyard employees and environmentalists say that toxic waste removed from the site is of just as great a concern. Kern County mentioned.

 

State:

 

California has long and eclectic list of contenders for governor, US Senate

San Francisco Chronicle

Many Californians encountering the June 5 primary ballot for the first time might say to themselves: “This is craziness.” There are 31 challengers to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and 27 candidates hoping to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown.

 

With recession in the rear view, a more upbeat California looks to choose a new governor

Los Angeles Times

As California chooses a new governor — one of just a handful in the last 40 years not named Jerry Brown — the state seems to be enjoying something unusual in these tumultuous political times: a feeling of relative contentment.

 

Next governor’s life or death decisions

CALmatters

A life-or-death decision: California’s next governor could quickly face a stark choice: allow an execution to take place or commute it.

 

Legal tiff breaks out over independent committee’s ad backing Antonio Villaraigosa for governor

Los Angeles Times

An attorney representing Gavin Newsom’s campaign for governor is demanding that California television stations cease airing an ad by an independent political committee supporting his Democratic rival Antonio Villaraigosa.

 

As lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom has had few duties — and he skipped many of them

Los Angeles Times

After Gavin Newsom was elected lieutenant governor, he repeatedly made clear his frustration with the job and its lack of responsibilities.

See also:

·       Gavin Newsom touts same-sex marriages, ammo background checks in new TV ad San Francisco Chronicle

·       Gavin Newsom didn’t really go to rehab Sacramento Bee

 

EDITORIAL: Feinstein’s experience, clout make her best US Senate pick

The Mercury News

The decision of whether it’s time for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to take a bow and be replaced by someone younger and more progressive in the U.S. Senate boils down to one, simple question: Who will be the most effective caretaker of California’s interests for the next six years?

 

Can California fix its sexual harassment problem? State workers are trying.

Sacramento Bee

In late 2017, as the Me Too movement unleashed a torrent of daily news and revelations, a group of California state leaders began to meet. Harvey Weinstein was one thing. But how, they wanted to know, was the state of California dealing with these matters in its own workplaces?

See also:

      California lawmakers say they’ll keep releasing sexual misconduct records. And yet a bill to guarantee that is about to be killed. Los Angeles Times

 

California bill would classify gay conversion therapy as a fraudulent practice

The Hill

A new bill passed by the California Assembly on Thursday would classify the selling or advertising of gay conversion therapy as a fraudulent business practice. Assemblyman Evan Low (D) said the practice of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation is ineffective.

 

Opinion: California Legislature can’t let tech startups play by their own rules

Sacramento Bee

For more than a decade, the California economy has been defined by the tech start-up economy. While we celebrate its innovations and entrepreneurial spirit, we must also evaluate its consequences to ensure a level playing field for all companies, especially long-established ones that pay good wages, have strong job training programs and are strong community partners.

 

EDITORIAL: Chronicle recommendations on Props. 68, 69, 70, 71, 72

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s 18 million voters need to pay attention to the ballot measures facing them on June 5. There may not be major issues or heavy campaign spending — those are reserved for candidate races — but the five propositions take in parks, highway money, climate change, voting rules and even a tax break for saving the rain running off roofs.

 

EDITORIAL: Breaking up California should be much harder to do

Los Angeles Times

If the “Three Californias” measure qualifies for the ballot later this spring — and there’s no reason to think it won’t — voters will be confronted with an existential question. With one check mark, they could start the process of breaking the 168-year-old Golden State into three pieces: the new states of California, Northern California and Southern California.

 

How California Turned Into a ‘State of Resistance’

New York Times

Racial unrest, police violence, multiple tax revolts, a state government increasingly hamstrung by “reform” measures from the early 20th century that had turned into sources of paralysis — all of these fed a sense of promise gone bad.

 

Federal:

 

Democratic National Committee Sues Trump Campaign, Russia, WikiLeaks Over 2016 Election

WSJ

The Democratic National Committee sued the Russian government, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks on Friday, accusing them of a wide-ranging conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

See also:

·       Fearing Chaos, National Democrats Plunge Into Midterm Primary Fights New York Times

 

Koch network success in Trump era draws Democratic pushback

AP News

The sprawling network funded by the billionaire Koch brothers is having a very good run with President Donald Trump in the White House and Republican control of Congress. That success is starting to get attention. Democrats are increasingly questioning how far the network’s influence extends into the White House.

 

Who Can Fill Paul Ryan’s Shoes in the House GOP?

Roll Call

Ryan’s exit won’t simply open up the top job in the House, something the November elections may accomplish anyway. It also means House Republicans will need to find a political leader who can herd an often fractured conference and raise gobs of campaign cash.

 

Election Year History Belies Ambitious Talk on Appropriations

Roll Call

November might seem far away, but the midterm elections’ impact on spending bills is already on display, amplified by internal Republican jockeying for leadership positions in the House.

 

Other:

 

Build National American Conservatism to Counter Existential Threat

National Review

The American cause faces existential challenges. It requires a conservative movement dedicated to one-nation principles to overcome them.

 

California fault line is ‘tectonic time bomb’ for disastrous earthquake, researchers say

Fox News

The U.S. Geological Survey said in a report called the “HayWired Scenario” that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Hayward Fault located under Oakland could kill as many as 800 people and injure up to 18,000.

 

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING  

 

Sunday, April 29, at 9 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Fake News & Info Illiteracy”​ – Guests: Senator Bill Dodd (D); Renée Ousley-Swank, President Elect – CA School Library Association; John Myers,Sacramento Bureau Chief – LA Times; and Dan Walters, Reporter of the Sacramento Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 29, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report ​ – Valley Views Edition​: Information Illiteracy, Fake news and Real (California) Facts” – Guests: Senator Bill Dodd (D); Renée Ousley-Swank, President Elect – CA School Library Association; John Myers, Sacramento Bureau Chief – LA Times; Dan Walters, Reporter of the Sacramento Bee; and Mac Taylor, California Legislative Office. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 29, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Civic Engagement and Voter Registration”  Guest: Alex Padilla, Secretario del Estado de California. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

 

Thank you!

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Raids and tariffs? We’ll take our lumps, say California farmers

Los Angeles Times

You might assume walnut grower Mike Poindexter would be regretting his vote for Donald Trump. Since the inauguration, immigration officials have raided his Selma, Calif., office and China has slapped tariffs on his walnuts to retaliate against President Trump’s protection of steel, aluminum and manufacturing.

 

Avoid romaine lettuce from southwest Ariz. or unknown sources, CDC warns. A previous alert said don’t eat any romaine. (Clarification)

Washington Post

The latest warning on an E. coli outbreak urges consumers to avoid any romaine if they don’t know where it was grown. The outbreak has spread to at least 16 states and sickened at least 60 people, including eight inmates at an Alaska prison.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE​ ​/​ ​FIRE​ ​/​ ​PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Violent crime against seniors: Higher rates in Fresno County

The Fresno Bee

An analysis of data from the state Department of Justice indicates that in 2016, the rate of violent crimes – homicide, rape, robbery and assault – against victims age 60 and older was higher in Fresno County than all but 10 of California’s 58 counties.

 

Public Safety:

 

Fearing New Government Rules, Tech Titans Promise Security Vigilance

Roll Call

New European privacy rules, the spotlight on Facebook’s role in the 2016 elections, and the potential that cyber-attacks targeting devices could harm consumers in their homes are propelling the tech industry to question its security practices and prompting top executives to promise to make amends.

 

Fire:

 

Supervisors to contemplate $14 million “payday” loan to Kern County Fire Department

Bakersfield Californian

On Tuesday the Kern County Board of Supervisors will give the Kern County Fire Department a $14 million dollar payday loan.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Trump Embarks on a Gigantic Fiscal Experiment: Debate

Bloomberg

Typically, during an economic expansion, central governments try to restrain spending and raise taxes to pay down debt accumulated during recessions — at least that’s the theory. Not this time. Bloomberg View economics columnist Tyler Cowen and Noah Smith met online to debate what’s different now.

 

California Leads U.S. Economy, Away From Trump

Bloomberg

California is the chief reason America is the only developed economy to achieve record GDP growth since the financial crisis of 2008 and ensuing global recession, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Much of the U.S. growth can be traced to California laws promoting clean energy, government accountability and protections for undocumented people.

 

Walters: Will $12 billion tax bite drive rich from California?

Will $12 billion tax bite drive rich from California?

CALmatters

California has the nation’s highest income tax rates, topping out at 13.3 percent of taxable income, and depends on those taxes for 70 percent of its general fund budget. If the wealthiest Californians can no longer write off their big state income tax and local property tax payments on their federal returns, they will feel the full impact of those taxes and may be motivated to flee the state for lower-taxing states, taking their high taxable incomes with them.

See also:

     The richest 1 are on track to control two thirds of the worlds wealth by 2030 MarketWatch

 

Tom Del Beccaro: The Top Four Reasons California Is Unsustainable

Forbes

California is a place unlike any other on the Globe.  It boasts perhaps the greatest natural resources of any state along with shining high-tech industries.  However, like many good economic stories, government policies threaten its future.

 

Child poverty drops in California, but is still the nation’s highest

EdSource

California’s booming economy has led to a slight drop in the child poverty rate, but the state still has the highest rate in the country when the cost of living is taken into account, according to new data released by Kidsdata and the Public Policy Institute of California.

 

Oil Is Fast Approaching $70. Is the Economy Ready for It?

WSJ

Prices are seen in a range that could benefit the U.S. economy by bolstering the recovering energy industry without curtailing demand

 

Jobs:

 

California Loses Jobs In March, Though Unemployment Stays at a Record Low

Los Angeles Times

In a signal that California’s economic engine could be slowing after a remarkable run, the state lost 7,200 net jobs last month and increases in February were far less than originally estimated, according to data released Friday by the Employment Development Department.

See also:

     California Employment Report for March 2018 Center for Jobs and the Economy

EDITORIAL: The Job Corps Failure

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. economy is desperately short of skilled workers, and the federal government claims it wants to help. Alas, a new report from the Labor Department’s inspector general shows that the $1.7 billion federal Job Corps training program is a flop.

 

Long Hours, Low Pay Push Some Democratic Campaign Workers To Unionize

NPR

Many political campaign workers spend long hours at low pay, living off of pizza and coffee, all in the hope of seeing their candidate win. Now, labor organizers are setting their sights on bringing those workers into the labor movement at a time when the percentage of U.S. workers who belong to a union is falling steadily.

 

A Downturn That Costs Jobs Could Catch the U.S. Unprepared

WSJ

In 2009, mired in the depths of recession, Ohio’s unemployment trust fund went broke, prompting the state to borrow $2.6 billion from the federal government so it could keep sending checks to unemployed workers.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Valley students participate in national walkout

ABC30

As part of a nationwide protest against gun violence local high school students let their voices be heard Friday. Over 300 Edison High School students took their protest to Downtown Fresno and the Fresno Unified School District office after walking off campus at 10 am.

See also:

·       Commemorating Columbine, students walk out of Bakersfield schools to protest at lightly-attended rally Bakersfield Californian

·       A New Generation’s Political Awakening NPR

·       Shooting threat at high school was false, but it still shook Merced students, parents Merced Sun-Star

 

Does Clovis Unified have a double standard when it comes to sexual assault?

The Fresno Bee

Clovis Unified School District officials know they have a perception problem over student discipline. Athletes and those with wealthy or influential parents play by one set of rules. Everyone else plays by another.

 

Walters: California cities, school districts pushed to the brink of insolvency

The Mercury News

California’s public employee pension systems have immense gaps – called “unfunded liabilities” – between what they have in assets and what they will need to meet their obligations to retirees.

 

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

Calmatters

California’s poor students performed worse on a national exam than needy kids from all but one other state, according to results released this week by the National Center for Education Statistics. Congratulations, folks. We beat Alaska.

 

Chronic absence rates high at many California continuation schools

The Mercury News

California’s continuation high schools are meant to give students a last chance to get back on track for graduation, but state data reveal that many of the schools struggle with a basic challenge: Getting students to attend each day.

 

LGBTQ students face discrimination while Education Department walks back oversight

Brookings

The U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Betsy DeVos has recently taken steps to walk back the agency’s role in protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ students.

 

Higher Ed:

 

No Tuition Hikes for CSU

Fresno Bee

California State University will not raise tuition at its 23 campuses for the 2018-19 academic year as officials had proposed, Chancellor Timothy White said.

See also:

     Tuition will not increase at California State University next year Sacramento Bee

     Cal State decides not to raise tuition as legislators support more funds EdSource

 

ACLU, free speech groups call for ‘halt’ to Fresno State teacher investigation

Visalia Times-Delta

Eight free speech organizations are coming to the defense of a Fresno State professor who made headlines after calling Former First Lady Barbara Bush an “amazing racist.”

See also:

     EDITORIAL: Fresno, we are being tested on free speech. How will history grade us? Fresno Bee

●     How Low Can a Tenured Professor Go on Twitter? Fresno Case Could Be a Test The Chronicle of Higher Education

 

Cal Poly is the whitest public university in California — by a lot

Fresno Bee

Cal Poly has the least racially diverse student population among all public universities in California, according to enrollment data provided by theCSU and UC systems. And it’s not close. In fall 2017, 54.8 percent of Cal Poly’s student body identified as white, which is the highest mark of any school within the 23-campus CSU system, as well as the 10-university UC system.

 

Sacramento State had lead and chemical safety problems. Does CSU have systemwide issues?

Sacramento Bee

Lead exposure and a chemical spill at Sacramento State are expected to feature prominently in a state audit scheduled for release Tuesday examining whether the California State University system has health and safety deficiencies.

 

Here’s how to keep UC Davis’ Aggie Square from becoming a gentrification bomb in Sacramento

Sacramento Bee

For years, hundreds of working-class families have called the narrow streets off Stockton Boulevard and Broadway home. Filled with moderately priced, modest and even run-down houses, it’s a swath of Sacramento where rich people rarely go.

 

Lawmakers question Gov. Brown’s plan to overhaul funding for California’s community colleges

EdSource

Key California lawmakers who shape education policy are questioning Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to dramatically overhaul how community colleges are funded. The proposal calls for tying some money to student outcomes, moving away from a model that funds colleges largely based on how many students they enroll.

 

Easier transfers to UC from community college

OCRegister

Many adult Californians lucky enough to have received one of the best college educations in the world on the cheap thanks to the University of California and California State University systems know just how lucky they were. Admission to the campuses of their choice, especially those with the best reputation, was never a lock, but it was doable.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Report: Air Quality Improving, But Valley Cities Still Among Country’s Worst

Valley Public Radio

The American Lung Association has released its annual State of the Air report chronicling air pollution throughout the country – and Valley cities still receive failing grades, despite some improvements.

See also:

     Modesto gets another flunking grade for air and ozone pollution Modesto Bee

Trump’s EPA argues more people will die in car accidents unless California fuel rules are weakened

Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration is embracing a curious — and some would say dated — argument as it builds its case to weaken federal rules championed by California that require cars and SUVs to average 55 miles per gallon by 2025.

 

California and climate change: Jerry Brown’s would-be successors make plans

San Francisco Chronicle

When Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office next year, California will lose a climate advocate who has carried the nation’s fight against global warming as Washington has stood down. Many of the Democratic candidates seeking to replace Brown say they will stick to his agenda of cutting heat-trapping gas emissions to confront the danger of escalating wildfires, droughts and sea level rise.

See also:

      Will courts hold oil companies accountable for climate change disasters? Los Angeles Times

      Is Climate Restoration an Appropriate Climate Policy Goal? RAND

     On Earth Day, 5 facts about environmental policy and research Brookings

●     California’s climate fight gets harder soon, and the big culprit is cars CALmatters

 

America Before Earth Day: Smog and Disasters Spurred the Laws Trump Wants to Undo

New York Times

A huge oil spill. A river catching fire. Lakes so polluted they were too dangerous for fishing or swimming. Air so thick with smog it was impossible to see the horizon. That was the environmental state of the nation 50 years ago.  But pollution and disasters prompted action.

See also:

     Trump renews pledge to undo regulations on Earth Day UPI.com

Podcast: New Climate Change Threats Alarm Scientists

Roll Call

A CQ Magazine special report this week examines alarming new consequences of climate change, such as beetles killing trees, coral reef die-offs and food losing nutritional value. Brenda Ekwurzel of the Union of Concerned Scientists and CQ reporter Elvina Nawaguna explain the threats.

 

California submerging: Rising seas are claiming its famed coast faster than scientists imagined

CALmatters

A slow-moving emergency is lapping at California’s shores— climate-driven sea-level rise that experts now predict could elevate the water in coastal areas up to 10 feet in just 70 years, gobbling up beachfront and overwhelming low-lying cities.

 

5 indicted in alleged $80 million California recycling fraud

AP

California has charged five people with defrauding the state’s recycling program out of $80.3 million — the largest alleged fraud scheme in the program’s history, officials said Thursday.

 

The Delta’s ‘armageddon critter’ arrives

Stockton Record

Crank up the war machine: Nutria have reached the Delta. Myocastor coypus, a rapidly breeding, super-destructive Argentinean swamp rat that grows as big as a medium-sized dog, was found days ago on Roberts Island.

 

Energy:

 

Do electric vehicles reduce emissions when the electricity comes from coal?

Marketplace

On average, no matter where you are, driving an electric car would shrink the emissions footprint by at least half compared to a 2010 Corolla.

 

The Future Of Energy Isn’t Fossil Fuels Or Renewables, It’s Nuclear Fusion

Forbes

Renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydroelectric power have different limitations: they’re inconsistent. There is a long-term solution, though, that overcomes all of these problems: nuclear fusion.

 

How Windmills as Wide as Jumbo Jets Are Making Clean Energy Mainstream

The New York Times

In the early years, building an offshore wind farm was fantastically expensive, and governments offered generous subsidies to help the industry develop. But prices have been falling, and government support has “melted away,” according to Andreas Nauen, the chief executive of Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind division.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Valley will soon be home to one of the nation’s top cancer centers

ABC30

Cancer patients in Central California must often visit several clinics or specialists in town, even out of town for treatment.

See also:

·       California, Coffee and Cancer: One of These Doesn’t Belong New York Times

 

Grand opening of Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery campus

ABC30

The Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Department held a grand opening for their new ‘main campus.’ It provides a new resource to treat mental health and substance abuse in Merced and the counties that touch it.

 

Kaweah Delta announces improvements, expansion

Visalia Times-Delta

Like many hospitals across the state, Kaweah Delta Health Care District is facing challenges. First, the Visalia hospital is running low on space and high on patients. Second, as patients come and go, they expect 21st Century communication between doctors, nurses and staff.

 

Hospitals and device makers still struggle to rid medical scopes of infectious bacteria

Los Angeles Times

In an ominous sign for patient safety, 71% of reusable medical scopes deemed ready for use on patients tested positive for bacteria at three major U.S. hospitals, according to a new study.

 

EDITORIAL: Killing an ObamaCare Alternative

WSJ

The Trump Administration has been looking for lifeboats for Americans trapped in ObamaCare exchanges, and one project is to expand “association health plans,” or AHPs, that let employers team up to offer coverage. But the fine print in the proposed Labor Department rule is causing concern and needs to be cleaned up.

 

Human Services:

 

EDITORIAL: Independent ME office best option to solving coroner crisis

Stockton Record

In a report released last week, a consultant recommended San Joaquin County Supervisors split the duties of Sheriff-Coroner and establish an independent Medical Examiner office. We urge supervisors to follow this recommendation.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

California cities are rebelling against state sanctuary law, but how far can they go?

The Mercury News

What started late last month with a city council vote in the Southern California suburb of Los Alamitos has grown into a wave of dissent across Orange County that is sparking a new kind of resistance in the Trump era: Californians in revolt against their own state — not the Trump administration.

See also:

     City to consider sanctuary state lawsuit resolution Porterville Recorder

Sheriff meets with Hispanic leaders to talk ICE, crime

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and some Hispanic community leaders are at odds over California’s newest immigration bill. At the core of the debate is how much leeway the sheriff plans to give federal immigration agents looking for criminals in the county.

 

Border Patrol’s Changing of the Guard

Los Angeles Times

When the Border Patrol was established in 1924, Latinos were a tiny minority. At last count, they make up a little more than 50% of the force.

See also:

·       Many Latinos answer call of the Border Patrol in the age of Trump Los Angeles Times

Amid DACA Uncertainty, States Open Professions to ‘Dreamers’

The Pew Charitable Trust | Stateline

Indiana now lets DACA recipients apply for professional licenses. “Dreamers” have thrived for two years in Nebraska with a similar policy.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Fulton Street quiet six months after reopening in Fresno

The Fresno Bee

Only 500 people were expected at the grand reopening of Fulton Street in October, but more than 10,000 showed up. They wanted to see what the $20 million fuss was all about — the new two-lane roadway, the restored art, and the promise of new businesses to revive downtown Fresno.

 

Fresno developer has issues over land sale contract

The Fresno Bee

Fresno developer Terrance Frazier thought he was helping a west Fresno neighborhood by donating land to State Center Community College District for its proposed west Fresno campus.

ARCO hearing set for May, developers make promises

Visalia Times-Delta

Soon residents living in southeast Visalia will again have the chance to voice their opinions on the future of a highly contested development in their area.

 

White sues to block south Stockton redevelopment

Stockton Record

White, a 75-year-old former city councilman, announced that he is suing to block a major redevelopment project in long-struggling southeast Stockton. In the process, he insulted Councilman Jesús Andrade. And he interrupted the meeting just enough to get Mayor Michael Tubbs to ask for police to escort White out.

 

San Francisco’s Big Seismic Gamble

The New York Times

San Francisco lives with the certainty that the Big One will come. But the city is also putting up taller and taller buildings clustered closer and closer together because of the state’s severe housing shortage. Now those competing pressures have prompted an anxious rethinking of building regulations.

 

Housing:

 

A California ballot fight over rent control is on, supporters say

The Mercury News

A renters’ revolt in California could be heading to the November ballot as a campaign to lift decades-old restrictions on rent control reported Friday it had gathered more than enough signatures to qualify.

See also:

     Bid to repeal rent-control limits in California could be headed to ballot SF Chronicle

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.

See also:

     EDITORIAL: Using California’s signature environmental law to shut down homeless housing is NIMBYism at its worst Los Angeles Times

●     California housing crisis podcast: One of the nation’s biggest housing bills meets its demise Los Angeles Times

 

Homebuilding Isn’t Keeping Up With Growth, Development Group Says

WSJ

Some 22 states and the District of Columbia have built too little housing to keep up with economic growth in the 15 years since 2000, resulting in a total shortage of 7.3 million units, according to research to be released Monday by an advocacy group for loosening building regulations. California bears half of the blame for the shortage: The state built 3.4 million too few units to keep up with job, population and income growth.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California’s candidates for governor don’t talk about taxes much. They need to start

Los Angeles Times

Modernizing California’s archaic, unstable tax system is one of the most important tasks the next governor will face — or should. But it’s not a burning topic on the campaign trail. That’s because Democrats feel it’s an issue that can only cause grief.

 

Soda, oil companies back initiative to limit taxes in California

Sacramento Bee

Business groups are prepared to spend tens of millions of dollars this year on a California initiative that would make it more difficult to raise state and local taxes. The proposal would increase the threshold for passing any new tax or tax hike to two-thirds of voters or an elected body.

 

Wells Fargo to pay $1B for mortgage, auto loan abuses

Fresno Bee

Wells Fargo will pay $1 billion to federal regulators to settle charges tied to misconduct at its mortgage and auto lending business, the latest punishment levied against the banking giant for widespread customer abuses.

 

Better Business Bureau gets scammed along with residents

Visalia Times-Delta

The Better Business Bureau regularly informs the public about scams. But a new scam, targeted at the bureau, was too advanced for one BBB employee. BBB officials recently alerted the public to a phishing scam that hit one of their own.

 

Are pension funds choosing money over lives?

Visalia Times-Delta

No one at last month’s meeting of the Board of Administrators of the California Public Employees Retirement System ever said money counts for more than lives, but there were serious questions about priorities after that board voted 9-3 to hang onto its stash of stocks in gun retailers.

See also:

     CalPERS CFO under scrutiny because of résumé exaggerations The Sacramento Bee

     Give public workers a 401(k) alternative to pensions The Mercury News

     California’s Largest Pension Fund Sends Next Year’s Invoice to State Government: $6.3 Billion Los Angeles Times

     ‘Silver Tsunami’ hits as pension costs devour California school budgets San Francisco Chronicle

     EDITORIAL: Why a great year for CalPERS’ investments wasn’t nearly great enough The San Diego Union-Tribune

     The dimensions of California’s pension crisis CALmatters

     CalPERS Faces Steep Climb To Rebuild Its Funding Calpensions

The richest 1 are on track to control two-thirds of the world’s wealth by 2030

MarketWatch

The U.K.-based House of Commons Library said this month that, if current trends continue, the richest 1% will control nearly 66% of world’s money by 2030. Based on 6% annual growth in wealth, they would hold assets worth approximately $305 trillion, up from $140 trillion today, the Guardian reported.

Want a 20% Business Deduction? Here Are the Obstacles

WSJ

Not every business owner automatically qualifies for the new tax break for pass-through businesses. The latest video in our Talking Taxes series jumps you through the hoops.

 

A Downturn That Costs Jobs Could Catch the U.S. Unprepared

WSJ

More than half of states lack enough unemployment funding for a recession

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Planning Commission approves high-speed rail station plan

Bakersfield Californian

The city’s plan for development around the site of a high-speed rail station in town has gotten one step closer to approval.

See also:

     High-Speed Rail Authority Daily Clips 042018 California High-Speed Rail Authority

     The federal government right to audit California bullet train project  OCRegister

City announces new closures for Truxtun Avenue, Hwy. 99/58 interchange

Bakersfield Californian

The city is closing the south side of the Elm Street/Truxtun Avenue intersection around the clock April 21-30.

 

It just got easier to fly internationally if you live in Sacramento. But there’s a hiccup …

Sacramento Bee

It just got a little easier to fly internationally if you live in Sacramento. As of last week, travelers can now sign up at Sacramento International Airport to become a member of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s Global Entry trusted traveler program, which allows flyers to skip the main customs line.

 

WATER

 

Damn Project gets little state support

Fresno Bee

The proposed Temperance Flat Reservoir project near Fresno was dealt another blow by the California Water Commission on Friday after a new assessment recommended providing a fraction of the bond funding needed for the project.

See also:

     State reservoir projects move closer to approval Modesto Bee

●     Oroville Dam: Phase two of construction expected to start May 8 The Mercury News

     California announces tentative funding for new giant dams SFGATE

Delta Stewardship Council, a shill for tunnels, is no longer useful

Sacramento Bee

Over many generations, the Delta has been overtapped and bureaucratically manhandled to provide stability to California’s water delivery system. Roughly a decade ago, the state began the difficult process of trying to develop a credible plan for the future.

 

Climate Change Will Make California’s Drought-Flood Cycle More Volatile

KTLA

Californians should expect more dramatic swings between dry and wet years as the climate warms, according to a new study that found it likely that the state will be hit by devastating, widespread flooding in coming decades.

See also:

     Top of Conservation Conditions for Central Valley and Russian River Flood Control Reservoirs California Data Exchange Center

     Buckle up, California. Some serious ‘precipitation whiplash’ predicted for the state Sacramento Bee:

     California risks severe ‘whiplash’ from drought to flood: scientists Reuters

 

“Xtra”

 

8th Annual Bass Lake Yosemite Triathlon June 2 – Sign Up Today

Visit Yosemite | Madera County

Excitement is building up as preparations are under way and registrations are being accepted for the eighth annual Bass Lake Yosemite Triathlon.

 

$55,000 up for grabs at Bass Lake 2017 Fishing Derby Registration Open

Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau

Anglers have a chance at snagging a portion of $55,000 at the annual Bass Lake Fishing Derby May 5 and 6.

 

Thousands gathered throughout Modesto Saturday. Here’s why and what they were doing

Modesto Bee

Thousands of community-minded people turned out Saturday to Love Modesto. Volunteers fanned out across the city for the annual community service day, where they helped clean up parks, visited seniors in rest homes and provided free services to them, made teddy bears and worked to beautify a variety of high-profile locations.

 

Vintage Days at Fresno State wraps up

ABC30

There were dozens of food booths, live entertainment, and games for kids and adults. The annual event is Fresno State’s largest student-planned celebration. It attracts more than 50,000 people each year. ABC 30 is a proud sponsor of the three-day event.

 

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires. ​​​​​​​

 

 

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