April 9, 2018

09Apr

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Valley Politics:

 

City says Fresno council candidate is a slumlord. He says city inspections are petty

Fresno Bee

Fresno’s anti-slum enforcement team has issued nearly 1,300 violations since 2017 to property owner Sean Sanchez, who is running for the District 3 city council seat.

 

Crews start next phase of High Speed Rail project in Fresno

abc30

It’s onto another phase for the High-Speed Rail Project. Monday morning 1 southbound lane of Golden State Boulevard will be closed to thru traffic between Orange and Railroad Avenues. The closure is expected to last about a month.

 

Fresno City College: new parking & bond money

The Fresno Bee

State Center Community College District approved two major purchases in the last month using money from Measure C, the $485 million bond passed in 2016. But a parking structure at Fresno City College, a proposal included in the first draft of the measure, is not coming this year and may not be built at all.

 

Fresno intersections a popular choice for illegal auto sideshows

Fresno Bee

If you’re driving late at night around Fresno, be on the lookout for illegal craziness. Fresno police said street racing and so-called sideshows are starting to pop up around town. Drivers will take over intersections, spinning doughnuts and figure-eights with their cars. And that can be regardless of bystander traffic.

 

Clovis anthropologist challenges President Trump’s border wall

Fresno Bee

Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded the construction of a wall along the Mexican border, to block “drugs and rapists” entering the country, but to thwart illegal immigration as well.

 

Local youth #RiseUpAsOne for healthcare for all

Visalia Times-Delta

Youth from across Tulare County came together on Saturday to Rise Up As One at the areas first ever Youth Summit. The event was the product of several local organizations, all with hopes to make affordable and quality health care accessible to everyone in California, including vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ and undocumented immigrants.

 

Visalia commissioners to consider gas station project permit

Visalia Times-Delta

A permit for what some are calling the largest gas station in Visalia will be in front of planning commissioners on Monday.

 

In 34th Assembly District, Fong challenged by Democratic newcomer

The Bakersfield Californian

For the second election cycle in a row, Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, will face an inexperienced Democratic candidate with no political background in a GOP stronghold. Nick Nicita, a 34-year-old audio engineer at Westchester Lanes and the sole challenger in the June primary, is campaigning on a liberal policy platform that calls for immigration justice, universal government-funded preschool and a shift away from oil and ag jobs in Kern County as the region’s main economic drivers.

 

Three valley fever bills sail through committee, one pulled by sponsor

Hanford Sentinel

Facing pushback from the medical community, Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, withdrew a bill late last month that would have required doctors to order specific types of lab tests when they suspect valley fever, a respiratory disease found throughout the southwestern United States and the Central Valley.

 

New Kern County district lines shift political power

The Bakersfield Californian

The change in Kern County’s political districts triggered by the settlement of a federal lawsuit could create havoc in county politics this year. Or not. Three supervisorial districts will be up for re-election in November 2018, including the vastly altered Fourth District now held by Supervisor David Couch.

See also:

     ‘It wasn’t fun’: A glimpse into how Kern County supervisors redrew their political lines The Bakersfield Californian

 

Four candidates running uncontested in June state primary

The Bakersfield Californian

A few people running for re-election this year won’t face any competition in the June 5 California primary. Kern County Superintendent of Schools Mary Barlow is running uncontested in her bid for a first full term. Barlow took over the position in early 2017 after Christine Frazier retired. She had previously worked as the assistant superintendent.

See also:

·       Price: Yes, you should try to stay awake during the primary campaign season Bakersfield Californian

 

Voters will choose new BCSD trustee in special election Tuesday

Bakersfield Californian

Voters in the downtown area will head to the polls in a special election Tuesday to decide among four candidates who will become the newest Bakersfield City School District trustee. Voters will choose among financial advisor Rupert Gregorio; United Farm Workers of America attorney Edgar Aguilasocho; retired pastor Ralph Anthony; and Stine Elementary School Daycare Manager Vicki Lynn Billington.

 

Bakersfield: Selling a lifestyle

iReader

While Bakersfield is long-regarded as having the state’s most affordable housing market, the city and Kern County also are home to the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous.

 

Feds: Calaveras pot grown by Chinese syndicate

Modesto Bee

Twelve homes in Calaveras County were part of an illegal marijuana growing network funded by a China-based crime syndicate, the sheriff’s office said Thursday. The indoor grow houses in Valley Springs were operated by the same group that was implicated in dozens of other sites in the Sacramento area, county officials said.

 

Atwater mayor’s accidental text led to city manager’s suit

Modesto Bee

The interim Atwater city manager who quit this week had filed a “hostile work environment” claim with the city’s human resources department about two weeks before leaving, according to an agreement that settled his claim.

 

Modesto to discuss program to inspect rental housing

Modesto Bee

Modesto leaders are expected to discuss Monday a proposal to inspect rental housing to ensure it meets basic health and safety standards, including being free of vermin and having working plumbing and heat. The proposal is part of a city report to be presented at the City Council’s Safety and Communities Committee. The meeting is open to the public. The committee will take no formal action; only the full council can do that.

 

Trump’s troubles in California proving a drag to GOP House incumbents (Valadao)

San Francisco Chronicle

There’s a new bit of evidence that California’s long-running unhappiness with President Trump and his policies is rubbing off on the Republican politicians who support him. Cook’s Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, came out with a report Friday that moved the race for Republican Rep. David Valadao’s Central Valley seat from the “Likely Republican” category to “Lean Republican,” which signals that the November election could be a real contest.

 

Democratic Poll Shows Competitive Race in California’s 10th District (Denham v. Eggman)

Roll Call

Democrat Michael Eggman is arguing that he is best positioned to take on Republican Rep. Jeff Denham in California’s 10th District, and his campaign has released an internal poll showing a potentially competitive race between Eggman and the four-term congressman. But Democratic investor Josh Harder, who is also running, released new polling to make the case that he would be the strongest challenger.

 

DOJ dismisses Nunes demand for Trump-Russia document

Politico

The Department of Justice on Friday dismissed Rep. Devin Nunes‘ demand for an unredacted copy of the document that initiated the FBI’s investigation of links between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign. In a letter released Friday, the Justice Department reaffirmed its and the FBI’s response to the House Intelligence Committee‘s inquiries regarding the document.

See also:

·       The cautionary tale of the House Intelligence Committee’s recent failures  Brookings

·       Editorial: The Justice Stonewall Continues  WSJ

 

State Politics:

 

California’s governor can refuse to send the National Guard to the border

Desert Sun

While the governors of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona have committed to sending National Guard troops to the border with Mexico, one state leader has been silent about whether it will comply with President Donald Trump’s order: California Governor Jerry Brown.

See also:

      Gov. Brown Hedges On Sending Troops To Border  KPBS

     Political Breakdown KQED News

 

Newt Gingrich: California may elect a Republican governor in 2018

SFGATE

Former Speaker of the House and 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich thinks that California could elect a Republican governor in 2018. In a Fox News op-ed titled “California may elect a Republican governor — Incredible as that sounds,” Gingrich writes that GOP candidate John Cox is “within striking distance” of front runner Gavin Newsom.

Walters: Will Newsom skate into governorship, or have a fight?

CALmatters

Eight weeks out, the June 5 primary election’s biggest uncertainty is whether Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will have an unobstructed pathway to becoming California’s next governor or will have to fight for it.

 

Latino support becomes a flashpoint in race for California governor

Los Angeles Times

After facing criticism for not taking part in a Latino business group’s gubernatorial forum, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled out an endorsement from one of the most prominent Latino politicians in the state.

Candidates for California governor need to focus on water

San Francisco Chronicle

About a year into his second go-round as governor, Jerry Brown was talking about all the challenges facing California. Mostly, these were issues he had raised during his campaign — an enormous budget shortfall, high unemployment, immigration, education and more. And now, he said, we have a drought.

 

California’s most powerful business group plans to kill these 21 bills

Sacramento Bee

The California Chamber of Commerce’s “job killer” list is back, highlighting 21 bills the state’s most powerful business coalition plans to slay in the Legislature this year. The chamber handpicks legislative proposals that it says will reduce jobs, drive companies out of the state or open up businesses to more legal liability.

 

California Senate Republicans Want More Oversight For Prohibited Gun List

KPBS

All 13 California Senate Republicans called this week for joint oversight hearings for a state program designed to seize guns from people who bought them legally but were later barred from owning firearms. The Armed Prohibited Persons System, maintained by the State of California Department of Justice, lists people who have guns but were later convicted of a felony, found mentally ill or received a restraining order.

 

An ambitious California bill would put the state in charge of controlling prices in the commercial healthcare market

Los Angeles Times

In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring healthcare spending, a new California measure would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor’s visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers.

 

Investigation finds sexual harassment allegations against top California legislative staffer ‘substantiated’

Los Angeles Times

A top legislative staff member has resigned during an investigation that substantiated allegations he made sexually inappropriate comments to two female state employees in violation of state policies, according to internal documents and a letter to Wilson from Debra Gravert, the chief administrative officer for the Assembly.

 

Skelton: California’s special elections are a waste of time and taxpayer money

Los Angeles Times

Want to save tax money? Have more dollars for schools or police? Then stop holding special elections hardly any voters care about. Unlike many states, California wastes public funds by calling special elections to fill vacant seats in the Legislature.

 

California updates voter registration card to reduce errors

89.3 KPCC

Californians registering to vote will soon be using an updated form that officials say makes it easier to register without a political party preference. The changes come in part because many Californians intending to register as Independents accidentally register with the far-right American Independent Party, Secretary of State Alex Padilla said at a Thursday news conference unveiling the redesigned form.

 

100,000 California teenagers are now pre-registered to vote

Los Angeles Times

California’s effort to get 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote has now enlisted 100,000 teenagers, according to information released on Friday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

 

California zigzags on ambitious water-delivery project, puts two-tunnel concept back on the table

Los Angeles Times

Four days after Southern California’s biggest water agency dropped a plan to pay for most of a major water delivery project, the funding proposal is back on the table. In agenda materials posted Friday afternoon, the staff of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California presented two options for the board to vote on Tuesday: Approve $5.2 billion in funding for a single tunnel that would be built in the center of the state’s waterworks, or OK up to $10.8 billion to help finance the construction of two tunnels.

 

Conservative California Cities Revolt Against State’s Anti-Trump Policies

NPR

At last count, nearly a dozen local governments in California have voted to oppose what is known as the state’s “sanctuary law” — Senate Bill 54 — escalating tensions over the long-divisive issue of illegal immigration in the Golden State. The law, passed last year, aims to protect some immigrants in the country illegally by limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

See also:

·       California’s war on ‘economic crimes’ raises eerie parallels to communist countries OCRegister

·       Opinion: Has the California backlash against liberal craziness finally begun? Fox News

·       Sebastian Gorka tells conservatives meeting in Riverside: ‘We can take California back’ Press Enterprise

 

Federal Politics:

 

Smart Republicans know, it’s time to hit panic button

Modesto Bee

I believe in the power of panic. And I believe a little productive panic within the GOP is in order. Tuesday, Democrats won big in a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. At first glance, this race might seem a little off the beaten path and not particularly consequential. But as The Washington Post’s Amber Phillips reported, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, is “outright hitting the panic button for his party.” Good.

 

Deconstructing Trump’s whopper about California voter fraud

Los Angeles Times

The easy analysis of President Trump’s relentless attacks on California’s 2016 election results is this: Maybe he simply hasn’t gotten over the thumping he took in the Golden State. But there’s more than just Trump’s feelings at stake when he keeps claiming there’s rampant voter fraud here. There’s real civic danger when the president peddles that whopper.

 

Tom Steyer wants Trump impeached, and he’s mad that many Democrats don’t

San Francisco Chronicle

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer is bringing a nationwide town hall tour promoting President Trump’s impeachment to Oakland, but he’s got more in mind than leading a pep rally for Bay Area liberals. He intends to shame Democrats who aren’t cheering along with him.

 

What President Trump Could Do If Jerry Brown Rejects California National Guard Deployment To Border

capradio.org

We’re still waiting for word from Gov. Jerry Brown about whether he’ll agree to President Trump’s request to deploy California National Guard troops to the Mexican border. There’s broad agreement among legal scholars that a governor can reject a president’s request to deploy that state’s National Guard under the section of federal law Trump cites in his proclamation.

 

Judge’s Death Gives Trump a Chance to Remake a Vexing Court

New York Times

In the spring of 2014, a friend tried to nudge Judge Stephen Reinhardt, then an 83-year-old liberal stalwart on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, into stepping aside from full-time duties so President Barack Obama could nominate a successor.

 

How Trump thrives in ‘news deserts’

POLITICO

President Donald Trump’s attacks on the mainstream media may be rooted in statistical reality: An extensive review of subscription data and election results shows that Trump outperformed the previous Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, in counties with the lowest numbers of news subscribers, but didn’t do nearly as well in areas with heavier circulation.

 

These are the groups most likely to stop participating in the US census

Brookings

The U.S. decennial census is a hallowed institution that lies at the heart of our democracy. It is a giant civic engagement project that allows people to proclaim that they are residents of this great land and, by virtue of the Constitution, which mandates it, ensures that they will be fairly represented in Congress. People tend to have a good feeling about participating in it.

 

Other:

 

Tough love for Zuckerberg from Californians in Congress

Sacramento Bee

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was just a twelve-mile drive from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., when she fielded a question about what Washington is doing to protect America’s Democratic process from cyber attacks by foreign actors. “It’s a very real danger,” Feinstein told the audience of several hundred tech industry executives and students, gathered in the heart of Silicon Valley for what was billed as a “fireside chat” with the state’s Democratic senior senator.

See also:

     Facebook to Check Groups Behind ‘Issue Ads’ WSJ

     Facebook to Require Verified Identities for Future Political Ads The New York Times

     Facebook: How to Check If Cambridge Analytica Hijacked Your Account Data Newsweek

      Christopher Wylie: Cambridge Analytica Facebook data may be stored in Russia UPI.com

     ‘You Are the Product’: Targeted by Cambridge Analytica on Facebook The New York Times

 

Video Reveals Power Of Sinclair, As Local News Anchors Recite Script In Unison

NPR

One company. One script. Many, many voices. A video published by sports news site Deadspin over the weekend revealed dozens of TV anchors from Sinclair Broadcast Group reciting the same speech warning against “biased and false news.”

See also:

      Sinclair adds commentary to ad critical of its media bias promos TheHill

●      13 J-school deans and chairs issue letter of concern to Sinclair | Poynter

●      Sinclair’s Assault on American Democracy National Review

 

Calif. tool to prevent shootings rarely used

Fresno Bee

When a police officer called Santa Clara County deputy district attorney Marisa McKeown in July 2016 to inquire about getting a gun violence restraining order, her initial response was: What on Earth are you talking about? I’ve never heard of such a thing.

See also:

·       While rarely used, gun violence restraining orders are an option for those concerned about a family member Bakersfield Californian

 

How millennials and gun control can change the 2018 midterm landscape

Brookings

There continues to be public outrage in the United States over gun violence in educational institutions. The shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida killed 17 people and injured 17 more, yet members of Congress refuse to take meaningful action to improve the situation

 

Kristoff: How to win an argument about guns

Fresno Bee

Tragically, predictably, infuriatingly, we’re again mourning a shooting — this time at YouTube’s headquarters — even as the drive for gun safety legislation has stalled in Washington. Polls show that nine out of 10 Americans favor basic steps like universal background checks before gun purchases, but the exceptions are the president and a majority in Congress.

 

Online Voting: The Solution to Declining Political Engagement?

RAND

The prospect of e-enabled elections has been around since the early days of the internet. However, the introduction of online voting platforms as a standard voting mechanism for local, national, and European elections in Estonia in 2005 has moved the concept of e-democracy from a hypothetical vision to an established mechanism for voting.

 

Voters in California prepare to cast ballots — in Mexico’s presidential election

San Diego union-Tribune

Could California residents play a role in Mexico’s historic July 1 election? Catalina Sánchez, a 36-year-old graphic designer who lives in Poway, certainly intends to — without ever leaving San Diego County. Like Sánchez, a record number of Mexicans living abroad are preparing to vote in this presidential contest playing out amid uncertainty over the future of U.S-Mexico relations.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING  

 

Sunday, April 15, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “The Road Ahead for Zero-Emission Vehicles in CA”​ –Guest: F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 15, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report ​ – Valley Views Edition​: “Climate Change and Electric Vehicles: Public Action and Private Markets?” – Guests: F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10 & State Senator Fran Pavley. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, April 15, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “California’s Top Ten”  Guests: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee reporter. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Food-Stamp Fight Imperils Farm Bill

WSJ

House Speaker Paul Ryan’s long-sought goal of overhauling welfare programs will get a kick-start when Congress returns to Washington this week, as Republicans prepare to release a new, five-year farm bill that would impose tougher work requirements to get food stamps.

 

Medical marijuana group files initiative, plans signature drive to overturn Kern County pot ban

The Bakersfield Californian

A coalition of medical marijuana representatives and advocates have submitted a initiative to the County of Kern that would overturn a ban on cannabis businesses passed by Kern County supervisors last year. Heather Epps and Jeff Jarvis, who have been active in the medical marijuana cause for years, signed the initiative. It was written by local attorney Phil Ganong.

 

Another Place Plastics Are Turning Up: Organic Fertilizer From Food Waste

KQED

Tiny particles of plastic are showing up all over the world, floating in the ocean, buried in soil, in food and even in beer. Now there’s new research that’s found microplastics in fertilizer — organic fertilizer from food waste, in fact.

 

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

 

For stories on  ”gun control,” See: “Top Stories – Other Politics,” above

 

Crime:

 

We pay millions for sex offender therapy at Coalinga hospital. Most patients aren’t in it

Fresno Bee

Thirteen years after Coalinga State Hospital was built to treat the state’s sexually violent predators, some of the men there say they’re more like prisoners than patients, and that the multimillion-dollar facility once criticized for its amenities is a sort of purgatory failing to rehabilitate offenders — and therefore failing the public.

 

Fresno intersections a popular choice for illegal auto sideshows

Fresno Bee

If you’re driving late at night around Fresno, be on the lookout for illegal craziness. Fresno police said street racing and so-called sideshows are starting to pop up around town. Drivers will take over intersections, spinning doughnuts and figure-eights with their cars. And that can be regardless of bystander traffic.

 

Where and how youths are most often murdered

Modesto Bee

The recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla., left 14 youths dead and reignited a debate about gun control. In California, about that many youths have been murdered by other people every three weeks, on average, during the past 30 years. Most of the deaths involve firearms. Because such killings are common, they receive much less attention than a mass school shooting.

 

Opinion | Stephon Clark and the Golden State’s Shameful Secret

The New York Times

Stephon Clark, 22, was unarmed when the Sacramento police came upon him in his grandmother’s backyard, shot him eight times — mostly in the back — and killed him. The two officers were responding to a report of car break-ins.

 

Public Safety:

 

Mariposa County takes extra precaution after last month’s downpour

ABC30

The weekend may have gotten off to a soggy start in the North Valley, but residents are looking at the bright side. “This storm wasn’t too bad, but the amount of water that came down just overran everything.

 

Calif. tool to prevent shootings rarely used

Fresno Bee

When a police officer called Santa Clara County deputy district attorney Marisa McKeown in July 2016 to inquire about getting a gun violence restraining order, her initial response was: What on Earth are you talking about? I’ve never heard of such a thing.

See also:

·       While rarely used, gun violence restraining orders are an option for those concerned about a family member Bakersfield Californian

 

Fire:

 

The North Bay Fires Were Six Months Ago. What’s Actually Changed?

KQED

Six months after California’s deadliest fires, officials at all levels of government are working to make changes to prevent the next fire from being so catastrophic. Among those developments: Changes to 911 scripts, emergency alert systems and electrical shutdown procedures. Additionally, a host of other potential improvements are winding their way through local governments, regulatory agencies and the state Legislature.

See also:

·       Wildfires’ wake: Tracking progress, pain 6 months later San Francisco Chronicle

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

U.S. Labor Market Shows Resilience Despite Volatile Backdrop

WSJ

The U.S. economy continues to churn out jobs at a steady pace even as financial markets wobble over fears that a trade war between the world’s two largest economies could unsettle global growth. Recent tit-for-tat trade measures by the U.S. and China continued on Friday, with China saying it would “hit back forcefully” if the U.S. followed through with President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

 

Trump Officials Soften Tone on Trade Dispute With China

WSJ

After threatening to slap China with new tariffs, Trump administration officials on Sunday softened some of the rhetoric, noting that the penalties aren’t imminent and there is ample time to work out a deal and step back from a possible trade war.President Donald Trump on Thursday signaled an escalation in a trade dispute with China, warning that he might impose tariffs on an additional $100 billion of goods imported from China, apart from tariffs on $50 billion in imports he had announced earlier in the week.

See also:

     Trump predicts trade concessions by China, despite rising tensions Reuters

     In a U.S.-China trade war, who has more to lose? The Washington Post

 

Jobs:

 

Southern California pay hits record highs as workers get more hours

OCRegister

Southern California’s weekly wages have hit record highs with old-fashioned help: workers getting extra work. The pay peaks were revealed in regional pay data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis showing that local bosses are upping how long workers are on the clock as well as hourly pay.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Voters will choose new BCSD trustee in special election Tuesday

Bakersfield Californian

Voters in the downtown area will head to the polls in a special election Tuesday to decide among four candidates who will become the newest Bakersfield City School District trustee. Voters will choose among financial advisor Rupert Gregorio; United Farm Workers of America attorney Edgar Aguilasocho; retired pastor Ralph Anthony; and Stine Elementary School Daycare Manager Vicki Lynn Billington.

 

To compromise or not: State education board to vote on California’s amended plan for meeting federal law

EdSource

How far to push the federal government? Members of the State Board of Education will give the answer at a special meeting on Thursday, when they consider proposed compromises to the state’s plan for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will likely approve — if board members agree to the changes.

 

A quiet revolt reshaping the pathway to college

EdSource

They make up less than one percent of Los Angeles Unified’s high school students, but one day they may discover they helped break through a long-standing barrier to educational opportunity for students in Los Angeles and beyond.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Fresno City College: new parking & bond money

The Fresno Bee

State Center Community College District approved two major purchases in the last month using money from Measure C, the $485 million bond passed in 2016. But a parking structure at Fresno City College, a proposal included in the first draft of the measure, is not coming this year and may not be built at all.

 

As questions are raised over outside software contract, YCCD, faculty remain at odds

Modesto Bee

In more than two years of negotiations, the Yosemite Community College District and faculty members have not agreed on terms of a new labor contract. The Yosemite Faculty Association, representing professors and instructors at Modesto Junior College and Columbia College near Sonora, filed for impasse March 30 and has gone public with allegations of wasteful spending by the district.

 

Is California’s university system failing to keep up with its students’ needs?

The Mercury News

High school seniors across the state have just received the news that will shape the rest of their lives. In March, most of them learned whether they are among the thousands being admitted to the University of California or California State University.

 

A report: California Latinos and higher education

Capitol Weekly

The number of Latinos in California with two- and four-year degrees has doubled in little more than a decade, a dramatic increase. But compared with the overall, growing Latino population, the proportion of college-trained Latino adults over the same period has remained flat — roughly one in 10 from 2005 to 2015.

 

College credits where credit’s due: Schools slowly come around to accepting transfer students’ work

Washington Post

Gage Ramirez was a year and a half into his studies toward a biology degree at a California public university when he came up against an unexpected roadblock: calculus. Ramirez ultimately found himself changing majors and transferring to another California public institution. Little of the work he had put in came with him.

 

Trump administration seeks to open Harvard admissions files

POLITICO

The Trump administration on Friday urged a federal judge to allow for the public disclosure of records related to Harvard’s admissions practices, as part of a lawsuit accusing the elite school of bias against Asian-American applicants. The Justice Department sided with a group suing Harvard for allegedly discriminatory admissions practices. The DOJ told the judge to reject the university’s attempts to shield from public view many case documents that it claims are confidential.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Californians’ Views on Climate Change

Public Policy Institute of California

Nearly two-thirds of Californians (64%) say global warming’s effects have already begun, and a quarter (25%) say the effects will happen in the future. Only 8% say the effects will never occur. Since 2005, when PPIC first began asking Californians this question, majorities have said the effects have already begun. Today, majorities across regions and age, education, and income groups hold this view. Californians (64%) are about as likely as adults nationwide (59%, March 2016 Gallup Poll) to say the effects of global warming have begun.

 

Is Climate Restoration an Appropriate Climate Policy Goal?

RAND

Since the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, society has organized efforts to limit the magnitude of climate change around the concept of stabilization — that is, accepting some climate change but holding it within acceptable bounds.

 

The New Science of Smog

WSJ

Liberals are claiming that the Trump Administration’s plans to roll back the Obama fuel-mileage rules will increase pollution. Perhaps they should read up on the latest scientific evidence about the sources of air pollution.

 

Energy:

 

Rolling back fuel economy standards could mean bigger cars — and less progress on climate change

Los Angeles Times

Gas prices have been so low in recent years that more Americans are choosing to buy bigger vehicles, a trend that has stymied efforts to cut auto emissions.

 

The missing billions spent on gasoline in California each year

The San Diego Union-Tribune

California drivers already pay more for gasoline than motorists in just about every other state. But even after taking into account state gas taxes, blending requirements aimed at reducing air pollution and other environmental and climate fees attached to each gallon of fuel, it appears drivers in the Golden State pay a lot more than they should.

 

California Energy Price Data for March 2018

California Center for Jobs & the Economy

Below are the monthly updates for the most current March 2018 fuel price data (GasBuddy.com) and January 2018 electricity and natural gas price data (US Energy Information Agency). To view additional data and analysis related to the California economy visit our website at www.centerforjobs.org/ca.

 

U.S. Net Energy Imports in 2017 Fall to Their Lowest Levels Since 1982

The Energy Collective

Increasing U.S. energy exports have been driven largely by increases in exports of petroleum products and natural gas. In recent years, exports of crude oil have also contributed to the overall rise in energy exports after crude oil export restrictions were lifted at the end of 2015. In energy content terms, the United States now exports nearly as much energy in the form of crude oil (2.3 quads) as coal (2.5 quads).

 

For every $1 the US put into adding renewable energy last year, China put in $3 – Quartz

Quartz

China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is determined to rebalance its energy mix, and incorporate more clean energy. That determination is reflected in the money it put into renewable energy last year, dwarfing spending by the next biggest investor, the US.

 

Solar power eclipsed fossil fuels in new 2017 generating capacity: U.N.

Reuters

Chinese solar power led a record 157 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity added worldwide last year, more than double the amount of new generation capacity from fossil fuels, a U.N.-backed report showed on Thursday.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

An ambitious California bill would put the state in charge of controlling prices in the commercial healthcare market

Los Angeles Times

In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring healthcare spending, a new California measure would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor’s visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers.

 

School-based health centers keeping kids healthy

ABC30

The new Camarena Health Center on the Madera South High School campus is seen as a game-changer in this community. Principal Oracio Rodriguez says healthcare for kids and teachers is now just a short walk away. “We were living the struggle of what do we do with students who need medical services and weren’t getting them. We live in a very medically underserved area and Camarena’s filling that void.”

 

Local youth #RiseUpAsOne for healthcare for all

Visalia Times-Delta

Youth from across Tulare County came together on Saturday to Rise Up As One at the areas first ever Youth Summit. The event was the product of several local organizations, all with hopes to make affordable and quality health care accessible to everyone in California, including vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ and undocumented immigrants.

 

California needs more answers on assisted suicide

Sacramento Bee

Despite nearly two years of doctor-assisted suicide in California, we know little to nothing about crucial questions: Why are patients selecting it? What quality and duration of health care have they received?.

 

US Surgeon General urges people to start carrying Narcan

yourcentralvalley.com

In a controversial move, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory urging more of us to start carrying Narcan. It’s a drug used to treat an opioid overdose. If used properly it can be life saver. In fact some first responders are already carrying the drug just in case. Some medical experts say the recommendation shows just how serious the opioid crisis is. But others fear that making Narcan more widely available may unintentionally increase opioid abuse.

 

The Disappearing Doctor: How Mega-Mergers Are Changing the Business of Medical Care

New York Times

Is the doctor in? In this new medical age of urgent care centers and retail clinics, that’s not a simple question. Nor does it have a simple answer, as primary care doctors become increasingly scarce. “You call the doctor’s office to book an appointment,” said Matt Feit, a 45-year-old screenwriter in Los Angeles who visited an urgent care center eight times last year. “They’re only open Monday through Friday from these hours to those hours, and, generally, they’re not the hours I’m free or I have to take time off from my job.

 

Why the extreme reaction to Obamacare could be the new normal in American politics (Maddy alum Simon Header)

The Conversation

It has been more than eight years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Many may not remember the tumultuous scenes in Washington, D.C., and around the nation that preceded its passage.  Town hallsfrom Iowa to California turned into shouting matches. Signs comparing President Barack Obama to Hitler and Stalin were waved at demonstrations. Angry seniors demanded to “keep your government hands off my Medicare” in protesting the ACA.

 

Human Services:

 

County and Tech Innovators Are Rethinking California’s Mental Health Services

PublicCEO

Often times, California’s size and diversity are viewed as a challenge by those charged with providing quality public services. But for the state and county officials who gathered for the first-ever mental health innovation summit, diversity provided a creative advantage.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Opinion: Forcing judges to meet quotas won’t reduce immigration court backlogs. It will undermine due process

Los Angeles Times

There is no dispute that the nation’s immigration court system is drowning in its own caseload. It began under the Obama administration’s ramped-up efforts to deport people in the country illegally who had recently crossed the border or who had criminal histories, and accelerated under President Trump’s campaign to roust as many undocumented people as he can.

 

Businesses Beg for More Low-Skill Visas, Putting White House in a Bind

WSJ

Demand for low-skilled worker visas for the summer season starting Sunday is again far outstripping supply, with the Trump administration forced to choose between helping businesses seeking more visas or trying to save those jobs for American workers.

 

Immigrant Entrepreneurship in America: Evidence from the Survey of Business Owners 2007 & 2012

National Bureau of Economic Research

We study immigrant entrepreneurship and firm ownership in 2007 and 2012 using the Survey of Business Owners (SBO). The survival and growth of immigrant-owned businesses over time relative to native-founded companies is evaluated by linking the 2007 SBO to the Longitudinal Business Database (LBD). We quantify the dependency of the United States as a whole, as well as individual states, on the contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs in terms of firm formation and job creation.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Visalia commissioners to consider gas station project permit

Visalia Times-Delta

A permit for what some are calling the largest gas station in Visalia will be in front of planning commissioners on Monday.

Along with it, controversy and lots of security. This is the second time the project has been up for discussion. At issue is a conditional use permit for an Arco AM/PM gas station and convenience store to be built at the southwest corner of Caldwell Avenue and South West Street.

 

Housing:

 

Modesto to discuss program to inspect rental housing

Modesto Bee

Modesto leaders are expected to discuss Monday a proposal to inspect rental housing to ensure it meets basic health and safety standards, including being free of vermin and having working plumbing and heat. The proposal is part of a city report to be presented at the City Council’s Safety and Communities Committee.

 

Bakersfield: Selling a lifestyle

iReader

While Bakersfield is long-regarded as having the state’s most affordable housing market, the city and Kern County also are home to the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous.

 

Having a job (or two, or three) doesn’t mean you can afford a place to live in California

89.3 KPCC

Sandwiched between California’s iconic Highway 101 and the Pacific Ocean is a parking lot in Encinitas, where Chad Bordes’ car doubled as  his home. The rain pounded and the wind blew; it was 3:30 in the morning in mid-March and still dark outside. Bordes emerged from the front seat of his gray Nissan Altima, wearing a t-shirt, jeans and flip-flops. He walked over to his trunk, that also served as his closet.

 

Gimme Shelter Podcast: The construction labor shortage

CALmatters

Matt and Liam delve into one aspect of California’s housing crisis that doesn’t receive much attention: the shortage of construction labor to build the houses the state so desperately needs. An Avocado of the Fortnight (2:15) first takes us to Orange County, where the question of where to shelter the region’s growing homeless population has provoked some interesting reactions from local political leaders.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Some cities outsource their highest pension costs

Calpensions

Dozens of cities, many of them formed in recent decades, do not directly pay police and firefighter pension rates. They get their safety services though contracts with county sheriff departments and large fire districts. An example is Lake Forest, a community in Orange County formerly known as El Toro, which incorporated in 1991 and had a population of 77,264 in the last census. It’s one of the 14 cities listed by CalPERS as having a fully funded pension plan.

 

CalPERS may join union foes of 401(k) option

Calpensions

A bill by state Sen. Steven Glazer, D-Orinda, giving new state workers the option new University of California workers received two years ago, a 401(k)-style plan rather than a pension, is opposed by unions and soon may be opposed by CalPERS.

 

A debt crisis is coming. But don’t blame entitlements.

Washington Post

The U.S. unemployment rate is down to 4.1 percent, and economic growth could well increase in 2018. Consumer and business confidence is high. What could go wrong?

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Distracted driving can take a life; for that reason, it’s not worth it

Fresno Bee

California’s distracted driving laws went into effect in 2010. By now, we should reasonably know the consequences, as well as the dangers of distracted and reckless driving. What we at the California Highway Patrol and Impact Teen Drivers don’t want you to lose sight of is this: the hard cost of distracted driving.

 

Getting to Sacramento is about to get a lot easier

Modesto Bee

Making the stressful drive to Sacramento for an early morning meeting can be a challenge. Whether it is road construction or the bottleneck in South Sacramento from daily commuters, the congestion and stop-and-go traffic can be frustrating. Not to mention finding a parking space once you get to the state’s Capitol. There’s good news – a new option for business travelers is just a few weeks away.

 

California proposes new rules for self-driving cars to pick up passengers

Reuters

California’s public utility regulator on Friday signaled it would allow self-driving car companies to transport passengers without a backup driver in the vehicle, a step forward for autonomous car developers just as the industry faces heightened scrutiny over safety concerns.

See also:

·       Robot-taxi services could soon operate in California San Francisco Chronicle

 

With Tesla in a Danger Zone, Can Model 3 Carry It to Safety?

New York Times

Despite this wave of negative publicity, it seems clear that Tesla will rise or fall based on the performance, safety, design and value of its cars. If it gets those things right, all the other issues will sort themselves out.

 

Trump-era transportation project more focused on rural areas

San Francisco Chronicle

Forget about bike-share stations in Chicago or pedestrian walkways in Oakland. That’s so Obama-era. In the Trump administration, a popular $500 million transportation grant program is focused more on projects in rural areas that turned out for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. That means more road and rail projects in GOP strongholds such as Idaho, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, and fewer “greenways,” ”complete streets” and bike lanes.

 

California doesn’t have green mile markers on freeways like other states

OCRegister

Dear Honk: California seems to be the only state in the union that doesn’t use the green mile markers along its freeways and state highways. They refer to the distance from the state line or from the beginning of the highway. California does use those figures, but on freeway signs for off-ramps. Here, there are white mile markers that are less useful. They appear to be the same size as the green ones, referencing the distance from the county line and contain so much info that they can be difficult to even read.

 

The missing billions spent on gasoline in California each year

The San Diego Union-Tribune

California drivers already pay more for gasoline than motorists in just about every other state. But even after taking into account state gas taxes, blending requirements aimed at reducing air pollution and other environmental and climate fees attached to each gallon of fuel, it appears drivers in the Golden State pay a lot more than they should.

 

Watch Out, Airlines. High Speed Rail Now Rivals Flying on Key Routes

Bloomberg

Across Asia and Europe, high-speed rail is providing a competitive alternative to air travel on the same routes, in terms of price and the all-important barometer of time. Put that together with the environmental benefits that flow from not burning jet fuel, and staying on the ground begins to make more sense for travelers who would otherwise trudge to the airport.

 

WATER

 

A day after the flood, Yosemite Valley reopens and shows off heavenly waterfalls

Fresno Bee

A massive weekend storm that hit Yosemite Valley closed the popular tourist destination for more than a day, but also resulted in a deluge of spectacular views for visitors to behold, in terms of majestic waterfalls and crystal rushing streams. The park reopened its gates to visitors noon Sunday, having been closed since 5 p.m. Friday. Officials said water levels are beginning to recede, although some places like Housekeeping Camp are still partially flooded.

See also:

     Yosemite reopens after flooding from California deluge The Bakersfield Californian

     Yosemite Valley reopens after storm brought flooding to parts of Northern California Los Angeles Times

 

After heavy rains, first use of partly rebuilt Oroville Dam spillway now ‘unlikely’

Sacramento Bee

After a spring storm system dumped 5 to 7 inches of rain into the Feather River basin over the weekend, state officials said Sunday they likely won’t have to use the partly rebuilt flood control spillway at Oroville Dam after all.

 

Rubin: Raising Shasta Dam benefits both fish, people

Fresno Bee

In law school, first-year students are introduced to the term ipse dixit, a Latin phrase meaning a statement that, while unsupported and unproven, may carry some weight based solely on the authority or standing of the person who made it.

I was frequently reminded of this term reading numerous articles concerning efforts to include in the just-enacted omnibus appropriations legislation funds to enlarge Shasta Dam.

 

Walters: As climate changes, more water storage needed

Fresno Bee

The first thing to remember about precipitation in California is that it’s unpredictable, as the past several winters have once again shown us. Several years of severe drought ended in the 2016-17 winter with near-record rain and snow storms that filled the state’s badly depleted reservoirs.

 

California zigzags on ambitious water-delivery project, puts two-tunnel concept back on the table

Los Angeles Times

Four days after Southern California’s biggest water agency dropped a plan to pay for most of a major water delivery project, the funding proposal is back on the table. In agenda materials posted Friday afternoon, the staff of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California presented two options for the board to vote on Tuesday: Approve $5.2 billion in funding for a single tunnel that would be built in the center of the state’s waterworks, or OK up to $10.8 billion to help finance the construction of two tunnels.

See also:

·       Southern California might pay for two Delta tunnels after all  Sacramento Bee

·       Water reliability for Southern California is right in front of us with the California WaterFix OCRegister

 

Candidates for California governor need to focus on water

San Francisco Chronicle

About a year into his second go-round as governor, Jerry Brown was talking about all the challenges facing California. Mostly, these were issues he had raised during his campaign — an enormous budget shortfall, high unemployment, immigration, education and more. And now, he said, we have a drought.

 

Water rates should stay high

Madera Tribune

If you were hoping a recent examination of water rates in Madera would lead to lower water bills, you can give up that hope. The city water rates have more than doubled in some cases over the past two years or so, leading some critics to wonder whether the income from water charges is being misused.

 

Ecosystems Need Groundwater Too

Public Policy Institute of California

Groundwater is a critical resource for most living things in California. But while human communities can increase groundwater pumping when surface supplies diminish during droughts, ecological systems often have no backup supply. We talked to Sandi Matsumoto, associate director of the Nature Conservancy’s California Water Program, about determining which ecosystems are particularly dependent on groundwater and what can be done to help them cope with dropping water levels.

 

“Xtra”

 

The Modesto Garden Club’s Spring Garden Tour is April 14 in Modesto, CA

The Modesto Bee

Linger — that’s the word for this year’s Spring Garden Tour, with a wealth of lavish features to take in at the six home landscapes.

Held annually by the Modesto Garden Club, this year’s tour visits all large properties, with multiple levels and pathways that will lead tour patrons through a variety of plants, shrubs, structures, ponds and more.

 

New John Lennon ‘Imagine No Hunger’ license plates will support California food banks

OCRegister

Yoko Ono Lennon, Southern California-based Beatles tribute band the Fab Four and the California Department of Motor Vehicles have joined forces to combat hunger in the state with the sale of specialty license plates featuring the iconic self-portrait image of the late John Lennon.

See also:

     New John Lennon Specialty License Plates Aim to Help Feed Hungry Californians KTLA

 

 

EDITORIALS

 

Thumbs up, thumbs down: Downtown Fresno hair stylist makes patients feel pretty

Fresno Bee

Thumbs up to Angela Moreno, a Fresno hairstylist, for providing free shampoo and blow-drying services at Enigma Salon in central Fresno to cancer patients who cannot do their own hair.  Her motto is: “No matter what you’re going through, a woman should never have to feel ugly or alone.” Moreno is a cancer survivor battling the disease herself, she knows that little things mean a lot during treatment.

 

Is it time to expand California’s right-to-die law to include Alzheimer’s patients, too?

Fresno Bee

When legislators in Sacramento passed a reasonable and conservative assisted-suicide law in 2015, California was only the fifth U.S state to allow terminally ill people to obtain a lethal prescription. Giving dying people who have six months or less to live an alternative to terrible pain and suffering was the compassionate and correct thing to do, so it’s no surprise that Colorado and Washington, D.C., have passed similar right-to-die laws since then, and that more than two dozen states – from Hawaii to Maine – are now considering doing the same.

 

If Delta ‘tunnels’ are built, we’re the biggest losers

Modesto Bee

A million people live in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. If Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to siphon water to Los Angeles is completed, all of us are going to suffer. In building two tunnels under Brown’s California WaterFix, the state will be forced to confiscate ever more of the Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus rivers. We are resolutely opposed to this plan and have been since it was first hatched.

 

The Delta is dying. The planet is warming. Is California too focused on the tunnels?

Sacramento Bee

For far too long, too many leaders in California have had tunnel vision – Gov. Jerry Brown, local elected officials, water district executives. The epic battle over the Delta tunnels – how many, how big, who pays – has consumed this state, in one form or another, for generations..

 

Pineapple Express won’t slow need for Californians to conserve water

Mercury News

The Pineapple Express conditions bringing heavy rains Friday to the Bay Area will help fill reservoirs and ease the threat of drought. But the storm also furthers the illusion that Californians are safe to go back to taking long showers and watering lawns on a daily basis

 

Yes, California has a housing crisis. But killing community planning isn’t how democracy should work

Los Angeles Times

When residents of South Los Angeles began the decade-long process of updating their official “community plan” — the blueprint that guides building, development and land use in city neighborhoods — they had some specific goals.

 

California can’t spend way out of housing crisis

San Francisco Chronicle

Of the myriad possible responses to California’s housing and homelessness crisis, the state’s politicians have a clear favorite: spending more money. But state and local governments’ evident difficulty using existing housing funds provides reason for skepticism.

 

Forcing judges to meet quotas won’t reduce immigration court backlogs. It will undermine due process

Los Angeles Times

There is no dispute that the nation’s immigration court system is drowning in its own caseload. It began under the Obama administration’s ramped-up efforts to deport people in the country illegally who had recently crossed the border or who had criminal histories, and accelerated under President Trump’s campaign to roust as many undocumented people as he can.

 

China sees right through Trump’s posturing

Los Angeles Times

President Trump is pushing his trade dispute with China to new rhetorical heights. If the plan is to persuade China to back down before a trade war breaks out, however, it doesn’t appear to be working.

 

Facebook finally steps up on privacy. Now it’s Congress’s turn

Los Angeles Times

As bad as things looked for Facebook two weeks ago when the Cambridge Analytica scandal surfaced, things actually got worse this week. First, the company upped to 87 million the estimated number of people whose personal information was siphoned off without authorization — 74% more than was first reported. Cambridge Analytica used that information in 2016 to try to raise support for Donald Trump by targeting voters with messages designed to play to their susceptibilities.

The Supreme Court continues to grant an unhealthy immunity to police accused of wrongdoing

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court this week ruled that a Tucson police officer who shot and wounded a woman in her front yard couldn’t be sued for damages. It was the latest, but almost certainly not the last, decision by the court to give the benefit of the doubt to law enforcement officials accused of abusing their authority. It’s time for the court to reconsider this and other legal doctrines that make it hard for victims of official misconduct to have their day in court. And if it doesn’t, Congress should act.

 

California lacks a job-friendly economic policy

OCRegister

Amazon’s second headquarters, a shiny object dangled in front of revenue-hungry government officials across the country, appears to be headed for someplace other than California. The project known as “HQ2” is likely to land in northern Virginia,some observers believe, where Amazon recently located the headquarters of its cloud business a short distance from the site that was pitched for HQ2. It’s also close to the 44-acre site where the company is planning a new data-center campus.

 

Coffee is not a carcinogen, even in California

OCRegister

Medical arguments, informed and otherwise, about whether coffee is somehow bad for its drinkers have been going on for as long as there have been tabloid newspapers in the supermarket checkout line. Perhaps the healthy efficacy, or not, of a morning cup of joe or three was argued in the downmarket press in Dr. Johnson’s time, the first era of hopped-up coffeehouse gabfests that sprung up in 18th-century London.

 

That ‘split roll’ you heard about? Less a Prop. 13 fix than a pension bailout

San Diego Union-Tribune

Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 ballot measure credited with touching off a national anti-tax revolution, has never stopped being controversial. Critics say its cap on annual property tax increases and its two-thirds voting requirement for government bodies to impose new or higher taxes has hamstrung California and been a public policy disaster. That argument, of course, is undercut by the fact that — despite these obstacles — state residents still have among the nation’s highest overall tax burdens.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

America’s opioids crisis has taken a staggering toll, killing more than 42,000 people in 2016 alone and more than 250,000 people over the past decade. On Thursday, underscoring the severity of the crisis, Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued astatement without apparent precedent in which he urged “health care practitioners, family and friends of people who have an opioid use disorder, and community members who come into contact with people at risk for opioid overdose, [to learn] how to use naloxone and [keep] it within reach.”

 

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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.

                                                     

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