POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Cong Harder: How legislation in Washington, D.C. can help homeless in Modesto
Modesto Bee
In Stanislaus County, there are upward of a thousand people without a place to call home. Hundreds of folks in our community don’t have a bed in homeless shelters and spend their nights in the street, under bridges or in abandoned buildings.
Air pollution: Children near major roads have more health risks, UC Merced researcher says
Fresno Bee
Children living near major roads are at a higher risk for developmental delays, according to a new study authored by a UC Merced assistant professor and other researchers.
Central SJ Valley:
Devin Nunes files $150 million lawsuit against McClatchy
Sacramento Bee
In his latest legal onslaught against perceived critics of his policies, U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, filed a $150 million defamation suit Monday in a Virginia circuit court against the McClatchy Co. and a Virginia communications consultant described as a “digital terrorist for hire.”
See also:
● Nunes Sues McClatchy Newspapers GV Wire
● Devin Nunes Sues McClatchy Newspaper Chain, Alleging ‘Character Assassination’ New York Times
● Free speech means I don’t have to be nice to Devin Nunes on Twitter. So why’s he suing me? USA Today
‘Help Us, Help Fresno’ signs are city council’s second attempt to curb panhandling
Fresno Bee
After the community voiced strong opposition to Steve Brandau’s STOP ordinance and the Fresno City Council ultimately voted it down, three council members are returning with a new approach regarding panhandling.
Proposed city ordinance would cut Fresno liquor retailers in half
abc30
The plan calls for reducing the number of liquor and convenience stores that sell liquor in the city. Councilmember Miguel Arias wants it cut in half. Arias notes one central Fresno district has well over 100 alcohol retailers out of more than 400 citywide.
South SJ Valley:
Tulare city leader files claim against own city
Visalia Times Delta
Think the drama at Tulare City Hall couldn’t get weirder? Think again. Tulare City Councilman Greg Nunley has filed a legal claim against the city of Tulare for $16.5 million.
Kern County officials deny allegations of bribery from medical cannabis dispensary
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County officials were quick to deny allegations brought forward Monday by a man connected to a Rosamond medical marijuana dispensary claiming he was forced to pay bribes to county officials to keep the marijuana facility open in 2010.
Delano approves adding ‘In God We Trust’ decals to police cars
Bakersfield Californian
The Delano City Council voted 3-1 on Tuesday to allow “In God We Trust” decals to be placed on Delano Police Department vehicles. Councilman Bryan Osorio was the lone no vote.
State:
Is Gavin Newsom campaigning in El Salvador? Trip prompts praise, speculation
Sacramento Bee
Newsom said he chose El Salvador for his first international trip because the state’s relationship with Central America is key to California’s future. Nearly 680,000 Salvadoran immigrants live in California, he notes.
See also:
● California governor meets Salvadorans who tried to reach US Sacramento Bee
● Gangs, violence, extortion: Gavin Newsom hears stories of deported Salvadorans Sacramento Bee
● Los Angeles Legislator Who Fled El Salvador As A Child Returns With California Governor Capital Public Radio
● “Because we punch above our weight:” Gov. Newsom says California deserves bigger say in U.S. immigration policy CALmatters
● California’s Attorney General enforces travel ban to South Carolina – yet turns a blind eye to governor’s trip to El Salvador Fox & Hounds
● Welcome mat: How California has responded to influx of migrants CALmatters
California launched DMV voter registration system despite bugs and hackers
Los Angeles Times
Six days before the scheduled launch of the DMV’s new “motor voter” system last April, state computer security officials noticed something ominous: The department’s computer network was trying to connect to internet servers in Croatia.
Gerrymandering? California doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean voting maps are easy
Press-Enterprise
California is one of four states that use an independent panel to redraw its voting maps. Legislatures control map-making in 30 states – 31 for congressional districts – with other states relying on panels of elected officials or political appointees
Federal:
DHS secretary out amid ‘intense clashes’ with Trump
abc30
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday. Kevin McAleenan will become acting secretary, Trump said
See also:
● Officials say Miller is behind DHS shake-up Bakersfield Californian
● Shake-up at Homeland Security goes beyond Nielsen’s exit Sacramento Bee
● California congressman Eric Swalwell joins 2020 Democratic presidential field Los Angeles Times
● Trump aide Stephen Miller ‘going to clean house’ as immigration policy hardens Los Angeles Times
● Trump keeps pushing legal boundaries — and 10 other takeaways from Kirstjen Nielsen’s ouster Washington Post
● Democrats worry Trump will replace Nielsen with an immigration hard-liner Roll Call
● White House Seeks Tighter Grip on Immigration Policy Wall Street Journal
● EDITORIAL: Removing Nielsen won’t improve Trump’s cruel border policy San Francisco Chronicle
Secret Service director to leave Trump administration
abc30
U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles is expected to leave the Trump administration, said three administration officials, amid a shake-up in the upper echelon of the Department of Homeland Security.
See also:
● Secret Service chief Randolph ‘Tex’ Alles to leave White House Los Angeles Times
How HHS Secretary Alex Azar Reconciles Medicaid Cuts With Stopping The Spread Of HIV
Capital Public Radio
As head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar is charged with making Trump’s plan to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030 work. “We have an historic opportunity,” he tells NPR.
Drug Industry Middlemen To Be Questioned By Senate Committee
Capital Public Radio
The Senate Finance Committee will hear Tuesday from executives from the biggest pharmacy benefit managers. Confidential rebates paid to the PBMs are expected to draw scrutiny.
Newly disclosed meetings with industry create ethics questions for Interior secretary
Roll Call
Recently posted versions of acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s daily schedules contain at least 260 differences from his original schedules, with the newest records showing meetings previously described as “external” or “internal” were actually with representatives of fossil fuel, timber, mining and other industries.
For healthier America, get money out of politics
Stockton Record
Capitalism certainly is our dominant means of production, and it is unlikely that socialism could replace it or would work as well. The greed of the capitalist economic system requires government oversight and regulation to assure that free markets remain free.
Here’s why the Senate went nuclear for district judge nominations
Roll Call
The Senate voted last week to change the body’s debate rules and further speed up the confirmation of the president’s picks for district court judges.
Elections 2020:
Kamala Harris isn’t the only Californian running for president. Eric Swalwell joins 2020 field
Fresno Bee
Eric Swalwell announced his 2020 presidential bid on Monday. The California congressman joins Kamala Harris and 16 other Democrats vying to challenge Donald Trump. Gun control is a key issue for Swalwell.
See also:
● Kamala Harris revives tax credit push to help people pay for housing costs Roll Call
● Eric Swalwell announces campaign for president Visalia Times Delta
● California Rep. Swalwell joins Democratic presidential race Bakersfield Californian
● California Rep. Eric Swalwell Is Running For President, Too, With A Focus on Guns Capital Public Radio
● Eric Swalwell jumps into 2020 Democratic presidential race San Francisco Chronicle
● Rep. Eric Swalwell: Why I am running for president San Francisco Chronicle
● Rep. Eric Swalwell joins the crowded 2020 presidential field Washington Post
● California Rep. Eric Swalwell Announces 2020 Democratic Presidential Campaign Wall Street Journal
● California Rep. Eric Swalwell officially enters presidential race Roll Call
● Kirstjen Nielsen falsely says there are billboards in Central America on illegal immigration PolitiFact
Democratic candidates talk unions, veterans issues in Vegas
Fresno Bee
Democrats Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg are pitching themselves to union workers and veterans in Nevada, two slices of the electorate in the early Western caucus state that focus on policy over personality.
See also:
● The issues 2020 Democrats are running on, according to their social media Washington Post
● For presidential candidates’ bold ideas, debate moderators must demand details and realism Brookings
● York: Face it: Biden and Bernie are too old to be president Washington Examiner
Has income stalled for the bottom 90% since the 1970s, as Pete Buttigieg said?
PolitiFact
Is he right that for most people, income levels — adjusted for inflation, which economists consider a necessity for such comparisons — haven’t increased since 1973? We rate Buttigieg’s statement Half True.
See also:
● Pete Buttigieg & The Religious Left The American Conservative
Other:
Facebook, Google face widening crackdown over online content
Fresno Bee
Tech giants like Facebook and Google came under increasing regulatory pressure in Europe, where countries are proposing stricter rules to force them to block extreme material such as terrorist propaganda and child porn.
Big Tech feels the heat as US moves to protect consumer data
Stockton Record
Momentum is gaining in Washington for a privacy law that could sharply rein in the ability of the largest technology companies to collect and make money off people’s personal data.
See also:
● Your car is watching you. Who owns the data? Roll Call
How Sovereign Citizens Helped Swindle $1 Billion From the Government They Disavow
New York Times
Sovereigns, who sometimes call themselves “freemen” or “state citizens,” have no foundational document, but broadly they subscribe to an alternate version of American history.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, April 14, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Higher Ed: A Good Investment for Students and Taxpayers?” – Guests: Sarah Bohn and Patrick Murphy – PPIC and Dorothy Leland – Chancellor – UC Merced. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, April 14, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: TBD
Sunday, April 14, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Participación en 2018: lo que puede significar para 2020” – Guests: Secretario de Estado Alex Padilla, Gisell Gasca – Mi Familia Vota y Alexei Koseff con San Francisco Chronicle. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Bad News, Good News For Olive Growers
Business Journal
Competition from cheap Spanish olives has cut into demand for domestically-grown olives, with farmers here enduring years of low prices for their olives for canning and bottling.
Merced County’s weed nuns are the subject of a new documentary. It’s out just in time for 420
Merced Sun-Star
Merced County’s weed nuns the Sisters of the Valley are featured this month in a documentary “Breaking Habits.” The movie premieres in time for the unofficial cannabis holiday, April 20.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
How to spot the four most common scams against the elderly
Fresno Bee
Blair Looney of Better Business Bureau writes a weekly column addressing consumer concerns. This week: He answers a question about avoiding elder scams with tips about how to spot four of the most common ploys.
Maggots, mice fall into Corcoran prison dining hall
Visalia Times Delta
Maggots and mice have fallen onto inmates’ dining tables at a Corcoran state prison where holes in the roof also allow rain and bird droppings to seep through and streak the walls, according to an inmate lawsuit.
Public Safety:
Ad watch: Police use-of-force ads lack context as major bill heads toward hearing
Fresno Bee
Courage Campaign launched two police use-of-force ads urging lawmakers to pass Assembly Bill 392, five days before the controversial bill is scheduled for a hearing.
See also:
● California weighs opposing plans to deter killings by police Sacramento Bee
● California’s deadly force reform bill faces a crucial vote San Francisco Chronicle
California’s emergency alert system has been a disaster. A statewide fix is planned
Daily Republic
In the wake of an unprecedented number of wildfire and mudslide deaths over the last two years – as well as demands from lawmakers – Cal OES has for the first time proposed a standard set of emergency alert protocols for counties throughout the state.
Major mass shootings had little effect on voting in communities most affected, Post analysis finds
Washington Post
The movement has had relatively little effect on voters, who made a three-point shift toward the Democratic candidate between the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 gubernatorial election, when compared with Florida voters overall.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
California Poor People’s Campaign marches through Fresno
Fresno Bee
The California Poor People’s Campaign made a stop Monday in Fresno for a rally near the Poverello House and then a march to the nearby Fresno EOC Local Conservation Corps, where a public hearing was held.
Government Watchdog Flips On Dollar Coin
Capital Public Radio
In a turnaround, congressional analysts are no longer recommending a phaseout of paper dollars in favor a dollar coin. Paper money is lasting longer because of cashless transactions.
‘Opportunity Zones’ Spur New State Tax Incentives
Pew Research
Governors helped the U.S. Treasury Department choose nearly 9,000 economically distressed “opportunity zones” where people can get a tax break for investing in certain businesses and properties.
See also:
● How federal ‘opportunity zone’ tax incentive can help California build an inclusive economy CALmatters
U.S. Moves to Impose Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU Goods
Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration moved Monday toward imposing tariffs on about $11 billion in imports from the European Union, saying the move was justified by the bloc’s subsidies for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
See also:
● Stocks Fall as U.S. Plots New Tariffs on EU Wall Street Journal
● U.S., China Tout Progress, Vow to Continue Trade Talks Wall Street Journal
● As China Trade Deal Nears, U.S. Senators Fear It Could Fall Short Wall Street Journal
Jobs:
Walters: Big issue: Who’s an employee and who’s not?
CALmatters
By applying a three-part test of a worker’s duties, the court’s ruling would shift countless thousands of workers from contractor status to payroll-employee status.
Financial technology is changing how we do business, and regulators are trying to catch up
Roll Call
Fintech is the entire field of up-and-coming financial technologies that are changing the way business is done around the world and leaving regulators in the dust.
EDUCATION
K-12:
FUSD to install security cameras at all elementary schools
abc30
Security cameras have become a way of life on school campuses across the country, and Fresno Unified is no different. The district is in the process of installing or upgrading new equipment at all elementary school campuses.
Focus on the future at Olive Street School’s College and Career event
Porterville Recorder
Students at Olive Street School in Porterville focused on the future on Friday, April 5th when the school hosted a College and Career Day. Thirty community members took time out of their busy schedules to share stories of college life, business and goal setting with the students.
How a new Bakersfield company is teaching students to manage fitness, leadership and career goals
Bakersfield Californian
What do student athletes and a moving company have in common? Leadership and career goals. Aside from helping their employees with school and work, Meathead Movers also focuses on teaching their employees leadership and career goals.
How a tiny California school district sparked calls for a charter crackdown
CALmatters
Citing claims that the district and charter network improperly gamed the system, Democratic lawmakers are redoubling efforts to tighten rules that have let small, financially-strapped school districts boost their budgets by offering authorization and oversight to charter schools dozens or hundreds of miles from their supposed minders.
Higher Ed:
New Downtown Center classes coming up
Fresno State News
The Fresno State Downtown Center is offering two courses for those interested in learning about design and project management.
College admissions scandal: 5 Bay Area parents agree to plead guilty, cooperate
San Francisco Chronicle
Federal prosecutors announced agreements with five Bay Area parents charged in the college admissions scandal who will plead guilty this month to fraud in exchange for cooperating.
See also:
● ‘Profoundly sorry’ parents agree to plead guilty in college admissions case Los Angeles Times
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Global warming is shrinking glaciers faster than thought
Fresno Bee
Earth’s glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. A new study shows they are losing 369 billion tons of snow and ice each year, more than half of that in North America.
See also:
● From ruined bridges to dirty air, EPA scientists price out the cost of climate change Los Angeles Times
● California’s next frontier in fighting climate change: your kitchen stove Los Angeles Times
Climate change will crush real estate values for unprepared investors: Report
CNBC
To that end, big real estate firms are pouring significant resources into calculating climate risk and its likely effect on property portfolios — everything from increasingly extreme weather to a rise in sea levels.
Newly disclosed meetings with industry create ethics questions for Interior secretary
Roll Call
Recently posted versions of acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s daily schedules contain at least 260 differences from his original schedules, with the newest records showing meetings previously described as “external” or “internal” were actually with representatives of fossil fuel, timber, mining and other industries.
‘Losing Earth’ Explores How Oil Industry Played Politics With The Planet’s Fate
Capital Public Radio
Journalist Nathaniel Rich says the oil industry helped create a partisan debate around climate change in the 1980s by paying scientists to write op-eds questioning climate science.
EDITORIAL: Protect the state’s environmental legacy from Trump’s onslaughts
Los Angeles Times
California’s native species and its precious water resources are in serious need of some Trump insurance.
‘Butterflies As Heralds Of The Apocalypse’
Capital Public Radio
UC Davis Professor Arthur Shapiro discusses how butterfly population data gives clues to global climate change.
Cell service coming to Sequoia National Park
Visalia Times Delta
You may soon be able to post your General Sherman selfies from inside Sequoia National Park. Park officials have approved plans for America’s largest telecommunication company, Verizon Wireless, to build a signal tower near Wuksachi Village
Yosemite is getting ready for summer, but still feels like winter
Los Angeles Times
Yosemite National Park plans to open the seasonal road and free shuttle to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias on Friday, but don’t break out the hiking shorts just yet. The calendar may say spring, but visitors in April and early May should expect snow and winter hiking conditions.
Energy:
‘Losing Earth’ Explores How Oil Industry Played Politics With The Planet’s Fate
Capital Public Radio
Journalist Nathaniel Rich says the oil industry helped create a partisan debate around climate change in the 1980s by paying scientists to write op-eds questioning climate science.
Advice for Newsom: California’s electricity should be 100% renewable
Merced Sun-Star
Some responses are simple. California needs to continue its drive to produce 100 percent of its electricity through renewable sources. This state is an international leader in this area, and it must continue to lead, particularly at a time when Washington refuses to do so.
Amazon investing again in Kern County
Bakersfield Californian
Amazon announced Monday it expects to receive 47 megawatts of electricity from a wind farm under development in the Tehachapi area.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Air pollution: Children near major roads have more health risks, UC Merced researcher says
Fresno Bee
Children living near major roads are at a higher risk for developmental delays, according to a new study authored by a UC Merced assistant professor and other researchers.
Melatonin may not be as safe as you think
abc30
Instead of taking a sleeping pill, millions of people reach for the dietary supplement called melatonin. But it’s not without risks. Consumer Reports explains what you need to know.
Analysis shows suicide attempts, ideation up among youths
abc30
A new analysis looks at the rates of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among young people, and the researchers found that both are on the rise.
Bill to ban cosmetic genital surgeries on intersex infants delayed. Doctors opposed it
Los Angeles Times
A bill to ban cosmetic surgeries on children born with atypical genitalia was shelved for the year before lawmakers could vote on it amid opposition from doctors who said medical decisions should be left up to parents.
Kern Behavioral Health bristles at $2.3 million in monthly sanctions from state
Bakersfield Californian
The director of Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services is bristling at a $2.3 million monthly sanction imposed by state authorities over the department’s staffing levels.
New York orders measles vaccinations in Brooklyn amid outbreak, mayor says
Washington Post
New York City declared a public health emergency and ordered mandatory measles vaccinations amid an outbreak, becoming the latest national flashpoint over refusals to inoculate against dangerous diseases.
See also:
● Spread of Measles Accelerates, With U.S. Cases Rising to 465 So Far This Year Wall Street Journal
Human Services:
22 ways California could make health care more affordable and accessible
Sacramento Bee
Twenty-two bills before the Legislature this year aim to make health care more affordable and accessible. Even though all the bills are heading in the same direction, there are competing visions of what a health care expansion should look like in 2019.
Robots Are Becoming An Integral Part Of Surgery, But Are They Worth The Cost?
Capital Public Radio
UC Davis Medical Center, like many major hospitals across the U.S., is expanding its robotic surgery program. The jury is still out on whether the benefits of this technology outweigh the costs.
Facing Escalating Workplace Violence, Hospital Employees Have Had Enough
Capital Public Radio
U.S. hospitals are under mounting pressure to address violence against health care staff by patients and visitors. Nearly half of emergency doctors say they’ve been physically assaulted at work.
IMMIGRATION
California sees shift in immigration detention contracts
Fresno Bee
For nearly eight years, a desert community has joined with a private prison company and federal officials to run California’s largest immigration detention facility.
Judge Blocks Trump’s Asylum Policy But Delays Enforcement
Capital Public Radio
A U.S. judge is blocking the Trump administration’s policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico as they wait for an immigration court to hear their cases, but he is holding off on enforcing his decision until Friday.
See also:
● Judge blocks Trump policy forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico Los Angeles Times
● Judge blocks Trump plan forcing asylum seekers back to Mexico San Francisco Chronicle
● Judge Blocks Trump Administration Policy of Returning Asylum Seekers to Mexico Wall Street Journal
● Federal judge blocks Trump administration program forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting court hearings Washington Post
Essential Politics: Illegal immigration remains in the spotlight
Los Angeles Times
A case could be made that no policy area has been more dominant since President Trump took office than illegal immigration — which is a bit astounding when you consider where things stood a little more than two years ago.
Some Muslim Immigrants Distrust Census in Trump Era
Pew Research
For many, U.S. Census forms recall registration requirements imposed by authoritarian regimes in their native countries — not to mention the “special registration” that the U.S. government imposed on some immigrants after 9/11.
California Budget & Policy Center
In California, 1 million children of immigrants in working families live in poverty, and the vast majority of these kids are US citizens.
California’s Undocumented Immigrants Make Significant Contributions to State and Local Revenues
California Budget & Policy Center
Like other California residents, undocumented immigrants pay taxes that support state and local services.
Trump Says the U.S. Is ‘Full.’ Much of the Nation Has the Opposite Problem.
New York Times
An aging population and a declining birthrate among the native-born population mean a shrinking work force in many areas.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
People have been wondering about this empty OSH for months. Now a new store is moving in
Fresno Bee
Of all the Orchard Supply Hardware stores that sit empty in Fresno, the one in northeast Fresno is perhaps the most talked about. The store at the corner of East Champlain Drive and East Shepherd Avenue has a new renter – another hardware store.
Oakhurst Hotel Project ‘Moving Along;’ Still no Timeline for Completion
Sierra News
A row of three new, nationally branded hotels under construction since 2013 on Highway 41 in Oakhurst appear to be finally nearing completion.
Climate change will crush real estate values for unprepared investors: Report
CNBC
To that end, big real estate firms are pouring significant resources into calculating climate risk and its likely effect on property portfolios — everything from increasingly extreme weather to a rise in sea levels.
Housing:
Rents are rising in Fresno. See how much, and how they compare with other parts of the state
Fresno Bee
Fresno experienced one of the highest rates of year-over-year increases in apartment rents among California’s 10 largest cities between March 2018 and March 2019, according to a recent analysis of rents nationwide.
See also:
● Homes sales declined in Sacramento in February. See how your neighborhood is doing Sacramento Bee
● House Flipping Is Back to Pre-Crisis Levels. Here’s Why It’s Less of a Concern. Wall Street Journal
These are some of the issues behind California’s housing crisis
Merced Sun-Star
California’s housing crisis is due in large part to a lack of supply, particularly when it comes to affordable housing, and it is hitting low-income individuals the hardest.
Are the homeless bused in from other cities? Experts say no
Bakersfield Californian
A frequent rumor, heard often by those who work in shelters and housing services, claims Kern County’s homeless increase can be blamed on other counties busing their transient populations to Bakersfield.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Donald Trump gave corporations a big tax cut. California Democrats want to take some of it
Sacramento Bee
Citing a tax windfall that major corporations received through President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax law, California Democrats on Monday unveiled a plan to levy a steep tax hike on the state’s most profitable businesses.
A House floor vote on spending caps could divide Democrats
Roll Call
The House might vote this week on a bill to raise discretionary spending limits for the next two fiscal years.
Washington Post
Treasury Department lawyers consulted with the White House general counsel’s office about the potential release of President Trump’s tax returns before House Democrats formally requested the records, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said Tuesday.
Big Soda Pours Big Bucks Into California’s Capitol
California Healthline
Although it’s anybody’s guess how much the Big SOda industry will spend to sway California lawmakers this year, its previous largesse indicates money will flow to nearly every Capitol officeholder.
TRANSPORTATION
Early morning train from Fresno to Sacramento to end
abc30
The early morning train trip from Fresno to the state capitol on the Amtrak San Joaquin service is being suspended. On May 6, 2019, the “Sacramento Morning Express” will make its final run due to low ridership.
California drivers, beware: Gas prices may hit $4 for the first time since 2014
Sacramento Bee
Trips to the gas station are about to get even more expensive for California drivers, according to GasBuddy. Gas prices are spiking, and may reach as high as $4 in the coming weeks for the first time since 2014, when average prices peaked at around $4.15.
Bullet train CEO has new plan to reach San Jose, center of rail system’s ‘universe’
High-Speed Rail Authority
A fast rail connection to Silicon Valley from the Central Valley remains a goal of the man leading the California High-Speed Rail Authority, who called San Jose “the center of the universe” for the state’s bullet train project.
See also:
● California high speed rail CEO seeks to restore confidence in flagging project Trains
American cancels more flights amid Boeing 737 Max grounding
abc30
American Airlines is extending flight cancellations into early June as Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft remain grounded.
WATER
See the beauty and breadth of the new Oroville Dam spillway now in this April 7, 2019 update
Fresno Bee
The Oroville Dam main spillway is flowing strong after the scare two years ago that led to major repairs to the flood-control facility to the tune of $1 billion. Here’s DWR footage of the dam spillway in action.
Video: State and Federal Experts Discuss San Joaquin Valley’s Water Future
Public Policy Institute of California
Groundwater overdraft is the valley’s key water challenge. A state mandate to bring groundwater use to sustainable levels will have broad effects on valley agriculture and the regional economy.
US Congress approves Colorado River drought plan
Fresno Bee
A plan to address a shrinking supply of water on a river that serves 40 million people in the US West is headed to President Donald Trump.
“Xtra”
Attention, runners! Get ready to glow at Foam Glow 2019
abc30
It’s a colorful, night-time 5k at the Fresno fairgrounds this weekend. Runners or walkers are blasted with Glowing Foam and then lit up by blacklights scattered throughout the course.
Adventure Park adding new splash park, the only of its kind in Visalia
abc30
Visalia Adventure Park is taking a new form. It’s noticeable from Highway 198. Work is currently underway on their newest addition — Sequoia Springs. It will be the only splash park in all of Visalia.
The Raymond Parade is almost here. Here’s what you can expect
Sierra Star
The 33rd annual Raymond Parade is starting Easter Sunday celebrations a little early this year. The parade, scheduled for Saturday, April 20, has added a “huge Easter egg hunt” to its festivities.
Test yourself with our new free game: PolitiTruth
Think you can tell the difference between True and False?
Do you really know what is fake news?
Support the Maddy Daily
Thank you!
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.
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe: mjeans@csufresno.edu