13Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

Valley:

EDITORIAL: Devin Nunes is protecting Trump, but the Constitution requires a check on the President

Fresno Bee

Devin Nunes needs to uphold our system of checks and balances. Far from being a “true American patriot,” as Trump called Nunes, he is actually acting against our very form of government.

● Finally, Devin Nunes admits what his charade is all about CNN

● Devin Nunes: Clinton campaign colluded with 'nearly every' top official at the DOJ and FBI Washington Examiner

Charges of race-shaming erupt in Denham-Harder race; Harder campaign makes statement

The Modesto Bee

The controversy stems from a video posted on Twitter showing people protesting outside a Tuesday event where Denham was to make a speech with topics including immigration issues. A woman is heard shouting, “Shame on your Mexican wife!” from behind a wrought-iron fence maybe 10 yards away from Denham, 51.

National spotlight helps Heng. Will she flip blue congressional seat?

The Business Journal

Getting banned on Facebook may have been the best thing to happen to Fresno congressional candidate Elizabeth Heng’s campaign. In the least, it has elevated a second Valley congressional race into the national spotlight.

Fresno politicians and bureaucrats have failed on parks. So now it’s up to us

Fresno Bee

Gathering 35,000 signatures in 3 1/2 months, getting them verified and gaining Fresno City Council approval for a November ballot initiative … that’s the easy part. Now comes the next hurdle for Fresno for Parks supporters: Convincing two-thirds of the citywide electorate to vote to tax themselves.

Former city finance director blasts Madera City Council

Madera Tribune

Municipal finance veteran and lifelong Madera resident Wayne Padilla said he has been following the recent budget deficit and salary developments in the City of Madera with a mixture of shock, discouragement, and utter disbelief.

Mendes gains support from Assembly member

Hanford Sentinel

Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) has endorsed Republican Hanford City Councilman Justin Mendes in his race for the California State Assembly.

Tulare City Council about to get a November makeover

Visalia Delta Times

Tulare City Council will have at least two new members after the November election.

Clearer picture emerges of candidates for local office

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County voters now have a clear picture of who they can pick to represent them on a range of local government boards on Nov. 6.

EDITORIAL: Lieutenant governor candidate came to Modesto. Not to talk, but to listen.

Modesto Bee

Eleni Kounalakis dropped by our editorial board this week, and she did something fairly unusual for a politician. She listened.

State:

PolitiFact statements about The 2018 California Governor's Race

PolitiFact

The “Tracking The Truth,” project will fact-check claims in the 2018 California governor’s race. This ongoing series will hold candidates and their campaigns accountable for what they say in speeches, advertisements and on social media.

Want a lot of debates between Gavin Newsom and John Cox? Fat chance

Sacramento Bee

Underdog Republican John Cox shouldn’t count on much face-time with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom between now and Election Day.

Will California Democrats be hypocrites on campaign money?

The Sacramento Bee

In 2014, the California Legislature made a big deal of calling for a constitutional convention to overturn the Citizens United ruling, which allows unlimited corporate and union spending in campaigns.

California election officials are defending against cyberattacks — without any help from D.C.

Los Angeles Times

Election officials are circling their voting machines and registration lists to defend against Russian hackers — although no one has spotted any.

 Election hackers return to DEF CON as pressure mounts on Congress to fund solution Axios

CA FPPC watchdogs embroiled in fights, raising own pay

Los Angeles Times

The FPPC adopted tougher regulations in recent years to rein in “shadow lobbyists” and provide more disclosure of lobbyist employer spending. But it has not made any major regulatory changes to shine more light on the activities of candidates and campaigns in 2018.

The live-or-die moment for hundreds of proposed California laws arrives in Sacramento

Los Angeles Times

When the fiscal committees of the Assembly and Senate meet on Thursday, a decision on almost every bill will be announced in rapid-fire style without a traditional roll call vote.

Before becoming LAPD chief, Moore retired, collected a $1.27-million payout, then was rehired

Los Angeles Times

Before Michel Moore was promoted to become the Los Angeles Police Department’s new chief in June, he took a brief, highly unusual retirement.

He left as chief of operations for only a few weeks before rejoining the force in the same job at the same pay. But the move provided him with a financial windfall: a lump sum retirement payment of $1.27 million from the city.

California Lawmakers Weigh Plan To Alter Utility Liability

Press Democrat

California lawmakers raised concerns Thursday that a proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown to shield electrical utilities from some financial liability for wildfires might give them too much protection without ensuring the utilities safely maintain their equipment.

How does California really spend your gas tax dollars? See for yourself

CALmatters

Because all of these fees are channeled through the state budget where they are intermingled with other sources, slosh from one fund to the next, before being diverted to specific programs, it can get tricky to say exactly which dollars are going where.

Walters: Trump pulls California’s chain over auto mileage

CALmatters

Not only does the Environmental Protection Agency propose to freeze the 35 mpg standard, but end California’s decades-long “waiver” that allows it to set its own rules to fight smog and climate change.

CALmatters’ new commentary forum

CALmatters

Today we are introducing a new forum for commentary at CALmatters. As a nonpartisan, statewide news organization, CALmatters is an appropriate place to host a conversation about the state’s major issues with some of its leading experts, community leaders and decision makers.

The Phony Numbers Behind California’s Solar Mandate

WSJ

Though the solar mandate is unlikely to deliver huge savings to consumers, it certainly will raise the price of new and old homes. This couldn’t come at a worse time: Rising housing costs are putting the dream of homeownership further out of reach of low- and middle-income Californians.

Federal:

AP fact check: Trump’s claims on ‘record’ GDP, jobs and the Russia investigation

PBS NewsHour

President Donald Trump is distorting the truth on U.S. economic growth and jobs, pointing to record-breaking figures that don’t exist and not telling the full story on black unemployment.

Record Debt Pile by 2029 if Tax Cuts, Budget Deal Extended, CBO Says

Roll Call

Debt held by the public, which excludes debt held by government accounts including the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, would top the previous World War II-era record of 106% of gross domestic product by fiscal 2029 under the CBO’s “extended alternative fiscal scenario,” released Wednesday.

New data makes it clear: Nonvoters handed Trump the presidency

Washington Post

A third of nonvoters were under 30. More than half of voters were over 50

Young women: Age group of women most unhappy with Trump presidency - CBS News / Refinery 29 poll

CBS News

Women ages 18-35 feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, hold the most negative views of the Donald Trump's presidency of any age group of women, and most believe his policies have had an adverse effect on women.

See also:

● NDAs Can Help Harassment Victims The Wall Street Journal

Poll: One year after Charlottesville, majority of Americans see racial tensions on the rise

CBS News

Today, 58 percent of Americans disapprove of Mr. Trump's handling of race relations and racial issues, but these views – like many others on the president – are dramatically split by partisanship and by race.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke visits Carr Fire areas

The Sacramento Bee

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, touring neighborhoods devastated by the Carr Fire, stepped up the Trump administration’s push Sunday to remove more trees from national forests as a means of tamping down fire risks.

● ‘The president’s right’: Interior chief pushes thinning forests to cut fire risk Sacramento Bee

What happens when the government stops doing its job?

Washington Post

Trump wants to roll back regulations. But his administration may have an even greater impact by just ignoring them.

Under Trump, the rare act of denaturalizing U.S. citizens on the rise

The LA Times

A United States Citizenship and Immigration Services team in Los Angeles has been reviewing more than 2,500 naturalization files for possible denaturalization, focusing on identity fraud and willful misrepresentation. More than 100 cases have been referred to the Department of Justice for possible action.

‘Not the enemy of the people’: 70 news organizations will blast Trump’s attack on the media

The Washington Post

For most of the past 19 months, President Trump’s war of words with American news organizations has been more of a one-sided barrage — at least according to the Boston Globe’s editorial board.

Milbank: The unimpeachable integrity of the Republicans

Washington Post

Nunes wants to impeach the deputy attorney general. But House Republicans are running out of prospective impeachment managers.

Opinion: Your everyday Republican has some galling views

Washington Post

First they came for the free press. . .

Planes, Boats, Homes—GOP Takes Aim at Democrats’ Lifestyles

The Wall Street Journal

In recent weeks, it's become clear that Republicans see Democrats’ material possessions as fair game this election cycle. It’s not even Labor Day, the time of year when campaigns really heat up, but several Republicans have begun running some biting attack ads.

Hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have been set.

The Wall Street Journal

The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings Sept. 4, which could allow Mr. Kavanaugh to be confirmed by the full Senate in time for the court’s next term in October. Democrats said the date is too soon to allow a reasonable consideration of Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications. No Democrat has yet committed to supporting him.

Other:

What Is Gaslighting?

Time

If a relationship leaves you constantly second-guessing your own instincts and feelings, you may be a victim of a sophisticated form of emotional abuse: gaslighting

Opinion: If we want to stop Russian interference, start in the classroom

PBS NewsHour

Decades ago, America changed its schooling in response to the Soviet’s launching of Sputnik. But the latest attack on our elections by the Russians is a much more serious menace than that orbiting ball of metal ever was.

Freedom of the Internet 'Press'

RAND

The right of media platforms to disseminate or not disseminate whatever they choose is exactly what the Founding Fathers meant by freedom of the press.

Study shows Democratic voter enthusiasm surging

NBC News

The Pew analysis also found the Democratic primary vote surging in Senate and gubernatorial races, but the House vote numbers were especially noteworthy. In part, they are the result of Democrats fielding challengers in more districts around the country, energizing their voters.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

A wild card has surfaced in negotiations over the farm bill.

The Wall Street Journal

Lawmakers hope to deliver a farm bill for rural voters before November, particularly Democrats running for re-election in conservative-leaning states such as Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota. But President Trump could dig in on tighter food stamp rules and complicate its passage, reports Kristina Peterson.

Woodlake releases early cannabis tax revenues, expects more

ABC30

Between April and June, taxes from the dispensary and various fees paid by other cannabis businesses hoping to call Woodake home totaled $46,397.

Pot Business Expected to Boom, Lighting Up Pressure on Lawmakers

Roll Call

The legal marijuana market would reach more than $30 billion by 2025, according to an industry report released Thursday.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Years in the making, the political showdown has finally arrived over California's money bail system

Los Angeles Times

Changes to the rules governing pretrial release — when bail is offered as a way to ensure someone doesn’t skip town — have been considered, and rejected, in the Legislature for decades. Each time, the status quo prevailed.

This L.A. sheriff's deputy was a pariah in federal court. But his secrets were safe with the State

The LA Times

The different treatment of Peterson’s past in state and federal courts wasn’t happenstance. It was just one example of how special privacy protections granted to California’s police officers prevent defendants, prosecutors and jurors from learning about information that could undermine an officer’s credibility.

EDITORIAL: How young is too young for jail? California doesn't have an answer, but it should

Los Angeles Times

What’s the age threshold for jail? Unlike 18 other states, California doesn’t have one. A child of any age can be incarcerated here, and it’s not just theoretical.

Public Safety:

In emergencies, cell phone alerts can be too slow to save lives. Can the system be fixed?

Sacramento Bee

Technological barriers mean wireless carriers can’t always get emergency phone alerts to the right audience, and emergency communicators may lack standardized training and protocols on how to use them.

Bakersfield Californian

The AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and similar-style weapons have become both widely popular among gun owners

Fire:

On fire: July was California’s hottest month ever recorded

The Washington Post

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday that July was California’s hottest month ever observed. The state’s average temperature of 79.7 degrees edged past the previous record of 79.5 degrees in July 1931 and was five degrees warmer than normal.

CA wildfires: Smoke reaching East Coast, weather service says

The Fresno Bee

Satellite images and forecasts from the National Weather Service show that smoke from Northern California’s massive, raging wildfires is carrying as far east as New York City.

The smoke layer reaching the East Coast is about a mile high, the NWS says. At that height, it does not pose significant health risks to people in the area, according to a recent Georgia Tech study cited by NASA.

Full containment on Ferguson Fire looms near, but Yosemite area businesses still feeling the burn

Fresno Bee

Full containment of the Ferguson Fire is seemingly near, along with the reopening of many locations within Yosemite National Park. The expected return of visitors to the park bodes well both for the park itself and for the neighboring gateway communities.

● As Yosemite prepares to reopen, Mariposa businesses prepare for tourists ABC30

● Yosemite Valley to reopen Tuesday Visalia Times-Delta

● Yosemite Valley scheduled to reopen Tuesday after fire closurevSF Chronicle

Ranch Fire, one of Mendocino Complex fires, is now largest in state history, Cal Fire says

Fresno Bee

The Ranch Fire, one of the Mendocino Complex fires, became the largest wildfire in California history on Sunday morning, Cal Fire confirmed.

See also:

● Ranch Fire now largest in California history at 282,479 acres San Francisco Chronicle

● EDITORIAL: The next record-breaking fire will happen soon. So how will California pay for it? Los Angeles Times

● A break in the weather helps California firefighters battle massive blazes across state Los Angeles Times

● California fire coverage: Eight dead and hundreds of thousands of acres scorched across the state Los Angeles Times

California has enough water to fight fires. The problem is overgrown forests, McClintock says.

Modesto Bee

California has enough water to fight the fires raging in the state, according to Republican Rep. Tom McClintock. It’s overgrown forests that are the problem.

Wildfires still rage. They also shine light on California’s environmental challenges

Sacramento Bee

The majority of Californians identify climate change as the state’s most serious environmental threat. As California wildfires continue to rage, many of the California Influencers are inclined to agree.

As California burns, volunteer firefighters become harder to find

San Francisco Chronicle

Who will replace thousands of volunteer firefighters in local departments across the state in the coming years as the number of residents willing to do the job dwindles and fires burn at record-breaking pace?

See also:

● Cal Fire gear change will keep firefighters cooler, but some worry about contamination Sierra Star

● Plum gig or slave labor? California inmates fight wildfires for $1 an hour San Francisco Chronicle

● What it’s like to be a California inmate fighting wildfires SF Chronicle

● EDITORIAL: Inmate firefighters deserve the chance at jobs after release San Francisco Chronicle

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Rising U.S. Consumer Prices Are Eroding Wage Gains

Wall Street Journal

Inflation is at 2.9% over the past 12 months, a gain last exceeded in late 2011

Trump's Economic Scorecard: Higher Inflation, Flat Wages And A Ballooning Federal Deficit

Forbes

In the past few days, new economic reports have come out that don’t paint a very rosy picture for a number of economic items. While GDP hit 4.1% for the June quarter, but only 2.9% year over year, and the unemployment rate is hovering at all-time lows, inflation continues to increase, real wages are stagnant and the federal budget deficit is ballooning

No, the US upper middle class hasn't vanished: Here’s yet another economics chart for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AEI

But it’s important to note that the lower and “middle” middle class decline is apparently because of more families qualifying for the upper middle class through higher incomes.

Jobs:

New projections show future of work in California. See growth prospects for every job

The Fresno Bee

California will add two million jobs in the next decade, with the fastest job growth coming in sectors that require college degrees, according to new projections from the California Employment Development Department.

Gig Firms Want California to Override Court Ruling

Insurance Journal

Leading gig economy companies including Uber and Lyft are quietly lobbying California’s top Democrats to override or undermine a court ruling that could make many of their contract workers into employees.

Jobs Go Unfilled as the Economy Expands

Wall Street Journal

Unfilled jobs are piling up in the transportation, retail and business-services sectors as workers become scarce in the fast-growing economy.

Former chief White House economist Jason Furman on why wages are growing so slowly

AEI

“Greater productivity growth holds the potential of being the most powerful source of sustained wage growth across the income spectrum,” Furman writes. But unfortunately, “we likely do not have policy tools that will quickly and sustainably increase growth.”

Recognizing infrastructure’s role as a local economic anchor

Brookings

In the biggest markets like Los Angeles, for instance, infrastructure represents a key anchor in many ways. Large facilities like the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant not only provide an essential service for the region, but also serve as a magnet for jobs.

California Passed $15 An Hour Two Years Ago -- How's It Working?

Forbes

In April, 2016, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state’s $15-an-hour minimum wage law into effect.

California may mandate a woman in the boardroom, but businesses are fighting it

Tech Crunch

Sparked by debates around fair pay, sexual harassment and workplace culture, two female state senators are spearheading a bill to promote greater gender representation in corporate decision-making. Of the 445 publicly traded companies in California, a quarter of them lack a single woman in their boardrooms.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Strategies for a smooth transition from summer to school

ABC30

As summer winds down and back-to-school time approaches, experts say planning ahead is the key to getting the new school year off to a strong start.

See also:

● Getting ready to start the new school year? Here are some tips for success Visalia Times-Delta

● Summer brain drain puts teachers behind on day one, here's how to help your child Visalia Times-Delta

● Parents, teachers wrap up back-to-school prep Bakersfield Californian

Classes start Thursday, Aug. 16 in Yosemite, Bass Lake districts

Sierra Star

It’s time for new backpacks, binders, highlighters, pens and pencils. The 2018-19 school year begins on Thursday, Aug. 16 for the Bass Lake and Yosemite school districts.

Compact to recognize Valley businesses

Madera Tribune

During the 15th annual Business and Education Shareholders’ Luncheon, sponsored by the Madera County Compact, the Crystal Tower Award and Community Investment Award will be given to businesses in the community that have displayed exemplary career focused partnerships with schools in Madera County.

One of the top office managers at California schools is at a junior high in Ceres

Modesto Bee

Anne Thatcher, office manager at Blaker-Kinser Junior High School in Ceres, won a statewide award for non-teaching school employees.

Bakersfield College's Child Development Center gets first outdoor classroom

Bakersfield Californian

For some students at Bakersfield College’s Child Development Center, the outside world is now their classroom. Thanks to funding from the Community Action Partnership of Kern, the center opened its first outdoor classroom in June.

Lamont, still waiting for a high school, considers the possibilities

Bakersfield Californian

Some in Lamont have been pushing for a high school for a decade or more, and that quest came to a head last week when the Kern High School District board of trustees told them no. Again.

Demand for Cal Grants Among Nontraditional Students Far Exceeds Supply

California Budget Center

As they return to college campuses across California this month, many low- and middle-income students will rely on Cal Grants, the state’s primary financial aid program, to help cover tuition, fees, and basic living expenses. For nontraditional students, such as those who enter the workforce or otherwise take time off from their studies between high school and college, “Competitive” Cal Grants are a critical source of support.

Higher Ed:

West Hills Lemoore: We're here to help

Hanford Sentinel

West Hills College Lemoore students started classes Friday. While students walked to the student union and looked for their classes, WHCL President Dr. Kristin Clark stood in the center of campus available to answer questions for any student.

Adventist Health Bakersfield offering scholar program for med students

Bakersfield Californian

Adventist Health Bakersfield is joining 18 other health systems in California, Hawaii and Washington by offering the COPE Health Scholars program.

DeVos Ends Obama-Era Safeguards Aimed at Abuses by For-Profit Colleges

The New York Times

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos formally moved Friday to scrap a regulation that would have forced for-profit colleges to prove that the students they enroll are able to attain decent-paying jobs.

Increased College Access Will Not Reduce Wage and Wealth Inequality

The Chronicle of Higher Education

In “Can a Huge Online College Solve California’s Work-Force Problems?” (The Chronicle, July 29), you state, without attribution, that 60 percent of jobs in California require “some sort of training beyond high school.”

Students, unions demand UC divest from ICE-related companies

SF Chronicle

In reaction to President Trump’s policy of separating families at the border, students and labor leaders at the University of California are urging UC President Janet Napolitano to sever contracts with dozens of companies doing business with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

One group that definitely faces prejudice in college admissions

Washington Post

Do Harvard and other elite universities illegally discriminate against Asian American applicants?

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Smoke from wildfires is bad enough, but there’s another air pollutant to worry about

Fresno Bee

People in the central San Joaquin Valley have been breathing smoke from the Ferguson Fire for nearly a month, but there’s more than a brown shroud of smoke that is making the air putrid and dangerous to breathe.

See also:

● Smoke from California wildfires reaches New York City ABC30

● Wildfire smoke trapped in Valley prompts warning by health officials Visalia Times-Delta

● RAAN Real-time Air Advisory Network

● ‘Undeniable link to climate change' in California's fire season, expert says ABC News

California’s biggest environmental challenges? Water. Climate change. Political hot air.

The Sacramento Bee

California Influencers, a group of the state’s most respected experts in public policy, politics and government, weighed in on this question: What is the biggest environmental challenge facing the state?

The plastic straw debate is raging. These Fresno restaurants want you to #stopsucking

Fresno Bee

The new villain of the restaurant world: The plastic straw. Seattle and San Francisco are banning single-use plastic straws in the name of the environment. Starbucks is ditching them, too. So what about Fresno?

Fresno ranked among top cities with most nice weather days

ABC30

While Fresno can get a bad rap--it was recently ranked among the top cities with the nicest weather days in the country!

KOMB starts a Mountain Area push to switch off polystyrenes

Sierra Star

California lawmakers have tried several times over the last 10 years to ban the use of polystyrene, but such legislation has been rejected repeatedly. But there are 116 cities and counties in California that have banned polystyrene.

City recycling policy lags behind a shifting market

Bakersfield Californian

There's no question it would be better if the blue carts received less noncorrugated cardboard and plastics numbered 3 through 7, at least for the time being. But unless the City Council takes action, the city's recycling policy will remain out of step with current market conditions.

Jury backs man who claims Roundup weed killer caused cancer

The Business Journal

A San Francisco jury has awarded $289 million to a former school groundskeeper who claimed Monsanto’s popular Roundup weed killer contributed to his terminal cancer.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

United Health Centers opens 2nd Lemoore location

Hanford Sentinel

After five years of planning and work, United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley opened its full-fledged center in Lemoore in June and had its grand opening celebration.

NW Visalia Urgent Care opens to patients

Visalia Times-Delta

A year after construction work began to give Visalia residents another option when needing medical attention, Kaweah Delta Health Care District's second Urgent Care center is now open for business.

Valley Fever patients struggle with hair loss as side effect of drugs

Bakersfield Californian

The most commonly prescribed valley fever medication is fluconazole a daily pill that patients may need to take for months to years to keep valley fever’s worst symptoms at bay. It’s considered the first course of action for patients with the disease, which has reached epidemic levels in California and Arizona in recent years.

Immigrants cost the health care system less than US-born Americans: Study

ABC News

A study published Thursday in the International Journal of Health Services finds that immigrants actually use far less healthcare resources than non-immigrants, and may actually subsidize the health care of U.S. citizens.

Effects of Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes: Reconciling a Messy Literature

NBER

Research on the effects of prenatal care on birth outcomes has produced a patchwork of findings that are not easily summarized. Studies have used varying definitions of prenatal care, leading to estimates that are difficult to compare.

A Lost Love and an ObamaCare Alternative

The Wall Street Journal

The rule change, effective in October, acknowledges that people—especially the young and families in special circumstances—don’t want a one-size-fits-all health-insurance “market” that’s clunkier than basic cable.

See also:

● NW Visalia Urgent Care opens to patients Visalia Times Delta

Human Services:

Happy ending for seniors, vets and city

Hanford Sentinel

Around eight months after the Veterans Memorial Building and Senior Center closed in what seemed like a dire situation, the building has now been fixed and is in use again.

Just How Profitable Should Your Disease Be?

PEW Trust

Californians might require dialysis centers to refund some revenue.

IMMIGRATION

Protesters call out ICE and Mims at Tea Party event

Fresno Bee

Protesters chanted outside a Tea Party event in Fresno, California on Aug. 11 where Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims was being honored.

The rare act of denaturalizing U.S. citizens is on the rise under Trump

Los Angeles Times

A United States Citizenship and Immigration Services team in Los Angeles has been reviewing more than 2,500 files for possible denaturalization.

The unrelenting saga of family separation: What now?

TheHill

For now, the government appears increasingly interested in distancing itself from the policies and subsequent chaos the Trump administration has engineered. All while our federal courts, and tireless advocates on the ground, are doing everything possible to hold them accountable.

EDITORIAL: Trump's hard-hearted immigration policies are a stain on the nation

Los Angeles Times

Through all of these fiascoes, there have been zero serious efforts in Congress or by the president for comprehensive reform of a system everyone acknowledges is broken.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Downtown Visalia is undergoing a few changes

Visalia Times-Delta

A black tarp covering a corner building on Main Street has many in the community asking questions. In addition to the construction, others renting space in downtown are wondering what will become of two well-known businesses that are closing or have closed.

Visalia's community pool plan belly flops

Bakersfield Californian

"We have the bad habit of kicking necessities down the road because we need to have the newest thing. We have a responsibility to all residents." - Councilman Steve Nelsen

Clovis residents show concern of rehab center in neighborhood

Clovis RoundUp

Many of the neighbors at the meeting said their safety is at risk because Matthew Tatum plans to open a mental health treatment facility in the Deauville Subdivision near Temperance and Shepherd avenues.

$500,000 for median beautification

CV Observer

This particular UGM account – Major Street Zone A – has about $500,000 in it. All the money is earmarked for the beautification of the Friant Road median island between Nees and Fresno Street.

How this community fought for $70 million in cleanup funds and won

The Business Journal

Mary Curry has lived southwest Fresno since 1956. When news of the $70 million came from Sacramento, she, along with nearly two dozen other Fresno stakeholders interviewed for this article, expected city leaders would see the funding as a boon for the downtown revitalization of Fresno that local administrations have been promising for decades.

Instead of Razing Buildings, Some Cities Want to Reuse Their Bones

PEW Trust

Cities see “deconstruction” of run-down houses as a win-win. But it’s not always so easy.

Housing:

One solution to state housing problem

Madera Tribune

California has a housing shortage problem that is talked about quite a bit but very few solutions that make fiscal sense are offered. Housing prices are rising beyond affordability for the middle class in most markets and certainly for first time buyers in almost all markets due to the law of supply and demand.

With homelessness on the rise, county plans efforts to rein it in

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors will be holding a community meeting with the Kern County Homeless Collaborative Monday to discuss the efforts the county is taking to address the issue.

For Americans who rely on public housing, HUD proposals strike fear

Marketplace

A plan that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson proposed earlier this year would have Malave — and millions of other low-income households — paying roughly 5 percent more for her housing each month.

Should Baby Boomers get a property tax break to move? The pros and cons of Prop. 5.

CALmatters

Proposition 5, which California voters will decide on this November, allows homeowners age 55 and up to receive a major break on their property taxes when they move homes. Sponsored by the California Association of Realtors, the initiative attempts to address a problem familiar to many Californians of a certain age: You want to move from your empty nest, but you’re scared of the new taxes you’d have to pay on a downsized property.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Want a lower tax bill? So do Apple and Genentech

San Francisco Chronicle

When it comes to paying property taxes, some of Silicon Valley’s largest companies are going head to head with officials to try to prove that some of the equipment and machinery they used to become global titans are actually worth a lot less than what county tax assessors say.

Opinion | You Know Who the Tax Cuts Helped? Rich People

The New York Times

When Republicans were pitching a massive tax cut for corporations and wealthy families last year, they promised voters many benefits: increased investment, higher wages and a tax cut that pays for itself. The tax plan, congressional leaders said, would turbocharge the American economy and provide a much-needed helping hand to working-class families.

TRANSPORTATION

DMV dread: Long waits locally and across much of the state

Bakersfield Californian

News reports from around the state have described hours long wait times at certain high-density office locations. Those who wish to book an appointment at one of the two Bakersfield offices will have to wait a month before a spot opens up.

See also:

● Walters: DMV a hot mess, but politics block audit CALmatters

● EDITORIAL: Long lines and secret offices: California DMV is now a scandal Sacramento Bee

● EDITORIAL: California’s DMV is broken — and legislators are playing politics instead of fixing it Los Angeles Times

Visalia-Tulare route fare increases

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare users of route 11X, the direct Tulare-to-Visalia bus line, will see a fare increase —a move made to bring price uniformity for riders in the county's two largest cities.

Merced to change speed limits all over city, survey says

Merced Sun-Star

The survey is done every five years, according to Steven Son, the deputy director of Public Works. The survey and changes to the speed limit are done under guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration, he said.

Flixbus, the Uber of bus service, has arrived in Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

There’s a new bus service in town, and it’s not from around these parts.

SOUND OFF: Articles about bike paths? C'mon, too much feel-good news

Bakersfield Californian

Reader: One only has to look at the front-page headlines in your Aug. 4 edition to know we've fallen full-bore into a feel-good generation

Fed-up locals are setting electric scooters on fire and burying them at sea

Los Angeles Times

he vandalism echoes a rash of pellet-gun attacks on so-called Google buses in the Bay Area and appears to be motivated in part by resentment over the increasing presence of tech corporations along the Southern California coast — what is now dubbed Silicon Beach.

WATER

Stay out of the water! Blue-green algae at a dangerous level at San Luis Reservoir

Fresno Bee

The Department of Water Resources issued a warning on Friday for those visiting San Luis Reservoir in Merced County: Don’t go in the water.

Stratford residents without drinking water after both wells stop working

ABC30

The town of Stratford in Kings County is without drinking water this evening after both of the wells, their water system runs on, failed.

The flood management revolution in California you’ve never heard of

Sacramento Bee

Over the past 20 years, creative partnerships have worked with nature, restoring floodplains that reduce flood risk and provide new habitat for birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. In a state famous for fighting over water, we’ve learned that restoring rivers and floodplains is good for all Californians.

California Groundwater Law Means Big Changes Above Ground Too

Water Deeply

The state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is likely to result in fallowing thousands of acres of farmland. Local governments are just waking up to the big opportunities, and risks, in how that land gets reused.

“Xtra”

New stores, including coffee shop, coming to this southeast Clovis neighborhood

The Fresno Bee

Andy Haussler, community and economic development director, said plans are in the works for a Starbucks, an ampm convenience store and an Arco gas station on the northwest corner of Leonard and Shaw avenues.

Filipino celebrates Barrio Fiesta with heavy hearts

Record.net

The local Filipino community was stunned Saturday when learning that one of its more prominent and beloved figures, Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, had died on the eve of the annual Barrio Fiesta.

Getting ready to start the new school year? Here are some tips for success

Visalia Times Delta

Shop early, keep an eye out for deals and have fun are the most important tips to keep in mind when back to school shopping.

The security app that’s making browsing easier.

The Wall Street Journal

Dashlane’s security suite—with password manager, a VPN and a tool to check if your personal information has been stolen—is the easiest way yet to protect yourself on the internet, the Journal’s David Pierce explains.