Maddy Institute – August 15, 2019

15Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

‘A lot of kids are still in cages …’ Cong. Harder visits immigrant detention centers

Modesto Bee

U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, found that conditions have slightly improved at an infamous border detention facility housing immigrants and asylum-seekers in McAllen, Texas. But he says there are still plenty of improvements that need to be made.

Modesto bans rocks, bottles and more from protests. ‘Shots fired’ over 2nd Amendment

Modesto Bee

The Modesto City Council has passed an urgency ordinance that bans the wearing of masks and possessing bricks, glass bottles, chains, pepper spray, knives, metal pipes and similar items that can be used as weapons at protests that could turn violent.

Opinion: Race, sexual orientation, gun rights and educating immigrants — hard calls for Modesto agencies

Modesto Bee

See who used common sense, and who swung and missed, in key decisions by Modesto agencies addressing straight pride and the proposed New Colossus Academy.

Dog the Bounty Hunter says Merced is a ‘place of heaven.’ He’s moving business here

Merced Sun Star

A couple closely tied to the popular television shows featuring ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ has moved their bail and surety bond insurance company to Merced with the blessing of the famed bail bondsmen with the cult following.

Central SJ Valley:

After ‘fake farmer’ claim, Devin Nunes reports he owns small farm that earns no income

Fresno Bee

For the first time in more than a decade, Rep. Devin Nunes is reporting that he owns a stake in a farm.

Study: Fresno area will be hit the hardest by Trump’s new immigration policy

Visalia Times-Delta

This would be a particularly bad time for certain legal immigrants to apply for a green card or a visa or visa extension in Fresno – or in Columbus, Ohio, or El Paso, Texas, among other places. The Trump administration issued a new rule Monday that would allow the U.S. to reject visa and green-card applications on the basis of the applicant’s income.

‘A lot more West Nile activity’ prompts neighborhood spraying, officials say

Fresno Bee

An uptick in West Nile virus in mosquitoes has prompted insecticide spraying in some Fresno and Clovis neighborhoods in the hopes it will reduce the likelihood of human infections, according to the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District.

EDITORIAL: A Fresno City Hall employee quit — then got a big raise. This can’t keep happening

Fresno Bee

Imagine telling the boss you were quitting, and the supervisor then told you an extra $6,500 would be coming in the final paycheck to say thanks for good work. It is called retroactive pay, and one Fresno employee got that actual amount in April when she ended her employment with City Hall.

South SJ Valley:

Bakersfield to add ‘In God We Trust’ decals to police and fire vehicles on Thursday

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield will begin applying “In God We Trust” decals to fire and police vehicles on Thursday. The City Council approved adding the decals to the vehicles in a 4-2 vote in June after local Pastor Angelo Frazier made the request.

Ordinance requiring spaying or neutering for dogs repeatedly sheltered heads to City Council

Bakersfield Californian

A new ordinance that will soon be considered by the Bakersfield City Council would require any dog that is impounded at the city shelter to be spayed or neutered even if the owner doesn’t give permission.

Shafter City Manager Scott Hurlbert resigns

Bakersfield Californian

Shafter City Manager Scott Hurlbert is out after he and the City Council “mutually agreed” to accept his retirement effective immediately at a City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Cong. McCarthy denounces colleague’s rape, incest comments

Washington Examiner

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield denounced Iowa Rep. Steve King’s recent comments that questioned how much of the world’s population would remain if rape and incest had never happened.

State:

Fact Check: Gov. Newsom’s ridiculous claim: ‘Vast majority’ of San Francisco’s homeless people come from Texas

PolitiFact

There are many reasons for San Francisco’s homelessness crisis: Gentrification. Job losses. Evictions. Mental health and substance abuse struggles. But … Texas? California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently blamed the Lone Star State for somehow producing the bulk of the city’s homeless population.

Mathews: In Fighting the Imperial Presidency, California Is Creating a Monster

Zocalo Public Square

As It Battles the Federal Government, Sacramento Has Gained Power at the Expense of Local Communities.

EDITORIAL: Facial recognition scanners mistook legislators for criminals. Are you next?

Sacramento Bee

When can a case of mistaken identity turn into a dangerous situation? When a facial recognition scanner falsely identifies you as a wanted criminal to a police officer.

Federal:

Trump official says Statue of Liberty poem is about Europeans

Los Angeles Times

A top Trump administration official says the famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants into the country is about “people coming from Europe” and that America is looking to receive migrants “who can stand on their own two feet.”

What the data say about Trump and racism

Brookings

“When the data show that President Trump’s support stems from racist and sexist beliefs, and that his election emboldened Americans to engage in racist behavior, it is the responsibility of social scientists and other political observers to say so,” Vanessa Williamson and Isabella Gelfand write.

Elections 2020:

AP source: John Hickenlooper to end 2020 bid on Thursday

Fresno Bee

John Hickenlooper will drop out of the Democratic presidential primary on Thursday, according to a Democrat close to him. The former governor, who ran as a moderate warning of the perils of extreme partisanship, struggled with fundraising and low polling numbers.

Skelton: California’s election law requiring Trump’s tax returns is just plain petty politics

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown was right. His successor Gavin Newsom isn’t — at least about whether a state should be allowed to dictate qualifications for a presidential candidate.

Opinion: Andrew Yang on gun violence, the decline of the American worker and ‘freedom dividends’

Los Angeles Times

Andrew Yang, a tech entrepreneur running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, met recently with members of the Los Angeles Times editorial board to discuss his candidacy. This is a transcript of that conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

Presidential candidates weigh in on California fight over “gig” workers

CALmatters

In what could be another reflection of California’s newly relevant role in the presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren penned an op-ed supporting a California bill that would make it harder for companies to classify workers as “independent contractors.”

Presidential contender Kamala Harris proposes ways to combat domestic terrorism

Reuters

Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris on Wednesday released a plan to address what she termed domestic terrorism after three recent mass shootings in a week that resulted in the deaths of 34 people.

● “Harris’ Silence on Diverted Funds Rankles Housing Advocates,” RealClear

Opinion: Three Political Truths the Democrats Can’t Handle

Wall Street Journal

Many voters find their trade policies, Medicare for All and the Green New Deal too radical.

Other:

Opinion: Our democracy’s founding ideals were false when they were written. Black Americans have fought to make them true.

New York Times

My dad always flew an American flag in our front yard. The blue paint on our two-story house was perennially chipping; the fence, or the rail by the stairs, or the front door, existed in a perpetual state of disrepair, but that flag always flew pristine.

Fox: A Pulse for Republican Party in Los Angeles

Fox & Hounds

Despite a 20-point Democratic registration advantage, Republican John Lee topped Democrat Loraine Lundquist in Los Angeles’ 12th Council District special Election. Returns have Lee in front of Lundquist by about 1300 votes out of around 32,000 cast, or 52% to 48%.

Broadband is too important for this many Americans to be disconnected

Brookings

Despite its importance to physical, social, and economic health, 19 million U.S. citizens lack a subscription to broadband internet. Lara Fishbane and Adie Tomer outline the technology’s benefits and questions that still need to be explored.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 18, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Higher Ed: A Good Investment for Students and Taxpayers?” – Guests: Sarah Bohn, Radhika Mehlotra and Patrick Murphy from PPIC and Dorothy Leland – Former Chancellor – UC Merced. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 18, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “The Valley’s Public Universities: An Update” – Guests: President Joseph I. Castro from California State University, Fresno; President Ellen Junn from California State University, Stanislaus; and President Lynnette Zelezny from California State University, Bakersfield. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 18, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Higher Education and Path in California” – Invitados: PPIC Olga Rodriguez and Marisol Cuellar. Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Olive oil rivals settle lawsuit over similar packaging. One has Modesto connection

Modesto Bee

A Southern California olive oil company has agreed to stop using packaging that a Lodi-based rival found to be too much like its own.

Shaking in the heat: Here’s the 2019 almond harvest that’s mesmerizing to watch

Fresno Bee

It’s begun. That shaking is the sight and sound of almond harvest in the Sacramento Valley. Almonds are one of the state’s biggest crops. This video is from Jim Morris at a Yolo County farm.

Madera farmer initiates Opportunity Zone fund

Business Journal

Before William Pitman, president of Benton Enterprises, LLC, knew where the opportunity zones in California were, he thought the federally approved tax shelters were all in urban areas. He soon found out his almond farm and processing plant in Madera lies right in the middle of one of the census tracts for tax incentives.

California’s Largest Legal Weed Farms Face Conflict In Wine Country

KVPR

Of the counties that do permit cannabis cultivation, Santa Barbara has issued the most legal permits in the state. Proposition 64 banned licenses for over 1 acre of land until 2023, but farmers can still “stack” licenses or combine small permits for neighboring plots of land.

U.S. Farmers Plant Crops You Won’t Eat in Climate Change Fight

Bloomberg

In a tough year for farmers, North Dakota’s Dennis Haugen is a standout. And he may have climate change to thank for it.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

In Response To Mass Shootings, Tulare County Sheriff Says CCW Holders Could Help

KVPR

A Central Valley Sheriff is encouraging carriers of concealed weapons to use their guns in the event of an active shooter or other threat. It started when Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreax decided he was tired of hearing about active shooters taking innocent lives.

Walmart in Clovis evacuated due to ‘unsubstantiated’ bomb threat, police say

Fresno Bee

The Walmart Supercenter on Herndon Avenue in Clovis was evacuated Thursday afternoon due to a bomb threat that turned out to be unsubstantiated, police said.

Trump promotes views of a criminologist who says there’s no evidence of a mass-shooting ‘epidemic’

Washington Post

President Trump, who has vowed to push Congress to pass legislation in response to massacres this month in Texas and Ohio, on Thursday promoted the views of a criminologist who argued this week that there is no evidence that the United States is experiencing an “epidemic” of mass shootings.

Public Safety:

Here’s what you need to know about ‘red-flag’ laws, the latest trend in gun control

Los Angeles Times

The questions always start immediately after the shooting ends: How did the killer get his gun? Could this all have been prevented?
See also:

· Gun control groups to rally in all 50 states to pressure GOP Politico

· After the El Paso and Gilroy shootings, tech leaders are saying platforms must stop amplifying hate speech Recode

Los Angeles alert app gets upgrade after recent earthquakes

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the city’s earthquake early warning app will now alert users of weaker shaking.

Fire:

PG&E wants to increase rates to make wildfire areas safer. Fresnans say No

Fresno Bee

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company wants to raise rates for consumers throughout the state next year to help pay for wildfire risk management and insurance, but many in Fresno and the state are opposed.

● Report: PG&E failed to trim ‘numerous trees’ near power lines San Francisco Chronicle

‘Very broad’ and ‘very dangerous’: PG&E shutoffs blasted in Sacramento

San Francisco Chronicle

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s aggressive plan to turn off power lines during wildfire-prone weather was panned Wednesday by state legislators who said the company hasn’t done enough to mitigate the effects of prolonged shutoffs.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Dog the Bounty Hunter says Merced is a ‘place of heaven.’ He’s moving business here

Merced Sun Star

Local chamber executive wins statewide honor

Bakersfield Californian

Jay Tamsi, president and CEO of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has been named 2019 Chamber Executive of the Year by the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.

What is yield curve control?

Brookings

As central banks consider tools to bolster their economies amid a global slowdown, Federal Reserve officials have expressed interest in the Bank of Japan’s use of yield curve control. A new explainer from the Hutchins Center answers several key questions about how this unconventional program works.

Trump Says Fed Should Cut Rates as Global Growth Concerns Jar Markets

Wall Street Journal

President’s comments come as stocks on Wall Street drop sharply.

Trump Panics, Rushes Into Xi’s Arms

Bloomberg

China has already endured plenty of economic pain, and isn’t as desperate for a trade deal as the U.S. may think.

Trump’s Trade War Could Make the Trump Recession a Reality

The New Yorker

Economic forecasting is a bit of a mug’s game. Mature capitalist economies tend to plod along, growing at modest rates, until they don’t.

● EDITORIAL: The Navarro Recession, II Wall Street Journal

Jobs:

California Senate Leader: ‘Gig Economy’ Deal Likely Won’t Be Included In ‘Dynamex’ Bill Expected To Pass This Year

Capital Public Radio

The leader of the California state Senate says negotiations over whether gig economy workers at companies like Lyft, Uber and Postmates should be classified as employees will likely continue into next year, and not be included in the legislation lawmakers are expected to pass by the time they adjourn next month.

Litter

· Uber and Lyft launch California offensive on workers’ rights Politico

● Opinion: To stop shameful exploitation of ‘gig economy’ workers, let’s start with this bill Sacramento Bee

Trump administration moves to relax rules on how long truckers can drive

Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration has taken a step closer to relaxing federal regulations governing the amount of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel, a move that was long sought by the trucking industry but opposed by safety advocates.

Op-Ed: California is leading a pro-worker resistance

Los Angeles Times

In many ways, American workers have been taking it on the chin. The federal minimum wage hasn’t increased in a decade. Millions of workers don’t receive paid sick days or paid parental leave, while companies increasingly force employees to work unpredictable schedules that change from week to week, creating havoc in workers’ lives.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Schools chief urges redraft of California ethnic studies plan after Jewish legislators object

Fresno Bee

As a draft of the California’s first high school ethnic studies curriculum enters revision, state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond is asking the commission writing it to include experiences of Jewish Americans and other communities that legislators and civic groups say are missing or skewed in the current draft.

● California ethnic studies must add lessons on Jewish Americans and anti-Semitism, schools chief says Los Angeles Times

● What California Jews found ‘alarming,’ misleading about state’s ethnic studies proposal Fresno Bee

● First U.S. ethnic studies plan called anti-Semitic, faces update AP

‘Vile,’ ‘horrible’ reactions to Gender Unicorn take Denair school leaders on wild ride

Modesto Bee

Everything covered in a handout called “The Gender Unicorn,” which was distributed by a Denair Middle School science teacher to his students.

Public Health in Schools Meets Religious and Philosophical Beliefs

Ed Note

In the past year, New York City saw a large scale measles outbreak, bringing forth news stories and public discourse around whether states should permit exemption from vaccines on religious or philosophical grounds.

EDITORIAL: Why common sense could not overcome politics in SCOE’s shameful Colossus denial

Modesto Bee

Education leaders had a chance to help one of the most vulnerable segments of our teen population.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State Toasts President Castro With Limited Edition Wines

GV Wire

There’s something special in this Valley soil. That’s why Natasha Milanez became an ag business major, in hopes of staying closer to home and family after she transitions from college student to graduate next year.

CSUB’s Small Business Development Center plans Kern Capital Summit

Bakersfield Californian

The Small Business Development Center at Cal State Bakersfield has scheduled the Kern Capital Summit for 4 to 8:30 p.m. next Wednesday at The Tower Craft Bar & Grill, 1200 Truxtun Ave.

Reforming higher education in California: a bill tracker EdSource

EdSource is tracking 21 higher education bills that were introduced this year in the Legislature. The bills would address a range of issues, including financial aid, student debt, homelessness and access to college for undocumented students, among others. Use this tracker, which will be updated, to stay informed on each of those pieces of legislation. Bills that have stalled are shaded gray.

National college dropout rates are a scandal, UC author says

EdSource

David Kirp. author of new book on the college dropout crisis. In David Kirp’s new book “The College Dropout Scandal” (Oxford University Press), the UC Berkeley emeritus professor of public policy calls low college graduation rates “higher education’s dirty little secret.” Nationwide, only about 3 out of 5 incoming freshmen graduate within six years. The rate is

dramatically worse at some schools in California.

If the Tuition Doesn’t Get You, the Cost of Student Housing Will

Bloomberg

National developers are behind the proliferation of luxury apartments near college campuses, and they’re driving low-income students farther away.

The real star of BC football media day? That new turf

Bakerfield Californian

The Field Turf, as this particular product is known, gives the half-century-old stadium a freshness no amount of renovation could ever have achieved alone.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

From not having kids to battling anxiety: Climate change is shaping life choices and affecting mental health

Visalia Times-Delta

For some, ignoring climate change is not an option. It’s real, and preventing global warming from getting worse is a driving force in their lives.

Trump defended a pesticide linked to developmental disorders. California will ban it

Los Angeles Times

California regulators on Wednesday took formal legal steps to ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration.The state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied to crops in 2017.

As California’s recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt

Los Angeles Times

Visiting the Burbank recycling center is like stepping into an archaeological dig. Everywhere there is evidence of consumption — kombucha bottles, cardboard delivery packages, plastic water bottles, toothpaste tubes, vitamin bottles and plastic bags.

Climate change threatens US West river despite wet winter

Associated Press

Snow swamped mountains across the U.S. West last winter, leaving enough to thrill skiers into the summer, swelling rivers and streams when it melted, and largely making wildfire restrictions unnecessary. But the wet weather can be misleading. Climate change means the region is still getting drier and hotter.

See also:

· 2°C: BEYOND THE LIMIT Washington Post

Energy:

Turning rotten food and poop into energy: Investors smell an opportunity

Los Angeles Times

U.S. investors are beginning to smell an opportunity in the waste-to-energy market, where livestock dung and food garbage is traded. Interest is being fueled by new state laws and by demand from companies such as UPS Inc.

PG&E ‘Falling Short’ in Removing Hazardous Trees Near Power Lines

KQED

A court-appointed monitor who was ordered earlier this year to track PG&E’s wildfire safety program says the company’s effort to remove hazardous vegetation near power lines suffers from a series of potentially dangerous deficiencies, including missing large numbers of trees that need to be cut down or trimmed and an error-plagued record-keeping system.

A Tax Credit Fueled The Solar Energy Boom. Now It’s In Limbo

Wired

Hailed as a huge success, Congress extended the credit for another eight years. Now, however, the solar industry’s tax break may be coming to an end. Starting late this year, the value of the subsidy will fall for three years until it ends for residential solar and permanently drops to 10 percent for commercial solar.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

‘A lot more West Nile activity’ prompts neighborhood spraying, officials say

Fresno Bee

Most Kids On Medicaid Who Are Prescribed ADHD Drugs Don’t Get Proper Follow-Up

KVPR

“Nationwide, there were 500,000 Medicaid-enrolled children newly prescribed an ADHD medication who did not receive any timely follow-up care,” says Brian Whitley, a regional inspector general with OIG. The report analyzed Medicaid claims data from 2014 and 2015.

Short on cures and cash – California’s stem cell agency to ask voters for billions more

Sacramento Bee

Californians voted in 2004 to shell out billions of dollars in taxpayer money to fund cutting-edge stem cell treatments.

New FDA cigarette labels include realistic images of smoking-related health problems

Roll Call

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed long-delayed graphic health warnings for cigarette packages, taking a step toward fulfilling a requirement of a decade-old smoking prevention law.

Football May Take a Toll on the Brain, Even Without Concussions

New York Times

The brains of college football players showed signs of “fraying” after a season of play.

Human Services:

Planned Parenthood To Withdraw From Title X, Unless Court Intervenes

KVPR

Planned Parenthood says it will formally withdraw from the nation’s family planning program for low-income people within days, unless a federal court intervenes.

Price: Don’t blame this high-volume drugstore in high-overdose community

Bakersfield Californian

“We’re a high-volume pharmacy,” Horn said. “We service the whole area.” But not high volume for opioids — at least not based on percentage of all drugs dispensed. Just 18 percent of prescriptions filled by The Drugstore are controlled substances, he said.

Gentrification is changing California’s iconic gay communities

CALmatters

Experts say neighborhoods that emerged as havens for gay Californians are now feeling the effects of rising home prices, shifting cultural norms and new ways of connecting.

California Surprise-Billing Law Lowers In-Network Payments: Study

Medscape

California’s policy on surprise billing is lowering the rates paid not only to out-of-network but also to in-network physicians, a new study shows.

EDITORIAL: Bernie’s Medicare-for-All Bailout

Wall Street Journal

Sanders wants taxpayers to save hospitals after he bankrupts them.

Opinion: ObamaCare’s Medicaid Deception

Wall Street Journal

States cover millions who exceed income thresholds, some quite well-heeled.

IMMIGRATION

Study: Fresno area will be hit the hardest by Trump’s new immigration policy

Visalia Times-Delta

U.S. appeals court appears likely to rule for Trump on ending protections for many immigrants

Los Angeles Times

A federal appeals court on Wednesday appeared likely to allow the Trump administration to end humanitarian protections for immigrants from Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Immigration authorities believe poultry companies raided last week intentionally hired undocumented workers, search warrants say

Washington Post

There were clear signs that the companies were hiring people who could not legally work in the country, the search warrants allege: Some workers wore ankle monitors, gave Social Security numbers belonging to the deceased or were hired twice by the same manager using different first and last assumed names.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Prop 13 treats all California property taxes the same. Voters could change that in 2020

Los Angeles Times

No brand in California politics has ever had the staying power of Proposition 13, the 1978 tax cut that served as a primal scream from angry voters and became a symbol of their reluctance to pay more money for more government services.

Could California Efforts To Maintain Obama-era Environmental Rules, Enact Rent Caps Succeed This Year? State Senate Leader Is Optimistic

Capital Public Radio

The Trump administration’s new Endangered Species Act regulations released this week could breathe new life into a twice-defeated effort to grandfather Obama-era environmental rules into California law. Democratic Senate leader Toni Atkins says her bill, SB 1, is necessary to leave existing protections in place.

California must not repeat old mistakes as it seeks new ways to end homelessness

CALmatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom is right when he says: “Shelter solves sleep. Housing solves homelessness.”

Politifact: Gov Newsom’s ridiculous claim: ‘Vast majority’ of San Francisco’s homeless people come from Texas

Politifact CA

On A Mission: New Porterville Rescue Mission working to meet city code

Porterville Recorder

The New Porterville Rescue Mission has overcome the first phase of bringing the mission building up to city code.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Asian stocks lower after US indexes tumble on recession fear

Fresno Bee

Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower on Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged on mounting fears of a possible recession.

● Photos: See how traders reacted to economic fears worldwide Hanford Sentinel

● Yield curve may signal recession — but don’t dump stocks, experts say Los Angeles Times

● Stocks drop sharply on recession fears. The Dow sinks 800 points Los Angeles Times

● Markets plummet on one of their worst days of the year, as recession signs emerge around the world Washington Post

Property tax measure altered

CALmatters

Sponsors of a 2020 ballot measure to increase property taxes on factories, stores, warehouses, office buildings and other commercial real estate withdrew it this week and launched a revised version.

Budget Decider: Making choices that impact millions

CALmatters

California lawmakers have passed a $215 billion budget filled with progressive eye-catchers. But what if you had the awesome power to tax and spend, charting a new course for California?

TRANSPORTATION

Preparations nearly complete for SkyWest Airlines’ expansion into Stockton

Stockton Record

SkyWest’s addition to Stockton will bring two flights to and from Los Angeles daily. “You can fly anywhere in the world that United flies right here from Stockton,” Stark said. “They have over 350 destinations they fly to.”

Driverless trucks may be close to disrupting $800 billion trucking industry

Business Insider

UPS announced on Thursday that its venture-capital arm UPS Ventures bought a minority stake in one of the hottest self-driving truck startups around: TuSimple.

WATER

New sprinklers will soon be more expensive in California. Here’s why

Sacramento Bee

Californians, your yard sprinklers are about to get a little bit more expensive. The good news is, your water bill is about to get cheaper. California on Wednesday officially adopted new regulations which are estimated to save more than 400 million gallons of water per day within 10 years.

Isabella Dam Escapes Damage From Ridgecrest Quakes, Seismic Upgrades Still On Track

VPR

The recent Ridgecrest earthquakes jolted less than 50 miles away from Lake Isabella, where the Isabella Dam is in the midst of a $600 million improvement project by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

“Xtra”

Fresno Grizzlies cancel taco eating contest following death

Fresno Bee

The World Taco Eating Championship in Fresno was canceled by the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday following the death of a 41-year-old man during an eating contest.

● Taco Tuesday turns tragic in Fresno Visalia Times Delta

● Man dies after competing in California taco-eating contest AP News

Sudz is back … in a different city. Downtown Fresno beer fest moves to Clovis

Fresno Bee

For the first time in its 25 years, Sudz in the City won’t be happening in downtown Fresno.Instead, the decades-old beer and music festival.

Something crispy and delicious at the bottom of the pot inspired this Clovis restaurant

Fresno Bee

The multi-step process of cooking the rice takes hours. Toward the end, the rice is mixed with a sauce made from yogurt, oil, salt, pepper and saffron, an herb that lends a subtle flavor and a bold orange color to the rice.