Maddy Institute – August 2, 2019

02Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Mosquito that can transmit Zika discovered near Lakewood neighborhood in Modesto

Modesto Bee

The aedes aegypti mosquitoes were discovered Wednesday and last week near the intersection of Lakewood Avenue and Scenic Drive, said a news release from East Side Mosquito Abatement District and Stanislaus County public health.

Central SJ Valley:

Luis Chavez ends bid for Fresno mayor. These candidates are left

Fresno Bee

Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez is dropping out of the mayor’s race. In a statement to The Bee Thursday morning, Chavez said after speaking with his family over the summer, he decided to focus on his duties as a councilmember serving southeast Fresno.

Devin Nunes sues over ‘fake farmer’ challenge. He says dark money was behind it

Fresno Bee

Rep. Devin Nunes’ campaign is suing the people who accused the congressman of being a “fake farmer” and tried to get his ballot designation removed.

Progress continues at Tulare Local Healthcare District

Our Valley Voice

The Tulare Local Health Care District (TLHCD) appears to have made astonishing progress since re-opening its hospital late last year under the auspices of Adventist Health, say the facts that emerged at its most recent regular board meeting on July 24.

South SJ Valley:

Bakersfield saluted on its No. 2 growth rate

Antelope Valley Press

After decades of serving as the butt of jokes for many comedians and people throughout California and the rest of the nation, Bakersfield, the Kern County seat has been commended by a newspaper published 3,000 miles away, for its contemporary importance and population growth.

Chill out, Bakersfield: City ranks as sixth most stressed out in the country

Bakersfield Californian

It’s time to chill out, Bakersfield, because you have been named the sixth most stressed out city in the United States, according to a Babylon Health study.

Bakersfield businesses blast classical music to chase away panhandlers

Fresno Bee

Here businesses blare operatic arias and classical strings, not honky-tonk twang, from outdoor speakers to chase loiterers and panhandlers away from their storefronts.

State:

One Week Left to Apply for the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission

California State Auditor

Every ten years, after the federal census, California must re-establish the boundaries of its Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts to reflect new population data and shifting populations. The Voters FIRST Act gave this power to California citizens ensuring that new and fair political boundaries are drawn without special interests, politics and political influence.

Local pension costs grew in California at nearly 6 times national rate, new data show

Merced Sun Star

Median pension costs for local governments grew nearly six times as much in California as the rest of the country over a decade, according to new data compiled by a UC Berkeley professor.

California GOP’s Decline: Where did the Voters Go?

National Review

Talk to almost any Californians (that is, to any who’ve been in the state since before the ’90s) and they’ll tell a simple story of conservative decline.

Black women long supported the California Democratic Party. Now is their time to lead it, they say

Los Angeles Times

State Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles looked out at more than a hundred black women gathered for an annual event at the California Democratic Party convention earlier this summer and marveled at the group’s progress.

EDITORIAL: Despite sunny image, Ronald Reagan’s racism paved the way for Trump’s

Sacramento Bee

“It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation,” Will Rogers once said, “but you can lose it in a minute.” This certainly seems to be the case with former President Ronald Reagan, who served as California’s governor from 1967 to 1975. Just a few awful seconds of a 1971 conversation, secretly recorded by then-President Richard Nixon, is all it has taken to indisputably recast Reagan as an unabashed racist.

Federal:

Senate Passes 2-Year Budget Deal And Sends It To Trump

VPR

The bipartisan legislation, which was approved in a 67-28 vote, raises the debt ceiling past the 2020 elections and allows $1.3 trillion for defense and domestic programs over the next two years.

Trump says he’ll put 10% tariffs on remaining China imports

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying he will impose 10% tariffs Sept. 1 on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking.

● Trump Ratchets Up U.S.-China Trade War With More Tariffs; Stocks Slide VPR

● Stocks fall after Trump launches new round of tariffs in U.S.-China trade war Los Angeles Times

● Trump says he will impose new tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese imports starting next month, ending brief ceasefire in trade war Washington Post

● China warns of retaliatory measures after Trump threatens new tariffs Washington Post

Here’s the beef: Trump will formally announce trade pact with European countries

Roll Call

President Trump on Friday will formally announce a trade pact with the European Union under which countries in the bloc will purchase additional amounts of American beef, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

School lunch could be slashed for thousands of California children under new proposal

EdSource

Thousands of children in California would no longer qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches if a federal proposal to cut the number of food stamp recipients is finalized.

Trump’s pick to lead U.S. intelligence claims he arrested 300 illegal immigrants in a single day. He didn’t.

Washington Post

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.), the former federal prosecutor who is the president’s choice for the intelligence post, often cites a massive roundup of immigrant workers at poultry plants in 2008 as a highlight of his career.

Donald Trump said he’s done more for African Americans than any president. Historians disagree

Politifact

President Donald Trump regularly claims credit for African American economic success, such as touting the African American unemployment rate on his watch.

The congressional impeachment show needs to be canceled

National Review

The only real course available for removing Donald Trump from office is victory at the ballot box. And if Democrats have any hope of doing that, they better quit talking about impeachment and start talking about health care, the economy, and other issues voters actually care about.

Elections 2020:

Here are the winners and losers for Wednesday’s Democratic debate

Visalia Times Delta

There were audience interruptions. The Democratic frontrunner struggled to hold his own. And the discussion of Democratic voters’ top issue got bogged down during Wednesday night’s debate.

● Fact check: Does Joe Biden’s health care plan do too little to rein in insurance companies? Sacramento Bee

● Opinion: The Left vs. the Crazy Left Wall Street Journal

Listen: Where do the Democratic candidates stand on trade?

Brookings

From the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut to the Democratic presidential candidates’ statements on U.S. trade policy, David Wessel joined the Dollar and Sense podcast for a special episode covering these developments in economic news.

Kamala Harris’s post-debate diss on Tulsi Gabbard’s polling reveals something about her candidacy

Washington Post

Lower-polling candidates played a major role in Wednesday night’s debate, as the Fix’s Aaron Blake noted in his Winners and Losers post following it. Need further proof? See the post-debate interview Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) gave that went viral for her knock on Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii).

● Kamala’s Medicare-for-All Straddle Wall Street Journal

Fact check: Does Joe Biden’s health care plan do too little to rein in insurance companies?

Sacramento Bee

During the second Democratic presidential debate this year, California Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Voter Access Matters in 2020, and These Lawmakers Know It

The Pew Charitable Trusts

As 2020 approaches, it’s becoming clearer that the race for the presidency is going to come down to a few key states.

Rule Proposed To FEC Would Further Constrain Foreign Election Contributions

VPR

The Federal Election Commission is considering proposed new rules to outlaw exchanges like the one that took place when a Russian delegation visited Trump Tower in 2016 to offer Donald Trump’s campaign “dirt” on Democrats.

Other:

Boy Scouts Meet at a Time of Crisis

Wall Street Journal

U.S. youth group co-hosts international jamboree while facing bankruptcy.

We’re from the government, and we’re here to redesign your website

AEI

A new bill to prevent “social media addiction” would micromanage social media website design in a breathtaking embrace of nanny statism.

Pentagon Pauses $10 Billion Contract That Embroiled Amazon In Controversy

VPR

The Pentagon is hitting pause on a massive, first-of-its-kind cloud computing contract after President Trump cited critics’ accusations of favoritism toward Amazon.

Country music stands at a moment of great racial change. Or so its biggest cable network believes.

Washington Post

When executives at Country Music Television earlier this year began watching the first cuts of “Racing Wives,” their new show about the spouses of NASCAR stars, something felt off. Producers had taken women with complexity and depth and reduced them to extensions of their husbands.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 4, at 5 p.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Water in the San Joaquin Valley: A PPIC Report” – Guest: Ellen Hanak, Director – Water Policy Center – PPIC. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 4, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “A Comprehensive Look at the Valley’s Water Challenges” – Guest: Ellen Hanak, Director – Water Policy Center – PPIC. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 4, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “El Censo y la Redistribución de Distritos Electorales ” – Invitados: Joe Hayes, ,PPIC; Secretario de Estado Ale Padilla y Margarita Fernandez, Jefe de Relaciones Publicas de las Oficina de la Auditora Estatal. Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Trump gave billions to farmers for Chinese tariffs. How much did the Valley, California get?

Fresno Bee

Farmers in California received about $76.3 million in federal subsidy payments for economic harm they may have suffered as a result of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

California honeybees are still declining. Trump administration says it can’t afford to study it

Fresno Bee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in July that it would no longer be funding a nationwide annual survey of the honeybee population, citing a need for cost cuts. The survey was started under the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2015.

Meatless Burgers Stoke Sales and Questions About Nutrition

Wall Street Journal

Plant-based patties typically contain as much protein—and as many calories—as beef; ‘It might be more of a treat’.

Appetite for California almonds still growing, but farmers feel squeeze from new water rules

Sacramento Bee

The California almond has proved resilient under fire.

Visalia family strives to continue Quaker legacy in Tulare County

Visalia Times Delta

Early this year, the farm became certified organic. By next year, the plan is to sell its vegetables to the public. Today, Bill and Beth’s family are continuing their Quaker legacy with Quaker Oaks Farm.

Boren: The lessons of picking cantaloupes under the hot

San Francisco Chronicle

It’s cantaloupe season in the San Joaquin Valley, a time that takes me back to a summer during high school when I picked melons in Huron for farming pioneer Russell Giffen. I didn’t know Giffen. I was merely one of thousands of high school and college students who picked crops in the San Joaquin Valley after a guest worker program had ended.

Ugly but tasty: A grocery delivery service launches in Fresno selling imperfect veggies

Fresno Bee

A company selling less-than-perfect vegetables and fruit is launching its delivery service in Fresno, Merced and Modesto. Starting Monday, Aug. 5, Imperfect Produce will begin delivering boxes of fruit and vegetables to homes in the area.

Let’s be blunt: Cannabis consumers need protection

CALmatters

California boasts the strongest “lemon laws” in the country. Another law helps Californians make decisions about avoiding chemicals that could cause cancer or birth defects. A third law requires manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose ingredients.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Gilroy shooter did not appear to target people based on race, authorities say

Los Angeles Times

The man who opened fire Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, killing three people, did not appear to target people of a particular race, a law enforcement official said Thursday, pushing back on speculation — fueled by racist comments posted on the gunman’s Instagram account — that he was motivated by white supremacist beliefs.

● Gilroy shooting: Injured victims thank doctors for saving their life abc30

● Victims Recall Deadly Shooting During California Festival Capital Public Radio

● ‘This is not happening again!’ 3 who survived Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting escaped Las Vegas in 2017 Visalia Times Delta

● Gilroy Garlic Festival 911 call: ‘They just carried a body out… they’re doing cpr’ Visalia Times Delta

● Not an unreasonable fear: Mass shootings like Gilroy Garlic Festival more numerous, deadly Visalia Times Delta

● Gilroy strong: Hundreds of residents stand tall at vigil in wake of mass shooting San Francisco Chronicle

Navy confirms NAS Lemoore pilot died in Death Valley crash

Fresno Bee

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Turlock finds out what happens when 5 quarts of motor oil are thrown in park pool

Modesto Bee

The city of Turlock had the “best worst luck” when it came to an act of vandalism at a community pool, meaning things could have been much worse, a parks and recreation official said.

Public Safety:

Local event tightens security after Gilroy shooting

Business Journal

In response to the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, the Tulare County Fair will deploy “enhanced security features” to ensure the safety of attendees at the September event.

Fire:

Most Fire Prevention Projects On Track Despite Delays, Newsom Says

Capital Public Radio

Gov. Gavin Newsom defended California’s wildfire prevention efforts Wednesday while criticizing the federal government for not doing enough to help protect the state as it enters the height of fire season after two deadly, disastrous years.

Could PG&E Face Criminal Charges for Camp Fire? Maybe, Butte County DA Indicates

KQED

Butte County’s top prosecutor says it’s “somewhat doubtful” that he would strike a deal that would allow PG&E to avoid criminal charges for causing November’s deadly Camp Fire.

Russia Says Trump Offered To Help Putin Fight Forest Fires In Siberia

VPR

President Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and offered U.S. help in fighting widespread forest fires raging in parts of Siberia, according to a Kremlin account of the call.

Bipartisan bill will boost wildfire protection, senators say

Senators from California and Montana said Thursday that they plan to introduce a bipartisan bill that aims to protect communities from wildfires like the one that killed 85 people and destroyed much of the Northern California town of Paradise last year.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Here’s the beef: Trump will formally announce trade pact with European countries

Roll Call

Trump says he’ll put 10% tariffs on remaining China imports

Fresno Bee

● Trump Ratchets Up U.S.-China Trade War With More Tariffs; Stocks Slide VPR

● Stocks fall after Trump launches new round of tariffs in U.S.-China trade war Los Angeles Times

● Trump says he will impose new tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese imports starting next month, ending brief ceasefire in trade war Washington Post

● China warns of retaliatory measures after Trump threatens new tariffs Washington Post

How the Fed’s interest-rate cut helps Trump wage his trade war

Washington Post

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome H. Powell may not have wanted to cut interest rates. But in the end, President Trump appears to have given him no choice.

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

Wall Street Journal

Wages stalled but costs haven’t, so people increasingly rent or finance what their parents might have owned outright.

California Partnership Selected as 1 of 8 Regional Efforts for National Research Project

Fresno State News

The Partnership has been selected as one of 8 regional efforts to be featured in a research project on Regional Solutions for Rural and Urban Challenges. The project explores the possibility that regional collaboration and solution-seeking can be an effective way of improving social and economic opportunity and health for all people and places within a region.

Jobs:

U.S. hiring remains solid with 164,000 jobs added in July

Washington Post

Economists predicted 165,000 jobs would be added in July, marking 106 consecutive months of job gains. Hiring has been softer this year than in 2018, but it remains at a healthy pace.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Her son was suicidal. Now, a Fresno County school district must make changes, judge says

Fresno Bee

A judge in July ruled the Golden Plains Unified School District, which oversees Tranquillity High and five other schools in western Fresno County, failed Holguin’s son and ordered the district to make changes that include training special education staff and other updates.

California’s largest teachers union spent $1 million a month to restrict charter schools

Fresno Bee

The state’s biggest teachers union spent more than $1 million a month since April to influence lawmakers as it pushed bills aimed at cracking down on charter schools, financial disclosure forms filed ahead of a Wednesday deadline show.

School lunch could be slashed for thousands of California children under new proposal

EdSource

Thousands of children in California would no longer qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches if a federal proposal to cut the number of food stamp recipients is finalized.

Higher Ed:

Proposed Changes in Admission Requirements at CSU

PPIC

For the first time in over 15 years, California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) may have different course requirements for admission. CSU is currently considering changing its three-year high school math requirement to a quantitative reasoning requirement of four years that broadens the list of eligible courses.

CSUB receives Elementary Subject Matter waiver

Bakersfield Californian

The approval means students who have completed the Liberal Studies degree with grades of C- or better can enter a multiple subject teacher credential program without having to take the subject matter tests. These tests have been a barrier to potential teacher candidates because they are difficult and expensive.

California Partnership at Fresno State Selected as 1 of 8 Regional Efforts for National Research Project

Fresno State News

UC, union workers reach tentative agreement including pay hikes of 20% or more

Orange County Register

The University of California has reached a tentative labor agreement with an estimated 13,000 healthcare, research and technical professionals that will boost their pay by 20% or more over the next five years. The workers are represented by University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America. The two contracts are expected to be ratified Aug. 8, and the labor agreements would be effective until the fall of 2024.

Bakersfield College hopes to bring in additional baccalaureate degrees in the future

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College has the possibility to provide additional baccalaureate degree programs in the coming years now that its accrediting commission was granted approval to authorize community colleges for more than one baccalaureate degree.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Record heat means record mosquito activity, with West Nile detected across Tulare County

Visalia Times Delta

Near-record heat last weekend left many Valley residents feeling sweaty and irritable. Those same temperatures are expected back later this week.

Fox: Poll Finds Voters Behind CA Confronting Global Warming, but are They Willing to Pay?

Fox & Hounds

Public Policy Institute of California’s extensive polling on the environment turned up solid support from likely voters for the state to take a leading roll in confronting climate change. But when asked if they were willing to pay, the answers were mixed.

Tiny foreshocks can help signal large earthquakes, new Southern California research shows

Fresno Bee

Small foreshocks, tiny earthquakes that precede larger earthquakes, can signal that a larger earthquake is coming within days to weeks nearly three-quarters of the time, according to research from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Seabirds eating plastic. Recyclers struggling. This is what California’s waste crisis looks like

CALmatters

It was more than a year after the seabird died and washed up on a California beach before Jessie Beck prepared to reveal its last meals. Holding its stomach over a laboratory sink, Beck snipped open the slick tissue. With a series of plinks, the stomach contents slumped out onto the metal sieve below.

A look at UC Davis effort to rid Lake Tahoe of non-native shrimp

Fresno Bee

Brant Allen, boat captain of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center ( TERC ) and staff researcher Katie Senft trawl for mysis shrimp at Lake Tahoe, CA, as part of a project that could be an ecological solution to clarity at Lake Tahoe.

Energy:

Bankrupt PG&E makes deal to cut solar power prices. Won’t abandon CA’s clean energy goals

Fresno Bee

PG&E Corp., scrambling to save money, has been hinting for months it might scrap some of its expensive contracts to buy solar and wind energy — a move that would seriously undermine California’s efforts to turn its electricity grid green.

Energy traders took California for $866 million. Guess who paid for it

Sacramento Bee

For the past decade, electricity traders and generators have taken advantage of a little-known wrinkle in California’s energy market to extract more than $866 million from the state’s power grid.

To Counteract Trump on Climate, States Set Clean Energy Targets

PEW

Five states and D.C. directed utilities to switch to renewable or zero-carbon sources.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

1 in 10 senior citizens binge drink, study finds

Abc30

More and more senior citizens are turning to binge drinking, according to a new study by New York University’s School of Medicine and the Center for Drug USE and HIV/HCV Research.

Cancer patients are being denied drugs, even with doctor prescriptions and good insurance

Fresno Bee

Smith is among thousands of documented cases of patients who have been denied needed medications in this way. Doctors and other medical professionals say these denials are only expected to get worse as the country’s largest health insurance companies and pharmacies are increasingly joining forces.

Chill out, Bakersfield: City ranks as sixth most stressed out in the country

Bakersfield Californian

It’s time to chill out, Bakersfield, because you have been named the sixth most stressed out city in the United States, according to a Babylon Health study.

Mosquito that can transmit Zika discovered near Lakewood neighborhood in Modesto

Modesto Bee

Salmonella traced to pig-ear pet treats triggers outbreak in humans, FDA says

Fresno Bee

Federal food and drug officials are telling pet owners and retailers to get rid of pig ear pet treats after a salmonella outbreak tied to the treats sickened nearly 130 people in 33 states, including California.

Human Services:

Her son was suicidal. Now, a Fresno County school district must make changes, judge says

Fresno Bee

In 2018, Mia Holguin’s 17-year-old son told a Tranquillity High School teacher he was having thoughts of killing himself.

Valley Needs More CASA Volunteers To Advocate For Foster Youth

Valley Public Radio

Across Fresno and Madera Counties, about 2,600 kids are currently in foster care. Although foster parents, attorneys, social workers and judges work together to move cases through the court system, some needs fall through the cracks.

News Analysis: Democrats ask if Americans are ready to give up job-based health coverage

Los Angeles Times

Sharp disagreements among the presidential hopefuls at this week’s debates have crystallized a critical and explosive political question: Are Democrats willing to upend health coverage for tens of millions of their fellow Americans?

How much would Medicare-for-all cost? Fact-checking night 2 of the second Democratic debate

Washington Post

In the second night of the second Democratic debate, the candidates often made complex claims and counterclaims about each other’s records, some of which are not easily fact-checked. (Stay tuned for future fact checks.) Here is a selection of 13 of the more policy-oriented claims that caught our attention. As is our practice, we do not award Pinocchios in debate roundups.

Infant Mortality in the United States, 2017: Data From the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File

CDC

his report presents 2017 infant mortality statistics by age at death, maternal race and Hispanic origin, maternal age, maternal state of residence, gestational age, and leading causes of death. Trends in infant mortality are also examined.

IMMIGRATION

Judge in SF says Trump can’t reinstate ban on Central American asylum-seekers

San Francisco Chronicle

A federal judge in San Francisco refused Thursday to let the Trump administration reinstate its ban on U.S. asylum for virtually everyone heading north from Central America, reaffirming his decision that the policy violates immigration laws.

U.S. Extends Temporary Deportation Protection To Syrians

VPR

The Trump administration said it will allow some 7,000 Syrians living in the U.S. to remain under a temporary program that protects them from deportation.

EDITORIAL: The Trump administration is using any excuse it can find to separate migrant families

Los Angeles Times

Over the course of a year , 911 more children were taken, the American Civil Liberties Union charged in a court filing Tuesday. And where did the ACLU get those details? From the government itself.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Could parolee and inmate labor be the answer to Fresno’s ‘third-world’ freeway conditions?

Fresno Bee

Summit of local, state leaders ponders how to fix the problem

Sierra Vista Mall sold for $41 million

Business Journal

For the second time in five years, Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis has been sold.

Is Hetch Hetchy worth $100 billion?

San Francisco Chronicle

Draining the Bay Area’s water storage in Yosemite could open up a new outdoor mecca. Should we do it?

Housing:

California has the most homeless people of any state. But L.A. is still a national model

Los Angeles Times

Across the country, L.A. isn’t considered to be a failure. To the contrary, at last week’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness, attendees repeatedly held up the city, the county and the state as models of political will for getting people into housing.

· Bay Area’s new homeless epicenter? San Francisco Chronicle

To Fix Its Housing Crunch, One U.S. City Takes Aim at the Single-Family Home

Bloomberg

Minneapolis’s answer to rising prices is meant to foster density and racial equity.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Local pension costs grew in California at nearly 6 times national rate, new data show

Fresno Bee

Median pension costs for local governments grew nearly six times as much in California as the rest of the country over a decade, according to new data compiled by a UC Berkeley professor.

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

Bay Area, LA politicians coming for Valley bullet train money. It’s up to Newsom to stop them

Fresno Bee

From the moment Gov. Gavin Newsom teetered on high-speed rail, it was only a matter of time until politicians in California’s more populous, wealthier regions would try to get their hands on money earmarked for the San Joaquin Valley.

· A not-so-high-speed train in the Central Valley could be a boon for the Bay Area San Jose Mercury

How Jaywalking Could Jam Up the Era of Self-Driving Cars

New York Times

In New York, the unwritten rule is plain: Cross the street whenever and wherever — just don’t get hit. It’s a practice that separates New Yorkers from tourists, who innocently wait at the corner for the walk symbol. But if pedestrians know they’ll never be run over, jaywalking could explode, grinding traffic to a halt.

WATER

Water systems must notify Californians about these cancer-linked chemicals under new law

Sacramento Bee

Starting next year, California water systems must notify residents if their water sources contain potentially toxic levels of cancer-linked chemicals called PFAS under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Wednesday.

In The Studio: A Local Update On The State’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Valley Public Radio

When California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014, it became the last Western state to regulate its groundwater. If local groundwater agencies fail to submit plans to the state by 2020, the law says state water agencies could take over management of groundwater, a resource that’s critically important to Valley agriculture.

Feinstein asks Navy to expedite China Lake damage assessments

KBAK

Senator Dianne Feinstein called for Navy Secretary Richard Spencer to quickly complete the damage assessment of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake after two major earthquakes in Ridgecrest earlier this month.

“Xtra”

Remember MoviePass? Regal is launching its own unlimited movie subscription

Fresno Bee

Almost exactly a year after the dramatic downfall of the much beloved — yet highly dysfunctional.

‘Bluesapalooza’ in Mammoth Lakes offers weekend getaway with bands and brews

Fresno Bee

Mammoth Lakes sits at 8,000 feet, near Yosemite National Park in the Eastern High Sierra.

‘No greater icon in our community’: Exhibit honoring trailblazing Dolores Huerta debuts at Haggin

Stockton Record

The “Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolucion en los Campos” exhibition opened at The Haggin Museum in Stockton. A standing-room-only crowd gathered for the opening reception and to celebrate the trailblazing Latina during a special program in her honor.

Visalia Fox Theatre announces 2019-2020 film series

Hanford Sentinel

The Visalia Fox Theatre has announced its 2019-2020 Way Back Wednesday and Throwback Thursday film series. As they’ve done in past years, the Fox will screen classic films and fan favorites from September through May.

Be a Prepper: PARA offering Ham Radio classes

Porterville Recorder

With that in mind PARA will be presenting classes to become a licensed amateur radio operator, allowing one to use a Ham Radio. PARA will present the classes for free during three Saturdays in September on dates to be determined.

The History Of Allensworth, California

Black Past

As a boy, Allensworth was punished for learning to read and write which was unlawful for enslaved people in Kentucky and across the South. During the Civil War, he escaped and sought refuge behind the Union line, where he worked as a civilian nurse in the Army Hospital Corps.