POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
Fresno State ranked among the top 25 universities in the nation
The Fresno Bee
Washington Monthly has ranked Fresno State as one of the top 25 universities in the country for the third year in a row. Fresno State is No. 24 on themagazine’s list of the top 30 national universities and is the only California State University school to appear on the list. Harvard University took the top spot.
Devin Nunes: Farmer? Leader? Traitor? A community struggles to define its congressman
Fresno Bee
Devin Nunes has gained national notoriety as a conservative firebrand, waging open war against the Department of Justice, his colleagues, the media and anything else in the Tulare congressman’s way.
Polls remain close. Is Harder resonating with voters in race against Denham?
Modesto Bee
It’s the halfway point between the June primary and the November general election, and congressional candidates Josh Harder and Jeff Denham have been battling for any advantage in one of the United States’ most competitive House races.
Competition lacks in off-the-radar boards and districts
Bakersfield Californian
What if they threw an election and nobody ran? Taxpayers would save a lot of money, that's what. The savings would come at a different kind of cost, though.
4th District county supervisor candidates face off in Delano
Bakersfield.com
Community Leadership Alliance for Democracy in Kern hosted the debate, in which discussion hinged on immigration and the neglect suffered by some of the unincorporated communities in the 4th District, which takes up the northwestern side of the county.
State:
Goodbye, Daylight Saving Time — maybe
Madera Tribune
In November, depending on the outcome of the vote on Proposition 7, Californians may or may not change the way we calculate the time of day.
California could become first state to require women in boardrooms
San Francisco Chronicle
A controversial bill requiring that publicly traded California companies include women on their boards of directors heads to the Assembly floor this week.
California GOPers’ reaction to bad news from DC: Ignore it
San Francisco Chronicle
During a week that had President Trump’s ex-lawyer implicating him in a federal crime, California House Republicans shared a consistent reaction to the news from Washington.
Why is it taking so long for Gov. Brown to fill a vacancy on the California Supreme Court?
Los Angeles Times
It is one year, five months, two weeks and counting since Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar announced her retirement, presenting Brown with an opportunity to appoint a fourth justice to the seven-member court.
Follow-on Legislation Clarifies California’s Ban on Employers Requesting Salary History Information
The Recorder
“[W]hile recent legislation has made great strides towards eliminating the use of prior salary to justify paying (employees) a lower wage rate, it remains unclear the extent to which prior salary may be used at all. This bill makes clear that prior salary simply cannot be used to justify a wage differential, whether used on its own or in combination with a lawful factor under the Equal Pay Act.”
Gas tax projects prompt Jerry Brown’s pay raises for California highway engineers
The Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown’s last contract with the state’s highway engineers includes some sweet perks aimed at retaining the longtime road designers, planners and project managers who’d be charged with executing work funded by the gas tax he backed last year.
See also:
● Gas tax repeal lures California Democrats in key House races The Sacramento Bee
Local prosecutor appointed to State Bar Board of Trustees
Bakersfield.com
The state Supreme Court has appointed local prosecutor Brandon Stallings to a four-year term on the State Bar Board of Trustees. The appointment lasts through the conclusion of the annual meeting of the State Bar in 2022 and marks the second term Stallings will have served; he was previously elected to the board out of the 5th appellate district.
Federal:
Trump Job Approval Steady Amid Legal Action
Wall Street Journal
The president’s approval rating was at 44% in a WSJ/NBC News poll taken after Paul Manafort’s conviction and Michael Cohen’s guilty plea.
Why online donations have Democrats abuzz
Stockton Record
By the time of November’s election, Democratic candidates and liberal groups will have raised an astounding $1.5 billion in online contributions alone.
Judge Strikes Down Key Parts of Trump’s Orders Easing the Firing of Federal Workers
The New York Times
The ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for the administration, which has suffered losses in court in its efforts to wield executive authority to press its agenda on immigration, voting and the environment.
See Also:
● Judge delivers victory to federal employee unions, overturning key parts of Trump executive orders The Washington Post
Once their rallying cry, Obamacare is suddenly a sticky campaign issue for Republicans
The Los Angeles Times
After failing to deliver on their years-long promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act and faced with the sudden popularity of Obamacare’s consumer protections, GOP candidates across the country are struggling to put together a cohesive message on healthcare.
U.S. and Mexico said to be close on revamping NAFTA
Los Angeles Times
U.S. and Mexican negotiators were closing in on an agreement for revamped terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to officials in both countries.
See Also:
● U.S.-Mexico Deal Clears Pathway for Nafta Rewrite The Wall Street Journal
● Trump Announces Trade Pact with Mexico Roll Call
● Trump announces separate U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, instead of NAFTA, but says Canada may join later Washington Post
Video: A Conversation with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
PPIC
She criticized the new federal tax law for significantly increasing the national debt without promoting growth. In fact, she continued, one of the best ways to promote economic growth is to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Asked what this would look like, she cited the bipartisan immigration bill that the Senate passed several years ago as one possible model.
Laying out the obstruction of justice case against President Trump
Brookings
Elaine Kamarck highlights a new edition of an exhaustive report by three renowned lawyers outlining the historical and legal bases for the key issue that could end Trump’s presidency: obstruction of justice.
Is the Senate Up for Grabs Yet?
Roll Call
President Donald Trump’s problems continue to mount, raising more questions about turnout and how independent voters and college-educated women will vote. But the Senate map remains daunting for Democrats, and the polarized nature of our politics continues to limit Democrats’ Senate prospects.
The Founding Fathers wouldn’t want Kavanaugh’s confirmation to continue
The Washington Post
As a result, with Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings set to begin just as pressure to impeach President Trump palpably mounts, the framers’ attempt to guard against the court’s bias has failed.
See also:
● Democrats Have a New New Kavanaugh Tactic Weekly Standard
● Protesters rally in SF against Trump’s Supreme Court pick San Francisco Chronicle
EDITORIAL: Social media platforms are struggling against disinformation by foreign governments. Trump isn't helping
Los Angeles Times
Facebook, Twitter and other major social media companies have once again removed hundreds of accounts from their services that were linked to foreign agents trying to meddle in U.S. politics and policies — as well as the affairs of other governments.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: Russia and Iran are already trying to influence the 2018 elections. Congress must act now. San Francisco Chronicle
● Here's How Russia Will Try to Interfere in the 2018 Elections RAND
Other:
U.S. Sen. John McCain, maverick politician and war hero, dead at 81
Fresno Bee
John McCain will be remembered as unafraid. Unafraid as a naval aviator to resist and survive five-and-a-half years in a North Vietnamese prison. Unafraid as a U. S. senator to challenge and defy the power-brokers who ran his Republican party.
See Also:
● John McCain, Arizona senator and Vietnam war hero, dies at 81 ABC30
● John McCain, ‘maverick’ of the Senate and former POW, dies at 81 The Washington Post
● John McCain, War Hero, Senator, Presidential Contender, Dies at 81 The New York Times
● Remembering John McCain: local politicians share their memories ABC30
● Farewell, Senator McCain, your straight talk and heroism will be missed Sierra Star
● Jeff Denham: McCain was willing to take on great political risk Modesto Bee
● The Latest: McCain to lie in state at Arizona Capitol on Wed Stockton Record
● Replacing McCain in the Senate is political balancing act Sacramento Bee
● For McCain, a cross-country farewell from public, presidents Sacramento Bee
● Sen. John McCain, Former Presidential Nominee And Prisoner Of War, Dies At 81 Capital Public Radio
● With McCain's passing, powerful Senate committee loses an influential check on Trump Los Angeles Times
● What we lost in John McCain Los Angeles Times
● For McCain, a life of courage and politics came down to 1 vote Los Angeles Times
● Bad blood between McCain and Trump lingered, even as Arizona Republican neared the end of his life Los Angeles Times
● One moment from McCain’s 2008 run made clear his character and foretold Trump’s rise Los Angeles Times
● McCain Was a Warrior for the Climate Wall Street Journal
● John McCain leaves the stage when we need him most The Washington Post
● John McCain spent his life serving the dignity of his fellow man The Washington Post
● John McCain, the irreplaceable American The Washington Post
● Past presidents, political rivals, Senate colleagues pay tribute to McCain The Washington Post
● McCain’s death marks a new era for congressional checks on Trump The Washington Post
● Sen. John McCain, a War Hero Who Became a Political Heavyweight, Dies at 81 Wall Street Journal
● Arizona Governor Faces Intense Pressure in Picking McCain Successor Wall Street Journal
● EDITORIAL: The message from McCain that his colleagues should heed now Los Angeles Times
● EDITORIAL: John McCain: The ultimate public servant San Francisco Chronicle
● OPINION: I am grateful for John McCain The Washington Post
White Americans learn what it’s like to be marginalized
Fresno Bee
And now, in the Trump era, some of those folks are pushing back against what they see as a kind of reverse racism – where the minorities become the majority, gradually ascend to positions of power, and eventually settle the score for centuries of mistreatment.
Be skeptical of the powerful. But believe in your fellow man
Fresno Bee
The shadows seem to be growing deeper as the institutions of social life fail. But cynicism needs proper focus. We should be skeptical of power without giving up faith in humanity.
A ‘low-profile’ revolution’ changes local governments
CALmatters
Santa Monica, one of the state’s most left-leaning cities, would seem to be an unlikely arena for a court battle over racial discrimination.
Matthew Hennessey on how Gen X can save America from Millennials
AEI
Sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and tech-obsessed Millennials, Gen X is smaller than either cohort and, according to Hennessey, is the only generation that can stand up and resist utopian Silicon Valley visionaries, the Internet of Things, and addiction to technology.
Slow internet? Fast internet? You might be paying the same price
Marketplace
How much do you pay for internet service each month? The National Digital Inclusion Alliance found that lots of customers are paying about $60 a month for their internet packages.
Tech Industry Pursues a Federal Privacy Law, on Its Own Terms
The New York Times
The law would have a dual purpose, they said: It would overrule the California law and instead put into place a kinder set of rules that would give the companies wide leeway over how personal digital information was handled.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Regulations expected to cost citrus growers $203 million a year
The Business Journal
New environmental regulations, water-saving rules, crop-protection requirements and a state-mandated increase of the minimum wage for workers are expected to collectively cost California citrus growers about $203 million a year.
This lab is on the front lines of the fight against food poisoning
Los Angeles Times
After the scientists step safely out of the airtight lab in the biocontainment plant, and after their spacesuit-like protective wear is disinfected, the room is flooded with chlorine dioxide gas.
Pesticide Studies Won E.P.A.’s Trust, Until Trump’s Team Scorned ‘Secret Science’
The New York Times
A government proposal this year, called Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, could stop them from being used to justify regulating pesticides, lead and pollutants like soot, and undermine foundational research behind national air-quality rules.
Our fruit is rotting in the trees as laborers are kept out of the country
Washington Post
For the past few months, our farm’s 57 field workers have been scrambling to pick 4,000 tons of peaches before they’re too ripe to ship across the Midwest. They’ve routinely put in 12-hour shifts and didn’t get a single day off for seven weeks straight.
See also:
● When The U.S. Government Tried To Replace Migrant Farmworkers With High Schoolers NPR
California Budget & Policy Center
As the US Congress returns to session next week, one major item they are expected to take up is the 2018 farm bill. Renewed every five years, the farm bill is major legislation that sets out national agriculture policy, including funding and guidelines for federal food assistance. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in our state, reduces hunger and poverty by helping eligible households to put food on the table.
Woodlake expanding commercial pot industry at rapid speed
ABC30
Woodlake is leading the Valley when it comes to marijuana. From gas stations to restaurants, surrounding businesses say they are benefiting too. Those who fiercely protested cannabis in the past have grown silent.
See Also:
● Woodlake reaps the benefits of pot, police and park improvements underway Visalia Times-Delta
● Pot maker leaving Hanford, finds greener pastures in Woodlake Visalia Times-Delta
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
New prison warden is appointed
Madera Tribune
Janel Espinoza, from Visalia, was recently appointed Warden at the Central California Women’s Facility, in Chowchilla, where she has been acting warden since July 2017.
Breaking the silence: Those touched by crime come together to heal
Stockton Record
Family, friends, and complete strangers who have also been affected by losing loved ones to gun violence healed together Saturday afternoon at a Break the Silence event.
Bail reform bill stretches the 72-hour notice law
CALmatters
The process may—or may not—have adhered to the letter of the 72-hour requirement, but it certainly violated its spirit of giving the public time to examine and react to pending legislation.
Public Safety:
Hanford PD gets new digs
Hanford Sentinel
Hanford Police Department detectives have a little more room to stretch their legs now that they’ve moved into a newly remodeled building.
BPD's high-stakes Crisis Negotiations Team saves lives
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield Police Department's nine-member Crisis Negotiations Team — and similar teams across the country — is an outgrowth of changes to the way society views and responds to mental illness.
Highway Dedicated To Fallen Officers
Modesto Bee
An official dedication ceremony for the “Modesto Police Officer Leo Volk Jr. and Police Sergeant Steve May Memorial Highway" took place on State Route 132 west of Claus Road.
See Also:
● Volk, May families feel “fantastic,” “blessed” at memorial highway dedication in Modesto Modesto Be
How to make police accountable
CALmatters
Police unions, meanwhile, already have expressed their uneasiness with a bill that would expose more officer misconduct than the law presently allows. A member of the Los Angeles Police Protective League told CALmatters in April that the bill would open a “can of worms.”
Fire:
Smoke from California wildfires affecting Fresno air quality
The Fresno Bee
The air district recommends people with heart or lung disease follow doctor’s advice for exposure to smoke. People with lung conditions, young children and older adults should take precautions to avoid exposure because they are more susceptible to health effects.
Sen. Cannella: We’ve got to figure out a better way to fight forest fires
The Modesto Bee
Perhaps we already should have done more to reduce fire danger in California’s forests. Because of over-reaching regulations to “preserve” wild lands, thinning and controlled burns have been stifled, unnaturally increasing the fuels that make wildland fires hotter and more devastating.
Cost Of Wildfires Could Get Passed On Under California Lawmakers’ New Proposal
Capital Public Radio
California lawmakers have released a new proposal to improve the state’s preparedness and response to wildfires — and to soften the financial cost of those fires on electric utilities.
See Also:
● Wildfires will push up your PG&E bill, no matter what San Francisco Chronicle
● California plan would allow fire surcharge on power bills AP News
● PG&E bailout redux? California legislators mull new fire legislation San Francisco Chronicle
● A bipartisan duo of California lawmakers wants to spend climate-change cash on thinning out fire-prone trees and brush The Los Angeles Times
● California's wildfires are deterring tourists and hitting taxpayers hard, officials say The Los Angeles Times
Verizon Makes Changes As Lawmakers Decry Firefighters' Woes
Capital Public Radio
Verizon rolled out changes Friday as state lawmakers said they were outraged to learn that the company slowed firefighters' internet service while they battled what became the state's largest-ever wildfire, the Mendocino Complex.
See Also:
● Verizon lifts data ‘cap’ after California wildfire incident The Sacramento Bee
● The California wildfire and net neutrality: The conversation we should really have AEI
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Oakhurst, Coarsegold businesses on path to recovery as Wawona Road reopens
Sierra Star
The reopening Friday morning of the Highway 41 route into Yosemite Valley could not have come at a better time for a number of Coarsegold and Oakhurst small business owners.
See Also:
● Business owners discuss reopening of the Highway 41 pathway into Yosemite Valley Sierra Star
U.S. and Mexico said to be close on revamping NAFTA
Los Angeles Times
U.S. and Mexican negotiators were closing in on an agreement for revamped terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to officials in both countries.
See Also:
● U.S.-Mexico Deal Clears Pathway for Nafta Rewrite The Wall Street Journal
● Trump Announces Trade Pact with Mexico Roll Call
● Trump announces separate U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, instead of NAFTA, but says Canada may join later Washington Post
● To protect US foreign investment, NAFTA needs trade dispute settlement rules AEI
● Time Magazine profiles the mercantilist mastermind behind Trump’s dangerous trade war AEI
● Americans harbor doubts about Trump’s tariffs, poll finds PBS NewsHour
At Fed’s Jackson Hole Retreat, Central Bankers Eye New Economic Risks
Wall Street Journal
Without mentioning Trump by name, global economic leaders make clear they are concerned about his trade policy
AEI
If American capitalism is broken, as many Democrats contend, Wall Street seems not to have noticed. Stocks just set the record for longest-ever bull market, a whopping 3,453 days and counting.
Jobs:
Walt Disney World reaches deal with unions to raise wages to $15
ABC30
Disney, ABC30's parent company reached a tentative deal with Unions late Friday night and will now hike the minimum wage to $15 an hour before 2021.
As Gig Companies Beg For Relief From Pro-Labor Supreme Court Ruling, The Lobbying Is Fast And Furious
Capital Public Radio
Lobbyists for ride-hailing companies and the California Chamber of Commerce are scrambling to delay until next year (and the next governor's administration) a far-reaching California Supreme Court decision that could grant Arellano’s wish—and, businesses fear, undermine the entire gig economy.
DFEH Issues Sample Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
AALRR
Pursuant to Section 11023 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations, California employers have an affirmative duty to take reasonable steps to prevent and promptly correct discriminatory and harassing conduct.
EDUCATION
K-12:
KHSD students receive active-shooter response training
Bakersfield Californian
With school shootings on the rise, the Kern High School District has decided to train all students in basic active-shooter response techniques should a situation occur on a local campus.
Gregori High water is good again, Modesto City Schools says
Modesto Bee
Come on in, Gregori students and staff, the water’s fine. That’s the message from Modesto City Schools after the Salida campus’s water supply was retested.
PODCAST: A progress report on Betsy DeVos’ education agenda
Brookings
Elizabeth Mann Levesque, a fellow in Governance Studies and the Brown Center on Education Policy, discusses some of the policies being pursued by the United States Department of Education under current Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Millennial teachers of color will change public schools—if given the chance
Brookings
From increased diversity to acute cultural understanding, millennial teachers of color are primed and equipped to disrupt the status quo of the American public education system in ways that could benefit both teachers and students. Mary Dilworth warns that without the necessary support, these change-makers are likely to take their talents elsewhere
The facts about teacher pensions
CALmatters
Until the 32-year funding plan was adopted in 2014, contribution rates were insufficient to cover today’s benefit payments and obligations to future retirees. Today, members contribute slightly more than 10 percent of their salaries toward their pension, while school districts and the state contribute approximately 16.3 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively.
Higher Ed:
UC Merced fighting food insecurity on campus
ABC30
From fresh vegetables to boxed cereal--a new food pantry at UC Merced is stocking up, and making sure students are not worrying about their next meal.
New CSUB students move into dorm rooms
Bakersfield Californian
On Saturday, tears were shed and hugs were given as parents helped prepare their children for the start of college and, for many, living in the dorms.
Why Stockton Believes a Cal State Could Seal Its Comeback
Modesto Bee
When Jesus Andrade looks out over the barren asphalt of the San Joaquin County fairgrounds, he doesn’t just see the smattering of swap meet vendors setting up their stalls, or the smoke rising from a nearby homeless encampment. The Stockton city councilman also envisions football fields and science labs, part of a future California State University campus that he hopes would bring his city some economic opportunity.
Gift From the Heart Helps Fresno State Students with MS
GV Wire
In addition, the former television news producer and her husband, Steve, are helping Fresno State students and their families fight MS.Last year, they established a $30,000 endowment to fund scholarships for students with MS or who have a parent with the disease.
Student Loan Watchdog Quits, Blames Trump Administration
NPR
The federal official in charge of protecting student borrowers from predatory lending practices has stepped down.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
It’s back: That yellow haze in the sky is wildfire smoke
Fresno Bee
Smoke from wildfires is back in Fresno, and it’s affecting air quality across the central San Joaquin Valley.
See Also:
● Wildfires, climate change ensure more bad air days coming San Francisco Chronicle
● Smoke from California wildfires affecting Fresno air quality The Fresno Bee
Samaritans helping distressed trees survive Bakersfield's torrid summer
Bakersfield.com
Martin, his events coordinator, Ricky Gomez, and a third good Samaritan Jason Martin, have been hauling water to the location several times a week for more than two weeks in an effort to save the mature elms. And Gomez and Don Martin were back Thursday morning in their continuing effort to save the weakened trees.
Pro-con: Are bio-digesters key to climate change fight?
CALmatters
The state’s climate plan depends on methane and other short-lived climate pollutants reductions to provide more than one-third of all climate reductions needed to meet the state’s 2030 climate goals.Senate Bill 1440 furthers these plans by directing the California Public Utilities Commission to create a modest biomethane procurement program.
Energy:
Wonder why your utility rates are going up? It could be an obscure state commission
Sacramento Bee
As more Californians find themselves facing increased costs for essential household needs, such as water, sewer and electric service, most residents are unaware that an obscure state commission is playing a key role in driving rates higher.
Central Valley officials join push to end California oil production
Bakersfield Californian
Three Central Valley elected officials have added their names to a petition urging Gov. Jerry Brown to end oil and gas production in California — a move that, if successful, would heavily impact Kern's economy and county property tax revenues.
Biomass electricity isn’t cheap, won’t end wildfires
CALmatters
Building a new sustainable forestry industry in the Sierra and Siskiyou mountains could make biomass facilities more effective as part of a whole array of fire prevention tools, as well as offering jobs and economic development in those communities. But on its own, biomass is a limited fire prevention tool and will require extensive ratepayer subsidies. Even with subsidies, biomass may not work as an effective fire-prevention tool outside pine forests.
EDITORIAL: If Trump wants coal, he can have it. But California must commit to 100 percent clean energy
Sacramento Bee
On Tuesday, the Trump administration rolled out an incredibly idiotic plan to undermine even more Obama-era pollution restrictions, this time on coal-fired power plants.
EDITORIAL: San Onofre nuclear plant mishap gets federal probe it deserves
San Diego Union-Tribune
The NRC announced Friday that it would send a team to San Onofre to investigate the incident and to assess Edison’s corrective actions. Its rare visit is a relief.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Weight-loss drug seems safe for heart, study finds
Stockton Record
For the first time, a drug has been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off for several years without raising their risk for heart problems — a safety milestone that may encourage wider use to help curb the obesity epidemic.
Both John McCain and Jimmy Carter had brain tumors. Why did their treatments have such different outcomes?
Los Angeles Times
Both John McCain and Jimmy Carter have contended with brain tumors, but the two political icons have had vastly different treatment results.
The Los Angeles Times
As California’s attorney general, she implemented training to respond to biases in law enforcement. Now she’s applying that to black maternal mortality, an issue that gained attention this year in part because of several media reports and public remarks from celebrities such as Serena Williams, who suffered severe complications after the birth of her daughter.
Marijuana use is rising among pregnant patients. Not so fast, doctors warn
Los Angeles Times
Marijuana may be losing its image as a dangerous drug, but mounting research suggests women should steer clear of it if they are pregnant or breastfeeding, according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Fresh Ideas in Behavioral Health Require Commitment and Collaboration
Public CEO
Behavioral health is at the centerpoint of the most vexing policy challenges facing California’s counties today; from combatting homelessness, recovering from disasters, bending the criminal justice recidivism curve and cultivating a resilient workforce, each of these local challenges hinge on the county role in providing behavioral health services.
EDITORIAL: Measles’ rise a step backward for humanity
San Diego Union-Tribune
Those who ignore science and call vaccinations dangerous make life more dangerous for the rest of the world. That’s not an argument. That’s a fact.
Human Services:
‘Pie in the sky’ and a ‘faux’ plan: Influencers discuss health care and the governor’s race
Sacramento Bee
Is Gavin Newsom right to call for a single-payer health care system for California as a way of making health care more affordable? Is John Cox right to call for private sector-based health care in order to create competition and make health care more affordable? How confident are you that either would be able to achieve their goals as governor?
‘Everyone needs it...No one can afford it.’ Is there middle ground on California health care?
Sacramento Bee
Single payer health care part of ‘battle for America’s soul,’ Gavin Newsom says
Speaking to delegates at the 2018 California Democratic Party convention, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom voiced his support for a single-payer health care system.
When Medical Innovation Meets Politics
The Wall Street Journal
Despite his reform agenda, Dr. Gottlieb has somehow avoided the political hostility aimed at most of his Trump administration peers, and the reasons are worth noting. The FDA is used to reviewing synthetic chemical drugs, but much of the innovation today is in “biologics,” treatments derived from living things, a category that includes genetic therapies.
IMMIGRATION
ICE ‘surprise’ arrest in Sacramento courtroom could have chilling effect across state
Sacramento Bee
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered Sacramento Superior Court last week and handcuffed an immigrant, making an arrest inside a courtroom that is considered a first of its type in the state, one that could have a chilling effect across California.
Trump administration appeals federal judge's preliminary injunction on family separation
Los Angeles Times
The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge’s preliminary injunction against family separation, saying it would not derail the effort to reunify hundreds of migrant children who remain apart from their parents or guardian as a result of the administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.
Mostly true: Visa Overstays Account For ‘Half’ Of All People In The Country Illegally
Capital Public Radio
Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently claimed that visa overstays account for half of the people in the country illegally. Is it true?
Trump sees political win in some Democrats' calls to abolish ICE
The Los Angeles Times
Trump took special aim at Democrats who have called for abolishing ICE, as some on the party's left wing have done. The president called it a "grave betrayal of these law enforcement officers and the noble sacrifices they make to uphold our laws, secure our borders and protect our safety."
Bakersfield College student released from ICE custody
Bakersfield.com
Jose Bello, the 21-year-old Bakersfield College student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for the past three months, was released on $10,000 bond Friday.
Brookings
The number of returns—people simply denied entry at the border and sent back to their home country—has declined in recent years as fewer are making the attempt. Removals, which are formal deportations and carry much stiffer penalties, now make up the majority of these cases. As the caseload has grown, immigration courts have not been given additional resources and can’t keep up.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Barsotti reinvests in home community
Madera Tribune
Chicago Title county manager Mark Barsotti, who has been with the company for 25 years, moved Chicago Title from its Schnoor Avenue at North Pointe Shopping Centers location to its new building at the corner of Yosemite Avenue and L Street because it’s an investment in a community that has been home.
Visalia Best Buy at the head of musical chairs on Mooney, set to leave current location
Visalia Times-Delta
Packwood Creek shopping center is about to have a big hole to fill. At the same time, a long-vacant storefront across the street will get a new tenant. Musical chairs on Mooney Boulevard in Visalia is about to begin.
Housing, Homelessness And The California Dream
Capital Public Radio
The sky-high costs of renting and buying a home means many residents are just getting by. People are being forced to choose between paying their rent and buying food.
A Deeper Dive Into California's Housing and Homelessness Crisis
Capital Public Radio
As rents continue to rise, millions of low-income Californians struggle to meet ends meet, and many live on the edge of homelessness.
Housing:
California Senate passes bill to build more housing at BART stations
Mercury News
A state bill to replace surface parking lots with housing at East Bay and San Francisco BART stations passed the California Senate on Thursday, propelling the proposal one step closer to becoming law.
Building a vast new city on L.A.'s northern edges: A solution for region's housing crunch?
Los Angeles Times
Tejon Ranch, a 270,000-acre plot, is one of the last frontiers of relatively undeveloped space in the Los Angeles region. That may soon change.
The shrunken California Dream: Just keeping a place to live
CALmatters
The sky-high costs of renting and buying a home means many residents are just getting by. People are being forced to choose between paying their rent and buying food. They are selling their belongings, working 7 days a week, doing whatever it takes to keep their home.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Californians face an 'uphill battle' in challenging costly Trump tax law
CALmatters
Time is running out for California taxpayers trying to recoup a valuable tax deduction lost in the Republican tax overhaul.
OPINION: The Tax-Cut Con Goes On
The New York Times
Longstanding programs, very much including Social Security and Medicare, would also be on the chopping block. Who says so? Republicans themselves.
TRANSPORTATION
Gubernatorial candidate John Cox at Fresno DMV: ‘Help is on the way’
Fresno Bee
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox on Friday visited a north Fresno branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles, where he handed out bottled water and chatted with customers as they waited in line.
See Also:
● CA GOP Candidate John Cox Visits Fresno DMV, Calls Attention to Wait Times KMJ-AF1
Madera Acres residents say rail construction is causing road problems
ABC30
Many residents in Madera Acres say construction from High Speed Rail (HSR) is causing them major headaches on the road.
California’s bullet train estimates too rosy, experts say
Sacramento Bee
Siemens official Armin Kick talks about what the high-speed rail car would look like outside the Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 24, 2015. Siemens is a major manufacturer of bullet train cars.
See also:
● Inflation and delays could add billions more to bullet train project costs Los Angeles Times
Madera Acres residents say rail construction is causing road problems
ABC30
Many residents in Madera Acres say construction from High Speed Rail (HSR) is causing them major headaches on the road. "You're trying to get into work and you can't get out," said Gaylen Thelander. "And just with one entrance and exit to this neighborhood it just is not working, just not working
Caltrain Receives $18.7 Million Grant for Positive Train Control Project
Caltrain
The funds will benefit the Positive Train Control (PTC) project, which will equip the corridor with enhanced safety features that will monitor train movements and, if necessary, intervene to reduce the possibility of safety risks caused by human error.
E-scooter bill zips through Senate
CALmatters
Bird hired a Sacramento lobbyist to push one bill, exempting adults who rent the motorized scooters from having to comply with the state’s otherwise strict helmet law and allowing them to operate on city streets where the speed limit is 35 miles an hour.
Self-Driving Cars Need To Learn How Humans Drive
NPR
Stanford University assistant professor Dorsa Sadigh has ridden in self-driving cars. "These cars are OK driving in normal driving conditions on normal roads," Sadigh says. But "the moment you put them in situations they haven't seen, they don't really know how to deal with that."
Infrastructure spending: Which state is falling apart the worst?
USA Today
About seven out of every 100 miles of roadway nationwide are in poor condition; 9 percent of bridges nationwide are structurally deficient, meaning that they are in need of some repair; and 17 percent of dams in the country have a high hazard potential -- meaning a functional failure would result in the loss of life.
WATER
Clean drinking water proposal a good deal for Valley
Visalia Times-Delta
State lawmakers are expected to vote this month on legislation by Senator Andy Vidak (R- Hanford) and Senator Bill Monning (D – Carmel) that will create a reliable funding source to help ensure that all Californians have access to safe and affordable drinking water. It is a deal that agriculture and environmental justice community have worked on for 2 years.
See Also:
● New clean water bill is a nightmare for local agencies Sacramento Bee
Jolting California officials, Trump administration looks to rewrite rules for Delta water
The Sacramento Bee
If the feds get their way in the Delta, there would be less water for the State Water Project and its most important customer: the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million residents of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. That leaves state officials anxious, experts say.
Mike Dunbar: Would you like some facts, or do you prefer to remain all wet?
The Modesto Bee
Is that why you want more from the Delta? You said as much in April when you insisted Gov. Jerry Brown’s tunnels be built. By portraying some of California’s poorest and hardest-laboring people as greedy fish-killers, do you figure you’ll use the water more wisely?
Ceres, Turlock look to $272M project to secure their water futures
The Modesto Bee
Officials said the project will secure the cities’ futures and economic vitality because it gives them a second water source — the Tuolumne River — in addition to the groundwater they now pump.
OPINION: Towards a Grand Bargain on California Water Policy
Fox&Hounds
Water abundance in California is achievable. The people of California would welcome and support a determined effort to make it a reality. But compromise on a grand scale is necessary to negotiate a grand bargain.
EDITORIAL: Why have hearings if state water board isn’t going to listen?
Modesto Bee
For those in the environmental movement, the State Water Resources Control Board hearings Tuesday and Wednesday were like an episode of “Friends,” all warm, witty welcomes. For the people from the Northern San Joaquin Valley, it was like watching the movie “Defending Your Life.”
EDITORIAL: This time, a state water bond has real money intended to benefit the Valley
Fresno Bee
Four years ago California voters considered a $7.5 billion water bond that Valley supporters hoped would provide money to build a new dam on the San Joaquin River at Temperance Flat.
“Xtra”
Bad news: Livingston police horse Sonny has a tumor. Good news: You can help him out
Fresno Bee
Livingston Police Chief Ruben Chavez is hoping the community will chip in to pay for the surgery needed by a member of the police department, Sonny the horse.
See Also:
● Livingston Police horse develops tumor, officers asking for help ABC30
This new Clovis steak house says it has the ingredients to join the upscale scene
Fresno Bee
If you like juicy steaks, creative cocktails and an atmosphere that’s hip and cool, then 13 Prime Steak in Clovis is worth a visit.
KKJD is back on the radio airwaves, and now on TV, too
Fresno Bee
During the 1980s, 105.9 FM was one of the most influential radio stations in Fresno, CA. The station went off the airwaves in 1996, but its call letters, KKDJ, are back on radio (99.7 FM) and television (channel 27).
Valley Focus: Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival Brings More Than 50 Films To Area
ABC 30
Local film buffs are in for a treat. The 29th Annual Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival kicks off September 19th and runs through September 23rd in Central Fresno.
50 years of struggles, celebrations: Black Family Day honors legacy of Stockton’s black history
Stockton Record
Black Family Day provided a platform to address important issues: jobs, employment, education, giving back to the community.
Celebrating some of the area’s brightest achievers
The Modesto Bee
The event, held at the Gallo Center for the Arts, recognized the 20 people who went through a nomination and judging process to earn the honor.