August 5, 2015

05Aug

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Political Briefs

Top stories

Thousands of California felons keep right to vote after Padilla announcement – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Tuesday he won’t appeal a voting rights decision against the state, guaranteeing the vote for tens of thousands of felons. The decision affects people who have left prison and are now in county-run programs created by the state’s criminal justice realignment law, which sought to reduce California’s prison population. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; AP article; KQED report

John Myers: A Money Milestone: The end of California’s 2004 deficit debt — Prepare to be shocked: California’s state government is about to make its final interest payments on 2004 deficit bonds, payments that have averaged more than $1 million a day.  That’s $1 million a day, every day, for 11 straight years. KQED report

 

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures

CalPERS CEO says pension proposal full of problems — A proposed ballot measure that would make future pension benefits subject to voter approval is fraught with legal and administrative peril, according to a letter from CalPERS’ chief executive officer, eliciting a response from one of the measure’s proponents that the assessment is a “lie.” Sacramento Bee article

 

Other areas

California lawmakers pull in more than $23 million in year’s first half – During one of the quieter stretches on the election calendar, members of the California Legislature raised more than $23 million in campaign money from January through June, state filings show. Sacramento Bee article

Pensions, contracts on August agenda – The thermometer flirts with triple digits. The Legislature is in Week 3 of a month-long recess. Fewer luxury cars are parked around the Capitol, signaling that lobbyists are on hiatus, too. So during this regularly scheduled break, let’s look at two stories California state workers should watch in coming weeks. Sacramento Bee article

Dan Walters: ‘Top-two’ voting a panacea? – The top-two system has certainly had a moderating effect, but it’s not the panacea Open Primaries describes, and the Legislature is still not as functional as this very large, very complex state needs it to be. Walters column in Sacramento Bee

LA City Council backs new rules for gun storage in the home – Los Angeles lawmakers on Tuesday once again waded into the national fray over gun control as the City Council unanimously threw its support behind a proposed law to require handguns in the home to be locked up or disabled with a trigger lock. Angelenos who violate the rules would face a misdemeanor charge. LA Times article

‘Shrimp Boy’ lawyer: Prosecutors went easy on Mayor Lee – In an explosive court filing, lawyers for a former Chinatown gang leader said Tuesday that federal authorities shielded San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee from prosecution despite evidence from the FBI that he had taken bribes, funneled through two members of the city’s Human Rights Commission. San Francisco Chronicle article; LA Times article 

How the FBI got David Chui to wear a wire in ‘Shrimp Boy’ probe – One of the more interesting revelations in Tuesday’s federal court filing by defense attorneys forRaymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow claiming he’s the victim of selective prosecution in his racketeering case is that state Assemblyman David Chiu wore a wire for the FBI as part of a years-long investigation of the alleged Chinatown gang leader. San Francisco Chronicle article

Merced residents, officials weigh in on Planned Parenthood issues – Although the Planned Parenthood office in Merced does not have an abortion clinic (referrals can be made to the Madera and Modesto locations), it does get heat from some community residents. Merced Sun-Star article

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County supervisors must scrutinize elections office – Holding elections without repeated foul-ups should go without saying. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in Sacramento County. That means county supervisors ought to take a hard look at the county elections office, starting at the top with Jill LaVine, the registrar of voters. Sacramento Bee editorial

 

Who’s in and who’s out at the first GOP presidential debate – Fox News has selected the 10 Republican presidential candidates who will participate in the first debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Californian Carly Fiorino is out of the main debate.  AP article

 

News Briefs

Top Stories

Judge Oks state water crackdown on farmers — A Sacramento judge has given California water regulators the go-ahead to enforce pumping restrictions on a small Central Valley irrigation district, a decision seen as validation of the state’s broader authority to restrict water during the drought. San Francisco Chronicle article; Sacramento Bee article; Stockton Record article

Alternate high-speed rail route through Bakersfield ready for public inspection — Members of the public will get their first chance later this month to take a close look at how California’s high-speed rail project might run through Kern County under an alternative route being worked out with the help of Bakersfield city officials. Bakersfield Californian article

 

Jobs and the Economy

Concerns grow over Modesto’s homeless – City officials say they are seeing more homeless people throughout Modesto and hearing more complaints from residents about the homeless in city parks. The homeless are living in many parks. For instance, last week, more than two dozen campsites were set up at Beard Brook Park. Downtown merchants also are complaining about aggressive panhandlers and vagrants. Modesto Bee article

ADA lawsuits multiply in Hanford, Kings County – As lawsuits pile up against local businesses, a workshop will be held Wednesday at the Hanford Civic Auditorium to inform business owners about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Hanford Sentinel article

Holly Carter: Tear down Fresno’s permitting process to benefit small businesses – The CEO of Carter & Co. Communications writes, “If we want to bolster investment and grow Fresno’s economy, we must tear down the brick walls of our permitting process and replace it with an innovative and efficient one. We don’t need evolutionary change, we need revolutionary change!” Carter op-ed in Fresno Bee 

Michael Fitzgerald: No mall-contents here: Macy’s turns 50 – The Macy’s department store in Sherwood Mall turns 50 years old today. Retirees held a private party at UJ’s. A few worked Macy’s the day it opened: Aug. 5, 1965. Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record

Disney buys Anaheim land, sparking expansion speculation — The Walt Disney Co. has purchased three parcels of land near its Anaheim resort, sparking speculation that the property would free up land for a future park expansion involving Disney’s Star Wars or Marvel’s superhero characters. LA Times article

Gas prices dropping, could hit $2 a gallon — Think of it as Christmas in August. Gasoline prices are expected to drop sharply this month and might be approaching $2 a gallon in much of the country by the time winter’s chill arrives. McClatchy Newspapers article

U.S. trade gap widens 7 percent in June as imports jump – The U.S. trade deficit increased in June as solid consumer spending pulled in more imports, while the strong dollar restrained exports. AP article

 

LA-area venues showing little interest in being temporary NFL hosts — The NFL might be the country’s No. 1 sport, but Los Angeles-area venues aren’t scrambling to position themselves as temporary homes if one or more of the league’s teams relocate. LA Times article

$20 million in bonds to finance Visalia dispatch center – The city of Visalia can begin taking bids to build a new dispatch center for the city as well as begin selling up to $22 million in bonds to pay for it and the technology that goes with it. Visalia Times-Delta article

Black leaders press tech companies for more diversity in the ranks – When the world’s leading technology firms reported their workforce demographics, the details were uncomfortable, but not surprising: Apple, Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants are dominated by men, many of them white. Capitol Alert; 

Bay Area rental crisis squeezing out middle class — With vacancy rates at about half the national average, the demand for housing has sent rents through the roof, creating a sense of desperation for many who are being priced out. According to the most recent data, an average two-bedroom apartment now costs $2,884 in San Mateo County, $2,552 in Santa Clara County and $2,172 in Alameda County. San Jose Mercury News article

Netflix offers new parents ‘unlimited’ leave — Netflix said Tuesday it will allow new parents up to a year of paid time off, becoming one of the tech industry’s most generous major companies in offering parental leave. LA Times article 

4 Uber drivers cited at LAX has serious criminal records – At least four men who were ticketed by Los Angeles International Airport Police while driving for Uber’s low-cost car service have criminal convictions that would bar them from operating a taxi in Los Angeles, records show. LA Times article

 

Agriculture/Water/Drought 

Madera County supervisors back Temperance Flat group — Madera County supervisors joined a growing group of government leaders seeking money from the state’s water bond to build Temperance Flat Dam east of Millerton Lake. Fresno Bee article 

Wells in Tulare County continuing to fail — The number of bad wells in Tulare County is continuing to climb while officials are trying to figure out what to do about legal snafus that are preventing more tanks from being installed in areas such asEast Porterville. For the week ending Aug. 3 there were 19 more wells that went bad, either in water volume or quality, on top of 47 that went bad the week before. Cumulatively, there has been 1,518 domestic well failures since January 2014 – 1,294 of those have still not been resolved. Visalia Times-Delta article

Oakdale Irrigation District agrees – again – to give farmers more water — Despite the drought, local farmers this year will get 44 inches of water per parcel instead of 40, Oakdale irrigation leaders decided Tuesday, because customers so far have used much less than expected. Modesto Bee article 

Central Valley farmers adapt to new heat protection rules for farmers – Thousands of farmworkers travel all over the Central Valley on a daily basis to pick crops under some very hot weather. As FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports farmers now have to comply with new regulations to avoid heat illness and deaths among workers. KVPR report

Is the drought killing these Giant Sequoias? These scientists think so – The Giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevada are one of America’s treasures.  But for the first time in the parks history the trees are showing visible signs of exhaustion due to the drought:  thin and browning leaves. Valley Public Radio’s Ezra David Romero hikes into one of the largest groves of Giant Sequoias and finds a crew of scientists rushing to gather data by scaling the monstrous trees. KVPR report 

Morada irrigation ban postponed – North Morada residents will not be subjected to an outdoor irrigation ban in the immediate future. The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to postpone Stage III water emergency procedures for 113 homes in the north Morada area until results from a new rate proposal are determined. Stockton Record article

Stockton Record: Stepping up to save water – City of Stockton residents and businesses should step up and take a bow. They’ve appreciably helped with the California drought situation. The same can be said of most of San Joaquin and Calaveras counties. Stockton Record editorial

Stink bug sighted in Stanislaus could harm area crops – Stanislaus County has reported its first two sightings of the brown marmorated stink bug, which has done major damage to crops and gardens in the eastern United States. Modesto Bee article

Help for those with dry wells offered at Tuolumne County meetings — Tuolumne County residents whose wells have gone dry can get help at a series of meetings this month. The meetings in six towns around the county will offer sign-ups for temporary water tanks and other help in dealing with the 4-year-old drought. Modesto Bee article

Ellen Komp: Pot growers not wasting water – The deputy director of California NORML writes, “Media outlets, including The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board, and public officials, including the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, have seized upon statements from state Fish and Wildlife officials about marijuana and water use in a few creeks in Northern California to greatly overstate the problem, causing unfair backlash for genuine medical marijuana patients.” Komp op-ed in Sacramento Bee

 

Criminal Justice/Prisons

Fresno police expand gun crime unit after surge in violence – Violent crimes are on the upswing in Fresno this year after a decade of decline, prompting Police Chief Jerry Dyer to expand the gun crime unit and have officers work harder to target repeat weapons offenders. Fresno Bee article

Kidnapper in Chowchilla school bus case offers new details at parole hearing — Before he hatched a plan to kidnap 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver for ransom, burying them in a Livermore quarry in the infamous 1976 crime, James Schoenfeld read a newspaper headline. In 1974, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan had announced a $5 billion budget surplus for California. The community college student and part-time busboy wouldn’t admit to his affluent family that he was deep in debt and thought the state could spare $5 million, Schoenfeld told the state Board of Parole in April, according to a transcript obtained by the Bay Area News Group. Contra Costa Times article

Manhunt in eastern Kern: Searchers discover evidence believed connected to suspect – The man who opened fire on deputies Saturday evening and is believed responsible for a murder last week has continued to elude law enforcement in its ongoing search in a remote area of eastern Kern County. Bakersfield Californian article

Rally held for KGET producer/director that NAACP claims was unjustly arrested – A crowd of more than 100 men, women and children, the vast majority of them black, showed up to an NAACP-hosted rally Tuesday to protest a KGET-TV director’s recent arrest, which the Bakersfield chapter claims wouldn’t have happened if 44-year-old Monte Wilson had been a white man. Bakersfield Californian article

Possible plea deal next year in deadly federal officer shooting in Modesto — Attorneys could announce early next year they’ve reached a plea deal for a Hollister man accused of murder in the shooting death of his co-worker during a fight outside a north Modesto bar. Modesto Bee article

Chief probation officer to talk about juvenile system — Stanislaus County Chief Probation Officer Jill Silva will speak at the City Ministry Network’s monthly Catalyst meeting Thursday on the topic “Restoring Incarcerated Youth.” She’ll provide an overview of services being provided to youths in the county’s criminal justice system, including court services, juvenile detention and commitment facilities, field services and out-of-home placement. Modesto Bee article 

LA County to pay $5 million over mistaken killing of hostage — Los Angeles County will pay $5 million to the family of a man who was mistakenly shot to death by sheriff’s deputies as he tried to flee a knife-wielding captor. AP article

 

Education

California colleges will join Pell grant project, launch education programs at 4 prisons – The tide may be turning in favor of efforts to address the paucity of post-secondary options, driven by a growing body of research that suggests educated inmates are more likely to stay out of prison and become productive members of the community. LA Times article 

Turlock Adult School expands with ongoing grant, more support – Turlock Adult School has grown to the largest in Stanislaus County thanks to a federal grant and a welcoming attitude, say students who have tried and tried again. Modesto Bee article

Modesto City Schools to start Monday without a calendar in place – School starts Monday for Modesto City Schools, and will run at least through August, when the district’s official school calendar ends. Tied up in contentious negotiations on employee contracts, the Modesto calendar is being approved month by month this year. At the next school board meeting Aug. 17, the September calendar should be cleared for release. Modesto Bee article

Merced College welcomes two new deans — Two new deans joined Merced College’s administration and will work in the college’s student services division. Angela Tos is the new dean of students services, and Michael McCandless is the new dean of student equity. Merced Sun-Star article

Teachers from Mexico and California collaborate to teach algebra — A group of Los Angeles students who are new to the United States spent part of their summer break learning algebra in a pilot program with materials that are lacking in most places nationwide – Common Core-aligned lessons in Spanish. EdSource article

Housing is so outrageously expensive in San Francisco the city can’t hire enough teachers — Housing in San Francisco is expensive.  So expensive, in fact, the city’s schools can’t hire enough teachers because the cost of living is so onerous. San Francisco Chronicle article 

Energy/Environment

Breathe deep: Valley air quality has best July in two decades — July hasn’t been so nice since 1995 in the San Joaquin Valley. We’re talking about dirty air, and the lack of it last month. For 21 days last month, the air did not exceed the eight-hour federal health standard for ozone — a corrosive gas that attacks the lungs, skin and eyes. That’s three weeks of healthy air in the Valley during a month when the average is just five or six good days. Fresno Bee article

Kern County explores streamlining rules for oil companies — Spurred on by a request by local oil industry leaders, Kern County is currently exploring a plan that would dramatically revamp the way the county permits oil and gas wells. Under an environmental study that’s currently in the works, getting a new well permit could become as easy as getting a county building permit. KVPR report

Willow fire containment hits 80 percent, evacuations end – Containment on the Willow fire near North Fork grew to 80% Tuesday, and fire officials said they don’t expect the blaze to grow beyond 5,702 acres. Fresno Bee article 

Cabin fire expands to nearly 4,300 acres – The Cabin Fire northeast of Camp Nelsen grew by nearly 1,500 acres in a day in the Sequoia National Forest, but federal officials involved in fighting the blaze seemed confident they’re close to getting a handle on it. Visalia Times-Delta article

Firefighters watch out for winds in fight to quell 65,000-acre Rocky fire – Firefighters made progress on the stubborn Rocky fire Tuesday, while keeping an eye on the possibility that afternoon winds and thunderstorms could cause big problems. The fire, burning in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties, broke out Wednesday and has destroyed 65,000 acres. It remains 12 percent contained. Sacramento Bee article; San Francisco Chronicle article; LA Times article 

California is ahead of the game as Obama releases Clean Power Plan – President Obama’s plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants over the next 15 years will force states to address climate change by pushing them to act more like California. LA Times article 

Porterville College installing solar energy system in parking lots — Porterville College is partnering with Borrego Solar Systems to install a solar energy system on elevated shade structures over its parking lots. Fresno Bee article

Sacramento Bee: Take a lesson from California, quit coal — California has something to teach the rest of the country. Those states waging a war against the inevitable would be wise to listen.Sacramento Bee editorial

Charlton Bonham and Steve Rothert: Removing dam won’t save Yuba salmon – Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Rothert, California director of American Rivers, write, “We must make progress wherever and however we reasonably can to recover California’s salmon and steelhead runs. We choose to act now. We invite advocates of removing Englebright Dam to work with us to ensure our effort is successful, until other strategies become viable.” Bonham/Rothert op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Health/Human Services 

August is Valley fever awareness month — California health officials are warning people about Valley fever and that breathing dusty air can put them at risk for the potentially fatal disease. Fresno Bee article

Blue Shield of California owes $82.2 million in Obamacare rebates – Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California owes $82.8 million in rebates to consumers and small employers under requirements of the federal health law. The majority of that money, $61.7 million, will be divvied up among 454,000 individual policyholders who had Blue Shield coverage in 2014. The average rebate is $136. LA Times article

State issues whooping cough warning – The California Department of Public Health issued a warning Monday, particularly to pregnant women, about the prevalence and danger of whooping cough, and the need to increase the vaccination rate against the disease. KQED report

Stockton’s youth to be served – Community Partnership for Families will continue its long-standing relationship with Stockton, and some of the social-service organization’s efforts now will be directed toward aiding Stockton’s recently established anti-violence office. Stockton Record article 

Lilly yanks millions from UCSD for Alzheimer’s study – Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is shifting tens of millions of dollars from UC San Diego to the University of Southern California to test a drug on older people who have some evidence of Alzheimer’s disease but have yet to show symptoms. San Diego Union-Tribune article; LA Times article 

Superbug outbreaks: FDA issues more scope-cleaning guidance to hospitals —  In response to deadly superbug outbreaks, the Food and Drug Administration recommended extra steps that hospitals can take to clean medical scopes while work continues on redesigning the troublesome devices. LA Times article

Land Use/Housing

More Fresno sprawl? County looks at development north of town — The future of the Fresno’s urban sprawl northward could take another step. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors is beginning to present its Friant Corridor Feasibility Study. It’s the first look at potential development just north of the City of Fresno. However, environmental groups say the study is the camel’s nose under the tent toward more urbanization. KVPR report

Former Tennco executive: Company intended Amberton-Stockdale access on walkway — A history of two villages — the Amberton and Stockdale Estates developments — emerged Tuesday in Superior Court on day two of testimony in the Amberton wall trial as a former Tenneco officer said the company had indeed intended a walkway linking the two neighborhoods. Bakersfield Californian article

Transportation

High-speed rail agency seeks consultant for Bay-to-Valley studies — The California High-Speed Rail Authority is looking for consultants to help it secure the environmental clearances it needs for its rail sections between San Francisco and the central San Joaquin Valley. Fresno Bee article

Other areas 

Rescue group lands nod for Fresno County animal control – An animal rescue group has earned a tentative recommendation to take over animal control services for Fresno County. The Animal Compassion Team was the recommended group among four that submitted proposals for those services. Others applying were: Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; California Animal Control; and Valley Life Animal Control. Fresno Bee article

Lois Henry: We’re throwing the book harder at illegal fireworks, just not far enough – In digging into the “what the heck happened on those illegal fireworks citations?!” story, I came across a small silver lining. Admittedly, it’s so thin it barely qualifies as a “lining.” But at this point I’ll take what I can get. Henry column in Bakersfield Californian

Stockton Record: Vandalism of memorials a low-class, criminal act — There seems to be no limit to how low depraved and thoughtless people will go in the quest to steal metal, often to be turned in for recycling money. Stockton Record editorial

Marcos Breton: Accusations put City Hall culture in question – As officials circle the wagons in the Warren case, someone in that building needs to ask a hard question: Is there a culture at City Hall – a vacuum of leadership – behind these sexual harassment claims? Breton column in Sacramento Bee 

Carmen George: Howard Watkins aims to preserve Fresno history with photographs — Spend any sizable chunk of time with Howard K. Watkins and a discussion about family history is bound to bubble up. While touring an exhibition displaying dozens of his favorite photos at Fresno State’s Henry Madden Library — a snapshot of thousands of photos he has taken for free over the years at Fresno events — the 68-year-old spends a long while talking about his ancestors. George in Fresno Bee

Deaths of Yosemite jumpers remains a mystery — The investigation concluded the deaths were accidental, but despite the video and photos of the jump, officials consider the specific reason why they died a mystery. Investigators listed several possible contributing factors — including indecision, distraction, miscalculation and air turbulence — as the jumpers made split-second decisions. AP article

LA County takes a step toward moratorium on electronic dance music events — The two women who collapsed and died from suspected drug overdoses at the Hard Summer music festival last weekend were among nearly 30 people taken from the Los Angeles County fairgrounds event by ambulance because of serious drug and alcohol intoxication, authorities said. LA Times article

Valley Editorial Roundup

Fresno Bee – We can understand why the American Beverage Association is alarmed by the calorie-cutting trend. But that cannot be a reason to turn back the clock on progress.

Sacramento Bee – Sacramento County supervisors must scrutinize elections office; Take a lesson from California and quit coal.

Stockton Record – City of Stockton residents and businesses should step up and take a bow. They’ve appreciably helped with the California drought situation. The same can be said of most of San Joaquin and Calaveras counties; There seems to be no limit to how low depraved and thoughtless people will go in the quest to steal metal, often to be turned in for recycling money.

Upcoming Events

  • The Better Blackstone Association will hold a street festival, “Come Imagine the Possibilities for Blackstone …,” on Friday, Aug. 7, at the Susan B. Anthony school parking lot in Fresno from 5-8 p.m. More information: Call (559) 485-1416 or email info@betterblackstone.com.
  • “Unlocking Renewables: A Summit,” which will explore the clean energy potential in the San Joaquin Valley, will be held at Fresno State on Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Featured speakers include state Sen. Anthony Cannella and Ken Alex, senior policy advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown and director of the Office of Planning and Research. More information: www.RenewablesInTheValley.org.
  • West Hills Community College District will hold an event, “Shifting Ground — Adapting the San Joaquin Valley Economy to a Changing Climate,” on Oct. 8 at Harris Ranch in Coalinga. Senior leaders from business, agriculture, government agencies and nonprofits will gather to launch immediate actions and provide near-term guidance to create next generation jobs in a region battered by drought and struggling with multiple challenges. Visitwww.essentialelementsseries.com for details of this no-fee policy series.

Interactive

Next 10: UPDATED California budget challenge For the first time in a decade, California’s budget is largely in balance.  However, the state has outstanding debts of $28 million, not counting long-term pension and retiree health care costs.  Budget choices affect us all.  Take the Challenge and decide how much should be spent on programs and where the money should come from.  Next 10 California Budget Challenge

Next 10: Federal budget challengeThe Federal Budget Challenge is based on The Concord Coalition’s Principles and Priorities budget exercise, which has been used in numerous town hall meetings across the country by members of Congress from both parties, as well as in hundreds of high school and college classrooms.  Next 10 Federal Budget challenge at www.federalbudgetchallenge.org. 

Next 10: California Water Challenge – As our state faces some of the most severe drought conditions in its history, Next 10 wants to issue a new challenge to Californians: can you create a plan to make sure there’s enough water for everyone?  Next 10 California Water Challenge 

LEGISLATORS’ VOTING RECORDS: How often has a California legislator broken party ranks, abstained or switched sides? The Sacramento Bee has a database of the voting records of every member of the state Senate and Assembly. Enter a lawmaker’s last and first names to see how he or she voted, or enter a bill number to see how every legislator voted on it. Check it out at this link.  http://www.sacbee.com/votingrecord/

Maddy Institute Updates List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials – The Maddy Institute has updated its list of San Joaquin Valley elected officials.  The list is available here. 

Maddy Institute on Facebook and Twitter – To learn about Maddy Institute activities (e.g. The Maddy Report tv show, The Maddy Associates’ Luncheons, the Maddy Legislative Intern Program), become a fan of the Maddy Institute on Facebook or log on to http://twitter.com/MaddyInstitute. And if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, please add us and follow us!

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

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