POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
County’s media team is honored
Madera Tribune
California State Association of Counties recently awarded its Challenge Award to Madera County government’s Public Information Team for “great innovation” and “partnership with the community.”
What small change did new Turlock council make that could signal bigger changes?
Modesto Bee
The Turlock City Council meeting was jammed Tuesday with well-wishers who applauded the new mayor and council members. But after most of the audience had left, the new council took a small action that could signal big changes.
See Also:
● New Turlock mayor Bublak takes oath, talks about priorities for the city Modesto Bee
Central SJ Valley:
Arambula says he was only trying to discipline his daughter after recent child abuse arrest
Fresno Bee
An emotional Joaquin Arambula on Wednesday said he spanked his 7-year-old daughter on the buttocks after she “acted out” before the family went to bed in an attempt to discipline her.
See Also:
● Police chief speaks on Arambula arrest Fresno Bee
● Arambula explains what led to child abuse charge abc30
● California Lawmaker Arrested On Child Cruelty Suspicion Capital Public Radio
● California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula says he was arrested after spanking his daughter Los Angeles Times
Here’s who’s running for Fresno County supervisor. One missed the cut by 5 minutes
Fresno Bee
Three candidates filed for the Fresno County Board of Supervisor’s District 2 seat by Wednesday’s deadline.
South SJ Valley:
How did TJ Cox erase a 25-point primary loss to become the Valley’s next congressman?
Fresno Bee
When TJ Cox went to bed in the early morning hours of Nov. 7, he was nearly 5,000 votes behind Rep. David Valadao in the race for California’s 21st Congressional District.
See Also:
● After TJ Cox Wins Congressional District 21, Forecasters Ask What They Got Wrong VPR
ROBERT PRICE: We willingly bled for the man; now Gallion rides off into the sunset
Bakersfield Californian
Greg Gallion is like our conscience.
State:
Here’s what Californians want Gavin Newsom to deliver. Probably not high-speed rail
Sacramento Bee
A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, on Dec. 12, 2018, found that Californians want Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to focus on achieving universal health care and free community college.
See Also:
● Californians want state to spend surplus on health care for all, free community college San Francisco Chronicle
● Poll: Californians Want Universal Health Coverage, Free Community College KQED
● Poll Tells Gavin Newsom: Make Universal Health Care Highest Priority CApital Public Radio
Capitol fixer Jason Kinney is poised to ascend with Gavin Newsom—and legal weed
CALmatters
The week Gavin Newsom was elected governor, three Sacramento lobbyists quit an influential firm where they’d been partners for many years. Two filed paperwork to launch a new lobbying shop. The third, Jason Kinney, de-registered as a lobbyist and immediately became a key member of Newsom’s gubernatorial transition team.
Jerry Brown's Exit Interview: Don't Say He Didn't Warn You
NPR
If all the world goes to hell, don't say Jerry Brown didn't try to warn you.
PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government
Public Policy Institute of California
The PPIC Statewide Survey relies on a rigorous survey methodology and is a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.
Tom Steyer Seeks Aides for Possible 2020 Run — in Anonymous LinkedIn Ad
New York Times
Tom Steyer, the Democratic billionaire who has paid for television ads calling for the impeachment of President Trump, is also considering a run for president himself. And he is taking a novel approach to staffing up a potential campaign for 2020: An anonymous LinkedIn page advertising “state director” jobs in three of the first four states that will kick off the nominating contest.
My turn: Not to say I told them so, but I did tell CA Republicans so
CALmatters
There’s a hoary, but self-evident, saying in retail, “You can’t sell cat food if cats don’t like it.”
Los Angeles Times
Battered Republican politicos in California have been in stubborn denial since their election shellacking. They’ve been offering a creative list of alibis.
Former California judge Newsom dies at 84
AP News
William Newsom III, a former California judge, environmental advocate and the father of governor-elect Gavin Newsom, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 84.
See also:
● William Newsom, Father Of Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom, Dies At 84 Capital Public Radio
Federal:
Nancy Pelosi agrees to proposed term limits if elected speaker
abc30
Rep. Nancy Pelosi has agreed to abide by proposed term limits if elected speaker, a move expected to clear her path to the speaker's gavel.
See Also:
● Pelosi, foes clinch deal all but paving her way to speaker Sacramento Bee
● Nancy Pelosi Cuts Deal With Democratic Rebels To Ensure Return To Speakership Capital Public Radio
● Pelosi agrees to term limits for House leaders, likely securing the votes she needs to regain the speakership Los Angeles Times
● Nancy Pelosi agrees to House speaker term limits to win over Dem opponents San Francisco Chronicle
● Pelosi clears major hurdle in bid to be House Speaker, reaching a deal with Democratic rebels that includes stepping aside by 2022Washington Post
● Nancy Pelosi Strikes Deal With Detractors on Term Limits for Speaker Wall Street Journal
● Pelosi Agrees to Term Limit Deal Limiting Her Speakership to 4 Years Roll Call
Republican strategist Luntz says oval office clash makes us 'smaller'
abc30
President Donald Trump's feud with Democratic congressional leaders Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer makes us "smaller" said Republican pollster Frank Luntz.
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen gets 3 years in prison in hush-money scandal
Hanford Sentinel
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's once-devoted lawyer and all-around fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after telling a federal judge that his "blind loyalty" to Trump led him to cover up the president's "dirty deeds."
See Also:
● Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, is sentenced to three years in prison for 'dirty deeds' Visalia Times Delta
● Trump campaign Russia contacts alarm intelligence experts Sacramento Bee
● Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer, sentenced to three years in prison Los Angeles Times
● EDITORIAL: Michael Cohen sheds his loyalty San Francisco Chronicle
McConnell knows he’s going to be a Democratic target in 2020. Enter the hemp issue.
Fresno Bee
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was personally invested in legalizing hemp across the nation and is expected to tout his efforts as he runs for re-election in 2020.
House aides will have more protection than Senate aides in sexual harassment bill
Fresno Bee
Lawmakers finally came to an agreement on standards of how to deal with allegations of sexual harassment in Congress, key lawmakers said Wednesday, months after the respective chambers passed very different bills on the subject.
Other:
Mika Brzezinski apologizes for homophobic insult of Pompeo
Los Angeles Times
“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski has apologized for referring to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo as “wannabe dictator” President Trump’s “butt boy.”
Boy Scouts of America Considers Bankruptcy Filing Amid Sex-Abuse Lawsuits
Wall Street Journal
Nonprofit has hired law firm Sidley Austin for assistance in a possible chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Possibly fatal issue causes Del Monte recall in 25 states and 12 other countries
Fresno Bee
Del Monte recalled over 64,000 cases of Fiesta Corn for the problem of “underprocessing,” which it says could lead to a “life-threatening illness if consumed.”
Why the farm bill matters to Californians
Sacramento Bee
California agriculture interests will find the farm bill Congress passed this week largely means more of the same. California is the largest agricultural producer in the nation, with a $47 billion agriculture economy in the state alone.
See Also:
● Congress passes farm bill, stripped of conservative priorities Los Angeles Times
Better late than never: Fresno poised to finally give the OK to medical marijuana
Fresno Bee
By Thursday afternoon, unless something screwy happens, the city of Fresno will no longer be in the Dark Ages when it comes to marijuana. Instead, we’ll be in the Dim Ages.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Fresno Bee, McClatchy news sites partner with ProPublica to investigate local jails
Fresno Bee
McClatchy’s five California publications are joining a collaborative effort with ProPublica to launch a yearlong investigative project into California corrections. State statistics show those five regions are among the state’s worst offenders for county jail inmate deaths.
California's chief justice says bail overhaul will continue with or without the new law
Los Angeles Times
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye on Tuesday defended a landmark new state law abolishing money bail, saying it was crafted to ensure courts “do not judge a person based on the size of their wallet or what they have access to in someone else’s wallet.”
PPIC
PPIC’s new interactive tool allows you to explore arrests statewide and by
county—including the demographics of those arrested, how arrest rates have changed over time, and the most common offenses.
Public Safety:
Bakersfield Californian
Six officers received awards during a ceremony marked both with solemnity and laughter as the department came together to acknowledge its own with the peer-nominated awards. Chief Lyle Martin said the department is like a family.
Rural crime detectives to meet the public over coffee in Buttonwillow next week
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Sheriff's Office's Rural Crime Investigation Unit is encouraging the public to meet its detectives for coffee in Buttonwillow next week.
California lawmakers to consider ban on guns for those convicted of serious alcohol-related crimes
Los Angeles Times
Californians convicted of serious alcohol-related crimes would lose their firearms for 10 years under legislation proposed Wednesday by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).
Fire:
Camp Fire: PG&E finds bullet holes, broken equipment at sites where blaze likely started
Sacramento Bee
PG&E has acknowledged to regulators that it found bullet holes, a broken transmission-tower hook and other flaws with equipment at sites where the catastrophic Camp Fire is believed to have started last month.
See Also:
● PG&E: Worker reported flames near power equipment at Camp Fire origin site San Francisco Chronicle
The Challenges Of Rebuilding A Community After A Wildfire
Capital Public Radio
California Building Industry Association President and CEO Dan Dunmoyer discusses the challenges facing homeowners and communities who want to rebuild in the wake of devastating wildfires.
Insurance Claims At $9 Billion From California Fires
Capital Public Radio
Insurance claims from last month's California wildfires already are at $9 billion and expected to increase, the state's insurance commissioner announced Wednesday.
See Also:
● California fire losses, mostly from Camp Fire, total $9B so far San Francisco Chronicle
'Rethinking The Past' In The Aftermath Of California's Deadly Wildfires
Capital Public Radio
Last month's deadly Camp Fire has become a turning point in the debate over how western forests should be managed.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Campaign boosted tourism after fire
Madera Tribune
On a Friday night, July 13, the Ferguson Fire began in the South Fork Merced River drainage on the Sierra National Forest. Within 24 hours, it grew to 828 acres. Some Yosemite gateway businesses earn the majority of their annual income in July and August.
Under Trump, the U.S. debt grew by the size of the Brazilian economy in just two years
Los Angeles Times
U.S. government debt is on track this year to rise at the fastest pace since 2012, as a stronger economy fails to keep pace with the wave of red ink that’s rising under the Trump administration.
Money Measures and the November Ballot
PPIC
Ballots across California in the November election featured 397 money-related questions, including taxes, bonds, and fees. Most of these measures passed (79%), though success rates varied across types of taxation or borrowing.
Banks Get Kinder, Gentler Treatment Under Trump
Wall Street Journal
Regulators are asking examiners to adopt less aggressive tone when flagging risky practices.
Jobs:
Pop-up shop 'blkmktplc.' selling vintage goods in Downtown Fresno while creating jobs
abc30
Fans of vintage clothing and accessories now have a new place to shop in Downtown Fresno, while helping a non-profit organization create jobs.
Faraday Future running on fumes
Hanford Sentinel
Reports of employee layoff and salary cuts at Faraday Future a few months ago soon gave way to executive departures and mandatory furloughs for hundreds of workers, including employees from the company’s Hanford facility. Now, it seems furloughs have been extended both in number and length.
In this booming job market, workers are quitting by 'ghosting'
Los Angeles Times
Economists report that workers are starting to act like millennials on Tinder: They’re ditching jobs with nary a text. “A number of contacts said that they had been ‘ghosted,’ a situation in which a worker stops coming to work without notice and then is impossible to contact,” the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago noted.
EDUCATION
K-12:
FBI assisting with investigation into threats at Clovis North
Fresno Bee
The FBI is assisting Clovis Unified police in an investigation into threats made to five students on Instagram that resulted in a facility alert at Clovis North High, district spokeswoman Kelly Avants said on Wednesday.
Yosemite Unified School District has chosen its new superintendent
Sierra Star
Yosemite Unified School District turned to Woodlake Unified School District for its new superintendent. During their monthly meeting the district’s board of trustees voted unanimously to approve Glen Billington as the district’s new superintendent, with his term officially beginning Jan. 2, 2019.
Merced elementary teachers signed a new union contract. Here’s how much they’ll make
Merced Sun-Star
Teachers in Merced’s public elementary schools will get 4 percent raises this school year and 2 percent increases next year, according to a renegotiated two-year contract with the Merced City School District.
Sac City Unified school district says it will be broke in November 2019
Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento City Unified School District announced Wednesday it expects to run out of cash by November 2019 after months of financial crisis. In a statement sent to the community, the district said unless major savings are found, it will be unable to pay employees and make necessary purchases.
Understanding How Children Learn Language
Capital Public Radio
Dr. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek will present the latest research on how children acquire language through their environment at the UC Davis MIND Institute this afternoon.
Down With Homework, Say U.S. School Districts
Wall Street Journal
More districts ban or stop grading it amid complaints of overload, but some parents and teachers aren’t on board.
Higher Ed:
Application Window Open Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
The Maddy Institute
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships Due Friday, February 22nd, 2019. Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders through The Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. The Maddy Institute will award two $56,000 Fellowships to Valley students who are accepted into a nationally ranked, qualified graduate program in the fall of 2019.
'Central Valley Promise' program aims to provide students with free community college
abc30
Attending community college has never been easier or more affordable thanks to multiple programs aimed at waiving tuition for many students.
USC trustees back president's ouster of business school dean over handling of harassment cases
Los Angeles Times
USC’s trustees on Wednesday upheld the ouster of the business school dean over his handling of harassment and discrimination complaints, countering major donors and others who demanded that the university retain him.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Arctic Report Card Documents 'Cascading Effects' Of Warming Ocean Temperatures
Capital Public Radio
The U.S. government says warming ocean temperatures and melting ice have resulted in the "most unprecedented transition in history" in the Arctic, leading to extreme weather events across the globe.
A devastating report details a 'monumental' assault on science at the Department of the Interior
Los Angeles Times
Among the up-is-down, night-is-day practices of the Trump administration, one of the most dangerous and disturbing is its habit of turning America’s leading science agencies into hives of anti-science policymaking.
Climate change will bring more strong El Niños. Here's what that means for California
Los Angeles Times
California is no stranger to extreme weather. The last decade has brought crippling droughts and dam-busting deluges. And climate change is only making the situation worse by turning up the heat during the dry season and supercharging storms during the wet season. Now, a new study suggests rising temperatures also will increase the frequency of strong El Niño events, which often bring pummeling rains across the state.
Op-Ed: Let's hold the 2020 presidential candidates accountable on climate change
Los Angeles Times
The idea that we’re about to enter into 23 consecutive months of presidential campaigning is almost literally unbearable. And not just because it means endless dumb takes on Beto vs. Bernie vs. Biden. It’s unbearable because we need the time for other things.
Wall Street Journal
From Paris to Palo Alto, ‘clean and green’ policies punish the poor.
Plastic Water Bottles, Which Enabled a Drinks Boom, Now Threaten a Crisis
Wall Street Journal
Facing a consumer backlash and stricter regulation, companies are trying to do what’s eluded them for years: make a better bottle.
EDITORIAL: Speed kills. So do carbon emissions. So why does California give free rein to leadfoots?
Los Angeles Times
Here’s another reminder that, despite the many pledges and programs to make it easier for people to bike, walk and otherwise get around without driving, California still treats the car as king.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Californians favor universal health care for Newsom agenda
Sacramento Bee
Focus on universal health care and free community college. Forget high-speed rail.
CBCC Foundation for Community Wellness to host 6th annual Cancer Pediatric Christmas celebration
Bakersfield Californian
The CBCC Foundation for Community Wellness will host their 6th annual Cancer Pediatric Christmas celebration and Toy Give-Away on Saturday.
To Prevent Preterm Births, New Program Helps Black Women Be Their Own Advocates
VPR
In Fresno County, around 10 percent of all babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation. That’s higher than the national average, and among the highest of all California counties. For African-Americans, the numbers are even more concerning.
Fentanyl Surpasses Heroin As Drug Most Often Involved In Deadly Overdoses
Capital Public Radio
When fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, infiltrated the drug supply in the U.S. it had an immediate, dramatic effect on the overdose rate.
Human Services:
City Council gives Homeless Center $200,000 to prevent loss of services
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council has agreed to help fix a funding shortage at the Bakersfield Homeless Center. The council voted to give the Homeless Center $200,000 the center said it needed to continue to provide services for which there has been a dramatic increase in demand over the last three years.
The Obamacare Mandate Is Ending. If California Does Nothing, 1 Million Could Lose Health Care
KQED
On a scramble to keep people enrolled in health care plans, what did New Jersey, Vermont and the District of Columbia do earlier this year that California has not done?
Trump, fetal tissue and California’s stem cell agency
Capitol Weekly
The California stem cell agency says the Trump administration’s moves against research involving fetal tissue have had no impact on the projects that it is financing, at least so far.
See also:
● Fetal Tissue Research Is Curtailed by Trump Administration New York Times
Is California Failing Its Most Vulnerable Adults?
FiveThirtyEight
Thousands of allegations of abuse and neglect have been made against the programs that care for people with developmental disabilities.
‘Means-tested’ welfare means nothing in practice
AEI
States have little interest in verifying eligibility for programs paid for with federal dollars, so the federal government must intervene to restore some integrity to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.
IMMIGRATION
Trump administration rethinks new immigrant detention centers in California
Fresno Bee
The Trump administration told Sen. Dianne Feinstein they are no longer considering building more detention centers in California to house unaccompanied migrant children.
The cruelty of Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule puts Californians ‘in the crosshairs’
Los Angeles Times
The unexampled malevolence of the Trump administration toward immigrants and the nation’s neediest residents has hardly been a secret. But nothing lays it out more forcibly than its proposal to tighten the “public charge” rule, which applies to those seeking admission to the United States or hoping to upgrade their immigration status.
Jerry Brown says there’s “no massive wave of migrants pouring into California.” Is he right?
Politifact
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown recently agreed to President Donald Trump’s request to deploy California National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, though with several caveats.
Will a border wall stop drugs from coming into the United States?
Politifact
President Donald Trump claims his promised border wall with Mexico will stop drugs from coming into the United States and help solve the nation’s drug epidemic.
See also:
● Testimony: Mexico’s ‘narco’ crisis AEI
VP Mike Pence says government nabbing 7 terrorists or suspected terrorists a day on southern border
Politifact
Vice President Mike Pence says terrorists are getting caught at the U.S.-Mexico border day after day.
Los Angeles Times
Once again Congress and the president are flirting with a government shutdown, with funding set to run out for about half of the federal bureaucracy a mere four days before Christmas. This time the hang-up is President Trump’s demand for billions of dollars for the bigger, longer wall that he has promised to build along the nation’s southern border.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Business is growing, but low vacancy rates remain an issue in Madera County
abc30
From new business to new housing. Business is booming in Madera County so much so that economic leaders say they're in need of more space. More businesses are coming to Madera County to open their doors, leading to the county's low industrial vacancy rate.
3 ways to pay for new investments in US infrastructure and end partisan gridlock
Brookings
Aaron Klein explains why the three options for securing government funding for a U.S. infrastructure overhaul—raising revenue, borrowing, or accounting gimmicks—are full of political roadblocks that are likely to thwart the Trump administration’s call for $1 trillion in new investments.
Housing:
Modesto approves response to homeless crisis; some warn about threat to Tuolumne River
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council on Tuesday night approved a resolution to declare a shelter crisis, which will bring in state funding to tackle the homeless problem. The city also decided to join a Stanislaus County partnership to contract a nonprofit that offers homeless people work training and jobs.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: Keeping the homeless dry must be highest priority for Modesto, Stanislaus County Modesto Bee
Analysis of Plan to Significantly Reduce Homelessness in the City of Fresno, and County of Fresno
County of Fresno Board of Supervisors District 3
A historical look and analysis of homelessness in the Fresno metropolitan and rural areas in order to use a logical and common sense approach to aligning existing services for population reduction management.
Housing crisis? No, it’s job dumping
San Francisco Chronicle
Hiding behind the public narrative of “housing crisis” lies an ongoing pattern of corporations dumping their costs on others.
Bay Area leaders propose aggressive housing fix, and new agency to get it done
San Francisco Chronicle
A panel of officials and developers has an aggressive plan to stanch the housing crisis, by combining a rent cap, laws against evictions and loose zoning near transit centers.
Go local on housing, forget the surplus: Advice for the new governor from economists
CALmatters
When Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom is sworn in on Jan. 7, he will inherit record economic prosperity. California has a projected $15 billion budget surplus and a 4.1 percent unemployment rate. But we also are in the second-longest economic expansion in state history, so no one is expecting the party to last.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California wants to tax your text messages
abc30
Soon, Californians may have to think twice before texting. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is set to vote next month on a proposal to add on a surcharge for text messages.
See Also:
● California mulls texting fee to help poor people get phones Sacramento Bee
● FCC decision deals blow to California text-tax plan San Jose Mercury
● California mulls texting fee to help poor people get phones AP
● California Wants to Tax Your Text Messages. Here's Why Fortune
Tulare County seniors aren't impressed by Social Security increases
Visalia Times Delta
Tulare County seniors struggle to afford penny bingo. That may not change, despite a Social Security cost-of-living boost in January.
Pension benefits hinge on state Supreme Court case
CALmatters
California’s public employee unions suffered a potentially heavy blow this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that they could not charge “fair share fees” to non-members.
Who’s More Likely to Be Audited: A Person Making $20,000 — or $400,000?
Pro Publica
If you claim the earned income tax credit, whose average recipient makes less than $20,000 a year, you’re more likely to face IRS scrutiny than someone making twenty times as much. How a benefit for the working poor was turned against them.
TRANSPORTATION
Representatives needed to serve on the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council
Hanford Sentinel
Terri King, Executive Director of the Kings County Association of Governments (KCAG), announced that KCAG is actively recruiting representatives for the Social Services Transportation Development Act (SSTAC) to review and comment on the transit needs of the elderly, disabled, and persons of limited means with the county during the annual process for allocating funds.
Scooters appear to be here to stay, and more may be on the way
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield city officials are poised to work with Bird, a scooter share company that deployed 200 scooters on city streets late last week, and are already in talks with a second company that wants to start scooter service here as well.
WATER
California shifts water from farms, cities to fish. But a Jerry Brown compromise plan isn’t dead
Modesto Bee
Despite an epic last-minute compromise brokered by Gov. Jerry Brown, state water regulators voted Wednesday to reallocate billions of gallons of San Joaquin River water from farms and cities to revive struggling fish populations.
See Also:
● State board approves controversial river flows. What’s the next step for MID, TID? Modesto Bee
● What farmers think about plan to divert more San Joaquin River water Modesto Bee
● State water board demands more water for fish Los Angeles Times
● California water officials offer $1.7 billion river settlement Sacramento Bee
● California’s water needs: A balancing act sought by Feinstein, Brown San Francisco Chronicle
● Press Release: Agreement Between U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water Resources Supported by Public Water Agencies San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority
Supervisors vote to withdraw from Kern Groundwater Authority
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to withdraw from the Kern Groundwater Authority at Tuesday’s meeting, altering water management in certain areas of the county.
Trump EPA Proposes Major Rollback Of Federal Water Protections
Capital Public Radio
The Trump administration wants to substantially limit which waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act. Farmers and developers have long lobbied against the current rule as too expansive.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: Some of California’s most stunning natural wonders are on the brink of oblivion Los Angeles Times
Brown's Delta Tunnels now are Newsom's
CALmatters
Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will inherit what two prior administrations failed to finish: an ambitious, $20 billion plan to bore twin tunnels from the Sacramento River 30 miles south to the massive pumps near Tracy.
See also:
● To save SF Bay and its dying Delta, state aims to re-plumb California CALmatters
“Xtra”
Fishing is back at Mooney Grove, feds look to loosen restrictions on limits
Visalia Times Delta
Fishing enthusiasts can try their skills at Mooney Grove Park thanks to a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Valley Children's George the Giraffe hits bookshelves in new series
Visalia Times Delta
Valley Children's beloved mascot will soon be seen on bookshelves and in the hands of children across the Central Valley. Valley Children's Hospitalannounced this week that two books about George the Giraffe will soon be on sale at local stores.
Get in on all the holiday fun this weekend
Bakersfield Californian
If you're not busy shopping, headed to Christmas parties or school pageants, you might be seeking some other form of holiday fun. Here are highlights this week.
Holiday Hounds gives shelter dogs a foster home for the holidays
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County Animal Services recently announced the start of a new foster program called Holiday Hounds. Through it, people can foster a ready-for-adoption dog for a few days.
Give Santa a break: Do your research before shipping holiday gifts
Bakersfield Californian
Visit the U.S. Postal Service's mail and parcel sorting facility on Pegasus Drive and you might wonder why the sorting machines, fork lifts and conveyor belts aren't managed by elves.