TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
Fresno starts process to change laws for medical marijuana
The Fresno Bee
Medical marijuana dispensaries and other portions of the medicinal cannabis supply chain could be legal in Fresno as the result of a unanimous vote Thursday by the City Council.
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council voted late Tuesday night to allow as many as 10 marijuana dispensaries in the city. None of the retail cannabis stores will emerge in the downtown area. The vote shortly after 11 p.m. was 6-1, with Councilman Doug Ridenour opposed. Josh Bridegroom, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Downtown Modesto Partnership, said it’s not known whether legal marijuana stores will create problems. He said the partnership wants to maintain a positive atmosphere for promoting residential projects downtown.
Controversial plan to allow public access to San Joaquin River Parkway wins approval
On an eight to six vote the members of the San Joaquin River Conservancy, voted to approve what was known as Access Point 5B, at Palm and Nees. It is the route preferred by a group of residents who live on the bluffs overlooking the River. “I see this as a win for the residents of Fresno, we want to make this happen we are totally committed to making this happen,” said Pete Weber. Supporters of the other proposed access point, known as Alternative 1, at Riverview Drive, disagreed.
Caltrans says construction on Highway 99 not only for High Speed Rail
It was another busy morning commute in Fresno with people heading off to work. For the last couple years, Caltrans has been working to realign Highway 99, making space for the High-Speed Rail. “If it’s going to improve our community. It would be better,” said Najib Omar, a taxi driver. For Omar one section of the 99 is a nightmare– he has been a taxi driver for the last six months. Driving a section of road on the 99 under construction almost every day.
Clovis Unified earns clean audit for fourth consecutive year
Clovis Roundup
For the fourth year in a row, Clovis Unified’s financial audit report has come back clean.
Asm. Jim Patterson misleads with claim Jerry Brown has axed funds for California’s dying trees
PolitiFact California
Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno recently claimed Gov. Jerry Brown has slashed nearly all the money in the state’s budget to help local governments remove dead and dying trees in California’s forests. More than 100 million trees have died in the forests due to drought and bark beetle infestations since 2010. The tree mortality crisis led Brown, a Democrat, to declare a state of emergency in October 2015. “The Governor’s updated budget released on (May 11, 2017) cuts funds for local tree mortality efforts from $52.7 million to just $2 million,” Patterson said in a press release on May 22, 2017.
See also:
· Bark beetle, drought have killed 129 million trees. Yet foresters have hopeFresno Bee
State Politics:
Covered California extends open enrollment deadline to Dec. 22
Vida en el Valle
Covered California is giving consumers one more week to sign up for health coverage that will begin on Jan. 1, 2018. According to Covered California officials, over the past three days, Covered California has seen more than 38,000 new consumers sign up for coverage, which means that as of Dec. 13 more than 182,000 new consumers have signed up for coverage since open enrollment began. Consumers now have until the end of Dec. 22 to sign up for coverage that will begin on Jan. 1.
See also:
· Californians Can Apply Now for Health Insurance Covered California
· Consumers get another week for Covered California enrollment that starts Jan. 1 Modesto Bee
California lawmakers propose health coverage for immigrants
Abcnews
California, flush with cash from an expanding economy, would eventually spend $1 billion a year to provide health care to immigrants living in the state illegally under a proposal announced Wednesday by Democratic lawmakers. The proposal would eliminate legal residency requirements in California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, as the state has already done for young people up to age 19. It’s part of $4.3 billion in new spending proposed by Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who leads the budget committee. Assembly Democrats also want to expand a tax credit for the working poor, boost preschool and child care, and increase college scholarships to reduce reliance on student loans.
California state senator pledges to bring back net neutrality rules just as FCC votes to repeal them
Los Angeles Times
Moments after the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to roll back net neutrality regulations, a state senator pledged to introduce legislation that would preserve open internet protections for consumers in California. “Net neutrality is essential to our 21st century democracy, and we need to be sure that people can access websites and information freely and fairly,” Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. “If the FCC is going to destroy net neutrality and create a system that favors certain websites just because they can pay more money, California must step in and ensure open internet access.”
Three more women accuse California assemblyman of sexual misconduct
Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles woman has filed a police report alleging Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh had sex with her without consent four years ago, adding new allegations of sexual misconduct to those that led the politician to announce his resignation last week. He says her claims are false. Nancy Miret, 26, told The Times that when she was 22 and a recent college graduate, she spent time with Dababneh over two months in late 2013, primarily at his Encino apartment.
See also:
· De Leon asks Mendoza to take leave of absence Sacramento Bee
· More than $600K paid out in settlements involving California senators for bad behavior KCRA Sacramento
· Outside Law Firms To Investigate Harassment Claims Against California Lawmakers CBS Sacramento
· California senators ramp up work against sexual harassment KRCRTV.COM
John Cox’s False claim that Californians pay the ‘highest electricity bills’ in the nation
PolitiFact California
Californians pay a premium to live in the Golden State. Our housing costs are astronomical, gas prices are the highest in the nation and many state taxes are at or near the top. In a recent interview on Capital Public Radio, Republican candidate for governor John Cox said he wants to reduce the financial strain on Californians. “The state has been rendered unaffordable by the politicians in Sacramento. It’s got the worst business climate in the nation. We’re a laughing stock. And I want to change that,” Cox, a San Diego businessman, said in the interview conducted Oct. 21, 2017.
See also:
· CA should elect 12,000 people to end corruption, John Cox says Sacramento Bee
Travis Allen’s Mostly False claim on the California gas tax
PolitiFact California
Top Republicans in California have strongly opposed the state’s gas tax increase, saying it’s a costly burden on drivers. Orange County Assemblyman Travis Allen is a GOP candidate for governor and a leading critic of the 12 cent per gallon tax hike. He claimed in a June 15, 2017 article on the Repeal the Gas Tax campaign website that the increase does nothing to solve California’s notorious traffic woes
LA Times
If there’s a clear mantra for Consumer Watchdog, one of California’s most visible and vocal advocacy groups, it’s that hidden financial relationships shouldn’t shape politics and public policy.
California regulators sign off on the state’s ambitious 2030 climate change plan
Los Angeles Times
California climate regulators on Thursday approved a detailed plan for the state to meet its 2030 carbon reduction goals. The effort, known formally as the “scoping plan,” details the state’s strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels over the next 13 years as a way to fight climate change. Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, called the plan “a visionary look at the longer term and deeper kinds of transformations that we’ll need to stabilize our climate.”
California Is One Step Closer to Recreational Pot Sales
Time
California on Thursday issued its first batch of business licenses for the state’s upcoming legal marijuana market, setting the stage for sales to begin in January.The first temporary license was awarded to Pure CA, which does business as Moxie brand products, a company known for its cannabis extracts. “I couldn’t be more excited,” said Moxie CEO Jordan Lams, who credited “a lot of the stars aligning” for being awarded the first distributor license for recreational pot.
See also:
· San Jose, Santa Cruz cannabis businesses earn state’s first pot licenses The Cannifornian
Federal Politics:
Net neutrality: FCC votes to repeal internet regulations
Fresno Bee
The Federal Communications Commission has voted on party lines to undo sweeping Obama-era “net neutrality” rules that guaranteed equal access to internet. The agency’s Democratic commissioners dissented in the 3-2 vote Thursday. The FCC’s new rules could usher in big changes in how Americans use the internet. The agency got rid of rules that barred companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from playing favorites with internet apps and sites.
See also:
· Central Valley congressman calls it “a dangerous path backwards” Central Valley Business Times
· F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules New York Times
·
· The FCC’s net neutrality rules are gone. Now this is what could happen to the Web Washington Post
· A goal realized: Network lobbyists’ sweeping capture of their regulatorBrookings
· Opponents of FCC ruling on internet vow to take battle to courts Fresno Bee
· Net neutrality: Fight to restore rules already underway after FCC vote The Mercury News
· Teachers And Educators Weigh In On Net Neutrality : NPR Ed NPR
· This may be the end of the internet as we know it — and that’s OK AEI
· There Are Lots of Good Reasons to Kill Net Neutrality; Also, to Keep It The Weekly Standard
Partial preservation of income tax deductions softens blow to Californians
CALmatters
Some Californians are breathing a sigh of relief now that House and Senate Republicans have agreed to a partial preservation of state and local income taxes, but a lot of taxpayers will still be unhappy. The GOP’s tax agreement announced Wednesday, although not finalized, would allow Californians filing federal taxes to deduct up to $10,000 for state and local income taxes and property taxescombined. Previous versions that emerged out of both the House and Senate had sought to repeal the deduction except for a $10,000 cap on property tax deductions.
See also:
· Congressional Republican Tax Deal Changes Key Deduction For Californianscapradio.org
· Tweaks to tax plan would help some Californians as bill heads for a vote San Francisco Chronicle
· Voters in California GOP districts may get calls asking them to thank their member of Congress for tax plan Los Angeles Times
· Could Federal Tax Change Prompt a Move Against Prop 13? Fox&Hounds
· Republicans Prepare for Final Rollout of Tax Bill The New York Times
· What Trump’s tax plan means for people at every income level Business Insider
· GOP tax deal expected to preserve medical expense deduction 89.3 KPCC
· How the new tax bill encourages tax avoidance Brookings
· Michael Bloomberg: This Tax Bill Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder Bloomberg
· Who will reap the wealth of the GOP corporate tax cut? PBS NewsHour
· Who would pay for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act? Brookings
Kamala Harris says Trump should resign
POLITICO
Kamala Harris on Thursday called for President Donald Trump to resign over accusations of sexual harassment and assault, becoming the seventh senator to publicly call for Trump’s resignation.
Other:
Thinking About Guns, Five Years After Newtown
The New Yorker
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives observed the fifth anniversary of the child massacre through gun violence, in Newtown, Connecticut, by passing a bill enabling more gun violence. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which passed on December 6th, still has to get through the Senate, but it would essentially make “concealed carry” laws uniform across the country—so that someone who has the right to walk around with a gun under his coat in Florida could do so in other places, like, say, New York City, where packing under your coat is less widely praised.
The Weekly Standard
In the game of electoral addition, Republicans find themselves calculating a doubtful future in California. A dizzying carousel of unfavorable statistics reminds the national party that the Golden State, once reliably red, is now hostile political territory. Decades of changing demographics, shifting ideological preferences, and evolving economic and cultural trends have led to sobering figures.
Topics in More Detail…
EDITORIALS
Republican tax deal is a monstrosity
Fresno Bee
The compromise between House and Senate bills is on the fast track. It’s a big hit on California taxpayers and unfair to the middle class.
What Jerry Brown must get done before he retires to that ranch up in Colusa County
Sacramento Bee
As Gov. Jerry Brown completes a remarkable 15th year in California’s highest office, his standing has never been higher, nationally and internationally.
Sierra Star
At this time of year I think that most of us spend time remembering events and people whom we have known during our lives. We remember experiences and we look back on our success and also on our failures. The title song from the movie, The Way We Were includes the line, “What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget…” does express a sentiment that many share..
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Cannabis as medicine: Fresno council opens door to allowing medical pot operations
Fresno Bee
Medical marijuana dispensaries and other portions of the medicinal cannabis supply chain could be legal in Fresno as the result of a unanimous vote Thursday by the City Council.
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council voted late Tuesday night to allow as many as 10 marijuana dispensaries in the city. None of the retail cannabis stores will emerge in the downtown area. The vote shortly after 11 p.m. was 6-1, with Councilman Doug Ridenour opposed. Josh Bridegroom, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Downtown Modesto Partnership, said it’s not known whether legal marijuana stores will create problems. He said the partnership wants to maintain a positive atmosphere for promoting residential projects downtown.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California police busted a multimillion-dollar weed ‘fortress’
Business Insider
Police in Southern California raided a weed “fortress” on Wednesday, seizing 35,000 marijuana plants and shutting down an operation they believe was bringing in millions of dollars a month.
Opinion: State licensing boards block inmate re-entry opportunities
The Mercury News
Jonathan, a young man in his early 30s, recently got a part-time teaching position at a Bay Area after-school program. It was a great fit, and when a full-time job opened up, the school offered it to him. What neither he nor the school realized, however, was that a six-year-old conviction for a minor marijuana-related offense would make it impossible for him to gain the required certification for the job. Despite his training, proven qualifications and support from the school, his application for certification was denied.
Public Safety:
ShotSpotter system could soon come to Bakersfield
Kern Golden Empire
It’s called ShotSpotter: A system of dozens of sensors that can immediately tell police exactly where gunshots are coming from.
New California mental health roadmap recommends alternate routes away from incarceration
CAFWD
A new strategy of alternatives to incarcerating Californians with mental health needs has been released as part of the work to help counties develop more effective criminal justice systems. After an 18-month review, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) this month released“Together We Can: Reducing Criminal Justice Involvement for People with Mental Illness,” a roadmap to address this complex and growing issue in California.
Fire:
The way Congress funds firefighting is a disaster California lawmakers should fix
Sacramento Bee
California continues to experience the worst wildfires in its history, with tragic loss of life and devastation to communities, a disaster for our state by any definition.
In California’s wildfires, a looming threat to climate goals
CALmatters
Beyond the devastation and personal tragedy of the fires that have ravaged California in recent months, another disaster looms: an alarming uptick in unhealthy air and the sudden release of the carbon dioxide that drives climate change. As millions of acres burn in a cycle of longer and more intense fire seasons, the extensive efforts of industry and regulators to protect the environment can be partly undone in one firestorm. In particular, as raging blazes pump more carbon into the atmosphere, state officials are grappling with the potential effect on California’s ability to adequately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
See also:
· California will set more fires to try to stop wildfires AP
ECONOMY / JOBS
News flash! U.S. economy already looks strong
CNN
Does America really need another tax cut to boost the economy? President Trump and many Republicans in Congress think so. But if you look at the latest economic data, it looks like consumers are doing just fine. Retail sales rose 0.8% in November, much better than expected. Average Americans clearly weren’t holding off on their holiday shopping to see what happened with the tax bill. And the latest jobless claims numbers showed a surprise drop in the number of people filing for unemployment benefits last week. The weekly jobless claims figure fell to 225,000 — not far from the 44-year low of 222,000 reported in October.
California Already Has a Basic Income Policy – It’s Called the EITC and It Should Be Expanded
California Budget & Policy Center
What do people who are struggling to make ends meet need most? The obvious answer: cash. While that answer is both intuitive and a long-held tenet of the anti-poverty community, heightened concern about rising levels of income and wealth inequality, and about the changing nature of work (automation, more prevalent use of independent contractors, etc.), is leading to increased interest in a “universal basic income” policy, or UBI.
CalChamber Elects 2018 Board Officers
California Chamber of Commerce
The California Chamber of Commerce today announced the election of its new board officers, including Terry MacRae as 2018 chair of the CalChamber Board of Directors. MacRae is chief executive officer, president and founder of Hornblower Cruises & Events. Serving with MacRae as 2018 officers of the CalChamber Board are: First Vice Chair: Grace Evans Cherashore, executive chairwoman for Evans Hotels; Second Vice Chair: Mark Jansen, president and chief executive officer of Blue Diamond Growers; and Third Vice Chair: Donna Lucas, chief executive officer and president, Lucas Public Affairs.
EDUCATION
K-12:
How charter schools are prolonging segregation
Brookings
Charter schools didn’t create segregation, but the charter school movement isn’t helping to end it either. When Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must never adjust ourselves to racial segregation,” he wasn’t suggesting that black kids need white kids and teachers in the classroom with them to learn. King was acutely aware that segregation sustains racial inequality in schools and other institutions. Education reform without an explicit attempt to dismantle the sources of inequality isn’t a moon shot toward justice; it is simply a maladjustment to injustice.
Lessons Learned in School Reform
American Federation of Teachers
Having spent a lot of time with reformers over the past 25 years, I can confidently report that most will privately concede that much didn’t work out as hoped or as they’d anticipated.
Higher Ed:
Students get inspired at winter college prep workshop
Hanford Sentinel
On Sunday, 20 students, several parents and even a few interested Hanford residents attended Inspire California’s winter college workshop.
Bricks and Mortarboards: Capital Investment in Colleges
Public Policy Institute of California
PPIC has documented California’s need to increase the number of resident college graduates to meet the economy’s future needs. While the state’s public higher education systems are taking steps to increase the number of students who complete their degrees in a timely manner, these improvements alone will not fill the gap. At some point, the UC and CSU systems will have to expand their capacity, and such an expansion is likely to require long-term capital investment in buildings, technology, and campus infrastructure.
See also:
· California’s public colleges and universities face massive construction costs EdSource
Freshman applicants to UC soar to a new record, with UCLA again leading the way
Los Angeles Times
UCLA has shattered its own record as the nation’s most popular college choice for high school seniors, attracting more than 113,000 freshman applications for fall 2018, according to preliminary data released Thursday. Applications to the Westwood campus soared among California high school students and across all racial and ethnic groups. UCLA again led the University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses, which collectively received more than 181,000 freshman applications — a 5.7% increase over last year
California sues Trump administration on behalf of students seeking debt relief
EdSource
California is suing the Trump administration for what it says is the U.S. Department of Education’s refusal to provide debt relief to more than 13,000 students that courts have found were defrauded by the since-shuttered for-profit Corinthian Colleges.
Betsy DeVos hit with two lawsuits in one day over backlog of student debt relief claims
Washington Post
On Thursday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued DeVos and the department for failing to process more than 50,000 debt relief claims submitted by former Corinthian Colleges students.
Bryan Caplan: The Case against Education
National Review
Having a college degree doesn’t exactly prove intelligence. A survey from 2003 showed that more than two-thirds of college graduates failed to demonstrate proficiency in a very basic test of literacy. “The ignorance it revealed is mind-numbing,” writes Caplan, who after many years of teaching at a respected university has this to say about students in general: “The vast majority are philistines.” Caplan isn’t interested in teaching students how to pass his tests; he wants them to pass life. He wants them to learn how to think, to see the broader implications of specific examples. They don’t. “In a good class, four test-takers out of 40 demonstrate true economic understanding,” he writes.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
‘Cap and invest’ proposal short on specifics
Capital Press
A recent presentation to the Oregon Board of Agriculture on a new “cap and invest” effort under study by Democratic leaders in the Oregon Legislature and Gov. Kate Brown’s administration provided more questions than answers.
“Governor Brown wants to decarbonize the Oregon economy,” said Kristen Sheeran, carbon policy adviser for the governor.
In California’s wildfires, a looming threat to climate goals
CALmatters
Beyond the devastation and personal tragedy of the fires that have ravaged California in recent months, another disaster looms: an alarming uptick in unhealthy air and the sudden release of the carbon dioxide that drives climate change.
California regulators sign off on the state’s ambitious 2030 climate change plan
Los Angeles Times
California climate regulators on Thursday approved a detailed plan for the state to meet its 2030 carbon reduction goals. The effort, known formally as the “scoping plan,” details the state’s strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels over the next 13 years as a way to fight climate change.
That Ear-Splitting Leaf Blower? It Also Emits More Pollution Than a Car
WSJ
Once autumn leaves are down, landscapers with leaf blowers strapped to their backs pour into America’s neighborhoods like hornets from a hive. Which raises an interesting question: How much pollution does a leaf blower emit?
Bark beetle, drought have killed 129 million trees. Yet foresters have hope
Fresno Bee
The number of trees killed by bark beetles and severe drought in California reached a new high in the latest count, but foresters say a few more wet and cold winters like last year’s would make a big difference toward restoring forest health.
Trump Says His Regulatory Rollback Already Is the ‘Most Far-Reaching’ –
The New York Times
President Trump said on Thursday that his administration was answering “a call to action” by rolling back regulations on environmental protections, health care, financial services and other industries as he made a push to showcase his accomplishments near the end of his first year in office.
Energy:
Do Californians pay the ‘highest electricity bills’ in the nation?
PolitiFact California
Californians pay a premium to live in the Golden State. Our housing costs are astronomical, gas prices are the highest in the nation and many state taxes are at or near the top. In a recent interview on Capital Public Radio, Republican candidate for governor John Cox said he wants to reduce the financial strain on Californians. “The state has been rendered unaffordable by the politicians in Sacramento. It’s got the worst business climate in the nation. We’re a laughing stock. And I want to change that,” Cox, a San Diego businessman, said in the interview conducted Oct. 21, 2017.
Why Wall Street gets a cut of your power bill
Los Angeles Times
Eric Hildebrandt first raised the red flag in an annual report written in 2015 for his bosses overseeing California’s electricity market. He raised the same issue in a 2016 report. And he is raising it again in a recently released 2017 report. The warning to the California Independent System Operator: Trading by speculators and other investors in an obscure financial instrument pegged to electricity transmission is costing the state’s electricity customers an average of $76 million a year, contributing to higher rates. From 2009 to 2017, Hildebrandt reported to the state, California ratepayers lost almost $700 million, and the tab keeps growing.
Community Choice Aggregation and the Future of Electric Vehicles
PublicCEO
Per a study by ChargePoint, Inc., there were 540,000 electric vehicles on the road in the United States in November 2016. A study by Navigant reports that 2017 electric vehicle sales are on track to increase by 50 percent this year.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Human Services:
White death rate increasing in California
Fresno Bee
Suicides, alcohol poisoning – and drug overdoses fueled in part by the opioid crisis – are the leading causes of rising death rates among white people in California, according to a new study that found the trend is widespread in rural areas of the state. Generally, death rates for people of color remain higher than for whites, but the study released by The California Endowment said death rates have been decreasing among blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders in California and are increasing for whites.
Covered California extends open enrollment deadline to Dec. 22
Vida en el Valle
Covered California is giving consumers one more week to sign up for health coverage that will begin on Jan. 1, 2018. According to Covered California officials, over the past three days, Covered California has seen more than 38,000 new consumers sign up for coverage, which means that as of Dec. 13 more than 182,000 new consumers have signed up for coverage since open enrollment began. Consumers now have until the end of Dec. 22 to sign up for coverage that will begin on Jan. 1.
See also:
· Californians Can Apply Now for Health Insurance Covered California
If California wants to go all in on universal health care, Vermont’s former governor is here to help
Sacramento Bee
As Republicans in Congress continue their efforts to undo Obamacare, California is going in the opposite direction.
Stop trying to force nuns to provide birth control, California. Not all women approve
Sacramento Bee
I am a woman who stands in solidarity with the Little Sisters of the Poor. Last Tuesday, other women, members of the women’s advocacy group Women Speak For Themselves, gathered before federal district court to tell California Attorney General Xavier Becerra one thing: Leave the Little Sisters alone.
Health:
Central Coast Farmworkers Worked Through Thomas Fire Without Health Protections
KQED
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from the Thomas Fire burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. But workers in the area’s agricultural fields stayed on the job, breathing in smoke and ash as they picked strawberry and celery crops.
Health risks to farmworkers increase as workforce ages
Los Angeles Times
That bag of frozen cauliflower sitting inside your freezer likely sprang to life in a vast field north of Salinas, Calif. A crew of men and women here use a machine to drop seedlings into the black soil. Another group follows behind, stooped over, tapping each new plant.
Cannabis as medicine: Fresno council opens door to allowing medical pot operations
Fresno Bee
Medical marijuana dispensaries and other portions of the medicinal cannabis supply chain could be legal in Fresno as the result of a unanimous vote Thursday by the City Council.
IMMIGRATION
California’s new ‘sanctuary’ law will aid some immigrants, but not all
CALmatters
One of the most controversial issues in Sacramento this year has been widely referred to as the “sanctuary state” law, which will take effect Jan. 1. It is intended to protect law-abiding immigrants from being set on a path to deportation after interactions with local police. But in immigrant communities and elsewhere, there is confusion about how the law will work and exactly what protection it provides. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure, named the California Values Act, into law after negotiations made it more palatable to law enforcers, who had protested it initially.
California lawmakers propose health coverage for immigrants
ABCnews
California, flush with cash from an expanding economy, would eventually spend $1 billion a year to provide health care to immigrants living in the state illegally under a proposal announced Wednesday by Democratic lawmakers.
Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer face pressure to protect ‘Dreamers’
Sacramento Bee
Immigration advocates have a message for Democratic leaders of the House and Senate: Don’t give up on “Dreamers.”
Trump will stop spouses of H-1B visa holders from working
CNN
The Trump administration plans to make it illegal for the spouses of thousands of immigrant workers to get jobs in the U.S. Since 2015, the spouses of H-1B visa holders waiting for green cards have been eligible to work in the U.S. on H-4 dependent visas, thanks to a rule introduced by President Obama.
White House aims to sway opinion on immigration overhaul
Associated Press
The White House is embarking on a major campaign to turn public opinion against the nation’s largely family-based immigration system ahead of an all-out push next year to move toward a more merit-based structure.
Federal Investigation Finds ‘Significant Issues’ At Immigrant Detention Centers
NPR
Immigrants detained at four large centers used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are subject to inhumane treatment, given insufficient hygiene supplies and medical care, and provided potentially unsafe food, according to a federal report.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Bakersfield City Council OKs crosswalk as part of 24th Street widening project
Bakersfield Now
The Bakersfield City Council on Wednesday night approved adding a crosswalk as part of the 24th Street widening project.
Housing:
Commentary: Housing Shortage Biggest Threat to California’s Growth
PublicCEO
The overall California economy is humming along quite nicely, and even though we may be overdue for a turn in the business cycle, there are few indications of the threats to economic growth that usually precede a downturn. Parts of the Bay Area and Southern California are beyond full employment, which means some California regions are creating more jobs than the labor force can support. This situation points to an inevitable threat to growth, which will be the inability to recruit a skilled labor force for the jobs being created. And the ability to maintain a skilled workforce is hamstrung by California’s housing shortage.
See also:
· Housing crunch hits new extreme: even big-spenders can’t find homes San Jose Mercury
PUBLIC FINANCES
For articles on Federal Tax Reform, See: “Top Stories – Federal,” above.
Why Wall Street gets a cut of your power bill
Los Angeles Times
Eric Hildebrandt first raised the red flag in an annual report written in 2015 for his bosses overseeing California’s electricity market. He raised the same issue in a 2016 report. And he is raising it again in a recently released 2017 report.
TRANSPORTATION
Would you agree to a sales tax increase for transportation? Council wants to know
The Bakersfield Californian
Might Bakersfield voters agree to a sales tax increase to help the city close a gaping deficit? Members of the Bakersfield City Council decided to answer that question with a $54,750 voter survey, but not before the proposed expenditure sparked some tense exchanges at Wednesday’s meeting.
Caltrans says construction on Highway 99 not only for High Speed Rail
It was another busy morning commute in Fresno with people heading off to work. For the last couple years, Caltrans has been working to realign Highway 99, making space for the High-Speed Rail. “If it’s going to improve our community. It would be better,” said Najib Omar, a taxi driver. For Omar one section of the 99 is a nightmare– he has been a taxi driver for the last six months. Driving a section of road on the 99 under construction almost every day.
You’re paying for America’s smoothest roads. Can you tell?
Sacramento Bee
Every time you pay more at California’s gas pumps to fill your tank, you’re feeling the price to fix the state’s roads. But are you feeling the improvement?
Smart transportation technology promises to lower the costs of traffic
Brookings
Around the world, motor vehicle traffic exacts a large toll in lost productivity from time spent commuting, degraded air quality, and human lives lost to accidents. However, the magnitude of these losses creates an enormous opportunity for emerging technologies to improve the speed, safety, and comfort of transportation.
WATER
Kings agencies slam one storage project and hail another
Hanford Sentinel
Kings River water agencies, local leaders, Valley counties and area farmers all slammed Semitropic Water Storage District’s plan to divert Kings River water this week at a key hearing in front of the California Water Commission. An overwhelming majority of comment letters strongly opposed funding the project while the much larger Temperance Flat reservoir, competing for the same pot of money, got strong support.
Is California heading back into a drought?
San Jose Mercury News
While experts say it’s still too early in the winter rainy season to say for sure, the evidence is accumulating, and the rain is definitely not
Oroville Dam claims rejected by state of California
Sacramento Bee
The near-disaster at Oroville Dam last February brought damage claims flooding into the state by the hundreds – shops and restaurants that lost business, farms that got overwhelmed by surges in water, cities and counties buried in evacuation expenses. Most claims argue that the state is responsible for the emergency because it ignored warning signs about the condition of the dam’s spillway. So far the state hasn’t paid a single claim.
“Xtra”
Bringing light to women in Tulare County history
More often hidden, even forgotten. One Visalia historian decided to bring light to the influential women in Tulare County history.
Take me home! Animals available for adoption
Bakersfield Californian
These four animals at Kern County Animal Services are looking for their forever homes. Can you help? Kern County Animal Services 3951 Fruitvale Ave., 868-7100, Facebook.com/
Clovis Rodeo Association donates over $8,000 to Valley Children’s
Clovis Roundup
Clovis Rodeo Association committee members delivered a donation of over $8,000 to Valley Children’s Hospital Wednesday afternoon to support the hospital’s greatest needs. Proceeds from this donation were gathered through the inaugural Kids, Cowboys and Clays event, a fundraising clay shoot tournament hosted by the Clovis Rodeo Association and Valley Children’s Healthcare, one of the largest pediatric healthcare networks in the nation. The event included an auction and dinner for guests at Sun Mountain Gun Club in Coarsegold on Oct. 28.