December 19, 2019

19Dec

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Any path to Democratic victory runs through this part of California (The Valley)

CNN

Later this week, all eyes will be on Los Angeles as the Democrats hold their final primary debate of 2019. They should head instead into inland California, where millions of votes are stake, with dozens of delegates that could prove valuable in a crowded race to the nomination.

See also:

 

Full Funding Restored for Highway 99 Projects in Madera & Tulare

KMJ

Thanks to vocal objections from Valley lawmakers, residents and KMJ listeners, Governor Gavin Newsom and Cal Trans have reversed an earlier decision to pull $17 million in funding for improvement projects on Highway 99 in both Madera and Tulare.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Modesto residents check on progress toward ‘a dynamic, vibrant downtown’

Modesto Bee

About 40 people peered 20 years ahead and saw a downtown Modesto with more housing, more green spaces and greater ease at getting around.

 

Stockton awarded millions to address homeless crisis

Stockton Record

Stockton is one of 13 California cities set to receive millions of dollars in state funding next year to help address its homelessness crisis.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

Rep. Jim Costa: Here’s how I will vote on impeachment of President Trump

Fresno Bee

Based on the facts I’ve learned over the last two months — and after carefully listening to constituents who both strongly support and oppose the president — I will vote for both articles.

 

Rep. Devin Nunes speaks at impeachment debate

Fresno Bee

Representative Devin Nunes spoke at the President Trump impeachment debate on Dec. 18, 2019.

 

Around 25% of Fresno County homes are without internet. What’s happening to fix it?

Fresno Bee

In an era where most people take mobile broadband technology for granted, one out of four Fresno County households lack any internet access whatsoever – not even a smartphone.

 

This firefighter will soon be Visalia’s new fire chief

Visalia Times Delta

After vetting applicants as near as the Central Valley and as far off as Florida, the city of Visalia has selected a new fire chief: Daniel Griswold of Casper, Wyoming.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

Watch Rep. McCarthy’s full remarks on impeachment

CNN

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivers his closing remarks at the House of Representatives debate on articles of impeachment against President Trump.

 

Local politicians' comments on the House of Representatives move to impeach President Trump

Bakersfield Califorinian

Kern County's Washington, D.C. and Sacramento delegations, as well as chairman of the two local political parties, sent the following statements regarding Wednesday's impeachment activity in Washington, D.C.

 

$32 million in sidetracked Hwy. 46 funding has been restored

Bakersfield Califorinian

The much-anticipated widening of the last two-lane stretch of road on Highway 46 between Bakersfield and the Central Coast, threatened by a planned diversion of Caltrans funding, is back on track.

 

Community voices: Former Gov. Schwazenegger misses the mark on Kern’s energy industry

Bakersfield Californian

The Hollywood star seemed to forget that while on national news programs, it is best to stick to actual facts and instead went off-script stating that in Bakersfield there are now more jobs in solar than in oil. Bringing glee to anti-oil activists everywhere but eye-rolls from those of us who know better.

 

Governor Newsom to make Bakersfield visit Thursday

KGET

Governor Gavin Newsom will be in Bakersfield Thursday highlighting services being offered to combat homelessness and building affordable housing in the area and the state, his office said.

 

Candidate’s yard sign contains unexpected message

Visalia Times Delta

Yard signs for Tulare County District 3 Supervisor candidate Brad Maaske have begun popping up around Visalia.

 

State:

 

More Californians are buying health care through the state’s insurance marketplace

Fresno Bee

California’s health insurance marketplace is on track to enroll more people this year than last year, state officials said Wednesday.

 

High out-of-pocket costs contribute to poor access to care and financial hardships for California workers

UC Berkeley Labor Center

In terms of health care affordability, Californians with job-based coverage are most worried about unexpected medical bills (32 percent) and out-of-pocket costs (23 percent), according to a 2018 survey by Kaiser Family Foundation/ California Health Care Foundation.

 

Gov. Newsom announces commission will look into single-payer for California

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom has long touted a single-payer health system, and campaigned on it during his successful gubernatorial run. On Tuesday, he announced a step toward exploring a single-payer financing model and other policies that could get Californians closer to universal health coverage.

See also:

 

Eight new California laws that could affect your life in 2020

Sacramento Bee

From a minimum wage increase to crackdown on vaccine exemptions, a major shake-up of California’s employment laws to a cap on rent hikes, here’s a rundown of some of the laws which could affect your life in the coming year.

See also:

 

Pensions, prisons and extra-long commutes: Our top 2019 California State Worker stories

Sacramento Bee

In March, the state Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that ended a controversial retirement perk for public workers. The benefit, known as “air time,” had let public workers pay to retire early and receive the same pension as if they had worked up to five more years.

 

Skelton: Kids walking to school in the dark? Year-round daylight saving time in California makes no sense

Los Angeles Times

And what’s with this “saving” nonsense? No law can change Earth’s rotation around the sun. We’ll get the same amount of daylight no matter how we set our clocks. The only question is whether we want more at the start of the day or toward the end.

 

Federal:

 

President Donald Trump impeached by US House, 3rd in history

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors.

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California Democrats cast 1 out of 5 votes to impeach Trump. Here’s how they came to power

Fresno Bee

About one of every five votes for the impeachment of President Donald Trump Wednesday came from a California House member.

 

Appeals court rules against individual mandate, but throws lifeline to Obamacare

abc30

A divided federal appeals court on Wednesday threw a lifeline to the ACA, asking a lower court judge to reconsider his decision invalidating the entire law.

See also:

 

Elections 2020:

 

Any path to Democratic victory runs through this part of California (The Valley)

CNN

Later this week, all eyes will be on Los Angeles as the Democrats hold their final primary debate of 2019. They should head instead into inland California, where millions of votes are stake, with dozens of delegates that could prove valuable in a crowded race to the nomination.

See also:

 

How Trump’s impeachment could trip up 2020 Democrats as they sprint towards Iowa

Fresno Bee

Donald Trump is set to become the first president to be impeached and go on to pursue a second term after Wednesday’s vote in the U.S. House.  But the aftermath of the historic congressional rebuke may ultimately bear a bigger impact on the immediate state of the Democratic primary than a general election that’s more than 10 months away.

See also:

 

Trump, at Michigan rally, rails over impeachment vote as it happens

Los Angeles Times

The confluence of congressional and campaign schedules delivered a split-screen moment: a deeply polarizing president, on the ground, responding almost immediately on television to the House impeachment vote, trying to turn his rebuke into a badge of honor and to convince his most ardent supporters that he — and they — are victims of deep injustice.

 

Why the U.S. nuclear weapons policy needs to be discussed in the Democratic debate

Sacramento Bee

The California legislature, city councils in six cities and dozens of groups across the state have endorsed Back from the Brink, a national initiative that calls on the U.S. government to take concrete steps to prevent nuclear war.

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Bloomberg won’t disclose finances until after Iowa caucuses

Fresno Bee

Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won't have to file a mandatory financial disclosure until after Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential contest, under an extension granted by the Federal Election Commission this week.

 

Sanders, Bloomberg test different paths to a California win

AP News

No two Democratic presidential candidates are putting as many resources into the fight for California as Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former New York mayor, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator.

 

EDITORIAL: Joe Biden’s ‘Modest’ Tax Proposal

Wall Street Journal

The best news about Joe Biden’s tax proposals so far is what’s absent. There’s no confiscatory and constitutionally dubious “wealth tax” on personal net worth. No income-tax rate of 70%.

 

Other:

 

Fact Check:  The Whoppers of 2019

PolitiFact

As he has done since entering the political scene in 2015, Donald Trump dominates our list of whoppers of the year. We identified a top 10 of falsehoods and factual distortions from the president, beginning with several impeachment-related topics.

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Facebook will bar posts, ads that spread disinformation about the U.S. census

Washington Post

Facebook will remove posts, photos and other content that mislead people about the U.S. census starting next year, aiming to prevent malicious actors from interfering in a critical, once-in-a-decade process that determines political representation, the social media company announced Thursday.

 

Finland is winning the war on fake news. What it’s learned may be crucial to Western democracy

CNN

The initiative is just one layer of a multi-pronged, cross-sector approach the country is taking to prepare citizens of all ages for the complex digital landscape of today – and tomorrow

 

Denial Is the Final Stage of Genocide, The Armenians Know It Best

Forbes

In 1996, Professor Gregory Stanton proposed a formula that seeks to identify the different elements that ultimately lead to the crime of genocide. Surprisingly, genocide is not the final and ultimate stage of his ten stage formula. Denial of genocide is.

 

ICPSR building portal to streamline researchers’ access to Federal Statistical System microdata

ICPSR

ICPSR is excited to announce a new tool that will simplify how researchers discover and access restricted microdata from principal statistical agencies and units within the Federal Statistical System. The new tool, ResearchDataGov, is a web-based service now available to request a broad range of federal restricted-use data. 

 

Spanish-Language Broadcaster, Buyout Firm Express Interest in Buying Univision

Wall Street Journal

Several firms have expressed interest in acquiring Univision Communications Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, a deal that would give the Spanish-language broadcaster’s private-equity owners a long-sought exit.

 

After 161 Years, An Era Of Local News Ends In Martinez

KQED

The Martinez News-Gazette’s more recent legacy doesn't involve national headlines as much as it does the local stories that few other journalists are covering. So what will happen at the end of December when the paper closes?

 

Both progressives and conservatives are convinced they are the victims of our politics

AEI

Here’s a theory for why our politics are so confusing these days: Neither party wants to be a majority party. From an ideological perspective, majority parties are, by nature, weird.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, December 22, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: PPIC: Reducing Recidivism Among Felons - Guest: Justin Gross, Public Policy Institute of California. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, December 22, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Recidivism: Statewide Data and a Local Program That Works - Guests: CSU Fresno Professor Emma Hughes, Project Rebound Director Jennifer Leahy, and Project Rebound Rebound Arnold Trevino. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, December 22, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: Indices de Reincidencia y Programas de Apoyo - Guest: Joe Hayes, Investigator del Instituto de Politicas Publicas de California, Esther Olmos y Anita Flores con Project Rebound de Fresno State. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

What’s in a name? For fruit, economic and genetic sources have major say

Los Angeles Times

Today more than half of all newly developed fruit varieties have gobbledygook for official names, such as WA 38, Code 3X97 or Burpeachthirtysix.

 

55,000 pounds of burritos recalled from Valley-based Ruiz Foods. Here’s the problem

Fresno Bee

Dinuba-based Ruiz Food Products on Tuesday recalled 55,013 pounds of its El Monterey Signature Burrito Egg, Sausage & Cheese burritos from store shelves after customers reported finding plastic in the food.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Girl, 17, arrested after trying to steal plane at Fresno Yosemite International, airport says

Fresno Bee

A 17-year-old girl was arrested at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Wednesday after she breached an airport fence, entered a private airplane and tried to fly it away.

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Lawsuit claims murdered local attorney was misled by dating app's safety claims

Bakersfield Californian

Marcos Vargas, a young Bakersfield attorney, was lured into a false sense of safety by a dating app's marketing claims that resulted in his brutal killing in 2017 by a man he met through the app, a lawsuit against the app's parent company filed in Kern County Superior Court claims.

 

Federal judge backs whistleblower, blasts CA prisons on care of mentally ill inmates

Sacramento Bee

In a sternly worded order, a federal judge has found California’s top prison officials intentionally filed misleading data to the court on how frequently mentally ill inmates receive psychiatric care, and she signaled that court oversight of mental health care inside prisons will continue until the state meets its constitutional obligations to prisoners.

 

Public Safety:

 

California consumer privacy law can affect businesses across U.S.

Business Journal

Companies across the country need to be aware of the law’s complex requirements even if they don’t deal directly with consumers. It covers companies that conduct business in California, including out-of-state companies that sell products to California residents.

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Fire:

 

California expands insurance protections in wildfire areas

Fresno Bee

More than a million California homes are now protected under a new law that temporarily bans insurance companies from dropping customers in areas affected by recent wildfires, officials announced Wednesday.

See also:

 

Judge approves $24.5 billion for PG&E fire victims

abc30

A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved two Pacific Gas & Electric settlements totaling $24.5 billion to help pay the losses suffered by homeowners, businesses and insurers in the aftermath of catastrophic Northern California wildfires that sent the nation's largest utility into a financial morass.

See also:

 

This firefighter will soon be Visalia’s new fire chief

Visalia Times Delta

After vetting applicants as near as the Central Valley and as far off as Florida, the city of Visalia has selected a new fire chief: Daniel Griswold of Casper, Wyoming.

 

California Firefighters ‘Spoke Out’ Against Trump? Claim In Biden Ad Is True.

Capital Public Radio

Is Joe Biden’s ad right? Did California firefighters, beyond the union president, really criticize Trump during the wildfires? We set out on a fact check.

 

For this climate scientist, the Getty Fire made clear the need to prepare for disaster

CalMatters

We had taken many steps to protect ourselves and our home. Amidst the fear and confusion over the next few days, we wondered whether our half-completed preparations would be enough.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

California businesses breathe sigh of relief over deal to update NAFTA trade pact

Los Angeles Times

There is little overall difference between the old North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trump administration’s replacement. But California businesses are just relieved to finally have some certainty they can plan around.

 

Modest rally for stocks is mostly gone by the closing bell

Los Angeles Times

A last-minute burst of selling pulled major U.S. stock indexes mostly lower Wednesday, ending the market’s five-day winning streak.

 

California Law Spurs Companies to Add Female Directors

Wall Street Journal

California last year embarked on a unique social and political experiment in the U.S. What would happen if the government required corporate boards to include female directors? The answer: Companies would add them in droves.

 

California and Its Diaspora Have Fueled a Western Boom

Bloomberg

While the growing economic and political disparities between nearby areas (the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley in California, for example) are interesting and important, regional economic trends still matter — and it can be easier to see them by focusing on the state level.

 

Economists Got the Decade All Wrong. They’re Trying to Figure Out Why.

Wall Street Journal

Slow population growth is once again weighing on growth and interest rates, Mr. Summers noted, and he added several other factors: the fastest-growing businesses, such as social-media platforms, invest little of their rich profits.

 

Jobs:

 

Drivers sue Uber for back pay, accelerating fight over California gig economy law

Sacramento Bee

The drivers are suing for the pay and benefits back to April 2018, when the California Supreme Court issued its Dynamex ruling setting new rules for when companies must provide employment benefits to workers.

See also:

 

Pensions, prisons and extra-long commutes: Our top 2019 California State Worker stories

Sacramento Bee

In March, the state Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that ended a controversial retirement perk for public workers. The benefit, known as “air time,” had let public workers pay to retire early and receive the same pension as if they had worked up to five more years.

 

The Demographic Threat to America’s Jobs Boom

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. job market continues to blow through expectations, generating 200,000 new jobs month after month and driving unemployment far below what economists thought a decade ago was the lowest possible level.

 

Uber Settles Federal Investigation Into Workplace Culture

New York Times

The ride-hailing company “permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation,” the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found.

 

You can thank mostly the long US expansion for boosting wages at the bottom, not higher state minimum wages

AEI

The US employment rate has twice hit 3.5 percent this year, a level last seen in 1969. That fact alone suggests something good has been happening in the job market.

 

Outsourcing Has Upended the Labor Market—but Not Exactly as Expected

Wall Street Journal

The decade dawned with unemployment at nearly 10%, rumblings about the gig economy and predictions that robots running on artificial intelligence would make human workers obsolete. The end of the traditional job seemed just around the corner.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

California must shift its priorities in 2020 to focus on solving the education funding crisis

Fresno Bee

California is in an education funding crisis, with underfunded schools and colleges impacting the state’s children. Voters will decide whether to raise taxes, and Gov. Gavin Newsom must create a policy solution.

See also:

 

FUSD superintendent discusses goals for the district

abc30

Superintendent Bob Nelson isn't slowing down anytime soon. His contract was just extended for another four years, and for a district of Fresno Unified's size, that's not an easy accomplishment.

 

Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Awards $10K in Educational Mini Grants

Sierra News

The Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Club has awarded nearly $10,000 in “mini grants” to 15 local recipients. The official check presentations took place Tuesday in Oakhurst.

 

Kern elementary schools receive California Distinguished Schools Award honor

Bakersfield Califorinian

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced Wednesday that several Kern County elementary schools are being honored under the 2020 California Distinguished Schools Award Program.

 

BCSD to fill vacant board seat with provisional appointment

Bakersfield Califorinian

The Bakersfield City School District Board of Education voted Wednesday morning it will fill its Area 4 vacant seat through a provisional appointment.

Here’s why there will be police and rescue at Cruickshank Middle School on Thursday

Merced Sun-Star

About 18 Merced County law enforcement, health and emergency agencies will conduct a “violent incident drill” at Cruickshank Middle School Thursday morning. The drill will take place between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., according to a news release. It’ll happen during the winter break, so no students will be involved.

 

3 Reasons Why Developmental Education Reform Is Building Momentum

EdNote

It is not often that an educational reform movement takes hold in both policy and practice. Yet, over the past decade the momentum to reform developmental education has intensified. Here are three reasons why.

 

Supreme Court will decide if religious freedom shields Catholic schools from teacher suits

Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced it would hear an appeal by the school that pits religious freedom against anti-discrimination law: Does the 1st Amendment’s protection for the “free exercise of religion” shield religious schools from being sued by their teachers?

 

Teachers Pay High Fees for Retirement Funds. Unions Are Partly to Blame.

Wall Street Journal

The setup is one of an array of similar deals in which unions and other groups get income from endorsements of investment products and services—often at the expense of teachers and other municipal employees.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Too far away: Distance a barrier to a bachelor’s degree for rural community college students

EdSource

The CSU system, with a push from the Legislature, is starting a $4 million study on where it might build a new, 24th campus. It is looking at such factors as student demand and future population trends.

 

Don't blame tests for differences in educational quality and access

EdSource

It’s true that not all student groups perform the same on the ACT. But it’s false to claim that this means there is something wrong with the test. Instead, it diagnoses larger problems in the U.S. education system: problems of unequal access to a high-quality education that need to be treated.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Mokelumne River salmon come back in big numbers

Stockton Record

Large numbers of fall-run Chinook salmon have returned to the Mokelumne River in Clements this fall despite challenging salmon fishing on the river and adjacent sloughs this season.

 

Air district whistle-blowers awarded $4 million in records-destruction case

San Francisco Chronicle

Two former Bay Area Air Quality Management District employees who said they were retaliated against after objecting to the illegal destruction of pollution records will be paid $4 million to settle a whistle-blower lawsuit.

 

Energy:

 

Buy, lease or subscribe to add solar panels to your home

Business Journal

Homeowners are clamoring to power through blackouts that have become a regrettably frequent part of life in California. The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen.

 

Community voices: Former Gov. Schwazenegger misses the mark on Kern’s energy industry

Bakersfield Californian

The Hollywood star seemed to forget that while on national news programs, it is best to stick to actual facts and instead went off-script stating that in Bakersfield there are now more jobs in solar than in oil. Bringing glee to anti-oil activists everywhere but eye-rolls from those of us who know better.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein urges CDC to study link between climate change and early births

Fresno Bee

The study, published Dec. 2 in the journal Nature Climate Change, estimated that number could grow to an additional 42,000 early births annually by the year 2100 as temperatures continue to climb with climate change.

 

You Could Get Fined $25 If You Smoke At A California State Beach Or Park Starting In 2020

Capital Public Radio

California decided in 2019 to make smoking and vaping on public land a bit tougher.

 

Number of high school seniors ‘hooked’ on vaping more than doubled in the last year

Los Angeles Times

With public health officials scrambling to understand a mysterious lung affliction linked to electronic cigarettes, a new survey of American teens suggests that the behavior tied to the deadly illness has spread at a historic rate.

 

Half of America will be obese within 10 years, study says, unless we work together

CNN

If America does not collectively adopt healthier eating habits, over half of the nation will be obese within 10 years. Even worse, one in four Americans will be "severely obese" with a body mass index over 35, which means they will be more than 100 pounds overweight.

 

Human Services:

 

More Californians are buying health care through the state’s insurance marketplace

Fresno Bee

California’s health insurance marketplace is on track to enroll more people this year than last year, state officials said Wednesday.

 

Gov. Newsom announces commission will look into single-payer for California

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom has long touted a single-payer health system, and campaigned on it during his successful gubernatorial run. On Tuesday, he announced a step toward exploring a single-payer financing model and other policies that could get Californians closer to universal health coverage.

See also:

 

High out-of-pocket costs contribute to poor access to care and financial hardships for California workers

UC Berkeley Labor Center

In terms of health care affordability, Californians with job-based coverage are most worried about unexpected medical bills (32 percent) and out-of-pocket costs (23 percent), according to a 2018 survey by Kaiser Family Foundation/ California Health Care Foundation.

 

Appeals court rules against individual mandate, but throws lifeline to Obamacare

abc30

A divided federal appeals court on Wednesday threw a lifeline to the ACA, asking a lower court judge to reconsider his decision invalidating the entire law.

See also:

 

Late night contract talks net 8% raise for California state hospital, prison workers

Sacramento Bee

The union representing California state mental health nurses has reached a new contract agreement that includes an 8.25 percent raise over three years, the union announced Wednesday.

 

Mercy and Memorial Hospitals provide $365,318 in grants to Bakersfield nonprofits

Bakersfield Californian

Mercy and Memorial Hospitals handed out more than $365,000 in funding to eight local nonprofits Wednesday in a continuing effort to expand the reach and mission of the local healthcare centers.

 

Kaiser Permanente Fresno seeks to enhance supplier network

Business Journal

Kaiser Permanente Fresno is making an effort to support its local economy by contracting with more small and diversely owned local businesses.

 

US proposes new rules to increase organ transplants

abc30

The government is overhauling part of the transplant system to boost living donors, and improve use of organs from the dead.

 

Plan to import cheaper Canadian drugs advances under Trump

Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration, eager to show progress on prescription drug costs, on Wednesday moved forward with its plan to allow Americans to safely and legally get access to lower-priced medicines from abroad.

See also:

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Immigrants with a criminal past may have a ‘New Way Forward’ to stay in the U.S.

Sacramento Bee

The New Way Forward Act was introduced Dec. 10 by U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Culver City, and three other House Democrats – Jesus Garcia of Illinois, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

 

The Changing Face of Immigration

Washington Post

Most of those crossing into the U.S. illegally used to be Mexican men seeking work. Now it is families and unaccompanied minors from Central America seeking asylum.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

These are the biggest Fresno-area closures of 2019, from stores to restaurants

Fresno Bee

Several longtime restaurants in Fresno closed their doors in 2019. These are the biggest Fresno-area closures of 2019, from stores to restaurants.

 

ALDI grocery is coming to Fresno. Here’s what else is planned for this busy intersection

Fresno Bee

Discount grocery store ALDI is coming to Fresno, according to one Fresno City Council member. Rumors that the popular German supermarket was coming to the northwest corner of Shaw and West avenues in Fresno have been flying for weeks.

See also:

 

Tulare County will lease former Visalia BIG Kmart

Business Journal

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to lease the former Visalia BIG Kmart to use as offices for the county’s Probation and Mental Health Services departments.

 

Visalia’s vision for a big, bold, beautiful Catholic church

Zocalo Public Square

This is a Christmas story about the groundbreaking of a 21st-century California church. It’s also an example of how we could think more productively about the twin challenges of shortage and abundance—and of how the biggest things may fit best in our smallest places.

 

Unmasking the secret landlords buying up America

Reveal

First-time homebuyers are denied the opportunity to buy affordable homes with bank loans because those properties already have been scooped up by shell companies. Tenants can’t figure out to whom to complain when something goes wrong.

 

Housing:

 

Kings Gospel Mission opens overnight women’s shelter in Hanford

Hanford Sentinel

With the recent opening of its overnight women’s shelter, Kings Gospel Mission continues to expand its growing list of services.

 

Stockton awarded millions to address homeless crisis

Stockton Record

Stockton is one of 13 California cities set to receive millions of dollars in state funding next year to help address its homelessness crisis.

 

Vacate, clean, return: Homeless call Caltrans cleanups an temporary inconvenience, not a long-term solution

Stockton Record

Longtime unsheltered homeless residents liken it to a cat-and-mouse game. As soon as the cat leaves, the mice return. As Caltrans workers cleaned out two large homeless encampments of about 100 people in the area bordered by East Washington, South California, East Lafayette and South Aurora streets.

 

In 2020, California renters get new protections. Landlords get new restrictions

Sacramento Bee

California renters are set to get a series of new protections in the coming year. New laws go into effect Jan. 1 that limit landlords’ ability to increase rent or evict certain tenants, and also prohibit them from discriminating against renters who use public housing vouchers.

See also:

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California made triple-digit interest illegal on these loans. Lenders have found a loophole

Fresno Bee

Under the strategy, known as a “rent-a-bank” arrangement, banks originate the loan, then sell it to the lender, who can continue charging high interest to the consumer. It's a legally dubious arrangement that Congress and the courts have tangled with for years.

 

Walters: California’s high-tech debacle

CalMatters

For more than a decade, California’s politicians and bureaucrats have been promising a high-technology system that would allow them and the taxpaying public to track the many billions of dollars — over $300 billion currently — that the state spends each year.

 

California made triple-digit interest illegal on these loans. Lenders have found a loophole

Sacramento Bee

A law set to take effect on January 1 caps interest rates at 36 percent on loans up to $10,000.

 

Lawmakers Reach Late and Narrow Tax-Break Deal

Wall Street Journal

Congressional leaders struck a tax-policy deal late Monday, capping a long weekend of negotiations with an agreement that will extend lapsed and expiring tax breaks but won’t be as expansive as many lawmakers had hoped.

 

Warren Wealth Tax Would Raise Nearly 30% Less Than Projected, Study Finds

Wall Street Journal

Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax would raise $2.7 trillion over a decade, $1.1 trillion short of her presidential campaign’s estimates, according to a new analysis from the Penn-Wharton Budget Model.

See also:

 

Exclusive: Freddie Mac offers early retirement to 25% of workforce

Reuters

Freddie Mac has offered early retirement to around 25% of its staff as it begins to overhaul its workforce amid a broader push by the Trump administration to reform the housing finance giant, according to four people briefed on the matter.

 

Financial Watchdog Warns About Dangers of Leveraged Loans

Wall Street Journal

The boom in the market for leveraged loans, a favorite financing source of private-equity-backed companies, has created vulnerabilities in the global financial system, according to a report from international regulators.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Low manholes on city streets to be fixed

Hanford Sentinel

Drivers can breathe a sigh of relief now that low manholes will no longer be an issue on some of Hanford’s streets. At its meeting Tuesday, the Hanford City Council voted unanimously to award a contract to Bush Engineering in the amount of $133,200 for a manhole lifting project in the city.

 

$32 million in sidetracked Hwy. 46 funding has been restored

Bakersfield Califorinian

The much-anticipated widening of the last two-lane stretch of road on Highway 46 between Bakersfield and the Central Coast, threatened by a planned diversion of Caltrans funding, is back on track.

 

Full Funding Restored for Highway 99 Projects in Madera & Tulare

KMJ

Thanks to vocal objections from Valley lawmakers, residents and KMJ listeners, Governor Gavin Newsom and Cal Trans have reversed an earlier decision to pull $17 million in funding for improvement projects on Highway 99 in both Madera and Tulare.

 

Column: Let’s shift stalled bullet train funds to L.A. and San Francisco, where they’ll do some good

Los Angeles Times

My apologies to Fresno, Modesto, Stockton and the rest of the Central Valley. But this plan to keep building there despite little problems like lawsuits, mismanagement, epic delays and the fact that nobody has any idea how to pay for a project which may or may not ever be completed, makes less sense each day.

 

Solar and electric vehicles shut out of federal tax credit extensions

San Diego Union-Tribune

It looks like solar, electric vehicles and energy storage got lumps of coal in their stockings as members of Congress, looking to escape Washington D.C. before Christmas, finish off a $1.37 billion budget package that will fund the government through 2020.

 

WATER

 

Kern's groundwater agreement is just cover for the "pump club"

Bakersfield Califorinian

A coordination agreement approved Wednesday by the Kern Groundwater Authority is just cover for continued overpumping, according to the Buena Vista Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which has refused to sign on to the document.

 

Peracchi Steps Down, Errotabere Will Lead Westlands Board

GV Wire

Don Peracchi announced Tuesday that he is stepping down early as president of the Westlands Water District’s Board. His term was to end in 2022. The district’s board subsequently elevated Daniel Errotabere to president by unanimous vote.

 

Gov. Newsom’s threat to sue Trump upends peace talks on California water wars

Sacramento Bee

Even before he was sworn into office, Gov. Gavin Newsom threw his weight behind a series of tentative deals, brokered by his predecessor, that were intended to bring lasting peace to California’s never-ending battles over water and endangered fish.

Providing Safe Drinking Water in the Face of Disasters: Lessons from Lake County

Public Policy Institute of California

Climate change is already affecting water management across the state. Small rural communities with ongoing drinking water challenges are especially vulnerable to greater extremes brought on by a warming climate.

 

“Xtra”

 

Modesto Gospel Mission needs food, gift donations for its Christmas giveaway

Modesto Bee

With the event less than a week away, the Modesto Gospel Mission is short on food and presents for its annual Christmas at the Mission Gift Drive and Giveaway.

 

Local Toyota dealerships to cover adoption fees at Kern shelters this weekend

Bakersfield Califorinian

It's a doggone Christmas miracle. This weekend, North Bakersfield Toyota and Bill Wright Toyota will sponsor all adoption fees at the three Kern County animal shelters.

 

Here are 10 new stores to shop in Fresno and Clovis, just in time for the holidays

Fresno Bee

How about shopping at someplace new? A flurry of new stores have opened in Fresno and Clovis in recent months. Some are little mom-and-pop shops and some are big chains opening their first location in town.

 

Guess Who Is Coming to the Office Holiday Party

Wall Street Journal

The office holiday party, downsized after the financial crisis, has been making a comeback, but with a twist: To promote good behavior, companies are encouraging workers to bring their significant other.

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

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.

                                                     

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

 

 

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