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The Maddy Institute
Do you want to see us work together with civility and purpose to find bi-partisan solutions to the serious public policy challenges we face?
Do you want to see those solutions based on a non-partisan, fact-based analysis without any of the “political spin”?
If your answer to these questions is yes, we hope you will consider joining us in that effort by supporting the Maddy Institute–the Valley’s public policy institute.
POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Modesto could OK zoning for project to turn motel into apartments for homeless
Modesto Bee
The City Council is expected Tuesday to approve a zoning — or land-use — change for the project to turn the 103-room motel at Kansas Avenue and Highway 99 into studio apartments with services for homeless people.
Statewide police reporting project wins First Amendment Coalition award
Mercury News
A statewide reporting collaboration that includes the Bay Area News Group and KQED News has won a 2019 First Amendment Coalition’s Free Speech and Open Government Award for obtaining and digging through thousands of police disciplinary and use of force records released under an accountability law that went into effect this year.
New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential
UC Merced Newsroom
Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist. Her proficiency in these crucial areas has led Hurd to UC Merced, where she became the university’s director of medical education last month.
EDITORIAL: New laws offer a real chance at reducing fatal officer-involved shootings
Modesto Bee
The seeming recent trend of lawsuit settlements involving officers who killed local people probably is more coincidence than anything else. All are reminders that each life taken is a tragedy, regardless of whether victims’ actions contributed to their demise or they were entirely innocent.
Central SJ Valley:
Dirty water too pricey to fix for many Central Valley cities. Is this idea the answer?
Fresno Bee
In small rural cities in the Central Valley, many residents pay for dirty water. In Huron, some residents pay as much as $119 a month for water city leaders say contains arsenic and cancer-causing contaminants, forcing those residents - most of whom have lower incomes - to buy bottled water.
See also:
New bill aims to clean up contaminated drinking water in Valley abc30
Congressman TJ Cox introduces clean, safe drinking water bill Your Central Valley
The Water Wars that Defined the American West Are Heading East Wall Street Journal
Fresno City Hall was on emergency power after outage, affecting services. It’s back up
Fresno Bee
Fresno’s City Hall lost power late Sunday, affecting business Monday morning, according to officials. Some of City Hall was running on emergency generator power, according to an email to city employees, but the loss of power put a crimp in the services available to residents who wanted to pay their bills in person.
See also:
California Complete Count Committee in Fresno
California Complete Count
This meeting will be live-streamed from the California Complete Count—Census 2020 website at www.census.ca.gov. The link for the webcast will be posted on the website prior to the meeting and this notice will be updated with the link.
Opinion: It’s not either-or. It’s jobs and the environment
Fresno Bee
We get it: Agriculture is a driving force of the Central Valley’s economy. But what good is a job if we don’t have a planet or safe drinking water, or water at all?
South SJ Valley:
Tulare councilman caught driving Ferrari 100 mph on Visalia street pleads not guilty
Fresno Bee
A Tulare city councilman is facing up to six months in jail, probation and fines for allegedly racing his Ferrari down a Visalia street last May.
Applications open for Measure N youth program grant
Visalia Times Delta
Up to $75,000 will be awarded to Visalia youth programs in 2020 through Measure N, according to city officials.
Bakersfield City Council prepares to choose next city manager for first time in decades
Bakersfield Californian
It is approaching decision time for the Bakersfield City Council. Over the next two months, the council will go about the work of selecting the next city manager, a role no council has had to undertake in more than a quarter of a century.
CSUB to hold first fall commencement ceremony in a decade
Bakersfield Californian
California State University, Bakersfield will host a fall 2019 commencement ceremony on Dec. 11. This will be the university’s first fall commencement ceremony in 10 years, according to CSUB.
Receipts reveal Kern County Fair officials spent thousands at Las Vegas restaurants
abc23
Receipts have revealed new information about the state audit released in August that alleged the gross mismanagement of funds by an unnamed county fair organization. Since the audit was released, there has been little confirmation that it was about the Kern County Fair but 23ABC obtained Las Vegas restaurant receipts dated November of 2017 that were signed by Kern County Fair President and CEO Mike Olcott.
State:
What is the California Voting Rights Act?
Fresno Bee
In recent years, dozens of California cities with “at-large” elections have been hit with demand letters under the California Voting Rights Act.
California GOP signs onto recall campaigns against Gavin Newsom to boost its fundraising
Sacramento Bee
The California Republican Party is endorsing two long-shot efforts to force Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office, but won’t throw its money behind the proposals.
See also:
California GOP backs longshot efforts to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom Politico
Immigrant doctor launches recall petition against California Gov. Newsom Fox News
California Legislature Won't Disclose Latest Sexual Harassment Complaint Data Capital Public Radio
The California Legislature spent nearly $2 million last year investigating sexual harassment accusations involving lawmakers, staffers and lobbyists, and received 15 new allegations — including four against state senators and two separate complaints against an Assembly member.
Court Decisions and Partisanship
Fox & Hound
As concern over courts being influenced by the country’s partisan divide fester, the California Supreme Court set an example of stepping around politics when it unanimously decided to quash California’s recent law to prohibit presidential candidates from appearing on statewide ballots without first producing their tax returns.
How California is rewriting the law on online privacy
CalMatters
Our actions online have created a vast trove of information worth billions of dollars. Every time we search, click, shop, watch, send, receive, delete or download, we create a trail of data that companies can use to figure out our tastes and interests.
See also:
Senate Republicans Push New Privacy Initiative Wall Street Journal
Federal:
US seeks high court permission to resume federal executions
Fresno Bee
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday for permission to begin executing federal inmates as soon as next week.
State lawmakers acknowledge lobbyists helped craft their op-eds attacking Medicare-for-all
Washington Post
Lobbyists either helped draft or made extensive revisions to opinion columns published by three state lawmakers in a way that suggested Medicare-for-all and other government involvement in health care posed dangers.
Trump greater than Lincoln? Republicans polled said yes in a party Lincoln wouldn’t recognize
Washington Post
Which Republican president was better: Donald Trump or Abraham Lincoln? Presidential historians ranked Lincoln as the nation’s greatest president, and Trump as one of the worst in a 2017 survey. And the 16th president boasts his own memorial in Washington while the 45th president faces impeachment.
In Tense Exchange, Trump and Macron Put Forth Dueling Visions for NATO
New York Times
President Trump said a warning from President Emmanuel Macron of France that Europe could no longer assume American support was “a very dangerous statement.” Mr. Macron said he stood by it.
Elections 2020:
Kamala Harris drops out out of presidential race
Politico
Kamala Harris is dropping out of the presidential race, she told staff on a call Tuesday. She will release a video momentarily announcing her plans.
See also:
Sen. Kamala D. Harris is ending presidential bid Washington Post
Kamala Harris ending presidential bid Roll Call
Harris faces uphill climb amid questions about who she is Washington Post
How Kamala Harris’s Campaign Unraveled New York Times
Trump campaign will no longer credential Bloomberg News reporters at events
abc30
The decision comes as Bloomberg News grappled with how to cover its own founder and CEO, Michael Bloomberg who recently launched a presidential bid.
See also:
Trump campaign bars Bloomberg News from rallies Los Angeles Times
Trump Campaign Won’t Approve Bloomberg Reporters’ Press Credentials Wall Street Journal
Washington Post
Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor who has turned the heads of mostly white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, bowed his head Sunday in a church founded by ex-slaves.
See also:
What Pete Buttigieg really said about being gay, prejudice and blacks Washington Post
Buttigieg Won’t Be ‘Mayor Pete’ for Long, a Possible Plus as Iowa Race Heats Up Wall Street Journal
Biden Targets Warren and Buttigieg on His Tour of Iowa
Wall Street Journal
Joe Biden suggested Monday that Elizabeth Warren doesn’t command a broad degree of enthusiasm within the Democratic Party while Pete Buttigieg has co-opted his health care proposal.
Who’s In and Who’s Out of the 2020 Presidential Race
Wall Street Journal
Democrats have one of the most crowded primaries in modern history, with a record number of women running in the diverse field. Here is a closer look at who's running – and who has already left the race.
‘Incapable of being gracious’: De Blasio fumes over Bloomberg bid
Politico
By all appearances, Bill de Blasio is having a fit. The New York City mayor has decried Mike Bloomberg’s hubris for pursuing the presidency, castigated Bloomberg’s apology for his race-based policing policies and excoriated his immediate predecessor’s “damning” record on homelessness.
See also:
Will Bloomberg Buy the Election? Wall Street Journal
Why Democratic voters can’t make up their minds
Washington Post
The campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination is radically unsettled because the party’s primary voters are in a deeply uncertain mood. They try on candidates, find them wanting and move on to someone else.
Other:
UC Merced
UC Merced is building the future in the heart of California. Join us during our 24-hour Give Tue UC Merced initiative as we aim to surpass 1,000 Donors in a Day in support of our remarkable student body.
Republicans Now Are More Open to the Idea of Expanding Presidential Power
Pew Research
Most Americans continue to say that it would be “too risky” to give the nation’s presidents more power, but the share expressing this opinion has declined since last year, with most of the change coming among Republicans.
Watch 4 Decades of Inequality Drive American Cities Apart
New York Times
In 1980, highly paid workers in Binghamton, N.Y., earned about four and a half times what low-wage workers there did. The gap between them, in a region full of I.B.M. executives and manufacturing jobs, was about the same as the gap between the workers near the top and the bottom in metro New York.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, December 8, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: California Migration: The Story of Us - Guest: Judy Lin, CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, December 8, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: California Migration & Immigration: Who Is Coming and Who is Going? - Guests: California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla; Sarah Bohn, PPIC; John Myers, Los Angeles Times; and Judy Lin with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Suday, December 8, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: Fresno Bridge Academy: A Model to Replicate Statewide. - Guests: Pete Weber, Fundador y Dir. Junta Directiva de Fresno Bridge Academy & Arasely Linares, Directora de Programas de Reading and Beyond. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Valley ag community mourns loss of Marvin Meyers
abc30
The Valley ag community has been mourning the loss of a grower whose vision helped many farms stay in business. Marvin Meyers was one of the state's biggest almond growers. He once told Action News, "I never dreamed we'd get this big."
Put worms to work: Humble creatures’ manure helps Modesto-area gardens grow
Modesto Bee
Experts are spreading the word about a homemade source of garden fertilizer: Worm poop. The Master Gardeners of Stanislaus County held a class on making vermicompost, as the stuff is called.
Hanford City Council to reorganize, discuss cannabis dispensaries
Hanford Sentinel
The Hanford City Council will meet Tuesday evening, Dec. 3, to reorganize and discuss cannabis business permits and other new business.
The Science Is Clear: Dirty Farm Water Is Making Us Sick
Wired
Lettuce contaminated with pathogens have sickened and killed people. But the FDA has shelved Obama-era plans to test the culprit: farms’ irrigation water.
bioGraphic
California’s Chinook salmon have been losing habitat to agriculture for decades. Now, they’re getting a much-needed boost from strategically flooded fields.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Whole Foods says Fresno store violated customer privacy policies, vows 'measures’
Visalia Times Delta
J. Colin Petersen, president of a Fresno-based information technology firm JIT Outsource, recorded a Whole Foods clerk entering a customer's information — including address, phone number, credit card number and security codes — in plain sight in the middle of a busy pre-Thanksgiving Day store.
Hate crime fell in U.S. in 2018. But that’s not what happened in Fresno, Valley
Fresno Bee
Hate crimes reported to police in Fresno County and across the central and southern San Joaquin Valley reached their highest in a decade in 2018, fueled by an increase in attacks or harassment aimed at African Americans.
US seeks high court permission to resume federal executions
Fresno Bee
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday for permission to begin executing federal inmates as soon as next week
Supervisors Choose Inmate Health Care Provider
Sierra News
The Madera County Board of Supervisors held a rare special meeting Monday to choose a health care services provider for adult and juvenile inmates in county correctional facilities
KQED
The Fresno Police Department’s response to the Nov. 17 shooting deaths of four people has caused confusion and alarm among Asian Americans from beyond the Central Valley city.
Details of the deadly shooting are still unclear.
Blacks imprisoned more than whites, but gap narrows
Sacramento Bee
Racial disparities have narrowed across the U.S. criminal justice system over 16 years, though blacks are still significantly more likely to be behind bars than whites, new federal figures show.
Car burglaries in some California cities are at crisis levels. Prosecutors say their hands are tied
Los Angeles Times
Some burglaries go unpunished due to a requirement that prosecutors prove a car’s doors were locked at the time of a break-in.
EDITORIAL: New laws offer a real chance at reducing fatal officer-involved shootings
Modesto Bee
The seeming recent trend of lawsuit settlements involving officers who killed local people probably is more coincidence than anything else. All are reminders that each life taken is a tragedy, regardless of whether victims’ actions contributed to their demise or they were entirely innocent.
Public Safety:
CHP recognizes Older Driver Safety Awareness Week
Stockton Record
Driving is a complex activity that requires certain physical, visual and cognitive abilities. As people age, those abilities often change in subtle ways.
Supreme Court may put off a ruling that could have expanded the 2nd Amendment
Los Angeles Times
Gun-rights advocates want the Supreme Court to uphold a constitutional right to carry a firearm away from home, but the justices did not sound ready on Monday to issue such a broad ruling in a New York City case.
See also:
EDITORIAL: The Supreme Court should drop a problematic New York gun case Los Angeles Times
Their kids died on the psych ward. They were far from alone, a Times investigation found
Los Angeles Times
How many others die in California psychiatric facilities has been a difficult question to answer. No single agency keeps tabs on the number of deaths at psychiatric facilities in California, or elsewhere in the nation.
See also:
How California got tough on guns
CalMatters
The modern American gun debate began on May 2, 1967, when 30 protesting members of the Black Panther Party marched into the California Capitol with loaded handguns, shotguns and rifles.
FBI never completes hundreds of thousands of gun checks
Roll Call
The FBI never completes hundreds of thousands of gun background checks each year because of a deadline that requires it to purge them from its computers, despite a report that raised alarms about the practice in 2015.
Fire:
Fire burns Fresno warehouse owned by High Speed Rail Authority, cause under investigation
Fresno Bee
A large warehouse in the industrial area of south Fresno caught fire Monday, sending a large plume of black smoke into the air.
PG&E Withheld Information About Medically At-Risk Customers Ahead Of Major Power Shutoff
Capital Public Radio
The utility insisted counties sign a non-disclosure agreement before releasing the information — despite directions from the California Public Utilities Commission to hand it over during planned shutoffs.
See also:
Surviving a shut-off San Francisco Chronicle
How PG&E shut-offs affected people with electronic medical devices San Francisco Chronicle
Technology Meant To Detect Blackouts Could Help Prevent Wildfires In California
Capital Public Radio
A technology developed to detect power line problems before blackouts and bigger disasters could help prevent wildfires. It's being tested by PG&E and Southern California Edison, two utilities blamed for devastating wildland blazes in California.
PG&E inspections of equipment that sparked deadly Camp fire were flawed, state regulators say
Los Angeles Times
State regulators said Pacific Gas & Electric failed to adequately inspect and maintain aging power lines that started last year’s devastating Camp fire, which obliterated the town of Paradise and killed 86 people.
See also:
Camp Fire failure part of PG&E’s ‘pattern’ of poor maintenance, regulators say San Francisco Chronicle
How goats can help prevent California wildfires
San Francisco Chronicle
Letting land sit unmanaged and untouched is a recipe for disaster. Temperatures rise and vegetation turns to brown brush.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Stocks fall on trade worries, weak economic reports
Los Angeles Times
Technology companies led a broad slide for stocks on Wall Street Monday, handing the market a downbeat start to the month after notching strong gains in November.
Shoppers spend at a record pace on Cyber Monday
Los Angeles Times
Cyber Monday is still holding up as the biggest online shopping day of the year, even though many of the same deals have been available online for weeks and the name harks back to the days of dial-up modems.
2019 California Economic Summit
California High-Speed Rail Authority
Earlier this month, several members of our Authority staff and the Board of Directors, including Chairman Lenny Mendonca, participated in the Governor’s “Regions Rise” Economic Summit in Fresno.
California’s working landscape makes $333-billion impact on state economy
California Economic Summit
California’s “working landscape” represents the sixth largest economic sector in the state, outpacing the healthcare, real estate and construction industries. That’s according to a recent report issued by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
See also:
Low unemployment numbers hide income inequality, other economic issues in California Sacramento Bee
The staggering millennial wealth deficit, in one chart
Washington Post
As the chart above shows, baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — collectively owned 21 percent of the nation’s wealth by the time their generation hit a median age of 35 in 1990.
Here's how malls with dead stores are finding new tenants
CNN
Many retailers that populated the nation's malls have run into severe financial stress or gone out of business in recent years. But the shopping mall isn't dead yet, as mall owners find creative ways to fill those vacancies. The giant spaces that once housed a single anchor tenant are being reconfigured to attract multiple smaller shops.
When China stumbles, the world economy will shudder
The Hill
Judging by the cavalier manner in which President Trump has been waging his U.S.-China trade war without much regard for the global economic consequences of that war, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Chinese economy has little systemic importance for the global economy.
See also:
Commentary: Capitalism is not broken
AEI
Capitalism is not broken. It does not always work perfectly, of course. But the free market combined with our strong safety net has drastically reduced poverty and improved quality of life for the vast majority of Americans.
Jobs:
Study: Accounting gigs scarce in Fresno
Business Journal
If you’re looking to land a job in the accounting industry, Fresno might not be the best place to put down roots. Fresno had the second-least number of accounting jobs with 125.
California government union says it might sue Newsom administration over late raises
Sacramento Bee
A union that represents California government attorneys and administrative judges is considering filing a lawsuit over delayed pay raises, according to a note from union leaders to members.
See also:
Late raises for California state workers won’t arrive by Christmas Sacramento Bee
Gavin Newsom wants to use pension and road funds to fight climate change. How will that work? Sacramento Bee
One of California’s most powerful labor unions is feuding with Gov. Gavin Newsom Los Angeles Times
Protesters at Amazon’s San Bernardino center demand better pay, air quality
San Bernardino Sun
A coalition of community groups protested Monday at Amazon’s San Bernardino distribution center on one of its busiest fulfillment days, decrying the company’s “poor labor practices and negative affects on local air quality.”
Risks, rewards and robots: The future of work in California
CalMatters
Are robots coming for California’s jobs? In today’s increasingly automated economy, that’s certainly the fear. Technology has always generated economic churn, destroying some jobs and creating others.
Commentary: 2020 and Another Minimum Wage Hike
Fox & Hound
Just like earlier this year, California’s minimum wage is going up again next month. On January 1, 2020, the state’s minimum wage will be increased for all sizes of businesses as “small employers” will see their third wage hike in recent years.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Multiple school transfers contribute to high absenteeism among foster students
EdSource
Foster students miss the most school days of any group of students in the state. But school districts and county agencies are trying to improve attendance by eliminating transportation barriers and ensuring that students don’t change schools too frequently, among other efforts.
Guiding Principles for Teacher and Leader Policy: Act on What Is Known
EdSource
We know now that significant, lasting improvements in schools happen when there are trusting relationships, that learning needs to be applied and in context for it to take hold, that the learning environment matters and that black students benefit from having black teachers.
Washington Post
Teenagers in the United States continue to lag behind their peers in East Asia and Europe in reading, math and science, according to results of an international exam that suggest U.S. schools are not doing enough to prepare young people for the competitive global economy.
See also:
Walters: Will schools get more state aid?
CalMatters
The 2020-21 budget cycle may focus on increasing financial distress in the state’s K-12 school systems. Although the state has increased per-pupil spending by about 50% in recent years, school districts are facing “cost pressures” for pensions.
See also:
Commentary: California’s Proposition 13 education bond is a much needed solution for aging campuses CalMatters
Higher Ed:
CSUB to hold first fall commencement ceremony in a decade
Bakersfield Californian
California State University, Bakersfield will host a fall 2019 commencement ceremony on Dec. 11. This will be the university’s first fall commencement ceremony in 10 years, according to CSUB.
New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential
UC Merced Newsroom
Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist. Her proficiency in these crucial areas has led Hurd to UC Merced, where she became the university’s director of medical education last month.
Med School Free Rides And Loan Repayments — California Tries To Boost Its Dwindling Doctor Supply
Capital Public Radio
Primary care doctors are a hot commodity across California. Students are being lured by full-ride scholarships to medical schools, new grads are specifically recruited for training residencies, and full-fledged doctors are being offered loan repayment programs to serve low-income residents or work in underserved areas.
See also:
Blue Shield of California funds mental health workers in schools San Francisco Chronicle
Selecting The 8th Chancellor Of The California State University
The California State University
In October 2019, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced his retirement at the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Here you can learn who will serve on the search committees, get information on our open forums, and follow updates on the search for the next leader of the California State University.
Can California save higher education?
CalMatters
While Congress bickers over long-delayed reforms and other states cut spending, California is trying to confront the stubborn problems that are plaguing higher education nationwide, but seem seldom to be solved.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Fresno Rainfall Record Tied, More Rain Ahead
GVWire
Keep your umbrella and raincoats handy. After Fresno tied a 67-year-old rainfall record Sunday with 0.78 inches, the National Weather Service-Hanford forecast calls for more rain before this storm wanes Thursday, followed by the arrival of a new storm on Friday.
See also:
A Bakersfield hidden gem? Snow-covered mountains, right after the wind and rain
Bakersfield Californian
The views over the weekend were impressive. In the midst of a low-pressure system last week came what typically happens in Bakersfield following such an event: consistent rainfall, a steady breeze kicking in, puffy clouds in the sky, and, alas, improved air quality. In turn, a vast view of snow-covered mountain ranges surrounding the city was on full display.
See How the World’s Most Polluted Air Compares With Your City’s
New York Times
This is pollution in Clovis on the worst air quality day this year. Hazardous particulate concentrations reached 93 µg/m3during the highest hour, a level that would be considered “unhealthy.”
EDITORIAL: U.S. resistance to climate change could change fast
San Francisco Chronicle
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the U.N. climate change conference in Madrid. Will the world — and the United States — take action in time to make a difference?
Energy:
Madera, Mariposa and Merced Counties Burn Suspension Lifted
Sierra News
Effective Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 a.m., the burn suspension in Madera, Mariposa and Merced counties will be lifted. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and the chance of winter weather have helped diminish the threat of wildfire.
Do PG&E, Edison need higher profits? It’s time for California to decide
Los Angeles Times
California’s monopoly electric utilities asked state officials to sign off on higher profits earlier this year, saying larger shareholder returns were needed to attract investors who might be scared off by the wildfire liabilities that prompted Pacific Gas & Electric to file for bankruptcy.
See also:
California should take over PG&E and possibly other utilities, former top regulator says Los Angeles Times
Brent Oil Set to Disappear as Crude-Price Benchmark Lives On
Wall Street Journal
The world’s most famous oil and gas field—and the backbone of global crude pricing—has dried up. Soon the Brent benchmark will have no Brent oil.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Spike in HIV cases spurs Clinica Sierra Vista to increase local education efforts
Bakersfield Californian
The county has some of the worst rates of sexually transmitted disease in the state, consistently ranking among the five worst counties for rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
See also:
Community Medical Centers puts focus on AIDS/HIV this December Stockton Record
This California warning might cause alarm – or apathy
Sacramento Bee
Welcome to the world of Proposition 65 warnings, which inspire terror, apathy or confusion among Californians. Under Proposition 65, California has designated more than 900 substances as toxic, ranging from the seemingly benign aloe vera to the deadly chemical benzene.
Opinion: Is the opioid crisis mainly a story of ‘late capitalism’ or something more complicated?
AEI
For capitalism’s critics, the opioid crisis is a powerful witness for the prosecution. They charge that inequality, stagnant wages, immobility, job loss have generated a massive surge in “deaths of despair,” especially from overdoses of opioid drugs. Case closed.
Human Services:
How text messages from Kaiser put 11,000-plus Californians on road to food, better health
Sacramento Bee
In the last three months, the health care team at Kaiser Permanente used text messaging to sign up more than 11,000 of its neediest California members for a government program that will give them up to $200 a month for groceries.
Trump again promises a plan to reduce drug prices. It won’t work
Los Angeles Times
President Trump recently reiterated the pledge he made before taking office — that he’d work tirelessly to lower prices of prescription drugs.
Their kids died on the psych ward. They were far from alone, a Times investigation found
Los Angeles Times
Mia St. John’s cellphone lit up with a message from the psychiatrist treating her son. The voicemail shimmered with hope, the first she had felt in months. The doctor said Julian, admitted to a psychiatric facility with schizophrenia, seemed more cheerful, was talking more with other patients and would soon begin a new art project.
‘It’s a basic human need’: In a first, SF gives out diapers to people on food stamps
San Francisco Chronicle
Monse Delgado grabbed the hefty cardboard box of diapers and hugged it close to her chest. The box held 108 diapers, but it actually contained much more than that. That box held freedom — from hunger, from fear of infection and from being tied down at home.
Yes, Americans are feeling the squeeze. It’s coming from health care.
Washington Post
If we don’t stabilize health costs (and there is little sign that we will), we should expect the squeeze to continue indefinitely. Income inequality would also probably worsen.
IMMIGRATION
Federal panel appears skeptical of Trump’s asylum policy
San Francisco Chronicle
A Ninth Circuit panel questioned the Trump administration’s basis Monday for a virtual ban on asylum-seekers from Central America.
The Overlooked Illegal Immigrants: From India, China, Brazil
New York Times
President Trump has focused on blocking unauthorized crossings on the Southern border. But nearly half of those who are in the country unlawfully actually entered with permission.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Opinion: Our national parks are in crisis. Trump’s solution is absurd
Los Angeles Times
It’s easy to dismiss as absurd the Trump administration’s ideas for plugging the chronic funding gap of our national parks. Can anyone really think it’s a good idea to allow Amazon deliveries to your tent in Yosemite or food trucks to line up under the redwood trees at Sequoia National Park?
Housing:
California city sued for alleged housing discrimination
Fresno Bee
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the California city of Hesperia, alleging it discriminated against black and Latino renters.
See also:
City of Hesperia and Sheriff’s Department targeted black and Latino renters for illegal evictions, feds allege Los Angeles Times
Cost of building homes in the Central Valley is rising
abc30
Construction equipment lines empty lots around the Central Valley as builders get new developments off the ground across the Valley. Building the new homes will take a few months, but getting to this point took years and a lot of money.
Grant addressing homelessness set for Council discussion
Porterville Recorder
The plan is supposed to address five priorities and goals: increasing access to permanent housing, increasing access to support services for exiting homelessness, expanding services for subpopulations with special needs, preventing homelessness for those at risk and strengthening public engagement and community partnerships.
Leader of L.A.’s top homeless agency quits after a ‘long five years,’ rising public anger
Los Angeles Times
In a major change for the team tasked with addressing rising homelessness in the region, Peter Lynn announced Monday that he is stepping down as head of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Housing shortage: Southern California listings plunge 20% as new escrows surge
Mercury News
Bad news for Southern California house hunters: There are one-fifth fewer existing homes for sale. That crunch, along with cheaper mortgages, put folks in a homebuying mood, according to ReportsOnHousing‘s latest tracking of broker listings as of Nov. 14.
Sacramento Bee
Could smaller, more innovative and efficient types of housing be an answer to Sacramento’s housing crisis? Mayor Darrell Steinberg thinks so. Steinberg wants to fund what he calls “efficiency housing,” meaning non-traditional housing that is quicker and cheaper to construct.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Applications open for Measure N youth program grant
Visalia Times Delta
Up to $75,000 will be awarded to Visalia youth programs in 2020 through Measure N, according to city officials.
Combating Poverty in California: A Case for Reforming Social Safety Net Programs
Berkeley Public Policy Journal
California has a larger GDP than every other U.S. state and most European countries, making it the fifth largest economy in the world. Nonetheless, income inequality and wage stagnation are major drivers of poverty and economic insecurity in the state.
Lawmakers Approved $4.4 Billion in New Taxes and Fees While Swimming in Revenue
Fox & Hound
State lawmakers and the governor approved more than $4.4 billion a year in higher taxes and fees this year, even as the state was experiencing a revenue windfall from existing taxes, according to the new Tax and Fee Report published by the California Tax Foundation.
Fewer Americans are donating to charity — and it may have nothing to do with money
Market Watch
Fewer Americans are giving money to charity, and their relationship with God may have something to do with it. The share of U.S. adults who donated to charity dropped significantly between 2000 and 2016.
Commentary: The tax code can’t handle negative rates
AEI
While recent comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicate that the Fed hopes to avoid resorting to negative interest rates during the next recession, without them the central bank’s ability to stimulate growth may be limited.
TRANSPORTATION
Wait times are dropping at the California DMV. How you can avoid getting stuck in line
Merced Sun-Star
Newly released data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show the state making a huge dent in the wait times customers are experiencing across the state.
Super-commuters take to the skies in planes, helicopters
San Francisco Chronicle
As commutes lengthen and ground traffic worsens, flying looks better than driving. But can the shift be good for the environment and society?
Sacramento Bee
Indeed, the project now in construction in the Central Valley has dispatched more than 3,000 workers to job sites, employed more than 500 small businesses, and generated nearly $8 billion in economic output.
WATER
Dirty water too pricey to fix for many Central Valley cities. Is this idea the answer?
Fresno Bee
In small rural cities in the Central Valley, many residents pay for dirty water. In Huron, some residents pay as much as $119 a month for water city leaders say contains arsenic and cancer-causing contaminants, forcing those residents - most of whom have lower incomes - to buy bottled water.
See also:
New bill aims to clean up contaminated drinking water in Valley abc30
Congressman TJ Cox introduces clean, safe drinking water bill Your Central Valley
The Water Wars that Defined the American West Are Heading East Wall Street Journal
Fresno ties rain record, Merced hit even harder - and more wet weather is on the way
Fresno Bee
Fresno tied an almost 70-year-old single-day rainfall record Sunday — while areas north of the city like Merced were hit even harder, according to the National Weather Service.
See also:
No break from rain in Modesto this week, weather service says. Dodge Ridge set to open Modesto Bee
Flood watch in effect for southern Sierra Nevada mountains, foothills Visalia Times Delta
A Bakersfield hidden gem? Snow-covered mountains, right after the wind and rain Bakersfield Californian
“Xtra”
People want to save first tree of Christmas Tree Lane. ‘It’s part of our history’
Fresno Bee
Greg and Dana Pratt admired new growth on a cedar tree in front of the home they own in Fresno’s Old Fig Garden neighborhood on Friday. The fate of this struggling tree isn’t just important to them. This is the deodar cedar that turned a stretch of Van Ness Boulevard into beloved Christmas Tree Lane with its decoration a century ago.
See also:
Homeowners relish tree at heart of Fresno Christmas rite Business Journal
Art event to raise mental health issue awareness
Madera Tribune
A Madera woman is putting together an art event to raise awareness for mental health issues. Painters who attend the event will get free art supplies and brochures with information on suicide hotlines as well as other educational materials.
Local organizations to raise money, awareness on Giving Tuesday
Bakersfield Californian
The season of giving is just getting started and several local organizations are taking part in the global generosity movement known as Giving Tuesday.
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