Political Stories – Top stories

California bill aims to ban marijuana use while driving — While pot may be legal, two California legislators want to outlaw the “country cruise.” Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, introduced legislation Thursday outlawing smoking marijuana while operating a vehicle. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article

California’s top court says public may see government’s legal bills – A government agency’s legal bills for a case that has been resolved are generally public record, a divided California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The 4-3 decision reflected tensions between California laws that give the public broad access to government information and historic legal protections for confidential communications between lawyers and their clients. LA Times article

Valley politics

Discrimination case from senator’s Modesto office heading to trial – A judge has refused the California Senate’s request to throw out a discrimination lawsuit brought by an aide who was fired from Sen. Tom Berryhill’s Modesto office. Douglas Miller, who is Latino, said he was sacked after complaining of a “racist, sexist and ageist” office culture, while Senate lawyers contend he was dismissed for misconduct. Modesto Bee article

No. 2 story of 2016: Tubbs is elected mayor in a landslide – He left this city of his birth believing his best opportunities lay elsewhere. But Michael Tubbs came back, vowing first to Reinvent South Stockton, He was elected to the City Council, and, in 2016, won a lopsided mayoral race. Stockton Record article

O’Banion noncommittal on future re-election bid — Jerry O’Banion, Merced County supervisor for District 5, dodged questions this week about whether he will run for re-election in 2018 after three new supervisors won seats this year. Merced Sun-Star article

Villapudua retiring from public life, not public service — When San Joaquin County Supervisor Carlos Villapudua steps off the dais Jan. 10 and turns his District 1 seat over to his cousin, he’ll be starting a new chapter in his life. That new chapter, he said, will not be in politics or even with the county. Stockton Record article

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures

Number of women in California Legislature dips to 20-year low. Now what? — For a lot of women, this was supposed to be a big political year. The year a woman would be elected president and provide some long coattails for other women to grab onto. But, as we now know, Hillary Clinton came up short in her bid for the presidency. And state legislatures around the country saw the number of female representatives either drop or remain flat. KQED report

Immigration

Forget the wall. Trump’s biggest immigration war may focus on visas — It’s hard for him to admit, but Bizhan Tabatabian thinks Donald Trump actually might be able to help American tech workers like him keep their jobs. The 48-year-old systems engineer at University of California, San Francisco didn’t vote for Trump and he says he doesn’t even like the real estate mogul; he changes positions too often. But Tabatabian hopes Trump keeps one particular promise and that’s to protect American workers who are losing their jobs to outsourcing. McClatchy Newspapers article

Other areas

Preparing to take on Donald Trump, Kevin de Leon has plenty of career options – Many close to de León believe he has what it takes to compete in the crowded field to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018, and want him to run. While some see him better suited at the time for another down-ticket statewide office, others envision him challenging for U.S. Senate, running on his legislative achievements should Dianne Feinstein decline to pursue a fifth term in the 2018 election, at the age of 85. Sacramento Bee article

Sen. Jackson brings back family leave bills Brown previously vetoed – Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, is reviving a pair of family leave bills that Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed in the last session. Sacramento Bee article

Top 10 laws going into effect Jan. 1 — Change was the theme of 2016. Californian lawmakers voted in new legislation, voters elected new political leaders, and more than 50 percent of Tulare County residents choose Donald Trump as their new president. With a slew of new legislation going into effect in 2017, here are the top 10 laws that can potentially affect local residents beginning Jan. 1. Visalia Times-Delta article; LA Times article

Presidential Politics

House intelligence committee chair Nunes says Obama too late on Russian response — Tulare Republican Devin Nunes, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a stinging rebuke of President Barack Obama in the wake of new actions against Russia.  Fresno Bee article

Should California lawmakers work to end electoral college? – Rodrigo Howard, an attorney with CapKey Advisors, has proposed an initiative for the 2018 ballot that would ask voters whether state lawmakers should work to modify or eliminate the electoral college, so that the vote for president and vice president more closely resembles the outcome of the national popular vote. LA Times article

Can a federal government scientist in California convince Trump climate change is real? —  As the two decades since Ben Santer helped write a landmark international report linking global warming and human activity, he’s been criticized by politicians, accused of falsifying his data and rewarded with a dead rat on his doorstep. LA Times article

Big battles over farm and food policies may be brewing as Trump era begins — Donald Trump’s lack of attention won’t make future food battles any less cutthroat. Plenty of people in Washington, including powerful factions within the Republican majority in Congress, are hoping to change a wide variety of food-related policies, and believe that the new administration offers a prime opportunity to make those changes happen. NPR report

 News Stories – Top Stories

California’s water: Seven important things that happened in 2016 – This year has been a big one for water. California is still mired in drought, although less of the state is suffering than in previous years and each winter rainstorm brings a fresh bit of optimism. KQED report

Merced housing market continued to hum along in mid-autumn – In Merced and the surrounding area, home sales continue to be spurred by a growing UC Merced, few homes on the market and other factors, real estate agents reported Thursday. Merced Sun-Star article

Jobs and the Economy

Dusty Buns files for bankruptcy, appears to close – Dusty Buns, often called a trailblazer in the Fresno food truck scene, appears to have closed and filed for bankruptcy. The Dusty Buns restaurant on Weldon Avenue near Fresno High hasn’t been open in weeks, and the food truck hasn’t seen much action recently. Fresno Bee article; The Business Journal article

Longtime Madera market closing after 89 years — The Bridge Store, a longtime neighborhood market in Madera, is closing after 89 years. Founded by Tom and Kameyo Nishimoto, the popular market started out as a one-room grocery store at the corner of D and South streets and grew into a bustling market with as many as 70 employees. Fresno Bee article

Businesses hesitant with new alcohol laws — One law will allow beauty salons and barbershops licensed by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to serve beer and wine to customers without a liquor license. However, the alcohol must be free and only served before 10 p.m. Customers can only be served 12 ounces of beer or six ounces of wine by the glass. Customer’s ID must also be checked. Despite the new law being popular across the country, the idea is slow to take hold in Kings County. Hanford Sentinel article

Santa Clara County: Big spike in deaths of homeless people in 2016 – The woman known only as “Jessica,” found dead Wednesday morning in a tent along the Interstate 280 soundwall, became the 123rd homeless person to die in Santa Clara County this year, the highest figure in at least six years and nearly double last year’s total. Nobody knows why the number of homeless deaths has skyrocketed even as political will, programs and money to help those on the streets has grown while the last count of homeless individuals showed a decline. San Jose Mercury News article

Companies hotly pursue new wave of women in tech — Even in Silicon Valley, where talent wars are legion, courting female executives to join tech company boards is particularly cutthroat. New York Times article

Criminal Justice/Prisons

Three months before his retirement, this veteran Fresno police officer was fired — Gerald Miller says he did his job for 21 years as a Fresno police officer, investigating crimes, arresting suspects, writing reports and backing up fellow officers. But three months before Miller was eligible to retire, police Chief Jerry Dyer fired him. Miller is not being fired for misconduct. Instead, police officials say his disabilities limit him from carrying out his duties as a police officer. Fresno Bee article

Area prisons to receive grants to implement positive programs for inmates – Several area prisons will receive part of a $14.5 million grant from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to boost innovative programs and increase volunteerism in prisons, according to the CDCR. Fresno Bee article

Porterville police receive $43,000 in anonymous donations — The Porterville Police Department received two anonymous donations totaling over $43,000, which will be used for animal control operations and for purchasing K-9s, said the department. Fresno Bee article

2016: Social media sparks fear, outrage — Thanks to the power of social media, local police spent time this year investigating reports of killer clowns, politically charged viral videos and dispelling rumors about serial killers. Hanford Sentinel article

Decision on former Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel’s parole postponed after attorney makes new claims — State parole officials Thursday postponed a decision on setting free Patricia Krenwinkel, a follower of Charles Manson and convicted killer, after the woman’s attorney made new claims that she had been abused by Manson or another person. LA Times article

Education

Boys in dresses, gun-toting teachers and a resignation: 2016 was a big year for education — The Valley’s schools were no exception to big news, with local education stories making national headlines this year. Here are some of the biggest stories in education in 2016. Fresno Bee article

2016: Local school districts grow — With 2016 coming to an end, Tulare County school districts have added another semester under their belts. This year, schools focused on expanding campuses, programs and services to better suit students across the Valley. Visalia Times-Delta article

Health/Human Services

Sacramento Bee: Just because marijuana is legal doesn’t mean it’s safe – UC Davis researcher found teenagers in Washington started getting high more often after voters legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012. They were convinced the weed wasn’t dangerous anymore, says a study in JAMA Pediatrics. California should be paying attention. Sacramento Bee editorial

Michael Danovsky: Valley teen suicide, depression can be prevented – The supervisor of pediatric psychology for Valley Children’s Healthcare writes, “Fresno County officials are gathering a multiagency task force of school districts, mental health professionals, and other health care organizations. Through Community Conversations, a mental health steering committee, this task force will discuss what the community can do together on teen-suicide prevention and awareness.” Danovsky op-ed in Fresno Bee

Dr. Lyn Raible: Opioid abuse kills an American every 16 years – The chief medical officer for Aegis Treatment Centers in Modesto writes, “Last year, an accidental opioid overdose forever silenced a human voice every 16 minutes. Every 16 minutes of every hour of every day. It happens in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, throughout California and across America.” Raible op-ed in Modesto Bee

Modesto mom needing kidney transplant takes novel approach to donor search — Dorilyn Harrison of Modesto has an unorthodox way of searching for an organ donation needed to save her life. When her friends and family members are out on the roads and freeways, magnetic signs on their automobiles make an appeal to potential donors. Modesto Bee article

Transportation

LAX had a nightmarish holiday season of delays and gridlock. It’s likely a preview of the airport’s growing pains – The 19-day holiday season for LAX and its unprecedented surge in travelers will end Tuesday. But the experience of several million passengers passing through its gates might be an indicator of what lies ahead if the nation’s third-busiest airport continues to expand at a record pace. LA Times article

Other areas

Budget woes, 24^th Street wars, Kern turns 150: The year in government – Kern County government hasn’t had a lot of joy-filled years since the Great Recession hit, but 2016 was one of the worst. It’s our top local government story of the year. Since 2008, the county has struggled to recover its fiscal mojo and make progress toward big goals. Bakersfield Californian article

Top stories of 2016 in Merced County: Counting down from 10 to 6 – Continuing our countdown of the top news stories of 2016 in Merced County, we look back at a groundbreaking deal that officials hope will trigger major growth in Merced County in coming years, the outstanding achievement of an all-time elite high school softball star and a deadly gunfight in Delhi that nearly cost a sheriff’s deputy his life. Merced Sun-Star article

Lois Henry: Former football player holding on to his dreams – Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this column were about how former Chargers superstar Kenny Graham was now safely ensconced in Brookdale Senior Living, all expenses paid, courtesy of the NFL Player Foundation? Or driving off to the beach in his newly restored Rialta motor home? Sigh. Henry column in Bakersfield Californian

Steve Sunderland, first fire chief of Tulare County dead, at 63 — Steve Sunderland, who oversaw state fire agencies in Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties before becoming the founding chief of the Tulare County Fire Department, died Dec. 22 of natural causes. He was 63. Fresno Bee article

Chaffee Zoo mourns death of Moe the tapir, celebrates another big attendance year — Moe’s death comes during what is an otherwise wildly successful year for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. While official numbers won’t be out until the first week of January, the zoo has already surpassed its attendance record of 808,914 from last year. Fresno Bee article

Merced County departments hope to reach communities through social media — Merced County has ventured into the 21st Century and is rolling out new social media accounts. The county last month introduced social media policies and guidelines for practices ahead of launching official accounts on various platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Merced Sun-Star article

Valley Editorial Roundup

 Sacramento Bee –- UC Davis researcher found teenagers in Washington started getting high more often after voters legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012. They were convinced the weed wasn’t dangerous anymore, says a study in JAMA Pediatrics. California should be paying attention.