December 6, 2019

06Dec

POLICY & POLITICS


North SJ Valley:


Ex-Atwater police chief loses lawsuit against city, plans to appeal, attorney says

Merced Sun-Star

A Merced County judge this week denied ex-Atwater Police Chief Samuel Joseph’s claim that the City of Atwater didn’t give him a fair chance to appeal his termination following numerous allegations. 


‘Impeachment circus’: GOP candidate in District 10 scolds Harder and Pelosi

Modesto Bee

Ted Howze, a Republican candidate in the 10th Congressional District, does not think the impeachment proceedings against President Trump are a factor in the upcoming elections.


SJ Public Defender’s Office sued over alleged harassment, anti-LGBT comments

Stockton Record

The San Joaquin County Office of the Public Defender has been sued by a former employee alleging repeated sexual harassment, failure by management to adequately address her complaints, retaliation, and fear for her safety at work even after some of her allegations were substantiated by an independent investigation.


Central SJ Valley:


Questions about alleged ’80s relationship with underage girl are ‘political smear’

Fresno Bee

Mayoral candidate and former Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer declined to discuss decades-old allegations of an affair with an underage girl during a podcast interview posted this week. In a statement to The Bee, he called the question a “political smear.”

See Also:


Fresno City Council introduced amendment allowing razor wire in some instances

abc30

Fresno City Council introduced an amendment that will allow businesses to protect their establishments with razor wire again.

See also:


Best Of Central Valley Business Winners Unveiled

The Business Journal

Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Fresno was hopping Monday night as more than 100 of the leading local business owners and representatives gathered to hear the winners of the 2019 Best of Central Valley Business awards. 


EDITORIAL: Devin Nunes’ blind allegiance to Trump is the real danger to the republic

Fresno Bee

“There are no words to describe how dangerous a slope this is for our republic.” So said Rep. Devin Nunes Wednesday on Ray Appleton’s radio talk show in Fresno.

See also:


South SJ Valley:


Visalia Appoints New Community Development Director

The Business Journal

The City of Visalia has chosen a new community development director to begin working in the New Year. According to a news release, Curtis Cannon was approved by the city council in a unanimous vote.


Thousands in Tulare County could lose SNAP under Trump rule change

Visalia Times Delta

The change is likely to have a disproportionate impact on Tulare County which leads the state with the highest rate of SNAP users at 23%.

See also:


City proposes alternate site for homeless shelter in east Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield has announced a second possible location for a new 150-bed homeless shelter, sparking a potential fight over the placement of the facility.


State:


Another California GOP lawmaker is leaving the Republican Party. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

California’s Republican Party is getting even smaller. The super-minority in the Legislature has lost another state lawmaker, as former Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley has decided to run for re-election in 2020 with no party preference.

See also:


Gavin Newsom’s 100-day homeless challenge will give cities a chance at more housing money

Fresno Bee

California cities and counties will have a shot at more housing money if they meet goals designed to help homeless people off the streets through a “100-day challenge” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.


California bans insurers from dropping customers in 2019 wildfire zones

Fresno Bee

California’s insurance commissioner, responding to a crisis that’s hit much of rural California, issued a one-year moratorium Thursday banning carriers from canceling homeowners’ coverage in areas struck by the 2019 wildfires.

See also:


Rent control may be back on California ballot in 2020

San Francisco Chronicle

Two years after they overwhelmingly rejected an effort to expand rent control, California voters may be asked to weigh in again. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit that sponsored the​​ unsuccessful 2018 initiative, submitted nearly a million signatures Thursday to put a similar measure on the ballot in November 2020.


California Voter’s Choice Act Implementation Study​​ Resource Center

California Civic Engagement Project

The Voter's Choice Act Implementation Study was designed to provide a better understanding of how the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) was implemented in California during the 2018 Primary and General Elections. The study's goal is to identify key successes, challenges, and lessons learned from the implementation of the VCA in the five participating counties. 


Federal:


GOP senator bows to White House on Armenian genocide measure

Fresno Bee

Bowing to pressure from the White House, a Republican senator blocked a resolution Thursday that would recognize the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide.

See Also:


Senate confirms Trump judicial nominee, an abortion foe rated as ‘not qualifed’

Los Angeles Times

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed a St. Louis County attorney known for her opposition to abortion and support for religious rights to a federal judgeship in St. Louis.


Elections 2020:


Biden scrap with voter risks overshadowing critique of Trump

Fresno Bee

Joe Biden sought to capitalize on President Donald Trump's icy reception from world leaders by portraying himself on Thursday as someone who is well versed in foreign affairs and can restore American prestige abroad. But his moves risked being overshadowed by a testy confrontation with a voter in Iowa.

See also:


Julián Castro warns all-white Democratic lineup would be ‘deflating’

San Francisco Chronicle

Latinos are likely to be the largest racial or ethnic group eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential election. It will be the first time that’s happened in U.S. history.


What now for Kamala Harris?

San Francisco Chronicle

Sen. Kamala Harris’ withdrawal from the 2020 presidential race was hardly shocking. The signs of trouble have been mounting for awhile, from her sinking poll numbers to her struggle with fundraising to the​​ news stories about infighting and chaos​​ within her campaign.

See also:


After the Obama disappointment, black voters want more than empty symbolism

The Guardian

The lines in my DeKalb county, Georgia, polling site wrapped around the corner. Each of the hopeful voters in our predominantly black election district waited about two hours, alternately sitting, standing and passing the time with southern pleasantries, moments away from voting for America’s first black president. And it wasn’t yet the official voting day.


Bloomberg Proposes Sweeping Gun Agenda, Including Federal Licensing

New York Times

Michael R. Bloomberg proposed a sweeping array of federal gun-control measures on Thursday, calling for a national gun licensing system and stricter background checks, hundreds of millions of dollars in new enforcement spending and the passage of a federal red-flag law that would allow courts to temporarily confiscate firearms from people deemed dangerous.

See Also:


Booker and Castro accuse DNC of excluding minorities

Politico

Cory Booker and Julián Castro are taking aim at the Democratic National Committee over a primary process they say is excluding them from debates but allowing a billionaire to buy his way on to the stage. 


The most consequential moment of the 2020 primary

Politico

Kamala Harris was hosting a town hall in her hometown of Oakland, Calif., two years ago when she made an announcement that set off a mad scramble in the U.S. Senate.


Poll: Sanders surges into statistical tie with Warren in California

The Hill

Sen.​​ Bernie Sanders​​ (I-Vt.) is in a statistical tie with Sen.​​ Elizabeth Warren(D-Mass.) atop the 2020 Democratic primary field in California, according to a new Los Angeles Times​​ poll​​ conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. 


OPINION: The Democrats’ Fractured Fairy Tales

Wall Street Journal

Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi should have a talk. Both answered the siren song of the modern Democratic left. On Tuesday, Sen. Harris’s campaign broke up on the rocks. Meanwhile Speaker Pelosi, who stuffed her ears this summer against the left’s calls to impeach President Trump, sails on toward impeachment. That won’t end well either.


OPINION: Republicans Suppress Their Own Voters

Wall Street Journal

The Georgia and North Carolina Republican parties decided this week that Donald Trump will be the only name on their 2020 presidential primary ballots, and they aren’t alone. The Minnesota Republican Party pulled the same move a few weeks ago, and earlier the parties in South Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Nevada and Alaska canceled their nominating contests outright. The party is disenfranchising GOP voters in eight states—so far.


Other:


US Postal Service creates new stamp to raise money for veterans with PTSD

abc30

The USPS announced a new semipostal stamp that will help raise funds for people who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


Hawaiian Gardens casino to pay California $3.15 million, admits misleading regulators

Los Angeles Times

The Gardens Casino, a card room that underpins the one-square-mile city of Hawaiian Gardens, has agreed to pay $3.15 million to settle allegations brought by the California attorney general’s office that the casino’s operators made no mention of a federal probe and resultant $2.8-million penalty when applying to renew its license.


Amazon lawsuit says Trump bias caused it to lose bid for JEDI cloud contract

Los Angeles Times

Amazon.com Inc. says it lost a Pentagon cloud contract valued at as much as $10 billion because of political interference by President Trump, according to the judge overseeing the case.


Blog Post: Is the United States a secular country?

AEI
Many Americans invoke the notion of a “wall of separation” between church and state, building on — some might say co-opting — the metaphor Thomas Jefferson used in a letter to the Danbury Baptists to elucidate the First Amendment’s opening clauses. 


AGRICULTURE/FOOD


Fresno restaurant inspections: Is the region seeing a new trend on closures?

Fresno Bee

There’s good news on the horizon for Fresno diners — it appears the region may finish this year with significantly fewer restaurants closed for health violations compared to the prior year. 


Thousands in Tulare County could lose SNAP under Trump rule change

Visalia Times Delta

The change is likely to have a disproportionate impact on Tulare County which leads the state with the highest rate of SNAP users at 23%.

See also:


Will Climate Change Mean Less Farming in the West?

Civil Eats

Most years, ranchers in Wyoming irrigate their land with water from the Green River—a tributary of the Colorado—in the summer so they have forage to feed their cattle late in the season. In 2016, however, George Kahrl of Sarah Faith Ranch in Jackson, stop irrigating several of his fields in exchange for a check.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY


Crime:


In trial of ex-Fresno County deputy accused of killing sergeant, who will jury believe?

Fresno Bee

The trial of former Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jared Mullis began Thursday as he faces an involuntary manslaughter charge for the shooting death of his mentor and boss, Sgt. Rod Lucas. 


Secretly recorded conversations admissible in criminal cases

Fresno Bee

Secretly recording someone else’s conversation is illegal in California, but prosecutors can use the illicit recording as evidence in a criminal case, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.


Uber reports more than 3,000 sexual assaults on 2018 rides

Fresno Bee

Uber, as part of along anticipated safety report, revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018.

See also:


Visalia man admits to stealing jewelry at Kings Canyon National Park's John Muir Lodge

Visalia Times Delta

A Visalia man faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to felony theft in Kings Canyon National Park. Dallas Fonseca, 43, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on suspicion of stealing a vintage Rolex and other jewelry from national park-goers. 


Opinion: A Florida death row case indicts the entire capital punishment system

Los Angeles Times

The American criminal justice system has never been as good about ferreting out truth and justice as most people would like to think. The system relies on the memories and judgments of human beings, which makes it fallible and, worse, subject to manipulation.


Public Safety:


How to stop ‘porch pirates’ from stealing your package — and what to do if your box is taken

Fresno Bee

Now, as those Black Friday packages arrive on doorsteps, a growing breed of thieves – known as porch pirates – have an easy of a time plucking those Amazon boxes in broad daylight from stoops and front porches, Northern California law enforcement agencies warn.


Fresno City Council introduced amendment allowing razor wire fence security in some instances

abc30

Many Fresno business owners were stunned to learn the razor wire they had used for years to protect their property was illegal. During the summer, over 100 Fresno businesses received notices they would be fined because of the razor wire used to top their cyclone fences.


EDITORIAL: 15-year-old should not have paid with his life for running from Ceres police officer

Modesto Bee

The Modesto Bee​​ Editorial Board has repeatedly endorsed​​ the aims of recently signed legislation, Assembly Bill 392 and Senate Bill 230. They seek to rewire cops’ brains by mandating new training in de-escalation and using deadly force as an absolute last resort.

See also:


Fire: 


California bans insurers from dropping customers in 2019 wildfire zones

Fresno Bee

California’s insurance commissioner, responding to a crisis that’s hit much of rural California, issued a one-year moratorium Thursday banning carriers from canceling homeowners’ coverage in areas struck by the 2019 wildfires.

See also:


California government failed residents trapped by wildfires, auditor says

Fresno Bee

California’s auditor slammed state and county emergency management officials Thursday for inadequate disaster and evacuation planning, and called for changes in state law to​​ protect vulnerable residents, after a series of fast-moving wildfires left many people trapped on clogged roadways with little time to escape.


PG&E Urges Judge To Approve Key Settlement, Faces Resistance

The Business Journal

Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday urged a federal bankruptcy judge to approve a key insurance settlement as it struggles to regain its financial footing and cover at least $20 billion in losses stemming from catastrophic wildfires in California tied to its equipment.


ECONOMY / JOBS


Economy:


Best Of Central Valley Business Winners Unveiled

The Business Journal

Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Fresno was hopping Monday night as more than 100 of the leading local business owners and representatives gathered to hear the winners of the 2019 Best of Central Valley Business awards. 


Stocks end wobbly day with slight gains ahead of jobs report

Los Angeles Times

Wall Street finished Thursday with slight gains for the major stock indexes as technology companies and banks outweighed declines elsewhere in the market.


California’s economy will grow faster than the nation’s, UCLA forecast predicts

Los Angeles Times

California’s economic growth will slow next year, but it is likely to outshine that of the nation overall, as Golden State employers boost payrolls, according to a new UCLA Anderson School forecast. Even as recession fears haunt the ongoing expansion, California’s economic output expanded by 2.6% this year, albeit down from 3.5% in the last quarter of 2018.


Trump Country Sees Biggest Income Dips — and Jumps

PEW
In recent years, an oil boom has pumped up the incomes of many rural residents in Texas, even as flooding and the trade war have dragged down incomes in Nebraska farm country. Both cases are emblematic of a broader trend: The counties with the most dramatic income gains and losses since 2016 are mostly rural and Republican.


U.S. Position in the World

Gallup

Seventy-four percent of U.S. adults say trade represents “an opportunity for economic growth through increased U.S. exports.”


Jobs:


Is Sacramento’s new economy recession-proof? These are the jobs driving the region’s boom

Sacramento Bee

Barely a decade ago, if you wanted to be where the economic action was in Sacramento, you probably worked in real estate. You were working construction, selling houses, developing shopping centers or writing mortgage loans. It was the mid-2000s, before the housing bubble burst and the economy collapsed, and real estate was Sacramento’s growth engine.


California’s minimum wage is going up again in January

Sacramento Bee

California’s​​ minimum wage​​ is moving to $13 an hour in 2020. The​​ new minimum wage​​ goes into effect Jan. 1, and applies to employers with 26 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 26 employees will have to pay a minimum wage of $12 an hour.


Labor market picked up steam in November as U.S. economy added 266,000 jobs and jobless rate fell to 3.5 percent

Washington Post

The United States added 266,000 jobs in November as the jobless rate decreased to 3.5 percent, reflecting a surge of strength in the labor market that has muscled through recession fears that flared over the summer. The data, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, beat expectations. Analysts had forecast roughly 180,000 new jobs for the month. The 3.5 percent unemployment rate is back at a 50-year low.


EDUCATION


K-12:


Will fires, outages land California students in ‘disaster relief’ summer school?

CalMatters

Public schools cherish local control in California. But as climate-fueled disasters force hundreds of thousands of students each year to sacrifice days or weeks of instruction, districts are begging the state to step in with solutions, from campus microgrids to extra school.


Requiring fourth year of high school math will leave more students behind

EdSource

Many schools serving low-income students already fail to offer all the courses needed for admission to CSU campuses.


California School Boards Association pulls plan to put $15 billion tax on 2020 ballot

EdSource

To avoid competing tax initiatives benefiting education on the same statewide ballot, it eyes 2022 instead.


Disconnected: Internet stops once school ends for many rural California students

EdSource

Walk into any classroom in Alpaugh Unified and you will see teaching and learning using the latest technology. Students collaborate on digital documents, give presentations on interactive whiteboards, conduct research and even apply to colleges on Chromebooks.


China’s Schoolchildren Are Now the Smartest in the World

Bloomberg

Chinese students far out-stripped peers in every other country in a​​ survey​​ of reading, math and science ability, underscoring a reserve of future economic strength and the struggle of advanced economies to keep up.


Blog Post: PISA results offer more bad news for US schools

AEI

On Tuesday, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported its new results for how 15-year-olds are faring across about 80 nations. In what’s become a familiar theme, US math and reading scores​​ were flat​​ since the last test in 2015, with the US ranking 30th in the world in math and 8th in reading. As a New York Times​​ headline​​ stated, “‘It Just Isn’t Working’: PISA Test Scores Cast Doubt on U.S. Education Efforts.” 


Higher Ed:


‘This One Is One For The History Books’: Csub’s Dreamers Resource Center Brings Hope And Support To Undocumented Students

Kern Sol News

Faculty, students and community members gathered at California State University, Bakersfield Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the campus’ first ever Dreamers Resource Center — a spot on campus that will ensure students and staff feel safe, comfortable and supported.


Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford stepping down after 3 seasons at alma mater

ESPN

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford is expected to step down Friday, sources told ESPN. Tedford's coaching staff is scheduled to meet Friday morning, and a team meeting will follow, where players are expected to be informed of the situation. Assistant coaches were told to return from recruiting trips for the meeting, sources said.


ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY


Environment:


California pension fund financing its $281 million riverfront tower with green bonds

Sacramento Bee

California’s teacher pension fund wants to pay for a $300 million office tower on the Sacramento River with green bonds, a type of investment used to finance projects that meet environmental sustainability standards. CalSTRS is issuing $281 million worth of the bonds to finance the expansion of its West Sacramento headquarters, according to bond documents.


Thanksgiving-week storm created a record 75-foot wave off California coast

Los Angeles Times

The Thanksgiving-week “bomb cyclone” storm that drenched California not only set a record for the lowest pressure recorded in the state, but also generated a 75-foot wave off Cape Mendocino.


Hit by fires and droughts, California voters call climate change their top priority

Los Angeles Times

Pummeled by​​ fires, drought and floods, California’s Democratic primary voters put fighting climate change at the top of their list of issues for the next president to tackle. Nearly half of likely Democratic primary voters call the issue the No. 1 priority for the next president, according to a new statewide poll conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies for the Los Angeles Times.


Fishing groups sue federal agencies over latest water plan for California

San Francisco Chronicle

The fracas over California’s scarce water supplies will tumble into a San Francisco courtroom after a lawsuit was filed this week claiming the federal government’s plan to loosen previous restrictions on water deliveries to farmers is a blueprint for wiping out fish.


Energy:


Push to make PG&E a co-op gets more support and ‘operating principles’

San Francisco Chronicle

The co-op supporters also said their idea is now endorsed by more than 100 elected leaders who represent more than 8 million people in 58 cities and 10 counties.


Battle lines are drawn over oil drilling in California

CalMatters

After a five-year hiatus on auctions for oil-drilling rights on federal land, Washington​​ finalized a plan​​ to allow them on more than 700,000 acres in 11 Central California counties. A more significant proposal to include parcels on more than 1 million acres in the Bakersfield area is due in the next few months.


HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES


Health:


Measles cases surge in California and across the U.S. Did anti-vaxxers contribute?

Fresno Bee

Measles is back, and with a vengeance. The United States is among the countries with measles outbreaks. Through Nov. 7,​​ more than 1,260 cases​​ have been reported in 31 states — the highest number in the past 25 years.

See also:


Experts split sharply over experimental Alzheimer's drug

abc30

A company that claims to have the first drug to slow mental decline from Alzheimer's disease made its case to scientists Thursday but left them sharply divided over whether there's enough evidence of effectiveness for the medicine to warrant federal approval.


Flesh-eating bacteria linked to heroin kills 7 in California

Bakersfield Californian

A flesh-eating bacteria linked to the use of black tar heroin has killed at least seven people over the past two months in the San Diego area, prompting health authorities to alert law enforcement and other officials in California.


Human Services:


Gavin Newsom’s 100-day homeless challenge will give cities a chance at more housing money

Fresno Bee

California cities and counties will have a shot at more housing money if they meet goals designed to help homeless people off the streets through a “100-day challenge” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.


Veterans Discuss Palliative Care At December Round Table

Clovis Roundup

Veteran healthcare and upcoming holiday events were the main topics of discussion at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District’s December veterans roundtable Dec. 4 at 3:30 p.m. Palliative Care Director Dr. Duc Chung and nurse practitioner Rosemary Andrew, both from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, opened the roundtable with a presentation on Palliative Care.


IMMIGRATION


US persuades judge to stop pro-Trump border wall group

Fresno Bee

The U.S. government persuaded a federal judge to prevent a private fundraising group from building its own wall next to the river that separates the U.S. and Mexico, despite the group's longstanding claim that it is supporting President Donald Trump.


Trump Administration Sued Over Social Media Screening for Visa Applicants

New York Times

A pair of documentary film organizations sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its requirement that foreigners disclose their social media accounts — including pseudonymous ones — when they apply for visas.


LAND USE/HOUSING


Land Use:


What are parklets and why are they coming to Fresno?

Fresno Bee

The city of Fresno launched it's parklet pilot program with the unveiling of a parklet at Bitwise Stadium in downtown Fresno. The hope is to create additional outdoor space for businesses to add dining and entertainment options. 


A renovation surge is remaking this downtown Fresno street. A historic building is next

Fresno Bee

A stretch of Fulton Street in downtown Fresno is getting a lot of love lately. It’s about to get some more. A brick building estimated to be 101 years old at 736 Fulton St., across the street from the Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co.’s beer garden, has new owners.


‘Gentle’ density can save our neighborhoods

Brookings

On roughly 75% of land in most U.S. cities, it is illegal to build anything except single-family detached houses. Using Washington, D.C. as a case study, Alex Baca, Patrick McAnaney, and Jenny Schuetz show how zoning rules can be relaxed to build more homes, improving affordability and economic opportunity for residents.


Housing:


Gavin Newsom’s 100-day homeless challenge will give cities a chance at more housing money

Fresno Bee

California cities and counties will have a shot at more housing money if they meet goals designed to help homeless people off the streets through a “100-day challenge” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.


City proposes alternate site for homeless shelter in east Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield has announced a second possible location for a new 150-bed homeless shelter, sparking a potential fight over the placement of the facility.


Supreme Court confronts homeless crisis and whether there’s a right to sleep on the sidewalk

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court meets Friday to consider for the first time whether the Constitution gives homeless people a right to sleep on the sidewalk.


Rent control may be back on California ballot in 2020

San Francisco Chronicle

The proposed ballot initiative is being pushed by advocates who believe the state’s first rent cap, adopted by the Legislature this year, doesn’t go far enough.


SF revives fight over controversial state bill that pushes housing near transit

San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco officials are poised to oppose for the second time this year a contentious state bill that would allow for denser housing near public transit and job centers.


Liberal California looks to get tougher on homelessness

Politico

California has had enough with its homeless problem. The liberal stronghold is losing patience with the sprawling homeless encampments, the growing ranks of people with mental illnesses and substance abuse on the streets, and the deteriorating quality of life that comes with it — human waste, trash and open-air drug dealing.


PUBLIC FINANCES


Why Are Democrats Pushing a Trillion Dollar Tax Cut?

Real Clear Policy

House Democratic sponsorship of a bill repealing the “Cadillac” tax — the levy on high-cost insurance plans enacted in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — is discrediting the party’s claim of being above craven and irresponsible tax-cutting.


We do not need to expand Social Security

AEI

Few issues better illustrate the leftward shift of American economic policy than Social Security. In the late 1990s, moderate Democrats such as Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and John Breaux proposed fixing Social Security’s finances through a combination of tax increases and benefit cuts, including lower cost-of-living adjustments and an increased retirement age. Republicans favored fixing the Social Security deficit using benefit cuts alone.


OPINION: Wealth Tax Is a Decent Idea, Though Probably Unconstitutional

Wall Street Journal

The idea of a wealth tax has been in the news of late, mainly because of campaign proposals from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Commentators mostly paint the issue in stark black or white: A tax on wealth is either a marvelous idea, essential to reducing inequality in America, or a horrible idea destined to fail. A more accurate portrayal would concentrate on shades of gray.


TRANSPORTATION


How High Should Proposed Highway 41 Digital Billboard Be?

GVWire

A proposed digital billboard overlooking Highway 41 between Herndon and Friant avenues rests in​​ the hands of the Fresno City Council​​ this Thursday. And the council’s decision could reap the city an extra $3 million over 25 years.


Large sinkhole closes portion of Turlock thoroughfare

Modesto Bee

A large sinkhole believed to be related to a ruptured sewer line has closed a portion of a Turlock thoroughfare.


WATER


A Path Forward for California’s Freshwater Ecosystems

PPIC
Californians rely on freshwater ecosystems for many things: water supply, hydropower, recreation, fisheries, flood risk reduction, biodiversity, and more. These ecosystems—and the social, economic and environmental benefits they provide—are part of the state’s natural infrastructure. 


How Racism Ripples Through Rural California’s Pipes

New York Times

Bertha Mae Beavers remembers hearing stories as a child about the promises of California, a place so rich with jobs and opportunity that money, she was told, “grew on trees.” So in the summer of 1946 she said goodbye to her family of sharecroppers in Oklahoma and set out for a piece of it.

See Also:


Drought-ProofingValley Cities

fresnoland

From the irrigation canals that started carving their way through the valley floor, channeling snowmelt from the rivers of the Sierras to the major state and federal projects that store and convey water, to the rise of the electric pump, allowing landowners to extract water from the vast groundwater reserves beneath us - all of these innovations in the last 150​​ years have turned this region into a world agricultural powerhouse, all the while supporting one of California’s fastest growing regions.


“Xtra”


You can get a summer’s worth of concerts for under $200 — even if a show is sold out

Fresno Bee

The passes offer unlimited lawn access to the 2020 concert season at one of 29 Live Nation amphitheaters. That includes shows that might otherwise be sold out.


China Peak reopens Friday after receiving 8 feet of snow

abc30

China Peak Resort will reopen Friday after receiving more than eight feet of snow in the last week. Resort officials say they will reopen Friday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will likely open more lifts and runs throughout the weekend.


Dog-adoption special offered for holidays

Madera Tribune

A promotional Home for the Holidays $25 dog adoption special is being held at the Madera County animal shelter through the end of December. Any dog 25 pounds or over will be available for $25, which includes the spaying or neutering, vaccines and a microchip ID.