February 14, 2018

14Feb

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Local/Regional Politics:

 

Nunes makes brief appearance at hometown farm show

The Fresno Bee

Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and author of the infamous Nunes memo, made a brief appearance in his hometown of Tulare at the opening day of the World Ag Expo. But not many people got to see him. Those who missed him included three protesters who stood across the street holding banners urging Donald Trump to release his tax returns and for Congress to pass DACA reform.

See also:

·       Nunes attends hometown farm show but doesn’t stay longModesto Bee

·       Nunes makes appearance at World Ag Expo, few able to see himVisalia Times-Delta

·       US Ag Secretary talks water, trade, regulation with farmersVisalia Times-Delta

·       2018 World Ag Expo | Feb. 13 to Feb. 15 | Tulare, California The Fresno Bee

·       Tractors and fertilizer, sure, but 51st World Ag Expo offers sci-fi glimpses too Bakersfield Californian

 

Farmers, immigration rights advocates push back after ICE checks in the Central Valley

Vida en el Valle

Recent federal immigration checks on area packing house have shaken the agricultural industry as workers have lost their jobs and owners have lost workers who have either been flagged for deportation or who have been too scared to show up at the workplace during the busy citrus industry.

 

The Silicon Valley Giant Bankrolling Devin Nunes

Daily Beast

Weeks after they hired a controversial former Trump national security aide with ties to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), top executives at the tech company Oracle made substantial donations to Nunes’ 2018 re-election campaign.

 

How One Valley Congressman Is Responding to Bad Press

New York Times

Representative Devin Nunes, the California Republican at the center of the storm over the release of a classified memorandum challenging the F.B.I. investigation of President Trump and Russia, has come up with a response particularly fitting for our times: He has created his own news site, a curation of news from both nonpartisan and partisan sources.

 

Assembly candidates face off in first forum of season

Visalia Times-Delta

The Central Valley Tea Party will give those vying for California Assembly 26th District seat a chance to address voters early in the campaign season. Candidates from the Republican party that is.

Asm Gray: We had a deal. Without Sites, Temperance you’re breaking a promise

Modesto Bee

In 2014, I asked you to support Proposition 1, $7.5 billion water bond written during one of the worst droughts in the state’s modern history. It certainly wasn’t perfect. I would have preferred significantly more than the $2.7 billion it provided for water storage, while others would have eliminated water storage funding entirely. But Prop 1 was a product of compromise and negotiation – something we need a lot more of in today’s political climate.

 

This Is What It’s Like To Live With Toxic Tap Water In California

BuzzFeed News

In 2012, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that made the state the first in the nation to formally recognize access to safe, clean, and affordable water as a human right. Yet California’s Central Valley, the country’s hub for agriculture, has been plagued for years by water that is too toxic and dirty to drink, cook with, or bathe in. And while state and local officials have been long aware of the problem, they’ve been unable to put in place a permanent solution, much to the frustration of residents.

 

Dramatic claims of bribes trigger look into marijuana mess at the county of Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Legal marijuana has turned Kern County government into a muddy mosh pit of criminal and ethical accusations over the past month. The story is complex and the stakes for those involved are high. Some politicians elected to office by the public have been accused of taking bribes and building inappropriately close relationships with special interest lobbying groups.

See also:

·       Marijuana shop owner makes big claims, holds back proof The Bakersfield Californian

 

Tax-credit delay stalls lease for district attorney offices

The Fresno Bee

A developer’s delay in obtaining needed tax credits is threatening a 10-year, $15 million deal for Fresno County to lease the historic Rowell Building in downtown Fresno. The arrangements negotiated last fall to move the District Attorney’s Office into the 105-year-old building aren’t dead, but rather on hold. The building is owned by River Park Properties III, a partnership led by longtime Fresno developer Ed Kashian and his company, Lance-Kashian & Co. The partnership bought the building in 2014.

 

“Crisis” at public defender’s office delays justice, costs taxpayers

ABC30

Public defenders in Fresno County are refusing to take the most serious cases coming through the courts, leaving taxpayers to pick up an extra bill to defend accused criminals.

 

County hires a fire warden and also appoints a new Stanislaus Consolidated board member

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders have hired a regional emergency services agency director as the new county fire warden. Richard Murdock, executive director of Mountain-Valley Emergency Medical Services Agency, was among 13 people who applied for the position overseeing county emergency services, fire service and rescue operations and security.

 

City going forward with plan addressing pedestrian, bicyclist safety

Bakersfield Californian

The City of Bakersfield is now able to move forward in developing a plan that aims to reduce injuries and fatalities of bicyclists and pedestrians in town. The City Council approved a resolution during its Feb. 7 meeting that allows City Manager Alan Tandy to enter in agreement with the California Department of Transportation to help fund a Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety Plan.

 

State Politics:

 

2018 Edelman Trust Barometer California Supplement

Edelman.com

The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer California Supplement takes a deeper look into the minds of the Golden State’s residents. The annual statewide survey offers insight into the mood of America’s most populous state with residents weighing in on several issues impacting their lives including technology, government, the economy and the workplace.

 

California tax revenues far exceed expectations for second month in a row

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s tax revenues far exceeded expectations in January for the second consecutive month, but it remains to be seen how much of the excess reflects underlying strength in the economy, versus people speeding up their 2017 state income tax payments while they were still fully deductible on federal tax returns.

 

Boom and Gloom: An Economic Warning for California

The New York Times

The United States is on track to achieve the second-longest economic expansion in its history. Unemployment is at a 17-year low. And California’s state budget has a multibillion-dollar surplus. So why is its longtime governor, Jerry Brown, issuing prophecies of doom? “What’s out there is darkness, uncertainty, decline and recession,” Mr. Brown said recently after presenting his final budget to legislators.

 

Jerry Brown fixed California’s school funding, except for one critical thing

Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown is such a genius sometimes. Unfortunately, he’s also frequently a stubborn man who sticks to a notion – I’d be happy never to hear the word “subsidiarity” again – even when it’s more ideology than solid policy.

 

Video: Countdown to the Primary

Public Policy Institute of California

Less than four months before the June primary, Democrats Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa are in a virtual tie among likely voters in the gubernatorial race. But a quarter of likely voters are undecided—as many as support either of the front-runners in the top-two contest. In the US Senate race, Dianne Feinstein continues to lead fellow Democrat Kevin de León by double digits, with a third of likely voters undecided

 

Can Gubernatorial Candidates Tackle Childhood Poverty?

KQED

Living in poverty is hard. If anyone knows that it’s Jessica Bartholow, with theWestern Center on Law & Poverty.

 

Three of the top Democrats in the governor’s race vow to make California — and Sacramento — more diverse

Los Angeles Times

Three of the top Democrats in California’s race for governor vowed to help enrich the lives of women of color in California, both economically and in political influence, at a congenial candidate forum in Sacramento on Tuesday evening.

 

Union gives Newsom a big labor endorsement in California governor’s race

SFGate

The 700,000-member Service Employees International Union California endorsed Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for governor and state Sen. Kevin de León for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, giving the Democrats a powerful union ally to supply grassroots campaign help.

 

Powerful labor union backs Gavin Newsom for California governor

Los Angeles Times

The Service Employees International Union, one of the most powerful and deep-pocketed labor unions in the state, endorsed Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s gubernatorial bid on Tuesday.

 

California public sector unions are about to be gutted by Supreme Court conservatives

Sacramento Bee

The conservative justices on the Supreme Court are poised to deliver a serious blow to public employees’ unions in California and many other states. Later in February, the court will hear oral arguments in Janus v. American Federation, and no one – liberal or conservative – has any doubt about the outcome or that the ideologically motivated decision will hurt public workers in this state and elsewhere.

 

Most Californians have never heard of GOP candidates for Governor

OCRegister

California has become, for all intents and purposes, a one-party state.

 

Tech entrepreneur seeks former job of insurance commissioner

AP News

Tech entrepreneur and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner announced Monday he’s running to take back his old seat as California’s top insurance regulator.

 

Can California do elections better? Sacramento is the first big test

The Sacramento Bee

With concerns over the security and inclusiveness of the 2018 elections, California is turning to Sacramento County voters to test a new way to do elections. California’s new approach should be for the better, boosting voter turnout and leading to faster vote counts – if elections officials do their job.

 

Opinion: Why California should continue building high-speed rail

The Mercury News

The high-speed rail vision is of Bay Area grandparents on family visits to Disneyland. The system would fail based only on those relatively infrequent end-to-end trips. The reason for building high-speed rail is to protect our Bay Area economy.

 

Prop. 50 was designed for scandals like Capitol harassment cases. It’s being ignored.

Fresno Bee

Four years ago, the state Senate was thrown into turmoil by the simultaneous prosecution of three senators on unrelated felony charges. The Senate compelled all three to step aside from their Senate duties but could not legally strip them of their salaries and fringe benefits while they awaited disposition of their cases, which eventually resulted in convictions.

 

A look at the new whistleblower protections

Capitol Weekly

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law whistleblower protections for Capitol staffers. Now, legislative employees will have the same protections as all other state employees. But a question arises: Will the new law, which passed both Democrat-controlled houses without a dissenting vote, really make much of a difference?

 

Walters: Capitol harassment cases handled inconsistently

Calmatters

Four years ago, the state Senate was thrown into turmoil by the simultaneous prosecution of three senators on unrelated felony charges.

 

Fox: Speed Up the Sexual Harassment Investigations

Fox & Hounds

While the legislature sets up procedures to deal with sexual harassment complaints and at the same time tries to create a system that is transparent and independent given that the accused are often colleagues, it leaves both victims of harassment and those who may be wrongly accused frustrated with the lack of resolution.

 

California’s Legislature should require a formal vote to kill bills, Republican lawmaker says

Los Angeles Times

A Republican state lawmaker whose bill to protect legislative staff from workplace retaliation was killed four times without a formal vote says it’s time to change the rules of the Legislature. “Don’t keep passing the buck,” said Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore). “That’s a cowardly way of doing business.”

 

Veteran Democratic operatives leading a new PAC that plans to play in California’s House primaries

Los Angeles Times

There’s yet another new PAC in town ahead of California’s midterm elections and this one is hoping to back Democratic candidates in already-crowded primaries for GOP-held seats. Veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi and pollster Paul Maslin are calling their committee CA-BAM (get it?) and aim to raise about $5 million to spend on at least five House races here. The goal, according to a press release, is to “identify the strongest Democrats with the best path to victory” and spend money to help them win.

 

McCarthy and Pence fundraisers shored up vulnerable California Republicans

Los Angeles Times

Some vulnerable California House Republicans can thank House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Vice President Mike Pence for at least a fifth of the money they have raised for this year’s midterm elections. A joint fundraising committee connected with Pence and McCarthy gave Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale $133,000, or almost 28% of the money he’s raised in the last six months.

 

Countering Trump administration, a California legislator wants to ban work requirements for Medicaid

Los Angeles Times

As states led by Republicans prepare to impose tough new conditions for Medicaid recipients with the Trump administration’s blessing, a California legislator wants to ensure no such requirements would be enacted here.

 

Federal Politics:

 

Trump’s budget balloons deficits, cuts social safety net

The Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump unveiled a $4.4 trillion budget plan Monday that envisions steep cuts to America’s social safety net but mounting spending on the military, formally retreating from last year’s promises to balance the federal budget. The president’s spending outline for the first time acknowledges that the Republican tax overhaul passed last year would add billions to the deficit and not “pay for itself” as Trump and his Republican allies asserted. If enacted as proposed, though no presidential budget ever is, the plan would establish an era of $1 trillion-plus yearly deficits.

See also:

·       Winners and Losers in the Trump Budget in One Chart  Roll Call

·       Trump wants to slash food stamps and replace them with a ‘Blue Apron-type program’ The Fresno Bee

·       Food stamps dropped nationally, but after temporary spike following hurricanes PunditFact

·       Twelve facts about food insecurity and SNAP Brookings

·       Trump, Republicans are preparing an all-out assault on the safety net Sacramento Bee

·       Trump’s budget balloons deficits, cuts social safety net The Madera Tribune

·       White House doubles down on its goal of Obamacare repeal in new budget proposal Los Angeles Times

 

US inflation firms broadly in January, puts spotlight on Fed

Reuters

U.S. consumer prices rose more than expected in January, with a measure of underlying inflation posting its biggest gain in a year, strengthening expectations the Federal Reserve will have to quicken the pace of interest rate increases this year.

 

SEIU endorsement of Kevin de León is a big boost in his bid to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Los Angeles Times

California Senate leader Kevin de León received a significant boost in his insurgent bid to defeat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday, winning the endorsement of one of the state’s most politically powerful labor unions. The Service Employees International Union announced it was endorsing California’s Senate president pro tem because of his efforts on a $15 minimum wage, immigration and environmental justice.

 

Senators begin freewheeling immigration debate, and it’s anyone’s guess where it will end up

Los Angeles Times

As the Senate opened a much-anticipated immigration debate Monday, lawmakers may be embarking on something rarely attempted anymore in Congress: openly and collaboratively legislating.

See also:

·       Immigration Debate Sputters at the Starting Line  Roll Call

·       ‘Skinny’ immigration plan gains traction in the Senate  Washington Examiner

·       Second federal judge rules against Trump’s move to end DACALos Angeles Times

·       Bid to help immigrant ‘Dreamers’ may bog down over issue of family reunification visas Los Angeles Times

·       Opinion: The ‘Dreamer’ Fight Could End in One of Three Ways Roll Call

 

Don’t ask about citizenship on census, California tells Trump

Sacramento Bee

California, home to 1 in 4 of the nation’s foreign-born population, is pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

 

Other:

 

Statewide Public Media Collaboration ‘California Dream’ Launches With Call-In Show

KPBS

California Dream is a new, statewide collaboration focused on key issues of economic opportunity, quality of life and the future of the “California Dream.” Over the next two years, the collaboration will be sharing stories about housing, education, jobs, the wealth gap and more as it presents reporting on radio and television, online and through special programming.

 

Will millennials be the largest voting bloc in 2018, as Rock the Vote predicts?

PolitiFact

Rock the Vote, a group that is focused on increasing young registered voters, says that the youth vote has reached a pivotal status. “Millennials are the largest and most diverse generation and this year we will be the largest voting block,” tweeted Rock the Vote Feb. 2. Rock the Vote calls itself a nonpartisan organization but champions some issues more associated with the left, including voting rights.

 

Opinion: America Doesn’t Care How the Sausage Is Made

Roll Call

Process rather than outcome has become the new definition of governing in D.C. and that’s not good for America. The inside story of how a controversial bill is passed or a presidential decision is reached has historical value. But when day-to-day political discourse thrives on gossipy renditions of process as we see now rather than focusing on the outcomes these actions will deliver, a disillusioned electorate is the unfortunate consequence.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING  

 

Sunday, February 18, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: 2018: The Political Forecast​​ – Guests: John Myers (LA Times) and Dan Walters (CalMatters). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, February 18, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report: “State Politics: The Year Past & the Year Ahead” – Guests: John Myers (LA Times) and Dan Walters (CalMatters). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler. 

 

Sunday, February 18, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy:2018 Race for Governor: Former LA Mayor  Guest: Antonio Villaraigosa y Liam Dillon with the LA Times. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans..

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

 

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

2018 World Ag Expo | Feb. 13 to Feb. 15 | Tulare, California

The Fresno Bee

The World Ag Expo, the biggest farm equipment and technology show of its kind, is on its was back to Tulare. From Feb. 13-15, the grounds of the International Agri-Center will be invaded by more than 100,000 people and 1,500 vendors. Visitors come from all over the world and nation. Last year, people from 43 states and 70 countries attended.

See also:

·       Ag Secretary talks water, trade, regulation with farmers Visalia Times-Delta

·       Sec. Sonny Perdue visits World Ag Expo Hanford Sentinel

·       Tractors and fertilizer, sure, but 51st World Ag Expo offers sci-fi glimpses too Bakersfield Californian

 

How much privacy do you have when you buy marijuana in California?

PolitiFact California

Should California’s marijuana customers be worried about the federal government charging them with a crime? That’s the provocative question a reader asked us after we published Pot 101, an article that outlines what you can and can’t legally do under the state’s recreational marijuana law, Proposition 64.

 

How Will Cannabis Legalization Affect Alcohol Consumption?

RAND

Grab a cocktail after work or head to the cannabis lounge? Unlike Colorado or Washington, California’s legalization allows local jurisdictions to license on-premises cannabis consumption. While this is nothing new to the Bay Area, an increasing number of Californians will confront the “bar versus lounge” decision.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE​ ​/​ ​FIRE​ ​/​ ​PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

“Crisis” at public defender’s office delays justice, costs taxpayers

ABC30

Public defenders in Fresno County are refusing to take the most serious cases coming through the courts, leaving taxpayers to pick up an extra bill to defend accused criminals. “They’re so overwhelmed with the number of cases they have, they don’t have enough time to prepare these cases,” said legal analyst Tony Capozzi. For almost two months now, the publicly funded public defender’s office has refused to take serious cases, leaving private attorneys to pick up the slack.

 

Some California Cities Criminalize Nuisance Code Violations

NPR

Ramona Morales, who turns 80 in May, technically has a criminal record. Her offense? One of her renters kept chickens. “Beautiful chickens. Beautiful roosters they were,” Morales says walking the back yard of the modest ranch home she rents out in the Coachella Valley city of Indio, Calif.

 

Public Safety:

 

Here’s what those CHP officers in blue uniforms and pickups are up to

Fresno Bee

From time to time out on the highway you may notice a California Highway Patrol officer wearing a blue uniform and driving a pickup. And you may wonder, why? The pickup is carrying equipment for the specially-trained mobile road enforcement (MRE) officer. They carry scales, a mechanic’s creeper, printers, chock blocks and many manuals needed for reference. MRE officers wear blue, wash-and-wear uniforms rather than the traditional wool, tan uniform for practicality.

 

Fire:

 

County hires a fire warden and also appoints a new Stanislaus Consolidated board member

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders have hired a regional emergency services agency director as the new county fire warden. Richard Murdock, executive director of Mountain-Valley Emergency Medical Services Agency, was among 13 people who applied for the position overseeing county emergency services, fire service and rescue operations and security.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Asm Patterson: FUTA tax sticks it to small business owners

The Business Journal

If your friendly neighborhood shop owner looks a bit more tired and downtrodden than usual, ask if it’s their FUTA tax payment that’s bringing them down. It sounds like a transit agency or a new hybrid fruit. It’s actually continued proof of Governor Brown’s disdain for business owners in this state — at least that’s how it must feel to them.

 

PAGA Problem Mirrors Workers Comp Before Reform of 2004

Fox and Hounds Daily

For the business community, the difficulties of the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) are similar to what business faced under the burden of workers compensation costs over a decade ago. Small businesses particularly had to cope with workers comp costs that stood at twice the national average threatening the viability of many establishments.

 

Boom and Gloom: An Economic Warning for California

New York Times

The United States is on track to achieve the second-longest economic expansion in its history. Unemployment is at a 17-year low. And California’s state budget has a multibillion-dollar surplus. So why is its longtime governor, Jerry Brown, issuing prophecies of doom?

 

Explainer: Rising US inflation and what it means for markets

Reuters

U.S. financial markets have been roiled recently by something neither the economy nor investors have had to contend with for the better part of a decade: concerns they may soon have to reckon with rising inflation.

See also:

·       Will the wild stock market cause the Federal Reserve to slow interest rate hikes? And should it? Los Angeles Times

 

Jobs:

 

CVS hikes wages and announces Q4 earnings

CNBC

CVS Health will increase employee pay and sweeten benefits to some employees using a portion of the company’s windfall from the new tax law. CVS will boost starting pay for hourly employees to $11 per hour from $9 per hour, starting in April. Pay ranges and rates will be adjusted for many of its retail pharmacy technicians, front store associates and other hourly retail employees later in the year. Full-time employees will qualify for as much as four weeks of paid parental leave, and worker health-care premiums will hold steady at current rates.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Clovis Unified responds to racist allegations, stresses no tolerance policy

Clovis Roundup

In recent months, situations of bullying and racial slurs made by Clovis Unified students have come to light at district school board meetings. On Jan. 17, members of the local Punjabi community, in advocating for the One and Only Academy charter school, stated bullying against their community has been an issue with many students calling those wearing religious headwear “terrorists.”

 

City council could seek resignation of anti-military teacher

The Bakersfield Californian

City Council members in a Los Angeles suburb passed a resolution Tuesday night condemning and asking for the resignation of one of their colleagues who in his work as a school teacher called members of the U.S. military “the lowest of our low.” “God bless America!” one Pico Rivera councilman shouted as the vote passed.

See also:

·       California teacher defends anti-military remarks The Bakersfield Californian

 

Understanding California’s charter schools division: A quick guide

EdSource

What are the primary functions of the California Department of Education’s charter schools division? The division, which reports to the state superintendent of public instruction, provides research, administrative support and recommendations on charter school issues for the State Board of Education. Charter Schools Division Director Lisa Constancio reports to Nick Schweizer, deputy superintendent of the State Department of Education’s system support branch. Currently 15 people work in the charter schools division.

 

Science education funding still in Trump’s crosshairs, despite being saved by Congress

EdSource

Days after Congress passed a budget that mostly preserves funding for science education, President Donald Trump released a new budget proposal for 2019 that would eliminate many of those same programs.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Free community college for … some. It’s a start

Los Angeles Times

I’m teaching a journalism class this spring semester at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, where much has changed since I attended 20 years ago as a film major. There’s a new library, for one, and a snazzy baseball field. The gigantic parking lot where I’d sleep in my ’83 Corvette between lectures now has large solar panels that also act as much-needed shade.

 

Cal State experiment could hurt students

The Sacramento Bee

Like it or not, California State University students are about to become guinea pigs in a grand educational experiment. Beginning this fall, CSUs will stop giving placement tests or offering remedial classes, and instead will place all students in regular classes to sink or swim. The hope is to improve student success – and save money. Nationally, about half of students entering two-year colleges and 20 percent of those entering four-year universities take remedial courses in math, reading or writing, falling farther behind their peers and becoming less likely to complete their degrees. Studies peg the cost of remediation at between $3 billion to $7 billion a year.

 

Applications for college aid through the California Dream Act are down again

Los Angeles Times

Each year, California invites students who are in the country without legal permission to apply for the same financial aid packages available to others. But officials once again are concerned that fears are keeping those they want to help from seeking the funding.

 

State utility regulators rebuff UC bid to join San Onofre case

The San Diego Union-Tribune

The California Public Utilities Commission has rejected the University of California’s request to join the proceeding dividing costs of the San Onofre nuclear plant failure. UC wanted the chance to compete for millions of dollars in greenhouse-gas research funding.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Dangerously destructive species spotted in Central Valley

ABC30

Wildlife authorities say they haven’t dealt with nutria since the 70’s. The animal is commonly seen in parts of the East Coast like Maryland, Washington and farther south in Louisiana. Experts are working with those states to come up with a plan to remove nutria before they cause millions of dollars worth of damage.

 

Evergreen Initiative sprawl could threaten Coyote Valley

The Mercury News

As a San Jose resident who cherishes our wildlife, open spaces and the environment, I am deeply troubled by the potentially devastating impacts the Evergreen Initiative could have on Coyote Valley. Coyote Valley is a regional treasure for both wildlife and people, with beautiful open space that provides habitat and allows animals to navigate around our growing city.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

White House doubles down on its goal of Obamacare repeal in new budget proposal

Los Angeles Times

Even as prospects for a new Republican push to roll back the Affordable Care Act remain dim, the White House is doubling down on the repeal effort, calling for massive cuts to healthcare assistance in its 2019 budget.

 

California initiative to ban fluoride, chlorine, vaccine requirements approved to collect signatures

San Francisco Chronicle

Dubbed the “California Clean Environment Initiative” by its creator Cheriel Jensen, the initiative would also eliminate vaccination requirements at schools and daycares, ban more than 300 chemicals it claims are linked to cancer, autism and Parkinson’s disease, and prohibit the use of smart meters to monitor energy consumption.

 

Bill calls for increased education about opioid addiction and overdose

San Diego Union-Tribune

A bill introduced in the state Senate would require warning labels on opioid prescription bottles and require doctors and sports programs to provide more information to youths and their parents about the risk of addiction and overdose. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1109, was drafted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and introduced by state Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel.)

 

Human Services:

 

Dumping patients at homeless shelters ‘a systemic issue’ in Sacramento, new survey says

Sacramento Bee

Days after her double mastectomy surgery late last month, Lara Woods still had drainage tubes dangling from her chest when a ride-share car delivered her from UC Davis Medical Center to the Salvation Army building near downtown Sacramento.

 

Survivors of human trafficking in California can now sign up for confidential mailing addresses

Los Angeles Times

Human trafficking survivors can now sign up for a confidential mailing address program that enables some California crime victims to privately receive mail, open bank accounts and register to vote.

 

Trump‘s ‘Harvest Box’ Isn’t Viable in SNAP Overhaul, Officials Say

The New York Times

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers about 46 million low-income Americans both sustenance and economic choice by providing an allowance to buy the fruit, meat, fresh vegetables, soda, ice cream and kind of bread they want to eat. But on Monday, the Trump administration sprung a surprise: Under a proposal in the president’s budget many participants in the program would be given half their benefits in the form of a “Harvest Box” full of food preselected for nutritional value and economic benefit to American farmers.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

For stories on immigration debate in Congress See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

 

Farmers, immigration rights advocates push back after ICE checks in the Central Valley

Vida en el Valle

While Congress attempts to jump into the immigration fray for a solution (including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) that has been elusive for decades, the repercussions are being felt in California, which declared itself a sanctuary state this year and forbid local law enforcement and other officials from enforcing federal immigration laws.

 

California Employers in a Bind Over Immigration Enforcement

WSJ

After reports recently rippled across California’s agricultural heartland that immigration agents might audit farms, Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau Federation sent an email alert to thousands of farmers warning them not to run afoul of a new state law governing their interactions with federal immigration officials. The law requires California employers to ask immigration agents for warrants or subpoenas before allowing them access to private areas of the workplace or confidential employee records.

See also:

·       California guides businesses on how to avoid “aiding and abetting” immigration authorities Sacramento Bee

 

Neighborhood networks ready to document immigration raids

Merced Sun-Star

Immigrant rights groups are organizing a new network of neighborhood watch teams in California and elsewhere in response to threats by the Trump Administration of a deepening crackdown against those living in the country illegally.

 

Second federal judge blocks move to end DACA

CNN

A second federal judge Tuesday has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that DACA participants and states are likely to succeed in their challenge that the way President Donald Trump terminated the Obama-era program was arbitrary and capricious.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Tax-credit delay stalls lease for district attorney offices

The Fresno Bee

A developer’s delay in obtaining needed tax credits is threatening a 10-year, $15 million deal for Fresno County to lease the historic Rowell Building in downtown Fresno. The arrangements negotiated last fall to move the District Attorney’s Office into the 105-year-old building aren’t dead, but rather on hold. The building is owned by River Park Properties III, a partnership led by longtime Fresno developer Ed Kashian and his company, Lance-Kashian & Co. The partnership bought the building in 2014.

 

Steak ‘n Shake, AM/PM and new apartment complex slated for Clovis

Clovis Roundup

The barren northeast corner of Willow and Alluvial will soon be bustling with activity as landowners start construction on a new apartment complex, an Arco AM/PM full service gas station and convenience store, and the city’s first Steak ‘n Shake fast food restaurant. City council members approved plans for the 7.85-acre site, which will also have space for a second yet-to-be-determined drive-thru restaurant, at a Feb. 5 meeting.

 

Housing:

 

Buying a Bay Area home now a struggle even for Apple, Google engineers

The Mercury News

Bay Area home prices are out of reach for many middle-income families, but surely if you’re a highly prized engineer at Apple or Google you can afford a house here, right? Not so fast.

 

At judge’s urging, sides reach deal over California homeless

Washington Post

Working at the demand of a federal judge in a case that could have broad influence, public officials and homeless advocates have reached an agreement providing motel rooms and other shelter for homeless people who are being kicked out of an encampment in a Southern California riverbed.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California tax revenues far exceed expectations for second month in a row

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s tax revenues far exceeded expectations in January for the second consecutive month, but it remains to be seen how much of the excess reflects underlying strength in the economy, versus people speeding up their 2017 state income tax payments while they were still fully deductible on federal tax returns.

 

He earned $540000 working at two California jails. Was that too much?

Sacramento Bee

Prison psychiatrist Anthony Coppola earned a pretty good living splitting his workdays – and vacation days – between two California government agencies. In 2016, he pulled in $309,000 from his main job at a state prison in Tracy and another $233,000 from his part-time job at an Alameda County jail. He made even more money in 2015 and 2014.

 

Big Questions Ahead For New Tax Incentive Targeting Poor Communities

PublicCEO

Amid the scramble to protect community development programs whose funding has already been slashed by Trump Administration budgets and the impact of recent tax cuts, parts of the community development world are now also rushing to get to the table to help shape a new program that could offer a new source of capital for areas of high poverty.

 

This program helps low-income residents. Most don’t know about it

89.3 KPCC

The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) is a refundable tax credit, which went into effect in the state in 2016, and is supposed to give a boost to individuals and families with low incomes.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

City going forward with plan addressing pedestrian, bicyclist safety

Bakersfield Californian

The City of Bakersfield is now able to move forward in developing a plan that aims to reduce injuries and fatalities of bicyclists and pedestrians in town. The City Council approved a resolution during its Feb. 7 meeting that allows City Manager Alan Tandy to enter in agreement with the California Department of Transportation to help fund a Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety Plan.

 

Could electric vehicles become as common as smart phones?

Sacramento Bee

With Gov. Jerry Brown upping the ante by calling for California to put at least five million zero-emission vehicles on state roads by 2030, and the state Assembly considering a bill that would ban sales of gas-powered cars, it’s worth testing these ambitious visions of our clean transportation future against market and technological realities.

 

WATER

 

Asm Gray: We had a deal. Without Sites, Temperance you’re breaking a promise

Modesto Bee

In 2014, I asked you to support Proposition 1, $7.5 billion water bond written during one of the worst droughts in the state’s modern history. It certainly wasn’t perfect. I would have preferred significantly more than the $2.7 billion it provided for water storage, while others would have eliminated water storage funding entirely. But Prop 1 was a product of compromise and negotiation – something we need a lot more of in today’s political climate.

 

A ‘water grab’? Southern California water agency eyes possible control of Delta tunnels project

Sacramento Bee

In a dramatic twist on the Delta tunnels saga, Southern California’s powerful water agency is exploring the feasibility of owning the majority stake in the controversial project, a move that raises fears of a “water grab.”

 

Study commissioned by Brown administration says his Delta tunnels plan would pay off for farmers, cities

Sacramento Bee

Even a single water tunnel burrowed under the California’s Delta would be worth it for urban ratepayers and farmers who would to pay to build and maintain the project, according to an analysis released Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration.

 

California drought: Water conservation slipping statewide as dry weather returns

The Mercury News

As California suffers through another dry winter, increasing fears that drought conditions may be returning, the state’s residents are dropping conservation habits that were developed during the last drought and steadily increasing their water use with each passing month.

See also:

·       Dry, hot California winter closes ski resorts, stalls wildflower blooms and revives drought fears Los Angeles Times

 

On Oroville Anniversary, Lawmakers OK Bill to Toughen Dam Inspections

KQED

The California Department of Water Resources would be required to beef up dam inspections under a bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday, a year to the day after spillway failures at Oroville Dam prompted evacuation orders for an estimated 188,000 people.

See also:

·       California Dam Crisis Driving National Examination  Insurance Journal

 

“Xtra”

 

Five romantic restaurants in Fresno: Oggi, Trelio, Erna’s, Ahwahnee, School House

The Fresno Bee

What makes a restaurant romantic? Good food and wine are a given, but it’s really the overall experience – including the setting – that counts, hopefully letting you fall a little more in love with your partner. This list of the most romantic restaurants in town is subjective, yes, as what’s romantic is in the eye of the beholder.

 

7 locally made products you can get your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day

ABC30

Still looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Nothing says “I love you” like a handmade gift made by local artisans. Here are a few options.

 

Fresno County Public Library to host second part of community discussion in Clovis

Clovis Roundup

Fresno County Public Library (FCPL) will host a second Community Discussion regarding the new Clovis Regional Library at the Clovis Police Station this Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is for the public to share what they would like to see in their new Clovis Regional Library.

 

Citizens champion dog park for Clovis

Clovis Roundup

A group of Clovis citizens are adamant about the city’s need for a dog park. As a pedestrian-friendly city with gorgeous trails and recreational parks complete with play structures, it’s hard to believe Clovis has yet to establish a park for residents and their canines to enjoy.

 

The birds and the trees: Kern Audubon Society hosts Truxtun Lake birding trip

Bakersfield.com

For one of its regular regional field trips, the Kern Audubon Society will venture out to Truxtun Lake on Tuesday morning. There, birders will have the chance to see blue-grey gnatcatchers, kestrels, scrub jays, white-crowned sparrows, egrets and maybe even an osprey.

 

Prolific author to offer writing, publishing tips at meeting

Bakersfield.com

For fiction writers and thriller enthusiasts who want to know about writing and publishing, they need look no further than L.J. Martin. Serving as the featured speaker at Saturday’s Writers of Kern meeting, the author of 48 books, with 30 years of experience in publishing, has answers and recommendations and is open to sharing it all.

 

Valley Business Awards Luncheon celebrates community leaders

The Business Journal

Hundreds of Fresno’s business leaders gathered downtown to celebrate individuals who have made a significant impact in the community. Jim Pardini of Pardini’s Catering was the guest of honor at the Fresno Chamber’s Valley Business Awards Luncheon as 2018 recipient of the Leon S. Peters Award.

 

EDITORIALS

 

Public pension nightmare is getting worse

Modesto Bee

There’s a quiet crisis under way, and the sooner we recognize it the better. The state’s public employee retirement system, which includes most city workers, is not going to be able to cover all its pension obligations. As more workers retire, member cities will have to raise taxes or cut services – or both – to pay the difference.

 

Our view: Celebrating love

Stockton Record

Today is a day to celebrate love on two levels. First, it is Valentine’s Day, a time when we take additional steps to show those we care about how much we love them. Florists, candy shops, jewelers, restaurants and many others will be busy as people rush to get that special gift for that special someone.

 

Pressing prisons and jails to violate the 4th Amendment isn’t part of ICE’s job description

Los Angeles Times

One of the tools in the federal government’s immigration enforcement kit is the detainer — a written request by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to a state prison or local jail to hold a person suspected of being in the country illegally for up to 48 hours beyond his or her scheduled release. ICE makes the requests to give immigration agents time to go pick up the person for possible deportation.

 

What the Aetna scandal tells us about our healthcare system: It’s a money pit

Los Angeles Times

Gillen Washington was a student at Northern Arizona University in 2014 when his health insurer, Aetna, denied authorization for the costly drug infusion he’d been receiving each month to treat his rare immunodeficiency disease. He appealed, but while he was waiting for a decision he wound up hospitalized with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.

 

 

 

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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.

                                                     

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