POLICY & POLITICS
$56,000 Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowships
Deadline Fast Approaching! (Feb. 28)
The Maddy Institute
Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders through The Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. This program helps students obtain an advanced degree from a top graduate program, return home, and apply what they have learned to help make the Valley a better place.
North SJ Valley:
Why major donor is switching things up in this year’s race for Modesto mayor
Modesto Bee
As Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold runs for re-election he has lost the backing of a prominent local businessman, according to recently released campaign finance disclosures.
Modesto leaders move forward with spending to explore downtown hotel. What’s next?
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council has approved spending $84,600 for the first steps of investigating whether a high-end hotel can be built in downtown, and set aside nearly $297,000 for the remaining steps.
Plans for UC medical school in the Valley get a boost
abc30
The San Joaquin Valley Coalition for Medical Education met at UC Merced Thursday to continue planning for the program to address the need for more doctors in this region, which has some of the worst patient-to-physician ratios in the country.
Modesto leaders move forward with spending to explore downtown hotel. What’s next?
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council has approved spending $84,600 for the first steps of investigating whether a high-end hotel can be built in downtown, and set aside nearly $297,000 for the remaining steps.
EDITORIAL: Better bike lanes on Ninth Street in Modesto? Sure — if it means more affordable housing
Modesto Bee
Last year, the apartment builders and Modesto lost a similar grant because their plan would not curb enough emissions. The new plan emphasizes the walking-biking link along Ninth from Archway Commons to Modesto’s downtown depot, which accommodates buses and will welcome Bay Area-bound ACE trains as soon as next year.
Central SJ Valley:
Jerry Dyer is running for Fresno mayor. As police chief, he’s long been a political force
Fresno Bee
Maybe Jerry Dyer has always been a politician. In nearly 20 years as Fresno’s police chief, he was front-and-center giving crime updates and doing public safety ads. There’s a Jerry Dyer bobblehead and a statue honoring him at The Big Fresno Fair.
Hundreds pack church to attend Fresno’s mayoral forum. Why wasn’t Jerry Dyer there?
Fresno Bee
Hundreds of Fresno residents packed St. James Episcopal Church on Thursday night to hear mayoral candidates discuss a wide range of topics, such as transportation funding, policing and housing during the #Fresno4All forum. Five of seven candidates showed up to the event in east-central Fresno.
Andrew Janz avoids political labels. How will that look if he’s Fresno’s mayor?
Fresno Bee
What is the political identity of Andrew Janz? Supporters and those who have known him since before he was a Fresno County prosecutor say he’s a man of integrity who works hard and wants to serve his community.
Fresno gives police money for new handguns. Critic calls chief’s budget ‘irresponsible’
Fresno Bee
The Fresno City Council pulled funding from a couple of other projects on Thursday in an effort to help the Police Department replace some 900 service weapons, assuming the mayor’s administration can come up with the rest of the costs.
See also:
● Fresno City Council will only partially fund new police weapons abc30
City of Fresno taking over abandoned properties
abc30
The City of Fresno is working to clean up neighborhoods that some say have lowered property values because of abandoned homes and lots. Councilmembers say new oversight of the code enforcement department is helping them improve districts.
Warszawski: This Fresno street hasn’t been repaved in 50 years. ‘Where are our tax dollars going?’
Fresno Bee
Bob Krum stopped calling city officials about the crumbling, pothole-riddled street in front of his east-central Fresno home years ago. Because his pleas kept getting ignored.
2020 Primary Election Voter's Guide
abc30
California's primary election is on March 3, 2020, and this year, there are a lot of changes. The expansion of the "Voter's Choice Act" means that voters in many counties across the state, including Fresno and Madera counties, will get a ballot in the mail, even if they are used to going to a polling place.
South SJ Valley:
Proposed redistricting maps unveiled during KCCD meeting
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern Community College District board of trustees was presented with four proposed maps showing new trustee area boundary lines during its third public hearing on redistricting Thursday.
Trump to visit, talk water with Bakersfield farmers Wednesday
Bakersfield Californian
President Donald Trump will make a stop in Bakersfield on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed for The Californian Thursday morning. Trump will join House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at an unconfirmed location in the city to speak to Central Valley farmers about efforts to improve the supply and delivery of water in California and other Western states, the official said, speaking on background.
See Also:
● President Trump visiting Bakersfield next week, White House confirms abc30
● President Donald Trump To Visit Bakersfield Next Wednesday VPR
● Republicans hope Trump’s visit will drive ‘red wave’ in the Valley Sacramento Bee
Despite crime uptick in 2019, Arvin reports decrease in homicide, rape cases
Bakersfield Californian
While crime totals increased in Arvin in 2019 by 35 percent, the Arvin Police Department reported a decrease in homicides, rapes and robberies.
McFarland to hold second meeting on expanding immigrant detention capabilities
Bakersfield Californian
The McFarland Planning Commission will once again be in the spotlight next week when it holds the second and final public hearing on a private prison company’s request to expand immigrant detention capabilities in the city.
Bakersfield Observed
Bob Price is one of the most recognized - and respected - brands in local journalism, a gifted writer whose prose has graced the pages of The Bakersfield Californian for three decades. He has done almost every job at the paper - from executive editor to opinion editor to features editor - and he has done it with grace, humility and wit.
State:
California Secretary of State
The right to vote if you are a registered voter. You are eligible to vote if you are: a U.S. citizen living in California, at least 18 years old, registered where you currently live, not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court
California’s voter registration law is changing just in time for election day
Fresno Bee
California voters can now make last-minute voter information changes without having to cast a provisional ballot, thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
See also:
● California voters can switch party status on election day Fresno Bee
● California voters can now switch party registration on election day San Francisco Chronicle
● Newsom signs immediate changes to election rules into law KRCR
Guide to primary election: Last day to register to vote is Tuesday
Porterville Recorder
The phrase “the most important election in our lifetime” has been used quite often but when it comes to the upcoming primary election on March 3, it could be one of the most important primary elections on the local and state level that’s happened in a while.
If you pay California taxes, you could end up on jury duty under this proposed law
Sacramento Bee
All state tax filers could end up on California juries under a proposed law introduced Thursday night intended to make more juror pools more diverse. Now, prospective jurors are pulled from the Department of Motor Vehicles’ driver’s license and identification card lists, or from county lists of registered voters.
Valley Voices: A growing, and welcome, trend: Women prosecutors in California’s courts
Fresno Bee
Since America’s women won the right to vote a century ago, they have had to fight a continuing battle for equality in employment. In one area, however, women now rule the workplace: California prosecutors’ offices.
Opinion: The trouble with California’s early primaries
Los Angeles Times
California had the right idea when it moved its presidential primaries from June to March. The nation’s most populous state needs to be relevant in the process of choosing the nominees for the two major political parties.
California lawmakers question governor's homeless plan
Porterville Recorder
Some lawmakers and mayors expressed skepticism Thursday over California Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to give $750 million to state-selected regional administrators rather than to local government to address the state's growing homelessness crisis, signaling the Democrat may have a budget fight on his hands.
See also:
Newsom’s $1.4 Billion Homelessness Plan Lacks Clear Strategy, California Legislative Analyst’s Office Says Capital Public Radio
Sweeping solutions, not half measures, needed to fix California’s housing crisis Sacramento Bee
CalMatters
For decades, Pacific Gas and Electric has methodically executed what the New York Times called its “political playbook”: giving millions and getting its way. This continued after PG&E’s first bankruptcy in 2004. It persisted after six felony convictions in 2016. And now, even after catastrophic wildfires and devastating blackouts, the playbook is bound to remain the utility’s most valuable asset—unless we make them throw out that book.
Fox & Hounds
When the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) was established in 2008 (by Proposition 11), a super majority of its 14 members were to come from members of the state’s two largest political parties based upon voter registration – five from the largest party (in practice the Democrats), and five from the second largest (in practice the Republicans).
Federal:
Trump’s controversial Fed nominee Judy Shelton faces doubts among GOP senators
Los Angeles Times
One of President Trump’s picks for the Federal Reserve Board, Judy Shelton, came under fire from Republican lawmakers Thursday, signaling trouble ahead for her nomination.
McConnell, GOP Senate hold key to women's rights bill after House win
San Francisco Chronicle
The effort to write women’s rights into the U.S. Constitution is now focused on the Senate, after a bill by San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier to erase the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment passed the House on Thursday.
‘We’re an Afterthought’: The Push to Get Asian-Americans to Complete the Census
New York Times
She thrust a flyer into the hand of a tall young man who looked annoyed. She promised to give a woman a gift for hearing her out. And she practically wrapped her arms around another woman who bounded away shaking her head, uninterested and impatient.
See Also:
● Watchdog Warns Census Faces Cybersecurity, Hiring Risks Before National Rollout VPR
Eugene Robinson: America, the banana republic
Washington Post
I covered South America for The Post from 1988 to 1992, a time when nations such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru were struggling to reestablish democratic norms after the long, dark night of military dictatorship. One of the biggest challenges was implanting something we take for granted in this country: public confidence that justice, for the most part, is blind and engages in an honest search for truth.
Elections 2020:
‘This isn’t going to be easy’: 2020 Democrats brace for Super Tuesday delegate slog
Fresno Bee
For the last month, the Democratic presidential candidates have had a straight-forward task: Campaign heavily in the small, overwhelmingly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire, and hope to emerge with momentum. Things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.
See also:
● 2020 hopefuls eye Super Tuesday even as 2 other states loom abc30
● California won’t be a kingmaker on Super Tuesday. But it’s the gatekeeper to the final stretch Los Angeles Times
● Welcome back to Nevada, Democrats. The locals have missed you Los Angeles Times
Will black voters get behind a new candidate to take on Trump as Biden struggles?
Fresno Bee
Democrats in two of the country’s whitest states have spoken. Now begins the battle for black voters, with the Carolinas on the front lines.
2020 Democrats step up attacks to blunt Bloomberg’s rise
Fresno Bee
Democratic presidential candidates hoping to revive their flagging campaigns increasingly took aim at Mike Bloomberg on Thursday, blasting their billionaire rival for trying to buy his way into the White House and raising questions about his commitment to racial equality.
See also:
● Trump, Bloomberg exchange mean tweets abc30
● Bloomberg once blamed end of redlining for 2008 collapse Los Angeles Times
● Mike Bloomberg will soon be Democrats’ dream candidate Washington Post
● Commentary: Bloomberg’s plan for fire and forest protection CalMatters
● Commentary: The political force of Michael Bloomberg’s tactical charity Brookings
Beyond the Bubble podcast: Is Sanders 2020 the new Trump 2016?
Fresno Bee
McClatchy political correspondents Dave Catanese and Emily Cadei join politics editor Adam Wollner discuss whether Bernie Sanders is the true frontrunner in the Democratic primary, what’s next for Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar’s surprise campaigns, and whether Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren can turn things around.
See also:
● Sanders emerges as the Democratic front-runner — but don’t expect the race to end soon Merced Sun-Star
● Sen. Bernie Sanders takes aim at PG&E in campaign video abc30
● Bernie Sanders dominates Democrats in donations from tech workers Los Angeles Times
● Sanders Joins Trump in Telling the Media to Go to Hell Politico
A Big Vote Registration Push Reaches Millions — But Divides Elections Officials
VPR
A nonprofit group wants to see more unmarried women, young people and people of color on the nation's voter rolls, so it recently sent 9 million letters urging those groups to register. But the mailers have upset some election officials, who say they've left voters confused.
What the candidates are saying about…
Visalia Times Delta
We asked the 2020 presidential candidates questions on four California-related topics including wildfires, housing and aging. Each candidate was given the same set of questions to answer within a specific timeframe. Candidates that are not featured did not provide a response. Answers have been edited for clarity.
California has a housing crisis: 2020 Democrats want to spend more to fix it
Sacramento Bee
Californians rank housing and homelessness as top issues in their state, and the candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are promoting plans to spend billions of dollars to make housing more affordable.
Trump allies take aim at Buttigieg’s sexuality, a possible sign of things to come
Washington Post
Allies of President Trump have sharply focused attention on the sexual identity of presidential contender Pete Buttigieg in recent days, questioning in stark terms whether Americans are ready for a gay candidate who kisses his husband onstage.
Commentary: Why California’s Vote Might Matter (No, Really Folks)
CalBuzz
Two national news headlines defined the state of play in the first weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign: “After Chaos of Iowa, Democratic Unity Threatened by Circular Firing Squad in New Hampshire” (CNN).
OPINION: There’s no point in fighting
Washington Post
It was a sight to behold: a former vice president, two senators and a former mayor on a stage in New Hampshire a week ago, arguing over the impossible. Would Sen. Bernie Sanders deliver Medicare-for-all immediately, as he promised to do? Would doing so double the federal budget, as former vice president Joe Biden countered?
Other:
McClatchy family empire is ending. Legacy lasted from Gold Rush, to fortune, to bankruptcy
Fresno Bee
The McClatchy family dominated the Sacramento landscape for decades, publishing its leading newspaper while shaping the history and culture of the city.
See also:
● McClatchy files bankruptcy to shed costs of print legacy and speed shift to digital Fresno Bee
● McClatchy Files For Bankruptcy Clovis RoundUp
● Nunes foe McClatchy files for bankruptcy protection Visalia Times Delta
● Newspaper chain McClatchy files for bankruptcy protection Hanford Sentinel
● Sacramento Bee Parent Company McClatchy Co. Files For Bankruptcy Capital Public Radio
● McClatchy, one the nation’s biggest news companies, files for bankruptcy Los Angeles Times
OPINION: Flashy? No. Smart? Yeah. Steinberg tops the list of America’s best, and unsung, mayors
Sacramento Bee
As a rule, the mayor of Sacramento is not typically included on any lists of “best” or “most innovative” or “most interesting” mayors in America. But as he approaches a March re-election for a second term in office, Darrell Steinberg is building a body of work that could land him on someone’s list of best or most effective, most activist, or most consequential mayors of a big American city.
Opinion: Reflecting on the telling humor of Abraham Lincoln
Modesto Bee
On Wednesday, we celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Anyone who has imbibed the experience of Steven Spielberg’s eloquent film Lincoln knows how Lincoln loved to infuse his statements with jokes that took on elements of parables.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Porterville Recorder
Driving along rural highways to get to the World Ag Expo on Wednesday, February 12, was a thrill. Abundant crops in neat checkerboard fields were thrilling to see, and bee boxes were set out in the almond and walnut orchards that lined the roadway intermittently.
See also:
● 3-day World Ag Expo wraps up abc30
● Fresno State students revolutionize ag with robots Visalia Times Delta
● Local innovators shine at World Ag Expo Hanford Sentinel
Beehives stolen near Galt worth more than $12,000, San Joaquin sheriff’s deputies say
Fresno Bee
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is looking for thieves who made off with beehives estimated to be worth thousands of dollars.
See also:
● Thieves steal thousands of dollars’ worth of bees, hives in Galt Stockton Record
Tule River Tribe plans to open cannabis dispensary off Highway 190
abc30
The Tule River Indian Tribe is venturing into the cannabis industry. Officials with the Tule River Economic Development Corporation, or TREDC, say a cannabis dispensary on tribal land wasn't considered until California legalized recreational marijuana a few years ago.
Two Buck Chuck, beloved wine made near Modesto, returns to its famous price. Here’s why
Modesto Bee
Two factors led to the reduction, said Kenya Friend-Daniel, public relations director for Trader Joe’s, in an email Wednesday. One is the large grape harvests statewide in 2018 and 2019. The other is tweaks to the glass and corks that made shipping Charles Shaw more efficient.
What’s Growing On: Reveling in warmth, hoping for cold
Stockton Record
Cold temperatures are an essential element of the Northern California climate, and they’re actually beneficial to our native plants, many favorite perennials, and orchards. The natural yearly progression from warm weather to cold and back again triggers biochemical responses in plants that regulate their growth cycles.
Oilfield-Produced Water: An Alternative Source for Crop Irrigation
RTI International
Agriculture and oil are two of the biggest industries in Kern County, and one major place they intersect is water. At an event on the California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) campus, local and visiting scientists waded deep into the topic of oilfield-produced water and crops.
PETE TITTL: Still Smitten with local innovators
Bakersfield Californian
If you create a list of restaurants that have significantly influenced our dining scene over the past five or so years, you have to start at Cafe Smitten. They have been innovative mostly for bringing some of the best trends of Los Angeles dining to Bakersfield, upping the ante you might say, as well as inspiring the growing Eastchester area dining scene (Dot X Ott and Angry Barnyard moved in across the street and offered the same high quality at reasonable prices).
Op-Ed: Get Big Agriculture out of cannabis farming in California
Los Angeles Times
California cannabis farmers are at a crossroads. Will cannabis go the way of Big Agriculture, or can we develop an industry that supports a multitude of farmers, communities and the environment?
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California to move some condemned inmates off death row
Hanford Sentinel
More than 700 condemned inmates on California's largest-in-the-nation death row soon will have a chance to transfer to one of eight state prisons, a move a former district attorney termed “a slap to the face" of victims.
See also:
● State to move hundreds of condemned inmates off death row Stockton Record
Calif. man free after DNA site leads to new arrest in murder
Porterville Recorder
California authorities used recently developed DNA techniques to free one man and implicate another for only the second time in the United States, officials said Thursday.
See also:
● Exonerated: How DNA helped free El Dorado man and find new cold-case murder suspect Merced Sun-Star
● N. California man freed after 15 years in prison for murder he didn’t commit San Francisco Chronicle
Despite crime uptick in 2019, Arvin reports decrease in homicide, rape cases
Bakersfield Californian
While crime totals increased in Arvin in 2019 by 35 percent, the Arvin Police Department reported a decrease in homicides, rapes and robberies.
Public Safety:
Fresno gives police money for new handguns. Critic calls chief’s budget ‘irresponsible’
Fresno Bee
The Fresno City Council pulled funding from a couple of other projects on Thursday in an effort to help the Police Department replace some 900 service weapons, assuming the mayor’s administration can come up with the rest of the costs.
See also:
● Fresno City Council will only partially fund new police weapons abc30
Audit criticizes privacy of some California police data
Hanford Sentinel
Four police departments in California have compiled massive amounts of data while tracking drivers' movements through their jurisdictions, but a new audit says those agencies aren't following the law when it comes to protecting people's privacy.
See also:
● Auditor: Law Enforcement Not Protecting Data Collected By Automatic License Plate Readers Capital Public Radio
● Audit: Police risking Californians’ privacy in license plate tracking San Francisco Chronicle
Downtown businesses celebrate progress on Block to Block security initiative
Bakersfield Californian
A year-old collaboration among business owners became the focus of Bakersfield's annual State of the Downtown Breakfast as hundreds of local stakeholders celebrated what many see as a promising approach to promoting safety and security in the city's core.
So how did a Stanislaus sheriff’s K-9 and his handler fare on national TV?
Modesto Bee
Kuma the K-9 fell short in Wednesday night’s episode of “America’s Top Dog.” He and his handler, Deputy Michael Victorino of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, faced four other teams on the A&E Network show.
See also:
Retired sheriff deputy K-9 ‘Tyson’ has died, says Merced County Sheriff’s Office Merced Sun-Star
How California got tough on guns
CalMatters
As photos of gun-toting radicals from Oakland hit front pages across the country, many Americans were shocked to see who was embracing the Second Amendment. In California, as in most states at the time, there were few restrictions on carrying loaded weapons in public.
Gun Deaths Again Neared 40,000 in 2018, Latest CDC Data Shows
The Trace
The number of gun deaths in America held steady in 2018, following three straight years of significant increases, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 39,740 people were killed by firearms in 2018. The age-adjusted death rate also remained virtually unchanged, at 11.9 deaths per 100,000 people.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Valley businesses experience backlog in products from China
abc30
At Wig It 2, beautiful custom piece wigs are getting harder and harder to come by. Lisa Lewis Yates is the owner and gets her product from China, where the coronavirus has impacted its workforce.
Entrepreneurs, new businesses invited to apply for Stockton grant program
Stockton Record
City Hall is making up to $200,000 in grant money available for entrepreneurs and organizations that provide assistance to other entrepreneurs, start-up companies and existing businesses in Stockton.
Tyson & Mendonca: California Capitalism
Project Syndicate
Despite multiplying policy challenges, the United States is crippled by political polarization and consumed with rancorous partisan arguments (often on Twitter and without facts). The resulting paralysis at the federal level means that progressive federalism and initiatives by individual states will be the main channels for policymaking in 2020, and likely beyond.
OPINION: How Gov. Newsom can use his budget to promote sustainable development, economic growth
Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento region has a unique opportunity to meet the housing demand in our diverse rural, suburban and urban region. We need more housing and better connectivity, while reducing our contribution to climate change.
Commentary: Trump’s Siege on the WTO Takes an Election-Year Turn
Bloomberg
President Donald Trump has never been a fan of the World Trade Organization.
The average 401(k) hit a record high last year
PBS
President Donald Trump likes to ask that question around the country, sometimes throwing out big gains like 90% or 95%. The average 401(k) did indeed hit a record last year, although its growth was considerably less than that.
Jobs:
Her beloved Fresno Bee will use philanthropy to fund reporters, and she’s OK with that
Fresno Bee
As I read the announcement that The Fresno Bee was partnering with the nonprofit Fresnoland Media to fund reportage and community dialogue surrounding land use, water, housing and neighborhood opportunities, I felt pleased once I got over my initial reaction: “Why do outside organizations have to fund journalists to report news that is important?”
Women Get Second Chance with Dog Treats
abc30
These dog treats are sure to be popular with your pup - and they're being made by women battling addiction, helping them get back into the workforce in the process!
California Apple stores must pay workers during bag searches
Porterville Recorder
Employees at Apple stores must be paid for time they spend waiting for managers or security guards to search their bags to make sure they’re not stealing anything, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
See also:
● Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules Los Angeles Times
EDUCATION
K-12:
CART advances career training for high school students from two districts
Fresno Bee
Celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, CART ( (Center for Advanced Research and Technology), is a career technical program that is available for Clovis Unified and Fresno Unified students. Other districts look to implement similar programs.
See also:
● Solving crimes, acing tests, building bridges. What this Fresno school program does right Fresno Bee
Solving crimes, acing tests, building bridges. What this Fresno school program does right
Fresno Bee
Verriah McGhee is a high school student who solves murders during class. They’re not real murders, but she gets school credit for solving them - and she said the “cases” really helped her excel in English and science classes.
Two-thirds of California students didn’t meet science standards. Here’s why
Los Angeles Times
Adults who took high school biology might remember a lecture on cell structure, then a test asking to identify its parts, plus an assignment to build a cell, perhaps with papier mâché and dry macaroni. Today, California students are supposed to learn about science in a whole new way.
States Move to Require the FAFSA for High School Graduation
EdNote
High school students in three states — Illinois, Louisiana and Texas — already or will soon face a new graduation requirement: completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Lawmakers in at least another five states plus the District of Columbia are currently considering similar legislation — and it’s only February.
EdSource
The March 3 California ballot includes a $15 billion state bond issue to help schools, community colleges and universities with construction costs for their facilities. Last fall, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom placed the measure on the ballot by approving Assembly Bill 48. It will appear on the ballot as Proposition 13.
Daily Bulletin: Teachers Unions Come Out Against Traumatizing School Shooter Drills
The Trace
Top teachers unions oppose active shooter trainings for students. In a white paper prepared with the gun reform group Everytown for Gun Safety, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association came out against drills that involve students and are unplanned or simulate violence.
Rand Corporation
Principals play a critical role in ensuring that teachers are prepared to support the nation's 6.7 million students with disabilities (SWD). Little is known about the supports for SWD that principals receive from their districts and other sources, but, as with teachers, principals report feeling inadequately prepared to support SWD.
Higher Ed:
Plans for UC medical school in the Valley get a boost
abc30
The San Joaquin Valley Coalition for Medical Education met at UC Merced Thursday to continue planning for the program to address the need for more doctors in this region, which has some of the worst patient-to-physician ratios in the country.
Video: College Eligibility for the University of California
PPIC
As the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) consider changes to eligibility requirements, important questions are being raised about college admissions standards and educational equity. In Sacramento last Friday, PPIC researcher Niu Gao outlined the findings of a new report on the potential effect of an expanded science requirement on UC eligibility across the state, and a panel of experts addressed larger questions about college eligibility and access.
Proposed redistricting maps unveiled during KCCD meeting
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern Community College District board of trustees was presented with four proposed maps showing new trustee area boundary lines during its third public hearing on redistricting Thursday. The KCCD is undergoing a redistricting process "to align the District with the requirements of the California (Voting) Rights Act," according to Chancellor Thomas Burke. The district's last redistricting was in 2012.
CSUB’s Kegley Institute of Ethics announces recipients of the 2020 Wendy Wayne Ethics Awards
Bakersfield Californian
The Cal State Bakersfield Kegley Institute of Ethics has announced the recipients of its 2020 Wendy Wayne Ethics Awards. L. Dee Slade, Samantha DeLaCruz and Nikolas Lopez will be honored at a dinner ceremony at 5:45 p.m. March 25 at Seven Oaks Country Club.
College is expensive. What will key 2020 candidates do about it?
Sacramento Bee
Californians owe the plurality of the nation’s student debt, with 3.8 million borrowers owing $135 billion, according to data from the Department of Education’s Office for Federal Student Aid — more than three-fifth of the state’s annual budget. With California’s March 3, 2020 primary approaching, college affordability is topic voters are asking the candidates to address.
Recognizing Fluctuations in Food Security Among College Students
EdNote
Graduating a higher percentage of students may depend on how colleges address fundamental student needs — such as secure housing; reliable access to nutritious food; and affordable, flexible transportation that can swiftly ferry students between school, work and home. This seems like a tall order — and it is.
The Other Student Debt Jubilee
Inside Higher Ed
New data show that graduate students are earning windfall benefits with income-based repayment, Jason Delisle writes, arguing that the federal programs are providing the largest benefits to those who need them least.
See also:
Graduate school debt is driving up the cost of helping borrowers manage their student loans Washington Post
Student Debt Forgiveness in U.S. to Total $207 Billion in Next Decade, CBO Says Wall Street Journal
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
California analysts urge lawmakers: Reject Gov.’s $1 billion climate loan proposal
CalMatters
Nonpartisan policy analysts took aim Thursday at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to use $1 billion in state funds to seed innovative climate change efforts, questioning the state’s ability to even identify the right projects.
Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund
LAO
Bank Provides Financing for Variety of Private and Public Projects. IBank is a general‑purpose finance authority created in 1994 with a broad mandate to help finance public infrastructure and private development. Its operations generally are funded from the interest earnings of its financing programs.
Jan. 2020 was the hottest January on record, NOAA says
abc30
"In the span of 141 years of climate records, there has never been a warmer January than last month," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday.
Modest GOP foray into climate triggers backlash from the right
Merced Sun-Star
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy had barely finished presenting his party's modest plan to fight climate change when conservatives began piling on in opposition.
Greenhouse slash: Trump would gut climate, clean-power research
Merced Sun-Star
While the Trump administration has sought sharp cuts on climate program funding in every budget since 2017, this proposal, which does not include the phrase "climate change," coming on the heels of the president's impeachment acquittal in the Senate, may be its most aggressive slashing of renewable energy research, climate science and disaster preparedness yet.
Trump’s Path to Weaker Fuel Efficiency Rules May Lead to a Dead End
New York Times
Last April, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, proclaimed at an auto show here that he would soon roll back President Barack Obama’s stringent fuel efficiency standards.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Doctors fight coronavirus outbreak with drugs that target HIV, malaria and Ebola
Los Angeles Times
As the scientific community scrambles to find a drug that can effectively treat patients sickened by the new coronavirus from China, doctors are trying some surprising remedies: medicines targeting known killers such as HIV, Ebola and malaria.
See Also:
● Coronavirus may incubate for longer than we thought--which means quarantines may have been too short The Hill
● Some Wuhan Evacuees Ask Why They Aren’t Being Tested for the Coronavirus New York Times
About Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2018
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Underlying Cause of Death database contains mortality and population counts for all U.S. counties. Data are based on death certificates for U.S. residents. Each death certificate identifies a single underlying cause of death and demographic data.
Fake news makes disease outbreaks worse, study finds
Reuters
The rise of “fake news” - including misinformation and inaccurate advice on social media - could make disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic currently spreading in China worse, according to research published on Friday.
Human Services:
Would The U.S. Health System Be Ready For A Surge In Coronavirus Cases?
Capital Public Radio
So far, only 15 cases of coronavirus disease have been identified in the U.S. But if large numbers of people were to suddenly get infected, would hospitals be prepared to cope?
Will California give nurse practitioners more authority to treat patients?
CalMatters
Nurse practitioner Surani Hayre-Kwan sees long-time patients and first-timers. She manages chronic illnesses, diagnoses kids with colds and refers people to specialists.
IMMIGRATION
McFarland to hold second meeting on expanding immigrant detention capabilities
Bakersfield Californian
The McFarland Planning Commission will once again be in the spotlight next week when it holds the second and final public hearing on a private prison company’s request to expand immigrant detention capabilities in the city.
Trump Administration Diverts $3.8 Billion In Pentagon Funding To Border Wall
Capital Public Radio
In a notice sent to Congress Thursday, the Pentagon said it is shifting billions from fighter jets and other weapons to help pay for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
See also:
● Trump seeks to divert more Pentagon money to border wall construction Los Angeles Times
● Trump to transfer $3.8 billion from military to fund border wall PBS
Young immigrants face fee increase for DACA renewal
La Opinion
Betzabeth Salinas, 30, is a single mother who’s about to obtain her master’s degree in social work at Cal State Long Beach. She works 15 hours a week as a counselor in a nonprofit organization in East Los Angeles and participates in an internship 20 hours a week.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
City of Fresno taking over abandoned properties
abc30
The City of Fresno is working to clean up neighborhoods that some say have lowered property values because of abandoned homes and lots. Councilmembers say new oversight of the code enforcement department is helping them improve districts.
Modesto leaders move forward with spending to explore downtown hotel. What’s next?
Modesto Bee
The Modesto City Council has approved spending $84,600 for the first steps of investigating whether a high-end hotel can be built in downtown, and set aside nearly $297,000 for the remaining steps.
'Just Plain Ugly': Proposed Executive Order Takes Aim At Modern Architecture
Capital Public Radio
President Trump upset the architectural world when he proposed an executive order mandating traditional, classical architecture for new federal buildings, and calling some buildings "just plain ugly."
Housing:
California lawmakers question governor's homeless plan
Porterville Recorder
Some lawmakers and mayors expressed skepticism Thursday over California Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to give $750 million to state-selected regional administrators rather than to local government to address the state's growing homelessness crisis, signaling the Democrat may have a budget fight on his hands.
See also:
Newsom’s $1.4 Billion Homelessness Plan Lacks Clear Strategy, California Legislative Analyst’s Office Says Capital Public Radio
Sweeping solutions, not half measures, needed to fix California’s housing crisis Sacramento Bee
Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build
New York Times
The City Council of Lafayette, Calif., met the public two Mondays a month, and Steve Falk liked to sit off by himself, near the fire exit of the auditorium, so that he could observe from the widest possible vantage. Trim, with a graying buzz cut, Mr. Falk was the city manager — basically the chief executive — of Lafayette, a wealthy suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area that is notoriously antagonistic to development.
Capital Public Radio
Carson urged California officials to work with the federal government to solve the state’s homelessness crisis and called for streamlining rules that slow down housing construction, drawing skepticism from some attendees at a forum in Los Angeles.
Opinion: Arresting homeless people not an answer
Visalia Times Delta
Former Assemblymember Mike Gatto’s proposal would require the creation of a new homelessness court system. If people are found guilty, judges would be required to sentence people who have substance use disorders or mental illnesses to maximum sentences of one year, in mental health or drug rehabilitation facilities.
EDITORIAL: Better bike lanes on Ninth Street in Modesto? Sure — if it means more affordable housing
Modesto Bee
Last year, the apartment builders and Modesto lost a similar grant because their plan would not curb enough emissions. The new plan emphasizes the walking-biking link along Ninth from Archway Commons to Modesto’s downtown depot, which accommodates buses and will welcome Bay Area-bound ACE trains as soon as next year.
Commentary: Housing Conference: Homelessness is an Emergency! Mandate Reforms.
Fox & Hounds
Frustration with the homeless crisis was pervasive with the public officials who have wrestled with the problem and attended the Unhoused: Addressing Homelessness in California conference at the University of Southern California yesterday. The danger words “emergency,” “crisis,” and “urgency” were echoed in many talks and perhaps a hard-nosed solution arose.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Many low-income Californians don’t use credit cards. Should stores be required to accept cash?
CalMatters
Last May, Burger Patch first opened its doors in midtown Sacramento with a sign that said “No Cash Accepted.” The owners of the organic and vegan burger joint were worried that a cash register might invite theft.
Americans to spend record $27.4B for Valentine's Day, survey says
UPI
Americans are expected to set a record for Valentine's Day spending this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. U.S. adults celebrating the holiday told the NRF they plan to spend an average of $196.31, a rise of 21 percent from last year's record of $161.96 per person.
The Limits Of Nudging: Why Can't California Get People To Take Free Money?
NPR
The Earned Income Tax Credit supplements incomes through the tax code, awarding thousands of dollars each year primarily to low-wage workers with kids. But there's a problem: a huge population of eligible workers fails to file their taxes and get the money each year.
Kudlow: New tax cuts will 'probably come out sometime in September'
The Hill
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on Friday said that the White House hopes to introduce new middle-class tax cuts by the fall. "It'll probably come out sometime in September," Kudlow told Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo.
TRANSPORTATION
Warszawski: This Fresno street hasn’t been repaved in 50 years. ‘Where are our tax dollars going?’
Fresno Bee
Bob Krum stopped calling city officials about the crumbling, pothole-riddled street in front of his east-central Fresno home years ago. Because his pleas kept getting ignored.
EDITORIAL: Despite delays and rising costs, high-speed rail is worth supporting.
San Francisco Chronicle
The cost of California’s bullet train keeps rising, completion dates are stretching out and political support is fading. But for all its problems, the high-speed rail project remains a goal worth supporting.
WATER
Drought returns to California due to lengthening dry winter
Porterville Recorder
Drought has returned to California due to a significantly dry winteral, the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday.
See also:
● Drought returns to California due to dry winter abc30
● Is California heading for another drought? Stockton Record
● About 10 percent of California now in moderate drought status, scientists say Sacramento Bee
● California May Be Sliding Back Into Drought, Lawmakers And Advocates Warn Now Is The Time To Prepare Capital Public Radio
● Rainfall in February looks bleak. Is California heading for another drought? Los Angeles Times
● New data show nearly 10% of California is in moderate drought Los Angeles Times
Fox & Hounds
Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward a framework for managing water and habitat in the Delta and its watershed. As far as we can tell, no one is very happy with the framework—and that may be a good sign.
“Xtra”
Yosemite’s ‘firefall’ not likely, but still expect some changes in park this February
Fresno Bee
A thin ephemeral waterfall in Yosemite National Park that’s become famous for glowing orange in February with the setting sun isn’t likely in 2020. Yosemite officials announced this month that Horsetail Fall has “little to no water” this year.
See also:
● Yosemite's "firefall" phenomenon may not appear this year abc30
Fresno Chaffee Zoo gets first look at new joey
abc30
Cute! Tammar wallabies Alex and Simone have a new joey, and it's just starting to peek its head out this week.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with free food, specials
Visalia Times Delta
Customized rose bouquets, See's chocolates and a romantic dinner for two. Valentine's Day spending can quickly add up. According to the National Retail Federation's annual Valentine's Day survey, spending for the holiday is on the incline.
It's good old fun again in Kernville for Whiskey Flat Days
Bakersfield Californian
Travel back in time this weekend with Whiskey Flat Days. The festival returns for its 63rd year for a weekend full of vendors, carnival rides, rodeo, music and more. "It's been going on forever," said Orion Sanders, a board member for the event. "It gives a look at life at the 1860s."
Enjoy hearing music under the stars? How the sky will change for this Modesto show
Modesto Bee
There’s nothing new about a concert under the stars, listening to music outdoors under an evening sky. But a special event in Modesto this weekend puts a unique spin on that simple concept. Instead of being outdoors under the stars, patrons will be indoors under the stars.
The Best Hiking Trails in Kings Canyon National Park
BackPacker
Most often mentioned in conjunction with its next-door-neighbor Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park has no trouble standing on its own. First protected in part as General Grant National Park in 1890, Kings Canyon became a national park in 1940, and counted photographic luminary Ansel Adams among its early supporters. It is known for its huge sequoia trees, including the gigantic General Grant Tree in Grant Grove.
Wildlife canine distemper virus cases on the rise
Visalia Times Delta
The number of canine distemper virus cases for wildlife populations is "unusually high" across the state, California officials warned this week. Unvaccinated domestic dogs risk contracting the virus if their food or water dishes are used by infected wildlife, Department of Fish and Wildlife officers said.
Yosemite’s ‘firefall’ not likely, but still expect some changes in park this February
Fresno Bee
A thin ephemeral waterfall in Yosemite National Park that’s become famous for glowing orange in February with the setting sun isn’t likely in 2020. Yosemite officials announced this month that Horsetail Fall has “little to no water” this year.