Political Stories
Top stories
Will California pot legalization survive the presidential election? — Californians will vote this fall on legalizing marijuana for recreation but whether Golden State residents can break out the bongs could depend on what happens at the top of the ballot. The next president has the power to shut down marijuana sales in the states that have legalized it, and two of the candidates, Republicans Marco Rubio and Ben Carson, have suggested they would. McClatchy Newspapers article
Here’s what the Assembly GOP wants in negotiations for healthcare-plans tax — Assembly Republicans are bellying up to the bargaining table over Gov.Jerry Brown‘s proposed tax package for healthcare plans, signaling a new phase in the negotiations that have slogged on for more than a year. A document obtained by The Times lays out the political and policy wish list for the Assembly GOP caucus. Most significantly, they want to direct more than $800 million in spending made possible by the new tax. LA Times article
Valley politics
Bakersfield mayor’s race could be hottest in years – The race to be Bakersfield’s next mayor won’t get completely real until March 16, the last day candidates can file paperwork to make their runs official. Up until then, anyone can pull papers — meet with City Clerk Roberta Gafford — and withdraw their nominating paperwork.Bakersfield Californian article
Silva’s campaign disclosure forms reviewed – Mayor Anthony Silva’s belatedly filed campaign disclosure form is a slim eight-page document that lists contributions from five individuals and a labor union, a single non-monetary donation of printing services and two itemized expenditures. Stockton Record article
Modesto Bee: Turlock needs Tin Cup rule after all — Tin Cup (Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics) ordinances are meant to deprive big political donors of influence over elected officials. Under Tin Cup rules, if someone gives you $2,000 or $3,000, you can’t vote on issues benefiting them. Modesto has had such an ordinance for 30 years; other cities have them, too. Maybe this controversy over the farmers market will help Turlock’s City Council finally find that Tin Cup it so desperately needs. Modesto Bee editorial
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Opposition campaign launched against Gavin Newsom’s gun control initiative – A new campaign opposing Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed ballot initiative to toughen California’s gun laws accuses the Democrat of “shamelessly exploiting” the San Bernardino terrorist attacks to win support for the measure and advance his own campaign for governor. LA Times article
Immigration
Border checkpoint scans eyes, faces of departing foreigners — The federal government is using eye scans and facial recognition technology for the first time to verify the identities of foreigners leaving the United States on foot — a trial move aimed at closing a longstanding security gap, officials announced Thursday. AP article
Other areas
Apple vs. federal government is not a partisan issue – California Democrats quickly took opposing sides in the battle that has erupted between Apple and the FBI over unlocking an iPhone used by terrorists in the San Bernardino massacre, reflecting deep conflicts over how to reconcile privacy and security in the age of smart phones and freelance terrorism. San Francisco Chronicle article
High-profile attorney Ted Olsen joins Apple’s fight against FBI terror probe — Legal titan Ted Olson has signed on to help Apple Inc. fight a court order requiring the tech giant to assist the FBI in unlocking a phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists, court records show. Olson’s involvement underscores the potential historic nature of the legal dispute, which pits issues of national security with those of consumer privacy. LA Times article
Apple-FBI fight over phone encryption pits privacy against national security – A court order requiring Apple to create a way to help law enforcement get access to a terrorist’s smartphone amounts to an “unprecedented” stretch of an antiquated law — one that is likely to spark an epic fight pitting privacy against national security, legal scholars said Thursday. LA Times article
Sacramento Bee: Apple-FBI faceoff is a timely chance to balance security, privacy — We don’t take either Apple or the FBI at their word. This case is not that clear-cut. That’s why this is the right time for the courts to call in experts and advocates and try to come up with a ruling that balances privacy and security in the age of digital communicationand terrorism. Sacramento Bee editorial
Dan Walters: Openness can’t be selective – Often, transparency is defined by politicians as something to be applied to others, but not to themselves. Let’s begin with legislation that several Democratic legislators introduced this week to require those who lobby for clients at the California Coastal Commission to meet the same registration and disclosure requirements applied to lobbyists who work the Legislature or other state agencies. Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Ed Coghlan: California’s Prop 50 – another step toward restoring public trust — Californians want and deserve a government that is worthy of their trust. Voters have passed many political reforms in the last decade to improve the governance in California, but more needs to be done to restore the public trust. Proposition 50 is a commonsense step that would give lawmakers the authority to police their own, which is the right next step to holding all lawmakers accountable for serving the public interest. Coghlan in CA Fwd
Sacramento mayoral forum focuses on Golden 1 Center, other broad topics — The four candidates vying for Sacramento mayor shared the stage for just the second time, addressing a broad range of questions on downtown development, homelessness, gay rights and public safety. Sacramento Bee article
California Government Today:
News Stories
Top Stories
Yosemite trademark dispute takes new turns in law and politics – From the courtroom to the California state Legislature, this multimillion-dollar conflict over Yosemite’s intellectual property is heating up like an ugly divorce to a long marriage. McClatchy Newspapers article
Report: High-speed rail plan pivots to Silicon Valley — A leaked preliminary version of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s yet-unreleased 2016 business plan apparently confirms the agency’s change in direction – rumored for several weeks – for its first passenger-carrying segments to the Silicon Valley when operations begin in the mid-2020s. Fresno Bee article; AP article; LA Times article; KVPR report
Robin Abcarian: In post-bankrupt Stockton, a mayor and Erin Brockovich team up to scare people about water – Sadly, I missed the community meeting starring Erin Brockovich, who blew into town this month to inform the citizenry that its officials are too cheap and lazy to provide safe drinking water. I watched a video of the gathering instead. And came away marveling at both the opportunism of the traveling eco-circus that is the Brockovich Show, and the chutzpah of the city’s mayor, who approved the current water-treatment scheme but is now posing as a hero for raising questions about its safety. Abcarian column in LA Times
Jobs and the Economy
Kern County strikes contract deal with its largest union – County government’s largest union, the Service Employees International Union, Local 521, has reached a contract deal with county leaders. According to a flyer put out by the union, there would be no wage increase for SEIU members under the deal unless the Board of Supervisors hands out raises or bonuses to other county unions. Bakersfield Californian article
Tulare police, fire reach new labor agreement – Tulare city administrators have reached a three-year labor contract agreement with police and fire personnel, bringing eight months of negotiations to an end. Visalia Times-Delta article
Fresno nonprofit finds ‘bridge’ out of poverty – The Central Valley is often considered as the epicenter of poverty in California. But one Fresno-based nonprofit thinks they have found a way to lift more families off the bottom of the economic ladder. The name of the program is the Fresno Bridge Academy. KVPR report
Hanford ADA lawsuits draw to a close – The ripple effect of a recent barrage of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits filed against Kings County businesses is finally starting to wind down. Thirteen cases were filed against Hanford businesses between April and July 2015. As of Wednesday, all but two have been resolved. Hanford Sentinel article
Sanger home sales help spur commercial growth – The city of Sanger is reporting that it has the third most active real estate market in Fresno County, behind Fresno and Clovis, which is helping to trigger the community’s commercial activity. Fresno Bee article
San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles have widest income gaps — As California continues to recover from the Great Recession, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County have developed the state’s highest levels of income inequality, according to a new study by the California Budget and Policy Center. Sacramento Bee article
Modesto whiskey maker touts new law – The owners of Do Good Distillery in Modesto poured samples of their whiskey Thursday to celebrate a new state law aimed at boosting small-scale producers. Modesto Bee article
Uber and Lyft facing prospect of tighter regulation in California — Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are facing the prospect of tighter regulation in California this year. At a hearing Wednesday, the companies got an earful from cab drivers and a state Senator. Capital Public Radio report
Sierra Club seeks Yosemite lodge name change after learning it honors white supremacist – The Sierra Club wants the National Park Service to change the name of LeConte Memorial Lodge in the Yosemite Valley after finding out the man it is named after was a white supremacist and racist. Fresno Bee article
Hit by costly break-ins, Merced’s Golf Depot will close – Golf Depot, a business staple in Merced for more than two decades, will shut its doors at the end of the month, following a series of break-ins that proved to be devastatingly costly for the family-owned pro shop. Merced Sun-Star article
Fishermen urge keeping state’s commercial crab season closed – California-caught Dungeness crab won’t be in Sacramento-area grocers or restaurants for the time being, due largely to the concerns of commercial fishermen whose crabbing fleet has been docked for months because of a toxin scare. Sacramento Bee article
Virgin Galactic to roll out new space tourism rocket plane – Virgin Galactic will roll out a new version of its SpaceShipTwo space tourism rocket Friday as it prepares to return to flight testing for the first time since a 2014 accident destroyed the original, killed one of its pilots and set back the nascent industry. AP article
Stratford business celebrates 110th anniversary with community service initiative — A Stratford business is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. To celebrate the milestone, Orton’s Equipment Company has launched the “110 Days Challenge,” an initiative set on delivering 110 full days of community service over the course of 2016. Hanford Sentinel article
Selma market fined for wage violations — U.S. Department of Labor officials have ordered Selma business Alfonso’s Carniceria y Taqueria, also known as Alfonso’s Meat Market, to pay nearly $150,000 for not paying workers properly. Hanford Sentinel article
Steve Hammond: Best plan is to connect Sacramento theater, convention center – The president and CEO of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau writes, “Rather than building a new performing-arts center on a new site, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau believes that the real opportunity rests in marrying the hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact produced annually by the Convention Center to the cultural juggernaut that should exist within the walls of the Community Center Theater.” Hammond op-ed in Sacramento Bee
Agriculture/Water/Drought
‘Considerable’ long-term drought in California — Record high temperatures and a dry spell in California the past week has “renewed concerns of early snowmelt” in the Sierra and “considerable long-term” drought impacts remain. Capital Public Radio report
Water cheap for some Sacramento-area residents, costly for others – Situated near two major rivers in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada, residents across the Sacramento region share a proximity to drinking water that other Californians can only dream about. Their water bills, however, are far from similar. Sacramento-area residents pay wildly different amounts each month for the same amount of water, with some Placer County households shelling out four times what those in Galt do. Sacramento Bee article
In Northern California, skiers and water officials are grateful for recovering snowpack – Across Northern California, skiers and water officials are heartened by the recovering snowpack, which last year had amounted to 5% of its normal water content — the lowest in 500 years, based on studies of tree rings. LA Times article
Storm water, long a nuisance, may be a parched California’s salvation – The winter rains finally arrived in Southern California, bringing drenching relief this week to a part of the nation suffering one of the worst droughts in history. But the El Niño storms brought something else as well: a reminder of lost opportunity, on display in this coastal city, as millions of gallons of storm water slipped down the usually dry Los Angeles River and out into San Pedro Bay. New York Times article
Farmers coping with low walnut prices – No doubt about it, 2014 was a great years for Valley walnut growers, as years rising prices paid for their harvests topped $2 a pound for higher-quality nuts. Things have changed and those high prices aren’t expected to last. Walnut growers haven’t been told how much they’ll get for the nuts they sold last year, but some experts estimate that top prices may be no higher than 75 to 80 cents per pound. Visalia Times-Delta article
Try the treated wastewater, California legislator says — California water agencies could soon be offering you a cool sip of…you. Water scarcity, always an issue in California, has preoccupied policy makers more than usual during a multi-year drought. Many want the state to consider more opportunities to recycle and reuse water. Sacramento Bee article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Officer: Marine Corps veteran put Sanger police in ‘lethal situation’ – A Sanger police officer who shot unarmed Charles Salinas with a bean-bag shotgun in June 2012 testified Thursday in a federal civil rights, excessive force trial that he feared for his life when three other police officers fatally shot the suicidal Marine Corps veteran with assault rifles. Fresno Bee article
Stockton Record: Lodi’s three homicides concerning – The brazen killing of Dorothy Wiederrich, a 74-year-old woman who was left bound and suffering from multiple stab wounds, has intensified community concern. Stockton Record editorial
Attorney questions interrogation techniques of Arvin police in murder trial – Interrogation tactics used by Arvin police came under question in court Thursday as an attorney representing a woman charged with murder in a double homicide noted investigators swore as they questioned her, lied to her and at one point offered her tequila. Bakersfield Californian article
Tehachapi inmate death determined to be homicide — The Kern County Coroner has determined the death of a Tehachapi inmate was a homicide. Miguel J. Alejo, 46, was pronounced dead at the Tehachapi Hospital about an hour after California Correctional Institution staff found him unresponsive at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 12, according to a news release from the coroner’s office. The cause of his death was neck compression. Bakersfield Californian article
4 Folsom prison workers said to be hurt in inmate attack — Four employees of California State Prison, Sacramento, in Folsom were injured Thursday morning in an attack by an inmate, prison officials said. Sacramento Bee article
San Jose cop put on leave for anti-protest tweets is back on force — A San Jose police officer placed on leave after posting threatening tweets aimed at anti-police brutality protesters has been put back on the force with a desk job, police announced Thursday. San Francisco Chronicle article
Former Modesto man with autism agrees to plea bargain in assault — Felony assault charges against Paul Gordo, an 18-year-old Modesto native with autism, were reduced to a misdemeanor Wednesday in a case watched by disability advocates. Modesto Bee article
Education
Ability to opt out uncertain in lawsuit requiring student data release – A judge’s order requiring the California Department of Education to release personal data for 10 million students as a result of a lawsuit over special education rights does not state whether parents’ objections will automatically trigger the removal of their children’s records from disclosure. EdSource article; Visalia Times-Delta article
Inside the fight against California charter schools — Twenty-five years after the California Charter School Act allowed public money to fund charter schools, which can be privately run and are often not unionized, advocates across the county and the state are waging legal and legislative fights. These disputes have led to tense relationships in districts that are scrambling to recoup the thousands of students who have sought alternatives. LA Times article
Anti-union-dues group ready to continue SCOTUS fight – Hold on. The high-stakes Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case before the U.S. Supreme Court isn’t quite a done deal yet. Sacramento Bee article
Ruiz family pledges $125,000 to Institute of Family Business at Fresno State — The Ruiz family of Dinuba-based Ruiz Foods has pledged $125,000 to support the Institute for Family Business at Fresno State. The pledge from Fred and Mitzie Ruiz serves as the lead gift to establishing a $1 million endowment for the institute, which provides education and resources for family-run businesses, Fresno State announced Thursday. Fresno Bee article; The Business Journal article
Sacramento City teachers urge board to provide competitive salaries – If the Sacramento City Unified School District expects to recruit and maintain top teachers, it has to offer salaries and benefits that are competitive with those in other districts, teachers told board members. Sacramento Bee article
Antioch school becomes first in region to adopt standing desks — The 29 fifth-graders in James Andrews’ class rarely sit down, and that’s just the way he likes it. The Belshaw Elementary teacher introduced what’s known as standing desks to his classroom last fall, earning the Antioch school the distinction of being the only one in East Contra Costa County — and possibly the entire county — that has children doing all their lessons on their feet. Contra Costa Times article
San Francisco State bans hoverboards over fire concerns — San Francisco State University students need to travel to classes the old-fashioned way after hoverboards were added to a list of transportation devices banned from the campus. San Francisco Chronicle article
Energy/Environment
Port of Stockton proposes project to harvest hyacinth for biogas – Water hyacinth has been the scourge of the Delta in recent years, but by this summer it could be providing the power to city lights. A pilot project is in the works to harvest it for biogas. Capital Public Radio report
State officially declares Porter Ranch-area gas leak capped, but uncertainty remains – State officials formally declared the Aliso Canyon gas leak capped Thursday, but uncertainty remains about the future of the facility and the residents who live around it. LA Times article
How oil and gas production triggers earthquakes in California – Recently Oklahoma unseated the Golden State as Earthquake Central — but it won on a technicality. Oklahoma, a place where natural quakes are rare, is plagued by artificial earthquakes caused by oilfield activities. Now research suggests that California, once thought to be free of this kind of “frackquake,” has been having them for years. KQED report
Kish Rajan: Utilities panel has too much on its plate – The chief evangelist at CALinnovates writes, “Assemblyman Mike Gatto is taking a bold step with his proposed constitutional amendment to obliterate the California Public Utilities Commission. Such a drastic action may not pass into law, but it kick-starts a critical conversation about the agency’s future.” Rajan op-ed in Sacramento Bee
Land donation improves access to giant sequoia grove near Visalia — San Francisco-based Save the Redwoods League and Sequoia Riverlands Trust in Visalia announced the donation of the 66-acre Craig Ranch to the Bureau of Land Management for conservation and recreational use. The Craig Ranch land will improve visitor access to the Case Mountain giant sequoia groveabout 7. 5 miles southeast of Three Rivers. Fresno Bee article
Health/Human Services
Valley parents, activists ask state to look at interaction of pesticides as health hazard — Parents and community activists on Thursday called on the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to consider the interaction of fumigants to protect workers and their families, particularly children. Fresno Bee article
Jody Graves: Vote YES for Visalia jobs, growth and healthcare – The former member of the Kaweah Delta Health Care District board writes, “I’ve lived and worked in Visalia for over 60 years. I care deeply about my community, which is why I’ll be voting YES on the upcoming mail-in ballot to invest in Kaweah Delta.” Graves op-ed in Visalia Times-Delta
Tehachapi healthcare district approves resolution for Adventist Health affiliation; vote set for June 7 — It’s taken years to accomplish, but the people of greater Tehachapi may finally have the hospital they’ve always wanted. The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District approved a resolution that puts to a public vote the possible affiliation with Adventist Health to basically run the district. Tehachapi News article
Porn actors won’t have to wear condoms, officials say — Heeding the pleas of scores of actors, directors and producers, California officials in charge of workplace safety have rejected a proposal to require that porn actors cover up with condoms. AP article; San Francisco Chronicle article
Land Use/Housing
CityView apartments in downtown Fresno wins design award — The Fresno Housing Authority’s CityView @ Van Ness development in downtown Fresno and the Sacramento-based architect that designed it have been honored with a national award. Fresno Bee article
Transportation
Bullet train battle: Is main funding source a ‘fantasy’? – A day after Silicon Valley leaders praised the state’s new plan to lay the first stretch of bullet train track between San Jose and the Central Valley by 2025, critics of the project smelled blood in the water. San Jose Mercury News article
Merced carrier suspends flights to Las Vegas – Flights from Merced to Las Vegas have been suspended, at least for now, according to the air carrier. San Francisco-based Boutique Air recently announced the change in its service to the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, which took effect this week, according to the company’s website. Merced Sun-Star article
KART to add two new bus routes to Lemoore — Kings Area Rural Transit is proposing adding two new routes that will help connect seniors, students and others without vehicles to more medical, recreational, educational and economic destinations throughout town. Hanford Sentinel article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – Apple-FBI faceoff is a timely chance to balance security, privacy
Modesto Bee –– Tin Cup (Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics) ordinances are meant to deprive big political donors of influence over elected officials. Under Tin Cup rules, if someone gives you $2,000 or $3,000, you can’t vote on issues benefiting them. Modesto has had such an ordinance for 30 years; other cities have them, too. Maybe this controversy over the farmers market will help Turlock’s City Council finally find that Tin Cup it so desperately needs
Sacramento Bee – We don’t take either Apple or the FBI at their word. This case is not that clear-cut. That’s why this is the right time for the courts to call in experts and advocates and try to come up with a ruling that balances privacy and security in the age of digital communicationand terrorism; An arrest in Clavo case brings reflection and relief.
Stockton Record – The brazen killing of Dorothy Wiederrich, a 74-year-old woman who was left bound and suffering from multiple stab wounds, has intensified community concern in Lodi.
Maddy Events
Sunday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Bad Apples: Blowing the Whistle on Improper Government Activities” – Guest: California State Auditor Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.
Sunday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580 (KMJ) – Maddy Report-Valley Views Edition: “Exposing Fraud, Waste and Abuse in State and Local Government” – Guests: Paul Hurley, former editorial page editor of the Visalia Times-Delta, and Bill McEwen, opinion page editor of the Fresno Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.
Sunday, Feb. 21, at 7 a.m. on Fresno Univision 21 (KFTV)– El Informe Maddy Report: “IT Issues in State Government” – Guests: Margarita Fernandez, chief of Public Affairs, Office of the California State Auditor, and Lourdes Morales, an analyst with the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Deputy Director Ana Melendez.
The Maddy Report airs throughout California on The Cal Channel. Check http://www.calchannel.com to find the Cal Channel and schedule in your area. You also can view previous Maddy Report programs in their entirety at http://www.maddyinstitute.org/policy-analysis/the-maddy-report-tv.
Community Events
- Fresno State President Joseph Castro and other university officials will hold a Community Conversation in the West Hills Community College conference facility, 555 College Ave., Lemoore on Tuesday, March 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.Seating for this free event is limited, so RSVPs should be made by February 26 at www.fresnostate.edu/presidentrsvp using the code “Lemooreforum.”
- The International Green Industry Hall of Fame will hold its sixth annual conference and induction ceremony at Buchanan High School in Clovis on March 9. Registration information is available here.
- The 2016 San Joaquin Valley Parks Summit will be held at Bitwise South Stadium in Fresno on Thursday, May 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration launches March 1. More information: Jenna Chilingerian at jennac@csufresno.edu.
Interactive
Next 10: UPDATED California budget challenge – For the first time in a decade, California’s budget is largely in balance. However, the state has outstanding debts of $28 million, not counting long-term pension and retiree health care costs. Budget choices affect us all. Take the Challenge and decide how much should be spent on programs and where the money should come from. Next 10 California Budget Challenge
Next 10: Federal budget challenge — The Federal Budget Challenge is based on The Concord Coalition’s Principles and Priorities budget exercise, which has been used in numerous town hall meetings across the country by members of Congress from both parties, as well as in hundreds of high school and college classrooms. Next 10 Federal Budget challenge at www.federalbudgetchallenge.org.
Next 10: California Water Challenge – As our state faces some of the most severe drought conditions in its history, Next 10 wants to issue a new challenge to Californians: can you create a plan to make sure there’s enough water for everyone? Next 10 California Water Challenge
LEGISLATORS’ VOTING RECORDS: How often has a California legislator broken party ranks, abstained or switched sides? The Sacramento Bee has a database of the voting records of every member of the state Senate and Assembly. Enter a lawmaker’s last and first names to see how he or she voted, or enter a bill number to see how every legislator voted on it. Check it out at this link. http://www.sacbee.com/votingrecord/
More Information
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Maddy Institute Updates List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials – The Maddy Institute has updated its list of San Joaquin Valley elected officials. The list is available here.
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