February 20, 2018

20Feb

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

Local/Regional Politics:

Officials respond to threats of violence at Central Valley schools

ABC30

Just days after the deadly mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, a threat against two Fresno area high schools turned up on social media. Even though the threat of violence at Sunnyside and Edison high schools turned out to be a hoax, it was not a laughing matter for the police and school officials.

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Price: No way McCarthy is taking that White House job

Bakersfield Californian

The chances McCarthy would accept the job of White House chief of staff strike me as pretty close to zero.

ICE audits target Valley farms, nonprofit says

Modesto Bee

Just as the agricultural world was convening in Tulare for the World Ag Expo this week, concern and fear continued to spread across central San Joaquin Valley farmers and thousands of farm workers after three more farms were hit by employee audits ordered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dunbar: Planning ahead for Trump backlash

Modesto Bee

Tom Steyer was in Modesto to talk to college students about his NextGen America organization. If you’re having trouble placing the name, Steyer is the guy in those “Impeach Trump” commercials. His “Need to Impeach” website has 4.7 million signatures.

Here’s how Trumps budget proposal will affect SNAP recipients

Merced Sun-Star

The Trump administration’s proposed budget for next year could bring major slashes in funding and tighter regulations to one of the largest food assistance programs in the country that tens of thousands in Merced County depend on.

Andrew Janz hits Visalia, knocks Nunes and Trump

Visalia Times-Delta

More than 40 people filled a Visalia home on Saturday night to party. This wasn’t your typical party, though. This was a lawn sign party. Ryan Wullschleger, 26, organized the party for California’s District 22 congressional candidate, Andrew Janz. The Fresno County prosecutor is someone the family said they believe in.

Dolores Huerta’s legacy and influence are shaping the race for this competitive California congressional district

Los Angeles Times

Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta won’t be on the ballot in California’s 21st Congressional District, but she has influenced the Central Valley race Democrats view as one of their biggest pickup opportunities in the midterm elections.

Newsom, campaigning in Fresno, calls for unity between rural, urban areas

Fresno Bee

California gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was welcomed by a small crowd atthe International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 431 building Saturday, where he trumpeted a message of unity while also addressing questions from voters.

How Fresno might become California’s next great region

San Francisco Chronicle

Could the San Joaquin River, long a dividing line in Central California, unite a region in pursuit of a better future?

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Fresno council’s new leader’s relationship can silence her

Fresno Bee

The potential for conflicts of interest – or even the appearance of such – are nothing new for elected officials. The latest instance popped up recently when Fresno City Council President Esmeralda Soria stepped away from the discussion and vote on an issue for a downtown development project. The developer is Soria’s boyfriend, Terance Frazier.

See also

Fresno’s newest rapid transit system – FAX Q

The Fresno Bee

“Quick” and “quality” are the traits that helped name Fresno’s newest mode of rapid transportation: the FAX Q.

Fresno Library hosts Oath Ceremony for new citizens

ABC30

The United States welcomed 22 new citizens in a Fresno library Saturday.

Modesto will spruce up its transit center

Modesto Bee

Modesto plans to make its downtown Transportation Center safer, brighter and more inviting as part of the Altamont Corridor Express bringing passenger trains to the center as early as 2020.

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Stanislaus County program is recruiting new truck drivers. Federal funds will pay for driver training.

The Modesto Bee

The trucking industry has struggled with a chronic shortage of drivers for 15 years, and the unmet demand for drivers is expected increase in the next decade.

Stanislaus County program is recruiting new truck drivers. Federal funds will pay for driver training.

The Modesto Bee

The trucking industry has struggled with a chronic shortage of drivers for 15 years, and the unmet demand for drivers is expected increase in the next decade.

Visalia plant closure means 300 out of job

Visalia Times-Delta

Hundreds of Treehouse Foods employees in Visalia were told they would be out of a job within the year.

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Why Seneca Foods is closing its Modesto plant, leaving hundreds out of work

The Modesto Bee

Seneca Foods Corp. announced Friday that it will close its Modesto plant, which has 265 full-time employees. A news release from the Marion, N.Y.-based company said, “Production operations at this location will cease prior to the 2018 production season. Warehouse operations will continue for an unspecified period serving as the company’s West Coast distribution center

Moses for Superior Court Judge campaign launches

Madera Tribune

Moses, an attorney, has the endorsement of The Honorable Charles A. Wieland, to fill his seat when he retires this summer.  She also has been endorsed by retired Sheriff John Anderson, the Madera County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the Madera Police Officers’ Association. The position will likely be decided at the June 5th election.

Assembly Republican candidates clash on cap and trade

Visalia Times-Delta

As the June primary election approaches, candidates across the Valley are in full campaign mode. During a two-hour forum on Thursday, hosted by Central Valley Tea Party, Republicans vying for the California Assembly District 26 debated hot-button issues.

‘No one has done well.’: One year after federal health officials launch first-of-its-kind valley fever drug trial, few have enrolled

The Bakersfield Californian

More than one year after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy secured $5 million in federal funding to launch a five-year clinical trial of a drug used to treat valley fever, health providers are struggling to enroll patients.

Kern County EMS system faces state challenge, March hearing

The Bakersfield Californian

A hearing one month from now could bring to closure to a long-running battle between Kern County and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.

City employees frustrated with pay stagnation as demand for services increases

Bakersfield Californian

After going nearly four years without a cost-of-living adjustment or pay increase, some city employees are publicly making their frustrations known.

Stockton Democrat temporarily takes over California Legislative Women’s Caucus while chair faces harassment investigation

Los Angeles Times

Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) will take the reins of the California Legislative Caucus, the group announced Wednesday, filling the vacancy created by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia’s leave of absence over sexual harassment allegations.

State Politics:

Registered ‘independents’ may soon outnumber Republicans on California’s voter rolls

Los Angeles Times

As the June 5 primary election approaches, Democrats still dominate California’s voting rolls and the percentage of “independent” voters continues to rise, according to new figures provided by the secretary of state’s office.

California Politics Podcast

SoundCloud

This week’s episode is all campaign news. We discuss two surprise decisions to run for statewide office — one, a former GOP officeholder and one a dark horse Democrat for governor. Then, we discuss endorsements by California largest labor union. And the lightning round! With John Myers, Melanie Mason and Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times

California Democrats gather this week to chart course for 2018, and will hear from candidates for 2020

Los Angeles Times

Thousands of California Democrats will gather this week in San Diego for their annual convention, featuring several potential presidential contenders as well as candidates battling for endorsements from the party faithful in advance of the June primary.

Progressives taking on Feinstein and de León in California Senate race hope for Bernie Sanders-style momentum

The Mercury News

Perhaps only in California can a politician who has championed single-payer health care, a “sanctuary state” bill and a 100 percent clean energy mandate be tarred for not being liberal enough.

Myers: How one Trump tweet could change the course of California’s 2018 elections

Los Angeles Times

If it happens, the 280 characters might just make up one of the most important social media messages in California politics this year: a tweet from President Trump about the Golden State’s race for governor. First, let’s set the scene with a reminder of the political peril facing California Republicans in this electoral season. Not only have Democrats won every statewide race since the fall of 2006 — that’s 18 separate contests — but the GOP share of the registered electorate has kept shrinking.

Walters: It looks like a two-man race for California governor

Fresno Bee

Well folks, it looks like we may have an old-fashioned, down-to-the-wire political race this year for governor, something Californians haven’t seen for quite a few years. Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, has pulled into a virtual tie with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the longtime frontrunner, in the latest statewide poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

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Walters: Prop. 13 turns 40, may face mid-life crisis

Fresno Bee

This year is the 40th anniversary of Proposition 13, the iconic property tax limit measure that California voters overwhelmingly endorsed in 1978. It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that it’s also the 40th anniversary of efforts to repeal or alter Proposition 13’s provisions, and those on the left side of the political ledger – unions, particularly – may be trying once again this year to undo it.

Data breach exposes CA state worker Social Security numbers

The Modesto Bee

Social Security numbers for thousands of state employees and contractors were exposed in a recent data breach at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to a memo that the department sent to its workers this week.

Lower fines sought for right-on-red turns under California bill

The Sacramento Bee

Two state lawmakers are making another attempt at lowering the fine for drivers who fail to completely stop at a red light before making a right turn. Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, introduced Senate Bill 1132 Tuesday, which would reduce the base fine for not fully stopping before turning right on red to $35 from $100.

Sexual misconduct scandal envelops California Legislature

The Bakersfield Californian

Sexual misconduct in the California Legislature was bound to be a prominent issue when lawmakers got to Sacramento last month, but for seven weeks it has felt like the only one, with the burgeoning scandal taking one surprising twist after another and diverting attention from government spending, climate change and housing.

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Counties Await State Funds For New Voting Systems

capradio.org

Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing millions of dollars for an upgrade of old voting machines, long sought by counties. The money would come as counties transition to a much cheaper voting system, mostly based on mail-in ballots.

Federal Politics:

Here come the big government Republicans

AEI

Trumpublican conservatives love to compare America’s 45th president to their revered Ronald Reagan. Both were populist. Both were scorned by the media. And both, of course, delivered bigly cut taxes. But Reagan’s Republican Party, built on enthusiasm toward markets and skepticism toward government, would never have embraced big government the way President Trump’s party has.

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Trump road plan may help Democrats defend controversial California gas tax hike

Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump may have offered unlikely encouragement to California voters last week not to overturn the state’s controversial gas tax hike that Democrats pushed through last year.

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Trump again seeks to end funding for earthquake early warning system

Los Angeles Times

Mexico City got a substantial warning before the shaking from a distant earthquake arrived Friday — some 30 to 60 seconds broadcast over loudspeakers from an earthquake early warning system.

Analysis: The 3 Supreme Court cases you should be watching closely this month

PBS NewsHour

The U.S. Supreme Court comes back from its winter break this week and plunges into a second half of the term as big as the first.

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Other:

Garcia: What is an American?

Fresno Bee

What is “an American?” Is it defined by the way one thinks, the way one acts? Is it a birthright or is it something you earn? What is “an American?” Merriam Webster defines an “American” as a “native or inhabitant of North or South America.” But, I believe there’s more to this word. What is it that comes to mind when we hear the word “American?” To some, it might be the stereotypical male with his AR-15, yelling “America!” holding tightly to his Second Amendment.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING 

Sunday, February 25, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Voters Rights​– Guests: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee reporter and Sec. of State. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, February 25, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report: “Are Education Reforms & Charter Schools the Answer?” –Guests: California State Auditor Elaine Howle, Laura Hill with the Public Policy Institute of California, & Dan Walters with CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, February 25, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy:Voters Rights – Guest: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee reporter and Sec. of State. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

Topics in More Detail…

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Report: California pot growers lagging in getting licenses

Fresno Bee

Nearly two months after recreational marijuana became legal in California, less than 1 percent of the state’s known growers have been licensed, according to a report released Monday by a pot industry group.

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Eureka! California-Grown Coffee Is Becoming The State’s Next Gold Mine

NPR

In most coffee shops, you can choose a cup of joe brewed with beans from countries like Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Yemen. Now, a new crop of coffee growers is working to get coffee brewed from California-grown beans included on those menus.

Central Valley Crops Potentially Threatened by Freezing Temperatures Expected Across Much of California

KTLA

Freezing temperatures are forecast to sweep much of California this week, potentially endangering the state’s almonds and other lucrative Central Valley crops.

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

 

For stories on “school mass shootings” See: “Top Stories – Local Politics,” above

Crime:

Police on the lookout for Kraft plant shooter

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare Police are searching for a suspected shooter who left bullet holes in Tulare’sKraft Foods plant.

City Council approves additional funding for Fresno Police crisis intervention training

abc30

When it comes to responding to emergency calls of a more delicate nature the Fresno Police Department now has a specialized unit to move in and keep the situation from escalating — including domestic calls that involve a person with mental illness.

California death-row inmate’s story of innocence will be shown in an unlikely place

Fresno Bee

A documentary about a Fresno’s man 1996 conviction for shooting six sex workers – a crime spree that landed him on California’s death row – will air Tuesday in an unlikely place: French television.

Girl’s plight exemplifies how shelters turn kids into criminals

Stockton Record

A 14-year-old foster youth arrested at a long-troubled San Joaquin County children’s shelter was held in jail for weeks after a court had approved her release, simply because child welfare officials were unable to find a suitable home for her.

Cybersecurity is not something; it is everything

Brookings

Four years ago, the Obama Administration rolled out the Cybersecurity Frameworkfrom the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It has proven to be an essential and indispensable roadmap for companies to review their cybersecurity risk and preparedness. Recently, NIST updated the document to reflect supply chain risk and additional security insights.

Public Safety:

Kern County EMS system faces state challenge, March hearing

Bakersfield Californian

A hearing one month from now could bring to closure to a long-running battle between Kern County and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority

Lawmaker wants to force California police agencies to disclose surveillance policies

Los Angeles Times

A state lawmaker has revived legislation that would require law enforcement agencies across California to disclose all of their surveillance equipment and enact public policies for their use of the technology.

Trump again seeks to end funding for earthquake early warning system

Los Angeles Times

Mexico City got a substantial warning before the shaking from a distant earthquake arrived Friday — some 30 to 60 seconds broadcast over loudspeakers from an earthquake early warning system.

Fire:

Northern California wildfire victims learn ‘your insurance company is not your friend’

Los Angeles Times

Four months after a ferocious firestorm devastated communities in California’s wine country, those who lost their homes are still struggling. Animal feeding stations remain on roadsides, monitored by volunteers searching for pets left behind when their owners fled. Cats that had been feared dead continue to be found.

Wind-driven wildfire forces people to flee rural California

San Francisco Chronicle

A wind-driven wildfire in rural central California forced mandatory evacuations and threatened hundreds of buildings Monday, including a historic railroad station, after it tripled in size overnight, officials said.

See also:

Wildfires inspire new idea: Charging rural customers more for electricity

San Francisco Chronicle

Utility officials say preventing power-line wildfires will be costly. Should rural customers who live in high-risk areas have to pay more?

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

Tulare businesses may see giant rate hikes over next three years

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare businesses may see an increase in their trash bills starting in July – the first of three rough upcoming summers if a proposed rate hike is approved. Benjamin Siegel, Tulare’s management analyst, said the proposed rates increases are recommendations from a recently-completed study that determined current revenues are not covering expenses.

California’s livability ranking drops to 4-year low

Orange County Register

People have to be in a good frame of mind to spend — whether in corporate life or as a consumer. And while California’s “well-being” is slipping, according to one measurement, the state’s quality of life continues to rank among the nation’s most desirable.

Inflation Starts to Make a Comeback

WSJ

rices rose more than expected for U.S. consumers last month, offering fresh evidence that a long run of exceptionally low inflation is ending and teeing up the expected first interest-rate increase of the year in March. Fears that rising inflation would prompt the Federal Reserve to pick up the pace of rate increases in 2018 stoked the stock market’s turmoil in recent weeks.
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Consumer Protection Bureau To Lose Its Fangs Under Trump Administration’s New Plan

NPR

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created after the financial crisis to protect Americans from being ripped off by financial firms. Now, President Trump’s interim appointee to run the bureau, Mick Mulvaney, is making radical changes to deter the agency from aggressively pursuing its mission.

Jobs:

Visalia plant closure means 300 out of job

Visalia Times-Delta

Hundreds of Treehouse Foods employees in Visalia were told they would be out of a job within the year.

See also:

 

Why Seneca Foods is closing its Modesto plant, leaving hundreds out of work

The Modesto Bee

Seneca Foods Corp. announced Friday that it will close its Modesto plant, which has 265 full-time employees. A news release from the Marion, N.Y.-based company said, “Production operations at this location will cease prior to the 2018 production season.

Reduced unemployment doesn’t equal improved well-being for black Americans

Brookings

Stoked in part by an exchange between the President and Jay-Z, the black unemployment rate is having its moment on the national stage. Standing at a historically low 6.8 percent in the December 2017 jobs report (though up to 7.7 percent in the January 2018 jobs report), President Trump cited the metric as an indicator of improved economic well-being within the black community under his watch.

Disney unions file complaint to fight for $1,000 bonus

Orlando Sentinel

A coalition of unions at Walt Disney World Resorts filed a federal complaint for unfair labor practices Monday, accusing the company of holding employees’ $1,000 bonuses hostage during contract negotiations.

Ever wanted to drive a truck? Jobs are open, and the government is paying for training

Modesto Bee

The trucking industry has struggled with a chronic shortage of drivers for 15 years, and the unmet demand for drivers is expected increase in the next decade. In 2005, trucking firms in the United States were unable to fill slots for 20,000 drivers before the issue briefly disappeared in the Great Recession. But the shortage of drivers resurfaced as a constant worry for trucking firms as more freight was shipped on highways during the recovery.

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EDUCATION

K-12:

Tulare, Visalia early education focuses on exposure, not mastery

Visalia Times-Delta

Samarah Gray held her son Jayden Foley as she went over paperwork to enroll the 4-year-old in transitional kindergarten. Jayden squirmed in his mother’s arms and wrote on a piece of paper as Gray spoke with an employee of Tulare City School District. Jayden, who was promised ice cream if he waited for his mother to finish, is an active 4-year-old, his mother said.

Cost of Bret Harte Elementary School arson fire estimated at $3 million

Modesto Bee

Modesto City Schools will build a permanent replacement of a wing at Bret Harte Elementary School that was destroyed by fire in late December, a spokeswoman said.

Turpin abuse case prompts state bill to tighten regulation of home schools

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers are pushing to increase regulation of home schools after a dozen siblings were discovered locked in a dirty, dark house in Riverside County.

‘Big data’ classes a big hit in California high schools

EdSource

Data science — the study of computer-generated “big data” — is the hottest career in the U.S., according to Glassdoor, and now it’s the hottest math class at a growing number of California high schools.

Search and compare data from the California School Dashboard

EdSource

On Dec. 7, 2017, the California Department of Education published the official California School Dashboard for schools and districts. The dashboard shows progress, or lack of it, on multiple measures. This database shows indicators of progress on five measures, in color codes selected by the state.

Why is accountability always about teachers?

Brookings

Most education reform efforts focus on what teachers are doing — professional development, new curricula, bonuses and incentives to raise scores, and so on.  All are based on the belief that teachers can teach more effectively if their skills can be improved, their tools can be better, and their efforts can be more energetic.

The Key To Raising A Happy Child

NPR

For much of the past half-century, children, adolescents and young adults in the U.S. have been saying they feel as though their lives are increasingly out of their control. At the same time, rates of anxiety and depression have risen steadily.

Higher Ed:

California private colleges have plenty of room

Sacramento Bee

California is facing a higher education crisis. By 2030, we will have a shortfall of 1.1 million college graduates, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. That means we will lack the teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs and other highly-educated professionals needed to keep our economy strong and growing.

Jerry Brown wants online community college, faces opposition

The Sacramento Bee

Predictably, Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to spend $100 million to start an online community college is causing great consternation among some legislators and lobbyists.

More students are taking on crippling debt they can’t repay—it’s time for higher education to share the risks

Brookings

Student loan debt—at almost $1.4 trillion in outstanding federal loans—has ballooned into the largest source of consumer debt after housing.

Terance Frazier gifts land for new West Fresno community college

The Business Journal

State Center Community College District (SCCCD) has received a gift of more than six acres of land on Walnut and Church Avenues in Fresno from TFS Investments, LLC, for its new West Fresno campus. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its Feb. 6 meeting to approve a purchase agreement for land at 2423 S. Walnut Ave. in Fresno from TFS Investments. The District spent $675,000 for half of the land, and TFS Investments donated the other half of the property, for a total site footprint of 13.5 acres.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Fitzgerald: This ‘river rat’ we don’t want in the Delta

Stockton Record

Into every life a little rain must fall, but giant Argentine swamp rats? Really? The nutria — Myocastor coypus, a semi-aquatic South American rodent which can grow to 20 pounds, has been found upstream of the Delta, and may already be in it.

Winter bites back: Freeze watch in valley, snow, icy conditions predicted for Sierra

Sacramento Bee

After a relatively mild, dry winter, cold temperatures are set to return to Northern California, which could affect travel plans during the latter part of the Presidents Day weekend, the state Department of Transportation warns.

NRC Petitioned To Require Stronger Canisters To Store Nuclear Waste Indefinitely

KPBS

A public watchdog group wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to require stronger canisters for storing spent nuclear fuel on site indefinitely. The petition comes as Southern California Edison moves spent fuel from the now decommissioned San Onofre nuclear power plant into storage next to the ocean.

California must address CEQA lawsuit abuse

Sacramento Business Journal

The national economy is booming, the stock market is soaring and demand for new housing has never been greater. Yet, given all these economic indicators, new housing, retail and industrial opportunities are not meeting the demands of California families who are increasingly frustrated with the lack of attainable housing and quality jobs.

Energy:

California legislation aims to increase rooftop solar in cities

Los Angeles Times

A new bill from a Bay Area lawmaker aims to increase rooftop solar production throughout the state. Senate Bill 1399 from Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would create a new system in which owners of existing buildings that have high energy use but little roof space could contract with owners of other local buildings that have lots of roof space, but little need for energy.

A Powerful Mix of Solar and Batteries Is Beating Natural Gas

Bloomberg

Natural gas is getting edged out of power markets across the U.S. by two energy sources that, together, are proving to be an unbeatable mix: solar and batteries..

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Psychiatric technicians picket at Coalinga State Hospital

The Fresno Bee

Psychiatric technicians working at Coalinga State Hospital held an informational picket Friday in hopes staffing on a night shift will be increased. The picket came about a month after the hospital, which houses nearly 1,000 sexually violent

Healthcare workers to protest Dignity mega-merger Tuesday at Mercy Hospital Southwest

Bakersfield.com

Hundreds of union healthcare workers plan to protest outside of two local hospitals this month as they demand better wages, benefits and pathways to improving patient care ahead of a merger between two healthcare giants that would be worth billions.

Suit says nursing home to blame for man losing an eye. Critic calls it a ‘shakedown.’

Fresno Bee

A former resident of Bella Vista Memory Care Community in northwest Fresno contends in a civil lawsuit that he had to have his right eye removed after staff at the nursing home allowed him to be attacked twice by his roommate.

‘No one has done well.’: One year after federal health officials launch first-of-its-kind valley fever drug trial, few have enrolled

The Bakersfield Californian

More than one year after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy secured $5 million in federal funding to launch a five-year clinical trial of a drug used to treat valley fever, health providers are struggling to enroll patients.

Advocates for single-payer healthcare play the long game in California

The Mercury News

By many measures, the rambunctious campaign for a single-payer health care system in California appears to be floundering. A bill that would replace the existing health care system with a new one run by a single-payer — specifically, the state government — and paid for with taxpayer money remains parked in the Assembly, with no sign of moving ahead.

Satlers: Let’s get serious about talking about health

bakersfield.com

It’s time to have a real conversation about health. And no, I’m not talking about how to increase the number of insured Americans. Or, how to decrease the cost of prescription drugs.

Will coffee in California come with a cancer warning?

Los Angeles Times

How do you like your cup of cancer in the morning? I take mine with fake sugar and skim milk. Lame, I know. But there’s no accounting for taste in carcinogens. Or, in this case, coffee.

How long are you still contagious with the flu?

NPR

It’s shaping up to be one of the worst flu seasons in years. If you are one of the thousands of unlucky Americans who are sick with the flu, this one’s for you.

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Human Services:

Here’s how Trumps budget proposal will affect SNAP recipients

Merced Sun-Star

The Trump administration’s proposed budget for next year could bring major slashes in funding and tighter regulations to one of the largest food assistance programs in the country that tens of thousands in Merced County depend on. The Supplemental Food Nutrition Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California and formerly known as food stamps, allows about 54,000 people in Merced County a monthly budget for groceries, ranging from meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, ice cream and more.

See also:

California’s Mental Health Physician Shortage Is Bad, And Getting Worse, Study Finds

capradio.org

In Butte County, homelessness advocate Lisa Currier sees severely mentally ill people on a daily basis. Through her nonprofit Crisis Care Advocacy and Triage, she tries to connect people with doctor’s appointments and other resources. She usually starts by taking them to the Butte County behavioral health clinic, but appointments there have about a monthlong waitlist. She said people who don’t qualify for county care end up driving 30 to 90 minutes for appointments.

IMMIGRATION

ICE audits target Valley farms, nonprofit says

Modesto Bee

Just as the agricultural world was convening in Tulare for the World Ag Expo this week, concern and fear continued to spread across central San Joaquin Valley farmers and thousands of farm workers after three more farms were hit by employee audits ordered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Focus on Dreamers breeds resentment from other immigrants here illegally

Los Angeles Times

Ever since Sam Paredes crossed into the U.S. illegally from Mexico nearly 30 years ago, he followed a simple philosophy of keeping his head down and trying to stay out of trouble.

Trump revives push for limits on immigrants bringing family

Washington Post

When the U.S. government approved Ricardo Magpantay, his wife and young children to immigrate to America from the Philippines, it was 1991. By the time a visa was available, it was 2005, and his children could not come with him because they were now adults.

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LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Smith: More urban greenery would help our city thrive

Bakersfield Californian

Trees and greenspace provide environmental benefits to cities, for sure, but they also contribute to the economy of communities.

Main Street Theater’s future uncertain

Visalia Times-Delta

The show will go on at Visalia’s Main Street Theater, at least that’s what city officials and one local theater company hope.

Housing:

The California Dream is tough to afford if you’re under 40

The Mercury News

Samantha Sprau rents a 450-square-foot studio north of downtown Oakland with appliances and gold-speckled laminate that could be decades older than she is. It costs $1,575 per month. “It’s a ton for one person to pay,” said the 27-year-old battery engineer, who finds herself relying on the same grocery-skimping survival skills she learned as a broke undergraduate at San Jose State: snacks for lunch and “lentil soup for days.”

See also:

Walters: Prop. 13 is turning 40 — and facing a midlife crisis

The Mercury News

This year is the 40th anniversary of Proposition 13, the iconic property tax limit measure that California voters overwhelmingly endorsed in 1978. It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that it’s also the 40th anniversary of efforts to repeal or alter Proposition 13’s provisions, and those on the left side of the political ledger – unions, particularly – may be trying once again this year to undo it.

Fitz’s Stockton: A building that Ruhls the block

recordnet.com

The Ruhl Building, a handsome Main Street building 115 years young, has been purchased by an investor who plans to put apartments on the two upper floors.

Does Rent Control Do More Harm Than Good?

Governing

As rents continue to skyrocket across the country, state and local governments (and renters themselves) are scrambling for solutions. One of the most obvious — and most controversial — of those is rent control, which caps rent increases in an effort to keep cities more affordable for low- and middle-income people.

PUBLIC FINANCES

City employees frustrated with pay stagnation as demand for services increases

Bakersfield Californian

After going nearly four years without a cost-of-living adjustment or pay increase, some city employees are publicly making their frustrations known.

Wall Street caused pension crisis, not cops and firefighters

The Sacramento Bee

If there’s one thing the debate over public employees’ pensions has taught us, it’s that California needs to invest more in mathematics instruction. When The Sacramento Bee editorial board (“The pension nightmare for California’s cities is getting scarier,” Feb. 13) and city officials wag their fingers of blame at firefighters, teachers, police officers and state pension systems that have yielded 7 percent returns in the long run, it’s clear there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the numbers.

Borenstein: On pension debt, CalPERS does the right thing — sort of

The Mercury News

CalPERS, which has cooked the books for years, last week turned down the heat a skosh. No one should deceive themselves that numbers from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the nation’s largest plan, will now accurately portray the extent of the pension crisis.

Crane: More Pension Math

Medium

Recently the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) reported that its investments in 2017 outperformed its “benchmark” by 0.25 percent. But whether CalPERS beats or lags its benchmark has little impact on pension costs, which are exploding because of explosive growth in pension liabilities. See for yourself

Why does California’s Secure Choice program still exist?

OCRegister

California’s planned “Secure Choice” program, if implemented, would violate federal law. So why are we needlessly spending public tax dollars on its startup costs? The concept of the program seems harmless enough: A voluntary program — at least for now — that would enroll private-sector employees who currently don’t have a retirement plan into a state-run retirement savings account.

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.

TRANSPORTATION

California auto dealers had another strong year

Fresno Bee

California auto dealers held serve in 2017, ringing up another strong year even amid expectations of a red-hot car sales market cooling off. The Sacramento-based California New Car Dealers Association said Friday that there were about 2.05 million new-car registrations last year, nearly matching 2.09 million in 2016 and falling short of the all-time record of 2.15 million set in 2005.

Lower fines sought for right-on-red turns under California bill

The Sacramento Bee

Two state lawmakers are making another attempt at lowering the fine for drivers who fail to completely stop at a red light before making a right turn. Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, introduced Senate Bill 1132 Tuesday, which would reduce the base fine for not fully stopping before turning right on red to $35 from $100.

Could electric vehicles become as common as smartphones?

The 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.

Fresno’s newest rapid transit system – FAX Q

The Fresno Bee

“Quick” and “quality” are the traits that helped name Fresno’s newest mode of rapid transportation: the FAX Q.

Modesto will spruce up its transit center

Modesto Bee

Modesto plans to make its downtown Transportation Center safer, brighter and more inviting as part of the Altamont Corridor Express bringing passenger trains to the center as early as 2020. The center on Ninth Street between I and K streets is a hub for city buses and includes a Greyhound station.

New technology will render high-speed rail obsolete

The Mercury News

The window of time for high-speed rail has already passed. It would be fine if it’s already here today. However, newer and better transportation technology in 10 to 20 years will render HSR obsolete the day it’s finished.

Editorial: To add housing, California must rethink transportation

San Francisco Chronicle

For decades, Bay Area residents resisted new housing developments in their neighborhoods and cities. This collective decision, combined with a tech boom that poured thousands of new residents into our region, resulted in our current — and devastating — housing crisis.

GOP chairman: Trump infrastructure bill could be ready ‘closer to the summer’

TheHill

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said Thursday that an infrastructure bill could be ready “closer to the summer” as he begins the bill-writing process following President Trump‘s infrastructure overhaul rollout.

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WATER

What a dry 2018 will mean to Stanislaus County farmers and homeowners

Modesto Bee

Irrigation season was delayed in 2017 as storm after storm kept farm and garden soil moist. Fast-forward to 2018, which has started out very dry and brought calls to fill the canals early. So are we back to serious drought in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, which endured one from 2012 to 2016? Not yet in most places, thanks to reservoirs and groundwater bolstered by last year’s record rain and snow.

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“Xtra”

Roosevelt High theater to be named after star alumna Audra McDonald

Fresno Bee

Fresno Unified is planning to name the theater at the Roosevelt School of the Arts after Broadway star Audra McDonald, its most famous alumna. McDonald, who graduated from Roosevelt in 1988, went on to attend the prestigious Julliard School in New York City. As a singer, actress and Broadway performer, her career is unparallelled.

New art piece coming to Downtown Fresno

ABC30

The National Endowment for the Arts has given the city of Fresno a grant for a new permanent public art piece and you have a chance to see it unveiled. The art will be on display at Mariposa Plaza on February 26th at 11 a.m. The Fresno Arts Council says this will be the first installation of public art since 1964. The pieces were designed by Napa artist Gordon Huether.

EDITORIALS

Kevin McCarthy tweets condolences for dead children as he takes NRA’s money

Fresno Bee

Not long after a terribly troubled 19-year-old with an AR-15 assault rifle slaughtered 17 children at a high school in Parkland, Fla., House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield offered this tweet: “The heart of our nation breaks with the senseless and tragic loss of these young students. Our prayers are with them and their families.”

Willweacceptsuchslaughter or do something about it?

Modesto Bee

There is a crisis in America born, in part, from the love of guns. We don’t know why some people fetishize guns to the point of owning dozens of them. But their fascination with guns cannot be allowed to hold the rest of us at gunpoint.

Editorial: Trump’s pathetic response to Florida school massacre

Mercury News

It happened again. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old with a troubled past, used a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle to kill 17 people at a Florida school on Wednesday. It’s the same class of assault weapon used to kill 26 at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Our View: A call to action on gun violence

Stockton Record

The count continues to grow. And the massacres, too. On Valentine’s Day a student killed 17 people, including 14 students, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

‘Jesus Take The Wheel’ moment in bus rescue, California #MeToo cases raise questions

Fresno Bee

Thumbs up to Fresno Area Express bus driver Socorro Pelayo for rescuing Ny’ja Davis, 16, a Bullard High School student, from an attempted rapist. Before 8 a.m. last week a man Ny’ja had never seen at her bus stop before grabbed her by the straps of her backpack.

No, it’s not like Blue Apron: Trump’s cruel and condescending plan to cut food stamps

Fresno Bee

When President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress slammed throughtheir $1.5 trillion tax plan, we and other critics predicted that cuts to safety net programs were soon to come. Sure enough, now Trump wants to slash spending in programs for the poor and elderly, including Medicaid and Medicare, to give a gusher of money to the Pentagon, as well as offset the tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.

Brown’s online college idea opens doors for workers. Don’t let lobbyists strangle it

Fresno Bee

Predictably, Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to spend $100 million to start an online community college is causing great consternation among some legislators and lobbyists.

OUR VIEW: Promises made to Bakersfield veterans must be kept

The Bakersfield Californian

War is hell — whether you fought in World War II or the Korean War, spent the longest year of your life as a draftee in the jungles of Vietnam, or endured multiple tours of combat duty in the never-ending Gulf Wars since 9/11.

OUR VIEW: Kern legislators seek funding in battle against valley fever

The Bakersfield Californian

THUMBS UP: To Bakersfield’s state legislators for petitioning the state for $3 million to help fight valley fever. Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas, along with Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong and Republican Sen. Jean Fuller, are seeking $3 million for Kern Medical Center to research treatments and conduct outreach programs to combat valley fever, a respiratory disease endemic to the southwest U.S., with Kern County being a “hot spot.” The disease infected more people last year in California than in the state’s history.

Grocery bags and takeout containers aren’t enough. It’s time to phase out all single-use plastic

Los Angeles Times

Faced with an unholy tonnage of chip bags, soda bottles, takeout containers and other disposable plastic items flowing into our landfills and our waters, winding up in wildlife, drinking water and food, policymakers in California have tried reining in plastic waste bit by bit. For example, more than 100 cities have adopted restrictions on polystyrene takeout containers, and the state has banned single-use plastic grocery bags.

Time’s running out for ‘Dreamers’

San Francisco Chronicle

President Trump has been trying to blame Democrats for a crisis of his own creation. Never forget, it was Trump who rescinded the Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. as children to work, study or join the military without fear of deportation.

Editorial: To add housing, California must rethink transportation

San Francisco Chronicle

For decades, Bay Area residents resisted new housing developments in their neighborhoods and cities. This collective decision, combined with a tech boom that poured thousands of new residents into our region, resulted in our current — and devastating — housing crisis.

California officials on water storage: What, me worry?

The San Diego Union-Tribune

A defining quality of California’s state government is sluggishness. It’s common for audits of state agencies to note that problems identified in previous audits remain unresolved.

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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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