Maddy Institute – February 21, 2020

21Feb

POLICY & POLITICS

$56,000 Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowships

Deadline ONE WEEK AWAY! (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:

GOP candidate says he lives in Turlock. Opponent and some neighbors say something else

Modesto Bee

An opponent of Congressional District 10 candidate Ted Howze is questioning whether he lives in the district as he stated during a recent candidates debate. “I live, work and am registered to vote in the city of Turlock,” Howze said before an audience of more than 500 people at The State Theatre in downtown Modesto on Jan. 22.

Turlock Irrigation District could reduce water deliveries, though not drastically

Modesto Bee

The dry winter could prompt the Turlock Irrigation District to cap water deliveries for the first time since the 2012-16 drought. The district board will hold a special meeting Friday afternoon to consider the staff proposal, which would be much less severe than the worst of the drought.

Stockton Fire awarded nearly $1M in paramedic training funds

Stockton Record

The Stockton Fire Department has been awarded nearly $1 million in federal grant money to train more of its firefighters to become paramedics.

Trailers for homeless could arrive in Stockton as early as Monday

Stockton Record

Perhaps as early as Monday, the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless will welcome nine new trailers as the result of an executive order signed in January by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

EDITORIAL: The choice is Tom Patti in a close call

Stockton Record

The candidates for San Joaquin County Supervisors District 3 present an interesting choice for voters. There is incumbent Tom Patti, who has worked tirelessly to serve his district and the county, at times amid controversy.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno State breaks ground on new student union building

Fresno Bee

Fresno State officials on Thursday broke ground on the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union building.

● Hundreds attend groundbreaking ceremony for new Fresno State student union abc30

Fresno State receives $1.2 million grant to train future computer science teachers

abc30

Fresno State is helping to build the next generation of science and math teachers, and the big push is all thanks to a new grant. The university received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Fresno trustee Slatic awarded legal fees for defending himself against restraining order

Fresno Bee

A Fresno County court commissioner on Thursday awarded Fresno Unified Trustee Terry Slatic $1,000 to defray the cost of defending himself against a Bullard High School cheerleader who accused him of intimidation and harassment.

Challenger facing Jim Costa to address Republican Women

Madera Tribune

Madera Republican Women Federated will play host at a congressional candidate forum Thursday, Feb. 27, for Kevin Cookingham, a Republican running to replace Democrat Jim Costa in the 16th congressional district.

Council approves contract with Hanford Chamber of Commerce

Hanford Sentinel

The Hanford City Council discussed a handful of general business items at its meeting Tuesday evening, including the city’s contract with the Hanford Chamber of Commerce.

South SJ Valley:

What did Trump sign in Bakersfield? What we know about why he came to the Valley

Fresno Bee

Water and helping farmers was President Donald Trump’s focus during his Bakersfield visit, but the document he signed after an impassioned speech Wednesday afternoon – and the reason he came to the central San Joaquin Valley city – was less clear.

See Also:

● Trump promises more water during Bakersfield visit Visalia Times Delta

● Trump, Sanders come to Bakersfield with different intentions Bakersfield Californian

● President Trump Signs New Water Rules At Bakersfield Rally VPR

● Trump brings more water — and himself — to Central Valley farmers San Francisco Chronicle

Federal judge shortage 'will seriously hinder the administration of justice' in Kern

Bakersfield Californian

The district, which serves 8 million Californians is supposed to have six full-time judges — three in Fresno and three in Sacramento. But in the past two months, three judges in Fresno have assumed reduced work status or inactive status.

Vince Fong proposes bill that would provide tax relief for middle class

Bakersfield Californian

Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, introduced a bill Thursday that would provide tax relief for middle class families and workers, according to a news release from his office.

Hundreds turn out for annual Kern County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser

KGET
One day after President Trump visited Bakersfield, another national figure made a stop in the Golden Empire. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, delivered the keynote address to more than 500 people Thursday evening at the Kern County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser.

An ICE Detention Center? You Picked the Wrong Town, McFarland Residents Say

New York Times

As an undocumented immigrant, Maribel Ramirez does not officially have a say in the affairs of the small agricultural town in California’s Central Valley that she has called home for 20 years.

Chevron to reveal transformational gift at CSUB event

CSU Bakersfield

Reaffirming its commitment to education and the belief that the families of our region are the Central Valley’s brightest hope for the future, Chevron will present a major gift to CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday, Feb. 25 - an investment that will help produce the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and visionaries.

Porterville College earns Leader College of Distinction status

Bakersfield Californian

Achieving the Dream announced Porterville College was among 11 community colleges in the ATD Network to have earned Leader College of Distinction status for achieving new, higher student outcomes and narrowing equity gaps.

State:

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

PPIC

Key findings from the current survey: A slight majority of likely voters (51%) support a March ballot measure for a $15 billion bond to construct and modernize public education facilities. Most Californians (63%) say housing affordability is a big problem in their area, and 70 percent approve of Governor Newsom’s plan to spend $1 billion to address homelessness.

California Gov. Newsom Lays Out Framework To Address Homelessness

Capital Public Radio

Gavin Newsom focused his recent State of the State speech on homelessness. He has worked on the issue for 20 years, from San Francisco City Hall to the Capitol in Sacramento.

A sanctuary country: 2020 Democrats want the U.S. to be more like immigrant-friendly California

Fresno Bee

Fewer Californians are hunting than ever before and one state lawmaker is trying to revive the practice by waiving state fees.

California agrees to spend $50M to help kids who can't read

Hanford Sentinel

California will spend $50 million for literary instruction at dozens of poor performing schools to settle a civil rights lawsuit that claimed the state hasn't done enough to help students learn how to read.

● California students sued because they were such poor readers. They just won $53 million to help them Los Angeles Times

● California will pay millions to settle suit claiming it violated children’s rights by not teaching them to read CalMatters

● Lawsuit settlement results in $50 million for reading programs in California schools EdSource

California apologizes for Japanese American internment

Hanford Sentinel

The California Assembly apologized Thursday for discriminating against Japanese Americans and helping the U.S. government send them to internment camps during World War II.

Riggs Report: California secretary of state talks Super Tuesday's impact

KCRA

For years, California has been more of a fundraiser than a decision-maker when it comes to the presidential contest. This year looks to be far different, due to a contested Democratic race and the move to hold the election on March 3.

Steak dinners, secret donors: How the Tech Caucus is courting Silicon Valley with charity

CalMatters

On a recent afternoon, more than a dozen California lawmakers gathered to discuss thorny issues impacting a state that is the cradle of technological innovation — but also suffering from wildfires, aging infrastructure, and vast economic inequality. On the agenda: how to maintain wireless phone service during emergencies; how to protect internet connection during power outages; and how work is being changed by artificial intelligence and the gig economy.

EDITORIAL: Requiring voting is the wrong answer to civic participation

San Francisco Chronicle

San Rafael Assemblyman Marc Levine wants to answer this apathy by making voting mandatory. Citizens who sign up to vote would be obliged to hand in a ballot, marked up or not. He’s holding off on a penalizing those who ignore the plan.

Federal:

Trump promises more water, Friant-Kern Canal improvements during Bakersfield visit

Visalia Times Delta

In his first visit to the Central Valley since taking office, President Donald Trump praised the region's farmers and blasted state water regulations that he said turn "natural droughts" into "man-made catastrophes."

Trump administration reverses itself, will pay California for Oroville Dam fixes

Fresno Bee

In a rare reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to reimburse California for hundreds of millions of dollars in repair costs stemming from the 2017 emergency at Oroville Dam.

California sues Trump administration to block water rules

Fresno Bee

California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules that would let farmers take more water from the state's largest river systems, arguing it would push endangered populations of delta smelt, chinook salmon and steelhead trout to extinction.

● Newsom, Calif. sue to block Trump administration’s Valley water boost The Sun

Trump tries new approach for $1 trillion infrastructure plan

Associated Press

As a presidential candidate in 2016, Donald Trump promised a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that would use tax incentives to spur private investment in public works projects. He has so far failed to persuade Congress to pass anything like that.

Upcoming Supreme Court case may create greater restrictions on abortion

Sacramento Bee

On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in an abortion case that could signal a dramatic lessening in the constitutional protection for women’s reproductive autonomy. In June Medical Services LLC v. Gee, the Court will consider a challenge to a Louisiana law that requires a doctor performing an abortion to have admitting privilege at a hospital within 30 miles

GOP is accused of sending misleading ‘census’ forms ahead of the actual count

Los Angeles Times

The Republican National Committee is sending documents labeled “2020 Congressional District Census” to people in California and across the country just weeks before the start of the official nationwide count of the country’s population.

Elections 2020:

Everything you need to know about California’s 2020 primary election

Los Angeles Times

The California primary election is March 3. Here’s what you need to know.

Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders To 'Get Out The Early Vote' Friday In Bakersfield

VPR
After taking the lead in the New Hampshire Primary, Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will make his second campaign trip to the Central Valley, this time in an effort to ensure eligible citizens cast their ballots in California's March 3 primary.

● Sanders’ talking point about Buttigieg's health industry support needs context PolitiFact

● Democrats try to blunt strong California showing for Sanders Associated Press

● Commentary: Bernie Too Often Sees Only What He Wants to See National Review

● Trump, Sanders come to Bakersfield with different intentions Bakersfield Californian

● Pete Buttigieg campaigns at USC, warning against nominating Bloomberg or Sanders Los Angeles Times

Joe Biden is trailing Bernie Sanders by less than you might think, new California poll says

Fresno Bee

While recent surveys have consistently found Bernie Sanders winning in the Golden State, his lead may not be as big as some might think.

President Amy Klobuchar: What it would mean for California

San Francisco Chronicle

Amy Klobuchar believes it will take an experienced politician with a history of working across party lines to get the bipartisan voter support she thinks the next president will need to bring the country together.

Democrats big money pledges give way to reality of 2020 race

Fresno Bee

Many Democratic presidential candidates launched their campaigns last year with bold pledges to reject help from super PACs and dark money groups. But as the realities of a tough primary fight sink in, those promises are fading away.

See Also:

● Tracking The Money Race Behind The Presidential Campaign Capital Public Radio

● Brace for the deluge: Special interests are spending millions to get the California legislators they want CalMatters

Wounded but defiant, Bloomberg promises to keep fighting

Fresno Bee

His aura suddenly shattered, a defiant Michael Bloomberg sent a pointed message Thursday to a political world grappling with his underwhelming presidential debate debut: He's not going away.

● ‘It’s going to take a rich guy to beat Trump’: Why some Democrats back Bloomberg Washington Post

● OPINION: Bloomberg’s disastrous debate performance capped his catastrophic week Washington Post

After a strong debate, Elizabeth Warren scrambles to get back into contention

Los Angeles Times

Sen. Elizabeth Warren scrambled Thursday to take advantage of what her supporters — and even some rivals — saw as a highly effective debate performance, but faced continued questions about whether she has time to get her presidential campaign back into contention as her ideological soulmate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, tightens his grip on front-runner status.

● Warren and Klobuchar stopped tone-policing themselves. It created the realest debate moments yet. Washington Post

All-white Dem field tries to connect with diverse Nevada voters

San Francisco Chronicle

The key to winning Nevada is to connect with one of the most diverse electorates in the nation. The Democrats are trying — and sometimes failing — to do that.

Black and Latino Voters Are Looking for ‘More Than Just Some Token Words’

New York Times

Kristina Alvarez, a 36-year-old medical aide in Las Vegas, knows how badly the Democrats want her attention and ideally her vote. So does JA Moore, 34, a state representative in Charleston, S.C., whose endorsement was highly sought after.

Pressured By Younger Voters And An Election, Republicans Reluctantly Embrace Climate Change

Newsweek

Republicans face a dilemma. How does the party refrain from alienating its hardline base members who don't believe climate change is caused by human activity—or who believe government should play a small or nonexistent role in the problem—while also appeasing a younger generation that calls for immediate remedies to a problem that could have major implications for them later in life?

Russia is again meddling to aid Trump, U.S. officials warn

Los Angeles Times

A senior administration official said the news of the briefing to lawmakers infuriated the president, who complained that Democrats would use the information against him.

Other:

How conservatives learned to wield power inside Facebook

Washington Post

Facebook created “Project P” — for propaganda — in the hectic weeks after the 2016 presidential election and quickly found dozens of pages that had peddled false news reports ahead of Donald Trump’s surprise victory. Nearly all were based overseas, had financial motives and displayed a clear rightward bent

The transition to digital alone will not save local news. Here’s what could

Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento Bee wrote about the abolition of slavery and continues to cover segregation in local schools. It chronicled the debut of the Model T and keeps readers updated on Tesla, maker of the Model S. We’ve covered some ground over 163 years.

Valley Public Radio Wins Four Awards At 2020 RTNA "Golden Mike" Honors

VPR
Valley Public Radio’s news department once again walked away with multiple awards at the 70th Annual Golden Mike Awards in Los Angeles. The annual awards gala honors the best in broadcasting in Southern California, and is produced by the Southern California Radio and Television News Association. The February 15th event at the Universal Hilton Hotel featured a keynote address by former Fox News host Shepard Smith.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

The Future Of...Machines

UC Merced

Powdery snow blanketed the Sierras in beautiful icy white this winter, which should be a promising sign to farmers of the arid Central Valley that spring melt is coming to their thirsty fields.

Hot Hemp Pits States Against Feds

PEW

New federal regulations would make it harder for hemp growers to prove their plants are not marijuana, in what could be a major setback to a promising industry legalized just two years ago, farmers and state officials say.

Commentary: Trump gives politically connected farmers more water, at expense of everyone else

Los Angeles Times

Let’s give credit where credit is due: President Trump and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt put in a full day’s work Wednesday. Of course, the work they were doing served only a small cadre of rich farmers, not you and me. Presumably it’s only a coincidence that some of those farm interests are former lobbying clients of Bernhardt’s, and that he and Trump gave them just what they’d been trying to get from the government for years.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Warszawski: Despite shooting, locked gate is not a solution to Fresno’s park and river access woes

Fresno Bee

The reaction was so Fresno. Something bad happens in a nice part of town, and the immediate response is to shut down the location “until safety improvements can be made,” according to a press release issued by Councilmember Mike Karbassi.

New enforcement operation focuses on meth trafficking hubs

Hanford Sentinel

Federal authorities are targeting methamphetamine “transportation hubs” around the country in an effort to block the distribution of the highly addictive drug, officials announced Thursday.

Time Warner Cable to pay $18.8M in California internet case

Porterville Recorder

Time Warner Cable will pay $18.8 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed it misled more than 170,000 California customers who paid for high-speed internet service that they didn't receive, prosecutors said Thursday.

Federal judge shortage 'will seriously hinder the administration of justice' in Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Take a stroll through the multi-story federal courthouse in Fresno, suggests Bakersfield attorney Matthew Clark. What you don't see might surprise you. “Walk through the halls,” he says. “There’s no one there.” Clark is exaggerating, but just barely.

California jails sued after banning prison publisher. Why was one of its editors arrested?

Sacramento Bee

Two weeks ago, a Florida-based group that advocates for prisoners nationwide sued the Placer County jail system accusing it of violating inmates’ First Amendment rights.

California’s top cop wants power to prosecute tax cheats, saying they cost taxpayers’ billions

Sacramento Bee

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is asking the Legislature to give him the authority to more aggressively go after tax cheats that he says cost the state $20 billion in lost revenue in 2019.

'The personal attacks on our judges and prosecutors must cease,' says ABA president

ABA Journal

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez reminded the House of Delegates at the 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas, on Monday that Americans of all different backgrounds are paying more attention to issues of justice.

Public Safety:

Fresno Co. deputies honored for courage

abc30

In a ceremony to honor some of the bravest heroes in Fresno County, one man stood out a little further from the rest. Fresno County Deputy John Erickson was there to receive a Purple Heart award.

MCSO Acquires New ‘Oil-Spill Response’ Trailer

Sierra News

The Madera County Sheriff’s Office added to its arsenal of public safety tools this week, taking possession of a new specialized “trailer” that will allow department personnel to react more quickly and efficiently to hazardous spills.

Fire:

‘Totally and utterly heartbroken. Rest in peace.’ Fatal library tragedy shakes Porterville

Fresno Bee

Residents gathered Wednesday morning to get a glimpse of the burned-down city library, share stories and mourn the loss of two firefighters who died in the massive blaze the previous night.

● Chief: Firefighters died ensuring no one was in Porterville library; department stands down Fresno Bee

● Porterville firefighters died trying to save others inside burning library abc30

● Teens Started Blaze That Killed Two Firefighters In Porterville, Authorities Say VPR

● Charges haven’t been filed against arson, manslaughter suspects Visalia Times Delta

● Loss of history at library is heartbreaking Porterville Recorder

● Senator Hurtado releases statement on the Porterville Library Fire Porterville Recorder

● County calls for flags to be lowered to half-staff Porterville Recorder

● EDITORIAL: Best way to honor fallen Porterville firefighters? Make city buildings safe Fresno Bee

Stockton Fire awarded nearly $1M in paramedic training funds

Stockton Record

The Stockton Fire Department has been awarded nearly $1 million in federal grant money to train more of its firefighters to become paramedics.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

The days of fast growth are ending for L.A. and California, report says

Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t so long ago that economic growth in California and Los Angeles far surpassed that of the nation. Those days are coming to an end, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

● California students sued because they were such poor readers. They just won $53 million to help them Los Angeles Times

● California will pay millions to settle suit claiming it violated children’s rights by not teaching them to read CalMatters

● Lawsuit settlement results in $50 million for reading programs in California schools EdSource

Trump wants vocational, technical education to every American high school

yahoo! finance

Global fallout from the coronavirus is escalating as cases in South Korea and Iran rise. Seoul has banned rallies and other public events in major downtown areas in an effort to fight the outbreak. Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani joins the On the Move panel to discuss.

Commentary: California’s declining school enrollment doesn’t justify $15 billion Prop 13 school bond

CalMatters

Declining school enrollment may have an enormous impact on California’s proposed $15 billion school construction bond, Proposition 13, on the March 3 ballot. California Department of Education’s data show total K-12 enrollment has been dropping for several years.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State breaks ground on new student union building

Fresno Bee

Fresno State officials on Thursday broke ground on the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union building.

● Hundreds attend groundbreaking ceremony for new Fresno State student union abc30

Fresno State receives $1.2 million grant to train future computer science teachers

abc30

Chevron to reveal transformational gift at CSUB event

CSU Bakersfield

Porterville College earns Leader College of Distinction status

Bakersfield Californian

USC offers free tuition to families making under $80,000 and a break for homeowners

Los Angeles Times

In a “high-octane” drive to widen access for more middle- and low-income students, USC will eliminate tuition for families earning $80,000 or less annually and will no longer consider home equity in financial aid calculations.

● U.S.C. Offers Free Tuition to Students Whose Families Make $80,000 or Less New York Times

In College and Homeless

New York Times

On a sunny day last April, Anthony White, a 29-year-old Marine Corps veteran, told a room of California state legislators how he had survived a semester as a cash-strapped student at MiraCosta College: he’d slept in his car.

EDITORIAL: Despite complaints about bias, the University of California shouldn’t dump the SAT and ACT

Los Angeles Times

According to a long-awaited University of California report, the SAT and ACT college entrance tests are far more than shiny medals for privileged teenagers whose parents can afford tutoring.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Could a ‘miracle’ March make up for California’s bone-dry February? What history tells us

Sacramento Bee

Do you believe in miracles? At this point, it would take one to restore water and snowpack totals in a very dry California near average levels for the winter.

California has fewer hunters than ever. Would waiving state fees revive the practice?

Sacramento Bee

Fewer Californians are hunting than ever before and one state lawmaker is trying to revive the practice by waiving state fees. Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, has introduced a bill that would require the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to offer two “free hunting” days a year for non-licensed hunters.

● California scrambles to increase hunting to help protect public lands Santa Cruz Sentinel

EDITORIAL: California’s mountain lions are already under threat. Stop killing more of them

Los Angeles Times

Life can be harrowing for mountain lions in southern California. And behaving like the apex predators that they are can also get them a death sentence.

Opinion: California must act to protect its beaches from sea level rise

San Francisco Chronicle

Sadly, rising seas are washing away our beach, and for every inch of sand lost, our opportunities for joy — and our economic future — similarly shrink.

Energy:

California's solar mandate to allow homes without solar

Porterville Recorder

Over the objections of environmentalists, California regulators approved a proposal Thursday to allow builders to construct homes without solar panels, a decision critics said undercuts California’s seven-week-old law that all new houses have their own solar power.

● SMUD Opts Out Of California’s New Rooftop Solar Law, Advocates Say It Sets A Dangerous Precedent Capital Public Radio

● California backtracks on solar requirement for new homes, critics say Los Angeles Times

● Regulators loosen California’s groundbreaking rule to require residential rooftop solar CalMatters

● California’s solar mandate to allow homes without solar Associated Press

California approves natural gas limits on new buildings in nine cities

San Francisco Chronicle

Amid debates and lawsuits, natural gas bans keep gaining momentum as Bay Area cities encourage people to rely more on electricity for home appliances and less on fossil fuels.

California’s Phil Ting tilts at windmills — ban gas-powered cars! — hoping to start a conversation

CalMatters

Dale Carnegie could have been talking about Phil Ting when the positive-thinking guru said, decades ago, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

He resisted Obama’s war on coal. Now a Trump official, he’s excited for clean energy

Los Angeles Times

The American power grid is getting cleaner. And Neil Chatterjee is feeling optimistic. Chatterjee was tapped by President Trump to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, an important but little-known agency that governs interstate electricity markets and decides whether to approve pipelines, liquefied natural gas terminals and hydropower projects.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Seven flu deaths reported in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

There are now seven confirmed flu deaths in Kern County this season, according to the county Public Health Services Department.

Coronavirus: 22 more cruise evacuees, including 16 in Bay Area, sent to hospitals

San Francisco Chronicle

At least 22 more people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan to two U.S. air bases have either tested positive or shown symptoms of the coronavirus, including 16 who arrived at Travis Air Force Base but have now been transported to local hospitals, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Chronicle.

When it comes to STDs for older Americans, Calif is among the worst, study says

Fresno Bee

As sexually transmitted diseases continue to rise in the U.S., the rate of infection for older people has also climbed.

Commentary: California should not list acetaminophen as a carcinogen. It is a safe, important pain reliever

CalMatters

Protecting consumer safety is an important part of government oversight, but a regulatory effort currently underway in California could actually pose more harm than good. There is debate over whether acetaminophen should be added to the Proposition 65 list, which serves as a warning to the public of cancer-causing chemicals.

Human Services:

Federally funded program credited with helping to deliver opioid-addiction treatment to uninsured

Fresno Bee

An innovative program to provide free treatment for opioid addiction to uninsured and underinsured patients is helping California make progress in tackling the epidemic. That’s the conclusion of health care providers who hope the effort will continue to grow and benefit from federal dollars.

Opinion: Upoming Supreme Court case may create greater restrictions on abortion

Sacramento Bee

On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in an abortion case that could signal a dramatic lessening in the constitutional protection for women’s reproductive autonomy.

Commentary: There are clear, race-based inequalities in health insurance and health outcomes

Brookings

In the United States, there are significant racial disparities in access to health coverage and in health outcomes. People of color are far more likely to be uninsured in America, due in part to several states’ refusal to expand Medicaid. The infant and maternal mortality rates for Black babies and mothers are also far higher than those of white babies and mothers – and nobody really knows why.

IMMIGRATION

A sanctuary country: 2020 Democrats want the U.S. to be more like immigrant-friendly California

Fresno Bee

Democrats competing for the White House have introduced plans that could offer citizenship for the 2 million undocumented immigrants who call the Golden State home.

An ICE Detention Center? You Picked the Wrong Town, Residents Say

New York Times

As an undocumented immigrant, Maribel Ramirez does not officially have a say in the affairs of the small agricultural town in California’s Central Valley that she has called home for 20 years.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Tenants, cities & nonprofits get more say about empty Calif homes under this plan

Merced Sun-Star

Corporations that own California properties could soon be fined for keeping homes vacant for more than three months under a proposed law to give tenants, nonprofits and cities more say over what happens to empty buildings.

Californians support removing homeless camps — unless Trump does it

Merced Sun-Star

A majority of Californians say they are OK with clearing out homeless camps, they just don’t want President Donald Trump to do it.

Trailers for homeless could arrive in Stockton as early as Monday

Stockton Record

Perhaps as early as Monday, the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless will welcome nine new trailers as the result of an executive order signed in January by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Here’s where California is offering land for homeless housing

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has set aside nearly 300 state-owned properties that may be turned into emergency housing for homeless people, half of which are in the Bay Area.

California Gov. Newsom Lays Out Framework To Address Homelessness

Capital Public Radio

Gavin Newsom focused his recent State of the State speech on homelessness. He has worked on the issue for 20 years, from San Francisco City Hall to the Capitol in Sacramento.

Why Does It Cost $750,000 to Build Affordable Housing in San Francisco?

New York Times

The average home in the United States costs around $240,000. But in San Francisco, the world’s most expensive place for construction, a two-bedroom apartment of what passes for affordable housing costs around $750,000 just to build.

Need to earthquake retrofit your house? California reopens applications for $3,000 grants

Los Angeles Times

Putting off an earthquake retrofit of your house? California is reopening applications for grants of up to $3,000 to fund seismic strengthening of older homes that can slide off their foundations.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California’s top cop wants power to prosecute tax cheats, saying they cost taxpayers’ billions

Fresno Bee

Vince Fong proposes bill that would provide tax relief for middle class

Bakersfield Californian

Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, introduced a bill Thursday that would provide tax relief for middle class families and workers, according to a news release from his office.

Fees are going up for California state workers’ 401(k) plans — State Worker Inbox

Sacramento Bee

California state workers soon will face higher fees and have fewer investment options in the retirement savings plans many use to supplement their pensions. We heard from several workers about the changes.

TRANSPORTATION

Real ID application documents can be submitted online, DHS says

Washington Post

The Department of Homeland Security will allow states to accept documents for Real ID applications electronically, streamlining the process for millions of Americans to obtain the credential that come fall will be needed to pass through airport security checkpoints.

WATER

Trump administration reverses itself, will pay California for Oroville Dam fixes

Fresno Bee

In a rare reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to reimburse California for hundreds of millions of dollars in repair costs stemming from the 2017 emergency at Oroville Dam.

California sues Trump administration to block water rules

Fresno Bee

● Newsom, Calif. sue to block Trump administration’s Valley water boost The Sun

Could a ‘miracle’ March make up for California’s bone-dry February? What history tells us

Fresno Bee

Do you believe in miracles? At this point, it would take one to restore water and snowpack totals in a very dry California near average levels for the winter.

Trump promises more water, Friant-Kern Canal improvements during Bakersfield visit

Visalia Times Delta

Turlock Irrigation District could reduce water deliveries, though not drastically

Modesto Bee

SoCal water managers get low down on sinking California Aqueduct

SJV Water

The California Aqueduct is sinking and that could be a big problem for the Metropolitan Water District, which provides water to much of Southern California. The giant canal, which brings water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta south along the western edge of the Central Valley, has already lost some carrying capacity as a result of pockets of subsidence, mostly in the Central Valley.

“Xtra”

Pet donations being collected at Miranda Lambert's Fresno concert

abc30

Country music star Miranda Lambert has partnered with Valley Animal Center to hold a pet supplies drive at her February 27 concert at the Save Mart Center.

Visalia Fox celebrates anniversary with retro music

Visalia Times Delta

Take a song, any song, from the past 25 years. Keep the words but strip away the music. Then perform that song in a style from 50 or 75 or even 100 years ago.

Take me home! Dogs available for adoption

Bakersfield Californian

These six dogs at Kern County Animal Services are looking for their forever homes. Can you help?

Elderly, CSUB students spread smiles with random acts of kindness

Bakersfield Californian

Residents and staff members at Brookdale Riverwalk joined forces with CSUB's spirit squad Thursday to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day.

See Also:

● Random Act of Kindness Week is something to celebrate San Francisco Chronicle