28Feb

TOP POLITICAL STORIES

Local/Regional Politics:

Central Unified’s superintendent terminated without cause

The Fresno Bee

Central Unified board members voted 4-3 to terminate superintendent Mark Sutton’s contract with the district, effective immediately, during a tense meeting Tuesday night at Central High School’s east campus. Board president Cesar Granda announced the decision after the closed session that Sutton was terminated without cause.

Threats at Valley Schools:

· Arrests made in slew of copycat threats targeting Fresno schools after Florida shooting The Fresno Bee

· Girl, 12, arrested over social media threats to Fresno schools The Fresno Bee

· A student came to school with a gun in his backpack Fresno Bee

· Lemoore student took gun on campus, father arrested on gun charges Hanford Sentinel

· 8 Tulare County students arrested after school shooting threatsVisalia Times-Delta

Study: Climate Change Threatens Major Crops in California

KQED Science

California currently provides two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts, but according to a new study published Tuesday, by the end of the century California’s climate will no longer be able to support the state’s major crops, including orchards. The report, published in “Agronomy,” warns that the increased rate and scale of climate change is “beyond the realm of experience” for the agricultural community, and unless farmers take urgent measures, the consequences could threaten national food security.

Temperance Flat Dam supporters appeal State Water Commission’s project rating

ABC30

Valley supporters of Temperance Flat Dam issued an appeal to the State Water Commission. They’re concerned over funding for the $2.7 billion project. Temperance flat received a ‘zero rating’ when the California Water Commission ran a cost-benefit analysis in January. But local elected leaders and farmers say the commission didn’t have the right information to analyze the proposal. So the group has sent reviewers a letter of appeal and updated detailed models to consider. Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes called it a ‘user’s guide.’

East Porterville gets water, some regret it

Visalia Times-Delta

Norma Sanchez took a quick break from watering her East Porterville front yard, bent the garden hose and reflected on years of being without reliable water. Now, she has water, pressure and along with it problems with the new delivery system residents waited so long to get. “There are some problems with the water from city system,” she said. “We can’t drink it. When I boil it, the water leaves a tar-like residue ring in the pot. I am afraid of drinking it.”

Woman: I was abused as teen by pastor at Modesto’s First Baptist

The Modesto Bee

The 27-year-old married youth pastor in Modesto consoled the troubled girl, whose father had just died. Eventually, he kissed her. Then he fondled her. She was 14. Over the next 2 1/2 years, Brad Tebbutt sexually abused Jennifer Graves in his office at First Baptist Church, a prominent Modesto congregation, and in his car. After school, before his wife returned from work, he would have sex with her in his home, she said.

Women still waiting for supervisors’ recognition

Stockton Record

County supervisors delayed action Tuesday on a request to give a local women’s commission official government recognition , an outcome that one of the commission’s biggest advocates called “disappointing.”

Council denies appeals against cannabis permits

Stockton Record

A medical cannabis cultivation business is a step closer to building a facility in south Stockton despite strong opposition from its potential neighbor: the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District.

City could get state funding to help homeless

Bakersfield Californian

The City of Bakersfield could soon get state funding to provide more services to the homeless. Assemblyman Phil Ting introduced legislation last week that would provide $1.5 billion to cities through one-time matching grants, totalling $3 billion in state and local funds to address the homeless issue.

County preparing for another tight budget cycle, facing fire fund struggle

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County departments will need to make due with 2.5 percent less cash from the county’s main operational fund next fiscal year. And that means that, once again, the county’s services to the public will need to shrink as the county struggles to stay on its financial feet. Kern County has faced nearly a decade of fiscal struggle following the crash of the housing market.

Latinos call for immediate re-drawing of Kern County political map

Bakersfield Californian

Latino leaders and activists, worried that the Kern County Board of Supervisors wants to appeal a painful court loss over political boundaries, called Tuesday for immediate action to redraw those maps. John Munoz of Delano said the call for fair political opportunities for Latinos has been ignored by Kern County for decades.

Jury awards $16.2 million to man who suffered brain injury in fall at Bakersfield restaurant

Bakersfield Californian

A Kern County jury has awarded $16.2 million to a man who suffered a brain injury after slipping and falling at an El Pollo Loco restaurant in Bakersfield six years ago.

About the Big 11

Bakersfield Californian

In 2010, Bakersfield leapfrogged three cities to move into the top 10 in population among California cities. That qualified Bakersfield for membership in the so-called Big Ten, an exclusive company of cities with meaningful influence in state policy making. Shortly afterward, that exclusive club — a committee affiliated with the League of California Cities — became slightly less exclusive.

Workshop to help people complete applications for DACA, other programs

Bakersfield Californian

The Youth2Leaders Education Foundation is holding a free workshop to help people complete applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and other programs. The workshop will be held on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at Bakersfield College’s Delano center, 1450 Timmons Ave. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to help people complete applications for DACA, the state DREAM Act as well as FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. For more information, call 374-8817.

Stanislaus County leaders OK low-barrier shelter, plus a bold plan to help the homeless

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders gave approval Tuesday for a low-barrier shelter for the homeless and also a master plan including a permanent access center and several hundred housing units for people who want to get off the streets.

FAX Q Is Quick, But Will It Deliver?

Valley Public Radio

Fresno is California’s largest city without a light rail system. With the city’s sprawling nature and ample parking lots, efforts to bring rapid transit to the area have never taken off. One other reason – light rail is really expensive. Now, Fresno officials hope to bring some of the elements of those commuter trains to the city’s bus system at a much more affordable price tag. It’s a concept that around the world is called bus rapid transit – or light rail on wheels. We looked at the latest addition to Fresno Area Express service by talking to the people who use it.

Smittcamps give $10M to Community Medical

Fresno Bee

Robert Smittcamp and his family, the prominent owners of Fresno food-processing companies, are giving $10 million to Community Medical Centers to bolster the hospital’s neuroscience programs and services. It’s the largest cash gift that Fresno-based Community Medical Centers has ever received, and follows a 2016 gift of more than $1 million from the family, also for neuroscience. Smittcamp is chairman and CEO of Lyons Magnus and a co-owner of Wawona Packing Co.

Millennial Republican leaves Capitol Hill staff job to challenge Jim Costa

Fresno Bee

Rep. Jim Costa, the Fresno Democrat, will apparently have a challenger in 2018. On Feb. 16, a campaign committee filed federal paperwork for California’s 16th Congressional District. The candidate is listed as Elizabeth Heng, and the committee — Elizabeth Heng for Congress — lists a Fresno post office box address. The campaign has not filed any other documents.

CA bills target divestment of Turkey over Armenian Genocide

The Sacramento Bee

While the California Legislature can only set policy for the state’s nearly 40 million residents, its ambitions are often much grander. With, we are often reminded, one of the largest economies in the world to dangle and deploy for influence, lawmakers regularly wade into issues on the global stage, thousands of miles from California’s borders.

State Politics:

California courts give DACA recipients another win, calling government ‘arbitrary and irrational’

Sacramento Bee

Dreamers won another victory from California courts this week after a federal judge in Los Angeles found that the government had unfairly revoked legal permits for some recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and must give them back.

Ad Watch: Video misleads on Villaraigosa role in murder case

The Sacramento Bee

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox, bidding for a top-two spot in the California primary, has released a video on social media attacking one of his Democratic rivals, Antonio Villaraigosa. The video draws from Villaraigosa’s role following a stabbing case involving the son of one of his friends, former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez.

CA counties slow to spend mental health tax

The Sacramento Bee

California counties are sitting on money from a special tax on millionaires that should be spent on mental health programs, but the state isn’t moving fast enough to reclaim the funds, according to a state audit released on Tuesday. California State Auditor Elaine Howle found that county mental health programs had stashed $231 million from the tax that should have been returned to the state by the end of the 2015-16 budget year.

A California congressman is trying to force a vote on a gun background check bill

Los Angeles Times

California Rep. Mike Thompson of St. Helena is trying to get support for a rarely successful procedural move that would force a vote on a bill to require background checks for all gun purchases. Thompson, a lifelong hunter who leads the Democrats’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, introduced the bill with Republican Rep. Peter King of New York in November. It has been sitting in committee since.

Schwarzenegger, Kasich to team up in L.A. for group seeking to reform California GOP

Los Angeles Times

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will headline an event to debut a new group seeking to reform the California Republican Party. The pair will deliver speeches and participate in panels on March 21 in Los Angeles at an event for New Way California, a group formed by Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley).

Glyphosate cancer warning in California halted

Los Angeles Times

A federal judge on Monday temporarily barred California environmental officials from requiring cancer warnings on food products that contain traces of the herbicide glyphosate. The injunction by U.S. District Judge William Shubb leaves glyphosate on the state’s so-called Proposition 65 list as a “chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer,” but bars anyone from enforcing a requirement to warn consumers about the presence of the herbicide.

With late nights and booze a staple of political conventions, they have evolved after #MeToo

Los Angeles Times

Standing in a darkened room, California’s most powerful politicians were peppered with catcalls. “Hey beautiful! Why aren’t you smiling?” “You’re too fine to be walking out here alone!” Those were the mild ones. Many more were sexually explicit or profane. Welcome to a political convention, #MeToo-style, where the sexual harassment reckoning that continues to rattle the California political world permeated the weekend’s festivities — sometimes overtly, sometimes subtly.

Board of Equalization punts on raising California’s gas tax

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Knowing that California motorists are already paying more at the pump because of a recently passed bill increasing the state’s tax on gasoline, the Board of Equalization on Tuesday turned down a recommendation to increase the gasoline excise tax 4 cents a gallon.

Stars Aligning for Far-Reaching Changes to State Bail System

PublicCEO

Last week could be remembered as a turning point for California criminal justice as state Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the movement to radically change the Golden State’s bail system, which charges by far the highest average bail in the United States.

Federal Politics:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Loses Support Of California Democratic Party

NPR

In California, one of the bluest of the blue states, we could be seeing a fissure within the Democratic Party. Senator Dianne Feinstein is one of the longest-serving U.S. senators, and she is again running for re-election this fall. But she was denied the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at its annual convention. Senator Feinstein won the endorsement of just 37 percent of the delegates. The revolt was led by supporters of California Senate President Kevin de Leon, who is running in the primary against Feinstein. He won 54 percent of delegate support, still short of the 60 percent needed to get the official endorsement.

· For Democrats, Retaking the House Might Depend on Fewer Candidates Running KQED

Far-right radio host Michael Savage weighing U.S. Senate bid in California

Los Angeles Times

Far-right radio host and author Michael Savage says that “very important people” have asked him to run for U.S. Senate in California. “Some very important people have come to me and said ‘Savage, would you like to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate in the state of California against the esteemed Dianne Feinstein?’” Savage said on his show, “The Savage Nation,” Friday. “I’m asking you should I run or not run?”

Unions prepare to lose in the courthouse and strike back in the statehouse

CALmatters

The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on a high-profile case that could slash the power of public-employee unions. But California labor leaders are already planning to push for new state laws to blunt the impact of an unfavorable ruling.The case argued before the court Monday, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, challenges whether public-employee unions can collect fees from workers who choose not to join the union.

· Teachers Union Leaders Hypocrisy on Corporations and the RichFox & Hounds

· Supremes Court Janus v. AFSCME Weighs Freedom of Speech & Association National Review

· Janus & Supreme Court: Case Could Uphold First Amendment Rights over Labor Unions National Review

President Trump planning border tour and fundraiser in first California visit

Los Angeles Times

The snub may soon end: President Trump is preparing his first trip to California as chief executive. The White House confirmed Tuesday that Trump hopes to visit Southern California during the second week of March to see prototypes of his long-promised border wall and attend a political fundraiser in either Los Angeles or Orange County.

Trump and congressional Republicans split over arming teachers, but unite in blocking gun limits

Los Angeles Times

Less than two weeks after the latest mass shooting had President Trump promising action, his two main proposals have fallen flat among already divided congressional Republicans, leaving their party united on one thing: blocking further restrictions on gun ownership.

· Dick’s Sporting Goods to no longer sell assault rifles The Fresno Bee

· Dick’s Sporting Goods Won’t Sell Assault-Style Rifles in Wake of Florida High School Shooting Fortune

No Bail Hearings for Detained Immigrants, Supreme Court Rules

The New York Times

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that people held in immigration detention, sometimes for years, are not entitled to periodic hearings to decide whether they may be released on bail. The vote was 5 to 3, with the court’s more conservative members in the majority. Justice Stephen G. Breyer summarized his dissent from the bench, a rare move signaling intense disagreement.

Other:

Limits on Federal Gun Research Spur States to Step In

Pew Charitable Trust | Stateline

As deaths from mass shootings have mounted across the United States, some states are moving to collect hard data to guide their decisions about guns — even as the federal government has retreated from such research in the face of pressure from pro-gun groups.

· NRA’s Loesch cherry-picks terrorism deaths in France to argue against assault weapon ban PolitiFact

· The post-millennial movement against gun violence could solidify long-term Democratic support Brookings

How to get teenagers to vote when they turn 18? Lawmakers think DMV may be the answer

KPCC

Any eligible 16- or 17-year-old who gets a California driver’s license or state ID card at the DMV will automatically become pre-registered to vote under a measure signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Study: California receives low ‘quality of life’ score

KCRA Sacramento

Stop bragging about your beaches, mountains and culture, Californians. The latest study by U.S. News editors say all those amenities add up to nothing short of the worst “quality of life” in the United States. The annual Best States ranking was part of a study that scored all 50 states across eight categories: health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, fiscal stability, and quality of life.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, March 4, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Charter Schools –Pre-empted for Oscar programming.

Sunday, March 4, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report: “California’s Future” – Guests: PPIC Experts: Eric McGee, Shannon McConville, Caroline Danielson, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Sarah Bohn, Paul Warren, Magnus Lofstrom and Brandon Martin. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, March 4, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy:State Auditor Report on Charter Schools – Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor’s Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

Topics in More Detail…

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

US judge blocks Roundup warning label in California

Fresno Bee

California fire chiefs said Wednesday that reinforcements were too slow to arrive in last year’s ferocious firestorms and asked lawmakers for $100 million to call in extra firefighters when weather conditions are ripe for a conflagration. The fire chiefs said drought and climate change will cause longer, more severe fire seasons, and the state’s “mutual aid” system for sharing resources across departments can’t keep up.

Study: Climate Change Threatens Major Crops in California

KQED Science

Judge orders California agricultural officials to cease pesticide use

Los Angeles Times

A judge has ordered California agricultural officials to stop spraying pesticides on public and private property to control insects that threaten the state’s $45-billion agriculture industry.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

For stories on “mass shootings and threats at schools” See: “Top Stories – Local, State, Federal and Other Politics,” above

Crime:

California Today: Should Bail Be Set Above What Defendants Can Pay?

The New York Times

It’s not only housing prices that are sky high in San Francisco. The city’s public defender, Jeff Adachi, is leading a campaign to highlight what one study found were among the highest bail levels in the state. “The judges here set bails like they are announcing the next jackpot in the lottery,” Mr. Adachi said. “It’s typical to see $50,000 or a $100,000 bail.”

Rape kit analysis would speed up under state, county proposals

The Mercury News

Every year, untested rape kits — estimated in the thousands — have sat idly in crime labs, hospitals and police agencies around the state while untold victims wait for justice. Lawmakers in both Sacramento and the Bay Area want to change that with new legislation and stricter local rules that would ensure every rape kit gets analyzed more quickly.

Anti-Semitic Incidents See Largest Single-Year Increase On Record, Audit Finds

NPR

The Anti-Defamation League has identified 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents in its2017 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents. That’s up from 1,267 in 2016, marking the highest single-year increase since the organization released its first audit in 1979. The annual audit tracks incidents of vandalism, harassment or assault reported to the ADL by law enforcement, media and victims. All reported incidents are assessed by ADL staff members for credibility by seeking independent verification.

Fire:

State fire chiefs seek money to plan for wildfires

Fresno Bee

California fire officials request $100 million to fix mutual-aid system

San Francisco Chronicle

Tuesday’s hearing before two state Senate committees — the emergency services and governmental organization committees — came after a Chronicle story in November revealed that thousands of mutual-aid requests in fire emergencies went unfilled in the past few years, including 175 requests made during the early hours of the October fires that ravaged parts of the North Bay.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Two red flags that California’s economy isn’t as healthy as we think

Sacramento Bee

Two recent financial tremors should caution California and its municipalities that they had better get their financial houses in order. The first came from Controller Betty Yee in her update on the state’s retiree health care liabilities.

Jobs:

Disneyland Resort workers struggle to pay for food, housing and medical care, union survey finds

OCRegister

In an unprecedented challenge to Walt Disney Co., a coalition of 11 Disneyland unions is calling on the resort to raise its base wage to $20 an hour after a survey of 5,000 workers found many were hard-pressed to pay for food and medical expenses and 11 percent said they experienced homelessness in the past two years.

EDUCATION

For stories on “mass shootings and threats at schools” See: “Top Stories – Local, State, Federal and Other Politics,” above

K-12:

Central Unified’s superintendent terminated without cause

The Fresno Bee

California Needs More Math and Science Teachers

Public Policy Institute of California

Recent reforms in educational standards—including the Common Core math standards and the Next Generation Science Standards—have altered the expectations placed on California’s teachers. Other changes, such as requiring college prep courses for high school graduation, will further increase the demand for math and science teachers. The state’s teacher workforce has already changed significantly in the past 15 years, but it will need to further evolve to meet the demands of the future.

Higher Ed:

California Health Sciences University to graduate first class

The Business Journal

To address a lack of physicians in Fresno and the rest of the Central Valley, California Health Sciences University in Clovis has taken up the mission of training, recruiting and retaining doctors and other health professionals in the area.

COS names college president finalists, hosts forum

Visalia Times-Delta

College of the Sequoias is close to naming its next superintendent/president and school officials are inviting faculty, students and community members to meet the four finalists. The community college will host an open forum, giving each candidate 45 minutes to speak. Candidates will give an opening statement, answer four questions previously submitted by COS faculty, students, staff or community members.

Applications for California grants to undocumented college students lag as officials encourage more

EdSource

With a March 2 deadline looming, California education officials are once again urging undocumented students to overcome any fears and to apply for the special state aid that helps cover their college tuition.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

California pollution cops are cracking down on big rigs

Fresno Bee

California is already wrestling the Trump administration over the levels of air pollution spewed by cars. Now the state is set to tangle with the White House over pollution from big rigs. The state’s powerful air pollution agency, the California Air Resources Board, voted earlier this month to impose a broad set of regulations to reduce greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants emitted by trucks and tractor-trailers over the next nine years.

Study: Climate Change Threatens Major Crops in California

KQED Science

Energy:

Building sector must transition to clean energy

Capitol Weekly

When snowboarders Chloe Kim and Shaun White return home to California after dazzling on the halfpipe to win gold at the Olympic Winter Games, there won’t be much snow to greet them. The snowpack in the Sierra Mountains is 80% below normal, an ominous harbinger of more drought for a state already reeling from record wildfires, and a stark reminder that the most important challenge of all – the race against climate change – remains to be won.

California leaders to protest scrapping of Clean Power Plan

Associated Press

California’s top energy and environment officials were expected Wednesday to vociferously oppose a Trump administration effort to scrap an Obama-era policy aimed at fighting climate change by slashing emissions from coal-fired power plants.

California may tweak climate program that’s quietly pushing up gas prices

San Francisco Chronicle

Even as drivers debate repealing California’s recent gasoline tax hike, an often-overlooked state program has quietly helped push fuel prices higher. Dubbed the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the program is designed to fight climate change by forcing oil companies to lower the “carbon intensity” of the fuels they sell in California.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

At $10M, Bob Smittcamp commits Community Medical’s largest cash gift

The Business Journal

Business owner and philanthropist Robert E. Smittcamp has given $10 million to benefit the neuroscience department at Community Medical Centers — representing the largest single cash gift for the Fresno-based health care system, according to hospital officials.

California’s attorney general wants to enforce the nation’s health-care laws

Washington Post

He’s already a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. But California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is getting even more aggressive in challenging how the president and his appointees are tackling a range of health-related controversies.

Democrats considering a new strategy to expand health coverage as frustrations build with Obamacare

Los Angeles Times

After spending most of 2017 defending the Affordable Care Act from GOP attacks, a growing number of Democrats believe the law’s reliance on private insurance markets won’t be enough and the party should focus instead on expanding popular government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Hiltzik: Finally, a universal healthcare proposal that would work for everyone

Los Angeles Times

Up to now, single-payer and universal health coverage proposals in the U.S. have foundered on one shoal or another: They’re ungodly expensive; they replace plans that people like; they’re too sudden; they’re not sudden enough; they’re politically impossible, etc., etc., etc. But now take a look at “Medicare Extra for All.” It’s a universal coverage proposal released last week by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank associated with the Democratic Party.

Clinics don’t have a right to lie about abortion. This is an easy call, Supreme Court

Sacramento Bee

The Supreme Court should uphold a California law that requires that health care facilities inform women of state programs that provide free or low-cost reproductive health care services for those who economically qualify. In a case to be argued in March, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, the Court should follow a long established legal principle: Health care professionals must provide information to patients so they can make informed choices.

CA counties slow to spend mental health tax

The Sacramento Bee

IMMIGRATION

ICE agents arrest immigrants in Atwater

Fresno Bee

A handful of people were picked up by immigration agents in At-water during the weekend, according to advocates and a witness. The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, did not confirm the number of arrests from Sunday morning, but advocates for undocumented immigrants told the Sun-Star five people were picked up in deportation efforts in Atwater.

See also:

· Immigration authorities sweep through Northern California, arresting 150 Sacramento Bee

· 150 arrested in Northern California immigration sweep; ICE official says others eluded authorities after Oakland mayor’s ‘reckless’ alert Los Angeles Times

· ICE confirms 150-plus arrests in California sweep, slams Schaaf’s early warning San Francisco Chronicle

· Convicts or community members: Immigration war escalates in California Sacramento Bee

California’s Dreamers are safe for now, but Trump’s war on immigrants continues

Sacramento Bee

In President Donald Trump’s war on immigrants in Sacramento and across California, it’s a time for vigilance – and a time to thank judges. In the latest raids by federal immigration agents, more than a dozen people were detained over the weekend in Northern California, including at least four in Sacramento and five in Merced.

No Bail Hearings for Detained Immigrants, Supreme Court Rules

The New York Times

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Sacramento’s new bike trail through South Land Park clears major hurdle toward 2021 opening

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Regional Transit has agreed to give the city a nearly 5-mile stretch of unused train corridor to create a dedicated bike and pedestrian trail through neighborhoods south of downtown. The paved path, to be called the Del Rio Trail, would run from the Sacramento Zoo at Sutterville Road along the corridor south to Meadowview Road, sliding mostly behind South Land Park backyards.

Will Opportunity Zones help distressed residents or be a tax cut for gentrification?

Brookings

States are fast approaching a deadline set by the new tax law to designate low-income neighborhoods as “Opportunity Zones”—a designation that will unlock favorable capital gains treatment for investments in those areas. Supporters say this will help revitalize distressed communities, but there is a risk that instead of helping residents of poor neighborhoods, the tax break will end up displacing them or simply provide benefits to developers investing in already-gentrifying areas.

Housing:

Here’s what it takes to rent a two-bedroom home throughout California

Sacramento Bee

California rent continues to rise rapidly, eating up wage increases from a growing economy, forcing thousands to endure long commutes and contributing to anincrease in homelessness. Median rent for a California two-bedroom condo or home rose from about $1,740 in December 2013 to about $2,300 in December 2017, a 32 percent jump, according to tracking firm Zillow.com. By comparison, median rent for a two-bedroom unit nationwide was about $1,290 in December 2017, up 14 percent from 2013.

Digging into the data: How attainable is the ‘California Dream’ today?

CALmatters

No one has the exact same definition of the California dream. Ask the 39 million current Californians about what the dream should be, and aside from most of us agreeing that the daily temperature should dip no colder than the mid-‘50s, you’ll likely get 39 million very different answers.

California Housing Is Even Pricier Than You Thought

SFGate

Which U.S. city has the highest rents? San Francisco, right? Maybe New York? Ummm, no. San Ramon is an affluent (median household income: $151,327) San Francisco suburb of 75,639 that’s probably best known outside the Bay Area as the headquarters of oil and gas giant Chevron Corp. I grew up a few miles away, in Lafayette, which is too small for the Census Bureau to provide single-year estimates but had a median gross rent of $1,816 from 2012 through 2016.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Kern County preparing for another tight budget cycle, facing fire fund struggle

Bakersfield Californian

Are federal income tax changes spooking California shoppers?

OCRegister

Consumer confidence is moving in opposite directions, statewide vs. nationally, as new federal income tax rules come into play. California consumer confidence fell in February for the second consecutive month to a six-month low, the Conference Board reported Tuesday, Feb. 27. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index for California was 115.9, down from 131.5 in January but up from 113.3 a year earlier.

TRANSPORTATION

FAX Q Is Quick, But Will It Deliver?

Valley Public Radio

California loosens rules for driverless cars, clearing the way for robot taxis

Los Angeles Times

Here come the robot cars. Sometime this spring, self-driving test cars will begin appearing on California highways, with no people inside, the result of new regulations issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles this week.

WATER

Temperance Flat Dam supporters appeal State Water Commission’s project rating

ABC30

Southern California water agency could vote soon on whether to bankroll Delta tunnels

Sacramento Bee

Facing pressure from Gov. Jerry Brown, Southern California’s largest water agency could vote as soon as April on whether to take a majority stake in the twin-tunnels project Brown plans for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

East Porterville gets water, some regret it

Visalia Times-Delta

Californians Are Struggling to Pay for Rising Water Rates

KQED

Water rates are rising in many California communities faster than some residents can keep up. While the state works to come up with a plan to tackle affordability issues, one bill seeks to protect against water shutoffs.

Jerry Brown signs dam inspection bill in wake of Oroville crisis

The Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that would tighten dam inspection standards following last year’s near catastrophe at Oroville Dam. On Monday, Brown signed Assembly Bill 1270 authored by James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, whose constituents were among the 188,000 people forced to evacuate last February when a huge hole formed in the dam’s main spillway and its emergency spillway nearly washed away.

“Largest storm of the year” to bring up to 7 feet of snow to Sierra Nevada

The Mercury News

A major storm system is forecast to slam into California from Alaska and Canada starting Wednesday night, bringing soaking rain to the Bay Area on Thursday and dumping up to seven feet of new snow to the historically dry Sierra Nevada by Saturday. But as welcome as the snow is during a very dry winter so far, it won’t be enough to return the Sierra Nevada — the source of 30 percent of California’s water supply — back to its average for the year, experts said Tuesday.

“Xtra”

Southern California water agency could vote soon on whether to bankroll Delta tunnels

Sacramento Bee

Wildlife refuge yields spectacular sightings

Sierra Star

One of the largest wildlife refuges on the west coast can be found just an hour and 40 minutes from Oakhurst – a drive well worth the effort for anyone who loves wildlife and the great outdoors.

Hanford Carnegie Museum revived

Hanford Sentinel

The Hanford Carnegie Museum is getting some work done in hopes of breathing new life into the historical building. “We need to bring more people in and one way to do that is to get the museum looking perfect again,” Patricia Dickerson, Hanford Carnegie Museum general manager, said. “That’s the only way we’ll keep this place alive.”

Nine officers honored for courage, compassion, professionalism

Stockton Record

Courage, compassion and professionalism: these are just a few traits of those who proudly wear the badge and serve the community as members of law enforcement.

EDITORIALS

‘How Great Thou Art!’: Billy Graham crusades in Fresno drew 350,000+

Fresno Bee

On a cool Tuesday night in October 1958, the Rev. Billy Graham walked onto a stage at the Charlotte Coliseum for the 26th sermon of a five-week Charlotte crusade. “Tonight,” he began, “I want to talk on how to live the Christian life.”

OUR VIEW: Hits & misses

The Bakersfield Californian

HIT – By a vote of 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent, Cal State Bakersfield students have approved a $37 million expansion of the Student Union and construction of an aquatic center. It was a generous decision by students, who agreed to pay an initial $40 a semester fee, which will climb to $160 a semester after four years, to help fund the project. It will take three years of fee collection before construction begins.

Treating and housing the mentally ill is harder than jailing them. But it might actually work

Los Angeles Times

If only we could make Les Jones’ story more commonplace. As the 62-year-old Texas native leans back from his desktop computer in his small apartment, he details his journey from a successful radio career to a mental breakdown, to the streets, to shelter and finally to treatment and a healthy, happy life in this tidy complex at perhaps the most enviable corner of Santa Monica, steps from the Third Street Promenade, a short walk to the beach.

The Schiff and Nunes memos are a distraction

San Francisco Chronicle

The conspiracy theories, conflicting agendas, and screwball tweets surrounding Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of President Trump are heated enough to create their own chaotic ecosystem. The dueling memos released by opposing parties on the House Intelligence Committee this month offer a keen window into the partisan danger that lies ahead.

Janus v. AFSCME case can put a stop to forced union dues

OCRegister

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday for a case with big repercussions for public-sector unions and their political influence across the country. The case at hand is Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, a challenge filed by Illinois worker Mark Janus against a state law allowing public sector unions to collect fees from public employees who have chosen not to join a union.

Supreme Court decision doesn’t change need for congressional action on DACA

OCRegister

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the Trump administration’s appeal of a federal judge’s ruling blocking the planned March 5 termination of the DACA program. With that decision, the fate of litigation over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals will remain with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, in a process that could take months. Current participants will be allowed to renew their status until that is resolved.

California should lead the way on driverless cars

San Diego Union-Tribune

One of the most frustrating moments of Jerry Brown’s second go-round as governor came in October 2016 when the state Department of Motor Vehicles — tasked with devising a regulatory framework for the testing of autonomous vehicles — released guidelines that seemed bent on stifling technology with the potential to change the world as we know it.

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